Real Masters 2: Don't Leave Me!

(Cubed Cinder)

Ash Ketchum took one last look around his room as he packed up his things once again. He hadn't been able to see it much for the past four years due to his travels from land to land in becoming the world's greatest Pokemon master. So far, he has done very well. He has placed in the top 16 in the Indigo League, the top 8 in the Johto League, and is the Orange League champion. Certainly not bad, but Ash knows he can do better. That's why there was no stopping him.

Ash then walked downstairs with his new clothes on (the ones he is wearing now on Pokemon Advanced), his backpack handy, and Pikachu right behind him with all smiles. There was no question that Ash was ready for his journey to Hoenn. Ash's mom, Delia, walked into the living room at the same time, no doubt to wish his son good luck as usual. But in all reality, it was getting too tough for her to watch as her boy would go on one adventure after another.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye... again." Delia said softly.
"Yeah. But don't you worry about me. I'll be fine, and I'll come back a Pokemon master." Ash said.
"That's fine... but just how far does a Pokemon master really have to go?" Delia said as she dipped her head down, dropping eye contact with him.
"Until he runs out of challenges, I guess. But I promise I'll come back, and maybe even stay back this time." Ash said. He started to feel concerned as he looked into his mother's eyes. He could just see a tear or two coming out.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Ash said. Just then, Delia rushed forward and grabbed her son, clutching him as close as she could to her body and hugging him as tightly as he could. Ash, hearing Delia's heart beating as close as he is to her chest, could just feel the sadness now as Delia's eyes watered with tears. Her voice was cracking up as well.
"Oh, Ash! Can't you be like the son I used to know and stay behind!? Don't you know how worried you're making your own mother?" Delia said. Ash started to pat her on the back.
"Mom... please! I wish I could stay with you, I really could." Ash said.
"Then why don't you?" Delia asked as she wiped away her tears.
"It's... it's not that simple. True Pokemon masters have to always seek out new challenges and try to catch them all. A true Pokemon master is what I want to be, Mom. I wish I could stay, but... I just can't." Ash said, struggling to find the words so that he can ease his mom's worries. Finally, he could feel the grip loosening as Delia let him go and she looked at him in the eyes once again while holding his hands now. Naturally, from all the crying she did, she still had trouble keeping her voice in check.
"Alright... I suppose I shouldn't have to be the one to stop your dreams. And I guess I'm overreacting since I am your mother... I just miss you that much." Delia said.
"I know, Mom. But I promise, I will return." Ash said.
"Promise?" Delia said.
"From the bottom of my heart." Ash said. Delia then finally managed to crack a smile.
"Okay." Delia said. She then gave Ash a kiss before letting go of his hands and letting him run off towards the front door.
"Let's go, Pikachu! Off to Hoenn!" Ash said. Pikachu gave a satisfying shout to show its happiness before they both walked out the front door. Delia soon followed them outside and watched as they faded out into the distance.
"Be careful, you two! And don't forget to change your underwear every single day!" Delia shouted. Ash stopped in his tracks and dropped his head down, anime-style.
"Why does she always have to remind me that?" Ash said to Pikachu. Pikachu just giggled while Ash smiled back at it. He gave a thumbs-up back to Delia before they waved at each other one more time. That's when Ash Ketchum was once again out of sight from Delia.

Delia walked back inside her home and stood in her place after closing the front door. She was having mixed feelings at this point. Happy that her son was going on another big adventure with Pikachu, but more sad because he once again spends little time resting and relaxing at home before he leaves once again. Delia had put up with Ash's routine style for the past four years with amazing patience, but a part of her was telling her that enough was enough. If she wanted to protect her son and have him stay home for a longer period of time, then she should do something.

But she shook this feeling off. There was no convincing Ash otherwise, not when he had such high hopes of being a worldwide Pokemon champion. Delia then walked into the kitchen, where Mimie, the Mr. Mime that serves as a housekeeper for the house, was busy sweeping up the floor as usual. Delia picked up her purse and put on her solid white slippers.
"Mimie, you're in charge again of the house. I'm going over to Professor Oak's place to see what he's doing." Delia said. Mimie nodded and shouted out something in acknowledgement before Delia nodded back and walked out the front door. She proceeded to walk across town to enter Professor Oak's laboratory. Quickly, she knocked on the door. It opened up to reveal Tracey, a former travel companion of Ash who now serves as an assistant to the professor himself.

"Oh! Hello, Mrs. Ketchum. I guess you're here to see Professor Oak again?" Tracey said.
"Yes. I hope he doesn't mind. I don't have much to do these days since Mimie does most of the housekeeping chores now, and Ash has already left for Hoenn..." Delia said, sounding somewhat down when she got to the Ash part. But she quickly perked back up so that Tracey wouldn't have to be concerned.
"Nah, he doesn't mind at all. I'm sure he'd be happy to speak with you. Come with me." Tracey said. Delia then walked inside the lab and waited for Tracey to close the front door before she followed him. After a short walk, they were inside the main lab, where Professor Oak could be seen underneath the Zero One, a vehicle that hasn't been used since the world-renowned Pokemon photographer Todd used it to help with Oak's research.
"Professor Oak! Delia Ketchum is here again!" Tracey shouted. Oak lifted up his head, only to bump it against the Zero One.
"Ouch!" he shouted. He slid further ahead on the floor as he lifted himself up, rubbing his head from the bump.
"I tell you, Tracey. We need to get some mechanics here sooner than later! This Zero One is more complicated than I ever thought it would be..." Oak said.
"Uh... hello, professor." Delia said.
"Ah, Delia. So good to see you. Where is Ash? Did he leave you already?" Oak said. Delia sighed.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Delia said.
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised. Young boys like him will always put adventure as top priority, like I did in my days of youth." Oak said. Delia still didn't look too happy.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Delia. I forgot how tough it must be for you to live without him." Oak said.
"It is, but I've gotten used to it. It's only been four years after all, and it's not like he'd forever be gone from me." Delia said.
"Yes. It certainly could be worse. And I know just how you feel. Sometimes I wonder if Gary will ever be as successful a researcher as me. But anyway, would you like to see what I'm working on?" Oak said.
"Sure, that'd be nice!" Delia said with a smile.
"Ah, yes... well, let's get started." Oak said as he walked around the lab towards various experiments going on. Delia followed behind while Tracey took Oak's place underneath the Zero One.

Oak went on talking a lot for the next few minutes, pointing out to Delia the many Pokemon-related experiments he was working on. Some of them ranged from the typical to the downright unusual; the kind of things we likely won't see for another decade or two. Delia tried her best to act fascinated, but being more of a housekeeper than a diehard Pokemon enthusiast who follows the latest trends, she wasn't too interested in what there was to offer.
But there later was one item that got her interest. It was a very small item as it sat between two of the larger experiments on one of the wide tables. It looked like a perfume spray bottle from the ordinary eye, but knowing Oak, it was probably something more. Maybe nothing much... but it didn't hurt to ask. Delia wasn't usually known for interrupting people, but she just had to it this once.
"Uh... Professor Oak." Delia said while Oak was talking. Amazingly, he heard her and stopped talking, looking in her eyes.
"Yes, Delia?" Oak said.
"What's this stuff here? Is it some kind of Pokemon perfume?" Delia said, pointing to the spray bottle.
"Oh... that? That's supposed to be my one-of-a-kind Pokemon Shrinking Spray. It's made from the powers extracted out of a Pokeball for when it needs to fit a large Pokemon inside. To be honest... I can't remember what I was designing it for. I don't think I've touched it ever since I found out anything it sprays can be shrunken instead of exclusively Pokemon." Oak said. The words shrinking spray took Delia by surprise. Sure, most of Oak's experiments served a different purpose from her initial guesses, but Delia never would've imagined this perfume bottle was actually made of a spray that instantly shrinks living beings down to size.

Delia tried her best to focus her attention back to Professor Oak, who was once again blabbering his mouth away without noticing what was happening around him or his experiments. But she just couldn't take her eyes off this shrinking spray. She tried to think of what she could possibly use it for. The professor did say that the spray works on anything that takes the spray in. And that's when it hit her.
The moment she thought about the shrinking spray and Ash Ketchum in the same daydream, that's when she found a good way to use that stuff. If she could get her hands on Ash before he left for Hoenn, she could spray him and shrink him down to size... and then keep him for as long as she wanted! Then she would never have to worry about him leaving or otherwise! He could even do the chores again as punishment for leaving behind his own mother for a change! The thoughts were running rampant as Delia smiled thinking about. She then could feel something tap her shoulders. She looked behind to see it was Professor Oak.

"Delia? Are you okay? You don't seem to be paying attention." Oak said.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Professor Oak. I was... I was just fascinated by some of these experiments of yours." Delia said, pointing to everything that was in front of her except for the shrinking spray. She pretended for now that it wasn't there.
"Well, I'm glad you find my experiments interesting for a change. Usually you would say you gotta get home because you were about to fall asleep!" Oak said.
"Well... I suppose Ash's departure has made me act different for today." Delia said with a smile. The thoughts were ramming her like a bullet train now just from saying the name Ash. She couldn't resist anymore... she wanted that spray and she wanted it NOW.
"That's good. Now come, I shall show you a couple more of my experiments." Oak said. He then turned his back on Delia as he walked over to the next experiments. With Oak not looking and Tracey focused on the Zero One vehicle, Delia quickly grabbed the shrinking spray and placed it inside her purse. She zipped it back up before following Oak once again.

A few minutes later, the tour was over, and Delia and Professor Oak were standing at the front door once again.
"Well, Delia, it was nice of you to visit us." Oak said.
"As always, Professor Oak. Well, if you don't mind, I gotta be getting home now. Mimie must be getting worried now." Delia said.
"Alright. You take care now." Oak said. He then opened the front door for Delia as she walked out, unaware that she was taking the shrinking spray out with her.

Delia got back up and instantly placed her purse back on the kitchen counter, which is where she usually kept it. She dug through and soon pulled out the shrinking spray that she had... well, stolen from Professor Oak's lab just minutes ago. It wasn't exactly her nature to do something like that, but the sheer thought of being able to shrink Ash and keep him for herself was simply too much to resist. But who can blame her? Shrinking sprays tend to do that to women who find them.

Anyway, Delia wanted to try the stuff out and see if it was the real deal. Of course, she didn't want to try it on her friend, Mimie, so she decided to run outside and towards the open field. Once she was a few steps into Route 1, she spotted a sleeping Rattata on the nearby grass. Delia tiptoed her way towards the Rattata, then soon let loose with the spray. Instantly the Rattata started to shrink in size. There was no telling how small it was going to get, but it was already 30% its original size, proving that the spray was very strong. Delia was stunned at what she was seeing.

Finally, the Rattata stopped shrinking at only 10% of its original size. Delia had to lean in and look closely at the grass to see the really tiny Rattata, still sleeping the day away unaware that it was smaller than ever.
"Oh wow... this stuff really works!" Delia said to herself as she took another look at the spray, happy to know that this shrinking spray was no fluke.
Now it was time for her to use it on Ash... and she felt he couldn't have gone far since Vermilion City is the only place in Kanto with a luxury cruise liner that transports people to Hoenn. Keeping that in mind, she clutched onto the shrinking spray and ran as fast as she could through Route 1.

Meanwhile, in Viridian City, Ash had walked out of the Pokemon Center after healing Pikachu. He knew it would be a long journey for the two of them.
"Too bad Vermilion's the only place in Kanto that has a boat that can take us to Hoenn. But I suppose the journey will be worth it." Ash said to Pikachu, who just nodded in agreement.
"Ash! Ash!!!" a voice shouted behind Ash. Pikachu put on a smile when it saw who it was, but Ash was very much surprised. His mom had followed him all the way to Viridian City.
"Mom... what are you doing here!? I said Pikachu and I would be fine." Ash said. Delia ran up to Ash and paused to catch her breath after all that running.
"Well, sorry about that. I just... wanted to tell you something that I forgot earlier." Delia said.
"What's that? It must be important if you ran all the way from Pallet to here." Ash said. Delia then started to smile as she displayed the spray bottle to Ash. Little did he realize, of course, that this was the shrinking spray that would soon be placed upon him. Delia quickly made up a story about the spray in order to conceal the truth.
"This is a new perfume I found last week. I've been meaning to show it to you earlier, but was too excited over it before." Delia said.
"Oh... well, that's nice. I guess." Ash said, with a confused look on his face. He immediately felt what was his mom thinking, showing him this ordinary perfume all of a sudden?
"It's supposed to smell really good. Can you please smell it before you go off on your journey? I promise I'll feel better if you do." Delia said with a smile.
"Well... okay. Spray it, and I'll smell it." Ash said.
"I thought you'd never ask." Delia said. She then let loose with the spray as she covered all of Ash's body, clothes included, with the scent. Ash started to cough wildly.
"(cough) *cough* Bleh!!! What's that stuff made of? It smells terrible!" Ash said.
"Oops... sorry. I guess I forgot about that." Delia said.
"I... can't... stay... awake..." Ash said. He struggled to maintain balance before he finally lost his footing and fell face first into the ground, totally unconscious. Pikachu panicked as it saw its master fall down like that.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. Ash is fine. He'll just be going through a change." Delia said. And just as she said that, both watched as Ash started to shrink in size. Smaller and smaller he got. Delia was loving every minute of this. Now she could have Ash with her wherever she went, and there was no way he could possibly escape her grasp any longer. Finally, Ash stopped shrinking at what appeared to be about two inches tall. Delia slowly picked up her miniaturized son as Pikachu stared confusingly at Delia.
"Don't worry, Pikachu. You'll still have Ash with you. He'll just be a little... different from now on." Ash said. Pikachu then nodded and didn't look so sad anymore. Perhaps hearing Delia say it would still be with Ash perked it up.
"Now come on. Let's get back to Pallet Town." Delia said. She and Pikachu then started to walk back towards their home in Pallet Town, with Ash lying down comfortably in Delia's hands.

Back home in Pallet Town, Delia Ketchum gently set the shrunken Ash down on one of the nearby kitchen tables as she placed her purse down on the countertops.
"Pikachu, why don't you go play with Mimie outside? I need to have a chat with my little Ash." Delia said. Pikachu nodded and ran out to the backyard where Mimie already was. Just as that was happening, Ash started to wake up. Delia sat down on a chair and scooted up to as close as she could get to the table. Ash started to slowly get up as he rubbed his eyes.
"Oh... what just happened to me?" Ash said. When his vision cleared up, he was astounded to find himself back in his home. But something wasn't right. It certainly wasn't this gigantic, not even the very table he was standing on. But he soon was taken aback when he turned to see his mother staring right down at him. And, naturally, she looked gigantic too.

"Well, hello. My little Ash." Delia said with a smile.
"Mom!?!?" Ash said in shock, "What's going on here? Why are you and the house so big?"
"I'm not bigger, my son. You're smaller." Delia said. Ash looked down at himself, and around his surroundings once more. She was right, everything in the house couldn't have grown all at once. He had indeed shrunken down to two inches tall. As Ash was trying to figure out how he got that small, it suddenly came to him.
"Wait a minute... that spray! It was that spray that shrunk me, wasn't it, Mom?" Ash asked. Delia picked up the spray bottle that was sitting on her lap to show it to Ash.
"It sure is. This was never really a new perfume. It's a shrinking spray that I happened to find sitting and collecting dust in Professor Oak's lab. I knew you couldn't go against your dreams and come back home, so the only way to make you come home was to shrink you." Delia said.
"But... why? Why me?" Ash said. Delia then started to frown as she put a hand on her face, with her elbow resting on the table near Ash.
"I can't believe you would ask me that, Ash Ketchum. My own son... wondering why he's been shrunken down when he should instead be glad to be home with his mother. And finally too..." Delia said.
"Yeah, but what about my dreams to be a Pokemon master!? I can't exactly do that when I'm stuck here and at this size." Ash said.
"Your dreams can wait. Right now, what's more important is you getting to spend quality time with me. And at the same time, I no longer have to worry about my son getting into great danger while I'm inside the house all day helping Mimie with the chores." Delia said.
"But Mom!!!" Ash said. Delia leaned up against the table some more, with her chest right on the edge. Ash had to take a few steps back so her big face wouldn't scare him.
"Don't 'But Mom' me! Right now, since Mimie's taking a break from chores, I think it's time you got back to doing some chores." Delia said. She then picked up Ash with both her hands as she carried him to the living room. She couldn't help but smile when she could hear Ash begging for mercy.

Delia stopped her walking when she reached the only bookshelf in the room. She placed Ash on the shelf that was on level with her head. Some of the books on this shelf looked crooked and were sticking out, not to mention the large amounts of dust collected on these books.
"This bookshelf could use some cleaning since Mimie can't reach it." Delia said.
"Right... and what am I supposed to clean it with!?" Ash said, now sounding a little angry because he was getting frustrated over being treated this way.
"Oh, of course. How silly of me to forget." Delia said. She quickly ran out of the room and a few seconds later, she came back holding a small piece of tissue paper that appeared to be ripped.
"This will do just fine. And don't forget to straighten out the books." Delia said. She reached up to lay the tissue paper next to Ash. It was a little bigger than Ash's entire body, but it could be easily handled as he picked it up.
"Uh... okay." Ash said softly, trying his best not to let his frustrations out.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. That shelf better look good when I come back!" Delia said. She then left the room, leaving Ash by himself and with the large tissue paper that was to be used to dust off the shelves. Right away, Ash got to work.

Several minutes later, Delia came back and saw Ash lying down atop one of the shelves. The books looked to be in better shape, and there was no sign of dust to be had, except for the dust-covered tissue paper right next to Ash. Ash immediately stood up when he saw his mom approach him.
"Well, looks like you did a good job. And I always said you were good at doing household chores." Delia said.
"Yeah, sure..." Ash said.
"Since you did do so well, I have another job for you." Delia said. She then picked up Ash and took him into the kitchen. She placed him on the floor and kneeled down, picking up a wet rag from the counters as she went down.
"Mimie wasn't able to clean all the spots on the kitchen floor, so you should be able to finish the job." Delia said, dropping the wet rag next to Ash. He got splashed with a few drops of water in the process.
"Geez... why do I have to do it? That Mr. Mime of yours could cover those spots easily." Ash said.
"He works hard enough around this house. You should know, as you were always asking for a break before you got that Pokemon trainer's license of yours." Ash said.
"Well, excuse me, Mom! I guess I'm not accustomed to doing the chores these days. I still feel like I don't want to do them. Not in this condition!" Ash shouted, his angry voice becoming more evident. Delia heard this well, and soon wiped the smile off her face. She stood back up to her full height and then put her foot down right next to Ash. The shock sent Ash down on his behind as the young trainer looked in fear at the giantess, trying not to move since her heeled shoe was right beside him. Delia folded her arms as she looked down at her little Ash.

"Excuse me, young man! When did it become acceptable to talk to your mother like that!?" Delia shouted. Ash couldn't say anything.
"(sigh) I was afraid this would happening. You being too focused on your dreams enough that you don't even think about your own mother, who worries day by day about your safety." Delia said. She did her best to fight back tears that tried to come out of her eyes. Ash felt sorry seeing his mom like this, so that's when he shook himself out of his fear.
"I'm sorry, Mom... I'll help wash the kitchen floor now." Ash said. Delia heard this and kneeled back down on the floor. What came next surprised Ash the most. Delia gave him a big kiss (literally) on his face.
"Thank you, Ash. While you're scrubbing the floors, I'll be preparing lunch for you and the Pokemon." Delia said. She kneeled back up and was standing at the kitchen counters now, kicking off her shoes and presumably preparing lunch. Ash, meanwhile, got to work rubbing as much of the floor as he could by dragging the wet rag across the floor.
Occasionally he would look back over his shoulder and watch as Delia prepared lunch. Ash always thought of his mom as a charming and sweet young lady just from the way she helped raise him during his days of youth. And to see her towering over him at such a tremendous height thanks to the shrink job simply amplified those characteristics ten-fold. On the other hand, she knew how to put her foot down as evidenced earlier, so he had to follow every word she said or face some kind of punishment. He figured she couldn't be serious about her threats to seriously injure him at his size, but he was taking no chances.

A few minutes later, Delia watched as Ash continued to drag the wet rag across the floor. She smiled as she came up with a good idea to really get under his skin.
"That's good enough for now, Ash." Delia said. Ash heard this, and immediately stopped trying with all his might to move the rag across the floor. He stood in place while waiting for Delia to pick him up, which she did. He was standing on the table once again with two slices of bread on a plate sitting right next to him. Delia soon sat down with him.
"I guess lunch is ready?" Ash asked.
"It sure is." Delia said. Ash looked with confusion at the two slices of bread. There was literally nothing on them. No toppings. No sauce of any kind. Nothing. Just two plain slices.
"Uh... Mom, there's nothing on those sandwiches." Ash said.
"I know. That's because you're the main topping." Delia said.
"Huh? What did you say!?" Ash said, first speaking calmly and then reacting with fear over what she meant by that remark. Before he could react any further, Delia grabbed Ash and placed him on top of one of the slices. She then placed the other slice on top of Ash, leaving head to stick out of the slices.
"Mom! What the heck are you doing!?" Ash shouted.
"Well, I've decided you look so cute at that size, and you've done such a good job with your chores so far, I couldn't resist eating you alive!" Delia said.
"But, Mom!" Ash shouted, continuing to beg for mercy.
"Goodbye, Ash. It was nice knowing you." Delia said with a smile. She then opened her mouth and slowly moved the slices of bread, with Ash in between, towards her mouth.
"No! Stop! Please!!! Mom, I'll be good! I promise!!! Please don't eat me!!!" Ash shouted, now struggling to fight his way out. But with Delia's hands tightly gripping the bread, there was no way he could possibly escape. Nor would he even want to try since the bread was hovering over the kitchen floor now instead of the table, a long ways down that's for sure.

But suddenly, just as Ash's head was about to be inside Delia's mouth, she moved the bread to the right side and chomped down from there. Ash watched, while his head was stuck against Delia's lower lip, as she bit down on a section of bread away from Ash. Just as she bit it off completely, she put the bread back down on the plate. Ash worked his way out of the bread as he watched Delia chomp down on the bitten bread before gulping it entirely. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that could've been him instead of just some bread, but soon had a mixed look of anger and confusion on his face.
"Mom! What was that for?" Ash said. Delia then started to giggle.
"Oh, Ash. You can be so funny sometimes. Did you really think I was going to eat you?" Delia said.
"Well... you did almost crush me when I backtalked to you about cleaning the floor." Ash said.
"Stand in front of me, Ash." Delia said. Ash obeyed and walked away from the pieces of bread, standing now in front of his mother while she sat back in her chair.
"Ash, I may do some things to scare you from this point forward, but you're my son. I value you more than anything in the world, even the rarest of all Pokemon. I'll never try to hurt you, and I'll protect you with all my heart." Delia said with a smile.
"Okay... I guess. Thanks, Mom. I just wish I could be my normal size for a change." Ash said.
"Soon, tiger. Now then, I'll make lunch for real this time. You should get back to cleaning the floor until I'm ready." Delia said.
"But..." Ash started to say, but soon took his thought back as he knew Delia would not like that, "Okay. I'll do it." Ash said.
"That's my boy!" Delia said. She picked up Ash and gently placed him back down on the floor next to the wet rag. Ash went back to dragging it across the floor while Delia went back to preparing lunch.

As the night sky started to settle in over Pallet Town, Ash was now scrubbing the wooden floor of the living room, and this time with the help of his normal-sized Pikachu. Pikachu had no problem adjusting to seeing his master shrunken before his eyes, especially since Delia did promise that she would take care of him no matter what.
And speaking of Delia, she walked down the staircase now wearing her nightgown. It was a long bright green dress that extended from neck to ankles, but that didn't make her any less beautiful from Ash's eyes as he watched her come down. She slowly and steadily approached Ash as he got back to work.
"Looking good, Ash." Delia said.
"Well... thanks, Mom. I guess." Ash said.
"You know, you're doing such a great job, I just feel like playing a little game with you." Delia said. Ash stopped scrubbing and looked up at the giantess, wondering what she had in mind this time.
"And what's that, Mom?" Ash said.
"I've always wanted to play cat-and-mouse. Since I'm the cat, you can be the mouse." Delia said with a smile.
"You mean...?" Ash said in a worried tone. Instantly he felt this was another of her games, but that didn't stop his heart from beating like fast.
"Better run, little Ash, before your own mom crushes you to pieces." Delia said, still smiling. She started to lift one of her bare feet up and over Ash. Ash luckily was able to run past it as it came down with heaving force. That's when Ash started taking off running across the living room floor. Delia let Ash run several yards out before she started to slowly walk after him. Pikachu just stood in its place, half smiling from watching Ash and Delia have their fun like this and half worried that Delia wasn't being serious with this cat-and-mouse chase. Delia would randomize the distance between herself and Ash at specific times, sometimes getting as close as putting her foot down next to him but never making a serious effort at crushing him.

The chase soon took Ash to the staircase that led upstairs. Being too small to climb up the stairs by himself, he just turned with his back against the wall as Delia approached. Ash clutched his chest in fear as she stopped with her toes inches away from his body.
"Well, Ash, what do you have to say for yourself?" Delia said.
"No! Please don't hurt me!!! I already promised I'd be good!!" Ash said. Delia leaned down so she could hear her son better.
"I know you did. That's why we're stopping this game now." Delia said.
"What?" Ash asked. Delia then laughed for a short time.
"Oh, Ash. I see you still can't take a joke even today. I was just playing with you! Didn't I already assure you that I would take care of you no matter what?" Delia said.
"Well... yeah. I... I guess I forgot." Ash said. He didn't want to say it straight into her face, but he was at a loss for words. He was too worried about telling her that he was afraid right now. He didn't think it was right for boys his age to admit they were afraid of anything, and therefore would only cause further panic if he told such a thing.
"Well, it's okay. We both really should get to bed soon. Pikachu, you can sleep with me in my room tonight." Delia said. Pikachu nodded and shouted out its name in agreement. Delia picked up Ash and held him firmly in her hands while walking up the stairway.
"Wait! Where am I going to be sleeping?" Ash asked.
"With me, of course. But I have a special place for you. I'll tell you later. You can sleep in those clothes without your jacket or hat, like I'm sure you would do on the road." Delia said. Ash just nodded as continued to stare up at the giantess.

In Delia's master bedroom, Pikachu was already fast asleep on the floor next to Delia's bed. Ash, in just his jeans and black shirt now, just sat on the nearby dresser while waiting for Delia to finish brushing her teeth and perhaps touch up her hair a little in the bathroom. After a few minutes, Delia walked back out to her bedroom and picked up Ash from her dresser. She carefully got onto her bed, pulling back the covers with one hand while holding Ash in the other. Delia made her way carefully onto the bed and laid down, but didn't pull back the covers. Instead, she placed Ash on top of her body and looked down at him with delight.
"You look so much cuter when you're tiny." Delia said, stroking Ash's hair slightly as he stood over where her stomach is. Ash grumbled to himself as his mother playfully patted away. She then pulled the finger back.
"You can walk around, Ash. I want to get one last good look at you for the day before I fall asleep." Delia said. Ash sheepishly shrugged, somewhat surprised that Delia would let him do something like this. Ash just ran around in different directions while Delia just flat out looked at him as he moved about, trying to keep his balance as her stomach moved up and down from her breathing. Ash stopped close to her breasts when a thought crossed his mind. He sat down and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts
"Uh... Mom. Can I ask you something? And I really want you to be honest." Ash said.
"What's that, Ash?" Delia asked.
"How much did you really love Dad?" Ash said. Delia wiped a little bit of the smile off her face upon hearing that, but still kept a positive attitude even though what she was about to talk about would not be easy for her.

"Well... Ash. Your father was a nice guy at first, and I felt back then he would be the perfect guy to be with for the rest of my life, especially after you were born." Delia said.
"Oh?" Ash said.
"To tell you the truth, I'm surprised you still remember him. You were still only a baby when we seperated. I could tell early on you had dreams of being a Pokemon master. But your father wanted no part of that." Delia said. Some tears could be seen coming down her eyes, but not a whole lot to indicate total sadness to Ash, who had been wondering all this time whatever happened to him.
"I thought you said he left to be a Pokemon master?" Ash asked.
"It was just after your second birthday. Your father changed. He became a liar. A deceiver. Anything but a man. He only pretended that he still loved me, but I knew he was hanging out with other women. He only pretended he was working late hours when he was in fact spending his earnings on a drink every night. I knew he would only cause problems if he stayed around this household, and so that's when we divorced." Delia said.
"Oh... so that's what happened to him? Why didn't you tell me?" Ash said.
"Telling you would've been the hardest thing ever for me at your young age. I felt you needed someone to look up to in order to follow your dreams." Delia said. Ash thought about those words for a moment, before looking back up at Delia.
"Well, at least I know the truth now. I know it must've been hard, but I just had to know. I'm sorry, Mom." Ash said.
"It's okay, Ash. I was planning on telling you someday anyway. Perhaps I delayed the inevitable because you were so caught up following your dream. I hope what I've said tonight doesn't change that." Delia said.
"It won't, Mom. I assure you I'll become a Pokemon master... if only I could just get back to normal size first." Ash said.
"Soon, my son. When I feel we've made up on lost quality time." Delia said. She then picked up Ash again and sat up.

"Now then, it's time you went to bed now." Delia said.
"Great... but where will I sleep?" Ash said.
"Like I said, with me." Delia said.
"Yeah... I know. But where exactly?" Ash said.
"Inside me." Delia said, bringing back her clever smile.
"Inside you!? What does that mean?" Ash shouted.
"I couldn't make a suitable bed for you at your current size, so I felt I should put you to bed close to my heart. And it doesn't get any closer than my stomach." Delia said.
"You're... going to swallow me!?" Ash shouted, once again petrified at the thought of his own mother swallowing him whole.
"Shhhh... easy, Ash. Yes, I will swallow you. But I've read stories that if you think positively and keep a calm mind for a long time, your stomach won't release its acids for a short while, effectively delaying digestion. It gets even better when you're falling asleep, where almost nothing happens in your stomach." Delia said.
"In other words..." Ash started to say.
"You'll be perfectly safe. Besides, I'm your mother. I would never do something as silly as eat or digest you alive." Delia said.
"You almost did today..." Ash muttered out in soft tone, hoping that Delia didn't hear that. Luckily she didn't, as she was reaching for a nearby glass of water. Delia then opened her mouth and moved the two-inch-tall Ash towards her tongue.
"Wait! Can't we talk about this!?" Ash shouted. His words, however, fell on deaf ears as he was soon completely inside Delia's mouth. He stood uneasily on her tongue as he looked around at all the teeth that surrounded him. The mouth quickly opened up again and a gush of water started to push Ash further away from the mouth's opening. Ash lost his grip and could feel himself falling down a deep, dark tunnel. Eventually he landed in a small lake full of stomach fluids with several walls of pink surrounding him. They looked very much stationary for the time being, with only the sound of Delia's heart beating to accompany him.
"Well... good night, my little Ash." Delia said from outside. Ash heard this voice as he walked nervously around the area, eventually stopping to rest against the pink stomach wall. At least Delia was correct in one thing, the stomach acids were nowhere to be found. The ground was shifting around a bit as Ash could feel Delia lying down in bed, perhaps pulling the covers back and falling asleep instantly. Soon, the soft heartbeat sound put Ash to sleep as well, against the very calm walls of her stomach.

The next morning, Delia let out a yawn as she rose up from bed and faced the morning sun that was beaming through the windows. In the meantime, Ash was waking up feeling the wet ground beneath him shake once again from movement. Ash took a good look around. Apparently Delia wasn't kidding about the stomach acid controlling theory because he was still alive and well, but still trapped inside her stomach. Ash then heard a beating sound, one different from the heartbeat that had put him to sleep last night.
"Time to wake up, my little Ash." Delia said. Ash wasted no time, grabbing onto the walls and starting to climb up towards her throat. Ash was fortunate that the walls themselves weren't slicked up with acids, again probably showing how much Delia cared for her son. There would be occasional shaking due to Delia moving around the room, but he was making good progress as the minutes passed by.

Delia did her morning things while patiently waiting for Ash to climb out from her stomach. After a little while, she could finally feel something hitting her tongue. She opened her mouth and gently pulled the saliva-covered Ash out. She could just see the worried look on his face.
"Well, Ash, did you sleep comfortably?" Delia said.
"Uh... no." Ash said softly as he looked to be curling himself up in Delia's hand.
"What's wrong? You can tell me." Delia said. Ash finally couldn't hold himself and let his feelings go.
"Mom... I... I was scared. I really thought I was going to die inside of you. P-p-please don't try to torture me anymore." Ash said, tears coming down his eyes. Delia felt bad for him. He probably was terrified to be stuck inside of her for the night, let alone in a place that no piece of food would ever survive in under normal circumstances.
"Awww... I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't think I would scare you that much overnight." Delia said.
"Well, just... just don't do it! I feel like my life is too precious right now!!!" Ash shouted.
"Shhhh... it's okay. Calm down, my son. Mommy's here for you." Delia said. She then gripped onto Ash with both hands and pressed him against her chest, where the soft sound of her heartbeat was easing his worries with every passing second. Delia felt like she was talking to Ash of many years ago again, having to reassure him that he would be safe as long as she was close by. After another minute of Ash feeling better thanks to Delia's heartwarming hug, Delia pulled him back out and looked at him in the eyes.

"Just you remember, Ash. I'm here to protect you. I'll make sure with all my heart that nothing happens to you. And I promise with my heart that I won't freighten you ever again." Delia said.
"Okay... thanks, Mom." Ash said.
"Oh, Ash. I love you." Delia said, hugging him one last time before placing him on the nearby nightstand. At his mother's wish, Ash looked away while Delia changed into her everyday outfit. When she was dressed, she picked him up and held him over her purse, which was already on her shoulder.
"You can ride along with me while I go off to the Pokemon Mart. I'll keep the purse open so you can breathe." Delia said. Ash just nodded before he was released from Delia's grip and felt himself falling towards the opening. He landed on the soft leather as he sat between some oversized (to him) manicure items and some loose change. Delia then slipped into her shoes and told Mimie to take care of the household chores while she was gone. And that's when she and Pikachu, coming along for the ride to help protect Delia from wild Pokemon, walked out the front door and towards Viridian City.

Some time later...

After the shopping session, Ash was lifted out of Delia's purse and placed back on the kitchen counter. Ash took off his hat and rubbed his head, feeling dizzy after getting tossed around her purse and banging into various objects. Delia looked to see him struggle to stay up while she was putting away the various items she had bought for the day.
"Awww... you weren't that uncomfortable, were you?" Delia said.
"How couldn't I be!? You were shaking that purse of yours all over!" Ash said. Delia gave an intimidating look in her eyes, but quickly took it back knowing that Ash would be scared stiff again. She then reached over and grabbed some dirty dishes that were sticking out one of the sinks. She placed them in the other sink and then turned the water on as it came down softly. The drain was covered as dishes spread throughout the inside of the sink.
"Well, I know you could use a shower after all that adventuring. And you can even wash the dishes while you're at it." Delia said with a smile.
"Huh? At this size!?" Ash shouted.
"You did mop up the floor being that tiny, didn't you?" Delia asked. Ash then sighed as he looked up at his mom.
"Yes, Mom. I'll do it." Ash said.
"Alright, that's my boy. I even brought you your favorite pair of swimming trunks." Delia said. She pulled out from her purse Ash's swimming trunks that were as small as Ash himself.
"I shrunk them before we left for the Pokemon Mart." Delia said. She then dropped the trunks next to Ash as he caught them in mid-air.
"Gee, thanks..." Ash grumbled. He then started to take his shirt off.
"Wait! You've been through a lot, son. I should help out." Delia said. That being said, she grabbed onto Ash's shirt and started to pull it upwards from Ash's body. Ash raised his arms while his mom slowly undressed him. She reached for the pants, but Ash stopped her.
"Uh... Mom. Do you mind? I can undress myself." Ash said.
"Alright. If you insist." Delia said, turning away from Ash. About fifteen seconds later, she turned around to see Ash in nothing but his swimming trunks. She picked up the clothes he had just worn and placed them in her purse.
"Awww... don't you just look handsome like that? Girls would really come after you when you wear just that." Delia said.
"Yeah... if I were normal size." Ash said.
"Well, in you go!" Delia said. She picked up Ash and slowly lowered him towards the inside of the sink. She eventually dropped him onto one of the plates that was filling fast with water. It filled up just past his knees as he stood up next to the water that slowly poured down from above.
"What am I supposed to use to get these stains off!?" Ash shouted from inside.
"Just use your body. You're in the water, so the mess will come right off!" Delia said before she walked away and let Ash do his thing.

About twenty minutes later, Ash was now slightly floating over many of the plates with so much water filling them up. He knew he wasn't in life-threatening danger because the drain was plugged up and the plates were so closely attached together. Delia checked to see that some of the stains were removed from the center plate, but there were still many stains to go. Delia was still impressed, though.
"You're doing a good job, Ash. When you're done, I'll make sure I make a nice lunch for you." Delia said.
"Thanks, Mom... I was hoping you would reward me for this hard work!" Ash shouted. Just then, they both heard the doorbell.
"Hmmm... I wonder who that could be?" Delia asked. She walked past Pikachu and Mimie, who were both sweeping the floor underneath the table, and approached the front door. She opened it up to see a most unexpected guest.

Misty, one of Ash's friends. Ash listened in on the ensuing conversation, stunned as much as Delia was to have Misty at their house. Of course, he couldn't see her because he was stuck in the kitchen sink. He could only listen.

"Oh... Misty, right?" Delia said.
"Yes, that's me, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty said.
"What brings you here?" Delia asked.
"I was wondering if Ash is still home... or if he already left. I wanted to say goodbye to him one last time." Misty said. Delia had to do some quick-thinking to get out of this. There was no way she was going to have the Cerulean City Gym leader learn of the truth behind Ash.
"Well... I'm sorry to say this, but he already left. You know him. He's always anxious to start a new journey the moment he gets home." Delia said.
"Oh, that's okay. I..." Misty's train of thought was interrupted as she looked in the corner of her eye and saw Pikachu waving at Misty while sweeping the floor at the same time. Misty knew as well as anyone that Ash would never leave his Pikachu behind. Immediately she grew suspicious over Delia. Was she telling the truth? Delia could see the look on Misty's face and knew trouble would occur if she didn't close the door now.
"Well, thanks for coming, Misty. I'll let you know if Ash leaves any messages." Delia said before closing the door quick enough for Misty to not give out any more words.
"She'll know sooner or later. Not unless I do something." Delia said to herself. Right away the doorbell started ringing again. Delia ran over to her purse and grabbed the shrinking spray bottle. She set it down on the kitchen table where Pikachu and Mimie were sweeping before opening the door once again. Misty was still there.

"Are you sure Ash is not home, Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty said.
"Well... yes. I told you he left this morning for Hoenn." Delia said. Misty just shook her head and actually walked inside the house. She approached the sinks, where Ash got his first look at her from his tiny size.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum... but I don't believe you. Ash would never leave his Pikachu behind as close as they are!" Misty said, pointing to Pikachu who had stopped sweeping to look up at one of its friends.
"Well... I... uh..." Delia stumbled, trying to find the right words to say.
"Mrs. Ketchum... please. If you know where Ash is, please tell me. I have some things I would like to say to him before he leaves." Misty said, showing a rare soft side of hers. Delia knew now was the time to strike with the spray bottle. Ash could only listen.
"Okay, I'll tell you. But first... can you please smell this new perfume that I bought today?" Delia asked, showing her the spray bottle.
"New perfume? What's this about!?" Misty shouted, now getting frustrated that she's not getting the answer she's looking for. Ash's heart raced with fear... his own mother wouldn't possibly go as far as shrink one of his own friends! Would she? Ash tried to get Misty's attention.
"Misty! Get out of here! That perfume's dangerous!!! Down here, Misty!!!" Ash shouted. But it was no good. Misty couldn't hear him. She was too focused on Delia approaching her with the spray bottle.
"Here... smell it." Delia said. That's when she let loose with the spray. Just like with Ash yesterday, the smell of the perfume slowly overtook Misty's body as she coughed her senses out before collapsing on the floor. The moment Ash saw Misty fall from sight and heard a resounding thud sound, he placed his hands on his forehead, trying to comprehend with the fact that his mom, Delia Ketchum, just shrunk his good friend Misty. Delia looked in the sink to see Ash's reaction.
"I guess you saw all that, huh?" Delia said. Ash softly nodded before showing a discomforting look. Delia tried changing the subject.
"Well, it looks like you've done enough dish cleaning. Why don't you dry off and you can say hi to your friend again." Delia said. She then turned the water off and removed Ash from the water-soaked dishes. She placed a nearby towel (normal sized) down next to Ash before taking her purse and the spray bottle to another room. Misty, meanwhile, continued to lay unconscious on the floor as she slowly began to shrink in size.

A few minutes later after she had stored her purse and the shrinking spray bottle away to safe locations, Delia returned with a smile to find a two-inch-tall Misty lying down on the kitchen floor. She kneeled down and picked her up as she slowly started to come to her senses. The moment Misty opened her eyes and saw nothing but Mrs. Ketchum's face, along with the hand she was sitting on, she gasped.
"Mrs. Ketchum!? Is that you?" Misty shouted.
"I know you may find this hard to believe, but it's me, Misty. I just shrunk you down to a smaller size." Delia said.
"You what!?!? Why did you do that!?" Misty shouted.
"You'll see. There's someone I want you to meet." Delia said. She then turned around to look at Ash, who continued to dry himself off with the towel.
"Ash, there's someone I want you to meet. Here, catch!" Delia said. She then held her outstretched hand about two feet above the kitchen counter that Ash was standing on. She tilted it to the side, causing Misty to lose her balance and fall down straight towards Ash. As she screamed for dear life, Ash dropped the towel and positioned himself underneath Misty. She then crashed down onto Ash as he tumbled backwards onto his back. Delia smiled at what she had just seen.
"Aren't you sweet, Ash, catching your friend like that and saving her life?" Delia said. Misty shook her head and slowly stood up before turning around to see the similar-sized Ash (still in his swimming trunks) right behind her.
"Uh... hi Misty." Ash said, softly.
"Ash! What is going on here!?!? How come you're tiny too?" Misty said.
"It's a long story, really." Ash said.
"Well, while you two are getting reacquainted, I'm going to change my outfit. And then we can do some gardening together after we eat lunch!" Delia said before walking away from the two and out of the kitchen, leaving the two shrunken Pokemon trainers all to themselves. Almost, anyway, since Pikachu was watching the two and Mimie was sweeping away as usual.

"Well, Ash Ketchum, you better get started with this long story of yours. And make it quick before I scream my lungs out because I'm smaller than a Caterpie!" Misty said.
"(sigh) Misty, please. The last thing I need through this experience is for you to have a temper tantrum. Seriously, I didn't do anything wrong this time! It was my mom who sprayed me in the first place. And just as I was leaving for Hoenn too." Ash said.
"Wait... your mom is basically behind all this? No tricks?" Misty said.
"She kept saying how much she missed me and wished I would stay home more often. I didn't count on her shrinking me as a way to keep me from ever leaving her." Ash said.
"Hmmm... well, I guess I can live with that. I'm sure my mom would go crazy too if I left and never came back for a while. But for her to shrink you like this..." Misty said.
"That spray, by the way, came from Professor Oak's lab. No doubt she got it from him after I left." Ash said. Misty didn't say anything.
"Look, if you want to be mad at me for what's happened to you, go ahead. I'm kinda upset myself." Ash said.
"No, it's not that. I... well... I don't know. Somehow I feel much better seeing you by my side. I just can't explain that feeling." Misty said. Afterwards, Delia came walking back into the kitchen, this wearing a slightly different dress. But this time she had athletic shoes and a flower hat to go along with the get-up. She opened up one of the cabinets and pulled out a small box of crackers, placing it on the kitchen table. She pulled two crackers out and set one next to Ash and the other next to Misty.
"Thanks... Mom." Ash said.
"Hey, at least it will fill you up for the time being. Now make it quick, I want to do some of that gardening I talked about!" Delia said.

A few minutes later, lunchtime was over and everyone found themselves outside in the backyard, where Delia's flower garden was located. Delia, Pikachu, and Mimie helped place flowers on the ground while Ash and Misty dug holes in the dirt. Their bodies (and clothes for that matter) were covered with dirt, which was humiliating when the others only had their hands covered up.
"You two look so cute digging up dirt together. Have you ever thought about... you know..." Delia said, teasing the two with her hints. Ash immediately knew where she was going and didn't look too happy.
"Mom... please! We're just friends, okay?" Ash said.
"You might say that, but you two just seem so close these days." Delia said, smiling.
"Mrs. Ketchum! He ruined my bike those many years ago! I... well... I... I just think we're just meant to be friends." Misty said, struggling to find the words. Delia took this in stride as she just shrugged and went back to work on her garden. But little did the two shrunken trainers realize what she was really planning.

About two hours passed before everyone went back inside. Back in the kitchen, Delia firmly held onto Ash and Misty, fatigued from the sun beating down on them for the past two hours (they were lucky that Delia's shadow kept them from sunburn), with her right hand while holding a wet sponge on her left hand. She gently rubbed the sponge against the two trainers, wiping off the dirt and grass that got onto the two as a result of them digging up patches in the garden. Although the touch was gentle, Ash and Misty were still getting drenched. A few minutes later, they were sparkly clean, or at least they looked that way. They were, however, very wet.
"There you go. I helped clean you guys off so you didn't have to. You can sit and rest while change my clothes." Delia said. She set the two down on the nearby table before she left to go upstairs to her room. Ash and Misty, in the meantime, were shaking their clothes to get the excess water out. It helped them dry off a little bit faster, but they still felt soaking wet. Ash and Misty tried not to make direct eye contact with each other during this entire time.

Delia soon returned, back to her everyday outfit. Only this time she was bare-foot. She sat down at the table, leaving the two to look up at her once again.
"Well, that felt good, didn't it?" Delia asked.
"Not really, Mom... you almost reshaped my entire face while cleaning us off." Ash said.
"Awww... did I really hurt you? I can help you feel better." Delia said, talking like Ash was four years old again. That's when she grabbed him and held him in her arms close to her chest as she rocked them back and forth.
"Mom! Geez!!! I'm not a child anymore! Not in front of Misty!" Ash shouted as his vision quickly shifted from left and right whenever he looked away from yellow color of his mom's shirt. Misty couldn't help but let out a giggle from what she was seeing.
"Uh... Mrs. Ketchum, I don't mean to sound impatient, but when do you think I'll be returned to normal size? I hate to think what my sisters would think if they saw me like this." Misty said.
"Very soon, Misty. I know you're very busy as a gym leader. You'll be back to normal size before Ash is restored." Delia said.
"Alright, good." Misty said.
"Now then, there's something I've been wanting to do ever since I shrunk you, Misty. I just know you and Ash are going to love it." Delia said. She picked up Misty and held her in one hand while holding Ash in the other. Both held on as tightly as they could to her skin, even though Delia already had a firm grip on the two, as she walked upstairs and into her room.
After setting Ash and Misty down on the dresser, Delia opened up her closet and pulled out something most surprising to the two trainers. It was very dusty, especially since she hadn't touched this thing for many years.

It was her dollhouse.

It seems that Delia was into dolls in her days of youth, but Ash had no way of knowing because she had never shown him anything like this before. She blew the dust off it, which was easy to carry because of its relatively small size (up to her knees if she were to set it down on the ground). She set it down on her dresser, right next to Ash and Misty. The front was totally exposed, so they could see all the rooms and stairways of the model home.
"Uh... Mom. You never told me you had a dollhouse." Ash said.
"I know, because I didn't want you to think I was that kind of mother back then. But since you already know my feelings toward you, you might as well learn another secret of mine." Delia said.
"Like I said, Ash. You're mother sure is acting different today." Misty said.
"I've always enjoyed the story of Romeo & Juliet, especially that scene where they meet at the castle." Delia said.
"Let me guess... you want us to re-enact that scene for you." Misty said.
"If you don't mind, of course..." Delia said. Misty just shrugged, seemingly having no problem with doing such an act. Ash, however, once again felt she was out of her mind.
"What!? Are you crazy, Mom? I can't do a scene like that with Misty around." Ash said.
"What's wrong, lil' Romeo? Afraid you'll slip up in front of your girlfriend?" Delia said with a smile.
"No... but she's not my girlfriend!" Ash shouted. Finally, Delia couldn't help but put her angry face on again. As Misty was walking up the stairs in the dollhouse, she watched as Ash started to look terrified.
"You'll do as you're told, my son. You do want to get back to normal size, don't you?" Delia said.
"She's right, Ash. I don't like this idea either, but this may be our only shot." Misty said. Ash finally let loose a big sigh before walking to the front of the dollhouse.

Delia cleared her throat before she started to picture the scene happening in front of her very eyes.
"It was late at night, and Mist... er, Juliet waited patiently for her secret loved one, Romeo, to appear at any moment." Delia said.
"Um... well... uh, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" Misty said, shaking as she said her line. She wasn't one to show her romantic side often, which is why she felt so nervous.
"Then just as she looks around her castle garden once more, she suddenly sees Romeo running up to the gates to greet her!" Delia said.
"Ugh... do I really have to do this, Mom? This is so embarrassing!" Ash shouted.
"Well, don't you worry. Only your mom is here to see you. Now then, as I was saying..." Delia said.
"Okay, okay, I get your point." Ash said before he looked up to Misty who stood in one of the rooms, "Uh... down here! I am here to see you and only you!" Ash shouted.
"Juliet's heart raced with excitement as she could see her one and only Romeo wave his hands and catch her attention. And what luck! Romeo managed to bring a ladder with him so he could safely climb up and meet with Juliet face to face!" Delia said, sounding excited. Ash looked around confused.
"Uh... I don't have a ladder, Mom." Ash said.
"Well then climb up the stairs, you silly!" Delia said. Ash looked over to indeed see a staircase that led straight to Misty's room.
"You don't have to tell me twice..." Ash said. He proceeded to climb up the stairs, eventually reaching the room that Misty was in. The two stood close together as they waited for the next part of the story from Delia.

"Their love for each other was simply unparalleled. And the only thing left to do after they talked about their respective families was to settle their differences with a kiss." Delia said. Ash and Misty both gave stunned looks to their giant storyteller.
"Mom!" Ash said.
"No way!" Misty shouted.
"My story, kids. Go on... kiss up!" Delia said. Ash and Misty gave hesitant looks at each other, around the house, and even back up to Delia. Finally, Misty grabbed Ash by his shirt and forced his mouth onto hers. They kissed very quickly. It lasted probably only a second at anyone's best guess. Ash was obviously taken back by the sudden kiss as he rubbed his lips of any lipstick that might have gotten on. Misty just had a shy look on her face, trying to pretend none of this ever happened.
"Awww... that was so cute, you two!" Delia said. Ash and Misty remained silent, both pretending none of this ever happened. Delia suddenly grabbed the two trainers and jumped onto the bed. She placed the two on her chest as she laid down on the bed flat on her back. She let the two walk around aimlessly for a few minutes before she finally spoke up.
"You two did such a good job, and you looked cute doing it too." Delia said.
"Yeah... sure, Mom." Ash said.
"I suppose I could agree with you, Mrs. Ketchum. Now then, how about we think about when you're going to enlarge me back to normal size!?" Misty said, sounding a bit frustrated. Delia thought about that for a few seconds before coming to a decision.
"Well, I wish I couldn't because you two look so cute when you're tiny, but I suppose I can't keep you like this forever, not when you have dreams to follow." Delia said.
"That's for sure." Ash said.
"Come on then. The shrinking spray bottle should be somewhere in the kitchen." Delia said. She picked up the two trainers and held onto them as she walked out of her room and down the stairs.

In the kitchen, Pikachu and Mimie were watching from the side while Ash and Misty stood down on the floor, looking way up as Delia searched through the many cabinets in an effort to find the shrinking spray. Eventually she does find it as she takes a good look at it before looking back down and approaching the two tiny trainers.
"I think I remember Professor Oak saying that a second spray of this 'perfume' that I called it to you two would allow you to return to normal size. Misty, you'll be first." Delia said.
"Okay... but I hope you're right about the second spray being the reverse effect." Misty said.
"It has to be. He did say it was made out of the contents of a Pokeball, and as smart as those things are..." Delia said, not wanting to finish the rest because Misty was so anxious to return to normal.
"Anyway, here goes... The smell might overcome you, Misty." Delia said. She then kneeled down as she sprayed Misty. Instantly she coughed and wheezed just like earlier before she collapsed on the ground. Ash ran to her side.
"Misty! Misty! Are you okay?" Ash said, shaking her to make sure she was still conscious. No movement so far. Delia kneeled back up and took a few steps backwards. Eventually, after a couple minutes, Ash could notice something different happening with Misty's body. It was feeling heavier as he held it in his hands before he was forced to let go. Ash stepped back as well, watching as Misty's body was growing faster and faster. It seems Delia was right! Now he was just one spray away from getting back on his journey to be a Pokemon master.

Finally, Misty stopped growing when she reached her normal size again. She regained conscious and noticed the floor much farther away than before. She almost felt gigantic because she had been accustomed to seeing the floor very close to her for the past few hours. She slowly stood up to see Delia not too much taller than she was, compared to earlier when she was much taller.
"Well, the spray worked, didn't it?" Delia said.
"Yes... I'm sure glad it did. And I'm glad to be back to normal." Misty said.
"Again, I'm sorry that I shrunk you. As long as you keep this secret from everyone you know, I won't shrink you again." Delia said.
"Alright, if you say so, Mrs. Ketchum. Well, I gotta get back to Cerulean City now, if you don't mind." Misty said. Delia shook her head, indicating to Misty that she could leave now. She turned and waved goodbye to Pikachu and Mimie before looking down at the shrunken Ash. She kneeled down just inches away from his tiny body.
"And Ash... well, I'll see you. I guess..." Misty said.
"Don't worry, Misty. I'm sure our paths will cross again." Ash said. Misty soon turned the frown on her face to a smile, knowing that Ash was hopeful in that they would meet again. She kneeled back up and stepped over the tiny trainer before she ran out the door and got on her bike as she pedaled towards home.

"Well, Mom, I know it must've been fun for you, but now it's my turn." Ash said. Delia took one look at the bottle, then another look at Ash, and then a look outside her window watching Misty pedal away.
"Actually, my son..." Delia said. She suddenly turned back to the cabinets and put the shrinking spray away. Ash watched this and quickly put a concerned look on his face. Delia looked back down at her shrunken son.
"I've decided that you will forever remain tiny and live with me." Delia said. Ash suddenly was outraged. He wanted so bad to go up and slap his mother, but he wasn't big enough to do that.
"WHAT!?!?" he simply shouted.
"Listen, Ash. Even if I did return you to normal size, what makes me think that I might see you again in the near future? You'll probably just go back to your normal routine of going on one crazy adventure after another and always have to worry me while I sit alone in this house while Mimie does all the work." Delia said.
"But... what are you saying, Mom?" Ash asked.
"It means I still don't think we've spent enough time together. I know you're trying to pursue a life-long dream of becoming a Pokemon master, but you're first going to spend a lot more time with me. Is that clear, Ash?" Delia said.
"You mean to tell me I gotta go through more of this craziness!? I thought you said it wouldn't be long before I was restored to normal size!!! Now how am I supposed to be the greatest trainer of all?!" Ash shouted. During his temper tantrum, he didn't realize that Delia was walking right towards him. She put a foot down right next to the tiny trainer, scaring the living daylights out of him as he looked back up to his mother.
"Is that clear, Ash Ketchum!?" Delia shouted in frustration. Ash knew he was going nowhere with this argument, because at this point, it was Delia who was once again boss of the house. What she says stays, even if Ash clearly does not want to be in this predicament any longer than he already has.
"Yes, mother. I understand." Ash said, softly.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Delia said, kneeling down.
"I said yes, mother!" Ash shouted. Delia then grabbed a small sponge that had been sitting in the kitchen sink for a little while and placed it down next to Ash.
"Good. Now then, help Pikachu and Mimie clean up the floor while I prepare dinner for tonight. After that, we're going to have so much fun together!" Delia said. Ash just gave a thumbs up to his mom as he started pushing the sponge around the room, occasionally looking back at her mother who towered over him. When she was looking away, Ash simply grumbled to himself. He hated to be small for possibly the rest of his life based on Delia's comments, but he simply had no choice.

Ash did briefly catch a good side to all this, however. At least he wouldn't also have to deal with a giant Misty at the same time. That thought itself made him breathe a sigh of relief, but he soon went back into a mixed depressed/angry feeling. The negatives were clearly outweighing the positives at this very moment in time.

As the days went by, however, Ash's attitude slowly adjusted from that of frustration to relaxation. He still didn't like being kept from his journey to become a Pokemon master, but he didn't mind now having to help his mom out on a daily basis now. Most times Delia would make it entertaining for Ash as she treated him as if he were a baby once again. But no doubt this was from her making up the lost times between his time home and his time adventuring with Pokemon.

Pikachu helped out as well, adjusting to now living with Delia and seeing his own trainer stuck at two inches tall for the rest of his life. Again, it didn't really like being couped up in a house when they could be out adventuring, but over time, Pikachu learned to accept this lifestyle. It even developed as strong a bond with Delia as it did many years ago with Ash!

But one thing's for sure, at the end of the day, Delia is always there for Ash. She takes care of him with all her heart. Whether it's cuddling him to the sound of her soft and gentle heartbeat or allowing him to sleep on a toy bed in her old dollhouse, Delia promised every day that no matter what happens, she still loves him through and through.

After all, that's one thing that can never change when one goes as far as what Delia did in the events of this story.

New epilogue (one week later)

NOTE from author: A big thank you to diego-toon-master for giving me inspiration to write this new epilogue. In fact, here is the original alternate ending he sent to me years ago (WARNING: normal male/shrunken female [M/f] interaction)
 

Ash pretty much fell into a routine as now two weeks have gone by since he was shrunken. He would wake up on the nightstand in Delia's room because of the alarm clock ringing on the other side of the room. Delia would turn the clock off, and then turn around and look and smile at her shrunken son. Ash lost track of the number of days this had been going, but it seemed painfully obvious by now this was going to be his new life. He had heard stories of mothers refusing to let go of their children so they can follow their dreams, but Delia was taking it quite literally.

"Good morning, my son." Delia said as she slowly crawled out of bed.
"Good morning, Mom." Ash said.
"And how are you this morning?" Delia said.
"Oh, same as usual. You?" Ash asked. Delia took a deep breath.
"I feel so alive and well. I think today's going to be the best day ever." Delia said. Ash mumbled to himself how it was only because he was going to be in her hands once again, but kept that thought to himself.
"I'm glad to hear it, Mom." Ash said. Delia was now out of bed and she walked to the nearby bathroom.

Ash just sat around, waiting for Delia to come out from the bathroom where she was brushing her teeth and changing into her regular everyday clothes. Eventually, Delia came out and took Ash into her hands, just as he had predicted. She walked out of the bedroom with Ash's Pikachu behind her.

Ash figured he was going to help Delia make breakfast again, just as he had done the past several days. But a change in those plans was about to develop. Delia heard a knock from her front door.
"Oh, I wonder who that could be?" Delia said as she stepped away from the kitchen table, leaving Ash behind. Ash took cover behind a glass vase so that whoever was visiting wouldn't see him.
Delia made it to the front door of her home and opened it up. Standing on the other side was Professor Oak.
"Oh! Professor Oak... what a pleasant surprise." Delia said.
"Yes, I apologize for not calling ahead of time, but I felt this was important. Can I please come in?" Oak said.
"Okay, sure." Delia said. She stepped aside and allowed Professor Oak to come inside. As Delia closed the front door, she directed the professor towards the couches in the living room.
"Please, come have a seat." Delia said. Both adults sat down on opposite couches.

"So what is it, Professor?" Delia asked.
"Oh, Delia. Please try not to panic... I'm doing everything I can to find him, but your son apparently has not made it to the Hoenn region." Oak said.
"Huh? Ash?" Delia asked. Ash knew his mother was in big trouble, no pun intended.
"Uh oh... Mom's secret is about to come out like a Meowth out of the bag." Ash said to himself.
"I've called every Pokemon Gym and Pokemon Center in Hoenn, but none of them claimed to have seen Ash." Oak said.
"Is... is that so?" Delia asked. She started to sweat nervously. She knew why Ash was being reported missing in Hoenn, because it was her selfish acts who halted his journey to that region.
"Oh, and Delia... this is kind of a bad time, I know, but I also came to tell you there's been a theft in my lab." Oak said.
"A theft? Oh my!" Delia said.
"Yes, but here's the weird part... only my shrinking spray was taken. Nothing else, not even the new Safari Ball I was helping to develop for Kurt. As strange as it may sound, I fear someone holding such a spray could use it for evil purposes. You know, like shrinking trainer and/or their Pokemon." Oak said.
"How... how... how t-t-t-terrible..." Delia said. She was really shaking and gulping now.
"So you should be careful in case the evil person decides to come by here. And don't worry, I'll do everything I can to find Ash wherever he is." Oak said. Ash smiled hearing Professor Oak's kind words about wanting to find him. He did look up to him like a fatherly figure since he didn't have a real father to raise him as a child, even if the professor of course couldn't be around the house because of his research.
But for right now, he watched as his mother was visibly breaking down. He thought about shouting out and getting the professor's attention... but he watched as his mother surprisingly came clean.

"It... well..." Delia said.
"Delia, what's wrong? You seem more puzzled than distraught." Oak said.
"Well, Professor, your shrinking spray missing? Ash not in Hoenn? It's all because of me..." Delia said as she lowered her head in shame.
"Huh?" Oak said.
"I took your special spray... and I used it on my son." Delia said. She then got up from her couch and watched towards the kitchen counter. First she reached behind the counter and pulled out the spray bottle. Then she laid both her hands on the table after spotting Ash from behind the vase.
"Come on, Ash." Delia said. Ash slowly walked onto Delia's right hand and she very gently moved towards Professor Oak with the bottle in her other hand.
"Right here, as you can see." Delia said, her face going from worried to quite sad as she showed off the items to the professor.
"Um... hi, Professor Oak!" Ash said.
"Wow... this is quite amazing. I didn't think my spray was that powerful!" Oak said.
"Well, I'm glad I could help contribute to science." Ash said.
"Well, I'm just glad you appear to be safe and sound, aside from the obvious size difference." Oak said, who laughed along with Ash at that comment. The only one not laughing was Delia, and she started to cry as she pressed the tiny Ash up against her pink buttoned up shirt.
"I'm so sorry, Professor Oak. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble... I just couldn't let go of my son! *sob*" Delia said.

But amazingly enough to Delia, Oak didn't lash out in anger. He just smiled as he sat down next to Delia on the other couch, putting a hand on one of her shoulders.
"You know, Delia, you remind me so much of my own mother. She tried just as hard as you did to keep me from setting out on my journey." Oak said.
"*sob sob*" Delia was finally able to look at Professor Oak despite her eyes filled with tears.
"I know it's hard to watch your son go out into the world on his own... but it has to be done someday. I know how much you adore Ash, but is this what he would want?" Oak said.
"Well, no... but..." Delia said.
"Delia, he must go on his adventure. That way when he returns, he will be that much wiser and have stories to tell the rest of his life! Not just to you, but to the rest of the world." Oak said.
"*sniff* Yes, you're right. I just wish there were ways I could see him more often. Hoenn is too far away for long distance calls..." Delia said.
"Yes, that's true... but the best thing you can do for your son is to let him go on his grand adventure." Oak said.

It would take a couple more minutes of talking and soothing words from the professor, but Delia finally agreed to let Ash go on his adventure. She placed her son on the floor and sprayed the contents of the bottle. Much like Misty a couple weeks ago, the second spray cancelled the shrinking effect, allowing Ash to grow back to his normal size. While Ash was happy at first, welcoming a happy Pikachu into its arms, he could still see the sadness in Delia's face.

Finally, later that day, with Professor Oak heading back to his lab (to destroy the shrinking spray and never bother with such an invention again), Ash, in a new set of clothes for his journey to Hoenn, was walking out of his home with backpack on and full of supplies needed to survive the long journey through Hoenn. Yes, that included lots of clean underwear.
"Good luck, Ash! Take care of yourself! I can't wait to hear about your adventures in Hoenn." Delia shouted. Ash then stopped in his tracks about seven to eight steps away from the front door.
"Ash, what is it?" Delia said.

That's when Ash turned around and ran towards his mother, burying his face in her chest.
"Mom... I'm going to miss you. I'll think about you every day like I did in Johto!" Ash said. Delia could hear it in his voice. He was very sad. He was going to miss her just as much as she would miss him.
"There, there, son. You must be strong. You want to be the very best, like no one ever was, right?" Delia said.
"Yeah..." Ash said.
"Then don't you come home until you've done that! Mom knows best, right?" Delia said with a smile on her face.
"Mom, I..." Ash said.
"Don't worry about me, Ash. You are much stronger than I will ever hope to be. I'm just too weak. Like Professor Oak said, this is for the best. For both of us." Delia said. Ash smiled as he started to back away from Delia.
"Okay, Mom. I'll give it my all! Hoenn will forever remember the name Ash Ketchum when I come back! You'll see!" Ash shouted with happiness returning in full force to his face.
"And don't forget to change your underwear! Every single day!" Delia shouted. Ash hung his head immediately upon hearing that (with Pikachu giggling).
"There's the Mom I remember. Come on, Pikachu!" Ash said. Delia took a deep breath and closed the front door, watching from one of the windows as her son began another long journey. And for the first time possibly ever, she accepted this fate.

And now it was time to do the dishes.
"Oh Mimie! I have a job for you!" Delia shouted happily as she walked away from the window.

END