Explorers of Sky's Memories Returned

"I just can't believe you, Bethel," Alphonse said to his litten companion as they sought shelter under a large lilypad as the storm above let out an opening barrage of precipitation in the form of a few scattered droplets.

"Al, I'm telling you it's a gift. I can sense if the rain is natural or some lame water-type used rain-dance at an especially inconvenient time," Bethel said, her yellow eyes looking up at the sky whose once-blue visage had been blotted out by the sudden appearance of the dark stormclouds above.

Alphonse the abra grabbed his cloak and held it close to himself, the soft black fabric serving as a shelter for both his yellow limbs against the drops of rain while also safeguarding him against rogue memories he'd rather not appear at the moment, not while they were enjoying their day out exploring the outskirts of Capim.

Alphonse grumbled. "You neglected to mention it before. If you would've said there was going to be rain, we wouldn't have gone out."

Still looking up, Bethel jabbed at Al with her black-and-red elbow as she spoke. "C'mon Al, are you even paying attention? I said I can taste if the rain is natural or not. I'm not some vaporeon that can tell if it's coming or not."

Bethel didn't hear any response from her abra partner. She turned her sight away from the clouds and towards Al, who was huddled a bit more strongly than she would've guessed under his cloak.

Argh, she thought, readying to redirect her attention towards Alphonse, he's probably thinking about that again.

She looked up at the lilypad proving the two of them refuge, the best option this part of the jungle seemed to offer when they sought shelter; the foilage of the above trees wouldn't last long and there were no nearby caves for the duo to hide in.

Just like when we first met, Bethel thought.

That revelation floated within her mind for a moment as she carefully repositioned herself under their poor excuse of a shelter. In this new position Bethel found herself in the light rain struck her shoulder and the right side of her face, something she didn't appreciate much at all.

"Cats" as the humans back at the Clover Guild referred to her and a few other select mons apparently didn't like water, she had been told. While Bethel didn't know if that was the case for Noodle or Tybo -- and was certain from her experience with Shelby that she definitely enjoyed swimming -- she knew that such a stereotype readily applied to her.

However, she knew of one pokemon who hated getting wet more than her, and she gently patted the dry ground directly below the lilypad, inviting said 'mon to be completely dry. Alphonse silently took note and -- after a quick glance that she knew by this point meant "thanks" -- he shifted himself to the completely dry ground.

Even though he occupied it, he didn't do so without raising any objections. "Aren't you gonna get wet, Bethel? I know--"

"Shut up, Al. Didn't I tell you I can tell if the rain is natural or not? How can I do that if I can't taste the rain, huh?"

Alphonse offered no further objections as the drizzle became a bit more akin to a storm. He watched silently as Bethel stuck out her tongue and held it out as the rain fell against her, hitting everywhere but the desired spot. Bethel, irritated at getting needlessly soaked, focused her eyes on her tongue as if willing a droplet to fall there.

Art by Reunianon

Sure enough, it struck, and Bethel moved herself back as far as possible against Alphonse, smacking her lips while doing so before entering into a contemplative silence.

There was only the sound rain hitting the leafy greens around and directly above them for a moment, and Alphonse looked at Bethel for an answer. She said nothing, so Alphonse finally spoke. "Well? What's the verdict?"

Bethel let out a sly grin as she looked back at the sky, analyzing the breadth of the grey clouds looming overhead. "I think we should've checked the forecast before we left today, Al. We might be here a while."

He let out a small chuckle, but soon lapsed into silence. As the rain began to fall harder and with growing force, his mind likewise raced, and Bethel was keen enough to see even through Alphonse's squinted eyes -- he had been called "eyy-son" by other Guildmembers more than a few times --that he was lost in thought, and given the circumstances not very good ones.

The reminiscence of their first meeting returned to Bethel's mind, and she instantly knew how to distract her partner.

"Hey, Al, do you remember when we first met?"

This seemed to shake Alphonse out of whatever memory he was currently reliving as he shifted in place with a light jolt of surprise. He looked at Bethel and held a neutral smile before it turned into a certain grin. "You mean when you saved my life? Or when you robbed me of everything I had?"

Bethel rolled her eyes. "Hey, you of all pokemon know we don't do Rescue Missions for free. I just had a head start on that."

She didn't let the conversation come to an end, though, and she contained to reminisce with Alphonse over their memories back in Arcade, the wild journey that had led them to crossing paths and wound up travelling halfway across the Grass Continent to the Clover Guild.

She droned on about their escapades as the fury of the storm ebbed and flowed, reliving through her speech the antics they had faced during their time at the Clover Guild, ranging from their short-lived attempt to pass themselves off as humans to that New Years' night when the duo directed d'Alin and his team towards the Clover Guild, and what a mistake it was since the mere utterance of the word "sawsbuck" or "deerling" had the potential to lead to an involuntary sparring match.

Bethel continued and captivated Alphonse until, finally, the storm had come and gone. But how often did they have the chance to -- just themselves -- relive their shared memories? The smell of petrichor still fresh in the moist air, Bethel and Alphonse's highs and lows formed an edifice of their life together, culminating finally to the current day.

Bethel caught her breath and Alphonse looked to the sky. He saw that -- save for a few distant and scattered clouds -- the sky had returned to blue, though it had been tinged orange by the setting sun. "Thanks for doing that, Bethel. I-I can't really say just how much I appre-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know how sappy you get when I show you even a bit of kindness. Don't say anything. A hug is more than enough."

Art by Ribombee-anon