Long time no see! Didn't mean to disappear but alas, I was constrained by a multitude of complicated life stuff. I do fully intend on completing this story. While Fiora may have won the league and became a champion, there's still a little more to the story left.

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A whistle sounded through the skies as a train sped along the ice-covered tracks. Outside, nothing but snowy wilderness for miles around. Blistery winds carried sprinkles of hail through gray clouds. Occasionally, there might be a pokemon ducking between bushes or running about the plains but otherwise, it seemed like a lonely place set far apart from life. Yet the scenery held a mystical quality to it. As if the snow was hiding mysteries and secrets of their own.

It was the scene Fiora had been watching out the train window for awhile now. It had been a couple hours since she first boarded the nearly empty train and it was still quite a ways from the destination. With the serene outside and quiet cabin inside, it was the perfect time to relax. Maybe reflect on...

SLAM!

"Niaaaaa! Wait for your dear ol' dad!"

"Dad stop following me! Geez!"

The tranquility was interrupted by a door slamming open and two people bursting through. One was a teen not much older than Fiora, wearing a school uniform decked out in accessories and blond hair with tips dyed pink. The other was a middle aged man in orange climbing gear and dark hair that held a touch of gray. The difference between the two was obvious; in style and personality.

"I just want to take a look around the train a little!" The girl said, exasperated.

"But what if you get lost? Remember our trip in Unova?" The dad asked.

"It's not a gigantic subway system, this is just one train!" The girl groaned.

The two kept going back and forth. The teen girl wanted a little freedom while the dad was trying to tag along with her. He seemed to just want to spend time with his daughter while she was embarrassed, as a typical teen her age would be. Fiora was trying not to stare though the man looked oddly familiar. Where did she see this man before? Ah wait a moment, he did resemble someone Fiora knew. This man looked eerily similar to Chairman Rose! Well, former Chairman. But while this man looked a lot like Rose, the personality and speech patterns were vastly different.

Chairman Rose. After Fiora became Champion, he disappeared. The man was supposed to go on trial and face repercussions for nearly destroying the region. No one knew where he went. There were warrants for his arrest and the international police were trying to track him down, yet nothing turned up in the past six months.

While Fiora had a lot of questions and things to say to this man, she soon found herself too busy to spare a thought. As new champion, she had a lot on her plate. Interviews, videos, battle challenges, helping the league, inspiring trainers, inspiring environmental change, the list goes on and on with barely time to breathe. Fortunately, she had a helpful new chairman to guide her through it. With Rose gone, Leon stepped up as chairman and helped clean up the mess the former one left behind. He dissolved the Marcos Cosmos from a giant cooperation into smaller companies, balancing the power. Rose Tower was converted into a Battle Tower, similar to ones other regions housed. Whenever Leon wasn't handling League duties as chairman, he devoted his time to his passion project as the tower's strongest trainer. He was hoping between him and Fiora's battles, Galar's trainers would grow to the strongest in the world.

In the midst of the new bustling life, a familiar face reminded Fiora of what she previously set aside.

"Oh, Champion. I didn't expect to find you here in the mines."

"Oleana? Wh...what are you...?"

"Community service. I have a five year service to community service after what happened with Eternatus. I chose the mines as it reminds me of Mr. Rose."

"The mines?"

"Yes, he used to work in a coal mine. The last in a long line of coal miners. The experience drove him to new ideas and the rise of Marcos Cosmos."

"I see."

"..."

"..."

"...Champion, I'm sorry. For everything."

"..."

"Freezington."

"Huh?"

"The name of the town where your family lived before we took you from there, it's Freezington. In case you were curious."

Once she looked up where the town was and how to get there, Fiora took time off from champion duties to go on a little journey of sorts. To find her hometown and reconnect with her past, that was the goal. Fiora had more than enough support from Leon as well as friends and family who knew the details. If the press tried to hound them for her whereabouts, they wouldn't crack. And if Fiora needed to call any of them, they'd be happy to talk. Even her pokemon had her back. Fiora felt blessed to be surrounded by wonderful companions who wanted to help her.

Checking the rotom map, Fiora watched her phone's tracking location creep closer and closer to the destination; Crown Tundra. She felt a mix of excitement and nervousness bubble inside her. Not like she had much of a plan to go off of. Journey to Freezington in Crown Tundra, walk around what was once her hometown, maybe find a way to trigger more lost memories. Fiora had just been following her desire to go to the tundra and reconnect with the past. What else was down there? She knew nothing about the Crown Tundra except that it was south-most point of Galar, hard to reach and covered in heavy snow year-round.

"Hey lass, you travelin' on your own?"

The man from before took a seat across from Fiora. His daughter didn't seem to be nearby anymore.

"Yeah. Where's your daughter?" Fiora asked.

"Bathroom. We're going on what I call "Adven-tours" during our vacation. There's a bunch of legends and secrets just waiting to be uncovered! We're gonna go after all of 'em!"

"Really? That sounds like fun!"

"Ahahaha! It will be! Though Nia's itchin' to try out that Dynamax Den they got there. Rushing into battles and finding cool pokemon, just like her ol' man!" The man laughed boisterously. "Name's Peony."

"I'm Fiora. What kinds of legends are in the Crown Tundra?"

"You never heard? Well they're quite something! See there's this giant tree..."

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While the Crown Tundra was cold and gray, Wedgehurst was warm and sunny. Flowers blooming everywhere, adding color to the beautiful landscape. Another peaceful day with happy people and pokemon happily going about their lives. In the field near the Pokemon Lab, a group of pokemon was playing about. Some were playing ball with a yamper, others took a nap under shady trees. Their trainer was watching from nearby.

Hop took out the rotom phone and looked over the map, specifically the train route from Wedgehurst to Freezington. It had been a few hours since Fiora departed. He had an idea where the train would be and how long it'd be till it reached its destination. No texts from Fiora but that was expected. Too soon for any developments, though it'd be nice to hear from her. Not like she'd be in trouble or anything. That was one girl who could handle any crisis.

Ever since winning the championship, Fiora and her team had gotten stronger, more confident. They were shining heroes of Galar who saved the day from Eternatus, defeated the unbeatable champion and even prevented the post-league disaster. Some strange weirdoes, apparently descendants of the ancient Galarian kings from legend, tried to claim their "birthright". When Sonia began to release her research on Darkest Day, oddballs tried to overload the stadium's power spots with Galarian particles and cause the legendary sword & shield to go beserk. It was thanks to Fiora that Galar avoided disaster again. Heck, the shield legendary Zamazenta wanted to go with her and became a regular member of her team.

As for Hop? His dream of becoming champion faded in the wind after everything that happened. He wasn't meant to be a champion or some high-n-mighty hero. But that was ok. He found a new dream. After all that happened, Hop decided he wanted to protect others and help those in need. Rather than relying on just strength, Hop hoped to use his knowledge on pokemon. Sonia, seeing his potential, offered to take on the lad as an assistant. Now, inbetween helping Sonia's research and lab activities, Hop studied all kinds of pokemon topics. No pressure to live up to someone else's legacy, no bitterness at loss or setbacks, just bright hope in the future ahead.

"Tea's ready!"

Sonia stepped outside the lab with two teacups in hand. She set them both on the patio table as her yamper burst into a run to join Hop's other pokemon.

"Thanks." Hop said. "Takin' a break?"

"Oh yeah, needed to see some actual sunlight before my eyes fall out!" Sonia yawned. "After hearing about Crown Tundra, I got a little curious and did some digging. I might have some leads on research projects."

"Like what?"

"That cave where Marcos Cosmos uncovered Eternatus has some interesting properties. There's an enormous amount of Galarian Particles in there and they continue to be active, long after Eternatus was excavated. It's unstable the deeper you go, so only rental pokemon provided by the company at the site can be used to enter raids in there." Sonia explained.

"Company? You mean Marcos Cosmos? They own the cave right?" Hop asked, sipping tea.

"Not quite. They did have digging rights many years ago and for some time after. However, continued digging seemed to upset the pokemon and caused disturbances in the particles during raids. It's said that the conditions of the cavern can occasionally trigger a dimensional hole event. At some point, the Alolan Dimensional Research Lab took up ownership of the place. Their scientists there are currently studying the cave's properties while guiding trainers through dynamax den battles."

"So it's not dangerous for trainers to go in?"

"Not newbies but you'd probably be allowed entry if you went. Trainers get to experience a unique battle location and encounter rare pokemon. The researchers gather data on the cave. Win win for everybody."

That sounded pretty awesome. Hop was curious about exploring that cave. Maybe he'd mention it to Fiora for her to check out? Or if she went back to the Crown Tundra, Hop would join her and see the caves with her? It'd be fun to travel together again. While being a research assistant was great, Hop did miss the adventures with Fiora.

"You think you'll do research there?" Hop asked.

"I'd love to! I could build on an additional volume of research of Eternatus and Galarian particles." Sonia replied. "I sent out a message to the crew down there. We'll see if they're open to it in the upcoming months. Though I suspect you'd rather go sooner than later."

"Hm? Me? Why?"

Sonia grinned. "I mean, you'd be eager to join your girlfriend down there. Little vacay in the frozen land perhaps?"

Hop nearly choked on his tea. Sonia had to pat his back several times to help the poor guy to regain his breath. Even when Hop could finally breathe again, he was still red in the face.

"She's not my girlfriend!" He objected.

"And when are you gonna get on that?" Sonia questioned. "Come on, it's clear to everyone but her! Even Leon sees it and dude's oblivious as a slowpoke."

Darn brother. He's been hinting Hop's crush for awhile now. At some point, he must have discussed it with Sonia because she's been heckling Hop too. They've gotten bolder with the teasing, even doing it when Fiora came to visit. Thank the stars she didn't catch on to any of that.

"We're just friends." Hop insisted.

"Whatever." Sonia shrugged, unconvinced.

"Fiora's doing something important, this isn't exactly a 'vacation'. It's serious business for her."

"Yeah, fair point. Hope she finds what she's looking for."

Hop hoped so too. News of her trip came suddenly though Hop didn't hesitate to support her. After the chaos some months back, Fiora was finally ready to confront her past and deal with her emotions on it. She was looking to find the part of her that was left behind all those years ago, scrape any information about her lost childhood & family. Though her parents were dead, maybe a piece of the past remained. It was possible there were memories that hadn't been awakened yet. Going back to her birthplace could trigger something.

Should he have gone with? Maybe Sonia would've let him take time off so he could go support his friend? Kinda late for that now. Would Fiora have wanted him there? Not like she was alone; she had her pokemon. Backup wouldn't be needed if she got into a battle. Would there be anything Hop could do if he was there?

"You know, while I was looking into that cave, I dug a couple papers about Crown Tundra Legends that might pique your interest. I mean it's a lot of mythology and scarce info but I think you'd like it." Sonia said. "And you'll have plenty to talk about with Fiora when she gets back."

"That right? Let me see those papers." Hope agreed.

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Note; I decided to skip over the part of the game with Sordward and Shieldbert. The way the story was going, it'd be a heavy retelling of what happened and did not add much to my story aside from minor context. You played the game, you know what happens. Hop gets Zacian, Fiora gets Zamazenta. Since Fiora's total is up to 7 pokemon, she typically switches between her team members to give everyone equal time.