The ancient, mysterious village lay silent before them.
Not even a few bird Pokémon crossed the sky. Only the wind moaned through the valley, like a whistle sounding from the depths of history.
"Didn't anyone protest leaving back then?"
Baimu turned to Zhen Ya.
"Probably. I'd only just been born, so I don't remember any of it." Zhen Ya thought for a moment. "But my mother said that if the elder hadn't had so many years of service behind him, everyone would've wanted to remove him."
"But they chose to leave in the end?"
"That's how it turned out. To strengthen our ties with the outside world and avoid disturbing the dragons living in Dragon's Den, we moved out and built Meteor Village."
Zhen Ya lowered his voice. "But this became our ancestral home. We come back every New Year and for the Meteor Festival."
"The Meteor Festival?"
"Yeah. It's the Draconids's annual gathering. Dragon Tamers and Draconids from all over come back for it. This year's festival isn't far off. Remember to come—it's important."
"...All right."
Baimu got the exact date from Zhen Ya and promised to come.
To his surprise, the guardians of the ancestral grounds weren't human. They were several Dragon-type Pokémon. Zhen Ya said they were the Draconids's guardian deities, protecting the place where their ancestors slept from intrusion.
Zhen Ya then showed him the house where Zhen Ya's family had once lived—or so his parents had told him—and found the home of Baimu's Dragon Tamer ancestor.
Baimu pointed at himself. "My family's house?"
"Your family's."
Zhen Ya nodded without hesitation.
After a brief pause, Baimu saw that the door wasn't locked and gently pushed it open.
Creeeak—
The long-neglected door gave an ear-splitting screech, startlingly loud in the silent valley. At least it didn't fall