T Plus 13 Days

Being disassembled into pixels and traveling through cyberspace was still disorienting, even after two-and-a-half years. Landing on the ground at his destination, it took a while for Luigi to remember which way was up. When his head stopped spinning, he was relieved to see that he was in a familiar place and not in some nightmarish dimension, like last time.

Luigi smiled as his elderly mentor spun around in a swivel chair to greet him.

"Luigi, my boy! It's been too long!" Professor Elvin Gadd said jovially.

Luigi hopped to his feet. "Hello, Professor," he said, the two of them shaking hands.

"When we spoke on the phone, I sensed that something was afoot," said Gadd. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just—dealing with some stuff," sighed Luigi. "First and foremost, my nerf."

Gadd knew of Luigi's participation in Smash, of course, and he streamed several of the plumber's matches online. But he wasn't too keen on the tournament's lingo.

"I used to have all of these combos, and a lot of people were b—ing and complaining to Master Hand about it," Luigi explained. "So, Master Hand met with the suits at Nintendo and had my playstyle modified so I wouldn't have the combos anymore."

"I—I heard a little about that," confessed Gadd.

"After the nerf, everyone I'd beaten in a Smash match earlier came back for 'revenge'. They laughed, jeered, taunted—did anything to humiliate me, but I wouldn't let them. I wasn't gonna feel sorry for myself. Instead, I practiced and used my nerf to make new combos. But some of them weren't happy about that. Two of them physically attacked me while I was in the Training Room—I had to spend the night in the infirmary."

"I hope they were punished," said Gadd.

"They were suspended until they apologized, which they simply did to get un-suspended," eyerolled Luigi. "I recovered quickly and discovered that a few of my old combos still worked, but I just had to tweak them a little. Still—I've been through a lot since the beginning of the month, and it's starting to take its toll."

Gadd raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like there's more to the story?" he asked. "More specifically—why am I deducing that something happened between you and Mario?"

Luigi blinked. "How could you tell?"

Gadd smiled. "I just know."

Sighing deeply, Luigi sat on the chair Gadd proffered him. "After I was attacked, Mario visited me, and I asked him to let MH deal with my assailants. He promised me that he would—and then he broke that promise."

"There must've been a reason," Gadd said gently.

"He told me that he overheard my attackers gloating about what they did, and that set him off. MH suspended him and—I guess Mario was upset, because he took it out on me. We got into it later that night, and he said some things…" Luigi couldn't stop his sudden tears.

"Hey," Gadd said softly. "I'm here."

"He said—that I always needed him to bail me out and defend me, that I spend all of my time complaining that I don't get enough credit, that my first response to anything bad is to sit around and cry and that if he wasn't there to hold my hand during a dangerous situation, then I'd run away. And then—and then he told me that moping around is what I do best. I had to walk away, or else I would've…" He sobbed.

"Would you like me to fix you some tea?" asked Gadd.

"Please," sniffled Luigi.

As Gadd heated up a kettle full of water, Luigi continued. "I couldn't believe he'd say those things. For most of the next day, I was so upset and so angry. But I hate it when we fight, and being at odds won't help the kingdom we'd sworn to protect. Late that afternoon, I managed to calm down and decided to fix some pasta we could share while talking things over. One of the Miis suggested bringing a little wine, as well. And on the way to Mario's room, I met him in the hallway—he also had some pasta handy, and a band was walking behind him, playing my favorite song. We took our food and wine to one of the lounges and properly talked things out, but—sometimes, I can still hear those words at night, and I can still feel the pain. I can't believe he said that, I can't believe he thought that—even after I twice rescued him from the same psychopath…"

Luigi picked out a tea flavor among the ones proffered. Gadd picked a flavor for himself before dropping the tea bags into two mugs.

"He didn't try to excuse his actions, but he told me that MH had given him the third degree over confronting my attackers," said Luigi. "I'm not gonna tell you what he said, but it was pretty awful. And just four days ago—four men claiming to act on MH's behalf ambushed Mario. There was a big fight, and he was cornered in one of the lounges. They were just beating him and beating him and—the assault became verbal, as well. I walked in to find my bro on the ground, bruised, bleeding and in tears."

The tea was steeping now.

"The men tried to make me leave the scene, but I wasn't about to abandon Mario. When I saw what they did to him, all bets were off."

"You defended him," said Gadd. "That's what I've always liked about you, my boy."

"Mario and I laid three of them out to dry, and the fourth, who appeared the most remorseful, retreated," said Luigi. "If that wasn't enough, then Koopa did his usual thing later that day, and we had to race through eight worlds to rescue Peach. During that fight, Koopa pulled a really underhanded trick and tried to use me as ammunition against Mario. That turtle just zeroed in on me and let me have it, making Mario watch. He told him that if he'd surrendered quickly enough, then there'd still be some of me left. But I wasn't about to let Mario compromise his morals for my sake. I was willing to take all of that pain if it meant that my bro could do the right thing." Gadd placed one of the mugs before Luigi. "Thank you."

"But you won eventually," said the professor.

"We did," Luigi told him. "Three guesses as to who got all of the recognition in the end. Oh, I forgot to tell you—after that altercation in the lounge, MH suspended me for ten days, and he added ten days to Mario's suspension. We didn't do anything wrong—Mario was defending himself, and I was defending my bro!"

"Isn't there a rule against fighting outside of scheduled battles?"

"Yeah, but certainly he could've made an exception," huffed Luigi.

"This last week or so has been rough on you," said Gadd.

"Since I'm not allowed to fight in matches for ten days, I figured that maybe I should spend them in here in Evershade Valley," said Luigi, "because I just can't deal with Master Hand right now."

Gadd nodded. "And maybe when you calm down, you can see the situation from a different perspective," he said.

"I hope so," said Luigi. "How's your research coming?"

"So far, so good. My goal is to make observations on ghosts' behavior by studying their energy."

"How so?"

"Their energy is in liquid form, you see, so I'm trying to invent a painless method to extract the energy samples I need from them," Gadd explained. "After that, I'll conduct experiments to see how this energy will react to certain stimuli."

"What about the ghosts? Are they willing to volunteer themselves?" asked Luigi. "After what the Boos did to them…"

"They know I won't hurt them," Gadd assured him, "just as much as I know they won't hurt me. After what happened with the Dark Moon, we've learned to trust each other more than ever."

"The Dark Moon—is it…?"

"Oh, yes. It's still intact, and it hasn't shattered after that one time," said Gadd.

Luigi sighed in relief. "I already have enough on my plate," he said.

Polterpup suddenly jumped into Luigi's lap, licking his face.

"Hi, there," cooed Gadd, petting Polterpup. "Nice to see you again. How's it working out for you two?"

"It's perfect," said Luigi, rubbing the ghostly dog's belly. "A dog really is a man's best friend, even a ghost dog." He gave Polterpup a little kiss on the top of his head and watched as he scampered off.

Gadd looked closer at Luigi and noticed that familiar vacuum on his back. A huge smile broke out on his face.

"Excellent!" he cried. "I forgot to ask if you could bring the Poltergust 5000 along!"

"Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," said Luigi, "and I figured that you might want to perform some maintenance on it."

He slid the Poltergust off his back as he spoke.

"You told me that you're using it as your 'Final Smash' or whatever," said Gadd. "How's that coming along?"

"Swimmingly."

"I know you've been asked this question countless times—but do you see yourself using it for actual ghost-fighting again?"

Luigi thought hard. "Something tells me that I do," he said. Dropping his voice, he added, "Professor—he's still here, right?"

Gadd knew exactly who Luigi was talking about.

"He is," he replied.

Luigi's face was pale and solemn, and in one smooth motion, he slid the Poltergust back on. "I need to see him," he said.

"Of course," nodded Gadd.

He pressed a button, and the duo was taken to the storage vault below the Bunker.

One of the containment units was empty. It used to be filled with ghosts, though, two years ago, but once the Dark Moon was repaired, Gadd had freed them, since they were once again benign. But the other containment unit was another story.

Luigi held his Poltergust at the ready as Gadd walked toward the unit in question and peeped inside.

"Here he is," said the elderly professor, inviting his mentee to have a look.

Luigi hung back, Poltergust leveled, face like granite.

"It's okay," Gadd reassured him. "They can't hurt you."

Step by step, Luigi slowly advanced. When he reached the containment unit, he cautiously peeked inside along with Gadd, studying the many Boos floating about. Gadd moved aside so that Luigi could have a closer look and pinpoint the Boo he was looking for.

And then he found him.

He hovered near the unit's other side, his back to Luigi. Just the sight of that golden crown on the Boo's head brought the unpleasant memories tumbling back. That unnerving, menacing cackle and the fiendish giggling of his brethren. Mario behind a canvas, beaten, bloodied and helpless, screaming for someone to help him. That suit, those claws, those flames. A dimension borne out of his worst nightmares, those horrible squiggles of pink and purple and that power-enhanced gem flashing as he described, in intricate detail, what he was going to do to Mario and the rest of Luigi's friends. His skin was clammy and sweaty, his heart seconds away from jumping out of his mouth, and he could barely breathe.

"Luigi," Gadd was saying. "Luigi?"

But Luigi barely paid attention to him—it was as if his ears were filled with cotton as his eyes locked on the one who still tainted his dreams in the deep of night.

And then he turned, violet eyes burning into his soul as he grinned mirthlessly at Luigi, so many threats and promises behind that grin. Before laughing that horrible laugh.

Luigi tightened his grip on the Poltergust and trained it on his mortal enemy's leering face.

"Luigi," said Gadd. "It's all right. It's okay. We're okay."

Gadd placed an arm around Luigi's shoulders and gently steered him away from the containment unit.

"Thank you, Professor," Luigi said shakily once they'd returned to the Bunker. "Thank you."

Don't think about him. It'll only cause you more stress. You came here to unwind, remember?

Luigi situated himself in one of the Bunker's guestrooms and quickly unpacked his stuff. Those infernal, violet eyes were burning themselves into his mind, that cackle echoing in his eardrums. There was only one thing that could calm him down. Flopping onto the bed, he fished out his cell phone, scrolled down his contacts, selected one particular name and pressed "Dial".

1.1.1

"Good energy today!" said the Wii Fit Trainer as the morning's kickboxing class wrapped up. "It's time for us to get ready for our matches, but I hope to see you same time tomorrow!"

Blinking the sweat from his eyes, Mario grabbed his duffel bag and joined the rest of the Smashers in filing out of the studio. When he arrived at his room, he set down the bag, threw off his clothes and jumped into a refreshing shower. Just as he changed into clean clothes, his phone rang.

It was Luigi.

"Hey, Lil' Bro!" Mario said when he answered.

"Hey, Mario," Luigi replied.

"You're in Evershade Valley now?"

"Yes. I just got settled in. How are you feeling?"

"Okay," said Mario. "A little better than yesterday. And you?"

"I'm just looking forward to the week ahead, helping Gadd with his work and all."

But Luigi's voice sounded—delicate. Mario automatically knew that something was wrong.

"Luigi…" he began.

"Mario—I just need someone to talk to right now!" Luigi interrupted.

"I'm here—I'm here."

"So many horrible people have put us through so much in such a short time—I thought I could take it, but I can't!" Sobs.

"You can always talk to me, Luigi."

"Why? Why did so many people want me nerfed? Why did the two Steves attack me like that? Why did those four men ambush you and say those things? Why didn't Koopa just wait before snatching Peach?"

"I don't know, Luigi. I wish to God I did, but I don't. But we got through. Peach is safe. And those four are regretting their actions—not that it makes things any better."

"Why were we the ones punished? What was I supposed to do, just walk on by while they cruelly abused you? And what were you supposed to do—lay there and take it?! What kind of show is Master Hand running here?"

"I don't know that, either," huffed Mario.

"Are you sure you're okay, Bro?"

"I…" Mario trailed off. "No, Luigi. I'm not. I was too late to stop Steve and Stevie from putting you in the hospital. I was punished for defending you. I was raked over the coals by someone I thought I could trust. I can't get over what those four said to me, because I can't help but worry if they're right. And what Koopa did to you—I still hear your screams. He was really hurting you, and he told me he wouldn't stop unless I surrendered. You—you were gonna let him do that to you—for me."

"Yes."

"After what I've done and said?"

"Yes. Because you'd do the same for me. Remember when you stood up to that Star Gate when he encouraged you and our baby selves to leave me behind?"

Mario smiled. "I do."

"You're not the perfect brother, but you're perfect enough for me. That's all that matters."

Am I? thought Mario.

A thought struck the man in red. "You—saw him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Why? You didn't have to put yourself through that again…"

"I did, Mario. I needed to see him locked in that vault. I needed to know that he'll never be able to target you again. But I brought my Poltergust along, just in case."

"And was he still there?"

"Yes. But I looked at him—and it all came rushing back. Everything he did to me, to you—and the fact that Master Hand brought that up and insinuated that it was your fault. I couldn't move, and I could barely breathe. And then, he turned and looked at me—I'll never forget that grin on his face for as long as I live. Along with the fact that he threatened my friends as well as you…"

"Did he say anything?"

"No. But just looking at him made me break, and I didn't know who else to call."

"Luigi…"

"Do you blame yourself for that night? Because I do."

"Why?"

"Because I'm gullible. I let myself believe that mansions are given away in contests. I called you and told you to meet me there. I put you in danger."

"I don't blame you, Luigi. We were both tricked that night. And how could I hold you responsible when you fought your fears for me?"

"He still put you through so much…"

"If he hadn't, then we wouldn't have grown as people. I'd still feel invincible, and you wouldn't have realized your hidden bravery."

"You're right," said Luigi.

"Bro—I don't want you thinking about him for the rest of the week. I don't want you near him. You came to the valley to clear your head, not to rehash the past."

"Yes."

"You're the strongest person I know. You'll get through this."

"And so will you. Just think—we'll have that meeting Chad promised us next week, remember? We'll finally get the answers we've searched for. So no more antagonizing Master Hand, all right?"

"All right. I'm happy you called."

"I'm happy you answered. Ti amo, Mario."

"Ti amo, Luigi. Give Professor Gadd my regards."

"Will do."

The Mario Bros said their goodbyes and then hung up, both of them feeling ready to continue their day.

1.1.1

Master Hand sat in his office, going over some paperwork, when someone knocked on his door.

"Enter!" he commanded.

Amy and Rory walked in, escorting four well-dressed young men.

"Hi, Master Hand," greeted Rory. "These four men have asked to see you right away."

MH scrutinized the quartet. "Stuart Bennigan?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," said Stu, "and these are my brothers, Shane, Manny and Vince."

MH offered a pointer finger to the brothers, which they shook.

"They said they wanted to confess something to you," said Amy.

"Thank you," said MH. "I'll take it from here."

Rory and Amy nodded before leaving the office.

"Now," said MH. "How can I help you?"

Vince cleared his throat. "We did something," he said. "Something terrible, and—we need to get it off our chests. Perhaps—we can speak in private?"

"What are you talking about?" asked MH.

"Well, you're aware that some of the Smashers were salty over losing to Luigi, and they claimed that he was overpowered—but we don't think he was. Well—not anymore. We used to," said Vince.

"We—didn't care much for Luigi," Manny spoke up. "We don't know why, but we just—hated him. So when we saw everyone fulminating about Luigi's down throw combos on Miiverse—we wanted to help."

"What—what are you trying to tell me?" MH wanted to know. "Does this have something to do with the recent update patch?"

"Yes, sir," said Stu. "I wasn't involved, but my brothers were."

"A Smasher came to me and told me that there was a conspiracy behind this patch," said MH. "Is—that true?"

The Bennigan Brothers exchanged a look. "Yes," they said finally.

"And you were involved in it?"

Vince swallowed. "We—were the masterminds."

MH went pale. "You can't be…"

Shane shushed him. "Not so loud! He'll hear you!"

"Who?" whispered MH. "My brother? He was part of this as well?"

"He helped finance it," whispered Manny, "and he also arranged our nightly meetings."

"My God—how could he possibly benefit…?"

"He says he was jealous of Luigi or something," said Vince. "Anyway, we contacted the Smashers who were upset about losing to Luigi and told them that we had a plan to get Luigi nerfed."

"By manipulating me?"

"Yes," said Manny.

"I knew there was something off about this patch," said MH. "Which of the Smashers were involved?"

"Well, Marth and Roy were among the first to join," replied Vince, "along with Mewtwo, Dark Pit and Kyle. Koopa also joined, of course, and then the two Steves, Chase and Falco."

"Falco…!" MH gasped in shock. "He had a little blow-up with Luigi over…"

"He was a bit reluctant, at first," said Manny, "but he made his choice. And we think he chose wrong. We all did."

"In addition, we also convinced other people to join," Shane went on. "Dorf and Wario contributed from afar. Chad briefly joined, but he soon bowed out." He took out a slip of paper and handed it to the giant glove. "He told us to give you this."

It was a flyer, advertising the meeting he planned to host in one week, where he and the other conspirators would have the chance to confess.

"You should come, too," whispered Stu, "but don't tell your brother. He still thinks we did the right thing. Along with Steve and Stevie."

"We heard that they cornered Luigi in the Training Room and beat him like…" Vince sighed. "We just want you to know—we didn't condone that. At all."

"We wanted to make it easier to defeat Luigi in a Smash battle," Manny explained. "We didn't want to give excuses for people to gang up on him."

"Why would you do this?" MH wanted to know. "Manipulate me and the suits and subvert this whole tournament—just to hurt Luigi? You could've just practiced."

"We thought we were doing the right thing," Vince said regretfully, "but it turns out that we weren't. Master Hand, if you'll have us, we want to make this right. Just tell us how we can do that."

"Tell me everything you know. All of the places you've met—and exactly what your plan entailed."

"We don't feel comfortable telling you in a place where the wrong person can listen in," said Vince, "but we'll tell you everything, never fear."

"The suits—Sakurai—were they involved?"

Vince nodded.

"Was Sakurai aware of this plan when he contacted me?"

Another nod.

"Was he in on it?"

"When it was brought to his attention, he agreed to help us," said Vince. "He has a personal vendetta against Luigi."

"Oh, my God," gasped MH. "This is higher up than I imagined."

Suddenly, he heaved.

"Excuse me," said MH, diving for his trash can and puking up more of that black substance.

"We're sorry to spring this on you," said Vince, "but recently, we've had our eyes opened."

"We were staying with Koopa when the Mario Bros arrived to rescue Peach," said Manny. "Long story short, Koopa helped us evacuate, but we stayed outside his castle and listened in on the fight. Luigi was taking so much punishment for Mario, and when we heard Mario cry out for his brother—it got to us. After they won, we saw the three of them walk out. Peach was in Mario's arms, and Luigi—he was trailing behind them, looking so sad and vulnerable. The Toads didn't even acknowledge him when they arrived on the scene, and even Mario seemed to briefly forget about him. That's when we realized that we barely even knew Luigi. How could we hate and antagonize someone we barely knew? It wasn't right. Hopefully, by coming forward, we can ease the pain we helped cause."

"The best way to do that, I think, is by telling him directly," said MH. "Will he be at this—occasion?"

"Yes, along with Mario."

"Good. They'll finally have the answers they've searched for," said MH.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Vince.

"Mario's wanted me to tell him the Smashers who complained to me about Luigi," MH exclaimed, "but doing so would break my confidentiality rule. Maybe this development will get him off my back."

Manny raised an eyebrow. "He already suspects something?"

"He does. Things are pretty tense between us. I suspended him after he got violent with Luigi's attackers, and I snapped at him a little bit. Then, he thinks that I sent four men to strong-arm him into dropping the matter, but it was really…" He cleared his throat. "Luigi arrived and defended him against those men, but he was fighting outside of a tournament, so I had to suspend him for ten days, as well as add ten days to Mario's current suspension. Then, Koopa did his usual thing, but I don't see our relationship improving anytime soon."

"Wow," breathed Shane.

"Thank you for your honesty, though," MH went on. "I will update the Smashers on this situation as soon as I can, and I promise to treat your report as confidential and anonymous."

"Thank you," said Vince. "That means a lot."

"We'll see you in a week," said Stu.

"I look forward to hearing what you have to say," said MH.

"And—could you also tell Luigi I'm sorry for what I did in the past?" asked Stu.

"You can tell him at the—occasion," said MH.

"Okay," said Stu.

MH watched as the four walked out of the office, hand-in-hand.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" asked Vince.

"No," said Shane. "Not at all."

1.1.1

MH didn't have to worry yet—CH wasn't in his office when the Bennigan Brothers were telling all. He was at the café where Koopa, Dorf and Wario had dined eight days ago, viewing the security footage from that afternoon. The two Steves were currently eating lunch, and CH occasionally glanced up and exchanged secret looks with the pair.

Focusing back on his task, the Hand of Destruction watched as Dorf, Wario and Koopa strode into the restaurant and situated themselves at a table. Not long after, Link and Zelda slipped inside and sat several tables across from them. Zooming in, CH saw the Hylian princess and her elf surreptitiously take out their cell phones, the former pressing only one button and the latter pressing several. CH quickly figured out that Zelda was recording the conversation, and that Link was texting someone—Luigi, who entered the restaurant about five minutes later.

The three obscured their faces with their menus, but CH already knew what they were talking about.

"Gotcha," he said triumphantly.

Stealthily, he joined the two Steves at their table.

"Any luck?" asked Steve.

CH spoke to them in a low voice. "I found out who listened in on Koopa and his friends," he reported.

"Who?" Stevie asked eagerly.

"None other than Link and Zelda," said CH. "Then, they texted Luigi so he could come in and eavesdrop. I guess one of them must've passed the info on to my dear brother."

Stevie whistled. "Something should be done about that," he said.

"Indeed," Steve chimed in. "It's impolite to eavesdrop on private conversations."

CH then stepped aside to make a phone call.

"Yes?" asked Dorf's voice.

"Two old friends of yours trailed you, Koopa and Wario to that restaurant after you got back from your trip," said CH.

"Link and Zelda?"

"How did you know?"

"They met me at the train station," Dorf replied. "We have a—unique—dynamic."

"Well, your 'dynamic' is about to get even more unique, because they not only listened in on your little gloating session but also tipped off Luigi and Master Hand. I thought you knew better than to brag about Project Nerf in public."

"We destroyed the evidence, didn't we?" challenged Dorf.

"That's not the issue," CH told him, "because you, Koopa and Wario just put my brother on our trail."

"Hey, take it easy."

"Don't tell me to take it easy! If MH and the Mario Bros find out, then it's over!"

"They're gonna find out sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner," Dorf calmly intoned. "We'll take our punishment and then move on."

"I seem to recall that the whole point of this was to keep people from finding out," said CH.

"Trust me, nothing will stop those plumbers from finding out anything. Especially Mario," said Dorf. "Thanks for telling me, though. Stay safe out there, CH."

"Wait!" cried CH, but Dorf had already hung up.

CH returned to the two Steves' table. "They don't seem to care anymore," he murmured.

"What?" asked Steve.

"I called Dorf with the news, and he sounded—cool with it," said CH. "Well, we're not."

Stevie opened his mouth to say something, but then he saw a car pull into the restaurant's parking lot.

"We'll have to discuss this later," he said. "Our guest has just arrived."

CH nodded and then withdrew.

A young woman with light brown hair entered the restaurant and walked up to the two Steves. She shrugged off her coat and sat in the chair they generously pulled out for her.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," replied Steve. "Thanks for meeting us here."

They shook hands, and then the woman took out a notepad and a tape recorder. She was an intrepid reporter working for Smash News, and her energy and commitment was vital to the two Steves' plan.

"I understand—something happened to you at the Smash Mansion?" asked the woman.

Stevie and Steve wore matching grins.

"Oh, boy—have we got a story for you!" laughed Stevie.

1.1.1

"Will you be needing anything else?" asked the bellhop.

"No, that will be all for now," replied Vanessa. "Thank you."

The bellhop smiled and withdrew.

With a sigh, Vanessa flopped onto one of the beds, her husband and kids quickly joining her.

"I'm beat!" she announced. "I plan on sleeping for the rest of the day. How about you?"

"I'm kinda hungry," said Ethan.

"Me, too," said Anna.

Vanessa's stomach growled. "Yeah—some food would be nice," she conceded, "but why do we have so much junk?"

"You got me," said Theo.

Vanessa turned to the kids. "I expect you to be in bed early tonight," she said. "The first tour bus leaves at 9:00 tomorrow morning, and those busses fill up fast."

"Okay," Ethan and Anna said in unison.

"I still can't believe it," Vanessa told her husband. "We're actually in the Mushroom Kingdom!"

This was a place she'd wanted to go for years. And what better time to do so, with the kids off track and Theo getting a paid vacation? Alas, this trip wasn't entirely for leisure. Vanessa had decided it was time to tell Peach the truth about Project Nerf. After her latest run-in with Koopa, she deserved to know.

Yeah—if only it was that easy.

But it would be done.

1.1.1

Night fell over Evershade Valley, and the many ghosts happily flew and zipped about the sky, playing with each other. Luigi lay on a blanket spread out on the grass, watching them. Presiding over everything was the Dark Moon, the violet gem hovering and glowing among the stars. As long as it was intact, Luigi had nothing to worry about.

The stress from the past week began to slip away, from the first hours of the new patch to the incident in the Training Area to the harrowing fight with Koopa. Those memories were clinging to him, but he'd started shrugging loose from their grip. He breathed in, and then out, savoring the fresh valley air. Long ago, he never imagined he'd be comfortable in an area swarming with ghosts, but here he was. These particular ghosts were friendly, but still.

Luigi closed his eyes, listening to the ghosts' laughter and his breaths falling into an even rhythm. He honestly couldn't wait to see what Professor Gadd had planned; hopefully, there was a way he could help. And maybe he could explore those five mansions on his own terms. The Poltergust 5000 would be on his back, but only as a precaution. Friendly ghosts or otherwise, something told Luigi that he needed his Poltergust handy whenever he was on a Gadd-related adventure.

Something tapped him on the nose.

His eyes snapped open.

A Greenie hovered over him, grinning and waving at him, before chattering something and pointing somewhere.

"Wha…?" Luigi uttered.

Something else hoisted him off the ground, and he found himself on a Slammer's back. Luigi held on as the Slammer flew him across the valley, with the Greenie in the lead.

"Where are we going?" asked Luigi.

The Slammer gently descended and deposited Luigi at the Gloomy Manor. More specifically, the Gloomy Manor's front porch. A group of Greenies, Slammers, Hiders and the Poltergeist from the library was clustered around another visitor. Luigi looked closely at this visitor—and he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hey, Luigi," said Falco. "It looks like I'm already popular with the locals."

"How…?" Luigi began, and then something clicked.

Professor, you sly son of a gun…

Please R&R.