#zir

(spinel rubella indy ver soon ig?)

Oh, Spinel wants to be Amethio so bad. First he usurps the Explorers and Exceed, which rightfully belong to Amethio and his family, now he's tryna copy him by having two personal retainers doing his bidding like Amethio has Zirc and Onia, only with none of the actual substance.

Top 5 crazy descriptions on my Pinterest pins that I forgot that I wrote🗿

Amethio: Congratulations, I guess?

Conia: *slams down adoption papers* It's you. Sign here.

Amethio's facial expressions and his voice (looking and sounding extremely worn out and vulnerable). I thought that his VA did a good job at conveying how he felt. And it also felt significant that he allows himself to display such vulnerability around others, namely Zir and Conia. The way he sounds depending on who he talks to, etc. This is the first time he's sounded so vulnerable. Also, to me, he looked like he was just so exhausted in general... I wonder if he cried. I mean, the person he loves the most (his grandfather) told him he doesn't want to see him anymore and rejected him, when Amethio is devoting his everything to his dream.

Amethio's lines. Notably the "don't make me repeat myself" which possibly implies that he already explained his situation to Zir and Conia.. and that even though he explained, they stuck around because they genuinely want to stay around him to help. And that line also implies that they probably tried to talk to him before that. Which is a step forward for them because back in HZ026 (the first episode of chapter 2), they were distant and Zir said that "it was hard to talk to him (Amethio)". Which possibly meant that they were unsure on how to reach out and that they didn't try to communicate with him. So there was a wall between them (Amethio was alone with Soublades, Zir and Conia weren't next to him in HZ026), which they are now trying to break to get closer to him.

Also in terms of lines. Amethio thinking that Zir and Conia would only stuck around for a shot at promotion was sad. The fact he is aware of such things, and that he didn't consider that they'd want to stay with him because they care about him for who he is. It was clear that they always cared about him more than just for work purposes, but Amethio probably didn't see/consider it. I'm curious about their past tbh (when did they meet Amethio, etc..).

Also Amethio thanking them was sweet. His smile too (his first smile!). The fact he went from "what can I.. no what can we do" and openly asked for their help (he values teamwork and their help). The lines in the opening "even if you seem stuck, you'll be fine" definitely seem to apply to Amethio in this chapter. Amethio is stuck and he isn't sure what to do, and he wants to figure out what to do. And he asked others for help. So hopefully he'll be fine.. I'm not sure what he can do, though. And it still seems like he is going to figure out what he can do to help Gibeon? So, Zir and Conia are still helping him on the Explorers front. I'm curious about Amethio's direction for this chapter.. (Also, I need to point out that he is currently stuck like Liko was before when he met her in the mountain. He helped her out with his words, so now it's also time for him to reflect and consider his own words. Is he going to declare himself worthless and give up after hitting a stumbling block? This is probably the strongest test of Amethio's resolve so far.)

Also, Zir watching Gurumin's videos is still fun and he seemed interested and pointed out the fact that Kuwassu evolved. Potential upcoming Saidon evolution for Zir? Out of the trio (Amethio, Zir, Conia), he is the only one whose main Pokemon hasn't reached its final evolution stage. And Zir is someone who wants to get stronger to help and be able to stand by Amethio's side (he asked Gurumin for advice in terms of battles previously and actually followed it, such as when he taught Sandstorm to his Saidon in HZ025, etc). And in HZ027, he pondered on the word "'friend" when watching Gurumin's video about multi battles. How having friends you can rely on during battles is reassuring! (And also pointing out that after HZ027, the first person we saw Amethio team up with during battle was Friede in HZ045. The first person Amethio trusted enough to battle alongside with, and someone who could be a reassuring friend and ally to have during battles..!)

Anyway, it was also nice to finally hear Zir say the word "friend" because he clearly wanted to say it since HZ027. I think that moment of him watching the Gurumin video about friends was setting up Friede and Amethio's team up in HZ045, and also setting up the day Zir would finally refer to Amethio as "friend" (which he did now after 41 episodes). Gurumin's videos made him think about that. And the one who made Dot talk more openly about friendship and cherish that was Liko. A virtuous circle starting from Liko who reached out to Dot to become her friend, which then made Dot talk more about it in her Gurumin content which Zir watches. Which is now affecting Amethio positively because people are stepping up with the clear intent to support him in his time of need.

It's also neat that Amethio appreciates Zir and Conia's support for what it is. Because they aren't on par with him in terms of battling skills. He is stronger than them on that front (though they do bring him intel and help in other ways). So, it's also cool that even on Amethio's side, Zir and Conia don't need to be the strongest or whatever to be of value. Just them being there for him helps a lot already and he clearly appreciates that. He never gets angry at them either (he always thanks them for their work, even when they don't bring results, like in HZ024 when they couldn't find the castle's location, etc). He didn't blame them or lash out at them in this episode. He is appreciative and kind to them in general, so their loyalty is warranted. They aren't with him because they want a promotion, and Amethio doesn't need them to be "more" than what they currently are to consider them worthy.

Also, the thing about Amethio not having misplaced blame or lashing out at them is reassuring me a bit on the Amethio and Liko front. I wondered if Amethio would regret helping her, since it's what led to this current situation... but also, Amethio would have done the same thing over and over again even if he knew the consequences, since he is that kind of person. (And it's also why Spinel put him in such a situation. Because he knew exactly how Amethio would react, and that he isn't the kind of person to abandon someone in a dangerous situation.) And Amethio usually accepts his actions and whatever come with them.

And speaking of misplaced blame and stuff, I also want to point out that Amethio didn't react negatively to Friede after his loss in HZ025.. he accepted it and pushed forward. He just acknowledged his limitations and kept trying. And when he met Friede again in HZ045 (not counting HZ033 since they didn't interact there), there was no ill will between the two of them after their past confrontation (because there didn't need to be, they just fought for what they believed in). Friede naturally offered to team up, and Amethio followed his lead (being a bit bratty about it on the way there with his "don't give me orders!!", but it's funny and cute that he complains around Friede for the sake of it and still listens anyway because he knows Friede is right).

Anyway, this makes me curious about Amethio and Liko's next meeting and I wonder how they will react to each other after everything.