Chapter 11: Problematic Power

"One thing is evident here." Gadd was somber as he placed a bandaid on the forehead of the unconscious Pooch-chomplet in the middle of his training room floor. "You young fellers aren't safe in that house. That fiend knows something about warping dimensions, and clearly interdimensional travel." He tipped his head in Adrian's direction as an example. Luigi stood apart from them, passing increasingly concerned glances at the boy kneeling beside Gadd.

Adrian's bowed head only sunk further and his grip on his other arm grew white-knuckle tight. His breath was quiet and shuddery. "... Is she okay?" His voice wavered and lip quivered after he spoke. Elvin looked to him with confusion.

"The dog?" Gadd asked, to which Adrian nodded. "Oh. Yes, she's only mildly concussed. The real question is: are you okay?"

There was no response. Adrian's eyes were lost under the cover of his drooping mohawk and the rest of his face was stony, minus the occasional twitch of a frown. Even the least socially sensitive of people could sense that he was internalizing something fierce.

Luigi slowly approached. "A-Adrian..." He practically saw the torment consuming his young ally and wanted to act. He laid a hand on the other's shoulder, only to suddenly feel as though he could no longer move. Something cold, frightened, and furious swirled all through him. It was at this moment Luigi had a stroke of déjà vu, becoming detached from his senses, but remaining vaguely aware that he was standing.

"Get away." Adrian commanded in a broken whisper, a blue shine seeping from behind his bangs, bleeding into the air as vanishing wisps. Instantly, Luigi stepped far back with arms to his sides and no expression, or rather a forced blankness much like Adrian's.

Gadd watched, astonished. The gears clicked in his mind and he got up, side-stepping away from the group. "Good heavens… Are you aware of what you're doing, my boy?"

Adrian slightly raised his head, a glimmer of interest peering out of his miasma of misery.

"Look at Luigi!" Gadd pointed fervently at the green clad plumber and Adrian's eyes followed. "I think you've got him under some sort of spell!"

The fog over Adrian dissolved enough for him to realize what Gadd was talking about and he got up, staring at Luigi's distant, glazed eyes. "... Luigi?"

"Ho ho ho! This is good!" Gadd was enthusiastic, catching Adrian off guard. "Look at it this way, sonny: we may have discovered why you're being targeted!" The old scientist rushed to Luigi's side and waved a hand before his eyes, receiving not a blink. "It appears that you've got him under control, like a human puppet- or maybe more like a videogame character, if you catch my drift."

'Control… I said a string of commands before and he caught the dog… and the collar-' Adrian's mind was buzzing like a nest of hornets. For curiosity's sake, he had to test his theory. "Put your arms out."

Luigi's arms lifted straight out on either side of him. Adrian raised both eyebrows in shock, then was more shocked to discover Luigi copying his facial expressions. Adrian furrowed his brow, Luigi followed suit. Puffed cheeks, mirrored; pursed lips, mimicked; showing teeth, reflected.

Luigi had no will of his own like this- he was a puppet. Adrian felt a sympathetic sickness like he had the first time he saw the end of Super Paper Mario. "I- I want to stop this."

Suddenly, Luigi's arms dropped and he shook his blurry head. "Brbrbrbrbr! ...Eh, what just-a happened?"

Adrian blinked. "I don't know. Professor, I thought you said I don't have magic."

Gadd rubbed his chin and pondered. "I was sure of that too. There can only be one explanation."

Adrian stared expectantly at the old man, anxious to hear the reason (while Luigi scratched his head with ongoing confusion in the background.)

After a long, cinematically suspenseful pause, Gadd said, "... Well, I don't know the explanation, but there has to be one."

Disgruntled, Adrian pinched the bridge of his button nose and sighed.

"No matter. The cause is the least of your concerns right now; whomever wants your power will clearly go to great lengths to get it."

"But if they can pop up anywhere, anytime, what can I do?" Hopelessness rang through in Adrian's tone.

Gadd turned a knowing glance on Luigi, who picked up on the cue and came forward.

"Hey. You're not alone here, we gonna help you! I used to fight ghosts and let-a me tell you, they pop up everywhere, too. Even the toilet…"

Adrian wanted to laugh at that, but his worries persisted. "But you knew how to fight them. Not only do we not know what we're dealing with, I'm a pacifist; I can't resort to violence."

"Oh, you won't be able to think like that here, young'n." Gadd chided.

"But I-"

"You have to protect yourself and your powers. This world depends on it…"

"I don't-"

"Which brings me to the theory that perhaps being in your non-magical realm is why you never discovered this ability. Our goal is still to get you back there."

'No answers, no time to think,' Adrian's brain spun a circle in anxiety. "But I fell out of the sky! The only guy who could get me back-" He stopped himself that time. Had he continued, Luigi would figure out that he knew more than he had been letting on. Adrian snapped his eyes to the corner. Dang it.

Luigi was soaking up the conversation, hanging on the end of that unfinished statement. "Who? Who can get you back?" His eyes inquired.

'Stop listening' the silent but relentless voice of Adrian's subconscious projected through his waking thought. In an instant, Luigi went glassy eyed and pressed his hands over his own ears. Adrian felt disgusted with himself for snatching control again (though he was mildly impressed that all it took was a thought), but whilst he had the chance, he resumed.

"Th-the only one who can get me back to the pipe is probably Bowser, with his airship- if the pipe is still there and if Bowser would even remotely consider helping me for whatever reason." Adrian sighed and guiltily averted his gaze from his spellbound hero.

Gadd crossed his arms and tapped his foot, counting on one hand. "Well, it sure is a shame you don't have a flying companion to find the pipe for you, a couple of mustachioed bodyguards to deliver you to Bowser, or the power to persuade him, eh, Adrian?"

'...Oh.' Adrian had to admit, the solutions to his problems had been basically handed to him on a silver platter. Still, there was so much to account for and plenty of danger, he was sure.

"Now, stop your overthinking and go get your bag. I'll set Luigi straight to take you back to his brother. Oh, and by the way, that message you sent when the dog attacked was brilliant thinking; I receive Skyder's transmissions, so you could use it as a means to contact me if you ever need a tip from this old genius." Gadd (presumably) winked and turned on his heel to go tenderly pat the sleeping chomp on the floor. "I've got to stay here to figure out more about this little thing, otherwise I'd go with you."

Adrian had to admit, he had misjudged Elvin. The old man really was looking out for him, even though he had a bizarre way of going about it. Nodding curtly, Adrian exited to the main lab, his control of Luigi dropping as the door closed. The plumber staggered and looked about.

"What keeps happening?" Luigi wondered aloud. "And where'd Adrian go?"

"Don't worry, my boy." Gadd tilted his head and grinned. "I'll explain everything you need to know."

Turning to the cluttered table right by the door, Adrian leaned an elbow on it. "Anything to report, Skyder?"

Sat amongst the junk, the drone controller's screen lit up. "No electrical anomalies or signs of life within a half kilometer of the property. Would you like for me to widen the circle? I will be required to take myself so I can remain in radio contact with my body." The screen showed a graphic of the drone leaving the controller's range and having a mechanical failure.

"No, we'll be leaving soon, you can scout ahead then. For now, do you think you could retrieve my backpack from the house?"

"Affirmative. I will arrive with your backpack in 130 seconds."

"Thank you. Ooh, while you're there, can you check and see if there are any leftover cookies in the cupboard? I'm starving."