Been a while. Still not feeling much. I think I prefer it this way. I haven't left the office for a week. Although without Mario, it's just a home isn't it? An empty home. I'm not a detective. Never was and never will be.

It doesn't really matter, I guess. Things aren't so different. It's all the same. I'm still home all day, all night, doing the same things, except Mario doesn't come home anymore. It's not like he was here all that often anyway. I've had more time to read through what my brother's accomplished over the years. I should have done this before, but I'm an idiot. Oh well.

Are you sure you'd like me to search for more Mario headlines, Luigi? I feel as though you have read enough.

Just do it, TEC, please. It's the very least I could do for him.

I will do it if you ask, Luigi. However, with my new limited processing power, my slower speeds, and

Yes, TEC, I know. My computer is not very fast.

My apologies! I am still incredibly grateful to you, Luigi. Being connected to the world wide web is so amazing! There are so many things here! Have you seen these pictures of cats in shoes? There are so many! Cats do not belong in shoes! But they are… I believe, cute?

You've told me and shown me the pictures, TEC. Just pull up another Mario news story, will you?

Again, my apologies, Luigi! I am merely the world's most mediocre computer now, but I think that is okay. I think it is okay, as I feel… happy. And as an ultimate computer before, that was not allowed! Feeling was illogical. But now! It's okay. I can be happy. It does not make sense, but that is just fine.

I know. I'm glad for you.

I just wish you could be happy, too. Here, I will pull up a story. It is about Mario solving the mystery of the Glitzpit while going under the alias of the Great Gonzales, a pro wrestler! It is very interesting, even if there seems to be a lack of cats inside of shoes. A small critique.

Thank you, TEC.

I always wanted to know more about this. To think, my brother was on TV, and I didn't watch it because I didn't like wrestling! What is wrong with me?! Well, at least there's still video of the matches online.

Mario looked so cool. So tough! Nothing like me. Him and his little Yoshi partner dodged that jerk Rawk Hawk with ease! Rawk Hawk thought he was so cool with that glorious golden mane of his, didn't he? When things started to go badly for him, he tried to cheat! Jumping out of bounds, grabbing the set's lights, basically anything he could do to win! Although… I guess, to be fair, Mario for some reason was double teaming him with an angry Yoshi. … Not really sure why that was okay. And Mario was using a hammer, too.

"Hey!" a voice shouted at me, practically ripping my soul out of my body. "Luigi, phone's ringin' again! You ever gonna get that?"

Ugh. That was Daisy. She was still here. I don't know why. Her crown rested atop her head happily, but she still wore those strange sporty clothes of hers and those shorts that were much too short! Why wouldn't she leave?

"Yeah, you're doing that mumbling thing again?" Daisy said, lounging on the couch in the living room. "I dunno what you said, something about wondering why I'm still here for the fifteenth time? And for the fifteenth time, I'm telling you! I like it here!"

So. That's a good enough reason to just stay in my home, I guess. Not like I had the spine to get rid of her or anything.

"Plus, you cook pretty well." She made a face and shook her hand in that 'so-so' way. "Eh, most of the time. Last night's spaghetti could have used more sauce."

I put my face in my hands. Wasn't Daisy some kind of incredible sports star? Didn't she have things to do and places to be?

"Yeah, yeah," Daisy huffed. "Everyone's always tellin' me what to do and how to be and where to go. That's why I like it here! I can do whatever I want. Plus, you got my crown back! I owe you!" She sat up and grinned, touching the crown lightly as if to make sure it was still there. She had already lost it multiple times around the house.

And she didn't pay me a single coin for finding it by the way.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about that, money's not an issue," Daisy said casually. "And to be honest, I think if I left, I'm not even sure you'd make dinner? Or eat anything? Or do anything? You already don't do too much."

She was one to talk!

"So, yeah, I'm payin' you back by, like, being your secretary, I guess, and helpin' you out by making sure you eat or whatever." The phone started its incessant ringing again. No one had picked it up during our conversation. "Oh, and I know you said that all Shy Guys are good people, since they're related to Snifits and crap, but I got that guy next door to shut up for you finally!" She smiled, holding up a happy little fist in front of her cheery cheeks.

I did appreciate that she could talk to people for me when I had trouble. Even though I've always said Shy Guys are wonderful people, (I've always said it, please don't look up earlier chapters, they're wrong.) when I asked politely that my Shy Guy neighbor keep it down, he just slammed the door on my nose.

It was nice feeling like there was still a reason to cook, too. When Mario wasn't around, I stopped making food, and I stopped eating. Daisy though, she couldn't even use a microwave. I couldn't let her just starve! So, I cooked for her.

However, the phone was still ringing. And it was drilling into my ears like a Banzai Bill. Daisy said she was supposed to be my secretary, but she wasn't exactly doing any of that.

"Oh. Huh. Guess you're right," Daisy admitted. "That is what secretaries do, don't they? Hold on, let's try this out." She coughed and sputtered and cleared her throat, getting spittle all over the carpet and phone. I cringed. She could have at least covered her mouth. She picked up our cute little mushroom phone daintily, speaking into the polka-dotted receiver.

"Hi, I'm Daisy!"

No, no, you … you have to say this is the Mario Bros. Detective Agency. Er. Not that it is anymore, but… well, that's still more accurate than just saying that!

"Oh, right! Yeah, no," Daisy nodded and shook her head to whatever voice was confusedly trying to communicate with her. "Yeah, this is the Mario Bros. Detective whatever, I'm just Daisy. You're what now? Also, you're breathing way too hard into the phone, it's weird."

… I think I might actually do better at answering the phone than her.

"NDPD? Police? And you're a Goomba?" Daisy frowned. "No, none of that sounds good. I hate all of the things you just said to me."

Daisy. Please.

"I mean, you can talk to Luigi if you want to so bad, I guess." She handed the receiver to me. "Here ya go. Some cop lady. Says her name was like Goombarlio or whatever? Take it, I hate talking to her."

I've never wanted to take a phone faster. Daisy must have a special power. I scrambled to put the receiver against my ear, hoping she hadn't caused any kind of irreversible damage.

"Luigi? Luigi, ohmigosh, is that you?!" the phone exclaimed with spunky energy.

Goombella. It had been a while since I last talked to her. What did she want with me though?

"Huh? Did you say something?" Goombella grumbled. "Oh! Oh! You're mumbling again! That's a great sign!"

I don't mumble that often. I muse and I think deeply about my surroundings! It's normal, okay?

"Yeah, sure, you totally mumble, but whatever." Goombella could hardly wait, I could hear the hitch in her breath as she asked me next, "W-was that actually Daisy? The Daisy? Did I just talk to her? D-did she like me?"

I looked over at Daisy who was back on the couch.

"Love the police!" she said angrily, holding out a certain finger. Oh my goodness, no! No, I am not writing down that word! No, no, no!

I told Goombella that Daisy … loved the police.

"Really? I thought I heard a f…funnier sounding word," Goombella said shakily, laughing a bit to herself in that way that no one really thought was funny.

Didn't she have something important to tell me? Surely Goombella had a better reason for calling than just a hello, right? … … Not that I completely minded. It was a little nice to think someone out there was looking out for me.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She cleared her throat and tried to do her best officer voice. "Special Agent Geno of the GBI formally requests your presence down at the station. We can send someone over there to pick you up if you need a lift."

GBI? Galactic Bureau of Investigation? I had heard of those guys in stories! I know Mario even worked with them occasionally. What could they possibly want with me? I couldn't do anything for them! There's no way I could go. I didn't want to leave the house anymore!

"Okey-dokey," I said in my usual awful way. I sighed inwardly.

"Ah, great! Thanks, Luigi! You won't regret it!" Goombella said, and I could feel myself regretting it instantly. "I'll send Ted to pick you up. I'll meet you at the station in just a little bit, okay?"

I let out one last mournful, "Okey-dokey," before hanging up the phone. Looks like I was going out again. Nothing good ever comes from going outside.

I gazed at my glowing Fire Flowers in their cute little pot together. Charlie and Marissa stared at me with their hollow eyes. I guess if I never went outside, I would have never gotten Charlie a friend! Maybe it wasn't completely worthless. Those two warmed my heart and my desk with their unending heat.

I snatched up my hat and made for the door. Daisy widened her eyes.

"Wha? You're actually leaving for once?"

I nodded. I let her know about the leftover spaghetti in the fridge for dinner later. I also told her to please stop writing curse words in TEC's dialogue box. He really didn't like it. And! If if she was going to search for things, to please use incognito mode and not make TEC search for it!

Daisy crossed her arms, face puffed up in a pout. "Fine," she groaned. "Just be careful, I guess."

I'm always careful. I'm too careful. That was not something she'd have to worry about. I fit my hat snuggly over my head and left the office for the first time in a week.

The Station was even more of a mess than last time. Toads scrambled between their desks, answering calls, scattering papers, and just generally being in their sort of usual panic state. However, this was a level 7-2 panic state. And it was a water level. Everyone was sort of just flopping around gasping for air.

Lumas, as cute as they are, did not appear to be helping anyone. I'd never seen one in person! They shone in a rainbow of different colors, their tubby bodies floating along the office, twinkling like the stars that they were. Some Toads' entire job appeared to be focused on feeding the hungry little guys. Not that they were rude or mean! But the Lumas tended to eat anything they could get their mouths on when they were hungry, including important papers, fire flowers, and some unlucky Toads. They were fine, just had a little drool on them. Some Toads had to spray water on the Lumas that tried to eat the other Toads, yelling, "No! Bad Luma!"

… I wondered what purpose the Lumas served.

"Right this way, Luigi. I'll leave you with the Chief till Geno is ready for you," Ted N. Toad said happily. "By the way, what did you think of my bazooka? I told everyone I had one! I really do!"

Huh? Uh. Well in the backseat, Ted did have a big shiny rocket launcher snuggled tightly behind a seatbelt. It appeared to be very lovingly cared for and clearly didn't see much (if any) action at all.

"See! No one ever believes me!" Ted nodded along, as if I was as invested in this story as he was. "If anyone asks, tell them how amazing my bazooka is, okay?" He opened the door for me to Chief Toadstool's office.

"Okey…dokey…." I said slowly, walking past him.

He winked at me and closed the door.

The Chief's office didn't appear to be any different than last time. Still weren't many decorations or anything. Although, hm, weren't there more pictures of …. Ah… right. My brother. I eyed the desk, wondering what the strange bundle of blonde fur was doing on it. A scruffy teddy bear maybe? But why was that here?

"Luigi!" the scruff said, startling me. It quickly sat up revealing a ragged chief of police. "I'm terribly sorry! I-I just, I closed my eyes for a second! And…"

Oh my goodness, that was Peach! I tried my best to tell her it was okay! I remembered her looking tired before, but this? Her eyes were darker than a Chain Chomp's metal skin, and her hair was about as prickly as a Pokey's. She quickly did it back up into a pony tail behind her officer's hat, trying to hide the frizz, but I still noticed. Kind of rude of me, I know.

"I, uh, I…" She looked around, trying to look at anything but me. As if just the sight of me hurt her. "As you can see, I don't have much control around here anymore." She sighed, deflating into her chair. "I don't know if I ever had any, actually."

I stayed silent. What could I possibly say to her?

"I'm so sorry," she sputtered suddenly. "About what happened. To Mario."

There was nothing to say about it.

Peach put her elbow on the desk, resting her forehead against her hand. "… I always thought he was invincible. I was sure of it. After everything he'd done, after all of the mysteries and adventures he'd had and all the times he…" She choked on the last part a bit, eyes blinking hard. "Saved me.

"I started sending him out to do anything we couldn't do here. He always came back. He always solved the mystery, he always beat the bad guy, whoever it was." She shook her head and something wet fell. "I didn't think it was possible he could ever die."

I suppose I felt the same way too, didn't I? Except, no. I always worried. There was always that nagging voice in my head. What if this was the last adventure for him? No, I didn't feel the same way at all. No, I did not understand her feelings.

"It was my fault. I should have given him more breaks. I should have been more careful, I should have known better. I got lazy, I grew too attached to Mario, I relied on him too much."

Just what was their relationship, anyway? I had always assumed, or guessed…

"Huh?" Peach finally looked at me.

Did I say that out loud? Oh. Maybe that wasn't a good time.

"Mario and I… we were good friends. I think. That was what I wanted it to be. For the time being." She had composed herself for this moment, and it looked as if she would have pulled it off. But soon her statuesque form crumbled.

"I don't know what we were," she admitted again, going back into a slump, looking at what must have been an incredibly interesting file cabinet. "He proposed to me, you know."

She just said it like that. Like it was nothing. Or at least, there was nothing I could read or understand in her voice.

"Only right after Bowser did," she sighed, shaking her head. She stared at her hand, probably wondering why there wasn't a drink in it. "So of course, I said no. I'm nobody's property. Couldn't he have gotten it in his head to do it on his own? Maybe I would have changed my mind…"

My brother was always like that, wasn't he? Not quite the most imaginative person. But that's okay.

"And now?" She sat up, glaring at that file cabinet. "Now I can't change my mind. Now it's too late. I can only wonder what I could have done differently, or if I should have done anything differently. I'm stuck here, trapped in my own office, kidnapped by my own terrible decisions."

I wondered. Was my brother's death harder on her than it was me? Should I console her? Did she deserve it? Did I deserve it? I said nothing.

"I'm sorry, Luigi," she said again, to the point where I hated hearing it. "I told myself I wouldn't get like this in front of you when we met again. It's just you and him, you… look so…" She tore her eyes away from me. Is this what it's like when I look away from someone? Do I look that pathetic?

What did she want from me anyway?

"Hm? Oh. The investigation, yes." Her voice sounded so different. It stiffened. "It's as I've told you. I have no control over anything here right now. I am not kept in the know. Rosalina left Special Agent Geno in charge. I merely asked to see you as you waited for Geno. That is probably the most I can do."

So, she just wanted to apologize to me then.

"Yes. Not as a chief of police, but as a friend of Mario's." She nodded. "You meant the world to him, you know."

She must have expected me to say something there.

Her face went still, and she unclasped her hands, trying to relax. "I should have let someone else investigate Captain Toad's murder. I know that now. I was just worried that I'd be responsible for even more deaths."

She didn't need to justify herself to me.

"But I shouldn't have worried about that." Her eyes went stony. "I am responsible. Of course, I'm responsible for it. That's why I'm going to step down and-"

"No," I said.

Her eyes widened. "Hm?"

It'd be a waste if she stepped down. Everything Mario had worked for, and everything he'd done! I knew Mario wouldn't have allowed it, and he wouldn't have wanted it. It doesn't matter what I want or what she wants. She needed to keep being Chief Toadstool, she needed to keep protecting the city the best she could. For Mario's sake. She knew better now. She'd do better now.

"I… hm." Peach closed her mouth, losing herself in thought. "You've given me a lot to think about, Luigi. I'll consider it."

I didn't say anything. Nothing I could have said would matter anyway.

The door opened back up, letting the doom and gloom out. "Luigi! Hey! It's Goombella!" she said, pushing the door open with her face. "Geno's totally ready to see you now. That cool?"

I shrugged.

Goombella looked at the Chief's shape, eyes full of concern. Peach merely nodded, adding before we left, "Make sure you close the door behind you, Luigi."

"I-I could have done that," Goombella protested as I shut the door, leaving Chief Peach to her thoughts.

We scooched past a few more anxious Toads, making our way to the back of the station, where things were slightly less hectic. Goombella appeared to be in more of a chipper mood at least. She seemed so sad before.

"So, here's the deal, we have a prime suspect, Luigi," Goombella said as she waddled by, deftly dodging a hungry Luma. "I can't believe we did it, er, well, Geno did it, but we managed to get Smithy in here."

My heart went as malleable as a piece of molten metal. Smithy was here?

"Don't you worry," Goombella reassured me. "Smithy may be a being from the stars, but so is Geno, y'know?" She grinned and did a cliché heroic impression. "He 'called upon the powers of a higher authority' to limit Smithy's power." She winked. "That's Rosalina, you know. Some tall mysterious lady. I think she's, like, a goddess? Weird, I know."

That wasn't quite the reason I was afraid to see Smithy, but I supposed it was reassuring. If he really was the murderer… I don't know if I could handle seeing him again. I didn't want to think about it.

"Anyway, Geno's a bit of a weird guy, but he's SUPER nice, so, like, don't worry too much when you meet him, okay?" Goombella looked at me with concerned eyes. It was almost frightening how well she already knew me. "He's inside here." She stared up at the doorknob, eyebrows furrowed. "… Again, I can get it, but it's kind of embarrassing to do it in front of people. Could you?..."

I nodded, opening the door cautiously and stepping into the dimly lit room. It was not very spacious and consisted mostly of a very large window that looked into another larger room. There were a few chairs, a table, and for some odd reason, a coatrack placed in front of the window with a blue hat and coat over it. This must have been a one-way window where the police could watch the suspect from the safety of their room without the suspect seeing them.

I didn't see any Geno though. Maybe he was on break? Or maybe he was in the interrogation room with Smithy. I was too afraid to look in there.

The coatrack turned to me and spoke. "Ah! Luigi! It is an honor to finally meet you!" It bowed graciously, and I noticed a cute tuft of red hair poking out from underneath the hat. "I am Special Agent Geno of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation." He held out a wooden hand to me.

Wah! Why do I keep thinking people are inanimate objects!? Why do I keep getting shocked and embarrassing myself in front of everyone!? At the very least, Geno didn't flinch at my shriek. Very polite of him! I clasped my hand around his and he gave me a nice firm handshake.

He let out a hearty laugh, his hollow wooden body thrumming with a relaxing hum. Sort of like a wind chime made of wood?

"I suppose I should have warned you that I am temporarily inhabiting this doll's body. I have gotten so used to it, I tend to forget."

Ah. A wooden doll. I didn't know stars could do that? But I guess it made sense. Considering all the talking mushrooms, upright turtles, and gods from different dimensions, this wasn't exactly the strangest thing I'd seen.

A tiny light popped up in front of my face, revealing an incredibly honest smile. "Hi there, Luigi! I'm Twink! Geno's assistant! I help out with basic stuff, but one day I'm gonna be as strong as Geno! You can count on it!"

Oh! Another star spirit. This one was clearly quite young, but also wasn't a Luma like the others. Seemed he didn't have the power to inhabit a body like Geno yet, but he was cute all the same. Looked like how a child would draw a star. Smiley face and all. I wondered… is that what Geno's true form looked like too?

Geno let out another relaxing laugh. "Ah, Twink, you still have a ways to go. Would you mind giving Luigi, Goombella, and I the room? I'm afraid we have rather serious matters to discuss, and I do not wish to burden your young mind with it."

Twink tried to hide his disappointment but failed. "Aw. Well, okay. J-just let me know if you need anything, all right?"

"I will, Twink," Geno said as the little star slipped through the doorway. He motioned toward the basic table and chairs. "Would you like a seat? We have much to discuss. I hope that is all right."

Like always, I didn't feel like I had an actual choice in the matter. Polite or not. I could sense a strong other-worldly power emanating from this doll, and despite his kind appearance, I didn't exactly want to get on his bad side. Goombella hopped up on a chair across from me, her familiar face calming my nerves. She gave me a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry so much, Luigi.'

Geno didn't sit. He turned to the one-way window, looking into the interrogation room. His personality seemed to flip like a switch. The calm polite aura I had felt before swapped with a justice fueled determination. "As you can see, we finally have that terrible Smithy in custody. For now."

I didn't see. I guess it was important I did? I suppose I had to, didn't I? I peered through the window finally.

Smithy's huge lumbering form sulked against the wall. The Crystal Star embedded in his chest was nowhere to be seen. Rays of glimmering light held his arms back, twinkling like a starry night. He kept his head down, but I could feel the rage burning inside him like a star about to go supernova. His sledgehammer twitched against the restraints, needing to hammer, needing to create or destroy, anything! But Geno would not allow it.

Worry sank down into my stomach. If a man or god or whatever this thing were to break free?... Who knows what would happen. We were sitting near an active volcano just waiting for it to explode, and it'd be no one's fault but our own for being in its way.

"It's been my mission to capture this monster," Geno growled, back turned to us. "But he's always just followed the rules enough. Although…" A noise escaped him that could have been described as a laugh, but it was much too angry. "He tended to make his own law, didn't he? I suppose crafty is implied in his name."

"Good one!" Goombella said cheerfully.

"Thanks." He coughed, which mostly sounded like a wooden grunt. "Anyways, my mission is not important to you, Luigi." He turned to me, and whatever murderous aura I sensed before was gone. "What's important now is serving you and serving justice to your brother's killer."

For some reason that didn't make me feel any better.

"We've gotten reports on the cause of death. Would you be all right with hearing them? I realize this must be difficult for you, but maybe it would be best to know."

Sure. Couldn't make me feel any worse.

"As you must already be aware, seems he was struck from behind by an extremely hot blow to the head," Geno said stonily, keeping his eyes on mine.

"Same with Captain Toad," Goombella added. "Exactly the same, almost. That's why I also suspected maybe Bowser…"

Geno nodded. "I will not argue with you on that front. The scorch marks do imply fire certainly, which Bowser is more than capable of. However, if it were Bowser's fire breath, we could assume that there'd be more scorch marks wouldn't there? Bowser can't contain his flames so simply."

"Yeah, I know," Goombella said with a sigh. She wasn't frustrated with Geno, merely with the case. "Not to mention both bodies were found in Smithy's territory."

"Exactly." Geno nodded energetically. "The results on the cause of death have become clearer. Strong magic was used." He looked out again through the window. "And Smithy is one of the most magical beings in the city."

Goombella made a skeptical face. "One of."

This upset him. His wooden hand curled into a fist, rattling. "Yes. I am aware. And the most recent reports now have added something else. Given us more details on said magic that was used."

Geno didn't go on. Apparently, this was a very sore subject for him.

Goombella sighed. "Today, right after we brought in Smithy for questioning, another report came down from Twink. The type of magic used to kill Mario was dark magic."

I blinked. Did that matter? Wasn't all magic dark?

Geno pressed a fist down against a platform, making a soft thunk. He did not punch. His anger was controlled well enough. "It matters. Smithy is a being from the stars. His magic is similar to mine. Star magic. Almost the very opposite of dark magic."

"Magikoopas are very well versed in dark magic for example," Goombella said helpfully. "Kammy Koopa especially."

"So much of the evidence points to Smithy, however."

"Exactly," Goombella said. "It's all too easy, isn't it? Yet the one piece of evidence that was hardest to obtain doesn't point to him."

"I was overeager," Geno admitted. "He is still my primary suspect, but now I, too, am having doubts. I am not going to enjoy returning the Crystal Star to him if it turns out I'm wrong. Better than it being a piece of Star Road I suppose."

(Goombella leaned over and whispered to me, "Smithy made a deal with Geno and the others. Claimed the Star Piece from Star Road was his property since it landed in his building, even though he was the reason Star Road broke. Geno and the others made a deal and traded a Crystal Star for it which has similar powers but isn't imperative to making wishes come true.")

Oh. Um. Nice piece of information, I guess. Goombella just really liked explaining things, didn't she? And all of that's nice and everything, but what did it have to do with me?

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Geno replied. "I was hoping to hear your version of the story, Luigi. Hear any speculation or theories you might have. You seem to be a bit more talkative now than a week ago."

Speculations? Theories? Me? What could I offer? I wasn't a detective like my brother, and I'd never be one. All I did a week ago was wonder around aimlessly and stumble onto things I wish I hadn't seen.

Geno's eyes shone with that starry gleam. "But you must have your own thoughts, Luigi. I know you do. Forgive me, but I have seen your wishes. There is more to you than you must think."

Huh? He's seen my wishes?! I wished he wouldn't do that!

Geno nodded. "Duly noted." (Note: I did not say that last part out loud or even mumble it.)

Well, again, what could I offer? Only the obvious. I suppose Kammy Koopa could have done it, or Bowser could have ordered a Magikoopa as well, and then tried to pin it on Smithy, but that didn't exactly seem right. Smithy and Bowser aren't even on bad terms! Plus, as mean as Bowser is, I wasn't sure if he could really kill my brother. If so, why now? What reason could he have?

The only one left really would be Cackletta, and surely, they'd have thought about it. She's known for her lying backstabbing ways, and especially her powerful dark magic. Not to mention I did see her experimenting on one of Smithy's henchmen too. But that's all obvious stuff.

Goombella's mouth gaped open more than a Boo's. "It… it's not obvious if you don't tell anyone, Luigi!"

Huh? Didn't they know? Surely Toadette must have mentioned some of this. If someone like me knew that, then professionals probably did too.

Geno went stiff, or at least, stiffer than usual. "She did. However, she was also extremely emotional. Most of her recurring of last week's events were rushed and…" He winced just at the thought. "Yelled very loudly and angrily."

"I heard she mentioned something about a metal something!" Goombella strained her brain. "That Cackletta was experimenting on. But I wasn't there that day! I got this all second hand!"

Geno looked away, embarrassed. "And I was obsessed with taking Smithy in. I did not push the issue further."

Huh. Really? I thought I was just stupid. The last person to admit to talking to my brother was Cackletta as well. I figured that Smithy just didn't pay attention or his minions were a little on the slow side… which they are! But, I guess, yeah, Cackletta was the last person to see him, wasn't she? Or at least the last person I knew of.

"I knew it," Goombella said under her breath. "I knew it couldn't have been Smithy."

Geno shook his head, arms crossed. "Still, while all that sounds plausible, it's not enough to say for sure one way or the other. We need a little more than this."

The door shot open with a bang, practically falling off its hinges. A small pink figure stood proudly, holding a miserable green thing in her arms.

"Oh yeah? How about this?" Toadette said cooly, tossing Popple's battered body to the floor. "Oh, uh. Sorry about the door. I was waiting outside for a good time to come in and I got a little excited."

"Toadette?!" Geno and Goombella cried out in unison. Goombella's eyes shone with power stars.

"What's the big idea, ya dumb broad?!" Popple whined, rubbing his bruised behind. "You's pigs can't treat me like this! Ain't there a law or somethin' to prevent this?!"

Toadette was so smug. "I'm not a cop."

"Woo!" Gombella hollered, hopping with excitement. "Although, gotta say, what you're doing now still isn't totally legal, cop or no, but y'know!"

Geno nodded. He really liked doing that. Made him look more stoic. "She is correct, but I am more than capable of forgetting what happened as my priorities lie with finding a murderer, not a thief." He knelt over the steamed Popple, those eyes of his shimmering like black holes. "Do you understand?"

Popple ground his teeth together, his face turning as red and ugly as a Christmas sweater. "I don't know nothin's!"

Goombella sighed. "Geno's saying he's willing to forget your thievery if you work with us, you creep. Also, he's GBI, dude."

That last part really changed his tune. "GBI!?" Popple repeated, his red rage vanishing, replaced by a cowardly yellow. "Listen heres, I ain't want nothing to do with no Galaxy pigs!" I counted all those negatives he used on my fingers. Three, in case you were wondering.

"Then talk, ya numbskull!" Toadette said, mimicking his cliché speech mannerisms.

A fuming fungus and a deadly doll's glare did quite a bit to loosen Popple's preposterous pottymouth. "All rights, all rights! Can't believe Rookie left me like slop for the pigs…"

"Maybe you shouldn't have been stupid enough to try and rob Chef Torte again and then maybe you shouldn't have yelled at Waluigi when he didn't like the idea," Toadette grumbled.

"Shadow Thief Popple ain't never not thieved a place he intended on thievin'!" Popple screeched. Okay, he lost me there.

"Enough of this," Geno commanded gently. "Tell us what you know. Do you work for Cackletta?"

"Oh, just cuz I'm a Bean, I must know the evillest Bean in the whole worlds!?" Popple shouted, arms crossed stubborn-like.

Toadette narrowed her eyes. "You did know her. You told me as much."

"W-well he don't know that, ya dumb broad!" Popple shouted.

"Ugh, do I need to bonk some sense into him?" Goombella asked grumpily.

"Fine! Fine!" Popple conceded, reflexively shielding his soft head. "I will says, I ain't workin' for that old hag! She had a request for me, see? Shadow Thief Popple works alone! Or, er, with a good partner, usually, but Popple's his own boss, see!?"

Even for a possibly million-year-old star, Geno's patience was starting to wear thin. "We see. Get to the point."

Popple continued, rubbing his chin in thought as he told us what happened.

…

Well, Ol' Popple wanted to move up in the world, see?! Shadow Thieves have to steal more than some old lady's purse or from stupid orphanages, see?! My old partner, Croco, was a swell guy, but a real palooka and didn't understand the importance of movin' up! So when this big wig, Cackletta, asks specifically for me, of course I says to 'em, I says, "Yes!"

So's I meet the old hag at her weird tower. "Awful gaudy," I says to myself, I says! Awful ugly, too! Piece of junk ain't even had a single thing worth stealing neither, can you's believe that?! Anyways, so's I'm in the tower and those dumb Snifits call her down…

Eh? What's that green 'stache? You's says those Snifits ain't dumb and I should apologize? Why I outta…

"Focus!" Geno ordered.

Yeah, yeah, star boy! So's I'm talkin' to this dumb old hag, Cackletta right? Totally crazy broad, lemme tell you! Teeth like a Chain Chomp that one! It ain't right! But whatever, so, crazy hag tells me she wants me to do some thievin'! Can you believe it? A thief doin' thievin'! Ha! 'Course I accept! I ain't never been paid to steal! It's a win-win! What kinda palooka would you take me for?!

Only hang up is the crazy hag wants me to steal somethin' nice and flashy! Somethin' big and eye catchin', see? Has to really get everyone's attention off of her! She ain't tell me why, and I ain't ask, because a thief knows when to keep his mouth shut, see?

"I find that hard to believe," Goombella groaned.

Nyeeeaaah!

So, I says to Cackletta I says, "Why don't I steal that dumb broad Daisy's crown? I hear she's in town!" And boy, I didn't realize I rhymed there! Heheh, nice.

Aaaanyways, Cackletta's grin gets even wider! Like, yowza! Nightmare inducin' wide! She laughs and she tells me that's perfect! Heh, I ams Popple the Shadow Thief after all, 'course I'm perfect!

And that's not all! As if that ain't enough icing on the proverbial cake, she says to me she says, "And when you steal that crown, you's should sell it to that fool Smithy for a pretty penny!"

I says to her, "Smithy? That guy's a nutjob! I'd rather sell to my usual guy, see?"

"YOU WILL SELL TO SMITHY. UNDERSTAND?"

Boy, lemme tell ya! I ain't one to get afraid of nothin' but that old witch? She nearly scared me right back into the ground! So I says to her, I says, "Sure thing, boss!" She likes that, bein' called boss, I can tells. Idiots love to be called boss!

"Good, good! Now, I's only got one last request for you's," Cackletta says to me. "I want you's to keep robbing, keep stealing, see? And I wants you to use that big mouth of yours to tell everyone you stole that crown! If anyone asks, say that palooka Bowser has it!"

"But, ain't I sellin' it to Smithy?" I says to her.

"Of course, you are, ya dumb idiot!" she rudely says to me. Why if she weren't some kinda demon witch, I'da slugged her! "I want you to sow confusion in the garden of New Donk, see? Lies and misinformation! Simple, see?"

So's I nod along! I don't gets why she wants me to do it, but do I cares? No way! I asks her, I asks "You's gots a weapon for me? Any kind of dark magics to help me do a little robbin' in case fellas get a bit cheeky?"

Dumb hag just waves me off and says to me, she says, "Just take a Fire Flower from the back, will ya? My palooka Snifits have a whole garden of them growing off to the side! Now begones with youse!"

'Course I take a flower from there! Fire Flower's are great for robbin'. And well's, I suppose you's idiots know the rest don't ya? I stole that dumb broad's crown, sold it to Smithy, then I went around robbin and blabbin'!

…

Marissa! The Fire Flower from before! I remembered a flower was missing from the garden back at Cackletta's Tower. Oh no, I should have known Marisa was stolen! Maybe I should bring her back to her family… But Charlie seemed so happy with her!...

"But why?" Toadette mused aloud, hand at her chin.

Why was Marissa so happy with Charlie? Oh, well you see, Charlie has a great personality! He's so very good at listening, and I think Marissa could really understand that-

"Uh, Luigi?" Goombella asked, eyes wide with worry and confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"S-sorry!" I grumbled, resuming my place in the background where I most certainly belonged.

Toadette sighed. "I meant, why did Cackletta do it? This is all well-and-good, but why did she kill Mario?"

Geno nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Goombella rocked back and forth on her feet in thought. "I can't say it goes against her personality. Cackletta is totally the type to kill first, ask questions later."

"But, still," Geno huffed, arms crossed. "Why? Cackletta may be a selfish black hearted witch, but she is not stupid. Killing an extremely well-known detective could only bring trouble, and she must have known that."

Toadette blinked slowly. The kind of blink you get when you solve the mystery. The kind of blink where everything sort of falls into place! But… it's also the kind of blink where you figure everything out. That means everything. Even the things you don't want to think about.

"My brother," she said softly, looking confused as to why her voice was so quiet.

Geno's eyes lit up like a pair of quasars. "Of course! How could I have been so blind?!"

"Ohmigosh, that's it!" Goombella stamped her feet down on the table, practically falling off its rocking form. "Mario was investigating the Captain's murder, and he found himself at Cackletta's place! He must have figured it out himself! He must have known that…"

"They killed Captain Toad!" Geno interrupted, unable to contain his starry energy anymore. "Possibly by accident, possibly on purpose, but Cackletta and Fawful were sure to be found out! Mario must have threatened to arrest them or tell the police!"

"And those two being the scum bags they are…" Goombella growled through her fangs. "They thought there was no other way. Kill Mario. Keep him quiet. Pin the murders on Smithy. It's a win-win for them! No more hero to stand in their way, no more Smithy to guard his territory! She takes over his factory, gets his minions, and soon she's strong enough to take on Bowser! Then it'd only be a matter of time before the whole city was under her control…"

"Wow," Popple said with a grin. "Youse guys is good. Here I figured's musta been that Bowser fella what done the moidering. Good thing I ain't kills nobody and make youse all mad! Anyways, glads I could help ya filthy pigs, but I gotta scram, see?"

Popple found his collar grabbed mid-slink, stopping his getaway.

"Hold it," Geno said, fingers pressing splinters into Popple's shirt. "Toadette, would you mind taking Popple to see his old partner in his cell? Keep him there for a while."

"What the!" Popple screeched, steaming himself red with fury. "You's doublecrossin' no good' galactic gas head! Youse said I was free to go if I talked, and I did's!" He struggled, but Geno was like an ancient tree in the woods, holding the angry little Bean with ease.

"Hm," Geno fake pondered. "I suppose I did. But, you see, you also wished you could 'See your old pal, Croco, again,' remember? I would be quite the terrible Wish Agent if I didn't fulfill your wish."

"THEM'S IS PRIVATE WISHES!" Popple screamed, his entire body red with every emotion that comes with that color. "I ain't never wished somethin' so stupid! Youse is puttin' words in my mouth, you! You! P-palooka!"

"Right," Geno said simply, and while he didn't have the ability to grin, we all knew he was. "Toadette, would you be so kind? As one not affiliated with the police force anymore, we could say you're acting on behalf of a Wish Agent. While you're doing that, Luigi and Goombella and I will go have a little chat with Cackletta."

"-so I aint's never had a Rookie like him, so? Not like I's-"

Toadette frowned, completely ignoring Popples' protests. "What? You're taking them, but not me? I should be going with you! You can't say it's because it's police business if Luigi is coming along."

Wait. Why were we all just assuming I was going to tag along?

"-not to mention thems crocodile skin crocs! Great taste by the way-"

Geno was not one to mince words. He stared at her sternly, keeping the writhing Popple up in the air. "You are tired, Toadette."

"Ugh, that more of your invasive little star magic?" Toadette crossed her arms.

"-he always saves me a cigar, too, which, yeah, that is pretty nice-"

"No," Goombella said, jumping off the table and waddling over to Toadette. "Anyone can tell you're tired. Your eyes, for one, are a dead giveaway."

Toadette reflexively touched her face, feeling the dark lines under her eyes.

"You've been running around this rainy city all by yourself. Your shirt's on backwards," Goombella continued. Toadette looked down, blushing. I didn't wanna say anything about that. Seemed rude. "You're missing one of your cute pink mushrooms at the end of your pigtails…"

Toadette gawked, running her hands over her hair. Sure enough, one of her mushrooms was gone, leaving part of her pink hair all frizzy and a bit lopsided. Again! I didn't want to mention that! Felt rude! But I guess Goombella knew better.

"-I've had a girlfriends, see? Birdo! And that broad, she… wait, she?… oh man-"

"I-I," Toadette stammered, her palms looking awfully shaky. "I didn't know. I, uh, I guess I used that mushroom for a little boost to catch Popple." She glared at said Bean. "Who, by the way, should probably shut up now if he doesn't want to make things worse for himself."

"-likes, I loves the guy, but I don't LOVE loves the guy," Popple found himself saying. All eyes were back on him and suddenly his mouth went from a babbling brook, to a silent sheepy grin. "Oh. Uh. Yeah." And that was the last we heard of him.

"Then it is settled!" Geno said cheerily, always happy to have his way. "I shall have Twink escort you home afterwards, Toadette. You have aided us greatly today. Without your help, I do not think we would be able to bring these killers to justice." He handed her the mushy bag of beans that was Popple.

She took his collar in her hands without so much as a glance. "They haven't been brought to justice yet!"

"Oh, but they will," Geno assured her. "You do not have to wish upon a star for this."

"Fine," Toadette huffed, dragging Popple across the ground as she walked through the door. "I'm not gonna wish for it. I'll leave the rest to you guys, and I swear, if you guys don't come back, I'll never trust anyone ever again!"

Goombella called out to her with a grin. "You can trust me, girl! You've always been able to! Don't you worry! We got this!"

… Again, with this 'we' stuff! Why am I being dragged along? Everyone else has been going through personal growth! Toadette's learned to trust people, Goombella's learning to believe in herself, Popple's probably got a lot of strange feelings to come to terms with, and yet I still haven't learned how to say no?! Where's my character development?!

Geno was rummaging through what appeared to be an old filthy closet for some reason. "You are free to leave whenever you like, Luigi. You don't have to come if you truly don't want to. But I believe you want to help."

Huh? I really can leave if I want? I'm not forced to go?

A broom fell onto the floor, and for a moment I was worried that might have been Geno's aunt. He let out a pleased grunt before pulling out some old janitor equipment.

"Of course. You were never forced to do anything. You have already done so much, and all because you have a good heart. But for the sake of politeness, I'll ask. Will you aid us in our arrest for Cackletta? I do not ask as a Galactic Agent, or a Wish Agent. I ask merely as a friend of Mario's. You may refuse if you so wish."

?

?

?

"Okey-dokey," I said with a confident(?) nod.

"Yay!" Goombella cheered, hopping up and down. "I knew you were a good guy, Luigi!"

I was inclined to disagree, but I kept my mouth shut. Also, I guess, it felt nice? Like, like there was a Fire Flower in my chest, but like not one that hurt? Like a Marissa and Charlie kind of Fire Flower. I couldn't say I understood what it meant.

"I knew we could count on you," Geno said, handing me a dusty old vacuum for some reason. Did they just want me to clean up? "I spoke with Professor E. Gadd about borrowing your Poltergust 3000 as a backup in case I needed your help. I'm glad I did. You are familiar with this, no?"

Wowie! The Poltergust 3000! It'd been years since I used that! I suppose I was rather good with cleaning equipment, and I did use this to suck up terrifying creatures that didn't belong in this world. And I'm not even talking about the Boos! That old hotel was so filled with dust bunnies…

I slid my hands through the straps easily. The vacuum's cool metal exterior at my back was a foreign yet familiar sensation. I found my hands near the nozzle, at the ready to pull it out and switch it on at a moment's notice. Strange how it all came flooding back to me so easily.

"Wow, Luigi," Goombella cooed. "You look like a total pro with that on!"

Somehow, I could tell Geno was smiling. "Good. Good! Your brother would be proud. Let us waste no more time! Come!"

I noticed too late that I was idly touching my mustache as they praised me. Was it getting hot? It felt like someone turned the heater on, but just on my cheeks. I wasted no time leaving that dark and cramped room with the other two.

The raspy Toads and the giggling Lumas felt like a breath of fresh air. Before we headed out of the police station, Geno had a quick word with Twink who was nodding along, his eyebrows furrowed as he listened as hard as he could.

"Don't let Smithy free, yet, understand?" Geno said sternly. "We will return his ill-gotten Crystal Star, but later. When all this is over." His puppet body slumped over in a deep sigh. "He's gonna be so smug," he grumbled, that ultra-serious façade falling apart for just a moment.

"Got it! I'll keep wishing to Rosalina to keep him in custody till you get back!" Twink replied, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as he wished just… way harder than he needed to.

"Good. And when you get the chance, please watch over Toadette too. She will-"

I wasn't able to eavesdrop on the rest of his conversation. It turned out it really was getting hotter, and it wasn't because I was embarrassed.

"GRRRRRRAAAAAAH! WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS SMITHY?!" a voice exploded into the police station, his breath alone knocking a few Toads to the floor. Er. Well I was on the floor too, but that was because I was scared.

"B-B-Bowser!" the Toads shrieked, papers flying through the air in a tornado of panic. Sure, they were police officers, but… they were Toads first and foremost. A Toads' best quality was panicking.

"That's right, nerds!" Bowser roared, stomping over the broken-down doors.

The monstrous Koopa could barely fit in the building, but honestly? It was strange he could fit in at all. Last time I saw him, he was as big as a small house! It was almost like Bowser's size just changed to whatever was convenient to him.

"Now, where is he? Where's Smithy!? He's the guy who offed that stupid plumber, right?!"

Even through all the charred flaming papers and the slightly cooked Toads, I managed to see Chief Peach, Geno, and even Goombella rushing through the tide of panicked mushrooms.

"Ugh!" Peach protested, stamping her foot down in all the chaos. "We have enough trouble without you ruining things even more, Bowser! We had an agreement! You shouldn't be here!" Well, at least she seemed a bit more perked up since I last saw her just a while ago.

Bowser's rage seemed to subside at Peach's powerful glare. "Y-yeah, well! I'm not here to kidnap or cause any trouble!" he said, wiping the broken glass, and charred wood off his feet. "I just wanna make that Smithy pay!"

Peach pressed her fingers against her temples as she tried to stay professional amidst it all. "We have it under control! Why in the world do you care about this anyway?"

He used one of his massively sharp claws to scratch at his chin. "I-I don't care! Just, you know! Mario was my enemy! I should have been the guy to kill him!" He furrowed his furry brows, attempting to glare back at the chief of police. "Besides! You guys never get things done! If anyone's gonna avenge Mario's death, it'll be me! Now, lemme at Smithy already!"

Huh? Avenge Mario? Bowser?...

"That's quite enough, Bowser!" Geno jumped before the monster, body glowing with star power. "I'll have you know that Smithy is no longer our primary suspect! You would do well to stop interfering with GBI."

"Yeah!" Goombella hopped up on a crumbled desk next to Geno. "Where's Kammy anyway? Shouldn't she be stopping you from doing stupid things like this?"

"Damn dopey doll!" Bowser growled, trying to act tough, but refusing to take a step forward. "Just because you were an ally once, doesn't mean I gotta listen to you! And you!" He glared at Goombella. "You should be listening to me! These Toads don't care about you! Kammy did try to stop me, but here's the thing? I'm the biggest Koopa who makes all of the rules! I don't gotta listen to anyone!"

Peached groaned. "Maybe you should listen to the part where Smithy is no longer their primary suspect?"

Bowser froze. Again, he tried to keep that angry snarl at his maw but sweat dripped drown his cheeks. "…Really?"

"That's right, you Koopa klutz!" Goombella shouted right in his face, completely unaware that he could gobble her up in one bite.

"…Oh." Bowser said dumbly, his mouth agape. "Well, uh. Who… did do it then?"

"Evidence points to Cackletta currently," Geno said simply. "Not that I should share this information with you, but it appears you would have gotten it sooner or later."

"Ew, that hag?!" Bowser's tune changed completely, his arms crossed. "Yeah, no, you guys can deal with that. I don't want to mess with her." He looked around the paper flooded station, filled with crying Toads and maybe a few small fires here and there. "…Sorry."

Angry tapping could be heard over the chaos. Peach made her way back in front of the so-called King of Koopas. "Well! You can at least help clean up the mess you made here! And if you really want to help, you can make sure Smithy doesn't cause any trouble once we release him!"

"Aw man, come on! Do I have to?" he whined. "I'll just go back, and we can forget this ever happened!"

"Absolutely not!" Peach commanded, her aura of leadership returning. "Now that GBI is involved, I could always have a word to Rosalina about your behavior. How does that sound? I imagine Kammy will give you an earful for this, too."

"All right, all right!" Bowser cried, throwing his arms into the air like an angsty teenager. "I'll do it, just stop yelling at me! You twerps better give that Cackletta a trouncing for this! I shouldn't be the only one getting my plans foiled around here!"

"You can count on us!" Goombella cheered, hopping over to the station's exit with Geno. "Come on, Luigi! It's time to finally get something done!"