Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

The script's plot unfolds quickly, echoing Jiang Chuan's ideas.

[Trigger Quest - Charmander's Redemption: Save Charmander from the brink of death in the rainy night.]

[Mission Reward: Premium Charcoal - Increases the power of Fire-type moves by 40% when held by a Pokémon.]

This reward...

Jiang Chuan's eyes lit up.

Premium charcoal!

Fire-type attacks are now 40% more powerful!

This is far superior to ordinary charcoal tools—ordinary charcoal usually only provides an increase of about 20%.

If Charmander were to carry it, combined with its own potential, its combat power would be absolutely explosive.

Jiang Chuan quickly recalled the original script's plot.

Charmander was abandoned by its original trainer—that bastard Daisuke—in an area before Bill's Lighthouse.

He couldn't remember the exact location, but he remembered two key clues:

First, the rock where the little dragon was lying.

Secondly, there is a Pokémon Center in a very strange location nearby—not in town, but all alone in a large forest.

"A Pokémon Center in a strange location..."

Taking this as a starting point, Jiang Chuan immediately took out a map of the Kanto region from his backpack and spread it out on the ground.

Seeing this, Xiaoxia and Huazi both came over.

"Jiangchuan, what's wrong?" Hanako asked.

"Find a place." Jiang Chuan didn't even look up, his finger moving quickly across the map.

His gaze swept across the entire area before Vermilion City, focusing on locations marked with the Pokémon Center icon.

Most Pokémon Centers are located in towns or along roadsides.

but……

"Found it."

Jiang Chuan's finger stopped at a certain point on the map.

That area is called the "Misty Forest," and it is marked with icons of dense trees on the map.

Deep in the forest, a symbol for a Pokémon Center was prominently displayed!

There were no town markers nearby.

right here!

Jiang Chuan's eyes narrowed.

Based on the estimated distance, it would normally take about three days to walk there.

But if we speed things up, it should arrive in two and a half days.

In the original story, after being abandoned, Charmander waited on a rock for a long time until he collapsed from exhaustion in the rainy night.

Jiang Chuan didn't know the exact date.

But the risk increases with each day of delay.

If we arrive too late, the little dragon might...

Jiang Chuan put away the map and stood up.

"Let's set off now, at full speed!"

"Huh? Now?" Xiaoxia looked at the sky. "It's almost evening..."

"It's urgent," Jiang Chuan said succinctly, already packing his luggage.

Hanako and Kasumi exchanged a glance. Although they didn't understand why, they still chose to believe Jiang Chuan.

The three quickly packed their gear and set off towards the Misty Forest.

…………

On the road.

Jiang Chuan changed his usual style.

Previously, after each new Pokémon he caught, he would challenge wild Pokémon to battles to help the new members train and level up.

But this time, he hardly stopped at all.

Unless they encounter a wild Pokémon blocking their path, they will quickly end the battle and then immediately continue on their way.

This unusual behavior puzzled Hanako greatly.

"Xia~" Hanako slowed her pace and walked alongside Xia, lowering her voice: "Jiang Chuan is acting strange today. Look at him, he's been looking at the map the whole way, and he's walking so fast."

Xiaoxia was actually observing Jiangchuan as well.

However, her mind wasn't on that... she was a little distracted.

"Huh? I... he, I don't know~" Xia blushed slightly when Hanako asked her, "I'm not his girlfriend, how would I know what he's thinking?"

Ever since Jiang Chuan "rescued" her on the mountaintop, Xiaoxia's mind has been in turmoil.

I watched Jiang Chuan's back as I traveled during the day.

While camping at night, I listened to Jiang Chuan's breathing.

She would involuntarily recall the scene from that day.

Jiang Chuan's warm palm was pressed against his own.

The force was neither too light nor too heavy, but carried an irresistible sense of control.

And the things he said.

Xiaoxia's face grew increasingly red.

And... and last time by the river, although it was an accidental movement, it was I who kissed him first.

So what is our relationship now?

friend?

Trainer's companion?

Or... someone you're having an ambiguous relationship with?

If so, how do you break down that final barrier?

Does that mean I'm going to do *that* kind of thing?

Xiaoxia secretly glanced at Jiang Chuan's back.

Jiang Chuan was wearing tight-fitting travel pants today, which accentuated his long and powerful legs.

Above that are a pert buttock and a strong waist and back.

Xiaoxia swallowed.

She remembered being carried on Jiang Chuan's back before, and the occasional accidental collisions.

She could tell that Jiang Chuan was incredibly powerful!

Am I going to break?

"Xiaoxia? Xiaoxia!" Hanako's voice pulled Xiaoxia back from her reverie.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Xiaoxia then realized that she was standing there, her face burning hot.

"Are you alright?" Hanako asked, looking at her worriedly. "Your face is so red, are you suffering from heatstroke?"

"N-nothing!" Xiaoxia hurriedly shook her head and quickly followed Jiang Chuan.

Hanako stared at the two figures as they walked away, looking completely bewildered.

"Were those two under some kind of psychic Pokémon illusion spell on that mountaintop? They're both acting weirder than the other!"

She looked down and asked Ibu in her arms.

Ibu lazily raised its head, yawned, shook its head, and then shrank back to continue sleeping.

Clearly, Eevee isn't interested in the complexities of human thought; it's more fun to fight Pikachu.

But now that Pikachu has run far away on its owner's shoulder, it's time for it to take a nap.

…………

It was evening.

The three of them camped by a stream.

Jiang Chuan released all the Pokémon to roam freely while preparing dinner.

Pikachu rode Pidgeotto to pick berries nearby.

The giant butterfly was practicing some flying skills over the stream.

Bulbasaur and Squirtle were doing some simple teamwork training on the side. Bulbasaur used its vine whip to create obstacles, while Squirtle practiced precise water gun shooting.

Xiaoxia watched Squirtle train diligently and was reminded of Staryu.

She released a starfish to join the training.

When Squirtle saw the starfish, its movements visibly stiffened for a moment, but it quickly recovered and tried its best to perform even better.

Hanako was cooking a thick soup while observing Eevee and Oddish, who were sitting obediently by the fire.

The peaceful scene was broken by Xiaoxia.

"Jiang Chuan." Xiaoxia walked over and sat down next to him. "Can we talk?"

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Chuan asked, turning around after feeding the giant butterfly.

"Well..." Xiaoxia bit her lip, hesitated for a while, then changed the subject: "Why have you been in such a hurry lately? Are you looking for something important?"

Jiang Chuan glanced at her.

Xiaoxia's face was flushed with a faint blush in the firelight, her eyes darting around, yet filled with curiosity.

"I'm looking for a Pokémon." Jiang Chuan didn't hide anything: "A Pokémon with great potential."

"Rare Pokémon?" Xiaoxia's interest was suddenly piqued.

Jiang Chuan nodded: "Well, this Pokémon has a time limit. So, I need to be quick."

"I get it!" Xiaoxia instantly understood: "Rare Pokémon only appear at special times."

"What is it, Pokémon? Can I know?"

Is it a water system?

Xiaoxia was immediately captivated by the rare Pokémon and temporarily forgot what she was supposed to talk to Jiang Chuan about.

"No, it's fire-based."

Upon hearing that it was a fire elemental, Xiaoxia's interest immediately waned considerably, but she still encouraged Jiang Chuan, "Then... is there anything we can help you with?"

Jiang Chuan turned to look at her.

"You've helped me so much. You accompanied me on the journey at breakneck speed without complaining."

"What kind of help is this..." Xiaoxia muttered.

"Yeah, you see, it's only the beginning. You'll be babbling on and on after just half a day," Jiang Chuan teased Xiaoxia about her initial state during the trip.

Xiaoxia blushed again: "How annoying~ I was then, but now... oh dear..."

"The soup is ready, come and eat!"

Hanako's voice came from over there.

Xiaoxia jumped up like a startled rabbit.

"Let's eat quickly, get some rest, and continue our journey early tomorrow!"

After speaking, he ran away.

Jiang Chuan watched her retreating figure and smiled. After capturing the little fire dragon, it would be time to capture the mermaid.

…………

After dinner.

Xiaoxia and Huazi started chatting again.

When Jiang Chuan returned to camp after training his Pokémon, Hanako and Misty had already crawled into their sleeping bags.

But Xiaoxia was clearly not asleep.

Jiang Chuan could feel her gaze peeking at him through the gaps in the sleeping bag.

Jiang Chuan pretended not to notice, sat down by the campfire, and began to check his equipment.

Poké Balls, healing potions, energy cubes...

Only after everything was ready did we rest.

…………

For the next period of time, the three of them traveled at full speed.

They work almost non-stop during the day, with only a one-hour break at noon.

When camping at night, Jiang Chuan would also take the time to give his Pokémon a short special training session.

Other Pokémon also grew to varying degrees.

Finally, on the evening of the second day after departure.

The three of them passed through the outer edge of the Misty Forest and saw the Pokémon Center located deep in the forest.

It was a wooden Pokémon center, standing out conspicuously in the dense forest.

"We've arrived." Jiang Chuan stopped and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hey, there's a Pokémon Center here too!" Misty looked at the building in the distance, somewhat surprised.

Although Jiang Chuan had mentioned there was a Pokémon Center here, seeing the facility built deep in the forest in person still felt quite strange.

"Yeah, but at least I have a bed to sleep in tonight." Hanako breathed a sigh of relief.

After two and a half days of continuous travel, and although we camped along the way, sleeping bags are not as comfortable as beds.

Jiang Chuan looked up at the sky.

The sky was a bit cloudy in the evening, but not thick enough to look like it was going to rain.

Moreover, along the way, he kept an eye out for any special stones by the roadside. In the original story, Charmander was lying on a stone waiting for its trainer.

But I didn't see it.

They probably aren't on the road they're on.

and……

Jiang Chuan glanced at the time.

According to the original storyline, Charmander should have waited more than two or three days after being abandoned.

They might have arrived too early.

But this is for the best.

Arriving early allows us to confirm the situation in advance and make preparations.

"Let's go check in first."

Jiang Chuan led the way to the Pokémon Center.

Xiaoxia and Huazi followed.

As soon as the three of them stepped into the Pokémon Center, they heard a commotion coming from the direction of the lobby.

A blue-haired boy proudly laid out a bunch of Poké Balls.

This drew cheers from the surrounding onlookers.

"Wow! Da-Yu, you're amazing! You caught so many Pokémon today!"

"Hey, what's so surprising? Isn't this Da You's normal strength?"

"Brother Dayou, I want to follow you. Can you give me a Pokémon?"

Enjoying the flattery, Da You sat casually on the sofa and said smugly, "Most of these are just garbage."

"I only want the elite. If you want them, wait until I've selected them, then you can take them and have fun!"

"Anyway, if you don't want it, I'll just throw it away."

"Great! Thanks, Da-you-ge. Oh, by the way, Da-you-ge, where's your really nice little fire dragon?"

The moment the words "Little Fire Dragon" were uttered, they immediately caught Jiang Chuan's attention.

After handing the Poké Ball to Hanako to register Joey, he took Kasumi and sat down at a table near the noisy crowd led by Daiyu.