The Crown Tundra’s wonderful guide, Peony, is one of the DLC’s best characters, but his story is one of the saddest in Pokémon Sword & Shield.
The Pokémon series is known for its colorful cast of characters, and Pokemon Sword & Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC is no different. The expansion pack has players explore an island off the coast of the Galar region called The Crown Tundra. There, players can catch tons of Pokémon that previously weren’t available in-game. Players will also have the chance to catch several Legendary Pokémon thanks to their helpful guide, Peony. Despite his chipper exterior however, Peony’s story is the most tragic of the entire DLC.
The Crown Tundra starts with players hopping on a train and traveling to the icy wilderness. After leaving the train station, players will be greeted by Peony and his daughter, Peonia. The two are in the middle of an argument because Peony won’t leave Peonia alone and let her go on a Dynamax Adventure on by herself. Peony objects because he has better things in store for the two of them. As soon as Penoia notices the player, she asks if they’ll take her place. A battle between the player and Peony then ensues, with Peonia no where to be found after.
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With Peonia gone, Peony speaks freely with the player. He explains that he brought his daughter to The Crown Tundra to have a bonding experience with her. Peony took the time to assemble a series of clues on the whereabouts of several Legendary Pokémon scattered around The Crown Tundra. He wanted to go on an adventure catching Legendary Pokémon with his daughter. Unfortunately, she’s only interested in Dynamax Adventures. As a result, Peony gives away the clues to the Legendary Pokémon to the player while he stays at home waiting for his daughter to return. The entire plot of The Crown Tundra was put together by a father who wanted to spend some bonding time with his daughter, but she wants nothing to do with him.
Pokémon: Peonia is The Crown Tundra’s Worst Character
Throughout the entirety of The Crown Tundra, Peonia can always be found in the Max Lair cave. Meanwhile, Pokémon Sword & Shield players spend the entire DLC exploring everything The Crown Tundra has to offer, while catching never-before-seen Legendary Pokémon. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity a father wanted to experience with his daughter, but instead, it’s some random person they met outside of a train station. Of course, Peony didn’t expect to actually find any Legendary Pokémon, but that would’ve made the trip with his daughter all the more special. Instead, they barely spend a second with each other. The only time Peony even comes in contact with a Legendary Pokémon, he’s used as a puppet by Calyrex and doesn’t remember a thing.
In the end of The Crown Tundra DLC, once all of the clues have been solved and all the new Legendary Pokémon have been caught, players can return to Peony’s cabin and show him their new Legendary Pokémon. After showing him, Peonia finally walks through the door and returns to Peony. She says she’s grown tired of Dynamax Adventures and wants to catch the Legendary Pokémon her father was talking about. Naturally, all of the Legendaries have already been caught, so there is no adventure for the two of them to go on. Peony’s daughter is finally ready for some bonding time, but he spent it all with some random person because she wasn’t in the mood yet. Peony deserves a Father of the Year trophy and a more grateful daughter.
In the end, Peonia returns to the Max Lair and Peony joins her there. After beating The Crown Tundra, players can always find the two in the cave. It may not have been the adventure he wanted, but at least he got to spend some time with his daughter. Players interested in experiencing this dysfunctional father-daughter relationship can do so by downloading The Crown Tundra for Pokemon Sword & Shield in the Nintendo eShop.
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