One week later…

He eased the door open as quietly as he could before tiptoeing into the library, daring not to disturb the ghost residing within. Though the Poltergust was snugly on his back, the injuries from his brutal fight with King Boo hadn't completely healed—so he couldn't risk getting into another ghostly throw-down. He exhaled softly through a rounded mouth as he ventured further into the library, toward the grand piano where the Poltergeist sat. Their fingers moved gently across the ebony and ivory keys as they played an upbeat tune.

Abruptly, the Poltergeist stopped playing the piano and turned to face Luigi.

Luigi froze.

A long beat passed between them.

And then the Poltergeist smiled in greeting.

Luigi smiled back. "I hope I didn't disturb you," he said.

Reassuringly, the Poltergeist shook their head and scooted over on the bench, allowing the man in green to sit next to them.

After Luigi situated himself on the bench, he stretched his fingers over the keys and placed his feet on the pedals below.

And then he began to play, the Poltergeist playing along with him.

Last week, Luigi never thought he'd wind up making music with the Poltergeist—not when the latter was hurling library books at him. However, the Poltergeist didn't really know what they were doing at the moment; with the Dark Moon shattered, they'd been rendered mindless. But once the Dark Moon was back in the sky, the Poltergeist had been taken by Luigi's skill at the piano. The two of them would spend hours on end in the library, tickling the ivories together like they were doing now. Luigi could more than keep up with the big-brained ghost's frenetic pace, and he didn't even flinch when they made the keys move in a wavelike motion. And he even moved the Poltergeist to tears when he first played that dark, doubtful melody he'd dreamed up twelve years ago, the melody which segued into the up-tempo, hopeful melody which gave him the strength to go on. Making a ghost cry—now that was a first!

Over time, Luigi taught the Poltergeist how to play those melodies, and in return, the Poltergeist taught him how to play that singular composition from their first encounter. From there, it snowballed—in a good way, of course—into their current activity. Luigi wished that more than one piano was in the library, so they could have piano duels. That actually sounded like a good idea. One of these days, he'd talk to Gadd about it.

But right now, he was having such a good time, playing off of the Poltergeist's energy as the Poltergeist played off of his, releasing the last of his angst and nervous energy from the incident one week ago. His fingers danced about the keys until they ached. And with one last note, Luigi stopped, flexing and shaking out his fingers as the Poltergeist gave a "mimimimimi…" of approval.

"Oh, there you are!" exclaimed Gadd, walking into the room with a manila folder tucked under his arm, Polterpup trotting at his heels.

"Hello, Professor," said Luigi, getting off the bench as the Poltergeist resumed playing the piano solo.

"This won't take long, youngster," said Gadd, placing the folder on a nearby desk and opening it.

Luigi's heart thump-thumped in his chest. "Is that…?"

"Yes, it is," replied Gadd, removing the documents from the folder and neatly stacking them onto the desk.

Luigi walked over to the desk, sat down in front of the papers and began reading them thoroughly.

"Congratulations, Luigi," Gadd said heartily. "Polterpup is officially yours."

Luigi smiled broadly, reading over the documents a second time before signing the paperwork.

"I'll make a copy of that for your records," said Gadd once Luigi handed the paperwork back to him.

"I guess I'd better start dog-proofing my home, huh?" chuckled Luigi.

"Fear not—he's already housebroken," Gadd assured him.

Luigi knelt down in front of Polterpup. "Hey there, puppy," he said.

With a happy "Woof!", Polterpup pounced on Luigi, giving him happy doggie kisses as he laughed.

"He's just as happy as you, I believe," said Gadd.

The paranormal puppy soon calmed down and sprawled onto his back, allowing Luigi to belly-rub him to his heart's content. Once Polterpup was sated, he leaped up and nuzzled against Luigi's cheek.

"I'm so glad I met you," said Luigi.

"Arf!" Polterpup replied.

"Since he's a ghost dog, I will be his veterinarian," said Gadd. "I'd recommend you bring him here once a month for a check-up, and I'll have to administer the requisite vaccinations."

Luigi frowned. "Vaccinations? I thought ghosts didn't have to worry about that," he said.

"It's just a precaution," said Gadd. "Now, ghost dogs are rather easy to care for, as they have less needs than regular dogs. And a really good thing is—they love baths! So make sure you give Polterpup lots of baths, lots of love, lots of affection and lots of cuddles. But don't be afraid to discipline him when necessary."

"Doesn't he have to be—you know…?" Luigi made a snipping motion with his fingers.

"Nah—you don't have to worry about that, either," said Gadd. He removed a book from one of the shelves and gave it to Luigi. "Here are some tips on how to care for a ghost puppy," he went on. "He seems to like those golden bones you found, so I'll arrange to have more of them delivered to your door on the first of every month. Although he's a ghost, make sure that he drinks plenty of water, and I'm in the process of making some special paranormal puppy chow for him. But like I said, he doesn't have to eat as much as regular dogs, and what he needs the most is regular grooming, cuddles, affection and love. Oh, and exercise—don't forget to take him for walks."

"Okeydokey," said Luigi as he hugged Polterpup.

"You should also get a scooper and keep your Dark-Light Device handy, because—well…"

"Understood."

"However, those instances will be few and far between."

"Thank God," said Luigi.

Polterpup gave Luigi's face another lick, and Luigi responded by burying his face into his new pet's "fur".

"I believe this is the start of something new," he murmured.

…

Shortly after Luigi officially adopted Polterpup, he'd fully recovered from his quest to repair the Dark Moon. Now, he could explore Evershade Valley's five locales on his own terms, albeit he wore the Poltergust as a precaution. He helped Fred tend to the gardens in the Haunted Towers and did regular maintenance on the machinery in the Old Clockworks. The ghosts in the latter location were quite taken by his skills as a mechanic and crowded around to watch him break a sweat as he worked. He'd spend some time at the top of the Clock Tower to stargaze alongside Zed and the Ancient Poltergeist.

In the Secret Mine, Luigi enjoyed playing ice hockey with the Greenies, with Slammers serving as goalies. He'd also ice-skate with the Sneakers and have exciting snowball fights with the Hiders. Every Sunday, he'd go fishing with Ned and a few ghosts, where he'd catch the fish and weigh them before tossing them back into the water. And every Friday, he'd go for a ride on that bomb-launching bobsled, screaming his lungs out as Ned and several ghosts laughed, whooped and shrieked behind him.

Generally, he stayed away from the Treacherous Mansion, as it held too many unpleasant memories. But once he worked up his courage, he'd see about Ted and Ed and immerse himself in the mansion's exhibits. He wouldn't stay there for long—just long enough for him to make peace with what happened and with what could've happened.

But the other four locales were fair game for further exploration. From dancing the night away to records, and eventually CDs, in the Gloomy Manor's parlor to cooling off at the Haunted Towers' rooftop pool—from pillow fights with Hiders and jumping on the bed to playfully wrestling with Fuzzballs—from making snow angels with Greenies to Slammers and even Gobbers giving him piggyback rides, Luigi always found ways to bond with the ghosts of Evershade Valley. His phasmophobia had taken a hit back in 2001; here, it was (almost) completely decimated. The more time he spent with these ghosts, the more he figured out that even though they appeared spooky and scary on the outside, they could be quite soft and mushy on the inside—in the correct environment, that is.

One afternoon, the Three Sisters, Herlinda, Belinda and Lucinda, hosted a ghostly tea party in one of the Haunted Towers' gardens to demonstrate that they bore no ill will toward Luigi and Gadd. Fred, Zed, Ned, Ted, Ed, Mario and a slew of other ghosts were invited, as well, and the three hostesses happily entertained them with rounds of Bingo, charades, comedy routines and musical chairs, eventually setting up a dance floor indoors. In between all of this, however, the Three Sisters could barely take their eyes off of Luigi, and it got to the point that he had to gently but firmly tell them that he was already spoken for.

Eventually, Mario had to return to the MK and resume his duties as the kingdom's defender, but before his departure, he and Luigi shared a great big hug, the former promising his baby bro that he'd keep in touch.

Following Gadd's advice, Luigi spent as much time as he could with Polterpup during his exploration of the Valley, taking him for early morning walks, giving him warm and sudsy baths, playing fetch with him and always setting aside time to cuddle with him. He'd also bring him to the Gloomy Manor's lab for checkups, holding his paw and comforting him whenever he had to receive a vaccination. But Gadd had been right when he said that caring for Polterpup wouldn't be a hassle at all. And the paranormal pooch found Gadd's spectral puppy chow quite delicious.

In other news, Gadd did something special for Luigi with the gems the latter had collected—he built five statues of the man in green in various poses! The statue for the Gloomy Manor's gems depicted Luigi with a nervous expression. The one for the Haunted Towers' emeralds had him brandishing the Poltergust. The one for Old Clockworks' rubies had him with his hands on his hips and sporting a big smile. And the ones for the Secret Mine's sapphires and the Treacherous Mansion's diamonds showed him looking triumphant. Luigi thought that the first statue was unflattering, but he was very happy with the remaining four. Gadd decided to Pixelate the statues straight to Luigi's elegant abode, so that they'd be waiting for him upon his return.

All told, Luigi was living a good life in Evershade Valley with his unlikely friends. But—what was to be done about King Boo?

Well—

True to his word, Gadd, with help from his Toad Assistants, confined the Master of Illusions to a specially-constructed, escape-proof vault which was separate from his Boo brethren. The power-enhanced gem he'd used to shatter the Dark Moon remained sealed in a secure area. Surprisingly, King Boo was well-behaved, earning him phone and computer privileges and heavily supervised visits with the other Boos.

So close, yet so far…

However, Luigi wasn't about to take chances with his tormentor. He'd check on King Boo's vault daily, armed with his Poltergust to discourage the Master of Illusions from pulling a fast one on him, Professor Gadd and Polterpup by his side for emotional support. He'd look the King square in the eye. And in a low, steady voice, he'd vow, "You'll never mess with my bro again. Never."

King Boo just smiled at him. My day will come, he thought. All I have to do is wait…

Please R&R. Up next is the epilogue.