Wish Cafe (Ohno Ex 2017)
Dec. 20th, 2017 07:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
duckyshimetaiTitle: Wish Café
Pairings: Tennen, side Sakumoto
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set in the Pokémon world. There are links to bulbapedia articles at the end for those who aren't familiar with some of the terms ^^
Summary: Ohno runs a café where people come to make wishes, and he has some of his own...
Author's notes: Dearcoolohoh , your requests really sparked many ideas in my head, and I just took one and ran with it. I hope you enjoy it! Also, many thanks to my wonderfully prompt beta, and the amazing people in the fandom whom I got to know along the way! ^^
Somewhere far away, deep in the mists of time and space, a weather-worn Jirachi statue stood on a lawn. It had been handed down through the generations of Ohno Satoshi’s great-great-many-times-great-grandfather together with the family café, which stood beside it. The name of the café, Wish Café, drew its origins from this statue.
Through the big glass window in the front, one could see neat rows of different types of bread loaves and buns all arranged lovingly on the shelves, as well as a few tables and chairs. There were living quarters for the family behind, but everyone had grown up and moved out, so Ohno currently was the sole occupier of the café.
He had arranged the café with the intent of making a space where the people and Pokémon in this small town could bond, relax, and recover from any battles they had taken part in. So far, it had served his purpose well – many customers had left with smiles on their faces and a glowing aura that hadn’t been there before they’d come in. Everyone knew that this café was the place to go to for rest and recovery. Some even came to eat here before important battles, to increase their rapport with their Pokémon. Most of all, people flocked to make wishes on the statue, in hopes of having them come true. The wishes seemed to be pretty hit-or-miss, but no one ever regretted trying the food once they were there.
Ohno prepared everything from scratch every day, with Berries from his Berry patch, Honey from his Combee and Moomoo Milk from his Miltank. For other ingredients that weren’t readily available, he would get them from Aiba Masaki, the smiling delivery man who turned up punctually every morning and evening.
Aiba-chan, as Ohno called him, worked a couple of jobs to make ends meet. He would deliver groceries to Ohno and other customers while simultaneously helping to hatch eggs for renowned Pokémon breeders. On most days, he could be seen riding around the region on his old green bicycle, the delivery box bumping gently on the back, and his Teddiursa smiling contentedly in the front basket.
There wasn’t a day that went by when Ohno didn’t see him smile, and it was especially refreshing to see him after groups of discontented, disillusioned people visited to make a wish to the Jirachi statue. Even though Ohno benefited from the business, he hoped that more people could be content with what they had. Ohno would rather see them work hard to get what they want, rather than coming all the way to the café and pinning their hopes on a wish that might not even come true.
If he had to be honest, however, he would admit that he had a few wishes himself.
~The First Wish~
Even though Ohno loved almost everything about running the café, there was one thing he really didn’t enjoy, and that was doing his accounts. He had managed to scrape by in the past, but what with inflation and taxes and such, he was close to throwing in the towel this month. The Berry crop had been poorer due to the recent drought, and he could never figure out where all his money was going despite selling out his food every day.
One day, after the last customer and his Pokémon had been sent off with bellies full of food, Ohno sat at his desk in front of a pile of papers to sort out and calculate, and thought to himself: How I wish someone else could help me with this. He then shook his head and reminded himself that wishes weren’t to be taken lightly.
The warm amber light from the sunset flooded in from the window, and Ohno decided to take a break from the pile of paper on his desk. He was feeding Miltank with some Fresh Water from the refrigerator when a gust of wind blew in.
Strange, Ohno thought. I must have left a window open.
He went out to the landing. From the top of the stairs, he saw a young man dressed in black picking up and stashing a few loaves in his coat. A Honchkrow was perched on the window behind him, and it began to call out when it noticed Ohno’s presence.
“Ahh!” Startled, the young man made a dash for the exit, only to be blocked by Ohno’s Miltank, which had rushed down the stairs and cut off his escape route. Seeing no other way, he commanded Honchkrow to attack.
“Night Slash!” Honchkrow slashed out at Miltank, and it staggered back with a cry.
However, Ohno’s Pokémon weren’t just for show. “Defense Curl! Then Rollout!”
Miltank curled up and started rolling towards Honchkrow, who dodged it with Fly. Ohno commanded Miltank to use Milk Drink to prepare for the hit from Fly. Miltank then used Rollout again to hit Honchkrow. It was a critical hit, and Honchkrow fluttered to the ground.
“Honchkrow!” The young man ran over to the fallen Pokémon. “I’ll get you to a Pokémon Centre right away! I’ll…”
“You’ll do no such thing until you tell me why you were stealing from me.” Ohno stood over the two, arms crossed and waiting.
The intruder looked up defiantly and replied, “I’ve been living in the streets for a while now. I heard about this place and came to make a wish to see if it could change things for me and Honchkrow. Someone like you with a big place such as this wouldn’t know what it’s like to be poor, and I thought you wouldn’t miss a bit of bread.”
“No matter what, stealing is wrong!” Ohno couldn’t help feeling indignant. “I myself am not rich, I’m having money troubles as well and I hate doing accounts because I feel poorer every time I see that pile of papers.”
“However,” Ohno continued, “I’m not one who will see someone in need and not help. I’ll bring you and your Honchkrow to the Pokémon Centre first, and after that we’ll see what to do about your breaking and entering.”
He let the intruder pick up his Honchkrow and escorted him out of the front door after leaving a note for Aiba and locking up.
~*~*~*~
Ohno didn’t have a car. He had simply not felt the need to drive when he was pretty much self-sufficient within the café. In fact, he hadn’t left the place in years. It turned out to be pretty inconvenient, though, when he had to walk the intruder to the Pokémon Centre.
“Come on, old man!” The young man gestured impatiently. “I haven’t got all day!”
He was understandably jumpy – they’d have to get to the Pokémon Centre without risking further damage to his Pokémon, and it was getting dark. Ohno was busy marvelling at the beautiful dusky hues and scenes outside, and this made him walk more slowly than usual. This gave him plenty of time to find out about the intruder, though.
Nino, as Ohno had found out was his name, had lived on the streets after escaping from a couple of cruel foster parents. The Honchkrow was the only friend he had ever had, and brought him shiny things it picked up, while Nino fed it crumbs that he had saved from whatever scraps were on the table. He had saved it from the claws of his foster mother’s Purugly when it was a Murkrow, and it followed him everywhere once it recovered.
At the Pokémon Centre, Nino couldn’t keep still on the couch in the reception area while Nurse Joy took his Honchkrow to the back. Ohno couldn’t blame him, and seeing how worried the younger man was about his Pokémon touched something in Ohno’s heart. He noticed how pale and hungry Nino looked, and offered him a piece of the bread that the latter had been trying to steal earlier. Nino tore it in half, and wolfed one piece down, keeping the other piece intact. Ohno guessed it was for Honchkrow, seeing that Nino controlled himself despite being so hungry that he could easily have finished all that bread and then some. He thought to himself that Nino couldn’t be all that bad.
Ohno was lost in thought about how he could help this poor man – in Ohno’s reasoning, if he didn’t really need help, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal bread – when suddenly, the Pokémon Centre doors crashed open and a battered green bicycle screeched to a halt. A Teddiursa climbed down from the basket and toddled over to snuggle its face into Ohno’s knees while the rider kicked open the bicycle stand before rushing over to Ohno.
“Oh-chan!” The newest arrival yelled excitedly. “I saw your note and came as fast as I could!”
He noticed Nino sitting opposite, anxiously glancing at the counter for a glimpse of his Pokémon, and asked in a more subdued tone, “Oh-chan, is this the guy who broke into - mmph!” He was stopped by Ohno’s hand, clamping it over his mouth.
“Shh, Aiba-chan, there’s no need to let everyone know.”
Aiba removed Ohno’s hand from his face. “But Oh-chan..!”
“I know what I’m doing.”
He peeled Teddiursa off his legs and got up to address Nino.
“Nino, would you like to come work at Wish Café?”
“Eh?” Both of the other men stared at Ohno in pure confusion.
“Well, you have to pay for all the damages you caused in the battle, and the bread you stole,” Ohno said matter-of-factly. “Plus, there’s a lot of space at the Café, and you don’t have anywhere else to go, right?”
Nino could only nod speechlessly, hot tears pricking at the back of his eyes.
After Nurse Joy brought Honchkrow out, Nino gave it the bread and the good news, and the three of them set off back to the café while Aiba pedalled his bicycle back home, Teddiursa yawning its head off after all the excitement had passed.
~*~*~*~
During the first few days while Nino adjusted to life at the Café, Aiba was still a little distrustful of Nino because of the breaking in incident, but he gradually warmed up to Nino. Anyone who loved Pokémon as much as Nino loved Honchkrow couldn’t be all that bad. Even Teddiursa started to greet him with a hug around the knees. Beneath his cold and calculating exterior, Nino had a big heart.
However, Ohno had a little trouble finding things for Nino to do. To be honest, Nino was rubbish in the kitchen. Having lived off scraps for most of his life, his taste buds “couldn’t tell the difference between hand-cooked and microwaved food” as he put it himself. He wasn’t much better at serving customers because he couldn’t remember who ordered what, so Ohno decided to take a leap of faith and put him in charge of the cashier till, despite Aiba’s misgivings on the matter.
He hadn’t realised just how much Nino loved money. Even more than a Meowth, he decided. If there was a list of things Nino loved, Honchkrow would be at the top, and money would be a close second. With Nino in charge of the money going in and out, the till filled up rapidly and Ohno could set his mind more at ease. When it came to doing accounts, it was a breeze because Nino knew exactly where each and every penny went.
They earned so much that Nino was able to use his savings to buy a game console, and he invited Aiba over to play on their free days, as Ohno “didn’t go for these new-fangled things”.
When Ohno heard their laughter from the gaming room one day, his curiosity led him to peek in at the door. The expressions of utter joy on their faces sent a surge of warmth into Ohno’s heart and made him smile. Nino’s youthful glee and Aiba’s radiation of pure sunshine - it was like the two of them were alone in the world and conquering it together.
The thought suddenly made his heart ache. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Was he feeling left out, or was it jealousy? Who was he jealous of?
His thoughts were interrupted by Miltank butting his arm – it was milking time.
Ohno patted his Miltank thoughtfully. “Well, at least they’re having fun.”
He brought Miltank to the milking shed and left the two guys playing together, completely unaware that someone had been looking at them.
~The Second Wish~
“Welcome to Wish Café! What can I get for you?”
Nino’s voice rang out from his post behind the cashier counter, while Ohno bustled about in the kitchen. Yet another customer, Ohno told himself, mentally sighing before catching himself. It wasn’t like him to be unhappy about having customers. However, he had been feeling more tired lately, and secretly wished that there was someone else to help with the cooking and serving.
There had been a marked increase in the number of customers after Nino started working there, though the new customers were mostly girls who came to look at Nino and giggle and blush and whisper among themselves and try to “accidentally” touch his hand while paying for their food. Ohno was a little annoyed, but Nino dealt with it well, reassuring Ohno that “it’s just business, old man!” (Ohno snorted, thinking that Nino wasn’t the one who had to serve them at their tables, but left it at that.)
Ohno supposed it was just another of these girls who had come in, but it was a man’s voice.
“I’d like a piece of Old Gateau, please, and some Lemonade.”
“Coming right up, sir.”
Nino relayed the order to Ohno, who prepared it and brought it out. When he saw the new customer, he was momentarily stunned by the customer’s elegance and strong facial features, but also because of the deep loneliness he saw within. He noticed also that the customer didn’t have any Pokémon with him – an unusual sight.
Ohno placed the food and drink on the table with an “Enjoy your meal, sir,” and returned to the kitchen. He expected the customer to maybe just make his wish at the Jirachi statue and then leave, like everyone else did.
That was why it was such a surprise that this customer didn’t leave. Instead, he sat there until closing time, long after the final crumbs of his Old Gateau were washed down with the last mouthful of Lemonade. Everyone else had left and the sun was setting outside, displaying another beautiful sunset that Ohno mentally made a note to paint.
“Sir? We’re closing soon.” Nino approached the man, who seemed to snap out of a daze.
“I’m so sorry, is that the time already? Here’s the money for the food, thank you.”
He started to get up, and was stopped by Ohno.
“Sir, I couldn’t help but notice that you seem quite unhappy… is there anything we can do to help?”
The customer started to shake his head, but he seemed to be suddenly overwhelmed with his emotion, and the words just flowed from his mouth. “My name is Jun, and, well… Pokémon hate me.”
He poured out his story of how every Pokémon he’d ever met just didn’t like him. Some ran away from him, some attacked, and some just ignored him. He didn’t have a Pokémon partner like everyone else. He was even let go from his last job because the Pokémon couldn’t get along with him.
There was a sudden sniffling sound coming from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Aiba trying hard not to cry (and failing just a little bit). He had arrived on his evening rounds and heard most of Jun’s sad story, and it touched him deeply.
Ohno instinctively went over to Aiba and rubbed his back to soothe him, like he’d done every time Aiba got overly emotional. Although Aiba never liked to admit that he cried, the back rubs really helped.
After everyone had calmed down, they noticed that the Pokémon really were scared of Jun. Teddiursa was trembling behind Aiba’s long legs and Miltank and Honchkrow were keeping their distance. Combee was back at the hive, so it was spared from the scene.
“Why though?” Ohno scratched his head, bemused.
“I think they’re scared of his eyebrows.” Nino pointed out.
“We need to find a Pokémon that’s friendly and not easily scared,” Aiba pondered.
““We”?” Jun noticed the usage of the pronoun. “Would you guys really be willing to help me?” Hope shone in his eyes.
“Of course!”
~*~*~*~
The group had gathered that night to discuss a plan of action, and Jun and Aiba were going to stay over. Ohno and Nino had decided to take a few days off to bring Jun to the Safari Zone since he didn’t have any Pokémon to start with, and Aiba had wanted to tag along, saying that Teddiursa wanted a break and he’d saved up quite a bit anyway.
“So the first thing you need to do is maybe get some Pokémon food as bait.” Aiba unrolled a plan he’d written out earlier, with some colourful illustrations on the side, for everyone at the table to see.
“What’s this here? ‘Mirror Man’?” Jun peered at something that looked suspiciously like an angular grey blob.
“That’s so that you can go near to them without them seeing you! You cover yourself in mirrors, and you’ll effectively be invisible!” Aiba explained excitedly while Nino rolled his eyes, but in a way that Aiba wouldn’t notice. As much as he felt that Aiba’s ideas were ridiculous, he didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings, and he seemed so enthusiastic.
“But if they can’t see him, how will they make friends with him?”
“It’s just so that they don’t get scared off by his eyebrows first!” Aiba protested, then realised what he’d just said. “Sorry, Jun, I didn’t mean it that way…”
“It’s okay, I get that a lot.” The younger man shrugged it off. “So, you were saying about food?”
“Yeah, if there’s one thing I know about Pokémon, it’s that they love their food! Teddiursa searches for Honey everywhere he goes, don’t you, baby?” He stroked the top of Teddiursa’s head lovingly. It snuggled closer to Aiba while still keeping a wary eye on Jun.
“Food, huh…” Jun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“It depends on what kind of Pokémon you’re going for, though. But to be safe, Poffins work on just about any Pokémon!”
“We can make Poffins in the morning, I just got a fresh batch of berries growing nicely.” Ohno chipped in.
“Thank you all so much!” Jun’s eyes got a little wet and his voice trembled slightly with emotion. “I don’t know how to thank you enough, especially helping some random guy who happened to turn up. By the way, the Old Gateau was delicious.”
He was interrupted by a friendly punch on the arm from Nino, who was grinning. “Nah, you can thank us later when you actually get your Pokémon.”
~*~*~*~
Ohno and Nino woke up to the smell of freshly-made pancakes drifting deliciously through the café. The kitchen door opened, revealing Jun in a frilly pink apron, carrying stacks of pancakes to the dining table.
“Ohno-san, I took the liberty of making breakfast for you all. I found this apron hanging in a cupboard nearby, I hope you don’t mind…”
“That’s my mom’s old apron, she’ll be glad it’s still being used.” Ohno smiled. “The food smells really good!” He took a big sniff. “I’m going to have to ask you for the recipe after all this.”
Jun smiled shyly. “Sure, I’ll give it to you later.”
At that moment, Aiba galloped down the stairs with Teddiursa behind him.
“Wow! Are those pancakes? I think they’ll be perfect with Moomoo Milk and fresh Honey! Oh hey, Jun-kun, you look great in that apron!”
Jun blushed at the comment, and Ohno suddenly had a fleeting thought that he’d like to try wearing a pink frilly apron too, but he firmly squashed that thought in his mind. He had a perfectly good (and rather manlier) blue apron after all… He shook his head to clear it and sat down at the table to enjoy the food with everybody.
It tasted as good as it smelled, and there wasn’t a single crumb left on anyone’s plates. Everyone sat back with a contented sigh, before Aiba reminded everyone of the mission for the day.
“Poffin time!” Nino went out of the room and brought in a basket of fresh Berries. Watmel, Durin, Belue, Nomel, Tamato… It seemed that every possible flavour was in that basket.
There was a hiss from the centre of the table as Ohno switched on the portable stove and set a huge bubbling pot on it. Everyone picked a Berry each and tossed it in, and pretty soon the air was filled with the smells of different flavoured Poffins – sweet, sour, dry, spicy and bitter. Aiba snuck a few to Teddiursa under the table, and soon everyone was feeding their Pokémon their favourite Poffins. Everyone, that is, except Jun. He looked a little sad, but also resigned to his fate.
Nino noticed this and whistled his Honchkrow over.
“Here, Jun, put the Poffins in your hands and hold them out like this.” He demonstrated, and Honchkrow ate from his hands. “Now you try, Jun, Honchkrow likes the sour ones best.”
Jun nervously held out his yellow Poffins and Honchkrow warily sidled over, before eating the offered treats. The expression on Jun’s face morphed from trepidation to delight as he finally experienced feeding a Pokémon with his own hands, and Honchkrow even nuzzled Jun’s hands a little after it was done, to say thanks.
From the other side of the table, Ohno watched and smiled. He knew Jun’s cooking skills were amazing from the way he handled the Poffin dough, as well as the evidence from the breakfast this morning. Maybe it would be good enough to get Jun a Pokémon partner. And maybe, Ohno hummed thoughtfully, a new job.
~*~*~*~
After packing the freshly prepared Poffins and picnic lunches in their backpacks – everything seemed to fit inside magically – the four of them set off in the direction of the Safari Zone. They chatted as they walked, and Jun seemed to be especially in high spirits.
“This is so exciting! I wonder what kind of Pokémon we’ll meet!” Aiba chirped.
Jun paid the entrance fee and obtained 30 Safari Balls to use in the Safari Game. The others were allowed to tag along as long as they didn’t use their own Pokémon when inside the Safari Zone. Normally, trainers’ own Pokémon weren’t allowed within the Safari Zone, but with the combined puppy eyes of Aiba, Teddiursa, Nino, and Ohno, they were allowed in, “just this once”.
Jun’s first few Safari Balls disappeared quickly due to his inexperience and bad luck – the Pokémon would always break free and then flee almost immediately. The Poffins did prevent some Pokémon from fleeing too quickly, but they also made them more difficult to catch, and groans rose up from the team every time a Safari Ball bounced uselessly off a Pokémon, or a Pokémon broke free.
The rest were as encouraging as they could be, but the continuous failed attempts slowly whittled away their optimism. Even Aiba was struggling to keep a smile as Jun was down to his last three Safari Balls. Jun was beginning to reconsider his decision to reject the Mirror Man costume.
“Let’s stop for a rest!” Ohno suggested and they found a place to sit down. Digging into his backpack, Ohno took out the picnic lunch he had prepared – spicy Tamato Berry curry with rice and Custap Berry croquettes, followed by a Nanab Berry cream pie for dessert.
“Wow, Oh-chan is the best~!” Aiba exclaimed with delight. Ohno tried hard not to blush.
Suddenly, a dark teal shape advanced towards them from far away. The four of them heard thudding sounds that grew louder and louder, and in the blink of an eye, a Munchlax was upon them. It ran away with their picnic before they could react.
Nino was the first to recover, and he immediately threw out his Pokéball, shouting “Honchkrow, Pursuit!”
Honchkrow shot out and was hot on the heels of the Munchlax, gaining on it while the rest struggled to catch up. It managed to weaken the Munchlax enough to slow it down while the rest caught up. Panting, Jun threw a Safari Ball at the Munchlax, but it swatted the ball away with one paw.
“Ehhh?” Jun couldn’t believe his eyes. He prepared to throw another ball, but an authoritative voice rang out from behind them.
“You guys! You’re not allowed to use your own Pokémon in here. I’m going to have to eject you from the premises.”
Just as the four of them were catching their breath, the Safari Ranger commanded his Machamp to use Seismic Toss. Seizing one in each arm, the Machamp effortlessly threw them out of the Safari Zone, where they landed safely on a patch of soft grass grown especially for the purpose of cushioning the fall of ejected people.
After they had all recovered their senses, Nino turned to Jun, saying, “I’m sorry. It was my fault that they threw you out, you could have gotten a Pokémon if I hadn’t interfered…”
Jun shook his head and replied, “I don’t think so. Don’t worry, you were just trying to save our lunch, and I would have done the same if I had been in your position.”
They were interrupted by a loud cracking sound coming from Aiba’s backpack.
“Oh, no!” Aiba cried. He unzipped the backpack and took a peek.
“What is it?” Everyone crowded around.
“It’s an egg I was incubating for my job! I can’t believe I could have forgotten to take it out before today! And now it’s hatching!” Aiba was almost in full-blown panic mode, while Jun went for a closer look.
A soft pink face peeped out, and it made eye contact with Jun. The strangest thing happened. Instead of cowering or starting to cry, the baby Pokémon actually smiled at him. It broke out of the rest of the eggshell and toddled over to him.
“Chansey,” it said. Jun was absolutely smitten and he carefully patted its head. It nuzzled closer to him, filling Jun with delight.
“Aiba-chan,” he said, turning to the panicking man sandwiched between Ohno and Nino’s attempts to calm him down. “Aiba-chan, can I keep it?”
“I-I’ll have to check with the Day-Care Man. He’s the one who pays me for hatching eggs.” Aiba whipped out his Pokégear and pressed a button on speed dial.
“Hello?” An old man answered on the third ring. “Oh, Aiba-chan, what a surprise! I was just about to call you. Remember that egg I passed to you yesterday? It turns out that the Trainer doesn’t want it anymore, he wanted a Happiny for his Pokédex but he forgot to give his Pokémon the Luck Incense, so that egg you have there will be a Chansey instead. You can keep it if you want, but I’m sorry I won’t be able to pay you for hatching it.”
“Oh, that’s all right, sir. No worries. Thanks for letting me know!” A huge smile formed on Aiba’s face as he watched Jun nervously waiting for the verdict. He hung up with a click.
“It’s all yours, Jun-kun. I think it thinks you’re its mother, anyway.” He grinned, and Jun enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
~*~*~*~
The group went back to the café feeling tired but happy, and the good things didn’t stop there. After some quick whispered discussions with Nino, Ohno offered Jun a job at the café, which he gladly accepted, and he and Chansey moved in the next day. Chansey grew to lay delicious and nutritious eggs daily, which increased the variety of food they were able to present on the menu.
The only damper on things was the loss of the picnic cutlery, which Ohno accepted quietly and hoped that the Munchlax would be as happy to use them as much as others had been in the past.
~The Third Wish~
Ohno, Nino and Jun slowly begun to settle into their new routine at the café. Ohno was not amused to note that Jun was now the main subject of attention for the giggling girls, but to Nino it was a relief.
On their off days, the three younger guys would hang out together and have fun doing their “young” things, and Ohno started to feel a little left out. With this, it wasn’t surprising that the beginnings of another wish stirred in Ohno’s heart. He knew he had been especially lucky lately, and he didn’t want to push it, but sometimes the feeling of being left out got overwhelming. I wish I had an older friend to talk to, he thought, as he kneaded the dough for a Cheri Berry pie while keeping an eye on the Belue Berry bread in the oven. Jun was mixing the batter for some Razz Berry madeleines and was humming to himself.
No sooner than the thought had been formed, when the doorbell chimed and Nino greeted a new customer. He was immaculately dressed, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. Behind the man was a very familiar teal shape.
“It’s that Munchlax!” Nino’s barely muffled cry of surprise brought Ohno and Jun out of the kitchen.
The Munchlax’s trainer blushed scarlet in embarrassment and fumbled in his briefcase. He retrieved a transparent plastic pocket and laid it out on the counter. Within the pocket lay a few silver pieces of cutlery with “Wish Café” embossed on their handles.
Gathering his nerve, the man started to speak. “My name is Sakurai Sho, and I’ve come to return these pieces of cutlery, which I believe my Munchlax has wrongfully taken from this place. I found them in his possession recently - he likes to hide all sorts of things in his fur - and I’ve been trying hard to find this place to return them. I would like to offer my deepest apologies and hope that you accept them.”
“You should damn well be sorry,” Nino growled. “Because of this Munchlax, Jun nearly didn’t-”
He was stopped by Ohno, who had crossed over and picked up the cutlery, looking at them lovingly.
“Oh!” Ohno said happily. “I thought I’d never get them back, I’m so glad! Thank you so much for bringing them back.” He smiled at Sho, who smiled back in relief.
“I’m just glad that I could return them. I believe there might have been some food together with it, but that has long gone into Munchlax’s stomach. If there was any way I could make it up to you…”
Nino’s eyes lit up and you could almost see dollar signs reflected in them. He beckoned towards a chair. “Why don’t you take a seat while we work things out, hmm?”
While Sho made himself comfortable, Jun appeared bearing a round silver tray. “Please, try some of our new Razz Berry madeleines. They’re fresh from the oven.” He smiled and set them down in front of Sho.
Completely bedazzled by Jun, Sho picked one up and was about to bite into it when the rest of the plate was practically vacuumed away by Munchlax.
“Munchlax!! That’s rude!” Sho reprimanded. Munchlax showed absolutely no signs of remorse, instead licking its lips and looking at the last cake that Sho was holding. Sho quickly stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, and immediately his head reeled back in bliss.
“Mmff… so… dewishus,” he managed. Jun’s face remained cool, but his eyes betrayed his amusement. “I’m glad you like it.”
Sho made a huge effort to swallow. “Can… can I get some more to take back with me?”
Nino cut in. “Sure, I’ll just add that to the bill.”
Sho was so happy that he agreed and paid everything that Nino asked. As he left the café with a box of the madeleines swinging from his arm, Jun’s eyes didn’t leave the retreating figures till they were out of sight.
Nino nudged him, grinning. “He’ll come back, don’t worry. Your cakes are more potent than love potions.”
~*~*~*~
True to Nino’s words, Sakurai Sho did indeed come back, with Munchlax at his side. He came back the next week, and every week after that Jun found himself waiting for their visit.
It turned out that both the Pokémon and trainer were big eaters. Sho was especially appreciative of Jun’s food, voicing his delight and pleasure every time he tried something new. He would then stay till the café closed for the day, after which he would have a chat with the three people who worked there.
Ohno was especially happy about this as Sho was closer to his age, and could talk to him about things which the other two couldn’t really relate to. He also had someone to talk to while the two younger guys (and Aiba) went off to play with their game console, and as much as he didn’t like to admit it, he did get lonely at times.
During some of these chats, Ohno learnt more about Sho. Sho was the heir of an extremely well-to-do and influential family, which explained his exquisite dressing and polite manner. Other than Munchlax, he also had another Pokémon at home, which had been a gift from his father. However, Sho didn’t like to bring this Pokémon out much, preferring instead to just walk with Munchlax. He would still take home some of the treats from the café for this Pokémon and visit it frequently, though.
Between Sho’s visits, the other four wondered about what this mystery Pokémon might be.
“It’s probably very strong!” Aiba’s eyes shone. “His dad is so rich, after all.”
“Maybe he just wants to take more food home and came up with this mystery Pokémon so that he doesn’t seem greedy,” Nino suggested, earning himself a smack from Jun.
“I think he must have a reason not to bring it out or talk about it,” Ohno said slowly. “We’ll find out when he’s ready to tell us.”
~*~*~*~
At Sakurai Manor…
“Young Master, your steed is ready.” Sho’s butler bowed and opened the door for him.
“I would like to walk with Munchlax today.” Sho’s voice was cold.
“Young Master, it is on the wishes of His Lordship Sakurai-sama that you at least ride Salamence out once in a while. His Lordship meant it as a gift for you to be able to travel freely and swiftly when you wish.”
“Be that as it may, a gift is a gift, and the recipient may choose what to do with it.” Sho was firm. “However, I will bring it along so that it may see the sunlight and walk with me – it deserves at least that.”
Salamence’s Pokéball was brought to him on a red velvet cushion, and Sho picked it up and attached it to his waist.
“Don’t wait up for me.” With that, Sho set off towards the café with Munchlax at his heels.
~*~*~*~
When they were nearing the lawn of the café, Sho let Salamence out of its Pokéball.
“Salamence, look, this is the place where they make those treats that you love. You can fly about for a bit while Munchlax and I go in, alright? Don’t go too far.”
Salamence nodded, stretched its wings and zoomed up into the clear blue sky.
Sho and Munchlax passed the familiar Jirachi statue on the front lawn, and Sho paused. He went over to it and made a wish before entering the café, which by now seemed like a second home to him.
They were having their second plate of Oran Berry cookies when a shriek sounded from outside.
Sho rushed out together with the café’s staff. Jun was on the old, weather-beaten roof of the café, where he had been painting. A group of wild Zubat who had been nesting nearby had been disturbed by the smell and the sound of the paint tins, and they were attacking him.
“Honchkrow, go help Jun!” Nino sent it out in a flash of light. It flew up and started fending off the Zubat, but there were too many and it couldn’t attack without the fear of hitting Jun. Ohno sent his Combee too, but it was more suited for Honey gathering than battling, and it quickly fell to the super effective Wing Attacks of the Zubat. Jun was being pushed nearer and nearer to the edge of the roof.
“We don’t have any more Flying-type Pokémon! What shall we do?”
Sho quickly put two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. A tiny speck in the sky grew steadily larger, and everybody saw that it was a Salamence. It headed straight for Sho and landed in front of him.
“Salamence, we need to save Jun!” Sho cried. He took a few calming breaths before getting on, one trembling leg at a time. There’s no time to waste! He told himself. Jun’s in trouble!
Salamence’s wings beat eagerly and the two of them ascended to the level of the roof, with Sho’s eyes tightly shut. Don’t look down, don’t look down…
The two of them reached the edge of the roof in record time, and Sho risked a peek. Jun was about to fall!
Sho manoeuvred Salamence to a spot beside Jun, and caught him as he fell. He commanded Salamence to use Scary Face to slow down the Zubat, and the three of them made their way back to solid ground.
When the two men got off Salamence’s back, a blanket was wrapped around Jun’s shoulders for shock, and some hot chocolate was passed around.
“Sho-chan, why have you never brought this magnificent beast here?” Aiba, who had passed by and came in during the commotion, was rubbing Salamence’s head and feeding it the remains of the cookies from Sho’s plate. Salamence gobbled them up in the blink of an eye.
“I’m… afraid of heights,” Sho admitted, looking down. “Actually, Salamence was a gift from my father. He wanted me to use Salamence to Fly everywhere so that I could travel more efficiently. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it even though Salamence really wanted to… I was too scared and selfish.”
“Honestly, Sho, you could’ve told us!” Nino chided. “We could’ve done something to help. What are friends for?”
“I would have… Eventually…” Sho couldn’t have looked more embarrassed. Seeing this, Jun came by and gave the poor man a hug. “Thank you so much for saving me, especially when it took so much courage to get onto Salamence and Fly up like that.”
Sho blushed an even deeper shade of red, and he was saved by Ohno cutting in with a delicious-smelling Wepear Berry tart. “Well, let’s have a celebratory party!”
~*~*~*~
After the festivities had died down and the café had closed for the night, Sho and Jun found themselves sitting together side by side on the lawn, looking at the stars.
“I guess you can Fly now, then?” Jun murmured.
“…I’ll have to work at it… but if I can Fly, I can come back here more often, right?” And I won’t have to wait so long to see you every time…
“I’d like that.”
The moments flew by and before long, Sho stood up. “I’m going to have to go back home, or they’ll worry about me.” He glanced longingly at the building, and at Jun, before getting back on Salamence and disappearing with a wave. Jun slowly walked back to the café.
As the door closed, the bushes at the edge of the lawn rustled while three people stretched their cramped limbs.
“I told you they weren’t going to kiss yet! Now pay up.” Nino nudged Aiba, who reluctantly took out his wallet. Ohno just smiled at their antics.
~The Last Wish~
“Aiba-chan..?” It was one of Ohno’s rest days, and he was lying under a tree next to Aiba. The latter was looking up and the sky and smiling, more relaxed than Ohno had ever seen him.
“Yeah?” Aiba said dreamily.
“You know how our friends at the café all had their wishes and they got granted recently?”
“Mmhm?”
“It made me wonder… if Aiba-chan has a wish too.” Ohno thought Aiba probably wasn’t listening, but he sensed that Aiba suddenly stiffened. It was only for a second though, and Ohno wasn’t sure if he had just imagined it.
“…Yeah. I do.” Aiba said slowly.
“You do?” Ohno waited for more elaboration, but none came.
“Ne, how about you, Oh-chan?” Aiba turned the question back on Ohno. “Do you have a wish?”
“Me?” Ohno thought about it. “Yeah, actually, I did have a few.” He grinned.
“Remember the day Nino broke in? That day I actually wished for someone to help me with my accounts. And Nino came in. Then when I wished for someone to help me in the kitchen, Jun came, and he’s such a wonderful cook.” Ohno paused, reminiscing about the amazing flavours of the food that Jun prepared. “And then I wished for a friend around my age to talk to, because you guys are so young, and Sho came.”
Aiba found himself asking, “Is that all?”
“It’s already a lot, Aiba-chan. Some people who come here never even get their wishes granted. And isn’t three like the standard number of wishes?”
“Hmm…” Aiba was deep in thought, and Ohno found that face extremely cute. Heck, he found everything about Aiba extremely endearing.
I do have one last wish, Ohno realised. I want Aiba-chan to be happy forever.
“But they had their own wishes which were granted too, right?” Aiba mused. “Like Nino wanted to change his life from poverty, Jun wanted to find a Pokémon who wasn’t afraid of him, and Sho-chan wanted to cure his fear of heights.”
“Maybe your wish will be granted too, Aiba-chan.”
“Maybe.” There wasn’t anything more to be said, so they continued looking up at the sky and relaxing in silence.
~*~*~*~
Things hadn’t always been like this, Ohno mused. Every year, without fail, he would have spent all the important holidays alone – at the busiest times when couples would flood the café with wishes for their relationships to last, as well as hopeful singles who would inevitably meet the person of their dreams amidst the crush of people. He would serve them with a smile as always, hiding his loneliness behind a mask of happiness for others.
Sure, he would have his Pokémon, but it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t completely understand them when they spoke – they’d just say their names over and over, anyway – but overall, it was just this inexplicable feeling that there must be something more.
This year, he finally knew what more was.
He cast a satisfied glance around at the Christmas decorations that everyone was giving a hand in putting up – Sho passing baubles to Jun, who was standing on a ladder and decorating a giant tree, while Nino directed Honchkrow in twisting the tinsel in the rafters, and Aiba and Teddiursa decorating a gingerbread house. Or rather, they were trying to, but Munchlax had eaten one and a half walls and the chimney and didn’t look like it was about to stop.
“Sho-chan, can you control your Pokémon here? We’re trying to decorate!” Aiba called out as he eyed Munchlax, desperately protecting the remains of the house.
“I’m so sorry, Aiba-chan! Munchlax, return!” Sho called Munchlax back into its Pokéball, while Aiba tried to salvage what was left of the gingerbread creation. Ohno went over to help.
“It doesn’t look too bad… We can maybe stick some pieces together with Honey?” Aiba balanced a few pieces optimistically as Ohno painted them with the sticky golden liquid, but they toppled once he let go. Ohno laughed softly, and told him, “I’ll go bake more walls.”
“Can we have a balcony too?” Aiba called after his retreating figure. “And a tower? Let’s make a castle!”
“Sure thing, Aiba-chan.” Aiba couldn’t see it, but he was sure Ohno was smiling.
~*~*~*~
As Ohno rolled out the thick brown dough, the sunny smile that Aiba gave moments ago lingered in his mind, and brought it back to the days of the past.
Ohno had always had the best packed lunches back when he was in school with Aiba. His parents always sent him off in the morning with new items that they were trying out for the menu, and he would share them with Aiba, whose family wasn’t that well off. The smile that he gave was the same exact beam of sunshine that Aiba would give to Ohno every lunchtime when he unwrapped the new surprise of the day, whether it was Belue Berry muffins or Lava Cookies with an added Tamato kick.
In return for the food, Aiba would provide them with the best care tips for their Pokémon, so that the Ohno home-and-café was filled with love and high quality Pokémon products. That was one of the parts of Aiba that Ohno had grown to admire and love - how Aiba loved Pokémon without question, and always seemed to know what they needed. Because of this, he had a great passion and enthusiasm for his work as a Pokémon breeder, and all the Pokémon at the Day Care did their best for him as well to grow stronger quickly.
Other than Pokémon, Aiba also got around really well with people – everyone loved him within the first twenty seconds of meeting him. He just made everyone around him feel warm and happy, and Ohno smiled at the fuzzy feeling warming his belly at the thought.
Ohno’s thoughts were interrupted by Nino, who smacked his shoulder lightly, saying "You're making gingerbread walls, not pancakes, old man!"
Ohno looked down and realised that he'd rolled the dough until it was almost see-through, and chuckled sheepishly before gathering it up to re-roll it. But Nino wasn't done yet. He leaned on the table to interrogate the older man.
"You're thinking about Aiba-shi, aren’t you?"
"Ehh?" Ohno was taken aback. "How did you know?"
"It's not that hard," Nino gave a laugh. "You kind of light up whenever you see him, you know? And you always have his Teddiursa's favourite Honey stocked up."
"My Combee gathers a lot," Ohno protested weakly.
"But it's not just pure Combee Honey," Nino persisted. "It's got a special blend of Berry extracts mixed in as well. And don't tell me you use it for your customers," here Nino shot him a look, "because you don't."
Ohno practically wilted. "Well..."
"Don't just think about him. Do something." With that, Nino turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving Ohno staring after him openmouthed.
~*~*~*~
Ohno returned to the front room with a mountain of gingerbread on a tray, and found Aiba watching Jun and Sho wistfully. The latter two were admiring the tree and having a conversation sprinkled with soft laughter. Upon closer inspection, Ohno saw their hands were, subtly but undeniably, linked.
“They’re so cute together,” Aiba mumbled as he turned back to the gingerbread.
“Yeah,” Ohno agreed. And we could be too, he wanted to add, but somehow his tongue got caught in a tangle of nervousness and all that came out was a tiny grunt. To cover it up, he began to help Aiba as well.
Slowly, under Ohno’s skilled hands and Aiba’s eager ones, the pile of gingerbread took on the form of a small castle with decorations piped on in royal icing. The entire thing was dusted in a layer of icing sugar snow and tiny marzipan Pokémon were scattered around its base.
“This is the best gingerbread house I’ve ever had for the café, Aiba-chan,” Ohno smiled. “Thank you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Aiba’s eyes sparkled back shyly.
They leaned closer, unconsciously, slowly, excruciatingly, tantalisingly. Ohno felt his eyes flutter shut, waiting for something that never came.
“Hey, that’s a great gingerbread castle, Aiba-chan, Oh-chan!” Sho burst in between them for a closer look, deeply inhaling the sweet, gingery flavour. “Smells amazing, too!”
Moments later, Jun dragged him away, but the moment was gone. In the background, Nino covered his face with both hands in exasperation.
~*~*~*~
Day slowly ticked into night, and finally all the customers had left and the doors had been shut.
Everyone had barely spoken all day in the rush to serve the mad Christmas crowd, and now they stood at their own little party, with the dim lighting and the music softly playing in the background. Jun and Sho were swaying to the notes of the slow waltz, having eyes only for each other, and Aiba and Ohno were standing at the drinks table, frothy mugs in their hands.
“Hey, this eggnog is really good,” Aiba licked away his white moustache, and Ohno suddenly wanted to do it for him.
“Yeah, Jun-kun made it with Chansey’s eggs.” Ohno looked into the white depths of his mug and wondered how much he would have to drink to get himself drunk enough to confess. There wasn’t nearly enough, he decided, and raised the mug to his lips. As he swallowed, he made eye contact with Nino, who happened to be coming back from the bathroom, and gave a small shake of his head. Nino merely pointed an elbow towards the dance floor.
“Um, Aiba-chan,” Ohno couldn’t believe he was doing this. Was it something in the drink giving him confidence? “Would you like to dance?”
Aiba agreed readily and the two of them walked to a spot near Sho and Jun. Truth be told, neither of them had had much experience before that night, and so they started out swaying gently to the music, Aiba’s hands on Ohno’s shoulders and Ohno’s around Aiba’s ribs. After a while, they got more adventurous, and started trying out some spins and turns.
“This is fun,” Aiba giggled. “No wonder Sho-chan and Jun-kun like it so much.”
Slowly, they moved closer and closer to each other, until Ohno was able to almost lean his head on Aiba’s shoulder. The proximity filled Ohno with more confidence and security, and he asked the question he wanted answered the most.
“What’s your wish, Aiba-chan? You didn’t tell me,” Ohno whispered. Whatever it was, Ohno was ready to do all he could to make it happen.
Aiba froze momentarily, and Ohno could have kicked himself for ruining the mood. Nothing short of a miracle could rescue that situation, and it sort of did.
A feathery flapping came from above their heads, and they looked up to see Honchkrow above them, holding a fresh green sprig with a dash of white berries in its claws.
“Mistletoe,” said Aiba in wonder. He got no further as he found his lips covered by another soft, warm pair. Ohno kissed him gently, and paused for his reaction.
Aiba giggled, and pressed their lips together again.
“It’s already come true, Oh-chan.”
~END~
Below is a list of Pokémon-related terms used in this fic, with links to their Bulbapedia articles!
*Types of Berries*
-Belue, based on blueberry
-Cheri, based on cherry
-Custap, based on custard apple
-Durin, based on durian
-Nanab, based on banana
-Nomel, based on lemon
-Oran, based on orange
-Razz, based on raspberry
-Tamato, based on tomato
-Watmel, based on watermelon
-Wepear, based on western pear
*Pokemon*
-Chansey
-Combee
-Happiny
-Honchkrow
-Jirachi
-Machamp
-Miltank
-Munchlax
-Murkrow
-Purugly
-Salamence
-Teddiursa
-Zubat
*Attacks*
-Defense Curl
-Fly
-Night Slash
-Rollout
-Seismic Toss
*Food and Drinks*
-Fresh Water
-Honey
-Lava Cookie
-Lemonade
-Moomoo Milk
-Old Gateau
-Poffin
*Miscellaneous*
-Nurse Joy
-Pokédex
-Pokémon Centre
-Pokémon Egg
-Safari Zone
Pairings: Tennen, side Sakumoto
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set in the Pokémon world. There are links to bulbapedia articles at the end for those who aren't familiar with some of the terms ^^
Summary: Ohno runs a café where people come to make wishes, and he has some of his own...
Author's notes: Dear
coolohoh , your requests really sparked many ideas in my head, and I just took one and ran with it. I hope you enjoy it! Also, many thanks to my wonderfully prompt beta, and the amazing people in the fandom whom I got to know along the way! ^^Somewhere far away, deep in the mists of time and space, a weather-worn Jirachi statue stood on a lawn. It had been handed down through the generations of Ohno Satoshi’s great-great-many-times-great-grandfather together with the family café, which stood beside it. The name of the café, Wish Café, drew its origins from this statue.
Through the big glass window in the front, one could see neat rows of different types of bread loaves and buns all arranged lovingly on the shelves, as well as a few tables and chairs. There were living quarters for the family behind, but everyone had grown up and moved out, so Ohno currently was the sole occupier of the café.
He had arranged the café with the intent of making a space where the people and Pokémon in this small town could bond, relax, and recover from any battles they had taken part in. So far, it had served his purpose well – many customers had left with smiles on their faces and a glowing aura that hadn’t been there before they’d come in. Everyone knew that this café was the place to go to for rest and recovery. Some even came to eat here before important battles, to increase their rapport with their Pokémon. Most of all, people flocked to make wishes on the statue, in hopes of having them come true. The wishes seemed to be pretty hit-or-miss, but no one ever regretted trying the food once they were there.
Ohno prepared everything from scratch every day, with Berries from his Berry patch, Honey from his Combee and Moomoo Milk from his Miltank. For other ingredients that weren’t readily available, he would get them from Aiba Masaki, the smiling delivery man who turned up punctually every morning and evening.
Aiba-chan, as Ohno called him, worked a couple of jobs to make ends meet. He would deliver groceries to Ohno and other customers while simultaneously helping to hatch eggs for renowned Pokémon breeders. On most days, he could be seen riding around the region on his old green bicycle, the delivery box bumping gently on the back, and his Teddiursa smiling contentedly in the front basket.
There wasn’t a day that went by when Ohno didn’t see him smile, and it was especially refreshing to see him after groups of discontented, disillusioned people visited to make a wish to the Jirachi statue. Even though Ohno benefited from the business, he hoped that more people could be content with what they had. Ohno would rather see them work hard to get what they want, rather than coming all the way to the café and pinning their hopes on a wish that might not even come true.
If he had to be honest, however, he would admit that he had a few wishes himself.
~The First Wish~
Even though Ohno loved almost everything about running the café, there was one thing he really didn’t enjoy, and that was doing his accounts. He had managed to scrape by in the past, but what with inflation and taxes and such, he was close to throwing in the towel this month. The Berry crop had been poorer due to the recent drought, and he could never figure out where all his money was going despite selling out his food every day.
One day, after the last customer and his Pokémon had been sent off with bellies full of food, Ohno sat at his desk in front of a pile of papers to sort out and calculate, and thought to himself: How I wish someone else could help me with this. He then shook his head and reminded himself that wishes weren’t to be taken lightly.
The warm amber light from the sunset flooded in from the window, and Ohno decided to take a break from the pile of paper on his desk. He was feeding Miltank with some Fresh Water from the refrigerator when a gust of wind blew in.
Strange, Ohno thought. I must have left a window open.
He went out to the landing. From the top of the stairs, he saw a young man dressed in black picking up and stashing a few loaves in his coat. A Honchkrow was perched on the window behind him, and it began to call out when it noticed Ohno’s presence.
“Ahh!” Startled, the young man made a dash for the exit, only to be blocked by Ohno’s Miltank, which had rushed down the stairs and cut off his escape route. Seeing no other way, he commanded Honchkrow to attack.
“Night Slash!” Honchkrow slashed out at Miltank, and it staggered back with a cry.
However, Ohno’s Pokémon weren’t just for show. “Defense Curl! Then Rollout!”
Miltank curled up and started rolling towards Honchkrow, who dodged it with Fly. Ohno commanded Miltank to use Milk Drink to prepare for the hit from Fly. Miltank then used Rollout again to hit Honchkrow. It was a critical hit, and Honchkrow fluttered to the ground.
“Honchkrow!” The young man ran over to the fallen Pokémon. “I’ll get you to a Pokémon Centre right away! I’ll…”
“You’ll do no such thing until you tell me why you were stealing from me.” Ohno stood over the two, arms crossed and waiting.
The intruder looked up defiantly and replied, “I’ve been living in the streets for a while now. I heard about this place and came to make a wish to see if it could change things for me and Honchkrow. Someone like you with a big place such as this wouldn’t know what it’s like to be poor, and I thought you wouldn’t miss a bit of bread.”
“No matter what, stealing is wrong!” Ohno couldn’t help feeling indignant. “I myself am not rich, I’m having money troubles as well and I hate doing accounts because I feel poorer every time I see that pile of papers.”
“However,” Ohno continued, “I’m not one who will see someone in need and not help. I’ll bring you and your Honchkrow to the Pokémon Centre first, and after that we’ll see what to do about your breaking and entering.”
He let the intruder pick up his Honchkrow and escorted him out of the front door after leaving a note for Aiba and locking up.
~*~*~*~
Ohno didn’t have a car. He had simply not felt the need to drive when he was pretty much self-sufficient within the café. In fact, he hadn’t left the place in years. It turned out to be pretty inconvenient, though, when he had to walk the intruder to the Pokémon Centre.
“Come on, old man!” The young man gestured impatiently. “I haven’t got all day!”
He was understandably jumpy – they’d have to get to the Pokémon Centre without risking further damage to his Pokémon, and it was getting dark. Ohno was busy marvelling at the beautiful dusky hues and scenes outside, and this made him walk more slowly than usual. This gave him plenty of time to find out about the intruder, though.
Nino, as Ohno had found out was his name, had lived on the streets after escaping from a couple of cruel foster parents. The Honchkrow was the only friend he had ever had, and brought him shiny things it picked up, while Nino fed it crumbs that he had saved from whatever scraps were on the table. He had saved it from the claws of his foster mother’s Purugly when it was a Murkrow, and it followed him everywhere once it recovered.
At the Pokémon Centre, Nino couldn’t keep still on the couch in the reception area while Nurse Joy took his Honchkrow to the back. Ohno couldn’t blame him, and seeing how worried the younger man was about his Pokémon touched something in Ohno’s heart. He noticed how pale and hungry Nino looked, and offered him a piece of the bread that the latter had been trying to steal earlier. Nino tore it in half, and wolfed one piece down, keeping the other piece intact. Ohno guessed it was for Honchkrow, seeing that Nino controlled himself despite being so hungry that he could easily have finished all that bread and then some. He thought to himself that Nino couldn’t be all that bad.
Ohno was lost in thought about how he could help this poor man – in Ohno’s reasoning, if he didn’t really need help, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal bread – when suddenly, the Pokémon Centre doors crashed open and a battered green bicycle screeched to a halt. A Teddiursa climbed down from the basket and toddled over to snuggle its face into Ohno’s knees while the rider kicked open the bicycle stand before rushing over to Ohno.
“Oh-chan!” The newest arrival yelled excitedly. “I saw your note and came as fast as I could!”
He noticed Nino sitting opposite, anxiously glancing at the counter for a glimpse of his Pokémon, and asked in a more subdued tone, “Oh-chan, is this the guy who broke into - mmph!” He was stopped by Ohno’s hand, clamping it over his mouth.
“Shh, Aiba-chan, there’s no need to let everyone know.”
Aiba removed Ohno’s hand from his face. “But Oh-chan..!”
“I know what I’m doing.”
He peeled Teddiursa off his legs and got up to address Nino.
“Nino, would you like to come work at Wish Café?”
“Eh?” Both of the other men stared at Ohno in pure confusion.
“Well, you have to pay for all the damages you caused in the battle, and the bread you stole,” Ohno said matter-of-factly. “Plus, there’s a lot of space at the Café, and you don’t have anywhere else to go, right?”
Nino could only nod speechlessly, hot tears pricking at the back of his eyes.
After Nurse Joy brought Honchkrow out, Nino gave it the bread and the good news, and the three of them set off back to the café while Aiba pedalled his bicycle back home, Teddiursa yawning its head off after all the excitement had passed.
~*~*~*~
During the first few days while Nino adjusted to life at the Café, Aiba was still a little distrustful of Nino because of the breaking in incident, but he gradually warmed up to Nino. Anyone who loved Pokémon as much as Nino loved Honchkrow couldn’t be all that bad. Even Teddiursa started to greet him with a hug around the knees. Beneath his cold and calculating exterior, Nino had a big heart.
However, Ohno had a little trouble finding things for Nino to do. To be honest, Nino was rubbish in the kitchen. Having lived off scraps for most of his life, his taste buds “couldn’t tell the difference between hand-cooked and microwaved food” as he put it himself. He wasn’t much better at serving customers because he couldn’t remember who ordered what, so Ohno decided to take a leap of faith and put him in charge of the cashier till, despite Aiba’s misgivings on the matter.
He hadn’t realised just how much Nino loved money. Even more than a Meowth, he decided. If there was a list of things Nino loved, Honchkrow would be at the top, and money would be a close second. With Nino in charge of the money going in and out, the till filled up rapidly and Ohno could set his mind more at ease. When it came to doing accounts, it was a breeze because Nino knew exactly where each and every penny went.
They earned so much that Nino was able to use his savings to buy a game console, and he invited Aiba over to play on their free days, as Ohno “didn’t go for these new-fangled things”.
When Ohno heard their laughter from the gaming room one day, his curiosity led him to peek in at the door. The expressions of utter joy on their faces sent a surge of warmth into Ohno’s heart and made him smile. Nino’s youthful glee and Aiba’s radiation of pure sunshine - it was like the two of them were alone in the world and conquering it together.
The thought suddenly made his heart ache. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Was he feeling left out, or was it jealousy? Who was he jealous of?
His thoughts were interrupted by Miltank butting his arm – it was milking time.
Ohno patted his Miltank thoughtfully. “Well, at least they’re having fun.”
He brought Miltank to the milking shed and left the two guys playing together, completely unaware that someone had been looking at them.
~The Second Wish~
“Welcome to Wish Café! What can I get for you?”
Nino’s voice rang out from his post behind the cashier counter, while Ohno bustled about in the kitchen. Yet another customer, Ohno told himself, mentally sighing before catching himself. It wasn’t like him to be unhappy about having customers. However, he had been feeling more tired lately, and secretly wished that there was someone else to help with the cooking and serving.
There had been a marked increase in the number of customers after Nino started working there, though the new customers were mostly girls who came to look at Nino and giggle and blush and whisper among themselves and try to “accidentally” touch his hand while paying for their food. Ohno was a little annoyed, but Nino dealt with it well, reassuring Ohno that “it’s just business, old man!” (Ohno snorted, thinking that Nino wasn’t the one who had to serve them at their tables, but left it at that.)
Ohno supposed it was just another of these girls who had come in, but it was a man’s voice.
“I’d like a piece of Old Gateau, please, and some Lemonade.”
“Coming right up, sir.”
Nino relayed the order to Ohno, who prepared it and brought it out. When he saw the new customer, he was momentarily stunned by the customer’s elegance and strong facial features, but also because of the deep loneliness he saw within. He noticed also that the customer didn’t have any Pokémon with him – an unusual sight.
Ohno placed the food and drink on the table with an “Enjoy your meal, sir,” and returned to the kitchen. He expected the customer to maybe just make his wish at the Jirachi statue and then leave, like everyone else did.
That was why it was such a surprise that this customer didn’t leave. Instead, he sat there until closing time, long after the final crumbs of his Old Gateau were washed down with the last mouthful of Lemonade. Everyone else had left and the sun was setting outside, displaying another beautiful sunset that Ohno mentally made a note to paint.
“Sir? We’re closing soon.” Nino approached the man, who seemed to snap out of a daze.
“I’m so sorry, is that the time already? Here’s the money for the food, thank you.”
He started to get up, and was stopped by Ohno.
“Sir, I couldn’t help but notice that you seem quite unhappy… is there anything we can do to help?”
The customer started to shake his head, but he seemed to be suddenly overwhelmed with his emotion, and the words just flowed from his mouth. “My name is Jun, and, well… Pokémon hate me.”
He poured out his story of how every Pokémon he’d ever met just didn’t like him. Some ran away from him, some attacked, and some just ignored him. He didn’t have a Pokémon partner like everyone else. He was even let go from his last job because the Pokémon couldn’t get along with him.
There was a sudden sniffling sound coming from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Aiba trying hard not to cry (and failing just a little bit). He had arrived on his evening rounds and heard most of Jun’s sad story, and it touched him deeply.
Ohno instinctively went over to Aiba and rubbed his back to soothe him, like he’d done every time Aiba got overly emotional. Although Aiba never liked to admit that he cried, the back rubs really helped.
After everyone had calmed down, they noticed that the Pokémon really were scared of Jun. Teddiursa was trembling behind Aiba’s long legs and Miltank and Honchkrow were keeping their distance. Combee was back at the hive, so it was spared from the scene.
“Why though?” Ohno scratched his head, bemused.
“I think they’re scared of his eyebrows.” Nino pointed out.
“We need to find a Pokémon that’s friendly and not easily scared,” Aiba pondered.
““We”?” Jun noticed the usage of the pronoun. “Would you guys really be willing to help me?” Hope shone in his eyes.
“Of course!”
~*~*~*~
The group had gathered that night to discuss a plan of action, and Jun and Aiba were going to stay over. Ohno and Nino had decided to take a few days off to bring Jun to the Safari Zone since he didn’t have any Pokémon to start with, and Aiba had wanted to tag along, saying that Teddiursa wanted a break and he’d saved up quite a bit anyway.
“So the first thing you need to do is maybe get some Pokémon food as bait.” Aiba unrolled a plan he’d written out earlier, with some colourful illustrations on the side, for everyone at the table to see.
“What’s this here? ‘Mirror Man’?” Jun peered at something that looked suspiciously like an angular grey blob.
“That’s so that you can go near to them without them seeing you! You cover yourself in mirrors, and you’ll effectively be invisible!” Aiba explained excitedly while Nino rolled his eyes, but in a way that Aiba wouldn’t notice. As much as he felt that Aiba’s ideas were ridiculous, he didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings, and he seemed so enthusiastic.
“But if they can’t see him, how will they make friends with him?”
“It’s just so that they don’t get scared off by his eyebrows first!” Aiba protested, then realised what he’d just said. “Sorry, Jun, I didn’t mean it that way…”
“It’s okay, I get that a lot.” The younger man shrugged it off. “So, you were saying about food?”
“Yeah, if there’s one thing I know about Pokémon, it’s that they love their food! Teddiursa searches for Honey everywhere he goes, don’t you, baby?” He stroked the top of Teddiursa’s head lovingly. It snuggled closer to Aiba while still keeping a wary eye on Jun.
“Food, huh…” Jun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“It depends on what kind of Pokémon you’re going for, though. But to be safe, Poffins work on just about any Pokémon!”
“We can make Poffins in the morning, I just got a fresh batch of berries growing nicely.” Ohno chipped in.
“Thank you all so much!” Jun’s eyes got a little wet and his voice trembled slightly with emotion. “I don’t know how to thank you enough, especially helping some random guy who happened to turn up. By the way, the Old Gateau was delicious.”
He was interrupted by a friendly punch on the arm from Nino, who was grinning. “Nah, you can thank us later when you actually get your Pokémon.”
~*~*~*~
Ohno and Nino woke up to the smell of freshly-made pancakes drifting deliciously through the café. The kitchen door opened, revealing Jun in a frilly pink apron, carrying stacks of pancakes to the dining table.
“Ohno-san, I took the liberty of making breakfast for you all. I found this apron hanging in a cupboard nearby, I hope you don’t mind…”
“That’s my mom’s old apron, she’ll be glad it’s still being used.” Ohno smiled. “The food smells really good!” He took a big sniff. “I’m going to have to ask you for the recipe after all this.”
Jun smiled shyly. “Sure, I’ll give it to you later.”
At that moment, Aiba galloped down the stairs with Teddiursa behind him.
“Wow! Are those pancakes? I think they’ll be perfect with Moomoo Milk and fresh Honey! Oh hey, Jun-kun, you look great in that apron!”
Jun blushed at the comment, and Ohno suddenly had a fleeting thought that he’d like to try wearing a pink frilly apron too, but he firmly squashed that thought in his mind. He had a perfectly good (and rather manlier) blue apron after all… He shook his head to clear it and sat down at the table to enjoy the food with everybody.
It tasted as good as it smelled, and there wasn’t a single crumb left on anyone’s plates. Everyone sat back with a contented sigh, before Aiba reminded everyone of the mission for the day.
“Poffin time!” Nino went out of the room and brought in a basket of fresh Berries. Watmel, Durin, Belue, Nomel, Tamato… It seemed that every possible flavour was in that basket.
There was a hiss from the centre of the table as Ohno switched on the portable stove and set a huge bubbling pot on it. Everyone picked a Berry each and tossed it in, and pretty soon the air was filled with the smells of different flavoured Poffins – sweet, sour, dry, spicy and bitter. Aiba snuck a few to Teddiursa under the table, and soon everyone was feeding their Pokémon their favourite Poffins. Everyone, that is, except Jun. He looked a little sad, but also resigned to his fate.
Nino noticed this and whistled his Honchkrow over.
“Here, Jun, put the Poffins in your hands and hold them out like this.” He demonstrated, and Honchkrow ate from his hands. “Now you try, Jun, Honchkrow likes the sour ones best.”
Jun nervously held out his yellow Poffins and Honchkrow warily sidled over, before eating the offered treats. The expression on Jun’s face morphed from trepidation to delight as he finally experienced feeding a Pokémon with his own hands, and Honchkrow even nuzzled Jun’s hands a little after it was done, to say thanks.
From the other side of the table, Ohno watched and smiled. He knew Jun’s cooking skills were amazing from the way he handled the Poffin dough, as well as the evidence from the breakfast this morning. Maybe it would be good enough to get Jun a Pokémon partner. And maybe, Ohno hummed thoughtfully, a new job.
~*~*~*~
After packing the freshly prepared Poffins and picnic lunches in their backpacks – everything seemed to fit inside magically – the four of them set off in the direction of the Safari Zone. They chatted as they walked, and Jun seemed to be especially in high spirits.
“This is so exciting! I wonder what kind of Pokémon we’ll meet!” Aiba chirped.
Jun paid the entrance fee and obtained 30 Safari Balls to use in the Safari Game. The others were allowed to tag along as long as they didn’t use their own Pokémon when inside the Safari Zone. Normally, trainers’ own Pokémon weren’t allowed within the Safari Zone, but with the combined puppy eyes of Aiba, Teddiursa, Nino, and Ohno, they were allowed in, “just this once”.
Jun’s first few Safari Balls disappeared quickly due to his inexperience and bad luck – the Pokémon would always break free and then flee almost immediately. The Poffins did prevent some Pokémon from fleeing too quickly, but they also made them more difficult to catch, and groans rose up from the team every time a Safari Ball bounced uselessly off a Pokémon, or a Pokémon broke free.
The rest were as encouraging as they could be, but the continuous failed attempts slowly whittled away their optimism. Even Aiba was struggling to keep a smile as Jun was down to his last three Safari Balls. Jun was beginning to reconsider his decision to reject the Mirror Man costume.
“Let’s stop for a rest!” Ohno suggested and they found a place to sit down. Digging into his backpack, Ohno took out the picnic lunch he had prepared – spicy Tamato Berry curry with rice and Custap Berry croquettes, followed by a Nanab Berry cream pie for dessert.
“Wow, Oh-chan is the best~!” Aiba exclaimed with delight. Ohno tried hard not to blush.
Suddenly, a dark teal shape advanced towards them from far away. The four of them heard thudding sounds that grew louder and louder, and in the blink of an eye, a Munchlax was upon them. It ran away with their picnic before they could react.
Nino was the first to recover, and he immediately threw out his Pokéball, shouting “Honchkrow, Pursuit!”
Honchkrow shot out and was hot on the heels of the Munchlax, gaining on it while the rest struggled to catch up. It managed to weaken the Munchlax enough to slow it down while the rest caught up. Panting, Jun threw a Safari Ball at the Munchlax, but it swatted the ball away with one paw.
“Ehhh?” Jun couldn’t believe his eyes. He prepared to throw another ball, but an authoritative voice rang out from behind them.
“You guys! You’re not allowed to use your own Pokémon in here. I’m going to have to eject you from the premises.”
Just as the four of them were catching their breath, the Safari Ranger commanded his Machamp to use Seismic Toss. Seizing one in each arm, the Machamp effortlessly threw them out of the Safari Zone, where they landed safely on a patch of soft grass grown especially for the purpose of cushioning the fall of ejected people.
After they had all recovered their senses, Nino turned to Jun, saying, “I’m sorry. It was my fault that they threw you out, you could have gotten a Pokémon if I hadn’t interfered…”
Jun shook his head and replied, “I don’t think so. Don’t worry, you were just trying to save our lunch, and I would have done the same if I had been in your position.”
They were interrupted by a loud cracking sound coming from Aiba’s backpack.
“Oh, no!” Aiba cried. He unzipped the backpack and took a peek.
“What is it?” Everyone crowded around.
“It’s an egg I was incubating for my job! I can’t believe I could have forgotten to take it out before today! And now it’s hatching!” Aiba was almost in full-blown panic mode, while Jun went for a closer look.
A soft pink face peeped out, and it made eye contact with Jun. The strangest thing happened. Instead of cowering or starting to cry, the baby Pokémon actually smiled at him. It broke out of the rest of the eggshell and toddled over to him.
“Chansey,” it said. Jun was absolutely smitten and he carefully patted its head. It nuzzled closer to him, filling Jun with delight.
“Aiba-chan,” he said, turning to the panicking man sandwiched between Ohno and Nino’s attempts to calm him down. “Aiba-chan, can I keep it?”
“I-I’ll have to check with the Day-Care Man. He’s the one who pays me for hatching eggs.” Aiba whipped out his Pokégear and pressed a button on speed dial.
“Hello?” An old man answered on the third ring. “Oh, Aiba-chan, what a surprise! I was just about to call you. Remember that egg I passed to you yesterday? It turns out that the Trainer doesn’t want it anymore, he wanted a Happiny for his Pokédex but he forgot to give his Pokémon the Luck Incense, so that egg you have there will be a Chansey instead. You can keep it if you want, but I’m sorry I won’t be able to pay you for hatching it.”
“Oh, that’s all right, sir. No worries. Thanks for letting me know!” A huge smile formed on Aiba’s face as he watched Jun nervously waiting for the verdict. He hung up with a click.
“It’s all yours, Jun-kun. I think it thinks you’re its mother, anyway.” He grinned, and Jun enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
~*~*~*~
The group went back to the café feeling tired but happy, and the good things didn’t stop there. After some quick whispered discussions with Nino, Ohno offered Jun a job at the café, which he gladly accepted, and he and Chansey moved in the next day. Chansey grew to lay delicious and nutritious eggs daily, which increased the variety of food they were able to present on the menu.
The only damper on things was the loss of the picnic cutlery, which Ohno accepted quietly and hoped that the Munchlax would be as happy to use them as much as others had been in the past.
~The Third Wish~
Ohno, Nino and Jun slowly begun to settle into their new routine at the café. Ohno was not amused to note that Jun was now the main subject of attention for the giggling girls, but to Nino it was a relief.
On their off days, the three younger guys would hang out together and have fun doing their “young” things, and Ohno started to feel a little left out. With this, it wasn’t surprising that the beginnings of another wish stirred in Ohno’s heart. He knew he had been especially lucky lately, and he didn’t want to push it, but sometimes the feeling of being left out got overwhelming. I wish I had an older friend to talk to, he thought, as he kneaded the dough for a Cheri Berry pie while keeping an eye on the Belue Berry bread in the oven. Jun was mixing the batter for some Razz Berry madeleines and was humming to himself.
No sooner than the thought had been formed, when the doorbell chimed and Nino greeted a new customer. He was immaculately dressed, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. Behind the man was a very familiar teal shape.
“It’s that Munchlax!” Nino’s barely muffled cry of surprise brought Ohno and Jun out of the kitchen.
The Munchlax’s trainer blushed scarlet in embarrassment and fumbled in his briefcase. He retrieved a transparent plastic pocket and laid it out on the counter. Within the pocket lay a few silver pieces of cutlery with “Wish Café” embossed on their handles.
Gathering his nerve, the man started to speak. “My name is Sakurai Sho, and I’ve come to return these pieces of cutlery, which I believe my Munchlax has wrongfully taken from this place. I found them in his possession recently - he likes to hide all sorts of things in his fur - and I’ve been trying hard to find this place to return them. I would like to offer my deepest apologies and hope that you accept them.”
“You should damn well be sorry,” Nino growled. “Because of this Munchlax, Jun nearly didn’t-”
He was stopped by Ohno, who had crossed over and picked up the cutlery, looking at them lovingly.
“Oh!” Ohno said happily. “I thought I’d never get them back, I’m so glad! Thank you so much for bringing them back.” He smiled at Sho, who smiled back in relief.
“I’m just glad that I could return them. I believe there might have been some food together with it, but that has long gone into Munchlax’s stomach. If there was any way I could make it up to you…”
Nino’s eyes lit up and you could almost see dollar signs reflected in them. He beckoned towards a chair. “Why don’t you take a seat while we work things out, hmm?”
While Sho made himself comfortable, Jun appeared bearing a round silver tray. “Please, try some of our new Razz Berry madeleines. They’re fresh from the oven.” He smiled and set them down in front of Sho.
Completely bedazzled by Jun, Sho picked one up and was about to bite into it when the rest of the plate was practically vacuumed away by Munchlax.
“Munchlax!! That’s rude!” Sho reprimanded. Munchlax showed absolutely no signs of remorse, instead licking its lips and looking at the last cake that Sho was holding. Sho quickly stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, and immediately his head reeled back in bliss.
“Mmff… so… dewishus,” he managed. Jun’s face remained cool, but his eyes betrayed his amusement. “I’m glad you like it.”
Sho made a huge effort to swallow. “Can… can I get some more to take back with me?”
Nino cut in. “Sure, I’ll just add that to the bill.”
Sho was so happy that he agreed and paid everything that Nino asked. As he left the café with a box of the madeleines swinging from his arm, Jun’s eyes didn’t leave the retreating figures till they were out of sight.
Nino nudged him, grinning. “He’ll come back, don’t worry. Your cakes are more potent than love potions.”
~*~*~*~
True to Nino’s words, Sakurai Sho did indeed come back, with Munchlax at his side. He came back the next week, and every week after that Jun found himself waiting for their visit.
It turned out that both the Pokémon and trainer were big eaters. Sho was especially appreciative of Jun’s food, voicing his delight and pleasure every time he tried something new. He would then stay till the café closed for the day, after which he would have a chat with the three people who worked there.
Ohno was especially happy about this as Sho was closer to his age, and could talk to him about things which the other two couldn’t really relate to. He also had someone to talk to while the two younger guys (and Aiba) went off to play with their game console, and as much as he didn’t like to admit it, he did get lonely at times.
During some of these chats, Ohno learnt more about Sho. Sho was the heir of an extremely well-to-do and influential family, which explained his exquisite dressing and polite manner. Other than Munchlax, he also had another Pokémon at home, which had been a gift from his father. However, Sho didn’t like to bring this Pokémon out much, preferring instead to just walk with Munchlax. He would still take home some of the treats from the café for this Pokémon and visit it frequently, though.
Between Sho’s visits, the other four wondered about what this mystery Pokémon might be.
“It’s probably very strong!” Aiba’s eyes shone. “His dad is so rich, after all.”
“Maybe he just wants to take more food home and came up with this mystery Pokémon so that he doesn’t seem greedy,” Nino suggested, earning himself a smack from Jun.
“I think he must have a reason not to bring it out or talk about it,” Ohno said slowly. “We’ll find out when he’s ready to tell us.”
~*~*~*~
At Sakurai Manor…
“Young Master, your steed is ready.” Sho’s butler bowed and opened the door for him.
“I would like to walk with Munchlax today.” Sho’s voice was cold.
“Young Master, it is on the wishes of His Lordship Sakurai-sama that you at least ride Salamence out once in a while. His Lordship meant it as a gift for you to be able to travel freely and swiftly when you wish.”
“Be that as it may, a gift is a gift, and the recipient may choose what to do with it.” Sho was firm. “However, I will bring it along so that it may see the sunlight and walk with me – it deserves at least that.”
Salamence’s Pokéball was brought to him on a red velvet cushion, and Sho picked it up and attached it to his waist.
“Don’t wait up for me.” With that, Sho set off towards the café with Munchlax at his heels.
~*~*~*~
When they were nearing the lawn of the café, Sho let Salamence out of its Pokéball.
“Salamence, look, this is the place where they make those treats that you love. You can fly about for a bit while Munchlax and I go in, alright? Don’t go too far.”
Salamence nodded, stretched its wings and zoomed up into the clear blue sky.
Sho and Munchlax passed the familiar Jirachi statue on the front lawn, and Sho paused. He went over to it and made a wish before entering the café, which by now seemed like a second home to him.
They were having their second plate of Oran Berry cookies when a shriek sounded from outside.
Sho rushed out together with the café’s staff. Jun was on the old, weather-beaten roof of the café, where he had been painting. A group of wild Zubat who had been nesting nearby had been disturbed by the smell and the sound of the paint tins, and they were attacking him.
“Honchkrow, go help Jun!” Nino sent it out in a flash of light. It flew up and started fending off the Zubat, but there were too many and it couldn’t attack without the fear of hitting Jun. Ohno sent his Combee too, but it was more suited for Honey gathering than battling, and it quickly fell to the super effective Wing Attacks of the Zubat. Jun was being pushed nearer and nearer to the edge of the roof.
“We don’t have any more Flying-type Pokémon! What shall we do?”
Sho quickly put two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. A tiny speck in the sky grew steadily larger, and everybody saw that it was a Salamence. It headed straight for Sho and landed in front of him.
“Salamence, we need to save Jun!” Sho cried. He took a few calming breaths before getting on, one trembling leg at a time. There’s no time to waste! He told himself. Jun’s in trouble!
Salamence’s wings beat eagerly and the two of them ascended to the level of the roof, with Sho’s eyes tightly shut. Don’t look down, don’t look down…
The two of them reached the edge of the roof in record time, and Sho risked a peek. Jun was about to fall!
Sho manoeuvred Salamence to a spot beside Jun, and caught him as he fell. He commanded Salamence to use Scary Face to slow down the Zubat, and the three of them made their way back to solid ground.
When the two men got off Salamence’s back, a blanket was wrapped around Jun’s shoulders for shock, and some hot chocolate was passed around.
“Sho-chan, why have you never brought this magnificent beast here?” Aiba, who had passed by and came in during the commotion, was rubbing Salamence’s head and feeding it the remains of the cookies from Sho’s plate. Salamence gobbled them up in the blink of an eye.
“I’m… afraid of heights,” Sho admitted, looking down. “Actually, Salamence was a gift from my father. He wanted me to use Salamence to Fly everywhere so that I could travel more efficiently. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it even though Salamence really wanted to… I was too scared and selfish.”
“Honestly, Sho, you could’ve told us!” Nino chided. “We could’ve done something to help. What are friends for?”
“I would have… Eventually…” Sho couldn’t have looked more embarrassed. Seeing this, Jun came by and gave the poor man a hug. “Thank you so much for saving me, especially when it took so much courage to get onto Salamence and Fly up like that.”
Sho blushed an even deeper shade of red, and he was saved by Ohno cutting in with a delicious-smelling Wepear Berry tart. “Well, let’s have a celebratory party!”
~*~*~*~
After the festivities had died down and the café had closed for the night, Sho and Jun found themselves sitting together side by side on the lawn, looking at the stars.
“I guess you can Fly now, then?” Jun murmured.
“…I’ll have to work at it… but if I can Fly, I can come back here more often, right?” And I won’t have to wait so long to see you every time…
“I’d like that.”
The moments flew by and before long, Sho stood up. “I’m going to have to go back home, or they’ll worry about me.” He glanced longingly at the building, and at Jun, before getting back on Salamence and disappearing with a wave. Jun slowly walked back to the café.
As the door closed, the bushes at the edge of the lawn rustled while three people stretched their cramped limbs.
“I told you they weren’t going to kiss yet! Now pay up.” Nino nudged Aiba, who reluctantly took out his wallet. Ohno just smiled at their antics.
~The Last Wish~
“Aiba-chan..?” It was one of Ohno’s rest days, and he was lying under a tree next to Aiba. The latter was looking up and the sky and smiling, more relaxed than Ohno had ever seen him.
“Yeah?” Aiba said dreamily.
“You know how our friends at the café all had their wishes and they got granted recently?”
“Mmhm?”
“It made me wonder… if Aiba-chan has a wish too.” Ohno thought Aiba probably wasn’t listening, but he sensed that Aiba suddenly stiffened. It was only for a second though, and Ohno wasn’t sure if he had just imagined it.
“…Yeah. I do.” Aiba said slowly.
“You do?” Ohno waited for more elaboration, but none came.
“Ne, how about you, Oh-chan?” Aiba turned the question back on Ohno. “Do you have a wish?”
“Me?” Ohno thought about it. “Yeah, actually, I did have a few.” He grinned.
“Remember the day Nino broke in? That day I actually wished for someone to help me with my accounts. And Nino came in. Then when I wished for someone to help me in the kitchen, Jun came, and he’s such a wonderful cook.” Ohno paused, reminiscing about the amazing flavours of the food that Jun prepared. “And then I wished for a friend around my age to talk to, because you guys are so young, and Sho came.”
Aiba found himself asking, “Is that all?”
“It’s already a lot, Aiba-chan. Some people who come here never even get their wishes granted. And isn’t three like the standard number of wishes?”
“Hmm…” Aiba was deep in thought, and Ohno found that face extremely cute. Heck, he found everything about Aiba extremely endearing.
I do have one last wish, Ohno realised. I want Aiba-chan to be happy forever.
“But they had their own wishes which were granted too, right?” Aiba mused. “Like Nino wanted to change his life from poverty, Jun wanted to find a Pokémon who wasn’t afraid of him, and Sho-chan wanted to cure his fear of heights.”
“Maybe your wish will be granted too, Aiba-chan.”
“Maybe.” There wasn’t anything more to be said, so they continued looking up at the sky and relaxing in silence.
~*~*~*~
Things hadn’t always been like this, Ohno mused. Every year, without fail, he would have spent all the important holidays alone – at the busiest times when couples would flood the café with wishes for their relationships to last, as well as hopeful singles who would inevitably meet the person of their dreams amidst the crush of people. He would serve them with a smile as always, hiding his loneliness behind a mask of happiness for others.
Sure, he would have his Pokémon, but it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t completely understand them when they spoke – they’d just say their names over and over, anyway – but overall, it was just this inexplicable feeling that there must be something more.
This year, he finally knew what more was.
He cast a satisfied glance around at the Christmas decorations that everyone was giving a hand in putting up – Sho passing baubles to Jun, who was standing on a ladder and decorating a giant tree, while Nino directed Honchkrow in twisting the tinsel in the rafters, and Aiba and Teddiursa decorating a gingerbread house. Or rather, they were trying to, but Munchlax had eaten one and a half walls and the chimney and didn’t look like it was about to stop.
“Sho-chan, can you control your Pokémon here? We’re trying to decorate!” Aiba called out as he eyed Munchlax, desperately protecting the remains of the house.
“I’m so sorry, Aiba-chan! Munchlax, return!” Sho called Munchlax back into its Pokéball, while Aiba tried to salvage what was left of the gingerbread creation. Ohno went over to help.
“It doesn’t look too bad… We can maybe stick some pieces together with Honey?” Aiba balanced a few pieces optimistically as Ohno painted them with the sticky golden liquid, but they toppled once he let go. Ohno laughed softly, and told him, “I’ll go bake more walls.”
“Can we have a balcony too?” Aiba called after his retreating figure. “And a tower? Let’s make a castle!”
“Sure thing, Aiba-chan.” Aiba couldn’t see it, but he was sure Ohno was smiling.
~*~*~*~
As Ohno rolled out the thick brown dough, the sunny smile that Aiba gave moments ago lingered in his mind, and brought it back to the days of the past.
Ohno had always had the best packed lunches back when he was in school with Aiba. His parents always sent him off in the morning with new items that they were trying out for the menu, and he would share them with Aiba, whose family wasn’t that well off. The smile that he gave was the same exact beam of sunshine that Aiba would give to Ohno every lunchtime when he unwrapped the new surprise of the day, whether it was Belue Berry muffins or Lava Cookies with an added Tamato kick.
In return for the food, Aiba would provide them with the best care tips for their Pokémon, so that the Ohno home-and-café was filled with love and high quality Pokémon products. That was one of the parts of Aiba that Ohno had grown to admire and love - how Aiba loved Pokémon without question, and always seemed to know what they needed. Because of this, he had a great passion and enthusiasm for his work as a Pokémon breeder, and all the Pokémon at the Day Care did their best for him as well to grow stronger quickly.
Other than Pokémon, Aiba also got around really well with people – everyone loved him within the first twenty seconds of meeting him. He just made everyone around him feel warm and happy, and Ohno smiled at the fuzzy feeling warming his belly at the thought.
Ohno’s thoughts were interrupted by Nino, who smacked his shoulder lightly, saying "You're making gingerbread walls, not pancakes, old man!"
Ohno looked down and realised that he'd rolled the dough until it was almost see-through, and chuckled sheepishly before gathering it up to re-roll it. But Nino wasn't done yet. He leaned on the table to interrogate the older man.
"You're thinking about Aiba-shi, aren’t you?"
"Ehh?" Ohno was taken aback. "How did you know?"
"It's not that hard," Nino gave a laugh. "You kind of light up whenever you see him, you know? And you always have his Teddiursa's favourite Honey stocked up."
"My Combee gathers a lot," Ohno protested weakly.
"But it's not just pure Combee Honey," Nino persisted. "It's got a special blend of Berry extracts mixed in as well. And don't tell me you use it for your customers," here Nino shot him a look, "because you don't."
Ohno practically wilted. "Well..."
"Don't just think about him. Do something." With that, Nino turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving Ohno staring after him openmouthed.
~*~*~*~
Ohno returned to the front room with a mountain of gingerbread on a tray, and found Aiba watching Jun and Sho wistfully. The latter two were admiring the tree and having a conversation sprinkled with soft laughter. Upon closer inspection, Ohno saw their hands were, subtly but undeniably, linked.
“They’re so cute together,” Aiba mumbled as he turned back to the gingerbread.
“Yeah,” Ohno agreed. And we could be too, he wanted to add, but somehow his tongue got caught in a tangle of nervousness and all that came out was a tiny grunt. To cover it up, he began to help Aiba as well.
Slowly, under Ohno’s skilled hands and Aiba’s eager ones, the pile of gingerbread took on the form of a small castle with decorations piped on in royal icing. The entire thing was dusted in a layer of icing sugar snow and tiny marzipan Pokémon were scattered around its base.
“This is the best gingerbread house I’ve ever had for the café, Aiba-chan,” Ohno smiled. “Thank you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Aiba’s eyes sparkled back shyly.
They leaned closer, unconsciously, slowly, excruciatingly, tantalisingly. Ohno felt his eyes flutter shut, waiting for something that never came.
“Hey, that’s a great gingerbread castle, Aiba-chan, Oh-chan!” Sho burst in between them for a closer look, deeply inhaling the sweet, gingery flavour. “Smells amazing, too!”
Moments later, Jun dragged him away, but the moment was gone. In the background, Nino covered his face with both hands in exasperation.
~*~*~*~
Day slowly ticked into night, and finally all the customers had left and the doors had been shut.
Everyone had barely spoken all day in the rush to serve the mad Christmas crowd, and now they stood at their own little party, with the dim lighting and the music softly playing in the background. Jun and Sho were swaying to the notes of the slow waltz, having eyes only for each other, and Aiba and Ohno were standing at the drinks table, frothy mugs in their hands.
“Hey, this eggnog is really good,” Aiba licked away his white moustache, and Ohno suddenly wanted to do it for him.
“Yeah, Jun-kun made it with Chansey’s eggs.” Ohno looked into the white depths of his mug and wondered how much he would have to drink to get himself drunk enough to confess. There wasn’t nearly enough, he decided, and raised the mug to his lips. As he swallowed, he made eye contact with Nino, who happened to be coming back from the bathroom, and gave a small shake of his head. Nino merely pointed an elbow towards the dance floor.
“Um, Aiba-chan,” Ohno couldn’t believe he was doing this. Was it something in the drink giving him confidence? “Would you like to dance?”
Aiba agreed readily and the two of them walked to a spot near Sho and Jun. Truth be told, neither of them had had much experience before that night, and so they started out swaying gently to the music, Aiba’s hands on Ohno’s shoulders and Ohno’s around Aiba’s ribs. After a while, they got more adventurous, and started trying out some spins and turns.
“This is fun,” Aiba giggled. “No wonder Sho-chan and Jun-kun like it so much.”
Slowly, they moved closer and closer to each other, until Ohno was able to almost lean his head on Aiba’s shoulder. The proximity filled Ohno with more confidence and security, and he asked the question he wanted answered the most.
“What’s your wish, Aiba-chan? You didn’t tell me,” Ohno whispered. Whatever it was, Ohno was ready to do all he could to make it happen.
Aiba froze momentarily, and Ohno could have kicked himself for ruining the mood. Nothing short of a miracle could rescue that situation, and it sort of did.
A feathery flapping came from above their heads, and they looked up to see Honchkrow above them, holding a fresh green sprig with a dash of white berries in its claws.
“Mistletoe,” said Aiba in wonder. He got no further as he found his lips covered by another soft, warm pair. Ohno kissed him gently, and paused for his reaction.
Aiba giggled, and pressed their lips together again.
“It’s already come true, Oh-chan.”
~END~
Below is a list of Pokémon-related terms used in this fic, with links to their Bulbapedia articles!
*Types of Berries*
-Belue, based on blueberry
-Cheri, based on cherry
-Custap, based on custard apple
-Durin, based on durian
-Nanab, based on banana
-Nomel, based on lemon
-Oran, based on orange
-Razz, based on raspberry
-Tamato, based on tomato
-Watmel, based on watermelon
-Wepear, based on western pear
*Pokemon*
-Chansey
-Combee
-Happiny
-Honchkrow
-Jirachi
-Machamp
-Miltank
-Munchlax
-Murkrow
-Purugly
-Salamence
-Teddiursa
-Zubat
*Attacks*
-Defense Curl
-Fly
-Night Slash
-Rollout
-Seismic Toss
*Food and Drinks*
-Fresh Water
-Honey
-Lava Cookie
-Lemonade
-Moomoo Milk
-Old Gateau
-Poffin
*Miscellaneous*
-Nurse Joy
-Pokédex
-Pokémon Centre
-Pokémon Egg
-Safari Zone
