May 2014
With a happy sigh, Luigi stared at the photo of himself, Mario, Gadd, the Toad Assistants and the ghosts on the Treacherous Mansion's terrace before proudly hanging it on his wall.
That photo joined the little map from 2001—the map which set all of this into motion, the map which more or less helped shape Luigi into a better person.
In the wake of the Dark Moon adventure, things started looking up. Albeit the Year of Luigi had ended two months ago, Luigi would be grateful for his time in the spotlight, and the effects of those twelve wonderful months would remain in everything he did. Following a slight setback, he and Mario finally decreased the frequency of seeing their therapists from once a week to once every two weeks, celebrating this achievement by dining at their old favorite restaurant in Brooklyn. Their next goal was decreasing the frequency of their visits to once a month. Slow and steady wins the race, after all.
The latest Super Smash Brothers fighting tournament was four months away, and Luigi resolved to spend that time practicing. He couldn't wait to catch up with old friends and make new friends, telling them all about surviving a second encounter with the King of all Boos. And the cherry on top—he was allowed to use the Poltergust 5000 as his "true power", a.k.a. his Final Smash!
For the most part, the Mario Bros' lives were returning to some sense of normalcy. A certain reptilian princess-snatcher was up to his old tricks, and when all was said and done, most of the credit would go to Mario. But Luigi didn't mind anymore—he was just happy to fight at his big bro's side.
Now, however—it was time to get some rest.
Before taking his leave, Luigi promised Gadd that he'd visit Evershade Valley whenever possible. The elderly scientist was also in a good place, having worked past his guilt over putting his mentee and his Toad Assistants in a dangerous situation. Recently, he gave the five Toads a hefty pay raise and offered Luigi a well-paying job as his personal ghost-wrangler. Luigi said that he'd think about it, but something told him that he'd wind up saying "Yes".
But he'd dwell on that later.
Luigi slid off the Poltergust 5000 and gently set it next to its predecessor, the 3000 model which helped him endure his first proverbial trial by fire. Then, he turned on his TV, hopped onto his La-Z-Boy, and stretched himself out.
"Night-night," he muttered, leaning back his head and closing his eyes.
His eyes snapped open at the sound of happy barking.
Polterpup scampered into the living room, agilely hopping onto Luigi's lap and licking his cheek. Luigi giggled in response—the paranormal pup was loving his new home already.
The man in green smiled as Polterpup settled down, curling up against his chest, eyes drooping before they closed altogether.
"See you in the morning," Luigi murmured, his fingers sifting through Polterpup's fur, allowing his muscles to relax and his body to sink into the La-Z-Boy's soft leather.
His eyes closed, and his breathing settled into a slow, measured pace.
It was the best sleep he'd had in nearly thirteen years.
FINE
Thank you all for reading :)