#makes me insane in terms of liko and amethio..

[amelikos]

First promotional pictures for HZ074 (link here and here).

There is a picture of Diana and Hamber when they were younger. I wonder if they traveled together for a while.. either way, they were close enough to take pictures together at some point in their lives.

Our first look at Rystal. The three adventurers that founded the Explorers are definitely Lucius, Rystal and Gibeon. I like Rystal's design and can't wait to see it in color since the picture is old so it's in black and white. The picture showcases the (potential) personalities of the characters well, too. Lucius and Rystal are both more prone to smiling in pictures, while Gibeon doesn't. Rystal being in the middle of the picture is also a detail I like.

The three of them seemed close friends, if they were taking pictures together and wanted to keep memories of their adventures. Given the flashback that was showcased in the previous episode (HZ073) showing Lucius defending Basagiri from people, it also makes me think that the Explorers shared similar values and were on the same wavelength. I imagine that Gibeon may have been someone who cared about Pokemon just like Lucius and Rystal (I can't imagine Lucius befriending someone who wouldn't care about them?). Maybe Gibeon showed kindness to Pokemon the same way Amethio does to Soublades. I wouldn't be surprised if Amethio was similar to Gibeon when he was younger.

I wonder at what point the three of them met. I think Lucius and Rystal were married, so when did Gibeon join them on their journey? Were they acquainted with Gibeon before that? Is Gibeon someone Lucius and Rystal met when they were looking for Rakua, and they both invited him to join them so he could help them with his knowledge? I am really curious about the kind of dynamics the three of them had.

Taking a closer look at young Gibeon's design.. it seems a bit similar to Amethio's. Similar clothes? He also has that same gemstone? jewelry-like thing? that Amethio has. I wonder if he gave it to Amethio as a gift (similarly to how Diana gave the pendant to Liko). I wonder if Amethio perhaps wants to emulate Gibeon, which is why he wears the outfit he does now.. or if it's just the kind of clothes they wear in their family? Those don't seem to be clothes you'd picture when you think of an adventurer?

At the very least, when I look at Gibeon in that picture, it feels like his clothes could indicate something about his background (refined?). He also seems to be wearing a long coat, which makes me think of "researcher".. I wonder if Gibeon was into research and mysteries, which is the reason he would have wanted to go on a journey. It's also interesting that the current Gibeon wears clothes that are similar to the ones Lucius was wearing in the past. It says a lot about Gibeon's feelings towards Lucius to me. I wonder if part of Gibeon doesn't want to forget about Lucius and wants to keep his memory alive in some form, so he keeps the Explorers name in the current day and wears similar clothing, etc...

Gibeon is the only character in that picture that is confirmed to be alive. Rystal is going to appear at the Crystal Pool which means she's already passed on, and Lucius's status is currently unknown. It adds mystery around Gibeon's existence, who is probably over 100 (which means he's reaching the limits of a human lifespan, etc).. How is he still alive? Probably because of the Rakurium. For what purpose is he keeping himself alive? What is so important to him that he is doing all of this? I wonder if Liko and the others will learn of Gibeon's name in the upcoming episode and Liko will connect the dots with what Amethio told her in HZ065 and realize that Amethio's grandfather is the same person on the picture with Rystal and Lucius. Though they could doubt that because Gibeon would be considered too old to still be alive.

[amelikos]

Lifechanging moment this year is when Amethio showed up and revealed he had mastered Terastal and proceeded to imitate Friede's pose specifically while using it.