“Well, aren’t you being the little hypocrite today Misty. So, it’s wrong to keep any shrinkee for an extended period of time, as long as they’re not Ash. Jeez, I never knew how close-minded you could be. You act like Ash is some kind of superman shrinkee, but he’s not. He’s just a friendly, well liked shrinkee. So stop putting him on a pedestal like he’s the greatest thing since fire.” Brad looked up from Casey’s hand feeling pride swell up in him. That was the Casey he knew, never taking shit from nobody. It seemed that although her eating habits had changed, she still had the same spunk that she did before. At that moment, Brad felt more comfortable around Casey then he had since he saw her eat Tommy and Lee.

“But…” Misty tried to rebuke, but was cut off fast by Casey.

“But what? I’m not allowed to have a shrinkee that I like, but you are? If you’re afraid of me turning into one of those bleeding hearts that cry whenever they see a shrinkee being mistreated, then you have nothing to worry about. I may be keeping Brad, but I’m still going to chow down on those little bastards every chance I can get. Hell, you’ll be begging me to stop eating them and share with you, but I’m going to say ‘na-ah’ cause I love my shrinkee snacks.” Casey rubbed her stomach with her free hand, signifying her joy of eating small men. Brad sighed from her hand, feeling disturbed, but also a bit amused. Even when she was boasting about her carnivorous ways, Casey was still Casey.

“Listen, I just….”

“And another thing, what’s with the peer pressure, that ain’t cool. You seem like such a brat when you’re trying to lecture me, like you’re my bigger, annoyinger sister. You know whom you’re acting like, your own older sisters. Maybe I should find a flower to name you after.” Casey jabbed Misty in the chest with her finger and stormed off. In her hand, Brad was going on and on about how proud he was of her. Casey headed back into the house to wait for Delia to finish. As she left, her head was held up high, while Misty’s was pointed to the ground.

Everything Casey said shut Misty up good. She closed her mouth and blushed intensely, replaying Casey’s words in her head. Casey brought up some good points, but she was nothing like her sisters, right? In the back of her mind, Misty reminded herself of how much she’s absorbed from watching her sister’s behavior. She had learned her love of water pokemon and how to handle shrinkees from them. Maybe there was a little bit of them in her. Misty looked down at Ash in her hand and felt a swelling of doubt, would she end up shallow and cold like her sisters? And if she did, would Ash still love her?

“Ash, do you think I’m like my sisters?” Misty pouted. Ash looked at her in astonishment, how could she think that? Sure, Casey brought up a lot of good points, some of which Ash actually agreed with. He loved Misty and accepted her flaws, but some of them still bugged him a lot. However, Misty was nothing like those three bitches that she was related to.

“No way, Mist. You got as much in common with those sluts as I do with a Charazard.” Misty laughed briefly at Ash’s choice in words. Her little shrinkee boyfriend was so clever and he was right. She was nothing like Daisy, Lily and Violet.

“Thanks Ash, I wanted to hear that.”

“No prob, now go find Casey and show her that you got nothing in common with Thing 1, 2, or 3.” Misty nodded and put Ash into her pocket. She dashed after Casey, no longer bothered very much about Brad or her fear about ending up like her sisters.


…………………………………………………………………………………………..



Casey, Delia and Misty waited patently in Professor Oak’s office, waiting silently for him to come in. Daisy Oak, who had gotten there earlier to talk with her grandfather, had let them in. The warm hello she gave Ash ticked Misty off. There was obviously a past between those two that went back a long time. Daisy knew Ash growing up and even hinted to babysitting him before, that wouldn’t have normally bothered Misty, but something about that affectionate look in her eyes when Daisy looked at Ash made her wary. Misty couldn’t help but think about all the things about Daisy that made her better Misty. She was friendlier, smarter, bustier, and she even was against killing shrinkees. She was like an anti-Misty. Misty tried to remind herself that Ash lover her and would never leave her, but when she saw the sweet smile on Daisy and Ash’s face, she was doubtful. What really hit home was how friendly Delia was with Daisy when compared with her. There was n more outright hostility between them, but Misty still noticed how sociable Delia was with the other woman. They even joked about Daisy dating Ash, which earned an embarrassed laugh from Ash and an angry growl from Misty. While this was happening, Casey was preoccupied with Brad.

They hadn’t spoken about their confrontation in the front yard, but Misty felt that their friendship wasn’t harmed. They had joked a bit before leaving and when Misty asked what she was planning to do with the shrinkee she saved from breakfast, Casey just winked and told her they were going to reenact what she’d seen last night in Ash’s bedroom. Nothing had been said about that because Ash’s mom entered the room right then. Misty was left to her thoughts about what Casey knew abut last night.

She wasn’t given much more time to think abut it because Professor Oak walked the office at that moment, carrying with him a thick folder. He passed by them and slumped down into a chair next to his office. He gave everyone a weak smile before he started speaking.

“I suppose Delia has told you why you’re here?” Misty, Casey and even Ash shook their heads. Oak looked towards Delia with a raised eyebrow, she just shrugged meekly.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Yes, very good. Well, the truth is that over the last few months, I’ve been trying to prefect a method using old Pokeball technology that would allow shrinkees to return to their original sizes.” The reactions were mixed. Ash and Brad practically started dancing for joy at hearing there could be cure, while Misty was in-between happiness and horror. Sure, she wanted Ash to return to normal at any cost, but she only wanted Ash to be normal. It would be a tragedy if Oak unshrunk all the shrinkees. Casey on the other hand was downright pissed. If this thing worked, not only could it potential destroy her supply of shrinkees, but once Brad was normal, he’d leave her. This was a disaster.

“Sadly, I lack the equipment necessary to finish my project.” Ash and Brad looked miserable at hearing that, Misty was torn between sadness and relief and Casey was fighting hard not to o into her own happy dance.

“That’s why I’ve asked you here today to ask if you’ll travel to Hoenn region and pass my research to Professor Birch. I can’t send it by mail because there is too great a risk of someone finding out about my research and destroying it. Many people would be very happy if a cure to shrinkees is never found. That’s why I need you kids to deliver it in person. The future of society as we know it might rest on this information.”

Ash nodded, knowing what Professor Oak was talking about. At the rate of males shrinking, pretty soon every single person with a y-chromosome would be handheld. But the decision wasn’t up to him. He looked up at Misty waiting for an answer. If she said no, he’d understand, it wasn’t her responsibility. He wouldn’t pressure her if she refused. So, he waited silently for her to say something.