Previously on Galarian Days...

After a failed first attempt to explore the Crown Tundra in search of the third messenger, Zander and Wufu are joined by Sophia and regroup at her hometown of Circhester to aquire more proper attire. After doing so, they give the search another go-round...

-

Inside the Flying Taxi cab, all three compatriots in their warm clothing were waiting to arrive back at the Slippery Slope. Hoping to break the ice, Zander piped up, "So, uh... anyone want to know the rest of the story of how Wufu became yellow?"

"Now, hold on," Wufu stopped. "I want to pass the time on this ride as much as the next person, but her and I are still new to each other. All I know about her is she lives in Circhester, works at the Battle Cafe, and that's it. Hey, I'm not sure if she remembers me!"

"You're Wufu," Sophia said, "and the first time I saw you was when you and Zander came back to Circhester to deal with another Dynamiasma outbreak. Of course, I had some questions for your arrival, but 'there was no time,' so I perished the thought."

"Okay, so she does remember me."

"And how many times do I have to apologize for that outburst?" Zander said.

"Now, now, you're forgiven already," Sophia assured the wolf, then told the bear, "And you're only half-right. It is true that I work at the Battle Cafe in Wyndon, but they share a partnership with the ones in Motostoke and Hammerlocke as well, so that means I'm also under their employ. And, since people all across Galar need their coffee, whether in the Isle of Armor, the Crown Tundra, or just around the Wild Area, that means I have plenty of travel experience on me, so don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl!"

"I can assure you, none of us ever said anything to that effect," Zander said.

"And we're not about to start now," Wufu added.

"Good," Sophia said with a satisfied smile. "Now, about Wufu being yellow?"

"First, let me bring you up to speed on that," Zander said before summarizing, "Wufu, started cinnamon-colored in overalls, came to the Isle of Armor, got off on the wrong foot with two GLITs (that's Gym Leaders in training), ate Galarian Slowpoke tails to get his current threads, GLITs tricked him into an alliance for some mushrooms, he beat them single-pawedly in a Pokemon battle, GLITs got banished from the Isle, he earned two Kubfu as a result. Did I leave anything out?"

"Nope, that covers everything," Wufu confirmed.

"Attention, passengers," the pilot said over the intercom, "we interrupt this backstory catch-up to inform you that we are approaching the Slippery Slope now. Terribly sorry for the inconvenience."

"Drat," Zander muttered under his breath.

After the Flying Taxi set itself into the snow with a soft "crunch," Zander, Wufu and Sophia exited the vehicle, and thanks to their warm clothing (and the wind not blowing as hard as last time), they were able to withstand the cold better.

"Alright," Zander said after taking a deep breath, "let's try this again." With that, the three went down the path of the slope until they came to the humble town of Freezington, with its cozy houses, carrot fields and statue of their diety: the King of Bountiful Harvests.

"My, what a quaint little village!" Zander remarked. "You must get a lot of calls from here to deliver piping-hot coffee, don't you, Sophia?"

"Don't patronize me, please," Sophia said. "You did order those mochas earlier, did you not?"

"Right, sorry again."

"Entertaining as this banter is," Wufu cut in, "shouldn't we be figuring out our next course of action now that we're in the Crown Tundra now?"

"Obviously, we need to start searching for the third messenger," Zander said.

"Well, what's stopping us now?" Sophia asked.

"We... don't know where to start," Zander admitted, folding his ears back.

Suddenly, a hearty laughter echoed from the end of town, making everyone jump in surprise! "Did I hear someone say they were searching for something?" a man's voice called out.

"What the- who said that? Who is this!?" Zander called out as he and Wufu were pivoting their heads left and right.

"Well, muddle no more! This sounds like the beginning of... Peony's greatest adven-tour yet!" Finally, the three locked on to the source of the voice, showing it to be Peony, the loudest explorer of the Crown Tundra.

The man's presence, however, earned a few groans from the townsfolk. "Ugh, not him again..." "Haven't we heard enough from him last year?" "What are you trying to do, cause an avalanche!?"

Peony then approached the three and said, "Hello, newcomers, and welcome to the Crown Tundra! Explorer Peony at your service! And who might you three be?"

"Uh, I'm Zander," the wolf said, still a little rattled.

"I'm Wufu," the bear added.

"And I'm Sophia Zuker," the girl finished. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Oh, please," Peony chuckled, "there's no need to be so formal! Just call me Peony."

"Okay, then, Peony," Zander said.

"So, again, did I overhear correctly that you were searching for something here in the Crown Tundra?" Peony asked.

"Someone, actually," Wufu said, "and yes, we were wondering if there could possibly be someone like me and Zander around here. You know... an animal person? Walks on two legs and talks like we do? Fur with an unusual color, maybe? Possibly established a connection with a legendary Pokemon?"

"Sounds interesting," Peony said. "Very well, if anything involves exploring the Crown Tundra, then it plays right into my wheelhouse! But first, we'll need to give this mission a name... let's see, animal person, unusual color, connection with a legendary Pokemon like these two... Wait, which legendaries are you connected to, since we're on the subject?"

"Zacian and Zamazenta," Zander said.

"Both forms of Urshifu," Wufu said.

"And I'm just along for the ride," Sophia pointed out, "but I want to be."

"Noted," Peony said. "Hmmm... I'VE GOT IT!!! I shall hereby title the operation:

'Legendary Connections To Trio A Beast Duo... Plus One!'"

"Ho, boy," Sophia muttered under her breath.

"Now, let the newest and greatest adven-tour," Peony announced, "BEGIN!!!" And with that, the four left the town to begin their search...