The ancient and mysterious village quietly slumbers before us.
There are hardly any bird Pokémon flying in the sky, only the sound of the wind blowing through the valley, like the whistle of history.
"Didn't anyone protest the move back then?"
Baimu turned to ask Zheng Fang.
"There should have been, right? I was just born then and don't remember these things." Zheng Fang pondered for a moment, "But my mom told me, if not for the deeply experienced elder, everyone wanted to remove the elder at the time."
"But in the end, everyone still chose to leave?"
"From the current situation, yes. To strengthen communication with the outside world and not disturb the giant dragons living in the Dragon Nest, we moved out and established Meteor Village."
Zheng Fang said in a low voice, "But here has become our ancestral land, and we come here every year during the New Year or the Meteor Festival."
"Meteor Festival?"
"Yeah, the Meteor Festival is an annual gathering of the Meteor People. By then, all Dragon Tamers and Meteor People from all over will return. This year's Meteor Festival isn't far off. Remember to come; it's important."
"...Alright."
Baimu got the exact date from Zheng Fang and agreed to come.
Unexpectedly.
The guardians of this ancestral land are not humans but several Dragon-type Pokémon. Zheng Fang said they are the Guardian Gods of the Meteor People, protecting this ancestral resting place from disturbance.
Then Zheng Fang took him to tour his original home—as told by his parents—and found the residence of his Dragon Tamer ancestor.
Baimu pointed to himself, "My home?"
"Your home."
Zheng Fang nodded with absolute certainty.
After hesitating a bit, he saw the door wasn't locked and gently pushed it open.
Squeak—
The old door emitted a piercing screech, sounding exceptionally loud in the silent valley, but luckily it didn't fall off.
Baimu glanced at the dust inside and turned to look at the slightly disdainful Mawile, understandingly saying, "How about you wait here?"
"Chido!"
Mawile shook its head, using Electromagnetic Levitation to float up, avoiding the dust.
He curled his lip and started wandering around the dilapidated house.
When the Meteor People hadn't moved, maybe there was still someone helping to clean up regularly, but now that the entire tribe has moved, the place isn't much different from a rundown building.
Houses that lack human presence always age particularly quickly.
He took a brief walk around and found the inside was completely empty, with nothing remaining, not even furniture or anything else... There were several broken screens though.
"Hmm... Maybe I'll come back to renovate it someday?"
Baimu stood before the door, softly murmuring.
Though he was certain he wouldn't come to live here, considering his current identity and even future Key Stone were sheltered by ancestors, the ancestral home should be repaired, after all, a bit of money isn't lacking.
But will workers even come to a place like this?
Forget it.
There's always a way.
Baimu silently withdrew his gaze, while not far away, Zheng Fang was approaching with Eldegoss and Lian Zuo, "Hey! They haven't found anything either!"
Meteor Falls is quite large indeed, and the roads and areas they've traversed are just a small part, so three people alone can't cover every place.
The purpose of the Village Protection Team being assigned here is simply to guard the ancestral land.
"We'll be camping here until dinner. You've seen both the ancestral land and the Dragon Nest, so if you're bored, you can head back first. The Guardian Gods know you, and there won't be any wild Dragon-type Pokémon attacking you."
Zheng Fang said resignedly, handing over the Pokeball housing Flygon.
"Hmm, I'm quite interested in the Dragon Gate Waterfall; I want to go and take another look."
Baimu took the Pokeball and waved farewell to the three heroes of the Village Protection Team.
He entered the tunnel.
Following the road in his memory, he pondered where Lei Gong might be lurking for Rocket Team to take the bait, and wondered if Da Wu was sleeping or had already arrived at Meteor Falls.
Though there are already so many people guarding against Rocket Team, he still feels a bit uneasy.
Sixth sense?
Perhaps it's preparation anxiety.
Baimu knows well that he's someone who doesn't dare act without sufficient information.
Half an hour later.
He returned to Dragon Gate Waterfall, where plenty of Magikarp continued to swim in the shimmering blue river, and some Magikarp still fell or leaped in the waterfall, trying to overcome this barrier.
"Now it's your turn to shine!"
Baimu opened the Pokeball, and the Shiny Feebas plopped into the river, soon startled by the surrounding Magikarp.
"Bo~ Bo~ Bo~ Bo~"
It quickly puffed out a series of water bubbles.
Thankfully, the trainer's large hand promptly came to rest on its head, "Don't be afraid."
The Shiny Feebas turned its head, and Baimu and Mawile immediately came into view, easing its anxiety.
"They probably won't attack you since they're all waiting to climb that waterfall." Baimu pointed to Dragon Gate Waterfall, which is overwhelmingly large even from a human's perspective.
For the Shiny Feebas, the waterfall is an insurmountable chasm, seemingly endless at first glance.
"Bo?"
It looked around, seeing the Magikarp truly weren't attacking it and didn't even care about its presence, so it breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the Shiny Feebas looked at the trainer with some confusion, its Slow Trait manifesting externally, as even when the truth was so apparent, it couldn't grasp the meaning behind the trainer's words.