Cool, Refreshing Drinks

Fresh Water, Soda Pop, Lemonade...what is it about these items that we love so much? They are cheaper than their equivalent potions, raise your Pokémon's happiness, and come in cute little bottles. But they are a tad more mysterious than their friendly exterior betrays.

I dunno what it is, I just know I <3 it.

When Gold & Silver first came out, I bought the Japanese versions. The vending machine drinks in Japanese are おいしいみず (Fresh Water, translates to "Delicious Water"), サイコソーダ (Soda Pop, translates to "Awesome Soda"—the bottle depicted is the common Japanese soda Ramune, also known as Blue Soda), and ミックスオレ (Lemonade, transliterates as "Mix Ore"). I remember being totally confused as to just what the hell "Mix Ore" was. Say "ore" out loud, and it sounds like "Olé!" I was fairly sure that "Mix Olé!" wasn't a kind of drink, but you never know with Japan. It wasn't until 8 years later that I was working for a Japanese tea company and saw those same kana (オレ) on a package of "Thé au Lait". Turns out that "O-Re" is the Japanese transliteration of the French phrase "with milk". So, Mix Ore is actually Mix au Lait, a mixed fruit-flavored milk soft drink. Milk-based soft drinks are relatively common vending machine products in good old Nippon.

Now, the main complaint with the vending machine items is it takes forever to buy them. You have to scroll through unnecessary textual representations of sound effects, celebrate upon obtaining it, and put it away in your bag. And then you get one (1) can. Repeat x times. All to save a few PokéDollars.

It was my boyfriend who discovered the little store atop Mt. Moon in HGSS (only open during the daytime) that sells drinks in an adjustable quantity. This after I asserted, over and over again, that there was NO way to buy more than one at a time, and yes, you'll just have to sit there mashing the A button for 20 minutes. Damn. The student has become the master. I humbly relinquish my gym badges and Pokémon bedsheets to...hey, wait a minute. He wouldn't have even KNOWN to go up to the top of Mt. Moon if I hadn't told him about it. Ergo, I still wear the PokéPants in this relationship.

Do you have Pikachu in a can?

Oh yeah, and at the Pokémon Center in Tokyo, you can buy actual cans of Pokémon soda and mix au lait (along with bottled water and tea, which is a key item in FRLG.) WANT!