A Journey's Link

Chapter 53 - Village

"How are you doing, Dragonite?" Ash exclaimed above the deafening wind that blew directly into his ears. Dragonite turned his head and smiled, giving a thumbs up to Ash to show that he was fine. "Great! We're almost there, so just hang in there!" Ash explained to his Dragon-type friend, who nodded and turned to face Sycamore and his Talonflame again.

Ash closed his eyes as he felt the breeze going right past him. He felt at peace in the sky, away from civilization. Of course, he had Bonnie and Clemont right behind him who was always by his side, but he felt solitude momentarily. Ash noticed that Sycamore and Talonflame were beginning to dip in altitude, which told him that their landing was soon to come.

"Just keep following them, Dragonite!" Ash yelled over the wind, with Dragonite nodding and also dipping in altitude. Although he couldn't see it yet, he knew that Ninja Village was just past the mountain they were going around, as it was settled in a valley surrounded by purely mountain ranges.

The group rounded around a mountain, and it suddenly appeared in front of Ash all at once. There it is! He thought to himself, taking in the breathtaking, yet minimal, sight of Ninja Village. Buildings and bridges were scattered throughout the area, and Ash could see people running and walking around, accomplishing ordinary, everyday tasks. I wonder if any of them know how much danger they are in? Ash thought.

Talonflame dived into the opening that revealed the village, looking for a landing spot within the area. Ash and Dragonite followed suit, also searching for a safe place to land. Sycamore pointed out his hand and directed both flying Pokemon to where he pointed, allowing them to land in a small grassy patch of land that seemed to be used to landing after flights.

Ash could hear Clemont and Bonnie whining as they braced for the impact. Dragonite roughly landed, sending a loud boom and causing all three of his riders to fall onto the grass softly. Dragonite turned around and noticed everyone had fallen off, so he rushed over and gave them a tight hug as a way of saying sorry, causing the receivers of the hug to accept his apology to avoid the tight squeeze.

"It's fine, Dragonite," Ash said after being released from the large Dragon-type. "No problem, really," Clemont added, adjusting his glasses which almost broke from the force of the hug. Bonnie was jumping around and squealing, "That was the coolest thing EVER! We went so fast and Dragonite was so powerful when it landed!"

The three of them heard Sycamore chuckling as he walked over, already having landed Talonflame and returned it to its Pokeball. "That was quite the ride," he said, fixing his wind-blown hair. He gestured his hand out towards the entirety of the village, which was sprawled in front of the place they had landed. "Welcome back to Ninja Village," he said dramatically, allowing the three to take in the sights once more.

Ash looked around and smiled, recognizing everything that he observed. The buildings that were present, the activities that the inhabitants of the village did in everyday life, the Pokemon roaming around freely. It reminded him of the other time he visited this place, which was around the time Ash was trying to figure out how to control the Bond Phenomenon. Now it's Greninja and Lucario that I've got to train with, he thought to himself.

Everyone felt a rush of wind behind them and turned around defensively, not understanding what had just happened. There stood a ninja donning a blue suit and brown, messy hair. "It's Sanpei!" Ash exclaimed, running over to him. "Hi, Ash!" Sanpei exclaimed, smiling as Ash gave him a fist bump. "Long time no see!" Ash responded, giving Sanpei a toothy grin.

Sanpei looked behind Ash and saw the siblings walking over. "It's Bonnie and Clemont!" He exclaimed as he walked over to give them high fives. "How have you been, Sanpei?" Ash asked, returning Dragonite to his Pokeball. "I've been great. The village has been great," Sanpei answered, reaching into his pocket. "I would say that nothing has happened, but a few days ago, I found something on the outskirts of our village," he added with a frown.