Well ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time. Ruby Silverlock and her sisters are going to the Crown Tundra! I've adapted the Isle of Armour into my Pokemon fanfic universe, now it's time for the second Sword and Shield DLC to get the treatment. We'll get to meet their cousin Gloria, explore a new area and of course, meet lots and lots of Legendary Pokemon. Hope you enjoy! :D
Chapter 1: Journey to the Tundra
Ruby Silverlock and her twin sisters, Emerald and Sapphire Silverlock, had wasted no time at all getting ready for their trip to the Crown Tundra.
It had only been a day since they'd received the invite from their cousin Gloria to visit her and they'd already gotten their bags packed for their stay. All three of them agreed that they would visit Gloria for a week at the longest. That they felt would give them plenty of time to catch up as they hadn't seen her in a while and it would also be an adequate length of time to help her get started on her own Pokémon journey as Gloria had expressed a desire to become a trainer herself now she was of age. She felt who better than her own cousins, who were all Pokémon trainers themselves, to help her get started.
Ruby was no mere Pokémon trainer. As of now, she was Galar's reigning Pokémon Champion after defeating Leon, the previous Champion, in a battle for the title and what made her win all the more incredible was that she'd managed to win despite being a newbie at the time. She'd only just become a Pokémon trainer and started her journey that very year and yet she'd become Galar's new Champion after a single try! She was in her second year of being the Champion and as of yet, nobody had come close to defeating her. Only Emerald had managed to fight her to a draw at the very least. Many people were starting to feel that Ruby would have to retire from Pokémon battling as a whole in order for anyone to succeed her as Champion but the silver-haired teen had vowed that as long as there was life in her still, she would keep battling until her time came.
Emerald and Sapphire were twins, though they weren't identical in the slightest. The only thing that was identical about them were their ages. Emerald was white like her's and Ruby's mother while Sapphire was black like their father, though the two didn't care about that as skin colour didn't matter to them. They were as close as any siblings could be and like Ruby, they were skilled Pokémon trainers who had achieved much on their journeys, even if they hadn't become the new Champion after Ruby. Emerald had been a runner-up in last year's Champion Cup and had just recently won Galar's first ever Pokémon Contest. She had decided to take up Pokémon Coordinating as a career instead of battling as she found herself enjoying contests more than battles, though she still wanted to battle if possible. Sapphire had been a semi-finalist in last year's Gym Challenge, falling to Emerald in the second round of the semi-finals, but she had gone on to become the new Dojo Master on the Isle of Armour after clearing the trials, stopping a vengeful Zeraora from killing the previous Dojo Master and then finally defeating said previous master in the final trial. She was still learning how to be a Dojo Master, but Sapphire was learning fast and would soon be ready to take over from Mustard full-time.
Now the girls were ready to go to the Crown Tundra. It was a beautiful place in the south of the Galar region that was full of snow and was home to many species of Pokémon that they couldn't find in the mainland. They were very excited to go, especially to see their cousin again.
"I hope we meet an Altaria!" Emerald exclaimed eagerly, "I'd love to see one of those!"
"I would love to at least see a Dragonite. Dragonite are strong but friendly Pokémon so it'd be sweet to see one." Sapphire concurred, "I wouldn't mind seeing a Nidoqueen myself. It'd be fun to have one to go with my Nidoking."
"I'm sure Spike would appreciate that." Ruby teased, "Finding him a girlfriend and all. I can't wait to see all of the Crown Tundra exclusive Pokémon that live there. I'd love to see a Tyrantrum or a Magmortar or even an Electivire there. Dunno if I'll catch any as I feel my roster's big enough as it is."
"I'm quite happy with what I have too, but it'll still be awesome to meet these new Pokémon anyway." Sapphire agreed, "Though Emerald still thinks there's no such thing as too many Pokémon." she added teasingly.
"What? There is no such thing as too many Pokémon!" Emerald insisted, "Yes I do have a lot to look after but is that a problem if I enjoy it so much?"
"Not at all, Em!" Ruby said brightly, patting her sister on the shoulder, "If you enjoy having so many Pokémon to care for, then that's fine! Besides, you have Tony to help you with that so you're not doing it all by yourself anymore." she noted.
Emerald nodded. She and her childhood friend, Tony Summers, had recently become a couple and of course, that meant sharing the workload on looking after their Pokémon.
"And you and Sapph also have your partners doing the same." she acknowledged, "So I'd say we're all good!"
"I guess you're right." Sapphire said thoughtfully, "So if we want any new additions to our teams, we'll be fine. Speaking of our partners, I wonder if Ashley's ready yet…"
Emerald thought the same thing so she and Sapphire quick whipped out their phones to text their loves to ask if they were ready. Of course, the girls weren't going to visit their cousin without passing the invite to their partners. All three of them were in relationships and liked to do as many things together as possible. Tony and Ashley were of course happy to come with Emerald and Sapphire to see the tundra and visit Gloria. Hop on the other hand had given a surprising answer. He was the Silverlock family's neighbour and the brother of Leon. He and Ruby had been best friends but that friendship had become a romantic relationship over time and they couldn't be closer. When Ruby had asked if Hop wanted to join them on their trip, she'd been surprised to hear him say:
"Funny you should ask Ruby as that's where I'm going for my first assignment as Professor Sonia's new assistant!"
"No way! You're going there already?!" Ruby exclaimed, "Bloody hell, mother of all coincidences much? Ha, ha! Guess you don't need an invite if you're already going!"
"You could say!" Hop chuckled, "Sonia wants to investigate something over in the Crown Tundra so she's taking me there to join her. It'll be my first time being on a big science expedition and working outside of the lab so I'm excited for that!"
"I'm happy for you, handsome!" Ruby cried gleefully, "What are you two investigating while you're there?"
"Just rumours that a whole bunch of Legendary Pokémon seem to be showing up in the Tundra for some reason, along with some supposedly mysterious footprints that have been spotted around the area." Hop explained, "Does Gloria know anything about this?"
"Not that I know of." the Champion said thoughtfully, "She hasn't told me about any rumours or footprints but I imagine if she knows, we'll hear about it when we see her."
"Sure thing!" the lab assistant said jovially, "I can't promise I'll be around all the time as I'm still working with Sonia but I'll be sure to join you all anytime I can on your trip. See you there, love!"
"You too, love." Ruby said, kissing the phone screen as if she could somehow reach through it and kiss Hop directly on his forehead, "Tell Sonia I said hi and I hope she enjoys her expedition."
And after that, she'd left Hop to prepare for his trip with Sonia while she and her sisters prepared themselves. She imagined that Hop might have set off early as Sonia wouldn't want to hang around long to get started on her science expedition. Ruby wondered if the two would find out anything interesting during their research and what these rumours were about. It was sure to keep them busy, no question about it!
Ruby turned to Emerald and Sapphire. They looked up from their Rotom phones.
"Tony and Ashley are packed." Sapphire informed, "They're coming over to us now so we can all catch the Flying Taxi together at Wedgehurst."
"That's great!" Ruby said brightly, "It's nice that we're all making good time now. Gloria won't want to wait long for us after all. You know how she hates waiting."
Emerald and Sapphire just giggled. How could they forget? They once joked that Gloria would run outside in the freezing cold snow clad only in her pyjamas if it meant hurrying along to see her cousins! They enjoyed getting to see her as much as she enjoyed seeing them as Gloria was a big bundle of energy that always made them smile no matter what they were feeling. She also liked to make something for them when they visited, and they were already looking forward to that.
A few minutes later, Tony and Ashley turned up at the Silverlock's house and their mother, Annie Silverlock, called to let them know they were here. Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire carried their cases downstairs and hugged their mother goodbye. Their father was in his flower shop in Turffield so he wasn't here to see them off, but he'd at least texted them to wish them a good trip.
"You have a wonderful trip my girls, and tell Gloria that I hope she's doing well." Annie said softly.
"We will mum." Ruby insisted, "You take care of yourself while we're gone. We'll be back next week!"
They kissed Annie goodbye and set off for Wedgehurst Station with Tony and Ashley. Wedgehurst was walking distance from Postwick Town so they didn't have far to walk. They arrived in good time and quickly caught the first Flying Taxi that was available to the Crown Tundra. They had decided to prepare ahead of time by putting on their winter coats as they got into their Flying Taxi. Ashley had even made sure to wear leggings underneath her usual shorts to keep her legs warm. When they got to the Tundra, it was going to be very cold so it was best to prepare before arrival. The Corviknight squawked as it flapped its wings and soared into the air, holding tight to the taxi cab it carried. Tony and Emerald sat together while Sapphire sat between Ruby and Ashley. Sapphire stroked her girlfriend's thigh while Tony had his arm around Emerald. It seemed unfair that they could cuddle up to their partners while Ruby had no Hop with her, but she'd get her chance when they arrived.
"So what can you tell me about the Crown Tundra?" Ashley asked, "Naturally, this is gonna be my first visit there so I'd love to know what's what."
"Other than it's bloody cold, it's also very beautiful." Ruby explained, "It's snowy there but in a way that enhances its beauty. It has a small, rustic town called Freezington that may not be much to look at, but has that old charm to it and is at least comfortable enough for the people living there. It also has lots of mountains, plains and a big tree there, though we haven't seen much of them as we were too young to venture far into the Tundra at the time. It'll be as much an adventure for us as you as we'll get to see the place proper for the first time."
"That does sound exciting." Tony said with interest, "I'm so glad my little gem was able to help me pay for my treatment so now I won't have to worry about my past illness spoiling this trip for me."
"Indeed not, Tony." Emerald said brightly, "You can enjoy it proper like all of us!"
"We're all gonna have a great time, I'm sure." Ashley agreed, "I'm especially keen to see what Pokémon we'll find there that you don't normally see in the mainland. You gals have said before there's quite a few species there that can only be found there."
"Oh there's a lot indeed." Ruby confirmed, "And what's especially interesting is that the Crown Tundra is, as far as we know, the only place in the entire world where you can find still-living Fossil Pokémon!" she said, her voice full of awe as if she'd told the most amazing fact she'd ever heard.
"Shut up! You serious about that?!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Of course she is!" Sapphire chipped in, "I even brought one of my books about the Crown Tundra that you can read when we get there! It tells the story of how there are Fossil Pokémon that are still alive when all the others died out."
"If you've ever wanted to see living Omanyte, Kabuto, Aerodactyl, Anorith, Lileep, Tirtouga, Archen, Tyrunt, Amaura and all their respective evolutions, the Crown Tundra's the place to look." Ruby informed, "It's incredible that all these other regions have to essentially Jurassic Park them back to life but here in Galar, we have Fossil Pokémon that never died out in this one single area!"
"I'm sure glad to hear about Tirtouga as I have a Carracosta from my journey through Unova." Ashley said brightly, "Now I'll get to meet the Tirtouga line that lives here in Galar. That should be fun."
"I wouldn't mind catching a Kabutops myself." Tony said hopefully, "I've always loved how they look with their big scythe like hands. Getting to see one at last will make the trip for me."
"Oh I'm sure we'll meet all the Pokémon you want to while we're there." Ruby reassured, "We're there for a week so we've got plenty of time to meet plenty of species. I wonder what Pokémon we'll help Gloria catch for her first team." she added thoughtfully.
"Good question." Emerald concurred, "We're helping her get started as a trainer so she could end up catching anything. We should ask her which ones she wants so we can track them down!"
"That'd certainly help." Ruby agreed, "We'll ask her after we've gotten settled in. No need to rush into it without a proper welcome of course."
The teens chatted throughout the entire trip. By the time they got to the Crown Tundra Station, the Corviknight genuinely seemed relieved that it had arrived at its destination so it could drop them off and hopefully get some peace and quiet from all their talking. Ruby and the others filed through the station and stepped outside. The cold of the Tundra hit them like a punch to the face. Already they were feeling glad they'd dressed up for the occasion as even now still felt ridiculously cold. Sapphire was already wishing she was back on the Isle of Armour as that place was much warmer than this! But in spite of the cold, they were spellbound by the beautiful snowy scenery that lay before them. Large trees stood tall and proud, snow blanketing their branches. There were patches of grass that peeked out from the snow as if to try and remind everyone they were still around. Snowflakes gently sprinkled down from the sky above. It was like a winter wonderland come to life and for the Silverlock sisters, it felt quite nostalgic to them as it had been a while since they'd seen this place. Not much had changed as they could see. Even the usual Pokémon species like Mamoswine, Jynx, Swablu and Abomasnow were wandering around carrying out their usual day in the wild. Tony and Ashley took a moment to take in the view, their breath frosting in the chilled air.
"This is beautiful…" Ashley whispered.
"And this is just the first part!" Tony put in, "Imagine how jaw-dropping the rest of the place must look…"
"I know. I'm really keen to see what goes beyond this area." Ruby put in, "Now if you follow me, I'll lead you to Freezington. It's just down that slope there."
She direct with her finger. The sisters led the way with Tony and Ashley following behind. They walked carefully down the slope Ruby had directed them to and headed on ahead towards a tiny village that stood in the middle of a wooded area at the bottom of the slope. This was Freezington. It was a small village with not much to offer. All the buildings looked small and like they wouldn't be able to house much people in them. They all had a vintage look to them, like something out of the olden days or an old fairy tale than any modern dwelling. There were four vegetable patches with some people tending to them to see if anything was growing. The biggest building in Freezington was an inn called the Freeze Inn. It was at least two stories high and was about the size of a small house, but looked like it could accommodate a few people in at least. Ruby was curious about the flag that was outside the inn. That had never been there last time they'd visited Gloria. The flag was red with an orange P with a black band around the top printed in the centre. What did it mean and who's flag was it? She put the thought aside as she looked over at another house. It was the second biggest house in the village and it belonged to the Mayor. Ruby could see the Mayor scraping snow off the windows now. He was an old man who wore large round spectacles, a warm coat with a large fur collar and thick winter boots to keep his feet warm. She and her sisters remembered seeing him before. So it seemed he was still in charge for now. Given his age, Ruby had expected Freezington would need a new mayor eventually but it seemed he still had some life left in him.
Of course, there was only one house she was interested in and she pointed to it to show Tony and Ashley where Gloria lived. Gloria's house looked similar to all the other houses with only a few noticeable differences. The door to her house was a dark pink colour and a few wreathes were hung up in the windows. These were no ordinary wreathes. They were Galarica Wreathes, an item that was made from Galarica Twigs and could only be found here. Gloria loved to hang some up in her windows to decorate them as they looked nice. Sapphire was particularly interested for she knew something special about the wreathes. They could be used to evolve Galarian Slowpoke into Galarian Slowking. Her former rival Klara had given her a Galarian Slowpoke as a token of thanks for saving the Isle of Armour and defeating Zeraora last year and Sapphire had been holding on to it with the hope of evolving it into a Slowking. She'd nicknamed it "Merlin" in preparation for when it finally evolved as to her, Galarian Slowking had a wizard-like appearance so it would be appropriate to name a Slowking after a wizard. Of course, she would ask Gloria first before taking any Galarica Wreathes for her Slowpoke.
"That's where Gloria lives." Ruby informed, "Brace yourselves for she'll be charging out that door any minute…"
Right on cue, the pink door flung open and out of it charged a grey and pink blur that moved so fast that Tony and Ashley gasped and leapt backwards. Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire just held their arms out to embrace the blur as it pounced on them like an over-excited Growlithe. The blur was their cousin Gloria, as energetic and bubbly as ever.
"OCH AYE, YER HERE AT LAST, COUSINS!" Gloria screeched at the top of her lungs in her usual Tundra accent, "It's been so long! Oooooh I've got big hugs for the lot of ya! One for you," she hugged Emerald, "One for you," she hugged Sapphire, "And especially a big one for our Champion!" she finished off by hugging Ruby, "I cannae believe it's been so long since we've last seen each other! How are you all? Not too cold, I hope! In fact, let's not stand ootside here chin-wagging! Come on in!"
Before anyone could say a word, Gloria grabbed Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire's sleeves and yanked them into the house. Tony and Ashley could only laugh as they followed the Silverlocks in.
"So that's Gloria!" Ashley giggled, "I have a feeling we're in for a fun time with her!"
"She sure has a lot of energy in her!" Tony chuckled, "Did she drink ten tonnes of coffee before we arrived?"
Once everyone was inside the house, Gloria invited her cousins, Tony and Ashley to sit down on the sofa while she took their coats for them. The warmth of the house came as a relief to everyone. There was a blazing, roaring fire already lit in the fireplace to keep the house warm and it felt wonderful after the cold and snow outside. Gloria was the same age as Ruby at fifteen years old and it was easy to see how she was related to her and her sisters. She very closely resembled Emerald even to the point they had the same hairdo and wore the same green tam-o-shanter. She wore a pink dress that reached half way down her thighs, a grey knitted parka that her mother had made for her herself, black leggings to keep her legs warm and chunky brown hiking boots similar to what Emerald usually wore. Despite being cousins, Ruby and Sapphire often joked that Gloria looked more like Emerald's twin sister than Sapphire herself. Gloria hung up everyone's coats on the coat hanger and turned around to properly greet her guests.
"I'm so glad ya accepted my invite, cousins!" she piped, speaking louder than she needed to, "Ya have no idea how dull it's been around here lately! I swear nothing exciting really happens in the Tundra so if anyone could liven things up, it'd be you three! I hope you've all brought yer wee little Pokémon with yer!"
"We wouldn't go anywhere without them." Ruby confirmed, "I've got my usual partner, Bugs, with me and a few others and so have my sisters."
"You bet! I always keep Kerchak close by!" Emerald said happily.
"As do I with James Pond." Sapphire put in, "I have some new Pokémon I caught in the Isle of Armour that you might be interested in meeting as they're species you can't find here."
"Oh I'm sure I'll met plenty of yer buddies while we're here." Gloria said enthusiastically, "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've got some catching up ta do first. For starters, ya mind telling me who the cute lad and the lass with the long legs are?" she asked, turning to Tony and Ashley as if only just realizing they were here too.
"D-did she just call me cute?" Tony asked bashfully.
"She does that to any boy she likes the look of." Emerald explained, "Don't mind her. Gloria, this is Tony Summers. He's a childhood friend of mine, and we've just recently become a couple." she explained.
"And this is Ashley Benson." Sapphire introduced, "She's my girlfriend from the Unova region and a semi-finalist in last year's tournament."
"Ah so yer that Unovan lass from last year's tournament? I thought ya looked a wee bit familiar." Gloria thought, "I was happy my cousin won of course but I really enjoyed the fight ya put up, lassie! Gotta say, Sapph's lucky to have a Champion as a girlfriend." she added, winking.
"Well, ex-Champion now as I've since been dethroned but thanks anyway." Ashley said modestly.
"And you Tony, I must say Emerald's got a fine taste in men." the Tundra girl added, turning to Tony, "You seem like a really nice lad, and yer really handsome looking too!" she added teasingly.
"That's very kind of you to say." Tony said appreciatively, "And might I say, you're quite the cutie yourself." he purred.
"Tony, what did we say about hitting on other girls?" Emerald sighed.
"She was complimenting me so I'm complimenting her back! Last I looked, that's the polite thing to do!" Tony retorted.
Everyone giggled at the exchange.
"In any case Tony and Ashley, it's a real pleasure ta meet ya both." Gloria said, shaking their hands, "Any friend of my cousins is a friend of mine! I do apologize if it might be a bit cramped here as I was only expecting my cousins to come and my house isn't exactly built for a large amount of people but I'm sure we can find a place for everyone to sleep."
"If we must, some of us can sleep on the sofa while the others have beds." Ruby decided, "Say, have you heard anything from Hop at all?" she added with interest.
"Oh that handsome lad yer dating now? Sure have!" Gloria said brightly, "He actually dropped by a short while ago to see if you three had arrived yet. He wanted me to let you know he and Sonia have set up their base of operations in one of the nearby houses. They're preparing for their science expedition so I wouldn't disturb them for the moment but I'm sure they'll be done soon."
"That's good to hear." Ruby said happily, "The gang's all here, just was we wanted. In the meantime…do you have that special something for us?" she asked with a sly smile.
"Och! Really? Yer asking me THAT?" Gloria snorted, "Since when do I ever forget to bake my famous shortbreads for me dear cousins? I dinnae forget how much ya love them!"
With that said, Gloria rushed into the kitchen to fetch a tin of shortbreads to share out with everyone. In her spare time, Gloria loved to bake shortbread biscuits to share with the village and especially with her cousins whenever they visited. She'd been taught by her mother and even now still followed her mother's recipe when baking the biscuits. She could even bake the shortbreads by heart with no need to follow a recipe sheet with how well she'd memorized it. She came back with the tin and whisked off the lid. The delicious smell of freshly baked shortbread wafted over her guests. Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire were already feeling their mouths water while Ashley and Tony were amazed by how good they smelled.
"That don't smell like any cookie back in Unova." Ashley thought, "But it smells great!"
"Oh yer in for a treat with this lassie." Gloria purred, "You Unovans haven't tasted anything like this, I'm sure."
The Scottish teen was absolutely right as Unova didn't have shortbread. She held the tin out so everyone could take a piece. Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire had first dibs of course and then Tony and Ashley were given one to try. Gloria picked a piece last and ate it along with the others. To her cousins, the taste was as glorious as the last time they'd eaten her shortbread. Baked to perfection with that sweet taste and crumbly texture that made a treat for their taste buds. Tony and Ashley were equally as impressed with how nice they were.
"Wow, and you bake these yerself? This is delicious!" the Unovan girl exclaimed.
"It tastes like my mother's baking." Tony said with a smile, "She always bakes the best biscuits but this shortbread's easily on par with what she bakes."
"Thank you!" Gloria said graciously, "Oh and don't worry about using up the whole batch, I made plenty more." she informed with a big smile on her face as if she was sharing a big secret with them.
"Ha, ha! You know us too well!" Ruby laughed, "One batch wouldn't last a whole week with us around!"
"That bad, is it?" Ashley chuckled.
"Guilty as charged." Sapphire joked.
"Not that I mind. I love sharing oot mah shortbread." Gloria said kindly, "I even share some oot with the other villagers if I ever bake too much. They really appreciate it when I do that."
"Nice to know Freezington's residents are still as nice as ever." Ruby said brightly, "Speaking of residents, in your letter you mentioned a guy named "Peony". Who is he exactly?" she asked, "I don't remember anyone named him living here on our previous visits."
"Och no, he doesn't "live here" per say, but he and his daughter come here for adventures in together." Gloria confirmed, "Though truth be told, the poor lass often looks like she wishes she was elsewhere. She's not that keen on her dad's outdoors-y interests and prefers hanging oot with other trainers. She often likes to run off to the local Max Lair to take part in "Dynamax Adventures" or summet like that."
"What are those?" Emerald asked, picking another piece of shortbread out the tin and biting into it.
"A new feature to the Tundra." Gloria went on, "They only started doing it about a year ago, I think. Trainers go in there, are given rental Pokémon to use and can team up to battle in Max Raid battles. You can either battle or catch the Pokémon in the dens and you can keep at least one of the Pokémon ya catch during the adventure at the end. Some trainers like to do a test in where they get to see how long they last before they're eventually defeated. I think the longest winning streak so far is 10 wins in a row. It's been a rather unusual way to train up Pokémon, but some trainers really seem to enjoy it. Now you're all here, we should try a Dynamax Adventure ourselves!"
"And as you said, they give out rental Pokémon so you'll be able to join in too." Ruby said brightly, "We'll all have fun with that!"
"Aye cousin! We can go first thing tomorrow." Gloria decided, "For now, I just wanna spend the rest of the day with you all so nae going anywhere today."
"We wanted that too." Ruby said agreeably as she chose another piece of shortbread, "We've got way too much catching up to do in a short amount of time!"
So the rest of the day was spent on that catch up. Gloria was blown away by just how much her cousins had to tell her from Emerald and Sapphire finding their new callings in life as a coordinator and a Dojo Master respectively, Emerald winning the Pokémon Contest and using her cash prize to save Tony's life, Sapphire saving the Isle of Armour from Zeraora and Ruby still remaining undefeated as the Champion of Galar. She even got to know a bit about Tony and Ashley too as they told her some of their stories. The Tundra girl had been amazed at Ashley's story on how she'd started out as a new trainer from Nuvema Town and had gone on to defeat Team Plasma to foil their wicked schemes and then also beat the Champion, Alder, to become the new Champion. It amazed everyone else to also hear she had caught a Legendary Pokémon herself during the battle against Team Plasma and to this day, she still owned said Legendary.
"I prefer not ta use Zekrom unless it's an emergency as I like ta prove I can be strong without a Legendary to win my battles for me." Ashley explained, "But he enjoys life with me anyway and on the odd occasion, we might still see N and Reshiram flying around Unova somewhere carrying out N's goal of protecting people and Pokémon alike from evil like Team Plasma."
"We'd love to see him one day." Sapphire said eagerly, "We've never seen a Zekrom before."
"Speaking of Legendries, have you heard any rumours about Legendary Pokémon appearing in the Tundra?" Ruby asked, turning to Gloria, "Before we left, Hop was telling me about that and it's something he and Sonia are investigating while they're here."
"Now that's interesting, cuz!" Gloria exclaimed, "I have been hearing about that! It's very recent, but it's still something that had a lot of us Tundra folk curious on what's happening. The Crown Tundra's never seen that many Legendary Pokémon around here before and now we have folks insisting they've seen all sorts from Lugia to Ho-Oh and much more! With any luck, yer boyfriend will find out if there's any truth to that."
"And maybe we can help with that investigation." Tony chipped in, "I'm sure Hop and Sonia would appreciate the help."
Everyone nodded agreeably. Come tomorrow, they'd join Hop and Sonia in their investigation once they'd had their Dynamax Adventure. For now, everyone decided that it would be a good time to show off their Pokémon for Gloria to look at. Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire showed off their starters, Bugs, Kerchak and James Pond, along with a few others and all the Legendary Pokémon they had. Ashley showed Gloria her Emboar and a few others and Tony showed her his Contest performing Pokémon that he'd participated with in this year's Contest along with other Pokémon he planned to show off one day. The brunette girl especially took a liking to Flossy the Alcremie, especially as she had helped Emerald win the contest. She enjoyed seeing all the Pokémon and couldn't wait to have a team of her own to join in with her cousins. Sapphire kindly requested to use one of Gloria's Galarica Wreathes to evolve her Slowpoke and Gloria was all too happy to accept. She gave Sapphire the wreath and the blue-haired teen slipped it on over Merlin's head. He was wearing it like a necklace, but not for long as he glowed white with energy and began to change from a Slowpoke into a Slowking. The evolution was quick and before everyone knew it, Merlin was now a completely new Pokémon. He looked very pleased with his new body and admired himself all over. Emerald and Tony both agreed that it would be much more fun and more pleasant to see Sapphire with a Galarian Slowking instead of Avery in this case. Her Slowking would be head and shoulders above his, that was for sure!
The next day came and once everyone had finished breakfast, they set off out of Freezington Village to the Max Lair so they could have a shot at their first Dynamax Adventure. The day was slightly warmer compared to yesterday with no snow currently falling and the weather being much brighter. The sky wasn't overcast with plenty of blue visible through the clouds and the sun shone as if it was trying to warm the Tundra up and get rid of all the snow. The sunlight made all the snow covered terrain sparkle beautifully and it was a wonderful sight for everyone to see. Gloria said that the Tundra always looked the best during sunny weather and everyone was inclined to agree.
"It really is like a winter wonderland here." Emerald said with awe.
"It may be cold, but all the snow gives the place its own beauty for sure." Tony agreed, "I bet all the Pokémon that live here absolutely love it."
"Well, mostly the Ice-types at least." Gloria confirmed, "Alright everyone, here it is!" she piped, pointing ahead.
There was a cave entrance with six tall lights, three on each side, to illuminate the way. This cave was where the Dynamax Adventures were held. Ruby saw what Gloria meant by it being a recent addition to the Tundra as she'd never seen this cave before in past visits. The lights still looked new, making it easy to see it had only been a year or so since they'd been set up.
"So Dynamax Adventures happen in there? Got it. Let's all go in and have some fun everyone!" Ruby declared.
But before anyone could take so much as a single step, they heard another voice calling out to somebody nearby. It sounded like a teenage girl was speaking.
"Come on, Dad! Lay off and quit following me already!"
Everyone turned in the direction of the voice to see who had said it. They saw two people together, one an adult male and the other a teenage girl. Both had fairly dark skin and green eyes. The teenager was dressed, oddly enough, in a school uniform of sorts complete with a red and white striped tie, smart jacket, a skirt and black leggings. She had platinum blonde hair that was dyed pink around the back. The man was more appropriately dressed for the cold weather, wearing a bulky orange winter coat with matching trousers, thick hiking boots and a black hard hat. He carried an enormous camping rucksack on his bag. Ruby thought the man looked like an explorer of some kind with his choice of clothes. She had no idea how the girl could wear a schoolgirl uniform in a place like this and seemingly be alright with the cold! The girl looked up at the man, clearly looking irritated with him.
"I'm gonna go on a Dynamax Adventure in the Max Lair, and I don't need you breathing down my neck!" the girl complained, "I'm here to battle loads and loads of rare Dynamax Pokémon!"
The man just grinned broadly, flashing a dazzling smile that showed anyone watching that he was a fun guy to approach, even if the girl didn't seem to think of him as such.
"Gahahaha! Don't you fret!" he boomed, "I know somewhere way more fun than that musty old place! Get ready for loads of quality time with the coolest dad ever!" he added, pumping his fists enthusiastically.
"What a totally generous and unwanted offer!" the girl muttered sarcastically, "Fraid I've got to say "no thanks"!"
The man refused to budge.
"Come on, Nia! Be reasonable!" he insisted, "Or get ready to be ultra-mega-embarrassed…as I unleash the Noble Roar of Dad!" he yelled loudly.
The girl cringed at such a thought. But before the conversation could continue, they were interrupted by Emerald snorting with laughter.
"Noble Roar of Dad?! I dunno who this guy is but I like him already! He's funny!" she laughed.
"He's…something alright." Sapphire said sheepishly. She wasn't sure if "funny" was how she'd describe him!
The man was curious to see some new people standing around watching him and his daughter. He recognized Gloria immediately but the rest were all strangers to him. Yet upon closer look, he could swear he recognized the silver-haired girl among them. Why was that? His daughter was forgotten about as he approached Gloria and the others.
"Top of the morning, Gloria!" he said jovially, "Who's this lot with you then?"
Ruby's eyes widened with shock as she got a closer look at the man. Something looked…familiar about him. The green eyes, the moustache and beard, the short grey hair on the sides of his head and even his skin colour reminded her of someone. And unfortunately, it wasn't anyone she wanted to remember anytime soon…
"Mr. Rose?! No, it can't be!" she shrieked.
"You're right! It ISN'T!" the man said with a casual laugh, "Don't worry, I get that a lot. I'm his brother! Peony Rose at your service!"
Ruby sighed with relief. Thank goodness for that! She understood why Peony looked so familiar to her. The family resemblance was certainly striking, that's for sure!
"I never knew Mr. Rose had a brother." Ruby said curiously.
"Oh he doesn't like ta talk about that, cuz." Gloria chipped in, "He's um…sensitive about that subject." she said tightly, "But dinnae worry about anything, I assure ya he's nothing like that conniving Ekans in the grass!"
"She's right, little lady." Peony concurred, "Me and Derek couldn't be more different despite being brothers! I'm the ultra-mega-cool one of the family, and I ain't gonna pull off that crazy shit that landed him in prison! No siree! Say…" he paused for a moment, "Would you happen to be Ruby Silverlock, perchance?" he asked inquisitively.
"Why yes! Yes I am!" Ruby confirmed, "No doubt you've heard about me what with being the new Champion and all."
"I KNEW IT!" the excitable man exclaimed, "I thought I recognized you! That silver hair was a big giveaway! Let me tell you, from one Champion to another, it's an honour to meet the girl who dethroned Leon himself." he said, shaking Ruby's hand enthusiastically, "How'd it feel getting to be the one that defeated him in the end?"
"Wait, hang on, from one Champion to another…were YOU a Champion yourself?" Sapphire asked.
"Sure was!" Peony declared, striking a grand pose as if he was some big hero who had found the Holy Grail and lived to talk about it, "I held the title for a few years…but then Derek had to steal my bloomin' thunder by becoming the bloody Chairman of the Pokémon League!" he said bitterly, folding his arms and scowling at the thought, "It's an ultra-mega-pain in the ass, I tell you. The ONE time I finally step out of his shadow, he goes and spoils everything by overshadowing me again!"
Ruby could tell she was going to get on better with this man than she did with the ex-Chairman. She felt sorry for him to hear that his time as Champion had come to an end because of his brother overshadowing him. She saw now why Gloria said it was a sensitive subject for him.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Peony." she said sympathetically.
"Eh, don't sweat it. I'm cool." Peony said optimistically, "If anything, I should be sorry for what he did to you. Using you the way he did for his little pet project…even my darling Nia disowned him for that!" he cried.
"You know about what Mr. Rose did to Ruby?" Emerald asked in surprise.
"Derek was never one to keep secrets from his family, even the unsavoury ones." Peony explained, "He admitted it to us as the guilt he feels over what he did to Ruby was too much for him. I still say he was an arsehole for using a child like that and I don't think I'm in a hurry to forgive him anytime soon."
That makes two of us! Ruby muttered bitterly. Just thinking about Derek Rose was enough for Ruby to feel like punching someone in anger.
"But enough about him. How's about me and you have a battle together?" Peony offered, "I'd love for a chance to battle our current Champion!"
"A battle? Um…maybe later." Ruby said quickly, "We're actually here to go on a Dynamax Adventure like your daughter. Speaking of which…I think she's gone and snuck off without you."
Peony wheeled around in horror to see that Ruby wasn't pulling his leg. His daughter was gone! She had indeed snuck off while he was distracted with talking to Ruby and the others. A trial of fresh footprints in the snow told everyone where she had gone. She was probably in the cave getting ready for the Dynamax Adventure right now.
"Gah! That crafty little…always sneaking off whenever I get distracted!" Peony sighed, "My sweet little Peonia will be at that Max Lair already! Well I'm coming for her! Hang on Nia, daddy's coming!"
He bolted off towards the Max Lair cave. Ruby could only roll her eyes at everything that had happened.
"So that's Peony…you were right to warn us about him. He IS a numpty!" she scoffed.
"But a big-hearted one at least." Gloria said, "He means well really and is just the kind of parent that has a lot of love for his kid. Dinnae think ill of him, OK?"
"I think he's a fun guy!" Emerald said cheerfully, "So much more fun than his brother, that's for sure!"
"Yeah, he's larger than life and full of energy." Sapphire noted, "I think that guy might have more energy in him than even some trainers our age!"
"Well regardless of how we feel about him, we're going to have to follow him anyway." Tony put in, "We want to go into the Max Lair as well to try out this Dynamax Adventure thing so maybe we'll help him find Peonia along the way."
"Somehow, I doubt she's gonna want to be found." Ashley said dryly.
The teens all ran off towards the Max Lair. Today was certainly off to an interesting start with meeting the brother of Derek Rose so soon! And once they got going with this "Dynamax Adventure", it was only going to get more interesting…
Our heroes' visit to the Crown Tundra is already getting off to an interesting start. Meeting Peony and going on a Dynamax Adventure, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! How will this Dynamax Adventure go and what kind of Pokémon will they meet down in the caves? Join us next time as we embark on a "Dynamax Adventure"...
Trivia: Yes, I'm fully aware that I'm jumping on the "Scottish Gloria" bandwagon here. I'm shameless. XD I mean with her design and all the memes around her, how can I bring her into my fanfics and NOT give her a Scottish accent? =P It should be canon at this point that Gloria's Scottish, yet when Pokémon Masters gave her a voice they didn't run with it, which was a missed opportunity. X(
Also, Hop, Tony and Ashley weren't originally going to appear in the story and it was just going to be the Silverlock Sisters but I felt the story would be better if the girls got to bring their partners with them. Also it gives Gloria a chance to meet them too. ^^
Hop and Sonia going to the Tundra for a science trip of course calls back to the game in where Sonia goes there to investigate the Legendary Swords. And yes, I WILL be adapting that part of the game too. ;)