Jirachi & Their Wish Maker
Shrinking all of the humans down to some inches was the biggest and arguably most important change that Arceus had done in the Shrinking, hence why it is commonly referred to as 'the Shrinking.' However, some minor, not advertised adjustments were made to the state of affairs in the world, things that Arceus was annoyed with but allowed to keep happening so the status quo would remain intact. Now that the normalcy that had existed for millennia had been turned on its head, though, there were hardly any good reasons as to why one of the Architect's mythical Pokemon, Jirachi, had to sleep for a thousand years in a rock beneath the surface of the Earth, only to wake up for seven days due to a comet appearing in the sky. This state of affairs had to be preserved because Jirachi needed to absorb the comet's energy so that Forina, a scenic and lush landscape in Hoenn, would not turn into a desolate wasteland. Now that the 'no intervention in the Earthly realm' rule had been thoroughly chewed up, spat out, and stepped on by the Alpha Pokemon, it was relatively easy to carve out a chunk of the Millennium Comet and settle it down to Forina, thus freeing the Wish Pokemon from its eons of obligation.
So, Jirachi is awake again after only a couple of years of slumber rather than the usual ten centuries, but that doesn't mean that the Wish Pokemon is totally relieved from all duty. They promised a certain someone they would remain best friends, forever and ever, right before they went to sleep. Someone that they were convinced would never see again. Someone who...looks a lot smaller than they did the last time Jirachi saw him - that's funny. Weren't human kids supposed to get bigger as they aged, not the opposite?
Max has been doing...fine enough since the Shrinking. The kid was finally ready to go out on his Pokemon Journey independently with his own Pokemon after coming of age. He was eager to apply all the knowledge he had gained from traveling Hoenn with his sister May and Ash to use...and then, halfway through Route 101, Arceus got bored. Arceus getting bored certainly tends to put the kibosh on things, like going on Pokemon Journeys and humanity being the dominant civilization on the planet. Luckily for Max, he has his starter Pokemon to take care of him, but still, when you suddenly find yourself two inches tall, it's hard not to pour over memories from when you were taller and wish you could relieve them.
Jirachi can't make Max taller, but a wish to see an old friend is certainly one they can grant~
The Journey Continues
Ash had finally done it. After many years, the young man from Pallet Town finally became the Pokemon World Champion! He's grown a lot since he's started way back when, but now he's back in Pallet Town from Galar, only for a short while, though, as he's been busy preparing himself for his next adventure. He's become World Champion, but in his mind, he's nowhere near to becoming a Pokemon Master; to be a Pokemon Master isn't about victory or even catching them all, it is about seeing the entire world and befriending as many of the magical creatures who inhabit it as one can. So, back where it all began, Ash finds himself gearing up for another exciting journey - where to? Who knows! He could take another lap around Kanto and see some sights he hadn't before, see some old friends in regions he's already been to, or explore a new region!
Now, most normal Pokemon trainers would be forgiven for taking on a different career path ever since the Shrinking. Being less than half a foot tall makes traveling inside your house hard, never mind an entire region! But Ash is not a normal Pokemon trainer; where many other people see an insurmountable obstacle, he sees a challenge, and he always has, and forever will be, a challenger. The idea has a modicum of merit, as organized Pokemon fighting is slowly returning, run by Pokemon for Pokemon, as the new world order materializes from the Shrinking's chaos. It will be difficult to take on any region's fighting circuit when he's so small, but Ash can travel on top of Pikachu. As inconvenient as the Shrinking was, he won't lie; getting to hold an honest-to-Arceus conversation with his best buddy is a nice bonus.
The Pokemon World looks different now, but Ash isn't worried. He probably should be at least a little worried since Pokemon are a lot more dangerous now, but his determination refused to shrink down with the rest of his body. Who knows, maybe he really can become a Pokemon Master...
The Return of Team Rocket
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Despite the entire world order suddenly evaporating, at least some of the institutions from the past still linger on, different here and there but still very much alive. But out of all the old human organizations that had to be revived and retrofitted to fit the needs of Pokemon, did it really have to be Team Rocket? Well, after Giovanni became the size of a screw, the person most willing and able to take up the old boss' role was that of Giovanni's Persian. The mafia don grumbles, but at least Persian spoils him as much as the human had for his pet.
This might come as a shock, but some Pokemon can be just as mean and ruthless as the worst aspects of humanity and have no problem fighting and kidnapping their fellow 'mon if it results in them gaining power from their victory. Persian is dead set on using Team Rocket's infrastructure of smuggling rings to carve out an Empire across the globe, with no humans to get in the way of his plans!...well, that was what he was hoping for, at least, until he found out that these two bumbling idiots called Jesse and James are still kicking around and insisting that they catch a Pikachu for him. Technically, they aren't actual Team Rocket members anymore; rather, they're pets of one very annoying Meowth, whose mug has recently been clogging Giovanni's old computer screen after he reports his latest failure to the new boss. Persian would love to can their butts, but Team Rocket doesn't actually have so many members anymore, so until the next recruitment drive starts, Meowth and his two pet humans operate as some of Persian's only agents in the field.
If only Persian could convince them to stop following 'dat twerp,' as Meowth frequently calls him. After all, there's no way a Pikachu and his former trainer could ever pose a serious threat to Team Rocket with how the world is now...yeah?