Coovers was living in bliss when he exited Circhester Stadium with Sonia. The two of them started their date, trying on outfits at the boutique. Coovers and Sonia took turns showing themselves in an outfit to the other. Sonia complimented Coovers whenever he tried out an outfit she picked but gave a nervous chuckle whenever he tried out an outfit he picked for himself. Coovers, on the other hand, adored every outfit Sonia tried on, making it hard for her to decide what to buy.

Later, sometime after Timothy and Ezria went to grab lunch on the other side of the city, Coovers and Sonia decided to relax in the hot spring in the Hero's Bath with Coovers Pokémon. Coovers wished that Sonia would want to rest her head on his shoulder while they soaked in the water, but he ultimately decided to let it be, reminding himself that it was just their first date. They stayed in the hot spring until Sonia felt her stomach rumble. Thankful that Coovers couldn't hear while they were in the water, she cleared her throat and suggested they go somewhere for lunch.

Thus, Coovers and Sonia went to a restaurant called "Bob's Your Uncle." They sat at a booth, where Coovers happily munched on a burger and some fries while Sonia paced herself with her hot bowl of soup. Coovers finished his meal when Sonia was halfway through her soup, and he patted his belly as he rested against his seat in bliss.

"Boy, that hits the spot," Coovers said. "Thanks for suggesting to come here, Sonia."

"My pleasure," Sonia replied with a cute smile. "Honestly, it's nice to try a restaurant with someone rather than eating alone. Eating out with Gran is one of the few things I miss about home."

Coovers' smile faded, and he asked, "Really? I would think someone as friendly as you would befriend at least some people while you're doing your research."

"That's sweet of you to say, Coovers, but I haven't been trying to befriend anyone when I'm so focused on research for Gran," Sonia said. "Although, I did befriend a few kids at Wyndon Stadium. If I remember correctly, they're research fellows from the Kanto region."

"Oh yeah? Who?" Coovers asked.

Sonia scratched her chin with one of her long nails and said, "Let's see. There was Goh, Ash, and his girlfriend, Serena. Oh, and of course, there was Ash's Pikachu and Goh's Raboot, who were such cutie pies."

Coovers looked at Sonia, surprised, and said, "Wait a minute. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Goh? Timothy, Electchu, and I are friends with them too."

"Wow, what are the odds?" Sonia said, amazed. "How do you know them?"

"Well, we only met Goh once, but we used to travel with Ash, Serena, and Pikachu on occasion, and Timothy and Ash are rivals," Coovers says before looking at Sonia, confused. "But what's a Raboot?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you don't live in Galar again," Sonia said, playing with her hair with a sheepish grin. "You see, my Gran gives trainers their new Pokémon, and one of them is a cute little Fire type named Scorbunny, which evolves into a Raboot."

Coovers hummed, intrigued, before he took out his Rotom Phone and entered the name Raboot.

"Raboot. The Rabbit Pokémon. A Fire type," Rotom said, showing a picture of the Pokémon. "Raboot has fluffy fur that protects it from the cold and lets it use stronger Fire type moves."

"I see. So, I guess that means Goh evolved his Scorbunny," Coovers said. "But, what were they doing in Wyndon?"

"From what I've heard, the Gym Leader, Raihan, is in the Master Class in the World Coronation Series, and he challenged Leon to a World Coronation Series battle, so they decided to have a battle at the stadium," Sonia said.

"What do you mean 'from what you've heard?' Didn't you go to the stadium to watch the battle?" Coovers asked.

Sonia's smile faded, and she stared at her soup, stirring it while resting her head on her arm.

"No, I was there because I wanted to investigate a statue of the hero from the Darkest Day at the stadium's entrance hall," she answered. "That and I don't know how I would have acted if I saw Leon."

"What do you mean?" Coovers asked.

Sonia was silent for a moment before she looked back at Coovers.

"Remember the childhood friend I told you about? The one I drifted away from?" She asked.

Coovers nodded.

"Leon is that friend."

Coovers' eyes widened, and his mouth hung slightly open.

"You are childhood friends with the Galar Champion?" He asked.

"Yup," Sonia bluntly answered. "Leon and I grew up together. We loved Pokémon so much that we wanted to become strong trainers. When we turned ten, Gran endorsed us to compete in the Gym Challenge, and I taught Leon about Pokémon battles while traveling through the region. I only went so far as facing Kabu before I quit, but Leon? Not a chance. As soon as he started battling, his talent appeared front and center, and before I knew it he had become the Champion. Once Chairman Rose began sponsoring him, I realized I could never train hard enough to defeat Leon. I haven't seen him since."

Coovers' shock faded into a look of sympathy as he watched the woman he crushed on glumly stare at her soup again with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Sonia," he said. "That must be hard for you."

"It is," Sonia said. "I miss him every day, Coovers. More than anything, I wish I could reconnect with Leon despite him being so popular that some people view him as a hero while I haven't done much with my life outside of Wedgehurst. The only thing of significance I feel l can do to match up with Leon in any way that involves my love of Pokémon is to solve the mystery of the Darkest Day and become a Pokémon Professor like my Gran."

Coovers looked at Sonia, confused again and asked, "So, when you said you wanted to show your grandmother that you have potential, you're really doing it to be with your childhood friend again?"

Sonia paused for a moment before she looked back at Coovers a third time and said, "I guess you can call it my main reason. I don't know if solving the mystery would actually lead to reuniting with Leon, but if it did, it would mean so much to me."

Sonia's words made Coovers squirm. Though she addressed Leon as only her friend, how she expressed her feelings gave him the unsettled feeling that she felt more than friendship with the Champion. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, considering her past with her childhood friend was all he really knew about Sonia apart from her dreams, her talent as a cook, and her kind heart. Coovers began to wonder if Sonia solving the mystery behind Galar's past would lead to Sonia being on speaking terms with the Galar Champion and developing a relationship with Leon instead of him. Coovers wanted to see his crush smile from achieving her dream, but he feared that doing so would end his chance to be with her before he and Sonia got past one date.

Coovers sighed heavily and looked away from Sonia as he thought about it. But as he looked past Sonia, he noticed a torn tapestry hanging on the wall at the far end of the restaurant. The tapestry showed two men, one wearing blue and the other wearing pink, standing on opposite sides holding candles and wearing crowns on their heads. The man in blue stood next to a tombstone with a sword etched on it, and the one in pink stood next to a tombstone with a shield etched on it. Coovers tilted his head, puzzled by what he was looking at.

"Sonia, is there anything in the Darkest Day story about two guys burying the hero's sword and shield?" He asked.

Sonia looked at Coovers with a bewildered look and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Coovers pointed past Sonia, looking over her shoulder to see the tapestry. Her confusion grew, and she sprung out of her seat and walked over to the tapestry with Coovers following her. Sonia examined the torn fabric closely, growing more puzzled by the second.

"I don't believe it," Sonia said. "A tapestry of two guys standing next to the hero's sword and shield tombstones? I've never seen anything like this before."

Coovers looked at Sonia, surprised, then turned to one of the cooks behind the restaurant's bar.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know where this torn tapestry came from?" He asked.

The cook looked up from the food he was preparing and looked at Coovers and then the tapestry.

"Ah, yes. We found it in an antique market some time ago," he answered.

Coovers and Sonia looked at each other and then at the tapestry, even more confused.

"This doesn't make any sense," she said. "There's never been anything that talks about any other person connected to the Darkest Day apart from the hero. What could this mean?"

Coovers scratched the back of his head and said, "It looks like these guys sealed the hero's sword and shield for some reason."

"Yes, but who are these two men?" Sonia questioned.

"I don't know. I mean, they are wearing crowns, so they must be kings," Coovers said. "Maybe they're friends of the hero or related to him? They could be his sons who inherited the sword and shield and decided to hide them so they didn't fall into the wrong hands. Or maybe they couldn't contain the power they might have, so they decided to seal them. "

Sonia hummed in thought and said, "Interesting theories, Coovers. Maybe they were related to the hero or close to him. Though, I doubt people would want the sword and shield for anything since we only know that they were used to stop rampaging Dynamax Pokémon, so there would be no point when Pokémon stopped Dynamaxing. Still, this is an incredible discovery. I think we found something that expands on the story of the Darkest Day."

"Then that means you have something you can show to your Gran, right?" Coovers said.

Sonia took a moment for Coovers' statement to hit her. Then her face lit up in a way that was adorable in Coovers' eyes.

"You know what, Coovers, I think I do!" Sonia chirped. "I should look into this first and see if there's more about these two men, but I think I have at least something to further my investigation now!"

Coovers smiled at the sight of Sonia ecstatic like a child who got a perfect score on her math test. Suddenly, Sonia froze, and her eyes widened in realization, and she stared intensely at the tapestry. Coovers stepped in front of Sonia and waved his hand in front of her, but she paid no mind. Her silence made Coovers uneasy until she let out a sharp gasp.

"I've seen these two men before," Sonia whispered.

"What was that, Sonia?" Coovers asked.

But instead of answering, Sonia took out her white tablet and took a picture of the torn tapestry. She then walked to the bar and cleared her throat to catch the cook's attention.

"Excuse me, can I have a to-go bowl for my soup?" Sonia asked.

"No problem," the cook replied with a warm smile.

"To-go bowl?" Coovers asked.

The cook handed Sonia a plastic bowl and lid, and she rushed over to her and Coovers' table to fill the bowl with the rest of her soup. She then closed the lid to the bowl and reached into her pocket to take several dollar bills.

"Sorry, Coovers. Lunch is on me," Sonia said.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Coovers asked.

"Leaving," Sonia answered. "I need to go to Hammerlocke now."

"What?" Why?" Coovers asked.

"There's something I saw the last time I was there. I think it has a connection to the tapestry," Sonia said as she began rushing to the exit.

"Wait, hold on!" Coovers called out, chasing after Sonia. "You don't have to leave now! The day's only half over!"

Sonia stopped running and turned to look at him with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to cut our date short," she said. "This might be my only chance to figure out the mystery."

"Then, I'm coming with you," Coovers said without hesitating.

Sonia shook her head and said, "No, you must stay with your friends. Timothy should have his best friend cheer for him while he gets his last two badges and competes in the Championship Cup."

Coovers opened his mouth to protest, but he paused and realized she was right. He had to be there for Timothy and to make sure Timothy and Gwen didn't do anything to compromise his mission to protect all of Galar. Coovers hung his head in defeat until Sonia lifted his chin; her smile turned into a cheerful one.

"Hey, don't pout about it," Sonia said. "I had a fun time with you. I'm sure we'll have another chance."

"You really believe that?" Coovers asked.

"Of course," Sonia said. "And by the way, this is for noticing the tapestry."

Sonia put her hands behind her back and took a step toward Coovers. Coovers only had a moment to react before Sonia lightly kissed his cheek. He froze for a moment before he began chuckling and playing with the edge of his black hair, his face beet red. After half a minute, he collected himself and cleared his throat, trying to act as though Sonia didn't see his goofy reaction.

"Right. Um, best of luck in finding more clues," he said. "I'll tell Timothy, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie - I mean Eddie, you said bye."

"Please do," Sonia said. "And tell Timothy best of luck with the rest of the Gym Challenge."

"Count on it," Coovers said with a smile.

Sonia began running to her car, waving at Coovers as she ran. Coovers waved back until Sonia was out of sight, then slumped with a heavy sigh.

"Now I wish we went to "Bob's Your Uncle" for dinner instead of lunch, so we had the whole day before finding that darn tapestry," he whined before smiling blissfully with his hands clasped together. "Still, she is so happy to have found it, she had a good time, and she kissed me on the other cheek. There's still hope for us."

With a giggle, Coovers began making his way back to the hotel with a skip in his step. What he wanted to do for the rest of the day, he didn't know, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the woman he fawned after enjoyed spending time with him, and there was nothing that could take this feeling away from him.