SLACKERS
EPISODE XXIII
SINS OF THE FATHER
CHAPTER TWELVE - RESOLVE
"I swear to God, Mike, if you screenwatch me one more time, I'm going to shoot you for real!" shouted Wario.
"Heheheheh," snickered Mihalis as he quickly learned exactly which rock Wario had been hiding behind in Blood Gulch. "Any last words?"
"Eh?"
Wario turned around slowly to find the firing end of Mihalis's Magnum pistol about two inches from his face, before the bullet escaped and the camera began zooming out of Wario's dead Halo character.
"God, you're an asshole," Wario grumbled as he waited for the countdown to finish, so his character would respawn.
"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you," said Knuckles.
"What do you mean?" asked Mihalis.
He was answered by Knuckles firing a sniper rifle pointed directly at his head, giving him the same kill screen he'd just given Wario.
"Dude, everyone screenwatches," said Mihalis.
"Yeah, every cheater maybe," said Wario.
"Don't get me started on cheating. You never get to whine about cheating ever again after I crashed in your dumb stadium."
"I keep telling you, it's not cheating! It's a legitimate part of the course anyone can take advantage of. You just suck at racing!"
"And you suck at staying hidden."
"Huh?"
Wario nearly jumped when he heard the rapid gunfire that put his character down once again.
"Son of a bitch... quit distracting me!" he yelled.
"Don't mind me, I'm just having fun watching you guys kill each other," said Knuckles, whose character was perched at an ideal sniping point. He didn't do much, he just enjoyed watching Mihalis's red Spartan and Wario's yellow Spartan kill each other.
"You realize this is point based, right?" said Mihalis. "You can't win by just sitting and watching."
"Really?" said Knuckles, raising his eyebrows.
He then casually sniped both of them immediately where they stood. Then they respawned. Then he sniped them again.
"Thanks for the heads up!"
"Dammit!" Mihalis and Wario repeated each time Knuckles killed them. And he killed them a lot of times.
Enough to where, when the game was over, he emerged victorious by a pretty embarrassingly high number of points.
"Way to go, dumbass," Wario grumbled at his opponent. "If you'd kept your friggin' mouth shut, I still could have won!"
"What? No way! I was way ahead of you before Knuckles actually started playing!"
"Two points isn't 'way ahead'," replied Wario.
"Whatever. I need a beer," said Mihalis.
"You always need a beer," Mew finally chimed in, lazily relaxing on his custom lounge bed.
Mihalis grunted as he somehow pulled himself off the comfortable couch and dragged his feet back over to the bar. For him, everything seemed to be, more or less, back to normal. It had been about a week since his last blow-up with Giovanni, and the others had taken to spending more time with him after hours almost every day. It was nearly 1 in the morning at this point, and Wario had long since kicked all their customers out after closing time. Of course, Wario had forgotten to turn off the TVs behind the bar, but no one really cared. Mihalis was used to having to pick up what Wario would forget before he would go to his penthouse at the top of the building for the night.
He took a quick look at the largest screen behind the bar, watched an evening news report about "the world's loudest mime," or something stupid like that, and went for one of his beer taps.
Then something new on the news (yeah I said it, deal with it) caught his attention.
"Excuse me for a moment, but we just got some breaking news. Apparently there's been some unusual activity in the Pacific Ocean..."
He finished pouring his glass of beer, then watched the program.
"It looks like... can you see what that is?"
"It kind of looks like pink and green comets flying over the ocea..."
The TV briefly went to static, then immediately displayed a black box with a single red "R" in the middle.
He jumped.
"Uh... Mew?" Mihalis said nervously. "You might wanna get out here..."
"Screw off, I'm tired," he heard his Pokemon shout from the lounge.
"Team Rocket," was all it took for Mihalis to say to get Mew soaring out into the main area of the bar, his eyes glued to the TV.
An unusual feeling of anxiety washed over him. But somehow it didn't feel like his own.
Like he was receiving a weird psychic signal that conveyed terror and defeat.
"No..." he said, quietly enough for only Mihalis to hear.
A distored voice played on the screen.
"This is an important public announcement for all the people of this world."
Knuckles, alarmed by the strange, low, almost demonic voice, ran out of the lounge, followed by a slow-walking Wario.
The announcement continued. "From this moment on, this world and all who inhabit it belong to Team Rocket. All will submit to our authority, or face the consequences. We have in our possession the most powerful Pokemon in the world, giving us ultimate power over all."
"No way... they got him?!" shouted Wario.
"That's impossible," said Knuckles.
"Accept our new position, and you will be treated with fairness and compassion. Resist, and the entire world will suffer the power we will unleash."
The screen went completely black on its own. The TV was still powered on, so Mihalis tried changing the channel.
Nothing. No signal, no sound, nothing at all.
"How the hell are they doing that?!" asked Wario.
"Mewtwo," said Mihalis. "They must be holding him prisoner and forcing him to use his power for their dirty work."
"It's..." Mew began before nearly collapsing on the floor.
"Mew!" shouted his trainer, who squatted to be close to him. "What is it?"
Mew struggled to keep his eyes open.
"I can feel it... I can feel what they're doing to Mewtwo... they're torturing him..."
"Well then we need to go help him, right?" said Knuckles. "Even if he's doing some horrible things, we can't let him be tortured. If he's in the hands of Team Rocket... then..."
"They can do anything they want," said Wario, a part of him wishing he could have that kind of power. Not for evil, but for beer and cheeseburgers.
"What I wanna know is how they were able to find him in the first place. None of you guys said anything, right?" asked Mihalis.
"Nope," said Wario.
"Of course not," repeated Knuckles.
"It doesn't make any sense then. None of us said anything..."
Silence.
"Unless..."
Mike looked at Mew about as seriously as he possibly could.
"The shooting stars. Was that you and Celebi?"
"What shooting... oh..."
Mew thought about it. It must have been the trails of light they were leaving over the ocean. Someone in Team Rocket must have detected it and seen that the lights led directly to the cave on the island where they had once built a laboratory.
He felt like the stupidest person to ever exist.
"I can't believe it... I led them right to him... Mewtwo..."
An overwhelming sense of shame and guilt flowed through the small Pokemon. Mihalis scratched him behind the ear.
"Don't worry about it, you had no way of knowing," Mihalis said as he tried to comfort his Mew.
"Ew, gross! PDA!" shouted Wario. The others ignored him.
"Well, I think we can all agree we have to do something," said Knuckles. "We can't let Team Rocket keep Mewtwo. You've got them with ultimate power, not to mention I know what being tortured by them is like. Every second Mewtwo is there is cruel and unusual punishment."
"You mean being forced to watch Pinkfong while chained up?" asked Wario.
Knuckles nodded while he shivered. The PTSD was strong with this one.
"What can we do?" asked the sullen Mew.
Mihalis took a deep breath as he went for the phone in his pocket.
"There's only one thing TO do. I've got to call Giovanni again."
"Why? There's no way he's going to listen to you. Especially after that blow-up you guys had last week," said Knuckles.
Mihalis began looking through his contacts.
"I have to try. It's the best chance we have of getting him to listen to reason. If it doesn't work, we go to Plan B."
"Plan B? You mean where we give up, accept the fact that we have to live in a dictatorship, and drink beer at Conker's until we pass out?" asked Wario.
His face was swiftly met by Knuckles' fist.
"Ow..."
"No, dumbass," said Knuckles. "Where we go to Viridian City and rescue Mewtwo."
"Aw, great. Just great. Can't we go one day without having to rescue someone when there's nothing in it for us? I feel like we've done that like twenty times already!" shouted Wario.
"Five," said Mihalis. "And I'm doing this to avoid there being a number six."
The phone rang, and was met with an anonymous voicemail greeting.
He tried again.
"What do you want?" came the low, digitized voice on the other line.
"Dad, it's me," said Mihalis. Knuckles and Mew were especially shocked that Mihalis had addressed Giovanni by that name.
"If you're calling to finally offer your assistance, I'm afraid you're too late. Mewtwo is mine again."
"That's exactly why I'm calling you. You've got to let him go."
"Are you out of your mind?! After years of research, millions of dollars spent, a major setback, and more time and money spent to track him down again? You seriously expect me to just let him run free?"
"Do you realize how dangerous it is keeping a Pokemon there who's even more powerful than Mew? If you keep torturing him, he's going to kill you all!"
"Don't pretend to be concerned with my wellbeing, son. It's insulting. You care nothing for me, you know nothing of family. I have tried time and time again to reunite with you for a grand cause, and I'm through with your consistent rejection."
"That's not it at all, Dad!"
"Shut up, Mihalis."
Even though the man never particularly cared for his biological parent, Mihalis found his feelings hurt nonetheless.
"You're only acting sentimental now because it's convenient for you. Just like your cowardly mother."
Mihalis burned inside at the insults directed at his mother, but he knew he absolutely had to remain calm to convey his point. Knuckles looked on with pride at such restraint.
"Where was this behavior when I sent for you? When I finally revealed the truth to you? Do you know how many resources and how much time I spent to find you, just to know you were alright? I even gave you the chance to find her, and you took it. You've repaid me in nothing but neglect and selfishness. You're nothing but an emotional freeloader."
"None of that's true, and you know it! I never had a problem with you, I just can't support your team. I made that clear."
"Then why, the other day, did you say I was never your family? Hm? That I never cared for you? Care to explain that one? All I've done for you since I learned you were alive, none of that was caring? None of that was out of love for my son?"
"I... but..." Mihalis found his tongue tied as he realized Giovanni was right about something after all.
"Family and relationships don't work that way. You don't get to use family only when you get your way."
"Dad, please! Listen to me!" Mihalis began to plead.
"No," Giovanni sternly replied. "Team Rocket and I are one and the same. If you wish to join our ranks, a position will be open for you. But I will not have you pester me with your moral squabbles any longer."
"Please...!"
Giovanni hung up the call, and Mihalis hung his head low.
"You okay?" asked Knuckles.
"I'm fine," Mihalis responded. "I had a feeling that would happen."
"You did the right thing."
"I hope so..."
"So now what do we do?" asked Mew.
"Well..." he began, but trailed off. He looked at all of his friends, hoping his newest idea wouldn't be too incredibly stupid.
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but... I think I need my mom's help."
"Amanda? What's she going to do?" asked Mew.
"Hopefully help me get the old bastard to finally come to his senses."
Outside Amanda Sakaki's home in the Kalosian Riviera, a familiar bright light flashed, dimming to reveal a man and his Mew.
"You really think this is gonna work? I mean, she may not be in the best shape for this..." said Mew.
"It's the only chance we got. We ask, and we accept whatever she says."
"And if she says no?"
"Then we say okay, and warp somewhere to figure something else out."
"Like what?"
"I have no fucking idea, Mew. All I know is we can't let Mewtwo stay with Giovanni."
"No kidding."
Out of all the times Mihalis had knocked on this door, this was only the second time he did it with an anxious demeanor. Being nervous the first time he met his mom came to mind, but back then, he wasn't concerned about causing anyone war flashbacks.
She answered the door.
"Mihalis? What's going on?" she asked. "Usually you call..."
"I know, I'm sorry," he replied. "But... we need to talk."
She showed him in and gestured for him to sit down and make himself comfortable, like she always did. Normally she'd make him a cup of coffee as well, but this time, they went straight for the living room to sit down. She could tell he had to get something off his chest like there was no tomorrow.
"You look worried, honey," she said. "Is everything okay?"
Mihalis rolled his neck, hoping it might give his body the endorphin boost a cigarette would. It didn't.
"I need to ask you something. It's probably the biggest favor I'll ever ask in my life."
"Anything for you."
"I'm not so sure about that," Mew chimed in.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Mihalis took a deep breath. "Mom... Giovanni has recaptured Mewtwo."
She gasped, putting both hands to her mouth. Although she'd left the team years before Giovanni's Mewtwo research, she remembered the headlines years ago. She remembered the sense of relief that she'd gotten out long before being involved with the project, but being afraid for all humanity.
"Mihalis... I'm not sure you understand what you're saying. Do you understand the power your father would have if he actually got Mewtwo back?"
"I know exactly what I'm saying. It's pretty much the end of the world as we know it."
"Really? I feel fine," said Mew.
Mihalis glared at him. He grinned.
"I tried calling Giovanni and appealing to any shred of humanity he has left. You can see how well that worked out."
She said nothing.
"That's why..." he gulped, "That's why I want you to come with me to face him. In person. Together."
"Mihalis... I..."
As you probably could have guessed, she wasn't really fond of the idea of seeing Gio again. Even just hearing his voice, for a few minutes, over the phone, was enough for the memories to come flooding back.
To see him in person after all this time was another story entirely.
Unfortunately for her, this is that story.
She nodded.
"Alright," she said. "I'll go. Are you thinking that him seeing the two of us together might make him have a change of heart?"
"No way of knowing for sure unless we try," said Mihalis. "Dropping an emotional a-bomb might be the only thing that'll make him come to his senses."
"But what do you expect to happen after? There's no way the three of us could be an actual family. He might expect something like that."
"I know. He's still evil, and I'm happy with it being just you and me. If he says he wants to be a family, we're just going to have to entertain the thought long enough for Mewtwo to go free."
"The thought of being with that asshole again makes me want to puke," said Amanda.
"Mom, did... did you just swear?" he grinned.
"I know nothing of the sort, son."
Will Mihalis and company manage to pull off Rescue #6 and save Mewtwo? Will Amanda's help drive Giovanni away from his dastardly deeds? Will Wario ever find his forlorn garlic toothpaste? Tune in next chapter to find most of it out!
