A/N: Hey, everyone. As an update, I should let you know that the coronavirus pandemic is still going on, and I'm taking precautions to keep myself safe. Unfortunately, with the job that I have, I'm not exempt from work unless things get drastically worse. Meanwhile, my class has switched to online remote learning for possibly the rest of the spring semester. I'm still studying even though we don't know how the exams are going to work since most of the content is written out. Lastly, I'm trying my best to catch up on writing whenever I'm not busy. I hope you all understand.
A huge thanks goes out to TheShadowStarr23, sigmadanny, Infinite's Ruby, animegamefanatic, FireFlamerx9z, Oderus, RGGAM, IanAlphaAxel, Q, Tiger of Darkness, Ultimatejoseph135, Golden Eye, and Alex Wells for reviewing since the last upload. Alongside TheShadowStarr23, I want to thank Megan Romero, Flipdream, cartoon seer, Sarcastic Black Cat, AngyGirl, Xanderq, and Superfloxes for leaving a favorite and/or follow.
Speaking of Superfloxes, he/she is also writing a Luigi's Mansion 3 fanfic. Although I've haven't gotten the chance to read far into it, the story has pretty interesting details and some in-depth content from what I've read so far. I would gladly recommend giving it a read!
And of course, thank you to everyone else who has joined the adventure from the beginning. We're now at 150 reviews and 23,000+ hits! As for this chapter, we won't be heading to Castle MacFrights yet. What will our heroes face instead? Let's get right into it!
Disclaimer: I don't work for Nintendo, nor do I own any rights to Luigi's Mansion or the Mario characters.
Chapter 11: Boo's Clues
Location: B1 – Basement
A tremor shook inside the core of Luigi's body as the elevator descended to the Basement. Daisy caught the sudden jolt and turned to her ghost-fighting partner in green.
"What's up, Luigi?"
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I don't know. It felt like someone was breathing down my neck, so that's why I shivered a little."
"Oh, I understand that feeling," Red Toad told him. "Granted, I'm pretty short compared to everyone else, so a lot of things stand tall from behind. Whenever I felt some air, I would be a little creeped out that someone was trying to pull a prank on me."
"But so far, the only prank you've faced over the last few days was getting kidnapped by King Boo," said Daisy.
"That was far from a practical joke! Getting stuck inside a painting is no laughing matter!" Red defended. "Besides, was I supposed to do after I saw Yellow and Blue stuck as well? I tried opening the door from my bedroom to escape, but it wouldn't budge! That's how I ended up in that predicament. I'm just grateful you guys were here to save me."
"Arf!" Colombo proceeded to lick Toad's face to make him feel better. It worked as he snickered and petted the dog.
"The other four could be anywhere in the hotel," Luigi sighed. "Knowing King Boo though, he's probably keeping Mario to himself."
"That is a fair point. The longer it takes to find him, the harder it will be to free him from his painting," Daisy nodded.
Just then, the elevator slowed down until the bell rang. As they reached B1, Luigi, Daisy, and Polterpup led Red Toad to the Garage where E. Gadd's portable lab stood. They entered inside and greeted the professor who was still in his red highchair.
"Ah, Luigi! Daisy! Colombo! You're finally back, eh? You shouldn't keep an old man waiting, y'know."
"Well, excuuuuuuse us, Professor!" Daisy mocked him.
"Heh heh heh! I'll give you that, Princess. Oh, and I see the Toad you've rescued from Amadeus and Melody! Great work, everyone!"
"Wow, this is a really cool lab you got here," Red complimented.
"I appreciate your gracious words, little fella. Anyway, you can go ahead and deposit those ghosts into the Container."
Luigi and Daisy followed his instructions and took turns inserting the nozzle to the rectangular slot. They regrouped in front of E. Gadd to hear what he had to say.
"Now that you're all here, I want to say that I've been pretty impressed with your progress. The three of you are satisfactory at exploring The Last Resort with the limited amount of buttons you've uncovered so far. You have great chemistry, and you haven't let those devious ghosts slow you down with your Poltergust G-00 and 5000, respectively! Slowly but surely, you'll make your way up to the top where I presume Hellen Gravely and King Boo are hiding."
"My sentiments exactly," Luigi firmly agreed.
"Although you've gotten another button in the process, I want to divert from ascending to the next level for now."
"Why is that, Professor?" Daisy wondered. Colombo also tilted his head in confusion.
"Before I properly answer that question, Luigi, can you turn around for a second? I need to adjust your Poltergust G-00."
"Um, okay." He turned his body around so that the tank was directly in front of E. Gadd. The professor took a moment to tinker with the vacuum before letting him go.
"All done! Thank you, Luigi."
"Sure thing, but what did you do to it?"
"Now is the optimal time to answer both your questions! I just installed a special feature to the G-00 to help you track down some Boos!"
"What?! B-B-Boos?!" Luigi held his fingers near his chattering teeth.
"Indeed. My research indicates that they're hiding out in this hotel. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise since King Boo is involved."
"Aw, no!" Red shrieked. "They're probably the worst kind of ghosts out there! What if they come out to scare me?"
"Don't worry, Toad. Like I said, it's better off if you stay in the lab with me. The only ghosts that can get inside are the ones trapped in the Ghost Container."
"Whew! That's a relief!"
"Says you!" Luigi narrowed his eyes. "I hate Boos the most! And I have to go find them!"
"We're gonna find them, Luigi," Daisy corrected.
"Ugh, you get my point."
"Enough bickering, lads. I feel like I've mentioned this too many times, but I should remind you once more. Whenever the Boos are in great numbers, they can be a disturbing force. And with the combination of King Boo's powers with that jeweled crown of his, they can be unstoppable! That's why we need to capture those Boos from preventing the end of the world again! Therefore, I installed the feature to alert you if a Boo is nearby. I have some notes written down somewhere. Oh, gosh dang it! Where did I put those cards?" E. Gadd fumbled through his desk.
"Oh, I don't feel so good right now," Luigi groaned.
"Don't tell me you're trying to fake an illness to get away from this ghost hunting. We all need you, Luigi!" Daisy urged.
"I'm not trying to fake anything! I legitimately feel sick to my stomach knowing how deceiving those Boos are. I've captured too many that I've lost count, yet they're always giving me nightmares, especially when it has to do with Mario."
Daisy felt a little guilty of accusing him, so she patted his shoulders and embraced him from behind. Luigi appreciated the gesture as his body didn't tremble as much.
"Ah, here they are!" E. Gadd turned back to the heroes. "So you see, Gooigi's body is made of a material I've dubbed as 'Goo'. You would already know this by now. Anyway, Goo reacts to the frequency emitted by Boos. If in the case one was hiding nearby, the Goo will vibrate to indicate this!"
"Well, I've felt Gooigi vibrate inside my vacuum a couple of times before you made the adjustment. D-Did that mean Boos were hiding near the floors we've b-been to?" Luigi stammered.
"It's a possibility. But this tracker on the Goo will be sufficient. The closer you get to a Boo's location, the stronger the vibration will be. You'll definitely be able to tell when you're really close to one! Does this all make sense?"
"I understand. We'll get those Boos for sure!" Daisy pumped her fist.
"Excellent! I have a suspicion that a Boo is hiding around the Basement somewhere. Why don't you search around here first?"
"Sounds like a plan! You guys ready?"
"Ruff!" Colombo wagged his tail.
"I guess so..." Luigi mumbled.
"Don't feel so down, Luigi. From experience, you're the best at catching those pesky Boos! I know you'll do it again!" E. Gadd pepped him up.
"Same here! I'll be cheering for you from here!" Red Toad smiled.
"Okay, then. Let's-a-go," Luigi unenthusiastically replied.
Because Luigi couldn't feel a vibration from Gooigi when he stood in the Garage, the first place that he checked was the Laundry Room. As Daisy and Colombo followed him, they saw the Goo inside the tank shake.
"Hmm, that must be the tracker E. Gadd was talking about," Daisy believed.
"That is correct!" the professor rang in from the microphone. "The vibrating Goo is your clue to find those Boos."
"Since when did you become a poet, Elvin Allan Poe?" Luigi raised an eyebrow.
"Ho ho ho! Another good comeback right there. You get some brownie points for that. Alright, I don't want to distract you. Go find that Boo!"
Luigi, Daisy, and Colombo stayed silent as they paid attention to the rumbling Goo. The vibrations started off lightly, but they became stronger when Luigi walked past the dryers. On the other side where the washers stood, Colombo barked when the vacuum began to shake violently.
"The Goo is reacting a lot near the washers. Maybe the Boo is in one of them?" Daisy assumed.
She checked the second washer from the left, but she didn't see anything inside. Luigi took the other washer and opened the lid.
"YAAAH!" he screamed and dropped his flashlight when a Boo screeched his face.
"Ho ho, I'm Boosement! Looks like you found me... or did you? Either way, you'll never catch me!" the Boo taunted before becoming invisible.
Luigi quivered as he got back up and grabbed his flashlight, hoping to find the Boo again. Unfortunately, he had no luck.
"Where did that Boo go?!"
Colombo began sniffing when he noticed some fog covering the floor. Then, he realized a trail hovering above the thick mist. He barked loudly, causing the humans to realize the anomaly. Luigi recalled in his Dark Moon quest that he had to uncover the Boos with his Dark-Light Device. Pressing the button on his flashlight, the rainbow streak glowed towards the strange trail. Boosement whined when the light hit his eyes, revealing himself to the ghost catchers.
"Daisy, get ready to attack! You can grab their tongues with the hose!"
"As long as I don't have to touch it with my hands, I'll be ready!"
Once the white ghost was visible, Daisy went straight for him. She used the suction power to grab onto the Boo's tongue. With a full meter, Daisy used her power to repeatedly slam Boosement onto the floor. Gold bars and coins scattered from the impact. After a while, Boosement was able to escape, but his health depleted a lot from Daisy's attack.
"Man, that felt satisfying! Let's do it one more time!"
"We have to if we want to stop that Boo!"
"You were calling for me?" Boosement whispered into Luigi's ear, causing him to yelp. The Boo laughed in satisfaction that he petrified him. Colombo wasn't happy about that, so he charged at Boosement. Unfortunately, the Boo got away in time.
"Grr..." the Polterpup started to track him down again. He returned to the dryers and searched for any hints in the fog. Once he spotted another trail, Colombo called for Luigi and Daisy.
"I see it!" Daisy pointed. "I'll use the Dark-Light this time; you slam the Boo, Luigi!"
"Oh, boy..." the plumber gulped. He hated going near the spherical ghosts, but this wasn't anything new to him since he caught over eighty of them.
Daisy shined her own Dark-Light Device at Boosement. He groaned from the light before panicking as Luigi took a hold of his tongue. His fearful expression altered into an angry one as he slammed Boosement multiple times. With enough hits, Boosement struggled to escape as his body bounced off the G-00's nozzle.
"Gah! I... can't... get out!"
"Serves you right!" Luigi countered before officially trapping him. "Ooh, that took some work."
"You're right, but that's one Boo down!" Daisy smirked.
This time, the VB ringtone went off. Luigi put on the goggles and saw E. Gadd on the display screen. "A remarkable job well done! You were able to find and capture your first Boo of the hotel! Toad and I applaud you for your efforts!"
"Yeah! Great work!" Red squeezed into the frame.
Luigi chuckled a little, alleviating the stress in his body. "Thanks. We appreciate the moral support."
"Now then, there's a lot of ground to search for more Boos. You might as well return to the other five floors and catch them! If you need any help, don't forget to call the E. Gadd Hotline. Over and out!"
"Alright! Why don't we head up to the Grand Lobby? We can go one floor at a time," suggested Daisy.
"Sounds like a plan," Luigi concurred.
"Ruff!" Colombo was also on board as he dashed out of the Laundry Room. Luigi playfully rolled his eyes while Daisy held in a giggle.
Location: 1F – Grand Lobby
Because the hotel foyer was so large, the ghost hunters thought it would take a while to find the Boo. However, that was when they realized the other floors were much larger, and the ones above could be even worse. For now, they stuck together to see if the Goo would vibrate. Luigi and Daisy couldn't find anything on the east side of the lobby near the elevator. When they approached the front door, still barricaded with planks and chains, the vibrations became soft.
"If he's nowhere around this area, I have a feeling the Boo is hiding near the front desk," Daisy thought.
"You think?" Luigi shifted his head in that direction. "Hmm, it's worth a shot. Let's check it out."
Her guess seemed to be good as Luigi felt Gooigi rumble within the vacuum. Since the gate was down, Luigi performed a Burst to reopen it. The two opened some drawers until the Boo appeared in front of Daisy. Sadly, Luigi fell to the floor in shock again.
"Yoo-hoo! I'm GumBoo! Oo-wee! You found me! But y'all stay back now! I'm not a side dish! I'm a ghost who wants to eat your heart out!"
Luigi remembered hearing the name GumBoo in the Hidden Room of the first mansion. However, he couldn't tell if it was the same ghost or another Boo with a similar name. After all, every single Boo, aside from their king, hardly had any physical differences.
Daisy was just a second too late to shine him with the Dark-Light Device. She, Luigi, and Colombo hurried out to the lobby in hopes of finding the invisible ghost. This time, there wasn't any fog on the floor to give them an easy hint. However, Colombo could smell the Boo's scent. With his trustworthy nose, he was on the hunt. Reaching the west wing of the lobby, he barked near the concierge's desk. Luigi and Daisy hurried over to the Polterpup's location and shined their Dark-Light Devices. The latter was able to expose GumBoo as he hid near a box. Luigi waited until the Boo was stunned before he tugged on his tongue and slammed him ten times.
"Eeek!" GumBoo squealed. "That was a lucky shot in the dark!"
When he turned invisible again, Colombo instantly started sniffing. Crossing over to the sitting area in the east, the spectral pooch believed he found their target. Luigi was lucky with the aim as he uncovered GumBoo with his Dark Light. The Sarasaland princess had her vacuum ready as she pulled with all of her might.
"Wait! I cry uncle!" GumBoo tried to plead, but Daisy wouldn't budge. She copied Luigi's slam move until the Boo got stuck inside the Poltergust 5000.
"Booyah! That's two Boos in our collection! They can't mess with us!"
"Heh heh! That was great, Daisy! And of course, we wouldn't have found them if it weren't for Colombo," Luigi hugged his pet.
"Ruff!" the Polterpup happily whined from the embrace.
"I guess the Mezzanine is next because I don't think the Goo is vibrating around here."
"Hmm, from what I've noticed, maybe there's only one Boo hiding per floor, similar to most of the elevator buttons," Daisy presumed.
"Huh, I could actually see that. I guess we'll find out once we head up there," Luigi led the group.
Location: 2F – Mezzanine
When they didn't find anything on the west half of the second floor, the heroes explored the Dining Room and noticed a vibration from the Goo. After a thorough search, Colombo was the one to find the ghost in a trash can.
"I'm Booigi, number one! 'Waah, help me, Big Bro!' I was just impersonating you, green man! You're nothing but a coward!"
Luigi always felt insecure whenever he gets mocked. But to have this coming from a Boo was psychologically hurt his heart more. However, he wasn't going to let some choice words offend him. As much he wanted Mario back, the Boos were going to be a major distraction if he and Daisy don't catch them.
Fueled by self-motivation, the green man quickly shined his Dark-Light at his ghostly impersonator. He didn't even let Daisy get a chance to attack. Luigi handled the fight on a personal level by slamming the Boo onto the tables, destroying them in the process. Booigi underestimated his power as he got trapped in the vacuum with Boosement. The man removed his cap and wiped the sweat off his face. He embarrassingly glanced back at his friends.
"S-Sorry for being so aggressive back there," he twiddled his gloved fingers.
"What are you sorry for? You took out that Boo like a boss!"
He became flattered by her comment. "It was nothing special though."
"I disagree, youngster!" E. Gadd called him. "You showed that Boo that he can't impersonate or intimidate you!"
"Th-thanks, I appreciate it. Now that I think about it, that's the second Boo I've recalled from the first mansion."
"Interesting," E. Gadd murmured. "Maybe some of the Boos escaped from my old collection. It would make sense since all the other ghosts are roaming the hotel."
"Either way, that's another Boo caught! We're making great progress!" Daisy grinned.
"It'd be wise to revisit the other floors so we can worry less about them. Good luck on your ventures!"
Luigi and Colombo agreed as they all exited the Dining Room. Just when they were about to head towards the elevator, they heard some faint clacking sounds coming from the Entertainment Room. They glanced at one another before shrugging away from the thought. Suddenly, they heard a few bangs from inside the room.
"What was that?" Luigi blinked.
"I have no clue. Do you think we should check inside?"
"As much as I don't want to, I think we better see for ourselves."
"I'll be right beside. Colombo's here, too."
"Arf!"
As Luigi took a deep breath, he slowly opened the door. The last time they were in here, they had to catch a rat who stole the elevator button that Chef Soulfflé carried. Not only that, they also had a fight against some Oozers. Because of this, their first guess was that some more ghosts were playing billiards. To their surprise, however, a special Portrait Ghost was holding a pool stick, aiming at the cue ball.
It was a man with teal skin, yellow eyes, and purple hair. His attire consisted of a gray sweater vest with a white shirt underneath.
"Drat! What's wrong with my aim lately?!" the spectral player grumbled.
Luigi quietly gasped. "That's another ghost from the old mansion!"
"Who's that?" Daisy peeked from behind the door.
"Slim Bankshot. He's a competitive pool player from what E. Gadd told me."
The ghost went around the other side of the table and tried to hit a different ball into a pocket. He carefully lined up the shot, took his aim, and-
*CLACK*
He watched a yellow-striped ball ricochet off another with a blue-striped one. The second pool ball barely missed the corner pocket as it hit the wall and rolled a few inches away. Groaning from another missed attempt, Slim approached from a different spot and hit the cue ball towards the blue-striped ball. Unfortunately, it didn't move at the angle he expected. While the blue-striped ball rebounded off the adjacent wall, the cue ball accidentally landed into the pocket.
"Come on! That was not supposed to happen! Are these balls rigged to miss the pockets every time I hit them?!" Slim raged, tossing his stick onto the table. Luigi softly yelped when he heard the sudden slam. The ghost turned towards the sound. "Who's there?"
The green plumber was about to shut the door, but Bankshot quickly floated over to the entrance. He caught the heroes spying on him.
"What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Luigi started trembling as his knees couldn't stop moving. Since he was hiding behind Daisy, the tall ghost didn't notice him. The princess soon replied with a fib, "We're the housekeeping maids! We're here to clean each and every room so this hotel stays tidy and clean, especially for people who like playing billiards!"
"Hmm, I prefer to use the term, 'pool'. But if that's the case, then go right ahead. But do not distract me from my game!"
"No problem," she watched Slim return to the table before sneering to herself. "Ha! I can't believe he fell for that! C'mon, Weege. Let's wait for the right moment to capture him."
"I-If you say so..."
Daisy and Luigi ambled past Bankshot without getting in his way. The two pretended to suck up dust bunnies in the corners. Every now and then, they heard the clacking sounds of the pool balls. Although he struggled in the beginning, Slim's aim was improving, taking him back to when he became a dominating professional before his untimely demise. Since he became a ghost, he wasn't as skilled or accurate. But he had a place in his heart for the game he loved to play in his free time.
Eventually, Slim managed to sink all of the striped balls into the pockets. His next goal was to take care of the solids before the 8-ball. Suddenly, a Blue Twirler sneaked into the Entertainment Room and noticed Bankshot taking his aim. He silently chuckled to himself as he rubbed his hands. Creeping behind the pool player, he raised his fists in the air and slammed them to the ground. A shockwave threw Slim off balance while the pool balls flew in different directions. Luigi reacted in time to catch one of them with his Poltergust G-00.
"Son of a gun!" Slim shouted in frustration. He turned around to see the Blue Twirler guffawing. "What was that for?! If you weren't a ghost, I would whack you silly with my pool stick!"
The blue ghost ignored his comments and continued cackling.
"SHUT UP, YOU MONGREL!"
Luigi ran over to Slim with the pool ball still in the hose. He pointed the nozzle at the teal spirit and bopped him in the head.
"Gah! Again?!" Bankshot rotated to face Luigi. He scrutinized his clothing and the vacuum on his back. His yellow eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute! You're not a housekeeping maid! You're that ghost hunter who ruined my game of pool! Why I oughta-"
"Hey, Slim Jim! Catch this!" Daisy shouted from the other side of the room. She blew a solid green ball towards the ghost. Slim wasn't able to react in time as he got knocked in the head again.
When he was completely dazed, Luigi shined his Strobulb and began sucking on Bankshot's tail. Colombo rushed over to stop the Blue Twirler from interfering. He pounced the large ghost against the wall so that Daisy could flash him with the light. She was successful as she fought the Twirler and slammed him once onto the pool table. Luigi was still trying to get a hold of Slim as the ghost grabbed his pool stick and attempted to swing at him. The plumber ducked in time, but his grip came loose. Bankshot escaped the G-00 before Luigi could slam him.
"I can't believe I got duped by you scoundrels! If I wasn't gullible, I would line up my cue ball right at your eyes and knock them out! D'oh!"
Daisy shined her Strobulb during his rant. "Sorry, Slimmy. But I don't see you doing that to Luigi!" After an arduous scuffle between her and the ghost, the princess finished what Luigi started by catching the tail and slamming him onto the floor until he was out of breath. Slim couldn't escape the hose, and he wound up in the 5000 with GumBoo.
"Oh, yeah! You did great, Daisy!"
"Thanks! I think I'm getting better at wrangling those ghosts!"
"You definitely are since you managed to handle those Boos better than me."
"Yeah, but you're the expert in this. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be clueless on how to defeat them!"
"Heh, don't say that. You're very smart on your own. After all, you did some puzzle-solving earlier in the Hotel Shops."
"That's true. Speaking of which, that's our next stop in the Boo hunt! Let's get a move on! It's time to bust some more ghosts and ruin their Boos cruise!"
"Really? You made a joke based on alcohol?"
"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm sure someone out there is gonna change the rating."
Although Luigi and Colombo had no idea what she was talking about, they rolled with it and exited the Entertainment Room. Back at the Grand Lobby, Luigi called the elevator. He soon went over to the panel, pressing the '3' button to revisit the Hotel Shops.
The man deeply inhaled, meditating in front of the mirror. He really missed Mario and Peach, and he knew that rescuing them was far from a walk in the park. While he prayed that they were okay, Luigi had to be patient. There were so many dangers that he, Daisy, and Colombo have encountered in just about a third of The Last Resort's levels. He needed to be cautious but also assertive against the Boss Ghosts and the Boos. And of course, he had to watch his back in case Hellen or King Boo had something up their sleeves.
"Fratello, you've always been there for me. No matter how many times these ghosts will freak me out, I'll do anything to get you back safely."
END OF CHAPTER
What's a Luigi's Mansion game without some Boos? Although the Boo cutscene took place before the Amadeus battle, I saved it after they freed Red Toad. In the game, they always appear after obtaining the next elevator button. But for the future levels, I'll have them catch the Boos either before or after the boss fights so they don't have to backtrack too much. As a fun fact, a few of the names were taken from the first game, including Booigi and GumBoo.
Also, I omitted E. Gadd's shop since it's not too indispensable for the story. Maybe I'll include a Gold Bone in there, or maybe not.
Anyway, Luigi, Daisy, and Polterpup took care of Floors B1 through 2F and captured the Boos in those areas. We also got to see Slim Bankshot here because I waited to utilize him in this side quest chapter. We'll have another one coming up as the trio will search for more Boos in the Hotel Shops, the Great Stage, and the RIP Suites. Then, we'll head over to Castle MacFrights on 6F.
Thanks for waiting on this chapter. Be sure to favorite and/or follow the story for future updates. Leave a review down below to let me know what you enjoyed or if I made any errors. Until then, please stay safe out there. I'll meet you all again in Ch. 12 of Hotel Horror! This is TGN, signing off.
