Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Bulbasaur's gaze was firmly fixed on Jiang Chuan.

Especially when she saw this strange male trainer standing next to her most trusted owner, Little Green.

The tightly closed flower bud on its back trembled slightly, and four vines silently emerged from its sides, taut and straight, their tips poised to strike.

His eyes were filled with undisguised vigilance and hostility.

How did this human get here?

It's so close to its owner!

Is he going to do something naughty to his master?

The image of the cold face of the trainer from before flashed through Bulbasaur's mind, along with the wounded companions abandoned in the forest.

It instinctively distrusts human trainers, especially male trainers.

Its thick forelimbs were slightly lowered, assuming a standard charging stance, and a low, menacing growl emanated from its throat.

"seed!"

It gently used its vines to roll up the timid walking grass beside it and carefully placed it in the safe shade of the bushes behind it.

Its movements were gentle, a stark contrast to its tense fighting stance at that moment.

With the Oddish settled, Bulbasaur had no more worries.

The hind legs slammed into the ground!

The dark green figure shot straight toward Jiang Chuan like an arrow released from a bow!

It was incredibly fast, creating a whooshing sound!

"Bulbasaur! Wait a minute!"

Xiao Cui's expression changed, and she hurriedly stepped forward, spreading her arms to block Jiang Chuan.

"They're not bad people!"

Her voice was clear and urgent, with a soothing tone:

"This is Jiang Chuan, and here are Xiaoxia and Sister Huazi from inside the house. They are my friends, and they're here to help!"

Bulbasaur's charging figure was abruptly stopped in front of Xiao Cui.

It raised its head, looked at Xiao Cui's anxious and sincere face, and then looked suspiciously at Jiang Chuan behind her.

Jiang Chuan stood still, neither retreating nor adopting any offensive or defensive posture. He simply looked back at it calmly, his eyes showing no malice, but rather a hint of appreciation and inquiry.

Bulbasaur's nostrils twitched slightly.

Indeed, it did not detect any of the repulsive stench of hypocrisy, greed, or violence emanating from this human.

On the contrary... there is a very comfortable feeling, like the freshness of sunlight and soil deep in the forest, and an indescribable aura that makes Pokémon instinctively feel safe and close.

The hostility in Bulbasaur's eyes lessened slightly, but its wariness did not completely disappear.

It slowly retracted the vine whip that had been poised to strike, but its body remained slightly tense, ready to react at any moment.

It let out a soft cry, which was a temporary acceptance of Xiao Cui's explanation.

But instead of approaching Jiang Chuan, it silently turned around, walked to a relatively quiet corner of the courtyard, and lay down facing the entrance.

His glass-like eyes still sharply scanned everything happening inside and outside the courtyard.

He was acting like a dutiful and responsible guardian.

Xiao Cui finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Jiang Chuan apologetically:

"I'm sorry, Jiang Chuan, it...it's very wary of unfamiliar trainers."

"It's okay, I understand."

Jiang Chuan waved his hand, but his gaze never left the Bulbasaur in the corner.

Its figure, lying there, was steady and agile. Although the flower buds on its back were tightly closed, one could sense the vibrant life force and a certain suppressed power contained within them.

"It looks very reliable," Jiang Chuan said sincerely.

"Yes, it's one of the strongest and most heartbreaking kids I have here."

Xiao Cui followed Jiang Chuan's gaze, her eyes filled with a complex mix of tenderness and emotion.

She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said:

"Jiangchuan, regarding this Bulbasaur... there's actually an even more troublesome problem."

"Oh?" Jiang Chuan withdrew his gaze and looked at Xiao Cui: "What's the problem?"

Xiao Cui sighed, her gaze falling on the flower bud on Bulbasaur's back that had never bloomed.

"It's a problem with its evolution."

"The flower buds on its back are actually ready to bloom a long time ago."

"When it was first abandoned, it was severely injured; even the seeds on its back looked wilted. It had significant flaws, making it difficult for it to evolve and bloom!"

"I used some herbal remedies to treat it both internally and externally, and with great difficulty, I managed to save it and restore its flower buds to health, allowing it to accumulate enough evolutionary energy. Now it's time to try evolving."

"Everything should have fallen into place naturally. But..."

"It refused to evolve itself."

"Refusing to evolve?" Jiang Chuan looked at Bulbasaur again.

"Hmm." Xiao Cui nodded: "It's been here for a long time and has seen some abandoned Pokémon. One of them, after evolving... underwent a drastic personality change, completely forgetting the bond it had with its companions, and even became somewhat irritable."

"Bulbasaur...it's scared."

"It's afraid that after it evolves into Bulbasaur, it will become like that too. It will forget this place, forget the children who need its protection, forget... me."

"Therefore, it has always used its own will to stubbornly suppress the impulse of evolution and prevent the bud from blooming."

"I've tried to persuade it many times, telling it that evolution is the growth of life, an inevitable path to becoming stronger. But it's too stubborn and values ​​everything here too much."

"At this point, my herbal remedies can only help it maintain basic health; they can no longer help it channel that suppressed evolutionary energy."

She raised her head, looking earnestly at Jiang Chuan, her eyes filled with expectation:

"Jiang Chuan, if you can really subdue it and take it away... please, you must find a way to help it."

"Help it untangle this knot in its heart, find a way to safely guide its evolution without letting it lose itself. Let it truly unleash its most powerful strength."

"I believe that if it were you... you might be able to do it."

Jiang Chuan met Xiao Cui's gaze and nodded seriously.

"I promise you, Little Green. If it's willing to come with me, I'll definitely find a way to solve the evolution problem."

This is not a perfunctory response.

With his affinity as a "friend of nature," keen perception of energy, and understanding of the world, it's not impossible for him to find or figure out a way to help Bulbasaur evolve safely.

"Thank you, Jiang Chuan." Xiao Cui's face showed a relieved smile, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

…………

As evening falls, the setting sun casts a warm golden veil over the forest and the courtyard.

Jiang Chuan volunteered to stay and help Xiao Cui take care of the Pokémon in the yard.

Feeding, changing the water, checking the injury's recovery, and administering some deworming herbs...

Jiang Chuan was quick and patient, and soon won the trust of all the Pokémon. The Pidgey even tried to fly onto his shoulder and stay there for a while.

Xiao Cui saw this and her opinion of Jiang Chuan improved even more.

By the time I finished my work, it was already dark.

Warm lights shone from inside the cabin.

Because Xiao Cui lives alone, there is only one spacious wooden bed in the house.

She generously gave up her bed to Xia, who had a leg injury and needed to rest.

Hanako naturally stayed inside to take care of Kasumi, and also exchanged some nursing and herbal tips with Misaki.

Jiang Chuan, carrying the spare bedding that Xiao Cui had found, prepared to set up a simple tent in the yard outside to spend the night.

Feeling a little guilty, Xiao Cui also brought out her tools to help.

The two chatted as they worked together to set up the tent.

The night breeze was cool and carried the unique fragrance of forest plants.

Not far away, Pikachu was carrying out a "special mission" assigned by Jiang Chuan—to befriend Bulbasaur in the corner.

Pikachu!

Pikachu, full of energy, pulled out its most beloved treasure—an unopened bottle of ketchup—from the backpack Jiang Chuan had placed to the side.

It skillfully unscrewed the cap with its tiny paws, brought it close to Bulbasaur, and eagerly offered it to it.

Her big eyes blinked, the meaning clear: Try it? It's delicious!

seed?

Bulbasaur looked at the bright red, sticky liquid in front of it with a puzzled expression, then looked at Pikachu, who was looking on with anticipation.

This thing... looks weird, is it really edible?

Pikachu! Pikachu pikachu!

Pikachu patted its little chest, its tail wagging like a flagpole, making every effort to assure Pikachu.

Seeing Pikachu's enthusiasm, Bulbasaur hesitated for a moment. Out of politeness, it carefully extended a little bit of its vine whip, dipped it lightly in a tiny bit of tomato sauce, and put it in its mouth.

seed!!!

The next second, Bulbasaur's entire face scrunched up!

acid!

sweet?

No, it's mainly sour! And it has a strong seasoning flavor that it can't understand!

What a weird texture!

It quickly shook its head, trying to get rid of the strange taste in its mouth.

Pikachu looked at it expectantly: How was it? Great, right?

Bulbasaur, observing Pikachu's unusually discerning taste in "treasures," and then reflecting on its other companions in the yard who had various physical defects...

It immediately "understood".

It turns out this Pikachu... has a serious deficiency in its sense of taste!

No wonder it likes this strange thing.

Thinking of this, Bulbasaur's gaze towards Pikachu instantly changed from doubt to sympathy, even carrying a hint of gentle compassion for one another.

It stretched out its vine whip, gently patted Pikachu's head, and let out a soft cry, as if to comfort it: It's okay, I understand. Although what you eat is strange, we are still companions.

Pikachu was a little confused by the pat, but it was overjoyed to see that Bulbasaur's attitude had become noticeably more friendly and affectionate.

It worked!

It turned its head smugly and wagged its lightning-shaped tail at Jiang Chuan, who was setting up the tent, its little eyes full of smugness:

Master, see that? Who said this guy was difficult to deal with?

I'll handle it; one person can do the work of two! It'll be done in no time!

That's so true to me!

After feeling smug, it happily picked up the ketchup bottle, took a big gulp, and showed an expression of utter bliss on its face.

This further solidified Bulbasaur's judgment that it had a "severe sense of taste deficiency," and its eyes showed even more sympathy and a desire to care for it...

Jiang Chuan witnessed this entire scene and, seeing Pikachu complete its mission, began to focus on persuading Xiao Cui to come.

The tent was set up quickly.

Xiao Cui sat on a rock next to the tent, and Jiang Chuan sat down as well.

The forest was quiet at night, with only the chirping of insects and the occasional cry of a Pokémon in the distance.

As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to Xiao Cui herself.

"I actually have a dream too..." Xiao Cui hugged her knees, gazing at the starry sky, her voice drifting away: "It's actually very simple, I just want to learn more professional knowledge about caring for and healing Pokémon."

"I use traditional remedies passed down from the older generation, or my own experience, but I often find myself struggling to make a difference."

"It would be great if I could go to a Pokémon center in a big city to learn, or visit some famous breeders and doctors."

She paused, her voice lowering, carrying a clear sense of disappointment and inner conflict:

"But... I can't let them go."

She glanced back at the quiet wooden house and the figures resting peacefully in the courtyard in the night.

"What will happen to them if I leave? Who will find and care for those poor, injured newcomers?"

"To capture them all and keep them with me... not to mention that I can't afford so many Poké Balls and daily expenses, many of the children's injuries are not suitable for long-distance travel."

"Sometimes I think about it and I feel really lost. It's like I'm trapped here, unable to move forward or backward."

The night breeze ruffled the strands of hair on her forehead, and her profile appeared somewhat fragile in the moonlight.

Jiang Chuan listened quietly.

He could understand Xiao Cui's predicament and the constraints that came with her kindness.

After thinking for a moment, he had a general idea in mind.

"Xiao Cui," Jiang Chuan said, his voice clear and steady in the night, "Perhaps there is a compromise."

"Hmm?" Xiao Cui turned her head and looked at him expectantly.

Jiang Chuan didn't speak immediately, but first cautiously looked around the courtyard.

Bulbasaur seemed to have closed its eyes and was dozing off, while Pikachu, tired from playing, leaned against the side and took a nap. The other Pokémon were also quiet.

To ensure that his plans and feelings wouldn't be noticed by the sensitive Pokémon, especially Bulbasaur, Jiang Chuan leaned slightly towards Xiao Cui, closing the distance between them.

Xiao Cui seemed surprised that Jiang Chuan would suddenly get so close, and her body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Chuan leaned close to Xiao Cui's ear and began to explain the plan...