Since there wasn't really any proper food to go with the drinks, peanuts would do just fine.
Luther could tell that Cynthia truly couldn't handle alcohol. A burp was inevitable after drinking; otherwise, the pressure in her chest would feel unbearable, but Cynthia stubbornly held it in, her face now flushed bright red.
The alcohol itself wasn't very strong, but once the amount started piling up, both Luther and Cynthia were tipsy. Seeing Luther and Cynthia happily drinking, Eevee quietly snuck a can of alcohol from beside Cynthia's foot, hooked the tab open with her claws…
Chugging in silence wasn't much fun, so Luther casually hooked an arm around Cynthia, coaxing her to talk a bit about herself. This was a topic Mai was also very interested in, so she kept urging Cynthia on from the side.
Cynthia's stories were fascinating. What the media revealed was only a small portion she was willing to share with the public.
The hatching of Gible, the moment Gible evolved, seemed to be precious memories for her. When she spoke about them, Cynthia paused for a long while, working hard to piece together memories that had already begun to blur.
For the first time, Luther felt he was seeing a different side of Cynthia.
Togepi's evolution into Togetic had troubled Cynthia for quite some time. She once thought it would be best if Togepi just stayed forever curled in her arms.
But when Togepi evolved into Togetic out of its own will, Cynthia was forced to reflect on herself.
Was it really a good thing to overly impose her own preferences on her Pokémon during their growth, interfering with their own consciousness?
From then on, she put the Everstones away on a high shelf, determined to let her Pokémon decide their own future paths.
Still, some things never changed, like her drive.
When she brought up the time during her debut when she single-handedly took down an underground gambling den that used enhancement devices, Cynthia's eyes lit up. She had blasted through countless opponents with just a Gabite. For her back then, it was an incredible sense of accomplishment, and even now she still spoke of it with pride.
Cynthia's memories were suddenly interrupted by Eevee's cry.
Face completely red, Eevee lay sprawled on the ground belly-up, tail swishing back and forth, while she herself hunched over, reaching out her paws to play with her own tail.
When Mai tried to pick her up, Eevee struggled fiercely for quite a while. She even clutched that can of alcohol tightly, as if wanting another round.
But the alcohol was quickly taken away. Dizzy after being lifted up, Eevee barely had time to flop into Mai's arms before she dozed off in a drunken haze.
Cynthia quickly dragged the two rows of alcohol over to her side, shooing away the drooling Marill, this glutton wanted to taste anything it laid eyes on.
"She's fine, just passed out."
Luther confirmed Eevee's condition. In truth, there was hardly a need to check, the reeking alcohol on her breath when she opened her mouth made it obvious she had secretly drunk quite a lot while they were talking. If the drink hadn't been in a can, Eevee might have even tried downing it all in one go.
"Mai, want to try a little too?" Cynthia shook the can of alcohol in her hand as she asked.
"Minors can't drink." Luther popped a peanut into his mouth and reminded her.
Both Cynthia and Mai stared blankly at Luther, as if wondering what strange thing he had just said. Only after finishing the peanut did Luther realize, he had said something strange. His reaction ability had dulled from drinking, and the words had just slipped out of habit!
In this world, adulthood came at ten years old!
Even though in recent years the Pokémon League had been trying to revise the law to raise the age of adulthood, it was still only at the proposal stage.
Cynthia gave Luther a thoughtful glance. "There is an age restriction for drinking, fifteen. Mai already meets the requirement."
Perhaps provoked by Luther's "minor" comment, Mai grabbed the can Cynthia had opened, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in big swigs, showing Luther she wasn't a little kid.
Damn it, what's there to prove here? What's the point of getting so competitive?
From your figure alone you don't look like a kid at all, have a little confidence, will you?
What had started as two drunk people turned into three.
After Mai, who was supposed to be feeding the Pokémon, joined in the drinking, the hungry Pokémon had no choice but to get Chansey's help to open up the food they'd bought and divide it among themselves.
The untouched yogurt was snagged by Marill, who tiptoed up onto the table, then shared it with Corsola.
As for the leftover dishes…
Marill, still reaching up, was pressed down by Luther's hand.
Luther handed her another plate of cooked fish. "The peanuts are for us, don't even think about touching those."
Having dealt with Marill, Luther quickly turned to stop Mai. "Don't drink so fast… it's your first time drinking. If you keep going like this, something's bound to go wrong."
Mai's way of drinking was brutally straightforward. She dumped the canned alcohol into a bowl, tipped her head back, and gulped it down. Just a few swallows and she had downed an entire can.
Even a bandit hero from old stories wouldn't drink like that.
Luther covered his forehead, then got up and snatched away the drink in front of Mai. He also held back the dazed Cynthia beside him, who looked like she was about to egg Mai on with a few more words.
He waved his hand in front of Mai's eyes, noticing that she was already dizzy.
The drunken rampage he feared didn't happen. Drinking that fast and that hard the first time, blacking out immediately was only natural.
Mumbling strange, incoherent words that no one could make out, Mai slumped over. With just a light push from Luther, she was snoring, collapsing gently to the floor.
"Cynthia, look what you did! You just had to egg her on, now she's totally wasted!"
Luther almost got pulled down himself when Mai's hand grabbed for him before falling. Stumbling, he hurriedly tried to support her.
"You're the one who called her underage and teased her about being too young. She only drank out of spite." Cynthia looked innocent. "The Pokémon League law says drinking is allowed at fifteen, it's common knowledge. How's that my fault if you say something weird?"
Luther was left speechless. All he could do was curse the Pokémon League.
"What kind of idiotic Pokémon League law is this? Drinking should be eighteen like a normal standard, damn it!"
Luther tried to lift Mai onto the bed, but after two attempts, he still couldn't find a proper way to hold her.
"Stop drinking already and help me out!"
At his call, Cynthia finally set down her drink and helped Luther move Mai onto the bed.
Luther went to the bathroom, wet a towel to wipe Mai's face, then set a small basin beside the bed just in case she suddenly vomited.
By the time he was done fussing over her, Luther's head was spinning. Just looking at the alcohol made him feel nauseous.
Munching on peanuts, Luther was about to ask Cynthia why she suddenly felt like drinking tonight, when he looked up, straight into her glittering eyes.
Her drunkenness couldn't hide it, yet her gaze was strikingly clear.
Luther froze.
No way. I was lucky Mai didn't cause a drunken uproar. If you start now, what the hell am I supposed to do?
But Cynthia didn't go wild. She just kept staring intently at Luther, her gaze making him shiver.
And as she stared, she began humming a song.
Luther slowly set down the can of alcohol in his hand.
It was a song he knew well, the very first one he had ever taught Mai.
"Are all the songs from your world like this?"
Luther blinked, stunned. It took him a long while before he came back to his senses and let out a relieved smile.
"Not all of them. Want to hear something else?"
(End of Chapter)
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