Splayed out bareass against the hallway carpet after being effortlessly bested by a twelve-year-old, it was only now that Scott really appreciated just how small he’d become. Kai had gone out of his way to embarrass the shrunken spy and succeeded in spades, though Scott was far more mortified by being rendered naked in the defeat than by the loss itself. Every bit of his undeveloped little body lit up in a rose pink blush as he stared at what the show’s worldwide audience was undoubtedly reacting to in that instant – the tiny penis poking innocently out from Scott’s baby-smooth groin, hoisted upon a smooth pair of undescended grapes.
Scott was frozen by the sight for an instant before squealing in shame, shooting his hands downward and clamping them tightly over his adorable package as Kai started outright guffawing at the abject humiliation of his adversary. And if the way the living room’s massive screen suddenly lit up with laughing emojis was any indication, he wasn’t alone. For every reaction that expressed sympathy for the boy or even just remarked on how cute he’d become – small stabs at his drowning pride in their own way – there were at least a hundred who thought Scott’s utter denudation was simply hilarious.
“Tough luck, kid.” Kai grinned at Scott once the preteen Hawaiian had regained his composure. He tossed the garments back to the younger boy, who immediately slithered into them while his tormentor snickered and thumbed at the screen. “But hey, if anything you should be thanking me – looks like you’re a star, squirt.”
Scott wiped the tears from his eyes to see that he had, indeed, shot up to first place in the No Girls Allowed popularity rankings. Though the winner would be decided by a single audience poll held at the end of the season, the rankings – which were determined by comments, likes and other reactions – let the boys know at all times who’d be victorious if the vote was held in that moment. The middle-aged man turned ten-year-old took little comfort from his placement. If anything, the fluidity of the rankings reminded him that – should he fail in his mission – it’d come down to the whims of the audience whether he leave this house and go back to his apartment or go back into foster care.
“NO MERCY SHOWN FROM KAI, WHO ELIMINATES SCOTT FROM THE TOURNAMENT AND ENSURES THAT THE POOR KID WILL ENDURE THE FIRST AGE PENALTY OF THE SEASON!” Barrie chuckled as Scott stiffened, sure he’d be punted deeper into his childhood right then and there. “CHILL OUT, SCAREDY CAT! WE WON’T GET TO THAT UNTIL WE CROWN A WINNER AND A LOSER. AND SPEAKING OF, LET’S GET JACKSON AND ERNESTO DOWN TO THE FLOOR FOR THE SECOND OF THE SEMIFINAL CONTESTS!”
Scott robotically shuffled over to the sofa and crawled into the corner furthest from the action. Kai, seemingly content to cease his badgering for the moment, instead took a front-row seat as Jackson and Ernesto squared up in the center of the room. For all the fuss that had been made about him just a few moments ago, everyone seemed content to let the humbled lad disappear into the background as the physically matched pair grappled for dominance. That was just fine with Scott – he needed a moment to recover from what he’d just been through, to think about what he’d learned from Kai soundly defeating him. It was no small challenge for Scott to try and analyze his memories of Kai’s moves, fresh as they were. Typically adept at avoiding distractions, he found his attention drawn away every few seconds by the match, by the screen, by Kai’s shouts of excitement. A pit opened up in his stomach as he realized that even if he still had all his memories, that didn’t change the fact that he now had the brain of a ten-year-old. And ten-year-olds get distracted.
He and his colleagues at the agency had, of course, watched the first season and saw how formerly straight-laced men would happily behave like the silly little boys they’d become. It wasn’t until this moment, however, that Scott realized they hadn’t been acting, that they – just as he was now – were flooded with impulses befitting their new ages. For the spy, it would be another task in itself to fight off those impulses and remain focused on his mission; and though he tried to remain positive in light of that knowledge, Scott shivered upon remembering that it would become all the more difficult once his age penalty was complete.
“Hey! Earth to shrimp-o!”
A startled Scott looked up to see Ernesto standing over him, his impatient glare softening when the smaller boy blushed anew at being caught daydreaming.
“Sorry, but we’re up.” Ernesto gestured at Jackson and Kai, who were chatting excitedly on the other end of the sofa. “It’s Jackson and Kai in the finals – we gotta have the third place match. Do you…need a minute? Should I ask Barrie if we can take a quick break?”
“…no. No, I’m good.” Scott managed a smile as he sniffed away his urge to cry, bolstered by Ernesto’s unexpected kindness. He met the bronze-skinned boy out in front of the massive TV and held out his hand as the timer to their match started counting down. “Good luck.”
“You too.” Ernesto smiled as he shook the small appendage and maintained his grip on it. “Just so you know, I thought it was messed up of Kai to do that to you.”
“Yeah, well.” Scott shrugged. “It’s all part of the game, I guess.”
Ernesto’s smile sharpened.
“I’m so glad you understand that.”
“LOOKS LIKE SCOTT AND ERNESTO ARE READY TO GET THIS PENULTIMATE DUEL GOING!” Barrie announced. “TO THE WINNER, A RESPECTABLE THIRD PLACE. TO THE LOSER, A BEFITTING PUNISHMENT! READY? SET? WRESTLE!”
Ernesto suddenly tightened his grip on Scott’s hand, keeping him anchored in place as the bigger boy smashed his bare heel into his opponent’s exposed toes. Scott yelped and jumped back as his foot exploded in pain, seeing white as he flailed to maintain his balance in the wake of the sneak attack. Ernesto pounced before he could do so, however, grabbing Scott’s leg and rolling him to the ground in the maneuver known by pro wrestling devotees as the schoolboy pin. From there, it was a simple matter of Ernesto using his superior strength to press Scott’s shoulders into the carpet for the five count, the shrunken spy shouting and squirming as he was served with another demeaning reminder of his abject powerlessness.
“OH, AND ERNESTO TAKES ADVANTAGE OF A DOE-EYED SCOTT TO GET A FLASH PIN!” Barrie clicked his teeth as he took on a tone of mock disapproval. “THAT WAS VERY NAUGHTY OF YOU, ERNESTO, THOUGH NOT PUNISHABLE SINCE YOU DIDN’T EXPLICITLY VIOLATE THE RULES. BUT WATCH YOURSELF!”
Ernesto made the Scout’s Honor symbol as he winked at the screen, his grin turning positively devilish to match the flood of horned emojis that appeared in tribute of his cheeky antics. Scott, meanwhile, hobbled over to the sofa and tended to his stomped toes. With the physical agony ebbing, a much more painful realization set in – that of him having fallen for the scheme of a two-bit reality show contestant. Even the most junior agent would know not to fall for such a simple ruse, and yet there Scott sat awaiting his punishment because he was too disarmed by everything that had happened to keep his guard up.
Scott distracted himself from his pity party by focusing on the finals between Kai and Jackson, his suspicion of the former boy now buoyed by a fierce and horrible desire to discover some way to get back at him. As the match unfolded, however, he couldn’t find anything the least bit unusual in the way Kai grappled, didn’t see a hint of the advanced techniques and movement he’d used to easily dispatch Scott. It was as though Kai specifically wanted only Scott to be aware of his abilities, as though his thrashing of the smaller boy was the mystery contestant’s way of sending that message. But what did Kai have to gain from tipping his hand like that? And was sending that message so important that it had to be done in broad view of Jackson, Ernesto, and the whole world behind the screen? The thought of finding answers to these questions helped Scott return his focus to the mission…until the finals came to a close, at least.
“THAT’S IT! KAI HAS KEPT JACKSON DOWN FOR THE FIVE COUNT, MAKING HIM THE WINNER OF WHAT’S PROVEN TO BE A TREMENDOUS TOURNAMENT!” Barrie gushed as the victorious kid helped Jackson to his feet. The smiling runner-up still had all his dad clothes on and applauded Kai as he soaked in his moment, unflappable even in defeat. “AND AS THE WINNER, YOU GET TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WILL SHAPE THE COURSE OF THE SEASON – BEDROOM ASSIGNMENTS! WHO YA WANNA BUNK WITH, CHAMP?”
“Scott.” The startled boy looked up at Kai, who sent a playful smile his way. “I think we got off on the wrong foot and I want to make that up to him.”
“HOW SWEET! A FIGHTER AND A GENTLEMAN, ALL ROLLED UP IN ONE CONVENIENT FIVE-FOOT PACKAGE.” Barrie joked as the screen was flooded with heart emojis. “AND SPEAKING OF…SORRY, SLUGGER, BUT IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE YOUR LICKS.”
Scott gulped as he presented himself before the TV, awaiting his fight as six eyes stabbed him from behind and countless more smothered him from the front.
“WE RAN A SNAP POLL TO SEE WHAT CONSEQUENCE SCOTT WOULD FACE FOR FINISHING FOURTH IN THE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT, AND THE WINNER WITH FORTY-ONE PERCENT OF THE VOTE IS…” Canned drumroll. “…UNDIE DAY! IN A MINUTE WE’LL SEND YOU BOYS UPSTAIRS TO GET DRESSED IN MORE APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. FOR YOU, SCOTT, ONLY MORE APPROPRIATE UNDIES WILL BE NECESSARY, AS YOU’RE TO SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY IN NOTHING BUT YOUR SKIVVIES!”
Scott fumed and reflexively clenched his fists at the snickering behind him and the stream of laughing faces that represented the amusement of those at home. He wanted nothing more than to lash out and scream that he’d gotten unlucky, that he’d been tricked. All he could do for now, though, was bite his tongue lest he have yet another humiliation piled upon him…
“BUT WHAT WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TYPE OF UNDIES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR LITTLE SCOTTIE, AS WE DON’T KNOW HOW OLD HE’LL BE!” Barrie chortled as a die appeared on the screen. “WE’LL LEAVE THAT ONE TO LADY LUCK, THE ONLY GIRL ALLOWED IN THE BOY’S HOUSE.”
…and there was little Scott could think of that would be more humiliating than being rendered even younger. Yet, there he stood, waiting for pure chance to determine how many years he was doomed to lose.