Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Jiang Chuan immediately recalled Pidgey and rushed forward.

He quickly took off his wet coat, intending to wrap it around the little dragon.

"Little Fire Dragon, the rain is too heavy, let's get out of here!" Jiang Chuan said urgently, reaching out to pick up the stubborn little guy.

Waaah... Waaah...

The little dragon let out two weak cries, its body shivering from the cold, yet it stubbornly shrank back.

It looked up at Jiang Chuan, its big, wet eyes full of determination. Then it pointed with its little paws in the direction of the intersection, then pointed to the stone under itself, and finally made a waiting gesture.

It is saying: Thank you, but I will wait here for my master. My master said he would come to pick me up.

"You idiot!" Xiaoxia rushed up too, raindrops dripping from her hair. "It's raining so hard, you'll get sick!"

She looked at the faint, almost invisible flame on the little dragon's tail and felt extremely anxious.

The little dragon let out another soft cry, shook its head, and continued to look towards the intersection.

There was an almost obsessive trust in its eyes.

"Is it...is it waiting for its owner?" Hanako came to the rock, her voice full of heartache.

Although she didn't understand what the little dragon was saying, she could roughly guess from its actions and eyes.

"It definitely is!" Xiaoxia stomped her foot angrily. "That bastard Dayou! How could he possibly be back!"

Being outspoken, she couldn't hold back any longer when she saw the little fire dragon's appearance.

She bent down, looked directly into the little dragon's eyes, and said, word by word:

"Little Charmander, listen to me!"

"Your master, Da You, has abandoned you!"

"He lied to you about waiting here! He's never coming back!"

"You've been lied to! Do you understand? He doesn't want you anymore!"

These words pierced me like knives.

Xiaoxia knew it was cruel, but making the little fire dragon continue to wait in the torrential rain for someone who would never return was even crueler.

Ugh... Ugh?

The little dragon's body trembled violently.

Its eyes widened, it shook its head frantically, and its little paws flared frantically.

No...that's not how it is...

My master said he would come back... He told me to wait for him here...

He said he would come to pick me up...

but……

In that instant, the flames on its tail weakened even more at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The already weak flames were now reduced to tiny sparks, flickering weakly in the rain, as if they might be extinguished at any moment.

The weakening of the flame directly reflects the rapid decline in its physical and mental strength.

Jiang Chuan watched as the light in the little fire dragon's eyes quickly dimmed, knowing he couldn't wait any longer.

He took a deep breath, and an invisible wave-guiding force gently spread from his body.

This is not an aggressive waveguide, but a waveguide full of comfort, warmth, and kindness.

The wave gently enveloped the little fire dragon.

The little fire dragon, who was in a state of panic and despair, suddenly raised its head.

It sensed it.

A warmth and sense of security I had never felt before emanated from the human in front of me.

That feeling... was completely different from what I felt with my master.

The master always seemed impatient and irritable, and this person...

Jiang Chuan opened his eyes, squatted down, and aligned his line of sight with the little fire dragon.

His voice remained clear and steady despite the torrential rain:

"Little Fire Dragon".

"Even if you have to wait, you have to survive first, right?"

"If you get sick from the rain here, or... the flame on your tail goes out."

"Then you really won't be able to wait."

Jiang Chuan stretched out his hand, palm up, and placed it in front of the little fire dragon.

The warmth of the waveguide emanated from his palm.

"Come with me first, and we'll heal your body."

"Once the rain stops and you feel better, if you want to come back and wait, we can come together again."

"Is that okay?"

This is a white lie.

But this was to save it.

The little fire dragon stared blankly at Jiang Chuan's palm, then looked into Jiang Chuan's eyes.

Those eyes held concern, sincerity, and a respect it had never seen in Da You's eyes before.

The spark on the tail flickered again.

Its little head was engaged in a fierce struggle.

The master told me to wait...

But this human is right... if the flames really go out...

Finally, with the continued reassurance from the waveguide and under Jiang Chuan's sincere gaze, Charmander used the last bit of strength to gently nod.

Woohoo...

With a faint cry, its little paws trembled as it touched Jiang Chuan's palm.

"Good boy," Jiang Chuan said softly.

He immediately and carefully wrapped the little dragon's soaking wet body with his coat, then held it in his arms, trying his best to shield it from the rain.

"Let's go! Back to the Pokémon Center!" Jiang Chuan shouted as he turned around.

"Okay!" Xiaoxia and Hanako immediately followed.

The three of them, carrying Charmander, ran wildly towards the Pokémon Center through the torrential rain.

The rain is getting heavier.

The paths in the forest had become muddy and impassable.

But the three of them didn't slow down at all.

Jiang Chuan held the little fire dragon tightly in his arms, trying his best to keep it dry.

He could feel the little body trembling slightly in his arms, and the spark on its tail growing fainter and fainter.

"Hang in there! We're almost there!"

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

I don't know how long I ran.

The lights at the Pokémon Center finally came on through the rain.

"Miss Joey! Emergency!" Jiang Chuan rushed into the center's main gate and shouted.

The three people, soaking wet, immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Miss Joy and a Chansey quickly pushed the medical cart over.

"Quick! Put it on the stroller!"

Jiang Chuan carefully placed the little fire dragon onto the stroller.

The moment the coat was lifted, Miss Joey gasped.

The little dragon was soaking wet, its skin was cold, its eyes were half closed, and the flame on its tail was barely a tiny spark, struggling to stay afloat.

"The flames are going out!" Miss Joy exclaimed gravely. "Channels, prepare for emergency treatment!"

"Lucky!" Chansey immediately sprang into action.

The trolley was quickly pushed to the emergency room.

Jiang Chuan wanted to follow them in, but Miss Joey stopped him: "Leave it to us. You should go change into dry clothes first, so you don't catch a cold."

The emergency room door closed.

The red light on the door turned on.

Time passed second by second.

Every second felt incredibly long.

Xiaoxia clenched her fists tightly, Hanako prayed silently, and Jiangchuan stood against the wall, his eyes calm but filled with worry.

I don't know how much time passed.

The emergency room door opened.

Miss Joy came out with a tired but relieved smile on her face: "The rescue was timely, and Charmander is out of danger."

"That's great!" Xiaoxia almost jumped up.

"The flame on its tail has stabilized, and its body temperature is returning to normal. However, it is still very weak and needs to rest," Miss Joy said. "It's awake now, you can go in and check on it, but don't stay too long."

The three of them immediately went into the ward.

On the hospital bed, Little Fire Dragon was lying, covered with a warm blanket.

Its tail peeked out from one corner of the blanket, and the flames on it had resumed a steady burn. Although they weren't very strong yet, they were no longer in danger of going out.

The little fire dragon's eyes lit up when it saw Jiang Chuan and the others come in.

Woohoo

It let out a weak cry.

[Ding! The quest "Charmander's Redemption" is complete!]

The premium charcoal has been delivered to your system space.

A system notification sounded in Jiang Chuan's mind.

But his mind is now entirely on Charmander.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jiang Chuan walked to the bedside and asked softly.

The little dragon nodded, then its gaze drifted to the window, looking towards the intersection.

Everyone knows what it's thinking.

Jiang Chuan's eyes darkened slightly.

He turned to Miss Joey and said, "Miss Joey, I need your help."

"What kind of help?"

"I would like to retrieve the CCTV footage from earlier today in the Pokémon Center lobby."

Miss Joey was taken aback: "Surveillance? Well... there are regulations at the center that surveillance footage is generally not made public..."

Jiang Chuan calmly said, "It's about evidence that this Charmander was maliciously abandoned by its trainer. That trainer, Daisuke, publicly admitted in the central hall that he deceived and abandoned Charmander."

"I need that video to show Charmander."

"Let it understand the truth."

Miss Joey hesitated.

According to regulations, surveillance footage cannot be accessed arbitrarily.

But looking at the weak little fire dragon on the hospital bed, and remembering Da You's face, Miss Joey gritted her teeth.

"Wait a minute."

She turned and left the ward.

A few minutes later, Miss Joey returned, carrying a portable display screen.

"I'll make an exception this time," she said softly. "You saved this little fire dragon, and I can tell you genuinely care about it."

Clearly, the 10 points of general goodwill Jiang Chuan had accumulated with the Joey family had come into play.

"Thank you," Jiang Chuan said sincerely.

Miss Joey operated the controls a few times, and the surveillance video began playing on the screen.

It was during the afternoon when Da You was speaking arrogantly in the central hall.

The picture is clear, and the sound is also recorded very clearly.

Da-you, with his legs crossed, said nonchalantly:

"Oh, you mean that good-for-nothing?"

"I threw it on that big rock at the east intersection. I lied to it and told it to wait for me there, and it actually waited there like an idiot."

"I don't want that one either, it's too rubbish."

"That's called being 'bloated'! It looks good but is useless."

"Hmph, that little fire dragon is utterly trash. It can't even beat a random Poliwag it found on the roadside. It's a complete disgrace to me!"

"I wanted to throw it away, but this piece of trash is still stubbornly following me around, clinging to me like glue, and I can't get rid of it."

"I had no choice but to lie to it and make it wait obediently on the rock."

"Finally, some peace and quiet. It's so annoying, don't even mention that good-for-nothing, he's such a downer."

Every word was like a knife.

The ward was quiet.

Only Da-you's wicked laughter and words echoed in the surveillance footage.

The little dragon stared blankly at the screen.

Its body began to tremble.

His eyes widened little by little, filled with disbelief, hurt, and despair...

Waaah... Waaah...

It emitted a low whimpering sound.

When the little dragon heard words like "useless," "trash," "shameful," and "annoying," the flames on its tail visibly flickered.

When I heard Ta-yu admit to himself, "I lied to it."

Charmander froze.

It sat on the hospital bed, motionless.

It felt as if all the strength in my body had been drained away.

The light in his eyes was completely extinguished.

It was extinguished more completely than the flames that had almost gone out in the rain.

It was a kind of desolate, heartbroken despair.

Jiang Chuan silently picked up the monitor and walked to the little dragon bed.

He deliberately pressed the replay button.

Da-you's voice rang out again and again.

The little dragon stared blankly at the screen, listening to those words.

Its eyes went from pain to confusion, and finally... only emptiness remained.

Finally, on the fifth replay, Charmander closed his eyes.

Two glistening drops of liquid slid down from the corner of its eye.

Jiangchuan once again diffused the waveguide.

Warm, soothing waves gently enveloped the little dragon.

"Little Fire Dragon." Jiang Chuan's voice was soft, but firm.

"It's not worth it for scum like that."

"You deserve a better trainer."

"A companion who truly cares about you, understands you, and cherishes you."

Jiang Chuan emphasized the word "companion".

It is neither "owner" nor "ownership".

It means "companion".

The little fire dragon suddenly raised its head and looked at Jiang Chuan.

companion?

This human... he said "companion"?

It reminded it of the days it spent with Da You.

Even after winning, Da-you just impatiently said, "It was alright."

When she returned to Da You's side after failing to defeat the mosquito coil tadpole.

Da-you kicked it away and cursed it as "useless," "trash," and "a disgrace."

It tried to get closer, but Da-you rudely pushed it away.

There was never any caress, never any encouragement, only impatience and disdain.

And today...

This human found it in the forest in the rain.

This human wrapped it in his coat and ran through the downpour with it in his arms.

This human is looking at it with such warm eyes right now.

This human said "companion".

The little dragon turned its head to look at the screen again, and Da You's words were still being repeated.

"waste……"

"Rubbish……"

"Lie to it..."

"So annoying..."

Every word felt like a needle prick.

But every single word is the truth.

Charmander took a deep breath.

It raised its little paw and wiped the corner of its eye.

Then, it looked at Jiang Chuan and let out two soft, tentative cries:

Woohoo...woohoo?

It's asking: Can I...can I follow you?

It quickly added a few more cries, gesturing with its little paws to indicate its name:

I may not be very strong right now... but I will definitely work harder!

I will never be defeated by mosquito coil tadpoles again!

I promise!

Its eyes held trepidation, anticipation, and the fear of rejection.

Jiang Chuan looked at it and smiled slightly.

He slowly extended his hand.

The little dragon instinctively shrank its head; this was a conditioned reflex it had developed while living with Da You.

Every time Dayou raised his hand, he would either shove it away roughly or hit it.

But Jiang Chuan's hand only gently and tenderly landed on its head.

Warm palms, gentle caresses.

"Little Fire Dragon." Jiang Chuan's voice was gentle yet powerful.

"Fighting is never a one-person affair."

"It's the result of our joint efforts."

"I won't blame you just because you can't beat someone right now."

"I will train with you, and grow stronger together."

"Together, we will become the strongest in the world."

"Are you willing?"

A gentle caress.

Words of encouragement.

"Let's get stronger together."

"The strongest in the world".

These words, like sunlight, shone into the little dragon's frozen heart.

This new master... no, this new companion...

He's doing well...

He won't hit me.

He would stroke me.

He would encourage me.

He would say "together".

The little dragon's eyes regained their light.

This time, it wasn't the kind of blind trust and waiting I had for Da You.

It is not a fighting spirit or hope that belongs to oneself.

It nodded forcefully and firmly!

"Whoa!!!"

A loud cry!

The flames on its tail suddenly roared and burned even brighter!

For our new companions!

For this human being who gently caresses and encourages me!

I must become stronger!

Become stronger!

We must take down the mosquito coil tadpoles!

Jiang Chuan smiled.

He patted the little dragon's head and said, "Rest well and get your body back in shape first. We'll take our time with the cultivation."

Pikachu~

Just then, a familiar, excited voice came from the door of the ward.

Jiang Chuan turned his head.

Pikachu was standing at the door, its little paws on its hips, with a smug look on its face that said "mission accomplished."

It was holding Jiang Chuan's illustrated guide in its little paws.