Ethan Wright found himself in yet another surreal situation as he was carefully transported to the medical wing at M.O.N. headquarters. The transport was gentle, but every slight jostle felt magnified by his delicate and flattened state. Tio, the giant Oni who had inadvertently flattened him, accompanied him, her enormous presence somehow both reassuring and overwhelming.
Upon arrival, Ethan was placed on a large, pristine examination table specially designed for handling various sizes and types of monsters and demi-humans. The room was filled with all manner of medical equipment, some of which looked quite ancient, juxtaposed with cutting-edge technology. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic mixed with a hint of magic—a smell that Ethan was quickly becoming accustomed to.
The medical wizard who attended him was a small, wizened man with a long, flowing beard and eyes that twinkled with knowledge and a hint of mischief. He muttered to himself as he examined Ethan, poking and prodding with a gentle yet unnervingly cold finger. Tio hovered nearby, her eyes never leaving Ethan, filled with a mix of concern and something else—was it affection?
"You're quite the unique case, young man," the wizard finally declared, his voice frail yet carrying a tone of authority. "I'm afraid my magic isn't strong enough to break this particular curse. And as for your... flattening, that’s a new challenge altogether."
Tio, sitting beside the examination table, leaned closer to Ethan, her eyes twinkling as she asked him questions to distract him from his anxiety. "So, Ethan, tell me about yourself. You’re from America, right?"
Ethan nodded, his voice a soft whisper. "Yes, I came to Japan on an exchange program. I live alone here... or at least, I did until today." He managed a weak smile, trying to make light of his bizarre predicament.
"You’re really cute, you know? I hope I can help make this easier for you."
As they talked, the wizard shook his head sadly. "I’m sorry, my boy, but it seems you might be stuck like this until we find a stronger spell or a different kind of magic to counteract the curse."
Zombina, who had been observing quietly from the doorway, chimed in with a smirk, "Why don’t we just inflate him like a balloon? You know, puff him back up to size?"
Tio’s face lit up at the suggestion, a bit too eagerly. "I can do that!" she exclaimed, already moving closer to Ethan.
Before Ethan could protest, Tio’s lips were on his tiny face, and she began to blow. At first, it was gentle, and Ethan felt a strange tickling sensation as his body began to expand slightly. But Tio, perhaps a bit too enthusiastic, increased her efforts, inflating Ethan rapidly.
Ethan felt a rush of air fill him, his body expanding with alarming speed under Tio's enthusiastic efforts. As he rounded out into an almost comical spherical shape, Tio hastily pinched his mouth shut, her fingers gentle yet firm to prevent him from deflating and possibly flying off like a loose balloon.
Hovering slightly above the examination table, Ethan didn’t share in the room's mirth. Although the physical sensation was more bizarre than painful, there was a discomfort in being stretched out in such an unnatural way. He tried to remain composed, not wanting to worry Tio or show any vulnerability in front of the M.O.N. team. His face, however, betrayed a hint of the strain he felt, a slight grimace around his pinched mouth that Tio might have missed in her worry to keep him anchored.
Tio, noticing the silence from Ethan amidst the laughter, looked at him with concern. "Oh no, are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with worry as her other hand gently supported his inflated form.
Ethan managed a nod, not fully trusting his voice under the unusual circumstances. "I'm fine," he finally murmured, the words muffled slightly by Tio's fingers still clamped over his mouth. "It's just a bit... uncomfortable," he admitted, his voice strained as he tried to adjust to his new, inflated state.
Tio's expression softened, a frown of regret replacing her earlier smile. "I’m so sorry, Ethan. I got carried away," she said, her tone sincere. Her concern was palpable, her eyes scanning his stretched features for any sign of real pain.
"It’s okay, Tio," Ethan reassured her, his voice growing steadier as he acclimated to the pressure.
"It reallyl was a good effort Tio, but Let's just figure out how to fix this without turning him into a party decoration," the elderly wizard added, attempting a light-hearted joke to ease the tension.
Tio chuckled softly, the sound warm and comforting. "Agreed. We’ll find a better solution, I promise," she said, her gaze meeting his with a reassuring determination. As the room's laughter subsided, the medical team refocused, turning back to their equipment and books to find a method to safely return Ethan to his normal dimensions without further discomfort.
=
Back in the interrogation room, Agent Smith stood imposingly across from Pippa, who seemed far too at ease for someone in her predicament. The air was tense, as if charged with unspoken threats and hidden truths. Agent Smith's expression was one of cold professionalism, her eyes sharp as she addressed the witch.
"Pippa, explain the specifics of the curse on Ethan Wright," she demanded, her voice steady and commanding.
Pippa, lounging back in her chair, smiled wryly. "Ah, the little one. He's under a very special kind of shrinking curse, one that's not easily broken," she began, her tone casual, almost dismissive. "It requires a specific ritual to reverse, and no, I’m not inclined to share how just yet."
Agent Smith's eyes narrowed. "And his current... malleable condition?" she pressed, trying to keep her frustration in check.
"Oh, that’s just a little safeguard," Pippa chuckled, clearly enjoying the discomfort her spells had caused. "It makes him elastic and nearly indestructible. No matter what happens, Ethan won’t die. He can stretch, bend, and inflate, but he won't break."
Not finding this reassurance comforting, Agent Smith clenched her jaw. "This isn’t a game, Pippa. His life is profoundly altered."
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Pippa leaned back further. "As I said, he’s perfectly safe. Just a bit more... flexible than before."
Frustrated and seeing no further information forthcoming, Agent Smith turned on her heel and exited the room, the door slamming behind her with a resounding thud. She needed a moment to collect herself, the irrationality of the situation threatening to overwhelm her usual composure.
Outside, she found Tio and Zombina standing together. Tio was cradling Ethan gently in her arms, his body still inflated and round, his lips now tied off in a small knot to prevent any air from escaping. The sight was so absurd, so out of place in the seriousness of their operations, that Agent Smith had to pause to absorb it.
"What happened here?" she asked, though her stern facade was cracking, the edges of her mouth twitching as she fought back a smile.
Zombina, who couldn’t hold back her amusement, burst into laughter. "Oh, it was Tio’s idea to 'inflate' him back to normal," she explained between chuckles. "Turns out, he inflates like a beach ball!"
Agent Smith shook her head, a rare smile breaking through. "Only here could such a sentence make any kind of sense," she muttered, her gaze softening as she looked at Ethan, who, despite his bizarre state, seemed to be handling the situation with remarkable calm.
Turning to Tio, she asked, "How are you holding up?"
Tio beamed, still utterly enchanted by Ethan's resilience and peculiar condition. "He’s doing great! And I’m making sure he stays safe," she responded, her tone protective and warm.
Agent Smith nodded, her respect for Tio's dedication evident. "We need to find a way to reverse this curse properly. And safely," she added, her voice firm, signaling her determination to resolve the situation.
Agent Smith gathered Tio and Zombina for a brief, impromptu meeting, her voice low and serious as they stood in the hallway. Ethan, still in Tio's gentle yet firm grasp, could only listen as they discussed his fate as though he weren't there, his round, balloon-like form bobbing slightly with each of Tio’s movements.
“We can’t just send him home like this, and his parents... we haven’t been able to get through to them,” Agent Smith stated, her brow furrowed with concern. The logistical and ethical complications of Ethan's condition weighed heavily on her.
Zombina, ever practical, chimed in with a suggestion. “Why don’t we just send him home with an escort? We can keep an eye on him that way, make sure he adjusts okay.”
Tio’s expression shifted to one of alarm at the thought of Ethan being anywhere but under her direct care. “Or,” she started, her voice eager, “he could stay in my room! I have plenty of space, and I can watch over him all the time.” As she spoke, her excitement grew, and she squeezed Ethan a little too tightly in her enthusiasm, causing his eyes to bulge comically.
Ethan, feeling the pressure, managed to emit a muffled sound of protest, his face stretching weirdly with the distortion. “Mmmph!” Tio immediately loosened her grip, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and concern. “Oh! Sorry, Ethan! I just got a little excited,” she apologized, her voice soft and contrite.
Agent Smith raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Ethan for the first time in the conversation. “Ethan, are you alright with Tio’s suggestion?” she asked, making a concerted effort to include him in the decision-making process.
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