Coral Town easily held the crown for the best vacation spot on the continent. Lush jungle rubbed up against an equally picturesque beach, its pink sands creating all means of breathtaking vistas. The landscape was more than enough to entice Pokémon from all over into visiting, but if anything kept them returning it was certainly the boardwalk. A flurry of local shops had sprung up there over the years, serving all ages and all sizes as they delivered goods to anyone with the cash to spare. Just about anyone who set up there was going to enjoy record profits sooner or later, but even in such a successful environment it was clear that there was one storefront that stood above the rest. Just ask any group of tourists where they went on their trip, and pretty soon you'd see a clear pattern start to emerge. If a mon remembered any of the stores they browsed that summer, chances were it was probably the candy store.

The interesting thing about Heavenly Candy was how quickly it had come to notoriety. When the confectionery was established three years ago, everyone had nothing but concern for the Lopunny running the joint. They thought she was crazy for trying to sell such easily meltable goods to beachgoers. It didn’t take long for those doubts to be assuaged, though- by opening day everyone had tried a free sample or two, and the general conclusion was that Hannah the Lopunny was an absolute magician in the kitchen. Never-Melt Chocolate (named after the bits of Never-Melt Ice that was mixed into every bar) quickly became a bestseller, putting Heavenly Candy on the map practically overnight. From there, it wasn’t particularly hard to see how the candy store would fare; three years later, you’d be hard-pressed to find a rescue team that didn’t know about Hannah and her wares.

It was certainly hard to forget about her- the shiny Pokémon’s luxurious coat was colored pink where it would’ve been cream, giving the rabbit a complexion reminiscent of a rawstberry-frosted piece of chocolate cake. Hannah’s demeanor was equally sweet, her chipper personality practically radiating charisma as she worked. It was that attitude that made her one of the most beloved mons in Coral Town.

It was also that attitude that made it hard for her to sit still right now. It was getting rather late in the evening, a good while after closing time, but certain tasks still needed to be dealt with before she could go home. And so, the Lopunny impatiently fidgeted with a bowl of complimentary mints while she waited for her assistant to tell her how well the store had done that month. At least she didn’t have to worry about the accuracy of the results; Cecil had never failed when it came to number-crunching.

The Meowstic in question was in his element, the blue feline showing off exactly why he was hired as he ran weeks’ worth of sales number through his head in mere minutes. A great feat, to be sure, but not an instant one. Hannah, letting hastiness get the best of her, eventually couldn’t help but ask, “Cecil, are you done analyzing yet?”

“Not yet,” came the Meowstic’s curt response, “I just need to double-check the numbers and... done!”. The feline was beaming even more than usual, no doubt a good sign for Hannah’s fortunes. “I’m not sure how we did it, but sweets have been flying off the shelves faster than ever!”

“Then you mean...” trailed Hannah.

“Exactly, I’m pleased to report that Heavenly Candy has broken its monthly sales record for the second month in a row!”

Hannah practically tripped over herself in her rush to hug Cecil. She would've been simply content to have matched the absurd profits the business had made over the early stages of the summer, but now here she was learning that the duo had managed to exceed even those lofty goals. There wasn’t any way she’d have reacted to the news than with a big ol’ beartic-hug, and the two of them knew it.

“Two months straight? Cecil, we have to celebrate this!” laughed Hannah, her joy muffled by the Meowstic’s fur, “I know; we’ll have some kind of big event tomorrow with all the staff. Go home and rest up till’ then. You’ve earned it!”

“Well, gee, shouldn’t I finish inventory before I go home- “

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll double-check inventory for you, deal?” Hannah’s voice had become similarly curt. The Meowstic sighed, he knew better than to argue with her when she was being vindicated.

“Deal. But I’m coming in early tomorrow to make up for it- “

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Diligence, whatever makes you happy. Now go out there and relax!”

She wasn’t going to take no for an answer, was she? With the way she was sarcastically pointing at the door, it was clear that Cecil objectives had been successfully overwritten. With an exchange of goodbyes, the Meowstic was soon out the door, the sunset illuminating his silhouette as he disappeared down the boardwalk.

That was the last of them. Hannah was now alone in the store, with nothing but a mass of unsold confections accompanying her. It was a uniquely tranquil moment against the oncoming nightfall, but the Lopunny wasn’t in the mood for savoring it. Waltzing back to the counter-top, she instead turned her attention back to the mints. In one smooth motion she brought the dish up to her lips and tipped it towards her waiting maw. Dozens of the white treats immediately filled her muzzle, her cheeks forcibly puffing out in order to contain the sugary onslaught. Hannah immediately got to work swallowing, practically forcing the mints down whole as she gulped down candy as fast as she was eating it. In no time at all the dish was empty, its contents drained into what was quickly appearing to be a very hungry Lopunny.

Hungry might not have been the best word to describe Hannah at that point. “Absolutely starving” was more like it. A quick pat on her belly betrayed her true hunger, a lovingly loud grumble announcing to no one in particular that the confectioner had plenty of room left. Perfect. Hannah couldn’t help but feel a good degree of pride as she made her way to the back of the store, dimming the lights as she went. After all, why wouldn’t she? The bun had just broken a record earlier, and she was positioning herself to celebrate it by breaking yet another. Going through the door marked ‘Employees Only’, the rabbit was dead set on her plans for the night:

Hannah was going to stuff herself silly, and she wasn’t going to stop until she was without a doubt the fullest she’d ever been in her life.

======

The inner storeroom was still, its collective secrets hidden from the outside world, lying in wait for someone to uncover them. Hannah was that someone, quickly flicking the lights on as she checked to make sure the door was firmly shut tight. Light bathed the room, revealing a mess of hastily strewn shelves and boxes, the storage containers clearly being arranged in order of when they were last used. Aside from an icebox in the corner, there really wasn't a single part of the rather large backstage that was intended to be a permanent part of the floorplan.

Looking closer at the what the containers actually contained, it was easy to understand why. Candy of all sorts, from plain chocolate to exotic gummies, dotted the racks in as high a density as their various colorful packaging would allow. If the novel displays in the front rooms of the shop were stocked for aesthetic value, then the storeroom instead went for the far more practical value of seeing how much product could be held at once. For the purpose of fulfilling orders, the storage area did its job of moving sweets as efficiently as possible. For the purpose of fulfilling Hannah, that efficiency was going to be the perfect cover for any reductions of the store's inventory that might happen in the foreseeable future.

The Lopunny certainly wasn't looking to make additions to the stock that evening. Hannah practically had to stop herself from drooling as she approached the nearest rack, scanning the makeshift aisle for the perfect appetizer for the night's proceedings. The mock indecision didn't last long; she knew from the start that she'd be opening with a box of the sweets that got her here in the first place. A decently sized box of Never-Melt Bars was soon plucked from a close shelf, its contents hastily unwrapped and freed to the night air.

There wasn't a single barrier left between Hannah and the chocolate, and no sooner was the last treat out of its packaging when the rabbit dug in. Intricate flavors hit her lips as she tore through the first bar, the sensations of wintergreen ice bouncing off the sweet tang of pure Combee honey. It was a flavoring that Hannah had been fine-tuning for years at this point, but in the moment they felt fresh, the sweet scent of success working wonders for the Lopunny's tastebuds. A second bar went down her gullet in five bites, while a third was devoured in even less. Hannah was in a trance, now: the only thing that mattered to her at this point was eating.

Her ambitions certainly showed; in the span of maybe two minutes the rest of the box was gone, its contents sacrificed en masse to Hannah's omnipresent sweet tooth. From there, the Lopunny was well in her element, taking a sort of survey of her wares as she pulled out any kind of sweets that she assumed wouldn't be missed in the coming days. There was a delicious diversity to the selection, her arms soon full of a wealth of treats that spoke to the sheer amount of depth that Heavenly Candy was able to provide with its offerings. Of course, as soon as those snacks were in Hannah's arms, they were just as quickly brought to her mouth. Maybe that was the only thing that could match the store's depth: Hannah's stomach.

There wasn't much time to ruminate as candy piled into the Pokémon's mouth. Gummy Wurmples, saltwater taffy, hard caramels- Hannah was ingesting her entire culinary history in record time, each empty package soon discarded and replaced with one newly brimming with sweets. It was a veritable cornucopia of flavors, but none of them kept Hannah's interest for long as she slid from rack to rack. No, what actually held her focus was the growing lump forming inside her gut. All that sugar had to go somewhere, and much to the rabbit's delight she could feel her stomach's capacity running out far quicker than her hunger did. Emboldened by the sensation forming in her middle, Hannah sped up her actions even further, settling in with a bag of glazed pecans and taking in how each consecutive bite continued to add to the growing force within her.

The force in question was making itself visible. The combined efforts of about a dozen different foodstuffs had packed the rabbit's tummy tight, and now with even more sweets coming in, there was really only one way they were going to make room. Hannah's stomach slowly but surely inched out to support the new mass, her normally flat abdomen gradually curving out into what appeared to be a furry pot belly. It certainly wasn't soft fat filling the bunny out; one cursory digit pressed into her brown-furred gut revealed the mass inside her to have zero give, the sheer realization of which elicited a soft moan and an equally soft blush from the lagomorph. Practically on instinct, Hannah turned back to the racks, rummaging around for another box of Never-Melt Bars to chow down on. Her objective had narrowed even further, her consumption now solely focused on making her gut as sensitive as it could be.

It wasn't long until Hannah started to falter, though. She made a valiant effort, pounding down whatever goods were in range, her air of conspicuousness all but completely dropped. Still, she was halfway through a jar of jellybeans when she realized that she was struggling to force down the sugary dots. Her mouth may had been willing, but her stomach sure wasn't; her poor gut was fully distended at this point, the buffet of desserts inside it pushing her skin taut in a shape that echoed the beginning of a full-on baby bump. It may have taken 30-something boxes of candy to do it, but she had finally hit something resembling a limit. Hannah wasn't too dejected as she put the half-finished jar away; she'd would've taken the chance to keep glutting herself in a heartbeat, but that didn't distract from the fact that she was totally, completely, overwhelmingly stuffed.

Bringing her paws down to her midsection, Hannah began to play, kneading her flesh in tight, quick circles. The supple flesh held firm, her bounty refusing to budge as her digits attempted to sink in further.

*It's like I've swallowed a bowling ball, * thought the Lopunny, *so hard and tight, I’ve never been this full before..*

Was that true? The thought caused Hannah to take a pause from exploring herself, trying hard to remember if any of her previous binges had had such particularly effective results. This wasn't the first time she had gotten rid of a little unsold stock, and from what she could remember she had ended those nights in a similar fashion: drowsily waddling home with a substantially tight paunch weighing her down.

Similar wasn't good enough for the Lopunny; she said to herself that she was going to break a second record tonight, and by Arceus she was going to succeed at that goal. Once again scanning the shelves, Hannah continued an aimless search to locate anything among the racks that might pique her now-satiated hunger. It was certainly becoming an ordeal for the Lopunny- the way she darted from shelve to shelve one might not even realize she had a supermarket aisle's worth of candy weighing her down. *There has to be a way to stretch me out even further*, she thought, *I can force more food into me. But how? *

Hovering over the icebox, Hannah found her answer. Under the closed door were various frozen ingredients, ones that wouldn't actually taste decent until they were properly baked into goods. The three large bottles, however, weren't a part of that group. Hannah wasn't sure why the soda was left here (possibly leftovers from a previous gathering), but specifics didn't matter to her at that point. What mattered is that she now had a way to gauge just how densely packed she actually was.

The first of the drinks was uncapped easily, a short burst of noise indicating fresh carbonation bubbling deep within. Bringing the cola up to her muzzle, Hannah could once again feel her deeply overfilled guts trying to get her to hesitate. The request was promptly ignored, and in a split second she tipped the bottle upright above her head, the container's lip plugged firmly in her mouth. Arduous gulp after gulp followed, Hannah's throat straining as she forced as much liquid down as she possibly could. Her stomach responded the only way it knew, harshly groaning as what little space it had was quickly surrendered to the small tidal wave crashing down inside it. Tossing the empty bottle inside, Hannah gave her stomach a small pat, her tight guts gurgling profusely as it tried to process the new water weight.

Suddenly her stomach roared to life again, the sound of fizzing filling her ears. With an unexpected lurch her belly pushed out yet again, slowly protruding, curving downwards as gravity acted fast on her growing distension. Hannah had no time to react, only staring in quiet shock as her gut stretched further, quickly surpassing the size of pregnancy to make the Lopunny look like she had swallowed a beach ball. By all means, Hannah should've felt some kind of fear as her limits were forcibly overpowered by this unplanned reaction. Yet... she felt fine? It was as if the rabbit's tummy was being gently pulled like taffy, by now puffing out in a series of small jerks as whatever was stretching her started to die down. Running her fingers along the taut skin of her ballooned belly, the only question on the Lopunny's mind was just how she had managed to fill out so fast...

The mints! Hannah practically slapped herself as she made the connection. It was an enjoyably risqué way to start the night off, but swallowing a full dish of mints was a flagrantly bad idea once the possibility of forcing down a few liters of cola entered the fray. Sure, there should be a storefront's worth of candy in Hannah's middle keeping the two components from properly mixing, but as her own actions have quickly shown, even the slightest bit of jostling was capable of pulling some kind of trigger, meaning...

*Good lord, * thought Hannah, *I've become a living fizz grenade. *

The Lopunny probably should've called it quits then, sneaking back out of the storeroom before her belly grew too big to fit through it. And yet Hannah's hands moved instead of her legs, reaching for the remaining two soda bottles and quickly uncapping them. Hannah's chugging was aggressive, forcibly sucking down liter after liter of drink like she was trying to win a competition with herself several minutes prior. In no time at all the two empty bottles joined their companion on the floor, polished off by a bunny who was barely lucid of what she was doing. Hannah slowly paced towards the center of the room, away from any of the nearby shelves, taking drawn-out steps as to not disturb the payload she was carrying within her. Stood there in the night air, Hannah knew she was primed to grow, much like a stray balloon taped to a faucet. And as she raised a paw above her belly, she knew that she wanted nothing more than to turn that faucet on.

Hannah's paw struck the side of her belly as hard as it could. The mass within barely yielded to the force, growing yet even stiffer in her hands as the movement within quickly formed a catalyst. Once again Hannah bloated outwards, her belly groaning in protest as a cavalcade of foam overloaded it for possible the dozenth time that night. Once again Hannah felt that heavenly sensation on her stomach, a feeling somewhere between being pinched and massaged all over her middle. Her stomach quickly swelled past her knees, pushing out as steadily as if the Lopunny had been hooked up to an electric pump. Hannah furiously rubbed her tender flesh as she grew, almost oblivious to anything except her absolute growth.

And then a new feeling made itself known. Arcs of cold sensation shot through the Lopunny, a minty flavor coating her tongue as the taste of wintergreen practically enveloped her. Her eyes went wide, knowing full well what that unmistakable flavor was: her own recipe.

Somewhere deep inside her, it seemed the Never-Melt Bars had decided that they too wanted in on the chemical cocktail forming inside Hannah. Another dull shock ran through the Lopunny, traversing her entirety until it practically overwhelming her. Hannah watched in newfound awe as limbs began to bloat and tighten, a unique reaction filling them with gas, no doubt sublimating from the many pounds of chocolate-coated ice submerged around the geyser going off inside her. She didn't know exactly how it was happening, and she didn't need to: Hannah just sat back and moaned in pure bliss as she let ever part of her body stretch to their limits, that slick pulling sensation coming back with exponential intensity.

The Lopunny was rounding out fast, her breasts and back plushing out to match her gut, while her arms and legs quickly billowed out into the shapes of rather stuffed gas canisters. The lithe Pokémon that had walked into the storeroom an hour ago was gone, replaced with an overinflated parody that had amplified every one of her features into the shape of an orb. Indeed, Hannah was rapidly becoming spherical, her front and backside distending out into lovely solid curves as grew. Forget waddling home; at this point it was a question if Hannah could even walk, her limbs sinking into herself as her guts finally made contact with floor below. Hannah couldn't care less; immobilized inside herself, the balloon bun felt as tight as a drum and as light as a feather.

Her lightheadedness wasn't imagined; the gas building inside her was, in fact, lighter than air. With most of her senses dulled, Hannah didn't feel her body being pulled upwards, nor her sense of balance gradually flipping. What she did notice, however, was the feeling of her feet being forcibly swept off the floor. That too wasn't her imagination; suddenly she was floating, her engorged form wobbling helplessly as she drifted upwards, a beautiful chocolate-colored balloon.

Hannah hit the ceiling with a muffled thud, her entirety quivering as the force of the contact sent her rolling along aimlessly. Fear briefly penetrated the Lopunny's emotions, the impromptu thrill ride delivering the first bout of unease she had managed since the minute she had started inflating. Thankfully, the movement didn't last long; soon Hannah had rammed directly into a corner, settling in as comfortably as a freshly sunk billiards ball. From that position, Hannah was left face down, looking down at the storeroom from a unique vantage point.

It was almost quaint, seeing the collection of her creations from this perspective. Up there in the rafters, Hannah could feel a sense of pride swelling within her (joining the extensive list things within her that had recently swelled forth). All of the kinds of candy in the room with her were in some way her own creation, the Lopunny having overseen the development and production of a cornucopia of sweets. She wouldn't have been able to binge like this without all of the work she's put in over the years. Hell, she wouldn't have been able to inflate like this without all of the work she's put in over the years. Hannah had made some incredible growth- and not just physically, either.

With the gas geyser inside her finally showing signs of slowing, there was nothing left for Hannah to do but take in her surroundings, well and fully submersed in a state of euphoria that she didn't know she was capable of reaching. As the Lopunny felt her eyes grow heavy, one last thought lingered on her mind:

*I wonder how I’m going to beat this record next time. *

======

"...It's just that she already does so much for us already, I think we should all chip in and do something nice for her in return!" Cecil prattled, trying very hard to psyche up his fellow employees as they approached the store.

"I guess that'd be nice, but did you have to get us up at the crack of dawn for this?" chirped a Rookidee, "Can't we just setup the party at.. y'know, normal hours?"

"It's called a surprise party for a reason," Cecil bluntly whinged as he unlocked the storefront, "that reason being if Hannah knew what was about to happen it would completely miss the point! Come on, we have to start setting up before she gets here."

And so, the staff of Heavenly Candy made their way into the building, trying as hard as a small group of Pokémon could to make the front room useful for a celebration. Cecil of course oversaw the operation, attempting to keep relative peace as complications arose.

"Uh, boss," chimed in the Rookidee again, "I think we're out of soda. Should I just pour some water instead?"

"No, Hannah would hate it if we skimped out on the drinks. Let me check in the back, I think I might still have a few bottles stored away somewhere."

Cecil wasted no time making his way to the storeroom, sliding in as gently as a whisper on his way to accomplish the task. Entering the storage area, the Meowstic couldn't help but note that they might have to clean the place soon; the place was a small mess, what with a growing pile of empty packaging jutting out in one of the corners. That problem was going to have to wait, however, because right now Cecil had a more important job to do. Combee-lining for the icebox, the Meowstic sifted his way through its contents, growing more and more confused as the leftover drinks he had come there for refused to materialize. Cecil racked his brain once more, trying hard to figure out where the stash could have ended up. The recollection wasn't an easy task, especially with all that snoring interrupting his thoughts-

Wait, snoring? It was faint but very much audible, the sound of someone fast asleep in the storeroom with him. Frantically, Cecil's eyes darted around the dark room, trying hard to figure out the source of the noise, until realizing that the noise couldn't be on the same level as him. Directing his eyes at the ceiling, Cecil focused his attention on the brown ball twice his size stuck in one of the corners. There really was an intruder in the storeroom, but who? Instinctively, Cecil reached over for the lights, almost immediately regretting it as the identity of the culprit was revealed.

That brown ball was actually a brown and pink ball, its taut furry highlights glistening in the warmth of the ceiling lights. And there was only one mon' that Cecil knew with fur the color of razz berries...

"Mph- Wha.. What happened?" Hannah stirred, the obscenely bloated bunny barely parsing being shaken from slumberland. Drowsily, she attempting to get up out of a nonexistent bed, before quickly realizing that she couldn't move herself and just as quickly remembering why she couldn't move herself. With a newfound panic Hannah attempted to assess her surroundings, her blood running cold as she locked eyes with a mildly terrified Cecil. The Meowstic had frozen up, eyes wide with visible confusion as he tried as hard as he could to understand how his boss had ended up so... well, huge.

"Oh... h-hello, Cecil," stuttered Hannah, a blush the color of her highlights spreading across her chubby face. "y-you wouldn't believe what a night I’ve h-had..."

Acting calm did not do much to defuse the tension of the situation, the pair's little standoff continuing for what felt like an eternity, both of them about ready to pass out from embarrassment until Hannah, in a fit of desperation, blurted out:

"Cecil, If you roll me out of here without anyone else seeing I’ll give you a pay raise."

The Meowstic broke eye contact for the faintest of seconds, putting his mind into overdrive in a poor attempt to figure out how to break the news to her.

"Hannah, I d-don't think that's possible. Everyone else is outside. They're setting up a party in your honor."

The guest of honor tried extremely hard to not to shrink back into the rest of her in reaction, tripping over herself in an attempt to play her frustration off.

"O-oh, well..." the bunny blimp sighed, "at least you won't have to worry about the balloons."