Red turned and walked briskly down the hall, his mind racing. He wasn’t one to panic, but something about Ash’s height not changing in a whole year felt wrong. He knew kids were supposed to grow, especially at Ash’s age. And if Ash hadn’t… What did that mean? Was he sick? Was something wrong with him?

He needed to find Mia.

He reached her room and knocked. "..."

No answer.

He knocked again, a little louder. Still nothing.

Red frowned and opened the door.

Mia was curled up on her bed, her back to the door, seemingly fast asleep. Her Pikachu was snuggled up beside her, its ears twitching slightly at the sound of Red stepping inside.

He hesitated. Mia was a deep sleeper, and waking her up wasn’t always easy—sometimes, she’d even yeet whoever woke her up if she got scared enough. But they needed to go see Brock.

So he walked up to the bed and gently shook her shoulder.

"...Mia."

She groaned and buried her face into her pillow.

Red sighed. He nudged her again, a little firmer this time.

"...Mia, wake up."

She groaned louder and pulled the blanket over her head. "Nnngh... Noooo..."

Red narrowed his eyes.

He reached under the blanket and grabbed her shoulders, flipping her over so she was facing him.

"Mia."

Her eyes cracked open blearily. "Nnngh…?"

Red held up a hand, measuring her height against himself. He frowned.

She had grown.

That confirmed it.

It was just Ash.

That wasn’t good.

Mia blinked at him sleepily, then slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Wha’cha doin’?" she mumbled.

Red pointed at the door. "Doctor."

She frowned, still half-asleep. "Doctor? Why?"

"Ash."

That seemed to wake her up a bit more. She tilted her head. "What about him?"

Red sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "Measured him. Same height."

Mia blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then her eyes widened in realization.

"Wait. You mean he hasn’t grown at all?!"

Red shook his head.

Mia frowned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "That’s… not normal, right?"

Red nodded.

Mia bit her lip, now fully awake. "Okay, yeah. We should probably go see Brock." She hopped off the bed and stretched. "Lemme just get dressed first."

Red nodded and stepped out of the room, waiting in the hallway.

A minute later, Mia stepped out, now fully dressed. She still looked a little groggy, but there was concern in her eyes.

"Okay," she said, adjusting her shirt. "Let’s go."

They returned to the living room, where Ash was still standing against the wall, now poking at the mark Red had made with a frown.

"Is this really bad?" he asked when he saw them. "Like, really, really bad?"

Mia knelt down beside him and ruffled his hair. "We don’t know yet. But that’s why we’re gonna see Brock, okay? He’ll figure it out."

Ash still looked unsure, but he nodded. "Okay…"

Red gave a small nod in return, then gestured toward the door.

They headed out, Pikachu hopping onto Mia’s shoulder as they walked.

The Pokémon Center wasn’t too far from their home, but the walk felt longer than usual.

Mia was unusually quiet. Normally, she’d be talking about whatever random thought popped into her head, but this time, she just walked beside Red with a frown.

Even Ash, usually full of energy, was subdued.

When they reached the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy greeted them warmly. "Oh, hello, Red, Mia, Ash! Here for a check-up?"

Red nodded.

Mia gave a small smile. "Is Brock here?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "Yes, he’s in the back. Let me call him."

She walked into the back room, and a few minutes later, Brock emerged, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted with a smile. "What’s up?"

Red pointed at Ash. "Height."

Brock blinked. "Uh… what?"

Mia sighed. "Ash hasn’t grown at all since last year."

Brock’s easygoing expression disappeared instantly. "Wait. At all?"

Red shook his head.

Brock frowned. "That’s… not normal."

Ash shifted nervously. "See? I am broken!"

Brock’s face softened. He knelt down and patted Ash’s shoulder. "Hey, buddy, don’t say that. We don’t know what’s going on yet, okay?"

Ash still looked unsure, but he nodded.

Brock stood up and gestured toward the exam room. "Alright. Let’s do a check-up. We’ll see if we can figure this out."

Red, Mia, and Ash followed him inside, a growing sense of unease settling over them.

Something was wrong.

They just had to find out what.