Warm blankets... Okay, definitely a better place to wake up in compared to the first trial...
But it was also a lot darker... Luigi couldn't even see where he was yet. He was slumped and sitting down, that's for certain... His body could feel it after all.
...Speaking of feeling something with his body, he felt something wet... And it kept going.
Something was licking Luigi, and that was not out of context.
Finally, Luigi's eyes adjusted to the darkness of his surrounding area- and he froze. There, was an entity he completely forgot was also dragged into Gensokyo. A white ghost dog... Polterpup?!
"A-ah... Good puppy...?"
Polterpup barked, running off into the dark room.
"Oh okay then..." He slowly gets out of the towels, onto the ground. This place seemed AWFULLY familiar... Too familiar. As if it was very recent... As if he recalled the events, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a flashlight.
"My flashlight is here, I'm in a laundry room, Polterpup woke me up by licking me... I know it way too well... It's The Last Resort."
Luigi uttered the name he didn't want to say again. A grand hotel of horrors filled with ghosts and ghosts. It was also filled to the brim with ghosts.
And this trial is forcing him to relive it...
But why is this the present trial? This was... a month ago? This was technically in the past...
Luigi's thoughts were confused and muddled as he was walking through the rooms, recalling everything. Finally, his thoughts were interrupted by a gleaming red car.
"Ah, right... If memory serves me right, the Poltergust should be..." He ran over to the car and opened the front engine.
"...here..." Luigi's voice drooped to an all new steeply low. This played out a little differently than he expected! "No... Nonono... Oh no... That... what..."
In place of the Engine... there was... nothing.
No Poltergust... Nothing to defend himself with at all.
. . . "Where's E. Gadd?!" Luigi shouted to himself as he ran out of the garage and up the stairs. "Where?! I can't fight off anyone like this-!"
He ran into the grand lobby, expecting the front door to be shut and for him to be locked inside.
...but instead...
The front door was open. Wide open. A perfect chance for Luigi to escape this nightmare. He ran to the door, but something tugged on his overalls.
Luigi craned his neck backwards and down to find Polterpup tugging on him.
"...I know, Polterpup... But..."
He saw a bunch of blue ghosts slowly surrounding him, but the door was still wide open. "I know you want me to save them... But times like this..."
He forcefully pulled himself away from Polterpup and ran out the door. Seconds to spare, as the door closed behind himself... and Polterpup did not come out.
"...is where I give up." His voice was filled with sorrow.
Luigi was running, his own breath at volume with his rainy footsteps. Yes, it was raining. Comical timing, but misery to Luigi. "This is so much worse than the first trial! Nobody's here for me anymore! I ran away from my friends... they're trapped forever..."
He ran for hours. Finally, he saw a big city in the distance. Mushroom City.
Luigi's breathing could've been mistaken for asthma as he took shelter under a secure bus stop with a roof.
He looked at his soaked gloves. "I'm a coward... I can't show my face to Toad Town or Peach's Castle again..."
"Hey, mister!" A female voice called out. He turned to the girl, and she was holding a towel. "Needa dry yourself off?"
... Before Luigi could respond, he looked at the female in question. She had green hair, a yellow shirt, a green dress, and a blackish-green hat. Oh, and of course, green eyes. The only part of her that stood out was a third eye, similar to Satori's.
Luigi grabbed the towel to dry himself off and looked at this girl dead in the eye.
"Oi-oi..." The girl blushed. "Mister, I..."
"...Koishi?!" Luigi gasped.
"...eh?"
It's always hard being the younger brother.
Slinking in the shadows, never getting any of the credit.
What does that all come back to? The lack of fame. Luigi's lack of fame definitely hit him, especially in his childhood years.
And of course, that led to having no friends.
Those years were rough for him. So, Luigi had no one to turn to.
Or so he thought. He then saw a beautiful green girl.
Nobody else even bothered to look at her... As if she was invisible.
Luigi was the only one to see her, and people kept saying that this person was an imaginary friend. He even tried talking to Mario about it but... to no avail, Mario could not see her either.
Now, you may think that since Koishi was invisible to everyone except Luigi, she would do some fanservice things to Luigi and bump up the age rating. After all, she is from Gensokyo and therefore, naturally beautiful.
But surprisingly, Luigi didn't want that.
He just wanted a friend.
A childhood, imaginary friend that Luigi could swear was real...
But he couldn't get people to believe, no matter how hard he tried.
Eventually, after he grew up and started going on more daring adventures, he just plain... forgot about her.
And now here he was, standing next to his old childhood friend on Peach Beach.
Yes, the fanservice part was important. We hit a beach episode all of a sudden.
"I'm surprised..." Luigi started. "You aren't tempting me with a bikini or swimsuit. Just your old clothes I remembered?"
"They still fit me!" Koishi giggled. "We don't wanna bump the age rating by going in different outfits now, don't we?"
"Nono!" Luigi flailed his hands. "I just wanted to talk to you again..."
"Aaaah, it's been that long, huh?" Koishi thought. "Yeah, you sorta just... didn't acknowledge my existence after a while. I have that ability."
"It's natural? I feel less guilty in my conscience now."
"Sooo!" Koishi started a conversation. "Did you find someone you love? Don't tell me you have a crush on your imaginary childhood friend."
"I found an orange-hair princess named Daisy-"
"Eeeeh?" She pouted. "You're cheating on me? Silly baka baka!~" She stuck her tongue out and giggled like a little child.
"E-eh?!" Luigi gaped. "But you implied you didn't want me to dote on you!"
"I do! I'm lonely!" Koishi whined.
"Join the club. I can give you a hat." Luigi tapped his hat that had a massive L on it. "I keep thinking to myself that the L stands for loser, but what do I know, eh?"
"Naaaah." Koishi waved her hand dismissively. "I'm actually right behind you."
"Huh?!" Luigi yelped and looked behind him, Koishi's lips near his ear-
But Luigi, chad that he is, quickly turned her down. "I told you that we're not having fanservice - !" Luigi groaned and Koishi leaned back. Luigi tried to recall. "You mentioned your ability when I was a kid, right?"
"Manipulation of the subconscious."
"Yeah, that."
"It's a fun ability."
Luigi raised an eyebrow. "What about being alone?"
"Being alone is fun sometimes."
"...I never found it fun." The plumber sighed. "In fact, I don't think anything is fun anymore since I moved to Gensokyo... All I see is haha funny harem fulfilment."
"Whooooa." Koishi backed up. "That's meta." Her eyes widened. "Wait, this is all meta! You're a full grown adult now! With a stunning mustache! How... how do you remember me? Everyone who grows up as my friend always forgets about me!"
"Hmm.." Luigi thought. "Maybe it's because I'm not from Gensokyo and you are? Different rules?"
"Different rules is essentially the same meaning as different friends."
"...Ah..." Now he's getting in a bit of a downer. "I had no friends back then. Only you. An imaginary friend."
"...Do you have friends now?"
Luigi paused. He never really stopped to think about it.
Rumia, Cirno, Aya, Kaguya, Nitori, Yuuka, Ichirin, Marisa...
All those bosses who attacked him relentlessly.
But then on the other hand...
Alice, Mokou, Kogasa, Momiji, Nitori's good side, Sanae, Suwako, Reimu-...
Koishi...
Luigi made so many friends on this journey.
"I..."
All those who were compassionate to him, all those who valued his friendship... The girls that cared for him all this time.
"I do..." Luigi spat out.
"Aaah, I see, that answers my statement I'm gonna make in a few minutes!" Koishi smiled... nervously.
"Huh?" Luigi blinked, clearly noticing the nervous smile. He faltered and shivered a bit. What's gonna be the worst? He already abandoned his brother at the Last Resort.
"Hee hee, I'll tell you later! We're still at the beach and it's still nice and sunny outside! Cmon! Let's get to the fanservice parts of this beach episode!" She stripped away her shirt AAAAAAND Luigi quickly looked away from the satori.
"Decency! Please!" Luigi sputtered.
"It's fine! Look!" Koishi cupped Luigi's chin to force him to look at her. Well, at least people in Gensoyko are aware of a bikini. And you'll never guess what Koishi's color choice is.
"Aaaah.. You're dressed." Luigi spoke. Then turned away. "But it's a lot harder for a guy to look at a swimsuit girl than you think!"
"Eeeeh? Why not? What would you see?"
"Chest."
...She blushed. "Stupid idiot... Thought you were into some princess or something!"
Luigi still kept looking away. "The problem is still there, is it not?!"
"Then don't be in Gensokyo! Simple as that!"
"...It's not like I had a choice." Luigi finally calmed down.
"Hmm... Probably that gap hag's fault. I'm sure you can win against her, though!"
"...I don't." At least he's honest here.
"Well, would you go up against her if I gave you encouragement?"
"In that swimsuit? I don't wanna know what your 'encouragement' implies..."
"Oooh, shut up! Besides, you already qualify for this trial! I just have to do oooone more thing before I sent you back."
"Huh?"
Koishi started to fade.
"Huh?!" Luigi suddenly faced Koishi seriously and ran towards her, gripping her. "HUH?! Where are you going?!"
"Hee hee..." Koishi giggled sadly... "Since you have actual friends now... I guess it's time for me to move on to other children, huh? I'll disappear, and you'll soon forget me."
"N-no..." Luigi shook his head. "I need you, Koishi! You were my only friend back now! Don't leave me like everyone else did back then!"
"Thank you, Luigi... for the memories we made... Or soon enough, the memories I made. It's been fun. I'll treasure them."
"This... No!" He seemed really desperate. "This is too sudden! My childhood friend can't suddenly vanish from me!"
Koishi slowly grabbed Luigi's arms and wrapped them around herself. "Shh.. Hug me. Let them out, okay? It's not like I'm gonna die."
"...This is... worse than dying..."
"I wouldn't call it worse... Have you ever died before?"
"...Technically... I have..."
"Well, there. Now you know how dying feels like. I'm not feeling pain, but I'm sure you felt great pain."
"..." Luigi stayed silent. There were greater pains - and greater priorities to take care of. "...I... I did. I know what you mean now..."
"Oh, you do?"
"...I made friends here... It's fine. They'll always remember me... So I'll always remember them."
"See? I'm glad you matur-"
"And I'll definitely remember you. My first ever true friend. I assume you live in Gensokyo, so... When this whole thing is over... I'll find you."
"If you still remember me by then."
"I promise." Luigi tightened his hug.
Koishi just had a worried smile. "It's weird having to leave someone who remembers me."
"..That's just... part of the trial, isn't it?" Luigi often forgot that he's in the trial and technically still inside the Dream World. "Everything felt so real up until now... But I suppose that's just a way to make me tougher. I already figured Gensokyo was brutal but-"
"Luigi?"
"Yeah?" Luigi stopped monologuing.
"I don't have much time left."
"...I know. I'm sorry. Goodbye. Thank you... so much." Luigi's fingers tucked in on his palms as he hugged Koishi one last time...
Hugged Koishi...
Hugged...
...
He was hugging thin air now.
Luigi didn't even move when a portal opened up beside him, indicating the end of the trial.
He was still hugging the air, staring off into the ocean. "You think I'd forget you...?" He talked to himself. "Never. Don't underestimate me... Not anymore..."
He finally stopped hugging the air and looked at the portal.
"I'm getting sick of these trials. I'll go back to the maids, in and out the third trial, and save Yellow Toad."
Luigi's resolved finally remained firm. Compared to this, the third trial would be a piece of cake to him.
Right?
A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, Koishi isn't CANONICALLY Luigi's childhood friend, nor was his childhood ever elaborated on in the Mario franchise, but this is a fanfic. I can change things up to make things more depressing if I desire! Luigi's essentially my punching bag here. Muahahahaha.