Energy'mon: Big Wave 3 (Preview)

Walking further into the backyard, Arc noticed something odd. The whole place was deserted. There were some tables and chairs set up near the pool, a grill set up on the patio near the house. Yet, no one was there but him. JD, his partner, his roommate, or anyone else. Just Arc.

I can't be THAT early that the actual people living here aren't here yet. Arc huffed, glancing around. He glanced at the house, thinking for a moment about walking inside.

However, he started reaching for his phone in his swim trunks’ pocket. Give them a call and see where they're…

That was when Arc noticed something. He had only passed over it before when he was looking around, but there was a table close to him near the gate entrance. It had a large cooler of ice with cans sticking out of it. There was yet another sign beside it, this one reading, “Drink Up and Join the Fun.”

“Fun?” Arc spoke under his breath, approaching the table. He pulled one of the cans buried halfway in the ice and looked at it. “Energy'mon: Big Wave…”

Energy'mon was something he heard about before. JD had talked about it at some point, but he couldn’t remember the exact details. They may have been gaming together at the time. All he knew was JD swore by it, saying it was fantastic, just incredible for the body.

Arc was skeptical about the power that an energy drink alone could provide. However, he was starting to feel that summer heat now, his mouth feeling a touch dry. Might as well.

He cracked open the can and took a swig from it. He shivered, a powerful punch to the taste buds coming from that blue raspberry flavored drink. The sugar was something else, his tongue almost numb for a few seconds after coming into contact! He certainly liked it, but this wasn't something he could drink often.

He licked his lips, letting out a low, slow exhale as he tried to settle. Okay… well, where is everyone? He tried focusing back on the strange, empty setting he was in. I can't be that early that JD isn't even ready yet. There's gotta-

There was a throb, his head ringing and shaking. Arc's whole face cringed, teeth gritting as his head throbbed again. What the… His teeth grind together, shoulders clenching. Brainfreeze? It almost felt like it, but even more powerful. Just a big hit in the top center of his forehead it felt.

He reached up with his free hand almost instinctively, placing it upon the spot to rub. That was when he realized that this wasn't a mere headache.

There was a lump there, and a rather large one at that. A large bump that was growing, swelling within his hand. It soon didn't feel like skin but hardened gemstone, edging and sides taking form.

It grew more and more, extending out from his head with two smaller lumps forming beneath. The main bump took on a jewel-esque shape, the middle hollowing out for a hexagonal opening. The smaller lumps extended out long, jaggedy, and narrow like handlebars. The color was blue to a deep greenish blue along the base and bars, which he couldn't see.

It didn't matter whether he could see it or not, he could feel the weight and heft of his new edition. Arc was stunned, his hand tracing the new head piece that came out of his noggin. He was speechless, unable to form words. It was so much.

And so was what came next. His brown hair began to grow and grow and grow. It thickened into wild streams and locks that flowed down his head, over his shoulders and upon his back. Hairs seemed to even sprout around his face, on his neck, and spewing out of his shirt collar like a magnificent mane.

Adding to it was the color. Brown faded away, brightening a tad to a rich, earthy purple from scalp to tip. Along the back of his head, some of the purple locks spiked out, turning red with orange-red tipped ends. They almost looked like frills despite being one with his mane.

Arc could see this very well. His hands went through his dense hair, his mouth jittering the entire time. The words for what was happening could still not form, especially with his mind stuck in what felt like a spin cycle.

Eventually, he pulled his hands away from his head piece and mane, not wanting them to be locked to them any longer. Wha… what… what is… “EEEP!”

With his hands free and held away from him, Arc could see something wrong. They were growing themselves, though in a different manner. Fingernails had jutted out long and sharp, the nails bright as freshly fallen snow. Said white was over his fingers, stopping at their base. The skin looked tough, scaly even.