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Liko walked around Levincia with pure loss and confusion. Many questions swirled around her head as she walked with Sprigatito. What was she doing back home? Why was she in Levincia? Is this a class trip? And why was her memory all fuzzy? Unfortunately, she didn't have many answers. What she did know at least is that she trusts Sprigatito. Even if she did scratch her, it did at least spark a small memory. While lost in all these thoughts, she bumps into someone. Quickly, she goes to apologize but pauses. The boy she ran into looks familiar. His hair was half black and half white. And his purple eyes, which were slightly widened in shock, really complimented his pale skin.
"You!" His voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said as she bowed respectfully. When she straightened back up, the boy was looking at her in confusion and...wariness? "Where's your pendant?" He asked, though his question confused her. "Pendant? I'm very sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about." She apologized before giving him a curious look. "Um...have we met before? You look familiar, and you recognize me. What's your name?" Liko asked. Meanwhile, Amethio was beyond confused.
She should recognize him, even be outright cautious of him. Even her Sprigatito was growling at him as Liko tried to calm her down. Something was clearly amiss. She was treating him like someone she barely recognized. She doesn't even remember about her pendant. Either she was very good at acting, or something happened. He was betting on the latter. She never takes her pendant off, unless presumably while sleeping. Only one thing came to his mind as he took everything into account. It was Spinel's Beheeyem. He used its psychic powers to erase her memories.
Even though he was removed from the mission, and knew how important the pendant was, he can't say he really approves of this. This was a bit too far in his opinion. He never did like Spinel and his methods. While he knew interfering with his team mate's mission would get him in trouble, he wasn't going to allow him to go this far. "My name is Amethio." He says in response to her earlier question. "Amethio…" Liko repeats as she tries to think. Yet, it was no good. Her memory was too fuzzy, but it did sound familiar. However, there was one thing she did know. "I like your name, it sounds really cool." She says with a smile.
That was not what Amethio expected. He didn't expect her to compliment his name like that. She definitely didn't do that when they first met. Though, she has gotten a bit more confident since joining the Rising Volt Tacklers. He'll admit that much. Still, the small compliment was quite nice and made him feel a bit fuzzy inside. "Thank you." He responds simply. "I'm sure you know since you recognize me, but my name is Liko. And this is Sprigatito, my partner." Liko says happily as she holds up the grass cat. Although it doesn't seem to like him very much, which is understandable. Though, as she held her up, he noticed a few scratch marks.
Gently, he reached out to grab her hand. Much to Liko's surprise. "Oh, it's just some small scratches. Don't worry about it." Liko said as her cheeks turned a faint pink. Why did her heart skip a beat? "You should still treat them, they could get infected." Amethio says bluntly. He led her over to a nearby bench and gently sat her down. It was a good thing he carried some medicine and bandages with him. As he treated the scratches, Liko's blush turned a bright pink. She could feel her heart pounding like a drum. She shouldn't feel so nervous, yet she was. "I'm finished." Amethio said, snapping Liko out of her thoughts.
"O-Oh, thank you very much!" Liko said as she looked at her hand. It seemed he was pretty skilled at treating injuries. She wondered if he gets into battles a lot. Sprigatito looked at Liko's treated hand before looking at Amethio. She let out a quiet meow as if thanking him. "Your welcome." Amethio replied to the cat. Seems like she warmed up to him a little. It probably won't last once their memories return. Then Liko suddenly stood up, surprising both Amethio and Sprigatito. "Ok, I've decided! As my way of saying 'thank you', I'm going to buy you some ice cream!" She exclaimed.
Before Amethio could respectfully decline, Liko spoke up again. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer!" Amethio sighed before nodding. "Fine." He said as he followed her to a nearby ice cream stand. Besides, when was the last time he had ice cream? As he looked at what they had to offer, he was a bit surprised at the teriyaki ice cream flavor. 'What a bizarre flavor.' He thought before turning to the vendor. "I'll have a scoop of mint chocolate and fizzy, please." He said politely. "And I'll take a strawberry!" Liko said with a smile. "Coming right up!" The vendor exclaimed with a grin. As Liko reached into her belt bag to get her wallet, the vendor gave a dismissive wave.
"This one's on the house for the cute couple." He said with a chuckle. His comment caused Liko to turn red. Meanwhile, Amethio quietly huffed at the assumption. His heart definitely didn't skip a beat. Totally. "Oh no, we're not a couple!" Liko tries to correct. But the vendor just laughed it off as he gave them their ice cream. It was a bit of an awkward silence as they went back to the bench. At least, for Liko it was. Amethio just brushed off the comment. They ate their ice cream in a relatively peaceful silence. He had to admit that the ice cream in Paldea was quite delicious. Stealing a glance at Liko, she was sharing her ice cream with her partner.
He had to admit that the strawberry flavor quite suited her. 'It's definitely sweet like her.' As that thought passed through Amethio's mind, he quickly shook his head. Chastising himself for even thinking that. Going back to consuming his ice cream. All while trying to ignore the faint pink color in his cheeks.
Amethio had to admit, he wasn't expecting to have to run around Levincia. Yet, Liko's Sprigatito is quite the troublemaker. He had to wonder how she dealt with her energy when she first got her. Still, he was glad it seemed to be over now. And the sunset they watched together was quite beautiful. Now, he'll admit, he shouldn't be goofing off like this. But, he'll allow it if it means he can interfere with Spinel's plans. He'd never bring it up to the others, but he had a suspicion that Spinel wasn't loyal to Master Gibeon. He didn't have proof, but he had a gut feeling about it.
He was brought out of his thoughts at Liko's words. "Oh, it seems like something is going on over there." She said with a curious gaze, walking towards a crowd. Amethio followed her, admittedly a bit curious himself. They watched as a platform rose, with lights revealing the gym leader Iono. And she wasn't alone, as the screens revealed another streamer by the name of Nidothing. If he was completely honest, he never understood why people were fans of streamers. It just wasn't his thing...not like he had time to watch such things. Still, the crowd went wild. And even Liko seemed thrilled to see them, Nidothing in particular. It was quite nice to see her excited.
He ended up zoning out for a bit, mostly due to a lack of interest. Until Nidothing said something that caught his interest. "And the person you're looking for is…Sprigatito Love!!!" They explained and showed the profile pic of the user. Now, he wasn't an expert on profiles. But even though Liko was hiding her face, it was a bit obvious who it was. He personally just would've had a picture of his Ceruledge. Or maybe make a drawing of it, he actually enjoyed drawing a lot. And a bit of a cooler sounding username like "Soul Blades" or something.
Still, he can appreciate how much Liko cherished her partner. He only snapped out of his thoughts as Liko started backing away from the crowd. From what he mildly heard, they made this a game of hide and seek. And Liko was the hider. Though, she was understandably overwhelmed. So she ran off. "Liko, wait!" Amethio called out and ran after her. And that led to now. Running between buildings while avoiding the other "players" in this game. Despite his exhaustion, he was having a bit of fun. Though, he wouldn't admit it. And he can't help but feel a bit of pride at Liko's tricks to escape.
Now, after having avoided another player, Amethio followed her up this building. He took a moment to catch his breath. As he looked back up, he noticed Liko admiring the moon. Reaching out as if to grasp it. "I remember everything now." Liko whispered, which Amethio barely heard. 'But, if she could remember everything now…' Amethio thought before they both made eye contact. Oddly, she didn't look afraid or nervous. But rather curious and confused. They only snapped out of their trance when they heard the crowd. They already found them.
Amethio watched as Liko stood at the edge of the building. He knows she's done something similar before, but he still felt anxious. Grabbing his Corviknight's pokeball just in case. His heart rate spiked as she jumped, but he exhaled when she landed safely. Now in the safety of her friends. With a sigh, he watched for a moment as Iono arrived to congratulate them. Then, he called out his Corviknight and flew back to base.
After receiving a bit of a scolding, Amethio sighed as he rests in his room. He knew it was coming, so he wasn't that bitter about it. Half an hour later, his phone buzzes. Glancing at it, he was surprised to see a text from Liko.
Earlier
After they finished their ice cream, Liko's Sprigatito decided to be mischievous and run off. They got separated for a bit, but managed to reunite. And they at least got to see an incredible sunset. Afterwards, Liko turned to him. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for us to get separated." She apologized. Amethio brushed it off, not overly bothered by it. "Oh, I know. Lets exchange numbers! That way, we can contact each other if we get separated again." She said.
Flashback end
Amethio didn't know why he agreed, but he did. With a small sigh, he checked her message. 'H-Hey! I um...know that I probably shouldn't be texting you. And I'm really sorry if I'm bothering you. But, I wanted to say that...I actually had fun hanging out with you. You're actually pretty nice.' Reading the text, Amethio was a bit surprised by her words. Not expecting her to say that. Hesitating a bit, he texted back. 'Thank you.' Was all he sent. He refused to admit that he was nervous when sending that text. Even if his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Still, he wanted to say something else.
'The one who erased your memories is named Spinel. He's a crafty schemer and tends to be two steps ahead of others. Be careful.' He sent. Though, he didn't want her to excessively worry. So he sent her something lighter. It was another simple text, so why did his cheeks suddenly feel warm? 'Also...I had fun too.'