Glaring omission makes us wonder what will happen to Pikachu in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

With Pokémon cafes, limited-edition ice creams and amazing doughnut collaborations, there are many places where Pokémon fans can get a literal taste of the franchise in Japan. Now, there’s another destination for catching delicious Pokémon, thanks to a limited-edition menu at nationwide cafe chain Pronto.

This is actually the third collaboration between Pronto and Pokémon, and this time the theme is said to be “travel”, with a number of well-known characters joining us for the culinary ride.

▼ The menu consists of three drinks and four food items inspired by various Pokémon.

Ordering from the limited-edition menu will net you some original novelties, making it tempting to eat ’em all, but when we visited we decided to exercise restraint, ordering the Altaria Coconut Blue Latte (990 yen [US$6.73]) and the Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile’s Friendly Meat Cream Fresh Pasta (1,870 yen).

Starting with the latte, we found the colour to be visually bold, which made us a little wary of the flavour. However, taking a sip, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the base was a simple yet delicious mix of coconut milk, topped with whipped cream and a marshmallow for sweetness.

The marshmallow was perhaps the most surprising thing about the drink, as it was huge and incredibly sweet. It turned out to be one of the tastiest marshmallows we’ve ever tasted, and combining it together with the whipped cream creates a mouthful of pure bliss.

▼ Like taking a bite out of Altaria’s soft, fluffy wings.

As for the pasta dish, the one we chose was extra special as it features Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile — the three starter Pokémon for the Pokémon Legends Z-A video game, due to be released on 16 October.

We were particularly happy to learn that the often underrated Chikorita would finally be getting more screen time in the upcoming release, and we just happened to have one in our pocket, along with a Totodile, to bring a side of anime joy to the meal.

The dish comes with a cute card featuring the Pokémon it was created in honour of, complete with their Japanese names and corresponding Pokédex numbers.

Each member of this charming trio brings something special to the pasta, with Chikorita’s leaf represented by a leaf of basil, a mini tomato standing in for Tepig’s tail, and Totodile’s teeth formed out of mozzarella cheese.

This creative Pokémon grouping sits at the top of a mound of pasta with a meat cream sauce containing three types of mushrooms, minced meat, and potatoes. The potatoes are chunkier than expected, giving the dish a satisfying mouthfeel, enhanced by the use of freshly made pasta.

▼ Biting into Totodile’s teeth is another highlight of the dish.

Like the two previous collaborations, this limited-edition menu delivers a high sense of satisfaction in terms of looks and flavour, and the freebies don’t disappoint either.

▼ Customers receive one random “clear card” with each drink and a random “acrylic key holder” with each meal.

The free novelties are notable for their high quality, and the ones distributed this year look even better than the ones from previous collaborations.

Fully satisfied with our meal and freebies, we sat back and took another look at the items available and realised there was one flaw.

▼ Where is Pikachu?

As the series’ most iconic character, we couldn’t help but feel Pikachu’s absence, especially as the electric Pokémon graced the menu during the previous two Pronto collaborations.

The surprising decision to exclude Pikachu this time around made us wonder if the character won’t be appearing in the upcoming game, but surely that’s impossible…isn’t it? Choosing to think positively, we decided to see the exclusion as a way of allowing other story-central Pokémon to shine, while also ensuring demand for each item is more evenly spread across the menu.

When you have a great cast of characters and equally delicious menu items in honour of them, you don’t have to rely heavily on Pikachu to draw hungry crowds, and we’ll be catching as many of ’em as we can during the campaign period, which runs until 30 November.

Photos©SoraNews24
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