AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. With it, we return to HBW on the Battle Pyramid as they are about to land in Galar. This section of the story will be a bit small than the last one was, but I still like what this one sets up for. As well, I get to talk about the new covers to show off. We now have Weiss with her adorable Alolan Vulpix, one of my favorites for the cute factor here. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.

See the most recent Save State Chapter for Cover Art details.

Chapter 27 – Enter the Tundra

Aboard the Battle Pyramid, the three girls all rested in the library. Weiss and Blake each had a book they read, while Hilda napped with her book placed over her hat. The white heiress sighed as she finished the last page of her book, then placed it on a nearby stack, "Well, that one was a waste of time." She said with her arms crossed, "I mean, all of these legends. Of Pokemon creating the sea and land, space, even life, and destruction. There is no way they all can be true. Right?"

"Stranger tales have been told in Remnant." Blake said as she finished her book as well, "But, with what has happened to us, I am more open to the possibilities of them being true."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Weiss said before picking up a familiar book, "This is the one Brandon showed us, its tales are definitely from Remnant." She said while opening it, "It doesn't have an author or even a publisher. Heh, I guess the person was worried about cross-dimensional copyright laws."

"Heh," Blake chuckled as well, "Still, he couldn't tell us who gave it to him. But that person had to have been from Remnant." She said before looking at the book as well, "If we can find that person, they might be able to help us find a way back home." The shadowy girl then looked over to see Hilda waking up, "Did you enjoy your rest?"

"Are we there yet," Hilda said with a yawn, rubbing her right eye, "We've been on this thing for months."

"It's only been around a week." Weiss corrected, "And Brandon said we should be landing within the hour."

"Cool," Hilda said before stretching, "When we do, we should go on the quest to get you two a new party member." She said with Blake and Weiss smiling back, "Also, I have been meaning to ask, but what was your world like?"

"Remnant is…struggling." Blake commented, a mournful look on her face, "The Grimm have driven the population down, and there are others who seek to only cause more harm."

"Which is why we are on the path to becoming Huntresses," Weiss added on, "A group meant to save the world and fight the evil with plagues it."

"Oh, cool." Hilda said, "And you have special powers too?"

"You could say that." Weiss responded, "We had our abilities and trained to master them, as well as weapons to fight with."

"Awesome," Hilda said, "What do you think you will do when you get back?"

"Well, we will make sure our friends are safe as well." Blake spoke, then looked down at her hands, "But for me, I also want to go back to Menagerie, my home." She said with Weiss turning to her, "I want to see my parents again since we did not leave on the best of terms, and…I want to see them again."

"I see," Hilda said before turning to Weiss, "You going to do the same?"

"…" Weiss did not answer right away, "Maybe my big sister first. Then my mom and little brother, but I don't know." She said with Blake looking to her in slight worry, "I more want to make sure my friends are safe before anything else." Suddenly, the who library began to shake before stopping, "I think we just landed, let's go find that Frontier Brain." The white heiress said before standing up and walking away.

"Uh, okay." Hilda said before looking back to Blake, "Did I say something bad?"

"No, it's not your fault." Blake responded before she and Hilda got up, "Weiss and her father do not have the best relationship." She said before sighing, "I can't go into it a lot, but he is the reason for a lot of tension among certain groups in Remnant."

"Oh," Hilda responded, "I uh, I didn't know." She said while scratching the back of her head, "I never knew my dad, was just raised by my mom before going out on my journey with a couple of friends and Pokemon along the way." The hotheaded trainer said before smiling at Blake, "You did something similar, right?"

"Well, I did leave for a quest with people I thought could be my friends," Blake responded, then had a look of remorse, "But, I ended up running away when I realized that the cause I was fighting for…was not being fought the way I agreed with." She said before rubbing her right eye, "The person I had as my partner…turned into someone I couldn't be around anymore." The shadowy girl said before walking ahead of Hilda, "I'm sorry, I really can't talk about it anymore."

"Oh, okay," Hilda said as she stood in the hallway, then scratching the back of her head, "Geez Hilda, you have to learn when to stop talking." She said before sighing, then walking down the hallway.

The trio made it to the exit platform where Brandon was waiting, "We are now in the Crown Tundra." He said as the hatch to the exit opened, revealing a cold wind that swept through the group, "I will leave the three of you to explore on your own while I investigate the nearby ruins."

"You don't want us to help you?" Blake asked.

"The last time I had a child help with an expedition, they were possessed by an evil spirit." Brandon said before pointing, "There is a small town in that direction called Freezington. We will head there before embarking there to meet someone."

"Who?" Weiss asked.

"An old expedition friend of mine," Brandon responded before walking down the hatch, "Let's go."

Weiss, Blake, and Hilda followed through the frozen forest. The shadowy girl hugged her own shivering body while the white heiress's nose was already runny, "Achoo!" Weiss sneezed, then looked over to Hilda, who was casually walking, "How are you not cold in that?" she said towards the hotheaded trainer, who had on cutoff jean shorts and a vest in this tundra.

"Please, I wear this in all the seasons." Hilda shrugged off, "I'm just thick-skinned."

"You might want to see a doctor about that." Weiss said before sneezing again, "Achoo!"

The group eventually made it to a snowy town and walked past a wooden fence. They made their way to a house with an orange flag with an odd symbol on it. Brandon knocked on the door with a slight pause before the door opened. There stood a man in a reddish-orange expedition coat and pants. His brown boots and gloves were a shade lighter than the hardhat on his head, which had that same odd symbol on it, "Brandon, buddy, bring it in!" the man spoke in an energetic voice before hugging the Frontier Brain, "It's been too long."

"It has," Brandon said before their hug ended, then turned to the three girls, "I would like you to me-"

"Hi, the name's Peony." The energetic explorer cut off, speaking while pointing at himself with his thumbs, then winked, "I'm the head of this expedition guild out in the Galar Region."

"Uh, nice to meet you." The white heiress responded, "I'm Weiss, this is Blake and Hilda."

"Hello," Blake ad on.

"Hey," Hilda said as well.

"Nice to meet all of you," Peony said before looking back to Brandon, "So, I know why you are here, but what about these three."

"It's a long story," Brandon said with a sigh, "Let's speak indoors." He said with Peony nodded, leading to the group entering the expedition guild's headquarters.

A short while later.

Inside, Blake and Weiss sat across Peony at a table, while Brandon leaned against a support beam and Hilda was looking out the window, "Wow, that's quite the situation you girls are in." Peony commented, his arms then crossed, "Sadly, I don't know anything about this 'World of Remnant' you're from."

"It's okay," Blake commented, "Did you happen to see any of the people we mentioned." She said with Peony sadly shaking his head, "Oh."

"So, this was another dead end," Weiss said with a sigh.

"Not exactly," Brandon responded, turning to the two girls, "How did you get to this world again?"

"We were attacked while on a mission by some a monster," Weiss responded, "It…ate us."

"In our world, they are called Grimm," Blake added on.

"Are you sure it was a Grimm?" Brandon asked, but both girls went silent, "It's possible, that what sent you here, was a legendary Pokemon."

"Oh, I see what you're getting at?" Peony added, "Fear not, I got you covered." He said before standing, "The Crown Tundra is a sort of hotspot for legendary Pokemon across the world." Brandon responded, "If you can find the legendary Pokemon that sent you here, even catch it, then you have a method to get back home." He said with a smirk forming.

"I-it's that easy?" Blake asked, "I mean, to catch something called Legendary?"

"Well, I would not say it's easy." Peony said before a smile and wink, "But with my help, we can get you two on the right trail in no time." He said before crossing his arms, "But first, you two will need some Exploration gear. Something warmer to wear while in the Crown Tundra."

A short while.

From the backroom of the house, Weiss and Blake walked into the living room in new attires. They had on the orange expedition coat, pants, and brown boots. The white heiress's ponytail was undone as she put on the hardhat, then looked to Blake doing the same. However, she noticed an odd expression on the shadowy girl's face, "You, okay?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," Blake said with a sight giggle, "With my faunus ears, I couldn't wear these types of things before." She said with Weiss chuckling as well.

"Nice, you too look comfy in those clothes," Hilda said as moved between Blake and Weiss, holding both in a headlock, "And if the two of you can catch a legendary Pokemon, then the rest of the World League will be as smooth as butter to beat."

"Oh, you two are competing in the league as well?" Peony said with both girl's nod, "Well, in that case, I might be able to-" suddenly, the outside door to the house opened.

"Dad, I'm back." Entering was a young girl in a black school uniform with a red tie and beige shoes. Her hair was two tones blond of lavender, "The raids have been a little slow today, so I think we can-" she said before noticing there was more guest in the house, "Uh, hello?" she said before recognizing one of them, "Oh, your boring friend is here now.

"Hello to you too, Peonia," Brandon said with a slight scowl.

"Nia, be nice." Peony said before turning to the others, "Ladies, this is Nia, my dear and darling daughter."

"Dad, you don't have to add so many adjectives, it's embarrassing." Nia responded, then looked over to Blake and Weiss's attire, "So, you two must have joined for one of his long and dull expeditions."

"We are searching for Legendary Pokemon." Hilda answered, "He seems to know a lot about it too, so we trust him."

"Yeah, but his ways are too old school," Nia shrugged, then looked back to Weiss and Blake, "You two want to have some real fun and find Legendary Pokemon, then a Max Raid Adventure is the best way for you to catch them."

"A what?" Weiss asked.

"Think of it as a dungeon run in a video game," Nia responded, "Except at the end, you have a chance to battle a legendary Pokemon and catch it." She said before looking back to Peony, "It's a lot more mainstream than this geezer's solving puzzles that make no sense."

"A good puzzle makes it all the more satisfying to solve." Peony responded, "Besides, those raids are too dangerous and confusing with all that fog. I can't see two feet in front of my face."

"Maybe because you a losing your sight, old man," Nia responded.

"Hey, I don't need glasses just yet." Peony said with a chuckle, "So, why don't you come along with us for an expedition? It will be fun."

"No, I don't want to do things your way!" Nia shouted back, "If I go with you and these girls, you will just embarrass me by telling them stories of when I was little."

"Oh, that reminds me of that one time when you were a baby." Peony said before turning back to Blake and Weiss, "You see, she was sitting in the field, but was afraid to touch the grass with her right hand, even though her left hand was already on the grass!" he said with a laugh, "Hang on, I got a photo, it is the cutest thing in the world and-"

"You see, I told you!" Nia shouted, "Forget it, I'll just go on a Max Raid Adventure myself!" she said before bolting out the door she entered in.

"Nia!?" Peony called out but was met only with a door slam.

Brandon sighed, "She is as rebellious as you were at her age." He said with his arms crossed.

"Yeah," Peony said before looking back to the others, "Sorry you had to see that, I can get an expedition set up and-"

"Before we do that," Weiss spoke, "Maybe I could talk with Nia." She said with Blake and Hilda turning to the white heiress's, "I kind of get her perspective and… I want to talk with her if that's okay."

"Really, thanks!" Peony responded, "Since coming here, Nia hasn't been able to talk with any girls her age like back in school. So, it would mean a lot to her."

"Nice," Hilda responded as she turned to Blake and Weiss, "Afterwards, we can start the Legendary Hunt."

"Then you have a plan." Brandon said as he walked to the door, "I will leave for my own expedition, we can meet back here afterward." He said before putting his hand on the doorknob, "Good luck to you all."

"You as well." Peony said before Brandon left, then turned to the others, "I'll take you where I think Nia ran off to. It is not that far." He said with them nodding back.

As the group left the house and walked through the town of Freezington, Blake heard what sounded like a snowball being thrown. She turned to see a couple of teenage boys tossing them a wild Pokemon. It was a type of white ram with a blue curved horn on the side of its head. "Go away, scram!" one of the boys said.

"Yeah, get out of here!" the other boy said before throwing a snowball into the pokemon's head.

"…" the Pokemon recoiled at the hit, discovering a small rock was inside the snowball but did not make a sound. It instead turned around and started to run away.

"That's right, and never come back!" one of the boys said as he reeled back for another throw of a snowball, but his arm got stuck. In turning around, he discovered it was Blake who grabbed it, who scowled down at him.

"What do you think you are doing?" Blake asked in an irritated voice, "That Pokemon could have gotten really hurt."

"That Pokemon is nothing but a bad omen." The boy responded, pulling his arm out of Blake's grip, "It is better that it just ran away before bringing another disaster."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked as Hilda walked up, taking out her Pokedex, "Absol, the disaster Pokemon. Swift as the wind, Absol races through fields and mountains. Its curved, bow-like horn is acutely sensitive to the warning signs of natural disasters." The Pokedex explained, "Because of this Pokémon's ability to detect danger, people mistook Absol as a bringer of doom."

"That Pokedex lies," one boy said, "It's Absol that causes the problems."

"Only bad things happen when that Pokemon is around." The other boy added, "You should thank us for getting rid of it."

"You should go back to your homes and think about what you just did." Hilda said before cracking her knuckles, "Or I'll start throwing snowballs at you." She said before the two boys gasped, see a crimson aura radiating off the hotheaded trainer, then ran off. Hilda sighed before looking to Blake, who looked down at the tracks in the snow, "What are you thinking?"

"…I'm going after that Pokemon." Blake responded, looking back at the rock in the snow, then turning to Hilda, "I'm sorry, but I just-"

"It's okay, I get it," Hilda responded with a smile, "I'm sure Weiss will understand too."

"Thank you," Blake responded, "I promise, I'll make it back as soon as I can." She said with Hilda nodding, causing the shadowy girl to run after the tracks in the snow.

AN: There you go, a short chapter that sets up for what is to come. Blake and Weiss have a bit of bonding to start with Hilda, but we see their past is still a harsh topic for both of them. Upon arriving, they meet Peony and become expedition apprentices on the search for the legendary Pokemon that sent them here. They also meet Nia, who I can tell is going to be a lot of fun to write. As Weiss prepares to talk with Nia, Blake see a Pokemon who's entire existence has been made an outcast. This could be her next newest member, or it may only end in disaster. Both girls now embark on their journey in Galar's frozen lands, but what they find might surprise them. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.