The Alolan Enlightening Charge Punch (Preview)

“Alright then, I’ll bite!” She scanned through the menu, reading all the labels and brief descriptions for them. Eventually, her eyes settled on one that stood out. “Hmmm, what’s this Alolan Enlightening Charge Punch?”

The man stroked his chin. “Ah, that one! That would be a special blend of Wacan and Payapa Berries with some natural sugars and water from our springs. Mix them together and it packs a certain energy and touch within the drinker.”

“Okay…” Izzy didn’t really like berries. Sure, both Pokemon and humans could eat them, but she always just saw them as ‘mon food. Plus, their appearance had always weirded her out.

But, she was on vacation. Why not leave her issues behind? It sounded like a delightful smoothie that would be perfect on a hot day. “Ya know what? I’ll go for it! Gimme one of those, please!”

The expression on the man’s face changed. “Oh? Are you sure? It’s quite advanced for a tourist to try. Perhaps something else would catch your fancy?”

Izzy frowned. “Are you teasing me?”

“No, no, ma’am!” He said with a wave of his hand. “It’s just a fair warning, is all. If you really want it, I’ll be happy to make it.”

“Hit me then!” The owner gave her a small smile and walked away from the window. He could be heard deeper inside and out of view, walking around and preparing the drink.

Too much for me. Izzy huffed, puffing her cheeks. I may be a sightseer, but I’m not a wimp to this stuff. She had taken trips to Sinnoh and Kalos in the past and had experiences quite similar to this. Locals would try talking her out of their “stronger” dishes before and in the end, she would have no problem handling them.

She heard the sound of a blender go off and after that, some walking. The man returned, placing a tall glass drink on her table. It was a liquid mixture of yellow and reddish pink, a very sweet aroma coming off of it.

“Enjoy!” he said, pushing it closer to her.

“Thanks.” She handed him the money in return for it and brought the drink close. It was fairly cool to the touch. Here we go! Bring on this “advanced” drink!

She placed the rim to her lips. She fidgeted, nearly dropping the glass. Her bottom lip felt like it was stung for a second. It was like she was zapped by some static electricity.

Weird. She rubbed her lip. Wonder where that came from.

Izzy did not wonder about that for long, taking her first sip. The second the liquid hit her tongue, something strange occured. Not a shock, but something fuzzy. Around her lips, burnt orange hairs sprouted. They were thin and close together, resembling not facial hair but something more akin to fur.

Her first drink flowed down her throat from there, a tingling sensation coming to her mug. There were a few pops and cracks, so low they were almost inaudible. Her jaws seemed to push out, creeping forward and reshaping slightly. It was tad animalistic.

Izzy did not notice a thing, setting the drink down. “Hmm, nat muz gauud.” She frowned. “Ni mawth. It neels munny.”

The owner chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s only natural. The drink can be a bit numbing at first for newcomers. It’ll go away, though faster if you have more.”

Now, a drink with a numbing sensation to it would normally give a person pause. It screamed danger after all. However, for Izzy, that brief taste she had gotten was quite tempting.