Amethio (along with Hamber and Zir & Conia) takes a trip to the Crystal Pool with the Rising Volt Tacklers to summon his dead mother. Amethio initially doesn't believe anything will happen, and when it does, his own reaction surprises him. The meeting leads to a revelation about his past that Amethio would never have expected...

(A completely hypothetical scenario, the memory stuff is very unlikely to happen. Maria is a fan name for Amethio's mother used by Japanese fans a little bit so I've used it here because I can't think of anything better. Who knows if Friede would've rejoined the gang by the time something like this happens.)

Amethio was still doubtful. Being able to summon and talk to the dead? It sounded like something out of a poorly written novel. After all, when people died, they stayed dead.

But despite his skepticism, Amethio reluctantly agreed to head to the Crystal Pool in Kitakami with the Rising Volt Tacklers -- along with Hamber, Zir and Conia.

Surely there was no way it would work. There was no way he'd be able to see her again. She was dead. She'd died in a traffic accident.

It wasn't as though Amethio remembered his mother at all. She'd died when he was rather young, so he wasn't very attached to her. From looking at the photos prominently displayed throughout the family home, Amethio could work out that he did enjoy spending time with his mother, and that she seemed to care for him. But he couldn't remember her. Not her voice, nor her scent, nor her warmth. Sometimes he tried to imagine it... though he never got very far.

Gibeon had often talked about her. About how much he loved her. About how wonderful and great she was. That it was such a shame and a waste that she was taken from the world at such a young age. Amethio knew from others that his mother was smart. She was Gibeon's daughter, and had been the CEO of Exceed until her death.

The large group arrived at the pool. It was later in the afternoon, and the sun was already starting to set behind the mountains of the surrounding area.

Amethio took a deep breath as he turned to Liko, and, more importantly, to Terapagos -- no, to Pagogo.

"Shall we do this, then?" he asked.
"Pago!"

Liko smiled as she sat Pagogo down on the rugged, stony ground. It waddled up to near the edge of the pool, and Amethio followed a few steps behind it, with his Soublades in tow.

Pagogo let out an extremely loud cry, which caused Amethio to tense up momentarily. A bright light then engulfed the entire lakeside. It was so dazzling that Amethio had to shut his eyes.

After a few moments, the light started to fade. Amethio forced himself to look directly into the light.

Amethio froze.

There was a figure standing in front of him. Initially, it was hard to make out in the light, but it slowly came into view.

It was her.

Even though she was dead. Even though this shouldn't at all be possible.

"Huh? Er... Where am I?"

'That's right,' Amethio thought, 'That's... That's what she sounds like...'
'Wait... Why do I know what she sounds like? I shouldn't remember her voice. I don't remember her voice...'

"Um! G-Good afternoon!" Liko rushed to greet her awkwardly. "Are you... Maria-sama?"
She looked at Liko rather suspiciously. "Er... Yes," she replied apprehensively. "Do I know you?"
"No, but--"
"I do apologise, but I don't have time for this," Maria sighed. "You see, I'm right in the middle of some research, and I'm just about to figure out something monumental. I have no idea where this is, or who you lot are, but if you--- oh?"

Maria finally noticed Amethio. She walked towards him, staring at him intensely.

"You... Why do you look so much like my husband?"
"Uh, I..."

Amethio found himself unable to talk. He never usually got so flustered, and was ashamed of himself.

"Though... you also look an awful lot like my father, actually," Maria added.

She proceeded to take a step back and straighten her posture.

"Alright," Maria said, "What's all this about? I'm intrigued. Who are you people? And where in the world is this place?"
"...We're the Rising Volt Tacklers," Liko began. "This is the Crystal Pool in Kitakami."
"The Crystal Pool..." Maria put her hand on her chin. "I think I've heard about it. Does it have something to do with Terastallization?"
"Yeah, it does," Roy said, as he exchanged a glance with Liko. "At this place... you can talk to those who have passed away."
"Hmm..." Maria frowned slightly. "But then... that would mean that I'm deceased, correct? Since you summoned me."
"Unfortunately, yes," Liko replied. "As it happens, we're trying to find out more information about everything that happened surrounding your death... even though you wouldn't be aware of it yourself."
"So this is the future, then?" Maria asked, half ignoring Liko.
"Well--"
"It is indeed, Maria-sama."

Out of nowhere, Hamber, who had been at the back of the party, stepped forward. He bowed deeply as he greeted Maria.

"H-Hamber?!" Maria's eyes widened. "You... You're here, too?"
"I am," Hamber nodded. "I can confirm that what you have been told is true. The Rising Volt Tacklers have summoned you here to talk about your current -- as far as you're concerned -- circumstances. While your death is unfortunately inevitable, and something that cannot be changed, we can potentially use any information provided to help your surviving family... and protect Gibeon-sama's legacy."

Maria took a moment to understand what Hamber meant.

"So... has my father finally found peace?" she asked, an odd smile on her face. "Or did the universe take him out in an unpleasant manner?"
"I like to believe he has indeed found peace, and is currently adventuring with his friends in their next lives," Hamber replied. "But we will never know for certain."
"...Father..." Maria murmured, "Are you... finally happy? Did your wish finally come true?"

As silence fell, Roy gently nudged Amethio. "Go on," he hissed. "Say something!"
"I... I can't," Amethio replied as he shook his head. "I just... I can't speak to her."

"Maria-san..."

It was Friede's turn to come forward. Before the group arrived at the Crystal Pool, he'd said he'd only chime in if he felt like it was needed, otherwise he'd keep his mouth shut.

"Yes?" Maria seemed a bit more relaxed as she responded to Friede. "Oh, are you perhaps a researcher at Exceed? You look like you'd fit right in!"
Friede laughed bitterly. "Well, I was," he replied. "But it didn't work out. I'm afraid your judgement is incorrect, Ma'am."
Maria sighed. "You know, my husband's told me before that I have terrible judgement when it comes to others. Although he includes himself in that, so I never did take him seriously..."
"Nah, it's a joke," Friede reassured her. "Anyway, enough about me. There's someone here who wants to talk to you. Right, Amethio?"
"...!"

Amethio jumped as all attention turned to him.

For some reason, when he looked at his mother, he clammed up. He couldn't say anything to her.

"Oh, yes, you!" Maria's face lit up. "And who might you be, Amethio-kun?"
"I... I..."

Amethio took a deep breath. All he had to do was talk to her. Why was it so hard? She was his mother. She wasn't going to judge him.

Amethio focused all his effort into looking directly at Maria, as he forced himself to keep eye contact. He tried his best to relax as he spoke to her.

"I... am your son."

Maria gasped. Her hands covered her mouth as she stared at Amethio in shock.

"You... You're my son?!" Maria repeated, slowly moving her hands back to her sides. "You... But you're so big!"
"...I'm not lying," Amethio found himself saying. "I'm... I really am--"
"I know," Maria said, smiling as she cut Amethio off. "I'm just surprised, you know? I only got married a few weeks ago, and now I'm meeting my future son! And he's all grown up!"

Maria smiled warmly as she spoke. Her smile and her voice both felt nostalgic to Amethio, even though they shouldn't. He didn't remember her, after all. Not that he was going to tell her that.

"But it does explain why you reminded me of my husband," Maria continued. "And I definitely see my father in you, too. Those passionate, honest eyes... I can tell you're just as determined as my father is. About what, I'm not sure. But you have a goal in mind. A wish. A dream. And you're going to make absolutely sure it comes true.

"And, actually, looking at the rest of you..." Maria surveyed the group individually. "You're all like that, aren't you? You're all working towards the same dream. You all have the same destination in mind."
"I'm so happy you understand!" Liko said with a sigh of relief. "It'd take us far too long to explain everything, but there's someone we want to stop from destroying what's important to us. And to do that, we've come to you for help."
"Alright," Maria said. "In that case..."

Maria turned to Amethio.

"Amethio," she said gently, "Would you mind telling me what it is you need my help for?"

Amethio suddenly felt lightheaded. Something was off. He shouldn't remember his mother's voice. And yet... he felt compelled by it. By how soft and gentle and kind it was.

"M-Mother..." Amethio forced himself to keep his voice as steady as possible. "Please... tell us what you know -- everything you know -- about Rakurium."

Maria's face darkened in an instant.

"Didn't you say Father had found peace?" she asked Hamber in a somewhat snappy tone of voice.
"I did," Hamber replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
"If you're asking about Rakurium, then I assume it still exists in this world, correct?" Maria turned back to Amethio.
"It... It does," Amethio said, "But not naturally. Someone's forcefully making it. Most of it was wiped out, but... it's being made by someone."
"Then my father isn't at peace," Maria said bluntly.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Roy asked. "He seemed pretty satisfied..."
"Because my father's dream was to control the power of Rakurium himself and use it to bring happiness to all people and Pokemon in the world. And it sounds like he most certainly did not learn how to control it."

Amethio said nothing. There was still something nagging at him in the depths of his mind. Something about his mother. The more she spoke, the weirder Amethio felt about her.

As the others all talked about what had happened in Rakua, and about Gibeon's fate, Amethio could do nothing but stare at the ground.

He remained mostly quiet as Maria told her side of the story. The others reacted to certain revelations a lot more than he did.

Because something wasn't right.

His head hurt. He felt... odd.

But why?

"You okay, Amethio?"

Friede called out to Amethio, which snapped him back to reality.

"Oh, I..." Amethio blinked a couple of times as he looked around.

Some time had passed. The sky was a lot darker.

Maria was still standing there.

"There's something I've wanted to ask for a while," Maria said to him.
"G-Go on," Amethio gave a single nod. It was all he could manage.
"My first thought upon hearing your name was that 'Ame' would be a super cute nickname," Maria continued happily. "Of course, you're a bit too old for it now, but... did we ever call you 'Ame' when you were little?"
"I don--"

Amethio was about to say that he didn't remember, because Maria had died when he was little.

But then, all of a sudden, a scene replayed in his mind.

'Ame, Carbou, it's time for bed!'
'Already?! But Mother, I haven't finished yet!'
'You can finish it tomorrow, Ame. Grandfather's birthday isn't for another three days, you know.'
'B-But what if I'm busy tomorrow?! I need to finish the drawing today!'
'You'll have enough time, honey. Now, come, let's get to bed.'
'O-Okay.'

"I... I think you did, but--"

And he was hit with another childhood memory that he had long since forgotten.

'Your mother cannot come home. She's helping me with some very important research.'
'I'm sorry, Ame...'
'Maria, his name is Amethio. Stop calling him something so ridiculously childish.'
'But Father, he IS a child!'
'That's not the point. Amethio, go back to your room.'
'...I understand. Sorry, Grandfather...'

Oh, right. His mother often helped Gibeon with his Rakurium research.

'Amethio? Amethio, wake up.'
'Father...? What's wrong? ...Are you crying?'
'I need to tell you something very, very important. Are you listening to me, Amethio?'
'Yeah...'
'Your... Your mother...'
'Oh! Is Mother home early?! Hamber said she'd be gone until next week!'
'No...'
'Huh?'
'You mother isn't coming back.'
'W-Why...?'
'She's gone. She's... she's dead, Amethio. Your mother... is dead.'
'What does that mean?'
'It means she's not coming back, and that we'll never see her again.'
'...?'

His mind was being flooded with memories. Memories of, and about, his mother. Memories he thought he never had.

'Who's this person, Father?'
'This is Spinel-kun. He's agreed to do something very kind for us.'
'...If he's not bringing Mother back, then I don't care.'
'Ufufu. Unfortunately, I can't do that, but I can make you happy, Amethio-bocchan.'
'I don't trust this man, Father. Can we go?'
'...Spinel-kun, I apologise. Please continue.'
'Pay it no mind. He's a child. Yes, a poor, helpless child. Until I come along. Now, Amethio-sama... do you want to see my Ohbem perform a magic trick that will get rid of all your sadness?'
'My grandfather says that magic doesn't exist.'
'Oh, but it does. See? Look right at Ohbem. That's right, right into the pretty lights...'

Wait. Why was Spinel...?

---

"Amethio-sama!"

Zir and Conia rushed over to Amethio and caught him as he collapsed.

"Oh no!" Maria exclaimed. "W-What's wrong?!"
"Dunno," Friede replied with a shrug. "He's been awfully quiet for ages, but I just kinda assumed he found it a bit awkward talking to you... Didn't think he was feeling that unwell."
"Maybe I should leave you," Maria said. "I've told you all what I know. I promise I haven't kept anything hidden. I want to help you -- all of you. So please... do your best to stop this Spinel from unleashing Rakurium and destroying everything! I wish you good luck."

Liko, Roy and Dot all smiled at Maria as they gave a unanimous "Thank you!".

"And... Hamber?" Maria, who was starting to fade, turned to Hamber one final time.
"Yes, Ojousama?" Hamber asked.
"Please protect Amethio. I can tell that he's fighting something that only he can defeat. Please assist him as much as you can."
Hamber nodded. "I have been doing so since the day he was born, and I will continue to do so until I am no longer in this world."
"I am sure Amethio appreciates that."
"I believe he does, yes."

With that, Maria thanked them, and disappeared.

The Rising Volt Tacklers, along with Hamber, Zir and Conia, and an unconscious Amethio, made their way back to the Brave Asagi, which was parked near the base of Oni Mountain.

Amethio didn't wake up until the next morning, and when he did, he immediately ran up to Hamber, who was talking to Mollie in the ship's clinic.

"Good morning, Amethio-sama," Hamber said as he greeted Amethio in his usual tone of voice. "I am pleased to see that you are--"
"Hamber," Amethio growled, "Care to explain why my father had Spinel's Ohbem erase my memories of my mother and then had everyone lie to me and tell me I never remembered her to begin with?"

The atmosphere on the Brave Asagi was incredibly tense that day...