Ok, here is an update, finally. Thanks for the reviews, by the way!
"Ok, Mikey, get up!"
Sulley dragged his little circular friend out of bed, and tossed into the living room. Mike glanced up at him with a glare, and he put his hands on his non-existant hips.
"I was dreaming about Celia, no thanks to you," Mike said, half-joking.
It wasn't uncommon for Mike to talk about dreams with Celia in them, and Sulley just teased him, the way a good best friend should, but this time, Sulley didn't tease Mike. He didn't even have a response, so he changed the subject instead.
"Ok, start training!" Sulley ordered.
Since Mike became a laugher- and is now holding the record for top laugher- Sulley had taken the liberty to train Mike, the same way Mike trained him in the morning as payback for all those years before.
"I told you I'm taking half the day off," Mike complained.
"But that doesn't mean you can't train!" Sulley said, trying to sound like a stereotypical gym coach. "Feel the pain, love the pain!" He just needed a pair of tight gym shorts, and he'd be all set.
Mike glared at Sulley again, and attempted a push-up, but his spaghetti-like arms had trouble holding up his body. He managed put push himself off of the ground, but his one arm gave out, and he landed flat on his eye.
"Is this payback?" Mike muttered, his words muffled- he was too lazy to pick himself up.
"You havta stay in tip-top shape," Sulley responded. He set Mike back on his two feet.
Staying in shape wasn't the reason why Sulley was forcing Mike to work. He wanted to train Mike for one of the last few times. He had no idea when the last training session would be, so he wanted to make everything worthwhile.
"Hey, what are you gonna do about Elizabeth?" Mike asked, after he tried another push-up.
Elizabeth was Mike's laughing assistant. It was her life-long dream to become a scarer, and now a laugher. She had the potential to become a scarer, but she was too young at the time to work, and she can't become a laugher because, frankly, she just isn't funny.
"I dunno. She can laugh for the day," Sulley suggested.
"Sulley, Elizabeth makes you look funny- no offense," Mike said. "I think she's be a great laugher if she didn't explain the punch line!"
"Well, we all have to start somewhere," Sulley said. "You know, when I was little, I always wanted to be a scarer, but I wasn't scary at all. I was a big puff-ball."
"Sull, I was there. I remember," Mike said, giving up on push-ups. "And you always wanted to be the greatest scarer around, but you were too cute, but I trained you, and then you became the best."
"Do you get where I'm going at?" Sulley asked.
"You want me too...," Mike was catching on. "No way!"
"Why not? You're a great trainer," Sulley said.
"She is un-trainable!" Mike said.
"As your boss, I'm giving your the responsibility to make Elizabeth funny," Sulley ordered.
Mike glared at his best friend for the third time. "What!? The kids are gonna laugh to make her get out of their room!" Then Mike briefly paused. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually liked Elizabeth."
"No way, Mike. And besides, I'm way older than her," Sulley said.
"She's like what, in her twenties? So are you," Mike pointed out.
"Still...," Sulley trailed off, then he changed the subject. "We've got practicing to do. Toddler!"
Mike put his hands over his eye, then took his hands away, called out, "Peek-a-boo!"
"Preteen!"
"How many monsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?"
"Child!"
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"Great," Sulley said. "Ok, so you go and plan with Celia, but I expect you to help Elizabeth."
The two best friends left for work, but Mike didn't beg to drive the now tamed car- he was too busy glaring at Sulley. Mike hoped that if he glared long enough, Sulley would change his mind, but he knew that deep down inside, Sulley would never change his mind.
As soon as Mike and Sulley opened the doors to the factory, Mike was at Celia's desk.
"Schmoopsie-poo," Mike said, getting Celia's attention.
"Googley Bear!" Celia sighed. "Or, should I say my fiancé."
"You're practicing French," Mike observed. "You know, France is the most romantic city."
"Oh! Maybe we should go to France for our honeymoon," Celia suggested.
"Uh...France is kinda...far, don't you think?" Sulley chimed in.
Mike and Celia exchanged glances, then said in unison, "Nah."
"And I will meet you here halfway through the day," Mike said.
"I'll be waiting," Celia said, and Mike headed towards the laugh floor.
Mike stopped when he saw her. Elizabeth. Elizabeth resembled a calico cat. She was like a cat-centaur, with no human component. She was covered in white fur, with brown and black patches, with four eyes. Her blue Monsters Inc hardhat covers her one floppy, one straight ears.
"Why did you hire her?" Mike hissed to Sulley.
"Well, she seemed enthusiastic," Sulley said.
"Oh, she's enthusiastic all right," Mike muttered.
The second Mike set foot onto the laugh floor, Elizabeth was there, and Mike was sure she heard her purring. Elizabeth thought Mike as a god, and Mike was temped to tell her to jump off of a cliff- she wouldn't question it- but whenever Mike saw the excitement in her four green eyes, he always told himself that he could survive another day.
"Elizabeth reporting for duty!" Elizabeth said, saluting Mike. "Can I help you?"
"Uh...get me a door," Mike said.
"One door coming right up, sir!" Elizabeth was gone in a flash and returned. "Door in station, and a child waiting to be laughed!"
"Uh...great," Mike said.
"Well come on, you have to break your own laugh record to become the top laugher!" Elizabeth grabbed Mike's arm and dragged him away.
"Kill me...," Mike muttered to Sulley who smiled at Mike's annoyance.
Elizabeth rushed him to the door, and waiting with a huge smile on, showing off her fangs. Mike went in the door, and came out, and the laugh canister filled up.
"Excellent job, sir!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She took the laugh canister. She was lean like a cat, but taller than Mike, but shorter than Sulley. She was able to carry around the huge canister, but it was obvious that her four legs were shaking from the weight.
Elizabeth hauled in another large canister, and Mike went to the room again, and in a matter of seconds, the canister was full.
"Wow.... You're amazing," Elizabeth said in awe.
"Guess what: I have been assigned to teach you how to laugh a child," Mike said as Elizabeth ejected the door and ordered a new one.
"Really?" Elizabeth asked, sounding like a coloratura.
"Yeah. Make me laugh," Mike said, hoping that she had practiced telling jokes at least.
"Ok, ok, ok," Elizabeth beamed. "I got a good one! Ok. A monster walked into a bar, and hit him right here," Elizabeth nudged her forehead.
The joke wasn't the funniest of all jokes to be told, but he got it, and smiled as a response. At least she didn't explain the humor behind it.
"You see it's funny, 'cause it's usually a monster walks into a bar and then something happens, but no, he literally walked into a bar! Like a steel bar! Do you get it? It's funny, right?" Elizabeth laughed as she explained the joke.
"You...have a lot to learn," Mike said. He went into the door, and came back out, filling another canister.
"One day...do you think I'll be a laugher as good as you?" Elizabeth asked.
Mike wanted to tell her no, and be truthful and honest. Telling the punch-line just isn't funny. He was about to tell her that too, but then he saw that childlike smile on her and he couldn't bring himself to crush her dreams. He reminded himself how Sulley was a puff-ball that couldn't scare a skiddish deer.
"We...have a lot of work to do," Mike sighed to himself.