(Meanwhile...)
Dylan was in his form of Frogadier and had been traveling for several hours through a fairly closed forest, which was almost completely dense. The more the chosen boy continued walking, he realized the silence that reigned in that place; While he wasn't bad, it was very disturbing not to hear the slightest sound of a Noctownl.
"Strange... this place would be as quiet as a cemetery if it weren't for the rough vegetation," he said to himself, "But, I'm supposed to look for some kind of mentor in a ninja village, have Xerneas sent me to the wrong place?"
The forest seemed endless, until finally he came to a small clearing, where lay a small waterfall of clear water that formed a lake of the same size. In the same curious way, that peaceful place seemed uninhabited, but a strange energy was felt in the environment.
"This feeling… what is it?" he wondered, "It feels so... natural, could it be that waterfall?"
He tried to get closer, but as soon as he put his foot in the water, he staggered on a very thin and barely perceptible thread. Immediately, a series of metal Shuriken shot out of the trees at the same time as sounds of bells were heard. Thanks to his reflexes, Dylan dodged those weapons, only to realize that they were also tied with thin threads and, in a second, he was tied by them.
"What...?" he wondered as he saw the trap strategy.
The next second, someone moved through the shadows and appeared wielding a water kunai: he was another Greninja. Dylan, seeing that he was determined to attack him, had to think quickly and move on to the next evolution.
"Frogadier evolves into…Greninja!"
Freeing himself from the threads, Dylan collided his own kunai against the enemy's, causing (despite the fact that both were made of water) sparks to fly. Quickly, he did a somersault and counterattacked.
"Water Shuriken!"
"Water Shuriken!"
Both attacks collided in midair, dissipating in the middle.
"You are a good ninja," the other Greninja told him, "But, you are not from our Masashi clan, which clan do you belong to?"
"I don't belong to any," Dylan answered, "I was sent by Xerneas to find some kind of key in a ninja village, he told me to find a Sensei, is there one around?"
"I wouldn't tell you in this life: our ninja code prevents us from revealing secrets to the enemy, even at the cost of our own lives. "I'm sorry, but I will have to defeat you to preserve the ninja secrets."
He was going to continue the fight, but just then, a glow emerged from the waterfall and out came an old Greninja, holding a wooden staff. For a minute, both opponents stood motionless looking at the newcomer and he glanced at Dylan.
"Enough, Isamu," the old man told him, referring to Dylan's opponent, "This guy is not an enemy."
"Sensei Tetsuo… are you sure?" Isamu asked.
"How many times I must said it to you? A wise don't doubt, I know…" he responded, staggering towards both of them with his staff.
He approached to Dylan, who didn't make the slightest move. After another quick glance, he began to gently tap her limbs with his cane.
"Uh...excuse me, what are you doing?" Dylan asked, feeling uncomfortable.
"You are a good warrior, but it is obvious that you lack wisdom," Sensei Tetsuo replied.
Dylan remembered Xerneas' words:
"You are very intelligent and skilled. But it is important to be a wise?"
"You are a Sensei?" Dylan asked as he realized, "Please, I am one of the chosen children and I need you to help me train. Xerneas, the legendary Pokemon, told me to come here to find a Sensei."
"Ha, you can't say that an old man like me is a Sensei," Tetsuo laughed, "I need you to tell me what Xerneas told you about me. But we should better go to the dojo, the open field is no place for conversation. "Isamu, guide our new apprentice, rearm the trap and make sure the others are in perfect order."
"Yes, Sensei," he responded, as the elderly Greninja disappeared in the glow of the waterfall.
"How...?" Dylan asked Isamu, while he was rearming the Shuriken trap with great speed.
"An illusory technique to hide a place," Isamu explained as he put the Shurikens back into place, "Our village is small and we prefer to live away from others to preserve and polish our ninja talents. So... you will be Sensei Tetsuo's new disciple. Good luck with the training."
"Is the training hard?"
"I am forbidden to tell the new students details about Sensei Tetsuo's training," he finally came down after having checked the other traps, "But we must hurry up and follow him, come on: just cross the waterfall as if it were a tunnel."
Isamu pointed to the small waterfall as he approached and, the next second and in a flash of light, he disappeared behind it. Taking a deep breath, Dylan reached out with his hand, intending to touch the falling water. However, he never touched the water or the rock behind it, instead he felt a tingle and felt pulled by an unknown force. After staggering from the pull, the chosen boy blinked for a few seconds when he saw that he was in another environment.
It was a place with a lot of vegetation and gigantic plants, likewise, a river surrounded a Japanese-type village: built with bamboo and wood. Around the village, large statues of Frogadier and Greninja stood, as if protecting the village. Beyond that place, tall and pointed mountains were shown. Just by entering that place, you could breathe an air of harmony.
"Welcome to Masashi Village," said Isamu, who was next to him, "Come, the training dojo is in the center."
The new friend guided the chosen boy through the village. The population was made up (obviously) of Froakie, Frogadier and Greninja who were involved in routine tasks such as farming, fishing and even pottery. In addition to that, Dylan could see a forge near the dojo, in which he could see that they manufactured ninja weapons.
"The dojo is the one on the right," Isamu explained.
And sure enough, the dojo was the big house next door, made of wood and bamboo, with a white tile roof. Hanging from some streetlights, there were Japanese symbols. Upon entering, Dylan felt a cliche from martial arts movies: the interior decoration was simple, made of natural materials. On the main wall was an altar, where there were hand-drawn drawings of Greninja in different ninja battle poses, as if they were a step manual. Below these, there were a few pots with flowers, a candle and a small wooden chest. In front of the altar, was the space where the students trained. Right there, in the center, was the old Sensei.
"Come in, boys," he told them, "Come in and accompany me. "Now, chosen child, tell me your name and the quest you hold."
Isamu and Dylan sat down and the latter proceeded to tell her in more detail the meaning of his visit. When he finished, he seemed to have fallen asleep (because he was an old man) but in reality, he had been listening attentively.
"Well, from the first glance I gave you, you really lack wisdom," said the Sensei.
"Sensei, what do I need to know to be wise?" Dylan asked.
"Being wise does not mean the same as being intelligent. According to stories that were told about your world, it is full of intelligent people who think they are wise, but their stubbornness and arrogance make them fools... Anyway, I can't simply give you the answer, so you must first demonstrate how Valuable as a ninja you are..."
Saying that last bit, he grabbed a towel from behind him and threw it at Dylan. He caught it, but looked at it confused.
"Your first task is to clean the floors," said Tetsuo, to the chosen boy.