Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

As soon as Zhenniao finished speaking, two guards rushed in, panting heavily.

The one running in front had his hat askew and almost dropped his metal fork. When he saw the real bird standing there, he seemed to be whipped, abruptly stopping in his tracks, his heels scraping half a meter off the ground before he regained his footing.

The one behind him fared even worse; he ran so fast that he bumped into the back of his teammate as soon as he entered the door, and the two almost ended up in a pile-up.

"Uh, excuse me, Miss True Bird!"

The lead guard, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve as he stammered his explanation.

"We've already told him! The dojo isn't accepting challenges for the time being! But... but this kid is too slippery, too fast! He dashed in in the blink of an eye! We can't even catch up with him!"

The other guard nodded hurriedly in agreement, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhenniao didn't look at them; his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan stood in the shadows at the edge of the field, his posture straight, like a tree growing out of the darkness.

He met the scrutinizing gaze of the real bird without the slightest embarrassment or guilt on his face; instead, a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

Miss True Bird?

Jiang Chuan kept repeating the name in his mind.

So this is Makoto, Giovanni's personal secretary and one of the core members of the Rockets.

Jiang Chuan's gaze slid down her face again, very slowly, as if he were savoring a cup of tea.

A black business suit, a white silk shirt, and the collar was tied meticulously.

The waist was extremely narrow, as if it had been measured with a ruler.

The bodycon skirt hugged the curves of her hips, perfectly accentuating the rounded shape of her buttocks, like a ripe peach wrapped in a layer of black silk, taut and sturdy, giving the impression that the fabric might burst at any moment.

The hem of her skirt stopped two fingers above her thigh, and below that were sheer black stockings that made her long legs look straight and smooth, with a delicate matte sheen in the dim light.

She wore a pair of black stilettos, the height of which stretched the instep into a beautiful line. The muscles in her calves were slightly taut as she stood, the curves as smooth as a sculpture by a master artist.

Those long, black-stockinged legs and that mature, bespectacled face.

She has a really good figure.

Jiang Chuan came to a conclusion in his mind.

It wasn't because Jiang Chuan's superpowers left some residual fluctuations when he entered; although they've subsided now, such things can't be completely hidden just because you want to.

True birds are particularly sensitive to this scent.

In her ninjutsu training, sensing the opponent's ki is a fundamental skill.

The young man in front of her stood casually, and his expression was quite gentle, but the oppressive aura he exuded made the back of her neck tighten.

Although she didn't know what methods he had used to break in, she could tell at a glance that this person was definitely not an ordinary trainer.

This sense of oppression is very similar to the feeling I had when I first met Natsumi.

That feeling of being enveloped by the invisible aura of a superpowered person.

Masahiko forcefully suppressed the turbulent thoughts in her heart, and her cold and aloof expression did not waver in the slightest.

She nodded, indicating to the two guards that she understood, and then slightly raised her chin.

"You all go out first."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

The two guards exchanged a glance, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon. They quickly lowered their heads and retreated, not forgetting to glare at Jiang Chuan before leaving. But they didn't dare to say anything more and slunk away around the corner of the corridor.

Once the sound of their footsteps had completely faded from sight, Masahiro turned his gaze back to Jiang Chuan.

She took a deep breath to relax the muscles in her shoulders and neck, then spoke, trying to appear as calm as possible.

"You're the trainer who came to challenge the Viridian Gym, right?"

"I'm sorry, there's been a slight mishap at the dojo, and we're temporarily not accepting challenges."

Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something subtle in the air, but every word was spoken with great steadiness, carrying a professional politeness and aloofness.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan's smile deepened slightly.

But before he could speak, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Xiaoxia and Hanako ran in one after the other from the corridor. Xiaoxia was still holding Hanako's wrist, and her hair was disheveled from running.

She heard Masahiko's two sentences from afar and immediately became unhappy. She was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she burst into tears on the spot.

"What do you mean?"

Xiaoxia's voice was sharp and bright, echoing several times in the empty battlefield.

"Your dojo was just welcoming challengers! And now, less than ten minutes later, you're turning away? We saw it ourselves, that Xiao Shigeru just left! He finished his challenge, and now you won't let anyone else challenge him?"

She grew angrier as she spoke, her cheeks puffed out, her hands on her hips, and she menacingly approached the real bird.

"Even if you're a high-level dojo, you don't have that much authority to treat challengers differently, do you?"

"If you don't give me a reasonable reason for refusing the challenge today, I'm going to report you to the league!"

She stood in front of the real bird, half a head shorter than it, but her presence was in no way inferior. With her chin raised and her eyes wide open, she looked like a bristling bird.

Hanako stood behind her without saying a word, but her expression was not good either.

But unlike Xiaoxia, she didn't shout or yell. She just stood quietly to the side, her gaze shifting between Zhenniao and Jiangchuan before finally settling on Jiangchuan.

The bird followed the sound and looked towards Xia.

She sized up Xiaoxia for a moment.

His gaze slid down her face and paused at her belt.

There was a small badge accessory for the Cerulean Gym hanging there.

It's not a proper badge.

The real bird recognizes that thing.

She had seen the head of the Cerulean Dojo carrying this item when she attended the Dojo Alliance meeting. She heard it was given to VIPs recognized by the dojo and was a symbol of their internal status.

This loud and boisterous little girl is wearing this, so either she is an employee of the Cerulean Dojo, or she is a VIP of the Cerulean Dojo.

Judging from her demeanor, she's not someone to be trifled with.

Zhenniao quickly weighed the options in his mind.

Such a huge incident just happened inside the dojo, the ultimate weapon went berserk, the entire research institute was in chaos, and the boss was in a complete mess.

At this critical juncture, she really didn't want to cause any more trouble.

I don't want to involve the Cerulean Dojo people in a dispute involving a challenger.

If not handled properly, things could escalate and only harm the Rockets' plans.

She hadn't finished processing her thoughts yet.

Jiang Chuan spoke.

"I am Jiangchuan, a trainer from Pallet Town."

His self-introduction was concise and to the point, with just the right amount of politeness in his voice.

"These two are my female companions, Xiaoxia and Huazi."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xia and Hanako beside him, his eyes conveying a sense of reassurance.

When Xiaoxia met his gaze, her puffed-up cheeks deflated slightly, but she still glared angrily at the real bird.

Hanako nodded slightly as a greeting.

Jiang Chuan looked at Zhen Niao again and continued speaking slowly and deliberately, following Xiao Xia's train of thought.

"Miss Makoto, didn't your gym just accept a challenger? Why are you refusing my challenge now, even though there's no damage or explosion on the gym?"

He said that cleverly.

He was polite on the surface, but every word he said was actually quite reasonable.

You just picked up Xiao Mao.

The site did not collapse.

The dojo wasn't bombed.

Why can't I take on the challenge?

When Masato heard the words "Pallet Town," his expression finally changed noticeably.

She opened her eyes slightly, and the pupils behind her glasses contracted gently.

Pallet New Town?

Pallet New Town again?

Her heart was churning.

That arrogant kid was also a trainer from Pallet Town.

It was because that trainer kid from Pallet Town made some outrageous remarks during the challenge that the boss had to release the ultimate weapon. As a result, the ultimate weapon malfunctioned when it was returned to the storage after the battle. It went berserk, broke free of control, turned the underground laboratory upside down, and then disappeared into the sky.

This incident just happened and hasn't even been dealt with yet, and now another trainer from Pallet Town has appeared?

One after another?

Could it be that the old man in Zhenxin Town discovered something?

Did they deliberately instruct the two trainers to challenge them?

The more she thought about it, the deeper she went.

That kid, while a bit arrogant, definitely had Pokémon that surpassed the average rookie trainer. That level of skill would put him a top-tier gym leader in any gym.

Now another one has followed.

Moreover, this Jiang Chuan has a very strange aura, a very strong sense of oppression.

It felt similar to when I first met Sabrina during the Gym Leaders Conference.

She realized that this person was on a completely different level from the young master Mao from before.

The former is a pampered young master, while the latter seems like someone who has truly seen blood.

Considering the major upheaval that had just occurred at the dojo, they couldn't afford to offend a VIP with connections to other dojos, and they couldn't bring themselves to give the real reason for their refusal.

In addition, this new challenger is a trainer from Pallet Town.

After much deliberation, Zhenniao still couldn't make up his mind.

"The trainer from Pallet Town... Jiang Chuan."

She repeated the words softly, as if she were chewing on them.

A moment later, her expression returned to its initial coldness and professionalism, and she nodded slightly to Jiang Chuan.

"Okay, I understand."

Her tone softened a little more than before.

"I can't make that decision. How about this, Mr. Jiang Chuan, you and your two ladies go and rest in the audience seats for a while. I'll go ask the museum owner and then come back to give you an answer."

"It won't be long."

She added, her gaze lingering on Jiang Chuan's face for a moment.

Jiang Chuan met her gaze, nodded, and maintained his calm and composed smile.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to Miss True Bird."

He turned slightly to the side and made a "please go ahead" gesture, his movements as natural as if he were the owner of the place.

Xiaoxia stood to the side, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something more, but Jiang Chuan stopped her with a look.

She puffed out her cheeks and reluctantly turned her head away.

Hanako stepped forward, gently tugged at Xiaoxia's hand, and said softly, "Let's listen to Jiangchuan first."

Xiaoxia snorted and didn't say anything more.

Masami Egawa accepted the proposal and breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained calm.

She nodded, her voice soft and brief.

"Please wait a moment."

After saying that, she turned and left.

The high heels clicked crisply and rhythmically on the dark ground, slowly disappearing into the distance.

.........

The real bird walked through the corridor, the sound of its high heels half-swallowed by the soft carpet.

She turned two corners and stopped in front of a heavy, dark wooden door, reaching out to press her finger on the fingerprint reader on the side of the door frame.

The door slid open silently.

Sakaki stood in the center of the office, having already taken off his signature black suit jacket and put on a dark gray stand-up collar casual jacket. He was looking down as he put his phone and a few Poké Balls into the storage bag at his waist.

He heard the door open, glanced at the real bird but didn't stop what he was doing.

"Makoto, please contact Dr. Fuji for me. I need to meet with him immediately to discuss the capture plan."

His voice was deep, and he spoke quickly, conveying a sense of suppressed urgency.

The real bird didn't speak immediately.

She closed the door behind her, took two steps forward, and her high heels made a very soft "tap-tap" sound on the floor.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

She responded to the first sentence decisively.

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"But boss, another challenger has arrived at the dojo."

Sakaki paused for a moment as he fastened his fanny pack.

He turned around, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the real bird's face, and his tone became more serious than before.

"Another challenger? Didn't I say the gym was temporarily closed? How come another challenger has been let in?"

He took half a step forward, his voice becoming even deeper.

"Don't you know what's going on at the dojo right now? Just give him a few words and tell him to leave. If he doesn't leave, have the guards throw him out."

The real bird didn't leave.

She stood there, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, her back straight, the lines of her figure outlined by her black business suit appearing even sharper under the cool office lighting.

"Boss, this challenger is no ordinary person."

Her voice wasn't loud, but she pronounced each word clearly.

"It doesn't seem that easy to get rid of him."

Sakaki stopped in his tracks as he was about to take a step.

He looked at the real bird again, his brows furrowing even more, and the impatience in his tone had turned into scrutiny.

"Can't get rid of them?"

"Who is he?"

Masahiro raised her hand and pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting a beam of light that obscured the expression in her eyes.

"His name is Jiang Chuan, and he is also a trainer in Pallet Town."

Sakaki's expression didn't change, but the lines of his jawline were noticeably tighter.

Masato continued, "And with him came a VIP from the Cerulean Gym. The girl was wearing an accreditation token from the Cerulean Gym, which should indicate a direct connection to the Gym League."

Her voice was steady and uninterrupted, as if she were giving a presentation.

"There is also an older woman who looks gentle and kind, but we don't know her identity yet."

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words.

"However, I think she's not simple either. While these two were talking to me, she stood to the side, watching quietly and calmly, without saying a word or showing any nervousness."

Masato raised his eyes, his gaze behind his glasses fixed directly on Sakaki.

"I reckon she might be from the alliance, and her status isn't low."

After Masato finished his description, the office fell silent...