After E. Gadd went back to the room, the interrogation began with Luigi asking the questions.
"Do you know what happened?"
"No, it was just a sudden portal with eyes and then boom, I'm here."
Luigi was puzzled at the professor's answer. Why would that gap hag known as Yukari do such a thing to get EVERYONE out here?
Alice pondered. "Yukari may want to start another incident. I suggest you, Luigi, to find Reimu."
"Reimu?" Luigi questioned again.
"The Shrine Maiden. I think her shrine is on the east side of Gensokyo?"
"What IS Gensokyo?" Luigi asked which made Alice think he's daft.
"Um, Gensokyo is the world you live in, are you an outsider or something?"
"Yeah."
"Go figure." She sighed. "Yukari brought you in without Reimu knowing. Regardless, you-" Alice noticed Luigi was clenching his stomach. "What's wrong?"
"Ah..." Luigi looked down and then remembered... "I got hit with danmaku..."
"How are you not dead?!" Alice was worried. "I told you it would be reckless! Ugh..." She sighed once more. "Fine. Go find Eirin."
"Eirin?" Luigi was just left more confused.
"You'll know soon enough. Find Eientei in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost."
"Bamboo Forest?"
"Bamboo Forest." Alice confirmed.
"...of the lost?"
"Of the lost." She repeated.
"Are you gonna come with me?"
"I can't."
"...ti uccido." Luigi cursed under his breath. (TL: I'll kill you.)
Just as he finally was about to head out to the Bamboo Forest, E. Gadd pitched in. "Ah, Luigi, you're going? How will you communicate with us, unless you are planning to go back and forward?"
Luigi pondered. Good Question...
"Ah, you're struggling. Thankfully, I got just the method. C'mon, outside." E. Gadd beckoned while opening the door for everyone as they all walked out.
"Huh?" Luigi looked at a device in the professor's hand. He then remembered it during his Last Resort adventure. "Oh, the portable lab?"
"Correctamundo!" E. Gadd pointed at him and then set it down. He pushed a button on top of the cone-shaped device. Alice stepped forward curiously, but Luigi stopped her with a hand. Luigi experienced the hand-stopping before, so he was just helping Alice at this point. The cone device exploded into a full-fledged lab, taking the shape of the professor's own head. Typical, egotistical Gadd. Alice was impressed.
"Did you borrow this from the kappa?"
E. Gadd and Luigi both turned to Alice. "Kappa?"
"Never mind." She shook her head. "So, what's your communication solution?"
"Come on in." E. Gadd opened the door and Luigi followed. Alice still took quite a moment to process what she just saw, but she entered behind Luigi.
The lab was packed with technological knowhow and doodads.
"You don't cater much to those behind the times, do you?" Alice looked around.
"I like my privacy." E. Gadd stated, adjusting his spinny chair and sitting on it.
Luigi grinned from ear to ear. "Was that a Shrek reference?"
E. Gadd fiddled around with some of the drawers and cabinets, hoping to find his communication devices. "So, Alice." He started, ignoring Luigi. "What's in Eientei anyway?"
"A princess."
Luigi froze upon that statement. "A princess...?"
"Yes. The princess is in the deepest part of the biggest forest."
"Another Shrek reference!"
"...and that's where Eientei is." Alice also ignored Luigi.
"Ah, found the devices!" E. Gadd pulled out three devices. He kept one for himself, passed one to Alice and tossed one to Luigi. Luigi caught it and looked at it. It was a big screen with a few joysticks and buttons on the sides. There were a few buttons on the bottom too.
"I present, the Wii Boo! It's an ultimate technique that allows a gamepad to connect to a big TV so you can play both at once! But I modified this one to be a communication device. Just wait until I finish advertising and marketing! The sales will be MASSIVE! Heh heh heh!" He stated proudly.
Luigi looked at the Wii Boo gamepad before stuffing it in his infinite pocket space.
E. Gadd continued. "I also gave one to Alice so she can also communicate." He pointed at Alice's gamepad. Just push this button here to call him."
Alice pushed a button. Luigi's gamepad started vibrating with a familiar tune to a certain mansion he first visited. With haste, he pulled out the Wii Boo and answered the call, looking at the gamepad. There, he could see Alice's mugshot, and she waved at the gamepad. The gamepad actually caught her movement as the video showed Alice waving. Luigi waved back, which showed on her end too. They both smiled.
"I hope you don't mind my lab being so close to your house." E. Gadd apologised.
"Oh no no no, it's fine. Gensokyo IS a dangerous place, and I doubt Luigi would want to travel to your lab and then my house from such distances if you parked somewhere else." Alice reassured E. Gadd.
"You sure?"
"Sure."
"Alright, Luigi." Alice turned to Luigi. "Go find Eientei to heal that danmaku wound."
"Will do!" Luigi sent them off with a smile as he exited the lab.
Great. Now he was all alone again. During his exiting of E. Gadd's lab, he brought the purple umbrella with him. Why not? E. Gadd wasn't gonna move from his lab ever again. He probably has potato chips and is completely decked out in the snack department in there. Soon enough, the house and the lab left his sight as he went to go find the Bamboo forest. Just then, he felt his gamepad ring. He fumbled around a bit before pulling out the Wii Boo. "Yello?"
On the screen was E. Gadd. "Testing, testing, one two! This is E. Gadd, coming at you live from.. my lab! Hah hah!" He chuckled. "How's the signal, Luigi?"
"Crystal clear." Luigi confirmed.
"Ah, good. I built the Wii Boo with signal and communication first in mind! Looks like I won't lose your signal this time. Anyway, take a look at the buttons at the bottom of your gamepad."
Luigi did what the professor told him. Sure enough, there were only two buttons. One was an E. Gadd icon and another was an Alice icon.
"Use those to call us at any time. Depending on the situation, we might be able to give you hints if you're stuck on a puzzle or boss fight!"
"Yeah, I know the boss fights." Luigi sighed. Rumia was only one of them.
"Relax, my boy! Just head to the forest without attracting too much attention!"
"Easy for you to say. Ciao." Luigi put the gamepad away as he brought out his flashlight and turned it on.
Rumble... Rumble... Was that the Wii Boo again? Luigi felt it in his pocket, but it wasn't vibrating... He looked all around and then to the umbrella he was carrying. The umbrella was vibrating! Luigi dropped it and stepped back a bit. Just then, something came out of the umbrella!
"BOO!"
"WAAAAAUGH!" Luigi jumped and fell on his behind when a girl in a blue dress came flying out and jumpscaring him.
"Yes! I got you! Best reaction yet!"
After Luigi recovered from his initial shock, he quickly got up on his feet, grabbing his flashlight and turning it on, shaking it at the blue-haired female. She had a turquoise eye and a red eye. Aside from that, no other defining features.
"You have been spooked by the lovely Kogasa Tatara! That's what you get for picking up my umbrella!"
"Y-y-y-y-your umbrella? He shivered and looked up at the umbrella. It suddenly had a tongue and one eye, like many boss battles of a certain pink puffball franchise. "Ah! D-don't eat me!" Luigi cowered, despite being equipped with a mighty suction device.
"Oh, I don't eat people, yuck!" Kogasa sighed. "Leave that to the other youkai! I just eat their spirit if I don't get some good scares in."
"You WHAT?!"
"But I scared you!" Kogasa ignored Luigi's mass panic. "And that's all that matters! I'll be departing, bye...!" She lowered her tone on that last word as she skipped off. That low tone... did she not really want to say goodbye?
Luigi just scratched his head. Before he could walk into a nearby bamboo forest, his gamepad rang. He pulled out the Wii Boo and came face-to-face with... Alice. "Hey, Luigi."
"Hi Alice..." Luigi looked pretty shaken up.
"You look pretty shaken up." Alice repeated the text.
"Some blue girl came outta my purple umbrella."
"Ah, I knew that... but it was better for you to find out yourself."
"..." Luigi stayed silent.
"Anyway, judging by your screen, you're near the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Be careful not to get-"
"-Lost?" Luigi finished the sentence.
"Correct. See you."
"Ciao." Luigi put the Wii Boo gamepad away and whipped out his flashlight, entering the forest.
Bamboo. Bamboo everywhere. Luigi was already going crazy. He was seeing ant-size fairies, and humans wearing rabbit ears. Luigi was going insane as he ran deeper into the woods.
So he was running
and running
and running
and running
and then he stopped.
...The forest lived up to it's name. Luigi was lost. "Mario?!" He called out.
And then he remembered his horrible dream. Mario captured in a painting. He feared that dream may be a reality, as earlier he saw the professor inside a painting too. "No... no... How did they get captured... I swiftly defeated King Boo..." Luigi's breathing got heavier and heavier until he heard a voice.
"The moon tonight is beautiful."
A mature woman's voice echoed in his eardrums. ANOTHER woman. He turned to see a dazzling white-hair female with almost seemingly infinite hair. She was wearing overalls just like Luigi! Except her overalls (pants? Suspenders?) were red.
Luigi kept his flashlight on the stranger. "U-um..."
"Are you lost?" She asked coldly.
"N-no..." He lied. He didn't want to make her life any harder. Seems like she was already going through a LOT.
"Wow, you wonder in AND are dishonest. That's a first." Unfortunately for Luigi, this woman was keen on her senses. "Name's Fujiwara no Mokou. Mokou for short. You are?"
"...L-Luigi..." He told the truth this time.
"Luigi, huh. You don't see many males around. Regardless, I live in this forest and I can guide you out."
"U-uhm... I was told to find this place called Ei-"
Luigi didn't even finish his desired location. Mokou grumbled very loudly and then her tone went from cold to BITTER. "What, you injured or something? Welcome to Gensokyo. It's life. Grow up."
"W-where'd that tone come from..." Luigi thought to himself as he spoke up to Mokou. "I got hit with 'danmaku'!" He showed the area where he was hit. Still bloody and bruised.
Mokou looked at it. "I guess it is bad. Although you need to suck it up. I've been hit a thousand times and I'm still not dead, even if I want the sweet release of it."
Luigi just raised his eyebrow. "As you can see-"
"FINE I'll guide you there. But don't expect me to come inside with you." Mokou started walking. "Come on, move it."
Luigi was left to his own devices to follow Mokou. Poltergust in hand, he trudged along behind Mokou, which she kept a steady pace, keeping quiet.
Luigi decided to initiate a conversation. "Why don't you get a sweet release of death?"
The only other sounds in the forest other than Luigi's yapper was the sound of their footsteps.
"I'm immortal."
"Oh, wowie zowie! Must be cool."
"...and I can feel the pain of death, but I never actually death."
Luigi's eyes drooped. "Not so cool."
"And I get bored easily. You are the first exciting thing I've seen in a long time. Perfect Possession was fine, but then it just sorta stopped. With your clumsiness, you might be in Gensokyo forever."
Forever, she says. Luigi did not want to be in a world where 99% of these characters are female. Sure, anyone would kill for that. But in this world, it is quite literal to get killed.
Luigi's train of thoughts went on a little too long. He heard Mokou calling him. "Oi, Luigi. We're here." Luigi looked up at the building "Wah-huh?" It was quite giant to say the least.
"Welcome to Eientei, a giant hospital mansion. Usually for the god damn NEET princess."
Luigi did not hear any of that except for one word.
"...mansion?"
"Just go in." Mokou seemed hasty. "And then I'll drag ya out of this bamboo forest."
"Alright, alright!" Luigi put his hands up in a defensive state. He put them down and walked towards the door. He reached the door and slowly opened it. He looked back at Mokou, who was scoffing while folding her arms. Right. Get healed quickly and then book it. Let's hope he finds Eirin. He slowly creaked the door open and peeked his head in. Reminded of his first mansion adventure, Luigi whipped out his flashlight and shone it into the unlit darkness.
"Hello?"