Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

The real bird's fingertips were still slightly numb.

The lingering heat of the sun seemed to still be in the air, and the temperature inside the venue had risen a few degrees.

She glanced down at the notepad in her hand; the writing on it was slightly crooked from the earlier vibration.

But she didn't bother to tidy it up.

Her gaze swept across the field and landed on Jiang Chuan.

The man was still standing in his command post, his posture ramrod straight, as if nothing had happened.

The lights on the sidelines shone down on him, highlighting the contours of half of his face.

Masahiro took a light breath, the rise and fall of his chest was very slight, but it was made particularly obvious by the black uniform.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"This guy is definitely someone important."

She's seen far too many trainers.

Some newcomers can't help but cheer after winning a gym battle, and some even rush over to pick up their Pokémon and spin it around.

But Jiang Chuan isn't that kind of person.

Two victories.

His expression remained almost unchanged.

The bird's gaze swept over his Pikachu and Venusaur.

Pikachu was lying on the edge of the field, its tail swishing back and forth, looking lazy and showing no signs of having just finished a tough battle.

Venusaur stood steadily behind Jiang Chuan, the flowers on its back rising and falling slightly with its breath, its vines retracted, and its leaves gleaming with a deep green sheen under the light.

"Pikachu and Venusaur are both so strange."

The real bird pondered to itself.

Her judgment is among the best of all the referees at Tokiwa Dojo.

Pikachu's explosive power and Venusaur's move coverage—the qualities these two Pokémon exhibit far exceed what ordinary novice trainers can achieve.

The first thing that came to her mind was that old man from Pallet Town.

"This was definitely picked out for him by that old man."

The bird's eyes darkened slightly.

"Only that old man could have seen so many strange and unusual Pokémon."

She thought about her previous attitude towards Jiang Chuan.

If she hadn't notified the boss in time, hadn't stopped Jiang Chuan at the dojo entrance, and had instead kicked him out...

The bird unconsciously brought its legs together.

Beneath the hem of her uniform skirt, her thighs, encased in black stockings, were slightly crossed at the base, the taut sensation bringing her back to her senses.

Her throat moved.

"Fortunately, I notified the boss in time."

"I did not act on my own initiative."

"Otherwise, easily angering such a powerful person would probably ruin the boss's big plans again."

...............................

On the high platform.

Sakaki remained seated in that dark-colored boss's chair.

His posture hardly changed.

One hand rested on the armrest, fingers tapping slowly.

Once, twice, three times.

The pace is very slow.

His gaze fell on the spot where the armored tyrannosaurus had fallen.

The Ironclad Tyrannosaurus Rex had not yet been retrieved; its massive body, resembling a small, iron-gray mountain, lay across the field.

Sakagi couldn't figure it out at all.

The "Hold On" skill has been successfully activated.

Ironclad Tyrannosaurus's defense and willpower are top-tier qualities that he personally cultivated.

This move can withstand even a burst of attacks from a Heavenly King level opponent.

But just now, it collapsed in just over ten seconds.

That blazing sunlight... something's definitely not right.

Sakaki's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, then quickly relaxed.

He is no ordinary person, after all.

Even if he was surprised inside, he wouldn't show it on his face like an ordinary person.

He remained seated in the chair, motionless.

Only his fingers remained on the armrest, tapping slowly and deliberately.

It was as if everything was still under his control.

A moment later, he steadily raised his hand.

A beam of red light shot out from the Poké Ball and landed precisely on the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The armored Tyrannosaurus Rex transformed into a streak of light and returned to the sphere.

Sakaki put the Poké Ball back in his hand.

"Jiangchuan."

It was no longer the same detached tone that came from looking down from above.

He pronounced it noticeably more heavily this time.

The name he called out when Jiang Chuan first walked out of the passage was more earnest and carried more weight.

"You're very strong."

Sakaki's voice echoed throughout the venue.

"He's already on par with many intermediate-level dojo masters."

When Masato, who was standing on the sidelines, heard these words, his breathing became lighter for a moment.

Intermediate-level dojo master.

These four words, spoken by Sakaki, carry far more weight than the league's rating system.

Moreover, her boss was never one to praise people to their face.

Sakaki's gaze fell on Jiangchuan, and he continued speaking.

"It's hard to imagine that such an outstanding talent as you would emerge from this year's rookie training camp."

His tone carried a genuine sense of emotion.

Jiang Chuan smiled after hearing this.

The smile wasn't particularly warm or cold; it was just a very natural smile, with a hint of perfunctoriness.

He casually put his right hand into his pocket, his posture becoming much more relaxed.

"Thank you for the compliment, Master."

He nodded slightly, his tone revealing just the right amount of humility.

"These victories were just lucky for me."

Jiang Chuan glanced at Venusaur and Pikachu out of the corner of his eye.

"It happens to have an attribute that can counter your Pokémon."

He smiled and didn't say anything more.

Jiang Chuan is certainly not stupid.

Even after winning two matches, he wouldn't make any boastful remarks about Sakaki.

According to the rules of the Viridian Gym Challenge, the Pokémon his opponent could send out within the restrictions should not have been able to stop him from winning this battle.

But this is the Tokiwa Dojo.

If he really angered Sakaki, it was hard to say whether the boss would pull out something else.

Mewtwo has encountered some problems and may not be fully formed yet.

But Giovanni also had a Beedrill in his hand.

That Beedrill that even the "Flying Elite Four" Dodo couldn't take down.

According to the rules of the League Gym Challenge, Giovanni should not have brought out a Pokémon of that level in such a competition.

But rules are something.

In the Viridian Dojo, Giovanni is the rule.

He currently only has a few Gym Leader and Elite Four level trainers.

It's not like it's covered in mythical beasts.

There's no need to be foolish enough to provoke an underground tyrant who controls the entire Team Rocket's resources.

You're just making yourself miserable.

Sakaki's lips twitched slightly upon hearing Jiangchuan's reply.

"Kid, you've got a good tongue."

There was a hint of genuine joy in his tone.

"Your performance is really not like that of a rookie trainer."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Chuan from head to toe.

"However, I admire you."

Masato stood on the sidelines, his expression of surprise once again on his face.

She and Sakaki had been together for quite some time.

It's so rare to hear the word "appreciation" from him.

Giovanni usually doesn't even take some of the league champion trainers seriously.

It's not that he's arrogant.

Rather, it's because, given his level, he's seen far too many people.

For a new trainer to say the word "appreciate" is something a true bird can hardly recall who the last one was.

Her eyes, hidden behind her glasses, looked at Jiang Chuan again.

This time, she spent a longer time examining it than before.

Her gaze slid from Jiang Chuan's profile to his shoulder, and then to the hand he had in his pocket.

The man's posture was casual, yet there was an indescribable sense of steadiness.

The bird slowly began to ponder.

"Is it possible to use some special method to bring this person to the Rockets?"

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her breathing unconsciously became lighter.

Recruiting talent has always been within her job responsibilities.

But those old methods were only effective against ordinary trainers.

Dealing with someone like Jiang Chuan...

Masahiko's gaze lingered on him for a long time.

Sakaki was unaware of his secretary's subtle actions.

He reached into his pocket and took out the last treasure ball.

"However, I may admire you, but that's all I am."

The baby ball spun slowly between his fingers.

"But I won't go easy on you in this challenge."

His tone returned to its usual unhurried manner.

"Come on, there's one last one."

With a gentle press of his finger, the baby ball bounced off his palm.

"Let me see what other surprises you have in store for me."

A red light flashed.

A body even larger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared in the center of the arena.

Four thick arms stretched out from different angles, each muscle as if cast in iron, gleaming with a dark gray light under the lamp.

[Sprite: Mighty, Level: lv59]

Jiang Chuan looked at the strange creature, scanned it with his senses, and already had a good idea of ​​what was going on.

"His aura is approaching that of a near-Heavenly King."

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

My initial impression of Giovanni was indeed correct.

Three against three.

Three battles, three completely different attributes.

Ground-based, Water-based, Fighting-based.

The rules of gym battles allow gym leaders to use Pokémon from their own system, or they can flexibly adjust the types according to their own preferences.

However, most museum owners will choose the single attribute they are best at.

Because that's where their true strength lies.

But Sakagi is different.

He didn't care about the dojo's affiliation at all.

He sends out whatever he has on hand.

Ground-type Rhyperior, Water-type Kingler, Fighting-type Machamp.

They have every attribute, and each one is at the gym level.

All I can say is, don't even try to guess what resources Giovanni has.

Jiang Chuan glanced at his Venusaur.

Venusaur's breathing rate was a little faster than before, the flowers on its back drooped slightly, and the edges of the petals had slight scorching marks.

That intense sunlight consumed too much energy.

Adding to the heavy blows from the previous Ironhide Rhyperior, Venusaur's stamina has already dropped by more than half.

Jiang Chuan knew very well what was going on.

In its current state, Venusaur is vulnerable to Machamp.

It's not that there's absolutely no chance.

With its dual-flower ability and the Grass-type bonus from the Miracle Seed, Venusaur, if it reaches its maximum potential, could potentially outlast Machamp.

But that's "possible".

Jiang Chuan doesn't want a possibility.

The reward for challenging the Viridian City Gym is a Charizard Mega Stone.

There's also a chance to meet Mewtwo.

Neither of these two things allows him to gamble on "possibility".

He must secure this victory with the utmost composure.

"Since his super strength is already close to that of a near-Elite Four member."

"Then it's time for me to bring out my true potential as a superstar."

A flash of red light, and Venusaur was returned to its Poké Ball.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chuan took another treasure ball from his waist.

"Charizard, the final battle is yours!"

The baby ball bounced away.

A red light exploded in mid-air.

A massive figure emerged from the light.

Flames erupted from the tip of its tail, and scorching heat radiated outwards from the Charizard in all directions.

The temperature inside the venue rose again.

The moment Charizard landed, its feet touched the ground, and tiny cracks appeared in the rocks beneath its feet.

It stood up straight.

Its height, even greater than that of a monstrous strength, cast a deep shadow.

Those eyes looked down from above, pupils slit, with the cold indifference characteristic of apex predators.

The aura of a near-superstar.

There was no suppression, no concealment.

It blatantly covered the entire area.

Masato, standing on the sidelines, trembled uncontrollably.

Her fingers gripped the recorder, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"This pressure..."

Her breathing quickened, and her chest heaved violently beneath her uniform.

"How could this be...?"

…………

Sakaki's fingers had been tapping the armrest at a leisurely pace.

At this moment, it stopped.

For the first time, a noticeable change appeared on his usually calm face.

His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened.

He almost leaned forward slightly from his chair.

"What?"

This time, Sakaki couldn't suppress his surprise and shouted it out.

"A near-Champion's fire-breathing dragon?"

The sound startled even the real bird, making its shoulders tremble.

She had been with Sakaki for so long and had almost never seen him lose his composure like this.

Sakaki's mind was racing.

He could understand the previous Venusaur, which was at the Gym level.

If Jiang Chuan's initial Pokémon was Bulbasaur, given his performance, it's not entirely unreasonable that he could have trained to near-Gym level or even Gym level after all this time. It might be a bit fast, but it's not entirely impossible.

Pikachu, he also found an explanation for himself.

A special individual, a mutated species, it's most likely a gift that the old man from Zhenxin Town gave to Jiang Chuan.

That old man did indeed have quite a few strange things hidden in his possession.

But what's going on with this fire-breathing dragon?

Quasi-King level.

A rookie trainer who simultaneously possesses a Gym Leader-level Venusaur and a near-Elite Four-level Charizard?

Is this kid training Pokémon at a speed that's like he's cheating?

Or……

Sakaki narrowed his eyes.

Or is he a descendant of some reclusive family?

Or perhaps, he is a successor secretly being groomed by some organization?

Are all the powerful Pokémon in his possession directly handed to him by the forces behind him?

These thoughts swirled in and out of Sakaki's mind.

"ha."

A short laugh escaped from Sakaki's throat.

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

"interesting."

Sakaki's tone carried an indescribable complexity.

He reached up and pinched his brow, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.

He's the leader of the Rockets.

Today, because of Shin-chan's report, Hanako was reported as a possible high-ranking member of the League, so he obediently followed the League rules and brought out only Pokémon below level 60.

As a result, the guy on the other side pulled out a near-King of Fighters.

"I'm so law-abiding, yet people still take advantage of me."

Sakaki found it amusing.

According to the league's rules, advanced gyms can upgrade by registering and gain the right to use near-Elite Four level Pokémon.

But Giovanni did not upgrade.

the reason is simple.

If the Viridian Gym continues to improve its rating, the League will require the submission of detailed information about the Gym, including the Gym Leader's Pokémon lineup, levels, and type distribution.

How could Giovanni possibly hand over this information to the League?

The main Pokémon of Team Rocket's leader are all involved in a large number of Team Rocket's core secrets.

Reporting to the alliance is tantamount to handing yourself over to them.

Therefore, Giovanni has always kept the Viridian Gym's rating at the top level, below the Elite Four level.

In this way, the League cannot find out his true identity, and he can continue to operate in Viridian City as a high-ranking Gym Leader, contacting promising newcomers and Pokémon.

Although the situation was unexpected, Sakaki felt little anger.

More than anything, it was an appreciation that even he himself found unexpected.

"All right."

Sakaki lightly tapped the armrest with his finger.

"Let me see just how powerful your Charizard, this so-called Champion-level dragon, really is."

He slightly raised his hand toward the center of the field.

"Strange power!"

Sakaki's voice was steady and powerful.

"Give it your all."