Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

However, despite being convinced, as he stood on the edge of the cliff watching Jiang Chuan playing with his Poké Ball at the bottom of the valley, he couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions.

It's neither sour nor bitter.

He'd been stuck in this mountainous area for so long, spending every day battling the Onix, braving wind and rain, yet he still hadn't figured out what was stuck in the Onix's waist.

What is this?

Shiba doesn't consider himself a narrow-minded person, but to say that he wasn't affected at all would be pure self-deception.

He unconsciously clenched his wrist with one hand, his knuckles cracking loudly.

He really put his heart into the Onix storyline.

Otherwise, with his King-level strength, he could easily find an opportunity to cripple Onix and capture it.

But he refused.

Shiba always believed that capturing Pokémon was all about fate and understanding.

Forcing someone to submit and score a goal is no different from raising a tool.

But after trying to figure it out for so long, I haven't gotten anything out of it.

When they came, they quickly and efficiently located the root of the problem.

This gap is not something that can be easily overlooked with the phrase "the younger generation is to be feared".

Shiba even felt an absurd sense of "having lived in vain".

After so many years of cultivation, where has it all gone?

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, and waves of tightness rose in his chest.

But Shiba is Shiba after all; he only gets stuck on things for a short while.

He quickly changed his perspective.

Although Onix is ​​gone, did they really come away empty-handed?

wrong.

The few movements Jiang Chuan made while drawing circles suddenly flashed through his mind.

With a sinking of the lower body, all the strength in the body is twisted into one, with the shoulders leading the waist, and the waist leading the hips, making the whole person like a knife being drawn from its sheath.

Shiba was thrown out; he experienced it firsthand.

That way of generating power was so unique.

He has trained for so many years and has his own way of using strength, which is fierce and direct, like a rock hitting a rock.

But Jiang Chuan's move was completely different.

Crisp, fast, the whole person is whipped out like a whip, and flies away as soon as they touch something.

Shiba had a vague feeling that the technique wasn't something that could be learned simply through brute force.

The rhythm from accumulating power to unleashing it was somewhat similar to some ancient fighting styles he was familiar with, yet it was more direct and modern.

His eyes suddenly lit up.

Yes.

If I can't catch Onix, so be it. But if I could learn even a move or two of that fist technique...

That works too!

The more Shiba thought about it, the more sense it made.

Just do it.

He took a step toward the bottom of the valley, his eyes sweeping across the area.

Goodness, this height! I didn't realize it when I came up, but when I looked down, I found that it was seven or eight meters high from the top of the cliff to the bottom of the valley. The cliff face was uneven, bumpy and jagged, which looked terrifying.

But I am a top-tier fighter.

If a rookie trainer can jump, why can't he?

Moreover, in Shiba's mind, Jiang Chuan's posture when he jumped down was absolutely beautiful.

A person, a figure, darted through the rocks like a swallow, landing in a few leaps without even stumbling.

Even if he's not the best, he can't be that bad, right?

Once Shiba thought about it, his hesitation vanished.

He pulled his arms in and leaped into the air.

The wind whistled in my ears.

Shiba traced a not-so-graceful arc in mid-air.

He had originally planned to step on a protruding rock in the middle of the cliff for leverage, but when he actually jumped off, he realized that his speed and predictions were completely different from what he had imagined.

I stepped into thin air.

No help was available.

He fell straight down.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Shiba landed on his feet, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The moment his legs landed, it felt as if two iron pillars were slamming into the soles of his feet.

He stood there, too afraid to move.

From my ankle to my knee, and from my knee to my thigh, my entire leg was so numb that I almost lost all feeling.

Shiba's lips twitched involuntarily, but in front of outsiders, he forced himself not to show any signs of losing his composure.

It simply remained in the same position it had been in when it landed, standing straight, like a statue that had taken root.

After a while, the numb and painful sensation slowly subsided, like ants crawling out of my bones.

Shiba recovered and cursed inwardly.

This ground... is way too hard!

Fortunately, no one approached at that moment, otherwise he, a king-level fighter, would have truly lost face.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his steps appear steady, and walked towards Jiangchuan.

………………

Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment when she saw Shiba jump down as well.

She was still basking in the excitement of Jiang Chuan subduing the Giant Onix, but when she turned around, she found that Master Shiba was nowhere to be seen.

Looking again, Shiba was also standing at the bottom of the valley.

"this……"

Xiaoxia blinked, looked at where Shiba landed, and then turned her head to look to the side.

"Isn't there a path leading down to the side?"

She muttered something to herself, her tone full of confusion.

"Why do they all like jumping off cliffs? Is cliff jumping a required course for any trainer?"

The more she thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed.

Jiang Chuan jumped because he did indeed have superpowers protecting him.

It's really strange that Master Shiba also jumps.

Could jumping off cliffs in the mountains really strengthen your leg muscles?

Xiaoxia shook her head, and was about to pick up Pikachu when she looked down and found that Pikachu had been standing on the edge of the cliff at some point.

The little yellow body leaned forward, its tiny paws pressed against the stone, and its two hind legs were slightly bent.

Its pair of dark eyes were fixed on the direction of the valley floor, and its tail stood straight up.

That stance clearly indicated that he was gathering his strength, preparing for a leap of faith.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu cried out, then pushed off with its hind legs, leaping forward with a powerful kick.

Xiaoxia reacted quickly and grabbed Pikachu by the scruff of its neck.

Pikachu was abruptly pulled back, its four short legs flapping in the air several times.

"What are you doing, Pikachu?"

Xiaoxia picked it up and brought it to her, then put on a stern face.

"You're jumping too?"

Pikachu, suspended in mid-air, shrank its head and looked away guiltily.

The two little paws poked each other.

"They don't learn the good things, but they learn all the bad things."

Xiaoxia poked its forehead and said irritably.

"Are you as crazy as them? There's a road this way, come with me!"

Pikachu stuck out its tongue and resignedly lowered its limbs.

Xiaoxia hugged it tightly and turned to walk towards the path beside her.

He kept muttering to himself.

"Each one is more troublesome than the last... Your master is like this, and so are you."

Pikachu whispered "Pika Pika" twice, pretending to look very aggrieved.

Xiaoxia rubbed its head and stopped scolding it.

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

Valley bottom.

It took Shiba almost two minutes to get to Jiang Chuan.

During those two minutes, every step he took felt like walking on cotton, but he kept his facial expression under control, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Jiang Chuan has already dealt with the Pangolin.

The pangolin that was stuck on the waist of the giant rock snake was in a daze after he pulled it out.

Its whole body was curled up in a ball, its nail plates sticking up in all directions, its eyes wide open, with an expression that said, "Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?"

Jiang Chuan didn't make things difficult for it.

After all, it can't be entirely blamed on it. Sandslash likes to drill into cracks and crevices, and it probably thought the Onix's rock crevices were some kind of good place, but ended up getting stuck inside.

It's no wonder the Onix is ​​in pain.

He crouched down, used his waveguide to communicate briefly with the pangolin, and after confirming that it wasn't seriously injured, he released it.

The pangolin snapped out of its daze, quickly darted into a crevice in the rock, and disappeared.

That figure looked particularly humble.

Jiang Chuan stood up and dusted off his hands.

At that moment, Shiba arrived.

"Jiangchuan."

Shiba spoke, his voice more serious than before.

"Congratulations on capturing Onix."

Jiang Chuan turned around and looked at Shiba.

Shiba's expression was sincere, without the slightest hint of reluctance or airs.

"Thank you, Master Shiba."

Jiang Chuan also said something polite.

"Thank you for your humility earlier, Master. If you hadn't drawn a circle and I hadn't cleverly thrown you out, we might not have had this opportunity today."

He said this with a smile on his face and in a very relaxed tone.

Upon hearing this, Shiba's lips twitched involuntarily.

This matter... I wanted to use it myself... sigh~

He chuckled twice.

"Ahem, well... let's not talk about the past."

Shiba waved his hand, trying to steer the conversation in the right direction.

"That's the end of the matter with the Giant Onix. I, Shiba, keep my word. I said I'd give it to you, and I will."

He paused, his eyes fixed on Jiang Chuan.

"But now... there's something else I'd like to ask you."

Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow.

Shiba's expression clearly shows that he came prepared.

"Master, please speak."

Shiba did not speak immediately.

He glanced around, seemingly choosing his words.

"just……"

He raised a finger and pointed at Jiang Chuan's foot, then pressed it down, as if gesturing a movement.

"You only have those two skills in the industry."

"That fist technique."

Shiba lowered his voice a little.

"I'd like to ask you for some advice."

Shiba rarely speaks to people in such a humble manner.

Especially in the field of combat sports.

As one of the Four Heavenly Kings and a signature figure in the fighting genre, he is always the one others chase after to ask for advice.

But today, he took the initiative to speak.

Because he was genuinely curious.

That set of boxing techniques is too strange.

It looked soft and even a bit loose, but when it exerted force, the power it unleashed completely exceeded his expectations.

Shiba himself is an expert in training explosive power.

His muscles weren't for nothing; he had trained his immense strength to the extreme, and could shatter rocks with a single punch.

But Jiang Chuan's way of generating power is completely different from what he practiced.

He trains to be "hard," to hone his muscles and bones into iron, and to strike with the most direct force.

Jiang Chuan's blows were like a whip.

There was even a snake inside the whip.

The power only burst forth the moment it touched you.

When Shiba was thrown out, he had only one thought in his mind.

What is this thing?

Therefore, he had to ask.

Even if it means losing face a little.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan realized he had already benefited greatly and didn't try to hide it.

"Master Shiba, are you asking about the close-quarters strike I used after you landed your punch in the second round?"

Jiang Chuan gestured as he spoke.

"The point of power doesn't come from the arms. Many people think that close-quarters fighting relies on the shoulders and elbows, but that's not the case. The real source of power is the reaction force from the back foot hitting the ground, which travels from the heel to the hip, then from the hip to the shoulder, and finally the elbow brings it out."

Jiang Chuan stretched out his hand and pointed to Shiba's waist and hip area.

"Your lower body was stable at the time, but your waist and hips were too stiff. When you punched, the angle between your waist and thighs wasn't open, so the power was interrupted at the hips."

Shiba listened intently, his brows furrowed, his mind already reconstructing his movements based on Jiang Chuan's explanation.

"Here... the angle between the thigh and the waist..."

He muttered to himself, then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Right, right, right! That's why I always felt like I was missing a breath! So that's the problem!"

Shiba's eyes were frighteningly bright.

He grabbed Jiang Chuan's shoulder.

"Brother Jiang Chuan, could you teach me this set of boxing techniques? I don't need much, just a few moves will do. Name your price, anything is fine! Consider it a favor I owe you, or you can just take me as your apprentice!"

When Shiba said, "Take me as your apprentice," he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

That's just how he is; when faced with real skill, status and position are meaningless.

Back then, I was young and impetuous. When I met that old gentleman, I was only interested in proving myself superior. Even if I lost, I would just go back and sulk, feeling resentful.

Now that I'm older, I've come to understand many things better.

"When I was young, I saw a martial art similar to yours. At the time, I felt there was always someone better, but I was too embarrassed to ask for your guidance. Later, after that person left, I regretted it immensely."

Shiba looked at Jiang Chuan, his tone so sincere that it didn't sound like that of a high and mighty king.

"Now that I've had another chance, it might be another opportunity given to me by God. I don't want to miss it again."

Jiang Chuan was genuinely delighted after hearing this.

He looked at the fighting master, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Kanto, who was willing to call him "Master" just to learn a set of boxing techniques. He was both surprised and felt it was only natural.

This is probably why Shiba was able to become a king.

When you reach this level of skill, you don't care about saving face. When you see someone stronger than you, regardless of their age or status, you should be humble and ask for their guidance.

This attitude of always learning makes one a top performer in any field.

Jiang Chuan pondered to himself.

Having a Heavenly King as an apprentice—this deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Putting aside the superficial aspects, just based on the fact that "Shiba is my apprentice," wouldn't it be incredibly easy for him to get things done in the Kanto region? After the Quartz Conference, if he wants to take the next step, wouldn't he need connections, resources, and all of those things rely on this network of relationships?

Having a disciple of the highest caliber is like having half a pass in Kanto.

Jiang Chuan's lips curled slightly, and he had already made up his mind.

Just as he was about to speak, a woman's voice came from the side.

"master?"

Xiaoxia had already walked to a short distance away without anyone noticing.

Pikachu was standing at her feet, tilting its head and looking over with a face full of confusion.

As Xiaoxia walked down the road, she heard Xiba and Jiang Chuan's conversation from afar. The distance was a bit far, and she only caught a few indistinct words, with the word "master" being the clearest.

She jogged over to Jiang Chuan, looked up, and her eyes lit up with excitement.

"What's wrong? Jiang Chuan, Jiang Chuan, is Master Shiba going to take you as his disciple?"

Xiaoxia's mind works fast, and her mouth even faster.

Just now on the cliff, she was on the opposite side of Shiba. Now that Jiang Chuan has subdued the Giant Onix, if Shiba isn't angry and even takes Jiang Chuan as his apprentice, that would be an incredible stroke of luck.

Who is Shiba?

The Four Heavenly Kings of Kanto!

With a master like him, Jiang Chuan's training and future prospects in Kanto will be on a fast track.

Xiaoxia's mind grew increasingly excited, and she grabbed Jiang Chuan's arm and shook it twice.

"That's fantastic! Master Shiba taking you as his disciple is an incredible stroke of luck!"

Jiang Chuan was both amused and exasperated by Xiaoxia's sudden enthusiasm.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Shiba waved his hand.

"Miss Xia, you've misunderstood."

Shiba's tone remained as honest as ever.

"I don't want to take Jiang Chuan as my apprentice."

Xiaoxia's smile froze on her face, and her hand slowly loosened its grip on Jiang Chuan's arm.

"Ah...oh..."

She responded with a disappointed sigh, and her whole demeanor visibly wilted.

It's not about taking on apprentices...

Wouldn't Jiang Chuan have been happy for nothing? She was so excited just now.

Xiaoxia's lips had just drooped when Shiba's second half of the sentence followed.

"I want to become Jiang Chuan's apprentice and ask him to teach me that set of boxing techniques."

The air was quiet for a second.

Xiaoxia's eyes gradually widened.

"what?"

She thought she had misheard.

"What? You want Jiang Chuan to be your master?"

Xiaoxia's voice rose a octave, and her expression changed from disappointment to utter shock.

She stared blankly at Xiba, then slowly turned to look at Jiang Chuan.

"You want to be...Master Shiba's...master?"