Hello. It's been quite a while since I've written a comedy fanfic. Or any fanfic at that ^_^''. But I'm hoping to get back in the fray with this very special fic dedicated to a very special someone to me. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the half-baked mayhem of "Café Hyoukin"

Chapter 1: "Make A Wish—A Dream With Wings"

"Hanaaaaabbiiii!" Their voices came from the right side.

"Haanaaabiii-sammaaa!" Another group of voices came from the left.

"Ahahahahaha!" He laughed to himself in triumph as he placed a claw to his forehead, which had nuzzled a pair of long steel chopsticks between him and the area above his eyes. The looming café building behind the Poke'mon blared in the dozen of spotlights bouncing off its marble and tawny structure from, seemingly nowhere and everywhere at he same time. The Charmander's cute sun-orange body was adorned with a neatly pressed apron around his waist and a black chef's kerchief about his neck. However unusual, his eyes were the color of deep crimson, damn near the shade of blood itself, and hidden behind a pair of yellow-tinted squared spectacles that barely sat on the bridge of his nose. The high hum of female voices echoed around him, towing a trio of graceful green and white Poke'mon, Kirlia, on one side of his arms, and the brown-and-white bunny Poke'mon, Buneary, on the other arm. The girls cooed and praised at him in great adoration as he continued to laugh triumphantly.

"Hanabi, you're so great!"

"Oh Hanabi, you're such a great chef!"

"Of course! I had no doubt that the Chi Quan Li Café would reach the top. I'm just too cool!" the Charmander boasted and gained a tremor of squeals as the excited females around him smothered him to the ground. He gave another triumphant laugh upon the girls snuggling up close to him. Everything was perfect. Well, almost perfect. The Chi Quan Li Café was a huge success, bringing in money and customers by the truckloads. His quality was great and his and his—upon him looking about the Kirlia and Buneary—"Quantity" was even more gratifying. And though everything seemed to be going his way, he couldn't help but feel an odd displacement.

"Hanabi…."

Ba-dump!

Hanabi wiggled up from the swamp of crazed females and looked towards the voice that gave his chest a slight drum. The Buizel standing before him timidly had her back to him, looking to the side. Her sleek and smooth orange fur complimented with a yellow underside seemed to glimmer in the nowhere light. The otter Poke'mon flicked her twin tails, almost seductively.

"Oh Hanabi…" She smiled brightly. He mouthed her name-he knew her name—but why couldn't Hanabi hear himself say it? He moved his lips over and over again, but it seemed that for those particular syllables, sound was lost. "Hanabi…." The smile lasted for a moment longer…before the Buizel's once sweet face glared down daggers at the Charmander in one sudden notion. She growled as her body grew, larger and larger, almost so much so that the café building looked like a doll house. Hanabi's pupils shrank as she roared,

"You shameless perve!"

"Dah?!" The next thing Hanabi knew, there was a collar around his neck, leashed in full. His wrists and ankles were bound by ropes, all of which were held to suspend him in the air by the Buneary and Kirlia that had so willingly swamped him before. Hanabi's eyes closed halfway and he blushed slightly. His once pure thoughts soured with perversion, perceiving himself actually being "punished" by the group of females. "Hmmm…maybe this isn't so bad…."

"HA-NA-BI!" The Buizel let out a growl behind an evil grin. In her paws, a black whip materialized in a flash of light. Her own leather grim reaper's outfit was slightly different; consisting only of a top with the hood down that barely concealed the unusual bust for a Poke'mon of her stature; and a thin bottom with a pink mini skirt made of transparent pink fabric flailing from underneath.

"Holy—"

"Silence!" Whu-pah!

The Buizel cracked her whip, almost too close to the no-comfort zone.

"You promised, you no good perve! Now prepare to face the consequences!"

"What consequ—" Hanabi trailed off as his gaze shifted through his glasses out before him. The squealing wheels of a television entertainment stand (with said television in tow) came closer into view. Once it was close enough, it fuzzed on. Hanabi slowly cringed in fear….

"No…NO! Anything but that! Don't make me watch—"

"I love you, you love me; we're a ha-ppy fa-mi-ly—"

"Oh god!! Shut it off!" Hanabi squirmed and wiggled. His eyes shook in horror as the robust purple dinosaur plodded and danced as horribly off-key as he sung.

"With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me tooooo?"

"I 'effin' hate you! Someone turn it off now!"

"Repeat!" The Buizel exclaimed and the playback rewound itself.

"I love you, you love me—come on, Hanabi," Barney beamed from the TV Screen, giggling stupidly, "Don't be so willy-nilly and sing with us."

"Go-to-hell!" Hanabi kicked in the fray even more wildly.

"Looks like someone needs a big, squishy wubby-dubby hug!" And with that, Barney reached. And boy, did he reach—right out the television set! The Charmander could only watch and flail in horror as a pair of purple arms reached out of the television, followed by a snout, and then the head. "I wubby-dubby wuv youuuuuuu!" Barney came rolling onto the floor and loomed over Hanabi with his arms open wide.

"Aaaaahhhh!!" He rolled out of his bed and tumbled into the base of the dresser. He sat upright abruptly as the dresser wobbled with his claw in salute. "I'm awake, General Huff Stuff-N'-Fluff!.....Huh?" Hanabi's vision blurred around his room. Though he couldn't see too well without his glasses, he could make out the features of his naval blue room, from the bed, to the desk; to lamps and windows; to the giant Snorlax beanbag next to the room door. The room he would soon not be seeing for much longer. "What a nightmare…."Hanabi shook his head. The memory of his dream caused him to shudder and hold himself. So much singing….so much purple blocking the sexy leather-fitted girls…and so much hugging! "Damn that purple bastard to hell…."

With a final shake, Hanabi took up his glasses to his face from the nightstand and commenced with starting his day. Today was his big day—his special day. Today was the day he opened up the café his parents left in his care long before they had passed away. The Chi Quan Li. Virtually talent-less and highly uncoordinated, cooking was seemingly the only real talent Hanabi felt he could fall back on. And today was going to be the start of a new goal—a destiny—for him. Hanabi scrubbed his scales down, careful of his flame-tipped tail, brushed his fangs, and then took up an odd item from the nightstand. The bell was affixed to a white ribbon-like cloth, of which he tied around his neck. It shined vibrantly, indicating that its owner took precious care of it.

"I remember…." Hanabi mouthed. And with that, he grabbed a small black and white rucksack and headed out the door. The sunshine from the grand blue above enveloped the town of Taisho in a warm and comforting light. The town hustled and bustled with Poke'mon of all kinds, chatting; commuting; basking in the verdure of what their teamwork had peacefully accomplished for their lives. The town wasn't the only one of its kind. Ever since the humans began poaching Poke'mon to the point of snuffing them out, the creatures had begun to recede away from human reach and form heir own towns and cities. Hanabi ran the sidewalk trail headed towards his new café' building. He was psyched; he was ready; head was….

"…The hell?!" Hanabi's eyes shifted down at the slip of parchment in his claw, up to the street sign, down, then back up again to verify the street address. The building before him was tatty and un-kept, with the marble wearing, wood cracking, and paint fading. The windows were boarded off, some of which the broken signs hung limp over. "What the hell is this mess?" Hanabi ran up to the entrance door, of which a note was nailed to it. He pried the parchment from the nail and opened it to read:

"Dear hanabi,

We hope you have fun with setting up the Chi Quan Li. Sorry we left it a little unfinished for you, but you'll get over it, right? Right, good luck."

"Grrrr!!" Hanabi growled and crumpled the paper up, "I can't believe they'd leave it like a piece of junk! What the hell is wrong with them not taking care of this place and leaving it to be a run down piece of—" He hurtled the paper wad outwards; it ricocheted off the overhanging building parts and smacked him back so squarely in the forehead that he swayed dizzily. He grumbled and groaned, but let out a sigh. He was all by himself in this and wouldn't get anything done by just sitting there. Pushing past the door and into the run down inside, Hanabi made his way out to the supply closet. Full of cleansers, paints, and many more maintenance apparatuses, he had all he needed for the daunting task before him.

~------------------~

It took a while, a very long while. By the time he had finished repainting, re-flooring, and damn near remodeling the building, the sun had nearly set completely behind the horizon. The Chi Quan Li now beamed in the draining light of the day, a vibrant color of marble and tawny escaping its newly furnished structure. In addition to that, the smell of fresh baked goods lifted thickly from the café into the air.

"Welcome!" Hanabi came bursting out the door, dressed in a white apron with a black chef's kerchief around his neck, "To the Chi Quan Li!"

…………

Sweeeeee…..

A tumbleweed rolled past Hanabi's feet on the otherwise desolate street block where the Chi Quan Li stood. For all anyone cared, the block could've been dead, seeing as if anyone ever did pass, they walked right by it.

"….Ah! Why ins't anyone coming?" Hanabi slouched. This was supposed to be his special day. Poke'mon should've been pouring in by the heaping handfuls! So where the heck were they? He gave a slightly defeated sigh. Was it over already before it started?

"Hmmm…" A figure whose body was almost hidden away by a cloak walked up the sidewalk. A closer look showed it to be a Slowking, it's purple body embellished with a frilly collar and gray horned shell on its head as a crown. Hanabi opened an eye as he watched it come closer and closer towards him. The flame on his tail gave a hopeful spark. The Slowking gave a rather long and drawn-out yawn—and then walked right past the café.

"Gah! Hey you, get back here!" A desperate Hanabi pulled on the cloak of the passerby and drew him back; the Slowking slipped back on his butt and—

Boing!

"Eh?!" Hanabi jumped as the Slowkings' rear end made a rubber sound and bounced him up a little. With a curious finger to his mouth, Hanabi lifted, then dropped him again. Once more, the purple Poke'mon bounced on the gravel via his ass-end.

Boing-Boing-Bing-Boing! Again and again, the Charmnader dribbled the Slowking like a superball.

"Pretty wicked hydralics, huh?"

"How in the hell are you doing that?!" Hanabi's eyes swirled and he fell over.

"Nice job, by the way." The Slowking looked up at the café building, "To fix that rundown building in one day is amazing—it would normally take about a whole we—"

Pffth! Hanabi held his claw over the Slowking's mouth, who struggled against him. "Sssshhhh! Do you wanna get the writer in trouble?"

"The writer?"

"Yeah, the one who's writing the story."

"The Writer?! What're you saying?! That this is some kind of fairy tale that—"

Hanabi put his claw back over the Slowking's mouth for a moment. It wiggled a little, then broke free, gasping. It then reached into its cloak and pulled out a crystal orb.

"Let me take a look for you….." it gazed deep inside, Hanabi's tail flickering. "Hmmmm….Hmmm…advertise. You need to advertise for your numbers to come…."

"Huh? Oh, I guess that makes sense. Okay, thanks."

"5000 yen,"

"Wha?!" BAM! Hanabi crashed on the ground, "D-did you just charge me?!"

"Sure did, now pay up," The Slowking closed one eye and held a paw out, "I gave you advice, it's only fair you compensate me for it."

"But I didn't even ask for it!" Hanabi grumbled, forced to slap what little precious money he had in Slowking's hold.

~--------~

"Come one, come all! Come all, come one….no wait, just everybody get over her already!" Hanabi sighed. He had demeaned himself to hopping to and fro on one foot like an idiot. His body was adorned in the most real-looking cherry-dipped muffin he could muster, towing a tray of said confection in his claws. He wiggled his arms and spun on one toe, chanting out to passerby Poke'mon in the streets. "Want something to eat? You're in for a treat, beat your feet and first menu item is—" Oh, he just had to say the last word. He just had to say it, knowing full well that in this day and age, it could only invite trouble. "—Free!"

"FRREEEEEEEEE!!!"

BAAAAA!! The rumble of feet suddenly passed all over Hanabi, trampling him in the ground by a train of stampeding Poke'mon. By the time the last one passed, Hanabi was left to twitch on the ground.

"H-hey! Hey! You're not even going the right way!" Hanabi wailed but to no avail as the group ran in the complete opposite direction of the Chi Quan Li.

~--------~

Wha-Paa! Wha-Paa!

Hanabi stood behind a vendor's booth branded with the cherry blossom petal logo and the name for the Chi Quan Li on the headbanner. He had tied a white headband around his head (not to mention the few bandages that covered his arms and cheek from when he got trampled like someone's foyer carpet) and slapped a harisen* on the surface of the tabletop. "Step right up! Feed your soul! Come to the Chi Quan Li, where the food is—" He caught his mouth and then looked from side to side with sly eyes, "almost free—"

"FREEEEEE!"

"Uhwaaaaah!!"

Brrrrrrrr!!! There was a loud rumbling as the ground shook; Hanabi didn't even have time to duck in cover as a group of Poke'mon came rushing his way like a herd of wild Tauros, trampling the vendor stand and walking all over its owner, branding him with several foot prints. And once again….

"Wrong way, smartasses!" Hanabi's eyes glared, his temple beating irritably. But to his dismay, all he could do was watch his potential customers run off in the opposing direction yet again.

~-------------~

"My love…how could you do this to me?" Hanabi got down on one knee, his claw o the back of his head. His body was dressed in a black kimono with a sword tucked away in the sash. Around his person in the town square, a small crowd had gathered and began to grow larger and larger. "How could you break my heart like this?—" Hanabi suddenly jumped aside, pulling on a red kimono with a black wig, speaking in a higher voice.

"Makio, I must. I've found love elsewhere—" he switched back to his other outfit.

"Elsewhere? What could you mean?"

"I've found love at the Chi Quan Li, where the food is—" Hanabi cleared his throat and glanced out at the audience, "at fairly reasonable prices…."

"……"

"……."

"……FREEEEE!!"

"Wha?! NO—"

Brrrrrrr! Hanabi was forced onto the ground again by the rush of wayward feet moving his way from the suddenly stirred crowd. He laid on his tummy on the ground, shaking more from irritation than pain because once again…..

"Oh my god! Wrong *bleep-ing way! Do you not see the huge building right there—" He pointed to the café a few blocks down, "—with the even bigger sign over it?! The fux is wrong with all of you?!" He huffed, then fell on his face.

~----------~

Hanabi let out a sigh as he sulked against the font door of the café he had inherited. The aroma of sweet pastries and stomach-warming confections still lingered heavily in the air. Did they not smell the alluring scent of endless desert? Were the denizens of the town not even aware that the over-obvious café even existed?

"Oi! Hey, Bozu, how's business going?"

Hanabi looked up. From the side, he could see the cloaked format of the Slowking from earlier make its way up to him. He sighed and shook his head.

"No one came…."

"Hmmm…." The Slowking reached into the sleeve of his cloak and pulled the crystal orb it had earlier out. It leaned its face onto it, gazing deeply inside. "….Ah!"

"What now?"

"In your future…I see…"

"You see…?"

"I see…women…and toys."

"Eeep?!"

"Rubber toys, and things that vibra—"

FWAP! The Slowking was forced to suddenly tilt sideways from a strike on the head by Hanabi swinging his harisen. "The heck is wrong with you?!" He exclaimed, then turned to walk off. "Going for a walk"

"Might wanna step to your left."

"To wha—?" DOOM! Hanabi teetered dizzily to and fro from the sidesign on the side of the café falling off and clobbering him squarely on the head.

"Also might wanna watch your ste—" Too late; Hanabi's foot tipped the edge of a manhole lid and he wailed on his way down inside. There was a moment of silence before his shouts were heard once more; he shot out of the manhole, pair of Carvanna—Parana-like Poke'mon—latched to his tail, and disappeared into the distant sky in a fleck of light.

"Hmmmm…." The Slowking looked into his crystal ball again. This time, however, the outline of the orb began to glow dimly. "You've got a long road ahead of you….but don't worry. You'll find her soon…" His eyes shifted from side to side before he suddenly slapped a slip of parchment on the Chi Quan Li's front door. The paper read a bill for ten thousand yen. With a chuckle, he walked off. "Ah, business is good."

~-----------~

"….." She leaned on the edge of a small cross bridge that reached over a clear stream between either sides of the road. The Floatzel was a little small for her specie, barely taller than her pre-evolved form. The almost sunken sun shimmered off her sweet orange and yellow fur and against her brown eyes whenever she turned to the side. However, what she lacked in size, she made up with the slight and unusual bust at her chest.

"Uhaaaaa!!"

"Hm…? Dah!"

BATHUD!

Hanabi groaned groggily. He hit…but not as hard as he thought he would. And whatever he landed on was soft and warm. Very warm. So warm and damn near cuddly, he seemed to be having a hard time not wrapping his arms around it. He adjusted his glasses on his face and looked down.

"Grr…." The otter Poke'mon's fists clenched and her temple beat irritably. She growled as she looked up at the Charmander sprawled out on top of her, almost hip on hip.

"…." He couldn't help himself, and the next thing Hanabi knew, he was nuzzling, cuddling, and snuggling up on the otter's body. "Oh geez, that's warm and soft…."

PAH! Hanabi went flying backwards and landed on his butt, a red mark on his cheek. The Floatzel lowered her fist, blushing a little. "You've got some nerve."

"I-I'm sorry—I couldn't help it! And I wasn't trying to crash land on you like that!" Hanabi exclaimed, bowing apologetically. The Floatzel gave him a slight grimace at first, then softened her expression, even wagged her tail for a slight moment for some odd reason.

"It's okay…are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine…you?" Hanabi blinked at her.

"I'm fine too…"She smiled at him. Hanabi tilted his cheek at her in a somewhat inquisitve gesture, his nose wiggling. That scent…

"Gah!" Why didn't he realize it before? But moreso, how could he have been so distracted that he didn't notice it had gone missing? Hanabi's bare neck stuck out like a sore thumb, being deprived of the bell he normally wore around it. Flabbergasted, he moved on his claws and knees, searching around every nook and every cranny nearby. The Floatzel gave the sides of her belly fur a rub down and blinked at him.

"Errr…what're you doing?"

"That Bell—That jingling thingy around my neck—I have to find it! Now, now, now!" Hanabi sat up on his knees, "I promised…it's the most important treasure I have—I can't lose it ever…."

"Obsessed much?" The Floatzel rubbed her cheek with her paw, "But I guess I can help you look, though you did almost crush me earlier."

"A-are you calling me fat?!" Hanabi fell over in a fetal position.

"Uh…"

"You're calling me fat, aren't you?"

"N-no, I did—"

"Just say it! Moooo-Mooo-Miltank!"

"'The hell is wrong with you—"

"Can I have extra fries wit\h that? Huh? Huh?!"

"What else did you lose besides your bell?!"

Hanabi suddenly sat up and blinked; He rubbed the side of his cheek with his claw, hen held the other out to the Floatzel before him. "I'm Hanabi…nice to meet you."

"Errr…" The Floatzel sweatdropped but smiled nonetheless and shook his claw with her paw. "I'm Sharra. It's nice to meet you too—" Sharra's voice cut short. Her eyes trembled a little as they fell upon the entity floating behind Hanabi. The ghost Poke'mon's wispy black body was concealed behind the mask-like skull it had for a face. Its single red eye drifted in macabre motions from one eye socket to the other. And clutched in it's mouth was the ribbon with a shimmering bell in the middle. Sharra slowly held up her finger to point.

"….?" Hanabi pointed to himself.

"No, stupid, that!"

Hanabi whirled around on his rear, only to come face to face with the Duskull before him. For a moment they started. His blood red eyes transfixed with the one moving eye swaying from right to left, then slowly fell on the bell—his bell—in its mouth.

"Hey! That's my bell! Where'd you find—" But as soon as he reached for it, the ghost Poke'mon gave a shrill laugh and lifted upwards. Sticking its tongue out in a taunt, it turned-tail and flew off into the air. "Gah?!" Hanabi jumped up to his feet. A burst of steam shot from his nostrils like an enraged Tauros before he took to sprinting after it. A curious Sharra just kind of followed with her finger to her mouth.

Hanabi raged and roared at the fly-by Poke'mon, his claws raised. The Duskull led the two in wild zig-zag motions around the town, weaving through streets and rounding behind corners. It eventually came to an abrupt stop when it came back-to-back with the brick wall of a tatty alleyway. Hanabi rounded the corner with his fists clenched.

"Hey you!" He pointed. The Duskull slowly craned around, the ribbon to the bell still dangling from its mouth, and had gained a noticeable sheen of drool on it. "Ewww! You got it all—" Hanabi shook his head, "that bell, it's so important to me! It's a part of me; my past that I can't lose. So please, give it back."

"…." The Duskull let its macabre eye drift still. "…." And with a snicker, it stuck out its tongue and then turned to shake its ass.

"Looks like you might have to battle it." Sharra peered from the corner side of the alley. The Duskull grinned. Hanabi slapped his face and groaned. He didn't have time for this! He had to hurry back to the Chi Quan Li and pray that he could even get a hobo off the street to come in. However, given the standing of his current situation, it was starting to seem apparent that he had little choice.

Hanabi's clenched fist sparked with flecks of blinding light as he darted towards the Duskull's body; the ghost Poke'mon shifted its format just enough to avoid the star-spinning Dizzy Punch. He sucked his teeth as he slid on his feet to a stop, glancing back. The Duskull's body moved about in macabre motions, the bell jingling in it's mouth, as though it were taunting the Charmander to try again. Hanabi's claw grazed the ground as it began to glow again in the middle of his run towards the Poke'mon yet again for a second attempt to attack. All the while, Sharra stood on the sidelines, watching with little interest, but still watching nonetheless. Hanabi's fist whirled just a bit past the Duskull's cheek; he immediately kicked off his toes and swung his foot in a double whirling spin-kick in mid air, the failed attack causing him to land down on all fours. His style of battling was different. By now, any Charmander would have tried to French-fry their opponent with some kind of flame attack. But Hanabi relied heavily on melee movements, his body shifting from various styles of Chinese martial arts in wild attempts to try and subdue the ghost Poke'mon, regardless of the fact that if he actually landed a hit, it'd merely phase through Duskull's phantasmagorical body.

When it felt it had enough of Hanabi's wild dance of offensive maneuvers, the Duskull's body lit up for a moment, then concentrated the light into a dark energy before it. As it raised up, the light shot off in a wild burst of spheres.

"!!" Hanabi, if anything less than strong, was quick; He darted full-force on the balls of his toes, weaving his body effortlessly through the rain of Shadow Balls shot down at him. The Duskull charged up and fired in a wild array of shots, not really aiming directly at Hanabi, but all over the general vicinity they were in. Trash cans exploded, parts of the wall shattered, the ground gained several crack marks, and debris started to kick up everywhere. Hanabi clenched his fangs; at this rate, he would most definitely hit….

"Sharrra!"

"Geh!" Sharra was pulled at the paw by Hanabi's claw just in time to let a Shadow Ball crash into the ground where she once stood, kicking up a wild smoke of debris. He tore about the corner of the alley out on the streets. Sharra's body flailed just above ground helplessly from being pulled so fast. The Duskull flew out of the smoke of attack remains and followed after Hanabi, cackling all the way as it sent Shadow Balls flying left and right, crashing into anything and everywhere.

"Ahhh!" A Raichu flew over into the stream.

"Oh Shi—" A Marrowak spiraled into a nearby food cart.

"What the hell?!?!" An Azumarill screamed as her skirt was shot clean off her waist, forcing her to crouch low.

"Hanabi, we should really—"

"Stop him, I know!" Hanabi slid on one foot, not only stopping, but causing his body to slide all the way around to face the Duskull, a thin layer of dirt kicking up in the direction of his turn; he took in a deep breath before letting it flow out in the shape of tiny flecks of fire, which floated over to Duskull like tiny wind-propelled helium balloons.

"….?" The Duskull's eye wavered. And before it knew it, the flecks of fire suddenly went up in a burst of wild multi-colored flames, shattering all over the poor unsuspecting ghost Poke'mon like fireworks. Duskul's body was buffeted in the fray of flames so much that its side-to-side movements kicked up a thin layer of smoke; Hanabi abruptly rushed through the smoke and came out on the other side, balanced solely on one claw. This time, his fist sparked with flames and he sent it upwards into the jaw of the Duskull, knocking it so hard that it bounced like a ball against trees and buildings. The bell it had clenched in its mouth flew up into the air.

"I got it!" Sharra jumped up and reached; the bell landed with a low chink in her paw. The Duskull gave a loud grumble, but then a wailing snicker as it floated off into the air.

Hanabi rubbed his cheek and then dusted off his apron. "Hmm…"

"Here…" Sharra walked over to him. When she held out his bell, he snatched it up and rubbed the cold metal against his cheek.

"Oh thank you, thank the gods it's back!" He kissed it and then immediately took to polishing it with his arm.

"Eh…what's with you and that bell anyway? You're not gonna' marry it or anything, are you?" Sharra blinked at him.

"…." Hanabi looked down at the bell before closing his eyes and replacing it back around his neck. "This bell…"She" gave it to me…and I made a promise. I don't really remember much of her, but….it's really important to me…."

"Hmm…Hey, Hanabi…"

"Hmm?"

"I…eh, nevermind. So where are you off to now?" Sharra shook her head then looked to him.

"I'm off to try and pick my café up off the ground. " Hanabi sighed, hanging his head a bit, "though I'm starting to wonder what the point is since no one comes."

"Hmm….I can come if you want…." Sharra's tails gave a single rotation behind her. Hanabi's head shot up and his blood red eyes widened.

"Really?! You'd really come down to the Chi Quan Li?!"

"Uhm…sure, I'll come down there with you, I guess. " She looked to the side, and Hanabi could've sworn he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes for a quick second, "It's not like I have anything else to do right now."

"Okay…" hanabi smiled with his claws together.

~------------~

"W-what?!?!?!?!"

Hanabi's jaw fell and Sharra put a finger to her mouth. There the Chi Quan Li stood. But not as it once was when he left it. The building was tattered, windows broken, the sings hanging off, and overall completely ransacked with flecks of building debris rolling into the street. However, the slip of parchment that was on the broken front door seemed to be the only thing that was left in tact.

"Eh…" Hanabi fell to his knees, eyes trembling.

"What happened….?" Sharra gave a curious glance-down of the building.

"Aha! Not much of a shop ya' got there, huh?"

"…." Hanabi turned his gaze off to the side. The creature stood before him with his arms folded across his chest. The Gengar sported a wide cheesy grin, the sinking sun waning on its night-time purple body. A black apron was adorned around its waist and the chef hat on its head was lopsided. Beside him was a Ghastly, its gaseous sphere-like pre evolved form, and the banshee-like ghost Poke'mon, Misdreavus. And out from behind it, a Duskull—the same Duskull from before—came with a wide grin on its face.

"Good luck in turning that dump into anything. If I were you, I'd go home right now and call it quits." The Gengar gave the door of the Chi Quan Li a kick and it went falling off the hinges. Sharra growled, her fur standing up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why the Chi Quan Li was in the state it was in. The four gave a laugh as they walked off together, headed down the street towards the Mongolian grill building.

"…." Hanabi let his head fall on the gravel with a light thud, "Dammit…"

"Eep! Don't go making a mess for me to clean up later." Sharra lifted Hanabi up.

"It's over…over before it started." Hanabi sighed, looking at the ground. His eyes trembled. "Without this restaurant….there's no way I can find her…" He looked down at his bell. "And no way I can keep my promise…."

"…."

"I wish the café was running…at least for her…"

"….Don' worry about it, Hanabi…" And a that, Hanabi's eyes suddenly widened, for Sharra had lightly nuzzled her nose against his cheek before giving him a gentle and quick lick. "I'm sure you'll get it running again. And I guess I don't mind helping you either."

Shiiiiii….!! Hanabi's bell gave a single ring before lighting up. Dimly at first, the shine got brighter and brighter, lighting up Hanabi's and Sharra's faces.

"W-what's going on?"

"Oh my god! This is that freaky MIB crap, isn't it?! Don't zap me—I didn't tell anyone about the aliens in Tom's* closet!" Sharra wrapped her arms around Hanabi, who would've liked it had it not been for the fact that she was sucking the air from him. The bell gave a quick but blinding flash, causing both their eyes to shrink for a moment before the light cleared.

"….!! H-Hey, Sharra—look!" Hanabi gasped, his eyes finally adjusting behind his glasses. Sharra glanced up and soon let out a gasp of her own. The Chi Quan Li stood tall and proud. The once tatty signs, fallen doors, and broken windows looked as good as new, gleaming vibrantly in the rising moonlight. The lights were turned on, making the café shimmer like a jewel in the new night, and the smell of pastries drifted thickly from the building's walls once more. It was as if the building was never trashed, if not renovated ten times better than before.

"The…the café is….How in the hell did that happen?" Sharra blinked.

"…"Hanabi looked down at his bell and placed a claw on it. "…." But before the Floatzel's answer could be given, the ground beneath them started to rumble. The two turned around, just in time to see a horde of Poke'mon rushing their way, kicking up a wild wind of dust and dirt behind them. Their voices jarred in the fresh night air, almost as loud as their growling stomachs.

"Holy hell?! Are they all coming here?!" Sharra exclaimed.

At first, Hanaibi just sat there for a moment. Then, as the thought of what he saw sunk into his thoughts, his tail began to wag and he jumped up. "Yeah! And we'll have to serve each and every one of them."

"We?" Sharra glanced to him.

"Yes, we. I think we make a great team, huh?" Hanabi held his claw out to her. A soft expression befell Sharra's face for a moment, then she grinned gleefully and took hold of his claw.

"Sure….Hanabi…."

"Freeeee!!!" A voice called out loudly amongst the crowd and all their eyes suddenly glinted brightly. The group lowered their head and charged head-long at the restaurant building.

"Oh…"

"*Bleep*!"

BOOOOM!!! The crowd ran across the building, causing it to topple over to the ground while they trampled over it. Sharra and Hanabi went flying into the air, disappearing in a fleck of light.

"Heh…" The cloaked Slowking sat on the tip of a radio tower, watching the two soar into the air. He popped pieces of popcorn in his mouth and gave a giddy grin. "This town has…just begun to experience a taste of what's to come….Tee hee, I feel my wallet getting fatter already."

~---------~

And there you have it! The crazy has just barely begun! So stay tuned for the next episode of "Café Hyoukin"!

*Harisen: A fan made from paper folded over several times. It is used in Japanese comedy, especially comedy anime, to hit or strike a person as a gag (though no one ever really gets hurt from being hit).

*Tom Cruise