SLACKERS

EPISODE XXIII

SINS OF THE FATHER

CHAPTER SEVEN - IN MY TIME OF SLACKING

In the New Donk pisshole known as Slackers, its owners, Mihalis and Wario, were tending the bar like any old normal day. Mihalis had recovered well enough from his injuries to go back to work, if anything to get his mind off of a rather stressful phone call. After he'd been released, his mother went back to her little country home in faraway Kalos. He had asked Misty to go with her to make sure she would be alright, emotionally and mentally, but they both agreed it would be better for the pregnant Misty to return home with her boyfriend in case there were any complications from his recent hospitalization.

Thankfully he was holding up alright, physically. Not all the way better by any means, but he was okay. This morning his neck was feeling sore, but he was quick to reject Wario's offer of a shoulder massage. He had no idea if he was being serious or not, but Wario's mission to creep his partner out was definitely successful. Almost as creepy as his offer to lend an old, used penis pump to help Mihalis get past his ED issue a while back, but let's not revisit that.

Emotionally, Mihalis was feeling a little better, too. Last night he had spent an hour with his face in his hands, only to be pulled out of it by Misty. For all her fiery temper issues and her loud mouth, she was surprisingly loving and gentle when she needed to be. Her sometimes rapid switches between fiesty and tender kept Mihalis feeling both comforted and excited at the same time, and it was one of his favorite things about her.

His Pokemon, Mew, had been envious of the relationship, and Mihalis would feel guilty, even if no one had done anything wrong. For whatever reason, he was remembering this now as he polished a pilsner glass, and was thankful Mew finally had the chance to experience the same thing with Celebi. He hadn't seen Mew in weeks, probably record time, but he knew he was out there, happier than he'd ever been in his whole life.

His attention was fixated firmly on his work until the front door to the establishment opened, and his favorite customer approached the bar.

"Knux!" he gleefully exclaimed.

"Mike? What the hell are you doing working? Shouldn't you be resting until Mew gets back so he can heal you?"

Mihalis shrugged. "I don't mind. I made a deal with Wario."

"Do I want to know?" asked Knuckles.

"I do the easy, menial shit while Wario does the hard work for free until Mew gets back."

"You dick!" they heard Wario shouting as he was scraping some rancid gum off the bottom of the counter.

Mihalis smugly grinned and said "That way I won't fire or sue him!"

Knuckles rested his forehead in his palm as Mihalis poured him a glass of cabernet sauvingon, the only thing he ever drank on a regular basis.

"I have no idea how your friendship works."

"It just does," said the nonchalant Mihalis, looking at Wario.

He didn't get a look back, all he got was an "I hate you."

Mihalis reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, electronic device with a nozzle on it. He took it to his mouth, pushed a small button, and inhaled the nicotine-laced vapor it expelled. He let out a long sigh as what looked similar to a cloud of smoke escaped from his lungs.

"...what the hell is that?" asked Knuckles.

"Hm?" mumbled the recovering proprietor.

Wario grunted, having finally removed the last traces of the gum he was beginning to suspect was put there intentionally by his business partner, as he stood up and groaned.

"Mike got a vape. An electronic cigarette."

"Huh?" asked the confused Knuckles.

"It's like smoking, but not nearly as bad for you," said Mihalis.

"That's not what Misty was telling you, dipshit!" barked Wario.

"Is that supposed to help you quit smoking, or something?" asked Knuckles.

"Mhm," uttered Mihalis, taking one more drag before putting the vape back in his pocket. "I mean, sure it doesn't cure the addiction, but I'm proud of myself. I haven't had a cigarette in months!"

"Damn," said Knuckles. "It's about friggin' time."

"I still won't be satisfied until you can quit that pussy stick too," said Wario. His only response was Mihalis taking a huge whiff and blowing it in Wario's coughing face.

"You know, none of this would have happened if you hadn't been stupid enough to challenge me," said Wario.

"Are you shitting me? Someone had to do something about your cheating ass!" argued Mihalis.

"I keep telling you, it's not cheating! Anyone can make that jump same as me," replied Wario.

"Then explain why you were able to get over so easily while I crashed into a wall!"

"Maybe you're just a shitty go-kart driver. Ever considered that?"

Knuckles sighed. "I swear," he said, "You guys bicker like you're husband and wife."

"How would you know? Unless you're finally doing something about Rouge."

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask about that," said Mihalis. "Are you guys... like, officially together now, or something?"

Knuckles was a bit hesitant to answer. He absolutely loathed bringing up anything about his personal life, considering the company he kept. But, he figured it'd have to get out in the open eventually, so he took a large swig of his drink and decided to just go for it.

"You could call it that, yeah. She's been calling me her boyfriend for a few weeks now."

Mihalis whistled loudly.

"If you don't want me to staple those lips shut, you'll knock it off," said Knuckles.

Mihalis let the remark have no impact on him whatsoever.

"Sorry," he said. Wuss.

"Anyway," said Knuckles. "I still don't think it's wise for you to be working so soon after an injury."

"I keep telling you, I'm fine," Mihalis replied defensively. Knuckles wasn't convinced that he wasn't talking about his mental state, as well. "Although my neck's starting to flare up again."

It wasn't. But he didn't care. He was tired of the lectures and the bickering. He set the glass down and rotated his neck.

"I'm taking five. I'll be back soon."

Mihalis walked around the counter to the back side of the building, where a door adorned with an "Employees Only" sign stood. He let out a sigh as Knuckles and Wario watched him disappear behind the closed door.

The lounge was special to him. It was originally a large storage closet when he first bought the bar years ago, and he and Wario were quick to convert it into a private hangout for their friends. A huge TV was on the farthest wall from the door, facing a large sofa, Mihalis's recliner, and a makeshift bunk bed Mew had conjured up for himself to lounge on. Mihalis plopped into his beloved recliner and felt his whole body rest, letting his head sink into the back of the comfy chair as he stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide open.

Naturally, his thoughts went to his parents.

He wondered if his mom was okay. He hadn't seen her since she went home after his discharge.

He wondered how all this would come into play once he'd become a father himself.

And about his own father, he wondered if maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted by the lounge door slowly creaking open as his best friend in the whole world entered the room.

"Knux?"

"You need company, and you can't convince me otherwise."

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit. I know you."

Knuckles closed the door and sat on the sofa, about six feet away from Mihalis. The bar owner silently admitted defeat to Knuckles's inevitable prying.

"You still haven't told me much about that phone call, M," said Knuckles.

"It's like you knew I was thinking about that right when you walked in," replied Mihalis.

Knuckles stretched his arms upward as much as he could, and let out a deep breath.

"So what happened?"

Mihalis groaned and rolled his neck.

"So he calls me, asking for help, right? I mean, it's not like he wouldn't reach out unless he needed something..."

"Mhm," nodded Knuckles.

"Says he used to own the world's strongest Pokemon, and he's trying to get it back. I can't help him with that, right? I mean, it'd basically be putting the world in TR's hands. But the hardest part is he HAD to call me when I was right in front of my mom. She heard the guy's voice for the first time in years."

"That's awkward," offered Knuckles.

"You think?"

"What exactly happened between them?"

"They fell in love, got engaged, then he got too big for his britches and became a control freak, so she ran away and dropped me off with Professor Oak so he wouldn't be able to find us."

Knuckles looked at the ground and cracked his... um, knuckles.

"Well," he said, "knowing what he's capable of... seeing it firsthand... I'm sure you're right about him being up to no good."

Mihalis closed his eyes and confessed "I mean, I just don't know, Knux. Like it or not, the guy is my father. I really don't want to believe he's pure evil, but I can't support him. Right?"

He leaned back in his chair.

"I don't know," he said.

Both men were surprised that the call was affecting him as much as it was. Considering he had never really seen eye-to-eye with his adoptive family, with the exception of his sister, he felt as if he'd never really had strong parental role models up until very recently. Sometimes he would lose sleep at night, waking up from dreams where he could have a normal, healthy relationship with a wise man he called his father.

But to him, that wasn't Giovanni. So he spent his mental energy where he felt it mattered.

"I hope my mom's okay," he said.

Okay, okay, I know this didn't really speed the story along at all, but I needed an excuse for writing insults. Quality stuff coming next time.