Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

The rest of the journey went quite smoothly.

With the added benefit of the "Friends of Nature" aura, the number of instances of aggressive Pokémon ambushing us has greatly decreased.

Without being disturbed, Jiang Chuan and his two companions quickly arrived at a fork in the road.

The three of them finally emerged from the mountains and arrived at a wide fork in the road.

The road signs clearly indicate two directions: left: Vermilion City, right: Cerulean City.

Xiaoxia's eyes lit up immediately!

"This way! This way!" She practically jumped as she pointed to the road in Kureha City on the left, her voice filled with obvious urgency.

"Kiriya City is great! It has a huge dock! And luxury cruise ships."

"Every evening, the sunset casts a golden glow on the sea, creating a particularly romantic scene."

She gestured with her hands, trying to paint a beautiful picture: "We can go for a walk on the beach, listen to the sound of the waves, and maybe even meet a dragon."

Then, she abruptly turned to her right towards Cerulean City, making an exaggerated face: "And Cerulean City. It's awful! The city is small and old. And... and I heard it's haunted lately."

"Strange shadows float around at night, it's terrifying."

After saying that, he even gave a shiver in coordination.

Hanako glanced at the map, then at Misty, hesitating. "But... it takes three days to get to Vermilion City, and we might not have enough supplies. Cerulean City only takes half a day, so we can rest properly..."

"If we don't have enough supplies, we can pick tree fruits along the way!" Xiaoxia said hurriedly. "I can also help catch fish. It's better than going to that run-down and haunted Cerulean City, right?"

She looked at Jiang Chuan with longing eyes, her gaze filled with "Choose Kureha City, choose Kureha City".

Jiang Chuan suppressed a laugh, stroked his chin, and pretended to be thinking.

He knew perfectly well why Xiaoxia dared not return to Hualan City.

The three owners of Hua Lan Dojo, who all came from a background in "water ballet," are Xia's older sister.

Xiaoxia grew up in the shadow of her three brilliant older sisters and always felt that her path as a Water-type Pokémon Trainer was not recognized. That's why she ran away from home in a fit of pique, vowing to become a Water-type Master who would surpass her sisters.

She only left in a huff recently, and if she goes back now...

I'm afraid I'll inevitably be nagged and teased by my older sisters.

However, Hualan City's main task is to help Xia build confidence, so we definitely need to go there first.

"Hmm..." Jiang Chuan drawled out the sound.

Xiaoxia's heart was in her throat.

"I've thought about it," Jiang Chuan finally spoke, revealing a "gentle" smile: "Let's go to Cerulean City."

"Huh?" Xiaoxia's face fell instantly.

"First of all, we really don't have enough supplies to support another three days of travel," Jiang Chuan analyzed logically. "Secondly, Cerulean Gym is an official city gym, so it's good to take care of it along the way."

He paused, looked at Xiaoxia, and smiled even more: "Finally... I also want to see what kind of 'ghost' can scare our fearless Xiaoxia like this."

"No... that ghost..." Xiaoxia stammered.

"It's settled then." Jiang Chuan made the final decision and walked towards the right-hand road.

"Wait! Jiang Chuan! Let's talk about it again!" Xiaoxia grabbed Jiang Chuan's arm anxiously, practically hanging on him. "Kureba City is really fun, I promise!"

"Xia seems really reluctant to go to Cerulean City." Hanako blinked thoughtfully. "Is there a reason?"

"No, no reason, I just don't like it!" Xiaoxia retorted, but she held onto Jiang Chuan tightly.

Jiang Chuan let her drag him along, but he didn't stop walking at all.

"Let's go, let's get to the city sooner so we can have a hot meal. Pikachu, don't you think so?"

Pikachu!

Pikachu jumped onto Jiang Chuan's shoulder, waved its little paws energetically, indicating that it had plenty of energy and was perfectly fine.

"Look, even Pikachu can't wait."

"Pikachu, what are you doing here?" Misty wailed.

…………

The half-day journey was spent amidst Xiaoxia's constant "persuasion" and "intimidation".

"The rivers in Cerulean City are said to have stinky mud, and it smells really, really bad!"

"The pool water at Clarence Dojo is only changed once every three months!"

"Miss Nurse Joy there is really mean; she doesn't treat Pokémon properly!"

And so on.

Jiang Chuan let it go in one ear and out the other, while Hanako's initial confusion gradually turned into a thoughtful smile.

In the afternoon, the three finally arrived at the entrance to Cerulean City.

"Wow……"

Hanako couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Before me lies a typical waterfront city.

A clear river flows through the city, spanned by an exquisite arched bridge. The buildings on both banks mostly have light blue or white exteriors and dark blue tiled roofs, creating an overall fresh and bright atmosphere.

The streets were clean and tidy, and pedestrians strolled leisurely.

Along the riverbank, you can see several trainers giving their Water-type Pokémon their daily training, the water splashing and shimmering like scattered gold in the setting sun.

Where is the "small and old" and "haunted" place that Xiaoxia described?

"Cerulean City...it's very bustling and beautiful." Hanako looked at Misty, a mischievous smile in her eyes. "Misty, it's not as scary as you say, is it?"

Xiaoxia's face was stiff, as if it had been coated with paste.

Her eyes darted around, and she gave a dry laugh: "T-maybe I remembered wrong...haha, hahaha..."

The laughter was dry and unconvincing.

"Hey!" She suddenly raised her voice and pushed Jiang Chuan and Hanako towards the city: "Let's hurry to the Pokémon Center to recover."

"Once we recover, we'll replenish our supplies and then leave as soon as possible."

"Pikachu is almost exhausted too."

Pickup truck?

The Pikachu on the shoulder tilted its head and patted its little chest, indicating that it was full of energy.

Jiang Chuan stopped and turned around, a knowing and amused smile on his face—the kind of smile Xiaoxia least wanted to see.

"No rush."

He said slowly and deliberately, "Pikachu and the others haven't been very active today, so they have plenty of energy. I think... let's go to the gym first."

"The sooner you get the badges, the sooner you can go shopping and have fun, right?"

Pikachu!

Pikachu obediently puffed out its chest, and tiny, energetic sparks of electricity emanated from the sacs on its cheeks.

Xiaoxia's face turned pale instantly.

"The dojo...the dojo...isn't it too late to go now? The dojo master might have already gone home!" she said in a last-ditch effort.

"It's only afternoon, why is the dojo closed?"

"I'm off work, I'll go check it out."

"Wait! Jiang Chuan! There's really no need to be in such a hurry!"

Xiaoxia rushed forward again in a panic, clinging tightly to Jiang Chuan's arm with both hands, almost hanging on him, trying to slow him down with her weight.

"Let's discuss it again. At least let's go tomorrow! I'll treat you to the most famous floating restaurant in Hualan City! I hear it's delicious!"

Jiang Chuan felt the soft touch and warmth of the girl's body against his arm, as well as her obvious panic, and his smile deepened.

Of course he knew what Xiaoxia was afraid of.

But it is precisely because we know this that we must go.

And so, Jiang Chuan dragged Xiaoxia back towards the Cerulean Gym once again…