Chapter 18 - Not the man he used to be

After only playing one set, Kevin felt more tired than usual. He could feel him losing his stamina faster than before. He also forgot to factor in that the racket now feels heavier in his hand due to his shrinking and declining strength. He kept missing a few hits and almost lost a set.

"Ack.. dammit." Kevin tripped on his feet and fell down as he was about to return a smash from their opponent. He was relieved that he'd reacted quickly and landed on his palms, preventing any bruises on his knees. Now he knows that at least his reflexes wasn't affected by the shrinking..

"You alright?" Maria asked giving him a hand.

"Yeah I'm okay.. I guess I just feel a bit tired today." Kevin replied.

"Your performance today was way lower than I expected. I think you haven't fully recovered. I'm calling off tomorrow's practice so you can focus on getting back on form." Maria responded.

Kevin felt that she was saying that in a very disappointed tone. But he also realized that his condition is only gonna get worse over time as he continued to dwindle but he had no choice but to comply.

"Thank you. I won't let you down." Kevin said. "I'm still waiting for you to show up at the gym someday." said Maria as she she packs her tennis stuff. Kevin replied with a reluctant chuckle as they went their separate ways.

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Kevin noticed Mia in front of her door as she was about to enter her apartment. Mia hadn't noticed him getting closer but as Kevin stands right behind her he could see that even Mia looks tall to him now. He used to be able to look way over her head even with her wearing heels, but now he could feel that their shoulders are at the same level. He was lost in his fantasy until she immediately turned around.

"Oh hey Mr Smith, I was just about to.." It took her a few seconds to finally realize it.

"Oh my God, Mr Smith?!" Mia couldn't believe what she is seeing.

"Umm.. Hi Mia.." Kevin replied nervously.

"What happened to you? How am I looking at you in the eye right now? Are you slouching? I know my heels isn't that tall.. Am I dreaming or something?" Mia couldn't stop herself from bombarding him with a barrage of questions.

Kevin noticed the puzzled expression on her face. He knew that there's no point in hiding it as it's already too obvious to her. Not only her chest looks bigger but her entire body now fills his field of view.

"Listen Mia. There's something I need to tell you. It's gonna sound crazy but this is what happened." Kevin said, preparing her with the strange truth he's about to dump onto her. "I am shrinking. I don't know how it happened, but I did lose a few inches. That's why we're almost the same height right now." Kevin explained with a straight tone, not sure how Mia is going to react. Will she laugh at him or will she ask even more questions..