The Badboy Baboon's snarling grin widened as he saw the opportunity to strike back. With Alex just recovering from his last attack, the creature pointed the remote directly at him, its eyes gleaming with wicked intent.
“This should teach you a lesson, kid!” the Baboon cackled.
Before Alex could even react, a beam of light shot from the remote, enveloping him in a strange, shimmering glow. His entire body tingled, and the world around him seemed to swell, expanding impossibly in all directions. He gasped in shock as his body began to shrink rapidly, his limbs and torso compressing, the room towering above him like a giant’s kingdom.
“No—!” Alex cried out, but his voice was quickly drowned by the rustling of his own oversized clothes, which cascaded around him like an avalanche. His armor fizzled out, leaving him buried under a pile of teenage clothes. Alex struggled, flailing as the fabric smothered him. His once powerful frame had been reduced to a mere 4 inches tall, and he was completely trapped inside his own clothes.
The Badboy Baboon laughed, stomping over to the heap where Alex was hidden. “Not so tough now, are you, Red Warrior? Maybe you’ll make a nice little pet instead!”
Meanwhile, Kenny watched in horror, his small body trembling as he saw the pile of clothes where his son had been just moments ago. “A-Alex? Where are you? What did you do to him?!”
The Baboon turned toward Kenny, an evil smirk creeping across its face. “Oh, don’t worry, little man. You’ll still get to spend time with your precious Alex… just in a different way.” With that, the Baboon pointed the remote at Kenny and twisted the dial. A strange light flickered, not physically changing Kenny, but warping his mind.
Kenny blinked, his wide eyes now filled with a different kind of light. His panicked breathing slowed, and a calm smile spread across his boyish face. “Oh! My new pet!” he said brightly, a strange eagerness in his voice. “I almost forgot!”
The Baboon watched with satisfaction as Kenny approached the pile of clothes, reaching down with his small hands to sift through the fabric. Beneath the folds of his own shirt, Alex’s tiny, naked, disoriented form finally emerged, no taller than a toy action figure. He stumbled, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief as he looked up at the enormous figure of his kid dad, now looming over him like a giant.
“Dad! You’ve gotta snap out of it!” Alex yelled, waving his tiny arms. “It’s me—your son! I’m not a pet!”
But Kenny’s mind had been completely altered. To him, Alex was no longer his son, but a cute, helpless little creature in need of care. “Aww, look at you, Alex,” Kenny cooed, gently scooping his now-minuscule son into his hands. Alex struggled, pushing against Kenny’s fingers, but it was useless. To his dad, he was no more significant than a hamster.
Kenny’s face lit up with excitement as he carried Alex into his bedroom. “Don’t worry, little guy! I’ve got just the place for you.”
Alex’s heart sank as he saw where Kenny was heading. A small tank, complete with wood shavings, a water bottle, and a hamster wheel, sat on Kenny’s desk. Alex’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “No, no, no, no! Not there!”
But Kenny, oblivious to his son’s protests, carefully lowered Alex into the tank. “This will be perfect for you! You’ll be so happy in here, Alex. And I’ll make sure you have plenty of food and water!”
Alex tumbled onto the soft wood shavings, his tiny, nude body barely making a dent in the bedding. He scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to climb the glass walls of the tank, but they were far too high for someone his size. The situation was beyond humiliating.
Kenny beamed down at him, completely oblivious to the reality of what he was doing. “Look! You even have a little wheel to run on,” he said, tapping the hamster wheel with a childish grin.
Alex groaned, slumping down against the side of the tank. His mind raced with panic as he looked up at his dad—now more of a caretaker than a parent. He felt like a trapped animal, completely at the mercy of a monster’s twisted plot.
“Kenny, please!” Alex shouted. “You’ve gotta fight this! I’m not a pet!”
But his words fell on deaf ears. Kenny was already filling the water bottle and adjusting the bedding, humming a tune as if he were simply taking care of a new pet.
From the doorway, the Badboy Baboon let out a bellowing laugh. “Perfect! Now, you’ll stay out of my way, Cyber Warrior. Enjoy your new life as a little hamster!” With a final sneer, the Baboon turned and left, leaving Alex trapped in the tank and Kenny obliviously fussing over him.
As the door slammed shut behind the Baboon, Alex pounded his tiny fists against the glass, fury and helplessness burning inside him. He knew he had to find a way to stop the Badboy Baboon and get the remote back, but for now, he was stuck as a four-inch-tall naked little guy, being doted on by his own 11-year-old dad, who believed he was nothing more than a tiny plaything.