"I wish..." A nervous, female voice said, "I wish my boyfriend was the cutest person on the planet!"

This was the eleventh time the tree in the Atlantic Ocean dubbed Yggdrasil had granted a wish.  News outlets across the globe were currently broadcasting the wish making event live.  Usually, grizzled combat veterans earned the right for their country's wish, not college girls.  It had been over one hundred years since the first wish had been granted and exactly one hundred twenty years since Yggdrasil appeared in the middle of the ocean.

"Are you sure that's the wish you want granted?" A thunderous voice boomed out from the massive tree.

When the news of a magical tree appearing and announcing it would grant a wish every ten years surfaced, no one took it seriously.  That's perhaps why there was no competition for the first wish.  Only a few fanatical researchers had showed up on the new island and the "competition" to have the wish granted was a single elimination checker's tournament.  When a canadian scientist won the checker's tournament other's had joked about endless supplies of maple syrup but the canadian's wish was world changing.  Since it was the first wish, the intelligent people had also come up with ways to expose certain loopholes in Yggdrasil's rules. 

"I wish for three more wishes," the scientist had said.  The wish was granted.  "Firstly, I wish that all forms of petrol based fuels to no longer work.  Second, I wish that nuclear power no longer works.  Third, I wish that gunpowder can't work!" All the man's wishes were granted and the face of the global energy signature changed.

"Yes! I'm sure that's my wish," the girl replied to Yggdrasil.

Since the first wishing event over a century ago, the modern era had almost completely collapsed.  Solar power and wind power were never developed enough to replace petrol and nuclear power.  In fact, there were only a few places on the planet where solar power was actually feasible.  The world was plunged into a pseudo-stoneage.  Most of the world was left with nothing while the powerful countries that occupied prime locations not only had sufficient energy to power their civilizations, they gained even more power while the rest of the world floundered.  Countries that thrived in these ten years were countries like the Republic of California and the Florida Union. 

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While the first wish left most people without a lifeline to continue their lifestyle, the second wish really brought the world into a new era.  The second wish was made by a Japanese man who was infatuated with magical anime girls.  He was the captain of a special operations group of the JDF and he managed to win the tournament.  His superiors had ordered his unit to nullify the first wish(s) if they won but he was informed by Yggdrasil that no one can nullify the wish of another so the man modified his wish,  "I wish magic was real!" and it was made so.

"Woman named Catherine, if that is your wish I shall grant it!" Yggdrasil's voice boomed across the globe as the skies turned dark, indicative that Yggdrasil's power was granting Catherine's wish.  "Just so you know, what you think is cute and what I think is cute may be different.  I hope you won't be disappointed!" There was a hint of amusement to the tree's voice that hadn't been recorded before.

"What?" Catherine was stupified, shouldn't the tree comply with what she thought was cute?  What if it turns her boyfriend into a gorgeous redwood tree or something?!

"Your wish has been granted," the enormous tree said, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

*ring ring* Catherine's cell phone started to ring. The caller-ID identified the caller as her boyfriend, Sean. "Hey Sean!"

Everyone who had access to a working television had watched the grand tournament, which was now based on martial arts and it remained single elimination.  No one turned off the television after the tournament was over or changed the channel either, who would want to miss the next world altering wish?

"Catherine!" A high-pitched and incredibly hysterical voice shouted through the phone.  It was Sean. "What have you done?!"

"Eh? Sean?" Catherine didn't quite recognize the voice, it sounded different and not masculine at all.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Sean's voice screamed through the phone, the hysteria building. 

"Give what back?"

"GIVE ME MY MANHOOD BACK! WHY DID YOU MAKE ME A GIRL?"