A little bit later, Michael began to become concious again. His eyes slowly opened as he groaned and held his head. "Oh, man...what happened?" he muttered as he tried to get a look at his surroundings.
"Big brother?" came a somewhat loud, but young, girl's voice.
Michael's eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly upon hearing that voice. He shivered some in fright. "Wh...what was...wait...that voice...it sounded like..."
"Oh, good! Big brother's awake!" came the voice again.
Michael gulped nervously as he turned his head towards where the voice came from. What he then saw nearly made him get scared so much, you'd think he was as white as a ghost. From Michael's viewpoint, he saw two large blue eyes and a young girl's face...and that young girl was none other than Jovi. She looked the same, save for the fact she looked a heck of a lot taller now! Michael fell speechless upon seeing his bigger sister's face loom over him.
"I'm glad you're okay, big...um...little brother! Tee-hee!" said Jovi, giggling at the end.
Michael remained speechless. His body was telling him to move, but his mind wasn't listening. Jovi just looked at her smaller brother and smiled at him cheerfully, as if nothing had changed about him, despite this dilemma. Michael slowly stood up, noticing that the ground around him was soft and cushiony. As it turned out, he was on his bed, though it looked more like a vast field to him rather than a bed. Michael gulped nervously again, but soon spoke up. "J...Jovi..?!"
"What is it, little brother?" she asked, keeping her smile.
Michael suddenly got the reason why she was calling him that and frowned somewhat. "Okay, Jovi...what happened to me? Why are you and everything else so big?"
"Big brother got sprayed by some strange gas, and next thing Jovi knows, big brother became this way!" explained Jovi in a simple manner.
"Wh..what?!" exclaimed Michael, nearly jumping 2 feet in the air (well, 2 feet to him at least), "You gotta be kidding me! Are you saying that stuff that sprayed me did this?!"
"Yup! And mommy asked Jovi to watch over little brother until she get back from talking with Professor Krane!" said Jovi, giggling.
Michael still had to admit this was a lot for him to take in all at once, but there he was, a mere 5 inches high to his younger sister. He begun to think that the gas that got on him was making him hallucinate, but after a bit, he knew he wasn't. Michael sighed and slumped down onto tthe cushiony surface. "Oh, great...here I am about the size of a doll, and those Cipher idiots are probably out wreaking havoc...how in the world am I supposed to save those Pokémon now?" he said out loud.
Jovi heard Michael and knelt down so that she was eye-level with him. "It's okay, big brother...mommy will find a way to help. Until then, Jovi will take care of big brother!"
"I know, sis...but still, I can't help but worry about those Pokémon being used by those Cipher creeps...and with me like this, the Snag Machine is useless..." said Michael. He had a good point there, as with him at that size, the Snag Machine looked like an accessory for an action figure rather than something to snag Shadow Pokémon.
"Big brother...don't worry." said Jovi in a calm voice, "Mommy and Krane are smart...they'll help. Until then, Jovi will watch over big brother just like big brother has watched over Jovi."
Michael looked over into Jovi's big blue eyes. He almost swore he saw his reflection in them, but haering the kind words from his sister seemed to have some sort of effect on him, and a positive one at that. Michael then stood up and smiled, looking at Jovi. "Thanks, sis...that means a lot." he said.
Jovi giggled a little. "Hey, while you and Jovi wait, does big brother wanna play?" she asked.
Michael always did like playing with his sister, though because of the situation at hand, he seemed slightly confused at her offer. "Um...I'd love to, Jovi, but...how can I while I'm like this?"
Jovi smiled and held her right hand out beside Michael. "Get on, silly!" she said playfully.
Michael was unsure about this, and he had no idea what Jovi had planned for "playing" with him, but he shrugged his shoulders and trusted his sister, then with some slight effort, he climbed onto her right hand and sat on her open palm. Seeing his secure, Jovi slowly lifted Michael up and stood up. Michael had to brace himself somewhat from the sudden feeling of being lifted, but was able to maintain his posture on her palm. Soon, Jovi was standing up fully, looking to her tiny brother in her open hand. Michael, who was a bit dizzy from the sudden feeling of being lifted up, looked up at his sister. Without another word, Jovi began to carry Michael over to her room. Once again, Michael had to brace himself somewhat, especially from the sudden feeling of movement. Once he got used to it, though, it almost felt like he was on a carnival ride or something of the like. He had to admit to himself that the feeling was actually kind of enjoyable, as a wide smile spread across his face as his sister walked into her room.
Once in her room, Jovi carefully sat Michael on her nightstand and then giggled as she went over to what looked like a foot locker next to her bed. She opened it and began to rummage through the contents inside. Michael was quite curious to what she had in mind. 'Hopefully it's not something embarassing like dress-up...' Michael thought to himself, trying to not think about him being in doll's clothes. Soon, Jovi finally seemed to have found what she was looking for and quickly hid it behind her back, out of Michael's sight. She then walked back over to Michael on the nightstand and smiled. "Guess what Jovi has behind her back, big brother!" she said cheerfully.
"Um...well..." Michael said, rubbing his chin a bit, "I dunno, really. What is it?"
Jovi smiled and pulled out from behind her back a toy airplane. "It's big brother's new ride!" she said with a hint of excitement.
Michael suddenly got wide eyes seeing what Jovi had in mind. Looking over the toy plane, he saw that the cockpit was perfect for someone his size. He suddenly smiled brightly and with a tiny jump, he leaped into the cockpit, getting securely inside. He then looked to Jovi and put his hand to his mouth. "Krrrch! Pilot Michael to co-pilot Jovi...commence take-off, over!" he said.
Jovi giggled and smiled, seeing her smaller brother enjoy this. "Ready to take off!" she said, and with that, she started moving the plane around, making pretend plane noises.
Michael suddenly felt like he was on a roller coaster ride as Jovi zoomed the plane around the room. He laughed like a little kid as she bobbed the plane up and down, though she didn't go overboard and make him fly too fast. "Wow, this is so much fun!!" Michael yelled in excitement.
Jovi giggled and flew Michael outside her room and around. Michael was having the time of his life as Jovi flew him around, but just before Jovi was about to fly into the next room, Lily entered inside and saw what the two were doing. With a sudden stop, Jovi saw her mother and smiled, still holding the plane upright in her hand.
"Jovi, where is your brother?" asked Lily.
"Big brother right here, mommy." Jovi replied, showing Lily the plane with the tiny Michael inside. Lily saw Michael in the cockpit, sweating some, but smiling happily, even letting out a chuckle or two.
Lily smiled seeing her son was safe. "I see you two have been getting along nicely while I talked with Professor Krane." said Lily, getting Michael's attention.
Michael lifted his head to see his mother's face, but he kept his smile. "Er...hehe...yeah, mom. Man, I've never done something like that before! It was so much fun!"
Lily kept her smile. "Well, I'm glad you're doing alright. Do you feel any different besides your size?" she asked, looking somewhat concerned.
Michael shook his head. "Nah, I feel just fine otherwise!"
"Good...that's a relief. Now, then, can I ask that you come with me to Professor Krane? He has something to say. Jovi, be a dear and carry your brother, will you please?" said Lily.
"Uh-huh! Jovi will be very careful with big brother!" said Jovi, smiling still.
Lily smiled and led the two out of the room and towards Professor Krane's office. Along the way, Michael was having some thoughts as to why Cipher developed something that does what happened to him to people. A way to keep intruders away was the most likely possibility, though he wondered if there was more to it than that. More importantly, was there any way to reverse the effect? He hoped for some answers as the trio entered into Professor Krane's office. Seeing them come inside, Professor Krane immediately looked to the shrunken Michael.
"How are you feeling, Michael?" asked Krane.
"Doing fine. Jovi treated me to a ride worthy of a carnival!" said Michael with a smile, still sitting in the cockpit of the plane, which was still in Jovi's hands.
"Interesting...despite his shrunken state, he seems perfectly healthy." said Krane.
"What do you mean, Professor?" asked Lily, curious on what Krane was talking about.
"Well, I thought that at that size, Michael would be having problems with his body functions, such as breathing and pumping blood, though he seems to be just fine. From the look of things, everything inside and outside his body has been shrunk to perfect proportion so that he can still live." said Krane.
"At least he's alright, besides his size problem." said Lily, sighing some in relief.
"Mom, you don't have to rub it in that I'm the size of a doll..." said Michael, groaning slightly in disgust at the reminder of his dilemma.
"I'm sorry, honey...I didn't mean anything." said Lily apologetically.
"I hope you didn't mind, Michael, but while you were asleep because of the gas, I ran some scans on you." said Krane.
Michael was a little surprised hearing that. "Um...what kind of scans, Professor?" he asked.
"Mostly like X-ray and infared scans, nothing harmful." said Krane, smiling reassuringly, "Anyways, what I found out was quite intriguing...the gas that Michael accidently inhaled contains particles that are the same kind that are used in Poké Balls to capture Pokémon."
"Wait a sec, Prof...you're saying that stuff has something inside it that is also used in Poké Ball technology?" asked Michael, who was astonished at what he had just heard.
"Precisely." said Krane, "It's the same particles used in not only the capturing of Pokémon, but also in that red beam that fires from the ball itself to return the Pokémon back to the ball."
"Well that can answer for the reason my son is like this..." said Lily, now getting what Krane was saying, "The particles are used to shrink and contain the Pokémon in the ball so that they're compact and easy to carry."
"And because of that I'm this size..." said Michael, now fully understanding the whole dilemma. It was then his mind turned back to the Snag Machine still attached to his arm, and the reason why it was, "Professor, I still need to save those Shadow Pokémon!" he suddenly said.
Hearing that from Michael, everyone's attention suddenly focused on that. "That's right! Big brother needs to save them!" said Jovi.
"I honestly don't see how he can now..." said Krane, looking somewhat down on that manner, "With Michael and everything on him shrunk to that size, the Snag Machine is pretty much useless."
"Oh...I never thought of that..." said Michael, now realizing that as well. He slumped down in the toy plane's cockpit and sighed, "Darn...so until we find a way to get me back to normal, I can't do anything to help them..."
"I'm sorry, dear...everyone is working hard to find a cure for your problem, but until then, it's best you stay here in the lab under the safety of your sister and the rest." said Lily.
Michael shook his head and stood up. "No way! I said I was going to save them, and by golly I will!" he said adamantly. Michael then sudenly remembered what Professor Krane had said a moment back, and then had an idea, "Wait a second...Professor, isn't a Poké Ball, no matter the kind, supposed to be able to capture any Pokémon of any size?" he asked.
Krane was sort of confused at Michael's statement, but politely answered. "Why yes...sure certain types of Poké Balls are specifically made for certain catches, but all are physically made to be able to hold any sized Pokémon inside."
"If that's the case..." replied Michael, "...then despite the size difference between me and a Pokémon, shouldn't I still be able to capture them, even if the Poké Ball itself is tiny?"
Professor Krane suddenly got a wide-eyed expression on his face from Michael's reply. He thought silently for a few moments, but then answered, "I...Michael, you're right! How could I have missed it?!"
Michael smiled, seeing that his teachings had gotten him somewhere. Lily smiled too and patted her son on the head with two of her fingers. "You are a smart little boy, Michael. You just may make a great Professor someday!" she said.
Michael blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Er...well...um...I dunno about that, but thanks...I guess...hehe..."
"Even so..." Lily continued, "...you shouldn't go out there alone. I had a feeling you'd come up with something, so I planned ahead some and called for some help."
"Help? What kind of help, mom?" asked Michael.
Smiling, Lily responded to Michael's question, "I phoned an old friend of yours...you should know her...Lin Aragashi."
Upon hearing that name, Michael went from confused to totally surprised in an instant. "L...L...Lin's coming?! You mean my childhood friend Lin?!"
"That's right. She's been out training with her Pokémon for about 3 years now, so she'll be a reliable partner for you." explained Krane.
Michael's head was full of thoughts at that moment. He was about to see Lin, his friend since childhood, and a person he had not seen since she left for her Pokémon journey 3 years ago. He was both excited, though also somewhat nervous, especially considering his current situation. "So...let me get this straight, mom...Lin's coming here to help me get Cipher's Shadow Pokémon back? Well, it'll be great to see her and all, but how exactly is that going to help?" he asked.
"Well, considering you only have your friend Espeon to fight, making Espeon do all the work would be unfair to it, so having a partner with a full team would be beneficial. Besides, you get to see her again after such a long time." replied Lily.
"Lin will be here within the hour, so Jovi, why don't you take Michael and keep him company for awhile until she does?" asked Krane.
"Okay! Jovi will watch big brother!" she said and with that, Jovi carried Michael in her toy plane back to his room.
As the children left, Lily looked over to Professor Krane with a somewhat serious, though worried, look. "Professor...do you honestly think there will be a cure? I really don't want Michael to have to go through all of this for the rest of his life. It'd be such an inconvenience for him..."
Krane shook his head some, though not in total disbelief. "I honestly do not know, but as I said before, everyone's working hard to find a way, and once we do, we'll help him out immediately."
Lily sighed somewhat in relief. "I understand...I'll keep you informed if any progress on a cure comes up." she said as she left the room.
Back in Jovi's room, Jovi had set Michael down on her bed. Michael was comforted by the cushiony surface, something he didn't seem to realize at first when he was on his bed earlier. Regardless, Michael snuggled up on the soft sheets, which then made him start thinking out loud. "Hmm...I wonder if the Professor and mom are gonna find a cure for me or not..." he said.
"Mommy and Professor Krane will, big brother. Don't worry!" said Jovi, keeping her kiddish smile.
Seeing that smile on his sister's face made Michael feel at ease. He sighed contently as he relaxed on the sheets. "Man, and to think that I was only imagining this sort of thing yesterday, and yet now it's really happened..."
"Yup! Now big brother can see everything from those bug's view!" said Jovi.
"Hehe...yeah, and I admit, it's an interesting feeling, what with seeing everything so huge to me now...especially you." said Michael, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Hehe! Jovi so used to being little sister now, but now she's the big little sister!" Jovi replied, giggling.
Michael chuckled as well, seeing that despite the size difference, Jovi still showed kindness and caring towards him as a sister should. He then yawned and stretched out his arms and legs. "Maybe a little nap would do me well until Lin gets here..."
"Hmm...big brother will need his energy while with Lin...oh, wait! Jovi has an idea, big brother!" Jovi said with some excitement.
"Huh? What kind of idea?" wondered Michael, a bit curious and nervous about what Jovi had in mind. Despite that Jovi was doing well caring for him while he was this size, he still knew many bad things could happen to him if she wasn't careful enough.
To answer Michael's question, Jovi gently grabbed Michael in her hands and then lied on her bed. "Um...Jovi what're you--" Michael started, but was soon cut off as Jovi rested Michael up against her body, more importantly around her chest, covering him with her hands gently. Michael's face weet a beet red as he suddenly was snuggled up to her. "J-J-J-Jovi?!"
"Big brother always snuggled with Jovi when she was little, so now Jovi returning the favor." said Jovi, yawning slightly, "You'll stay warmer with Jovi."
Michael still was very nervous and was blushing hard from the gesture that Jovi was showing, but soon, he heard a sound in his ear...
Thump-thump...thump-thump...
"Hey...I...I can hear your heart, Jovi." said Michael, realizing what the sound was.
Jovi giggled a bit. "Yup! Jovi always keep big brother right there."
Michael was at a loss for words. He smiled to Jovi, knowing that she always kept him close to her heart, though this time it was quite literally. He soon felt warmess encompass his body, and he yawned again. "Thanks, sis...just know that I'm always here for ya." he said quietly as the combination of Jovi's body heat and the sound of her heartbeat made him slowly drift off to a content sleep.
Jovi smiled and rested her head on her pillow, thinking back to days past when Michael played with her. She soon fell asleep as well, dreaming good dreams.