Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Jiang Chuan opened the system panel.

【Sprite: Forsaken Monkey】

[Attributes: Fighting, Ghost]

[Level: LV39 (Elite)]

[Potential: King-level]

[Trait: Unyielding – When abilities are reduced, attack power increases significantly!]

[Skills: Earth Throw, Furious Punch, Malicious Pursuit, Hold On!]

【Items to bring: None】

[Special Enhancement: None]

He quickly scanned the data on the panel, his gaze lingering on a few key values ​​for a few seconds.

The attack power has been slightly increased, not much, but enough.

Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense stats remain largely unchanged from their pre-evolution form.

But what satisfied him most was the number of health points.

During its Primeape era, its health was consistently a weakness. It wasn't to the point of being unusable, but compared to its fighting style, which required it to be at the forefront and fight desperately, its health was simply insufficient. Every battle was a dance on the edge; one wrong move and it could be defeated.

This is why Infernape used to use Hold On frequently. It's not that it likes to teeter on the edge of death, but that its tankiness can't withstand that kind of high-intensity close combat.

But it's different now.

After evolving into the Abandoned Monkey, its health points nearly doubled.

This increase is simply outrageous.

Generally speaking, the stat boosts from Pokémon evolution are comprehensive but limited; a 20-30% increase in each stat is considered good. The case of Abandoned, where only one stat experiences a massive increase, is truly an anomaly.

He couldn't help but jokingly think to himself: Before this Primalmon evolved, it was always on the verge of death. Now that it has finally evolved, is its body's instinctive reaction causing it to put all its evolution points into its health?

Although this explanation is purely Jiang Chuan's own imagination, it has to be said that it does seem to make sense logically.

Put those jokes aside.

High physical attack, high health, and possesses both Fighting and Ghost attributes.

This makes the Abandoned Monkey's combat role extremely flexible. It can continue to charge to the front and smash opponents with Rage Punch as before, but it no longer has to worry about being KO'd. It can use its Ghost type advantage to restrain opponents resistant to Fighting types. It can also stay on the field for more turns thanks to its high HP, creating space for backline attackers.

This comprehensiveness is exactly what Jiang Chuan wanted.

He turned off the control panel, picked up a Poké Ball from his belt, and aimed it at the Forsaken.

"Come back, you've worked hard."

A red light pulled the abandoned monkey back into the ball, and the two female companions beside it finally snapped out of their surprise.

Xiaoxia stared as Jiang Chuan put the abandoned monkey back into its Poké Ball, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, like a Magikarp just pulled from the water.

The knowledge system in her mind, based on textbooks, is undergoing a major upheaval.

The evolutionary chain of Primeape has come to an end—this is a basic common sense that every trainer learns when they first start training, just like how Water-type moves are super effective against Fire-type moves.

But now, Jiang Chuan shattered this common sense right in front of her, and did so with a cloud of black energy.

She moved closer to Jiang Chuan, tilted her head back to look at him, and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Jiangchuan Jiangchuan."

Her voice carried an excitement and disbelief, as if she were discovering a new world.

"You...you're not human, are you?"

Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow.

This sounds like an insult.

"Or do you have some kind of super cheat code?"

Xiaoxia reached out and poked Jiang Chuan's arm, as if to confirm whether he was made of flesh and blood.

"Wow, you discovered these evolutions outside the Pokédex so easily? That's amazing!"

She poked Jiang Chuan's arm with her finger, again and again, and with each poke a question popped up.

Jiang Chuan smiled inwardly as he looked at her curious expression.

Is it really that surprising now?

He remembered the plan he still had hidden in his backpack: after taking down the Viridian Gym, he would get the Mega Stone for Charizard X.

When Charizard undergoes another Mega Evolution, with its black flames burning and its wings spread wide, the scene will be several times more spectacular than the evolution of Abandoned today.

Xiaoxia will probably be shocked for a whole day.

Hanako might even widen her eyes.

He could already picture the scene in his mind—Xiaoxia circling around Charizard X, muttering things like "This is not scientific," "This does not conform to the theory of evolution," and "Jiang Chuan, are you even human?"

Hanako would stand to the side, worried that the Charizard might burn the tree, while also taking a few more glances at its black wings.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chuan's smile deepened.

He extended a finger and gently touched Xiaoxia's forehead.

"What are you talking about? Everyone's already here."

He pressed his fingertip against her brow, giving it a light tap.

"Well, this was an accident, I guess. I noticed that when Infernape used Rage Punch, there was always a buildup of energy. Today, I felt that energy had reached its limit."

He withdrew his finger, speaking casually as if he were remarking on the nice weather.

"I guess I was lucky."

Jiang Chuan attributed all the factors to accidents and luck, without revealing anything else.

It's not that he doesn't trust Xiaoxia.

Rather, explaining these things aloud would only make them less interesting. Maintaining a bit of mystery is better for everyone. Besides, even if he did explain everything clearly, Xiaoxia probably wouldn't understand anyway.

Rather than filling her brain with a bunch of indigestible information, it's better to let her continue to understand everything using the simple and straightforward perception that "Jiang Chuan is amazing".

Xiaoxia rubbed her forehead where she had been poked, still looking at Jiang Chuan with a puzzled expression.

Her lips were slightly pursed, and a shallow frown line appeared between her brows, clearly indicating that she was not satisfied with this explanation of "luck".

But she also knew Jiang Chuan's temper.

If someone doesn't want to talk about something, you could hit them on the head with a Magikarp and they wouldn't say a word.

Xiaoxia snorted and was about to ask a few more questions when Jiang Chuan spoke first.

"Okay, I'm going to eat dorayaki now."

The effect of this statement was immediate.

Xiaoxia's eyes lit up instantly when food was mentioned.

The questions in her mind about evolution, dark energy, and the encyclopedia were neatly squeezed into a corner by the three words "dorayaki".

"You ate one too many!"

Xiaoxia's voice suddenly rose, and she pointed her finger at Jiang Chuan's nose.

"I want an extra one this time!"

After saying that, she turned and ran, her legs moving incredibly fast, rushing towards the picnic mat that Hanako had laid out.

Jiang Chuan watched her run away, smiled, and slowly followed behind her.

Hanako recovered much faster than Kasumi.

She didn't have a deep understanding of Pokémon battle power; concepts like evolution chains, base stats, and type advantages were just vague ideas in her mind.

All she knew was that Jiangchuan's Infernape had evolved and become even stronger, and that was enough for her.

As for what that black mist is, and why evolution causes it to emit black mist, none of that matters.

The important thing is that Jiang Chuan has become stronger again.

She was genuinely happy for him.

Hanako sat back down on the picnic mat, adjusted the angle of the parasol so that the shade could just cover the three of them. Then she took the remaining dorayaki from the picnic basket one by one and arranged them neatly in the center of the plate.

The golden-yellow round cakes are stacked together, and the sweet aroma of red bean paste mixed with the caramelized smell of the baked cakes wafts out, making one's nose itch.

Xiaoxia was the first to rush to the edge of the mat, plopped down, and reached out to grab the top one.

Hanako gently patted the back of her hand.

"You haven't wiped your hands yet."

Xiaoxia chuckled, pulled a wet wipe from her bag to wipe her hands, then reached out again, steadily grabbed a dorayaki, and took a big bite. Her cheeks puffed out, and she chewed until her eyes were squinted into slits.

Jiang Chuan walked over, sat down next to her, and also reached out and took one.

Hanako watched as the two of them fought over the food she had made, and a smile curved her lips.

She recalled how Xia had run over to snatch the dorayaki earlier, and then looked at Jiang Chuan's satisfied expression after taking a big bite, and a soft feeling welled up inside her.

Although the journey was arduous, these moments of eating together made her feel that it was all worthwhile.

"Don't steal it! Don't steal it!"

Her voice was gentle and soft, as if she were coaxing two children.

"I'll make it for you later."

Xia's mouth was full of dorayaki, and she mumbled something, which was hard to hear, but it probably meant something like, "Hanako-neechan is the best."

Pikachu and Eevee also came over.

The two little ones peeked out from the edge of the picnic mat, sniffing the sweet scent.

Hanako smiled, took out a small portion of snacks she had prepared for them from the basket, and placed it next to the mat. Pikachu and Eevee immediately pounced on it, the two little guys taking turns eating, their tails wagging as they ate.

Hakulong gracefully coiled behind Hanako. Hanako turned around and fed it a dorayaki. It lowered its head, gently took it with its mouth, and swallowed it with a tilt of its neck.

Then it looked at the miniature dragons still training in the distance and let out a soft cry, as if to say, "Go, baby, Mom will eat first."

Hanako followed its gaze and saw that the Dratini was wrapped around the tail of a wild Rattata and flinging it far away.

The mini dragon glanced back at the picnic mat and saw its mother enjoying the food. It shook its head helplessly and then turned back to continue training.

Hanako was amused by the interaction between the mother and son, and her shoulders trembled slightly with laughter.

After the three of them had finished eating and drinking, Hanako packed up the picnic mat, folded up the parasol and put it back in the side pocket of her backpack, and put everything in the picnic basket back in its place. She did these things very efficiently, clearly having been used to tidying up along the way.

The sun was already setting in the west, and the light in the woods had turned orange.

The three continued their journey, heading towards Tokiwa City.

After eating her fill, Xiaoxia was even more energetic and walked at the front, her steps even lighter than before. Huazi walked in the middle, holding a parasol and occasionally glancing at the wildflowers by the roadside.

Jiang Chuan walked at the back, a blade of grass he had plucked from the roadside dangling from his mouth, his eyes scanning the surrounding bushes, keeping an eye out for any wild Pokémon that might appear.

The latter half of Route 6 was flatter than the first half, and the road surface was less muddy. The trees on both sides gradually thinned out, replaced by open meadows. In the distance, the outlines of some low-rise buildings could be seen; those were houses in the suburbs of Viridian City.

After walking for most of the day, the dirt road under our feet finally turned into a smooth asphalt road.

The streetlights started to appear more frequently, spaced at intervals. The signs on the road signs became clearer—"Jopan City, 1 kilometer ahead."

The air was filled with a unique urban atmosphere.

The smell of car exhaust mingled with the aroma of oden broth from the convenience store, while the vending machines on the roadside hummed as they cooled down.

For the three who had spent too much time in the wild, these sounds and smells evoked a long-lost sense of familiarity.

Shortly after entering Tokiwa City, Egawa heard a familiar commotion.

The noise was a high-pitched blend of several girls' voices, extremely penetrating, and could be heard clearly from half a street away.

"Young Master Mao is amazing!"

"Young Master Mao is so handsome!"

"Young Master Mao is the best!"

Jiang Chuan looked in the direction of the sound.

Across the street, a familiar figure was standing next to a balloon shooting stall.

Xiao Mao was wearing a dark blue jacket with the collar turned up, his chin slightly raised, holding an air gun in his right hand and his left hand in his pocket, posing as if he had just won the league championship.

He was surrounded by four or five girls, all wearing miniskirts and crop tops, holding colorful light sticks. One of the girls, with pigtails, was dancing the most enthusiastically; her skirt swayed with her movements, revealing the fair skin of her upper thighs.

Xiao Mao is shooting balloons with an air gun.

After firing all ten bullets, he put down his gun. Eight of the balloons on the wall popped, while the remaining two swayed in the wind, as if mocking him.

But Xiao Mao didn't care at all.

He proudly held up his gun as if it were a trophy, and turned around to receive the cheers from the female cheerleaders.

Then his gaze inadvertently swept across the street and he saw Jiang Chuan, Xiao Xia, and Hua Zi standing there.

Xiao Mao's expression changed instantly.

The initial elation of cheering had transformed into a surge of emotion.

He put the air gun on the stall and strode towards Jiang Chuan.

"Yo~"

Xiao Mao's voice was drawn out, with a deliberately exaggerated tone.

"So, Pallet Town's second-ranked trainer is back?"

He emphasized the word "second" very much.

"I thought you had given up on being a trainer long ago during your journey."

Xiao Mao walked up to Jiang Chuan, crossed his arms, and raised his chin even higher.

"I haven't heard from you in so long."

When he said this, his tone carried a sense of certainty, as if to say, "As expected, I'm still the better one."

Jiang Chuan could roughly guess the reason behind this.

Xiao Shi's information about Jiang Chuan all came from Professor Oak's regular phone conversations with him.

When Professor Oak talks to Gary, he occasionally mentions Jiang Chuan's recent situation.

However, recently, Jiang Chuan has mostly been training and collecting badges in the sea area around Crimson Lotus Island and in the forests and grasslands. The signal is poor in these places, and he hasn't taken the initiative to contact Professor Oak to report his situation.

This is why Professor Oak hasn't mentioned Egawa to Gary for a long time.

Xiao Mao naturally deduced that Jiang Chuan had recently encountered significant obstacles, so there was no progress to report.

This conclusion gave Xiao Mao a great deal of confidence at this moment.

He turned around and took the air gun he had just fired from a female cheerleader next to him, weighed it in his hand, and then pointed to the two balloons that were still swaying on the wall and hadn't been hit.

"Come, come, take a look at my marksmanship."

He patted his chest, his voice brimming with smugness.

"What an accurate and amazing shot!"

Jiang Chuan just smiled when he saw Xiao Mao's appearance.

He treated Xiao Mao's pointless comparisons and tricks like an old man teasing a child, paying them no attention whatsoever.

Xiao Mao isn't really a bad person; he's just a spoiled young master who likes to get the upper hand with his words. Letting him brag a bit won't hurt him.

Jiang Chuan didn't care, but Xiao Xia couldn't stand it.