Luigi shivered and winced at the exact same time.
A voice right behind him as he was about to climb a spooky mountain? He couldn't NOT get chills. But he was also clenching his fist. He knew the voice and was not happy by it's-or her presence.
He turned to face a blonde woman in a poofy purple dress.
"Yukari." Luigi uttered her name.
"Ah, it seems I'm unwelcomed." Yukari pouted teasingly. "And I brought you to this world to save your friends, too. All my hard work and I get the cold shoulder.~"
"Where are my friends?!" Luigi almost shouted. "For REAL?!"
"Aaah, I can't tell you that at the moment." Yukari shifted her eyes, almost serious looking. "You know how unfun it is to have an adventure be too easy."
"And tell me, is this Youkai Mountain trek gonna be 'easy'? Because with your predicability, I'd say it's not." Luigi was not kind to Yukari at all.
"Wow-" She sputtered words out. "That is- that is just RUDE. And no, it's not easy. You're gonna have to use that strange vacuum device to help you. To be honest, I thought you would die at the first 'boss'. Who was it?" Yukari was just as mean.
"Rumia."
"You got off LUCKY." Yukari sighed. "Fine, yes, if you go up to the top of this mountain, you'll be deemed worthy to stay in Gensokyo. You'll also get a good view on where the Human Village is! Easy peasy, right?"
Luigi twitched his eye. "You literally just said it was NOT easy-"
Yukari interrupted. "In fact... you... may get lost." She giggled softly. "So, I'm gonna give you a companion of two choices!"
Poofs of smoke came in, and there was a kitsune-like female with a white-and-blue dress with yellow tails, and another child-like cat figure with two tails.
"Ran, is intelligent and can make being lost go extinct, and Chen's super fun to have around!" Yukari introduced them as if they were on sale.
Luigi finally snapped. First, he took a sharp breath of air, next, he slowly raised his finger to choose a companion. Yukari, to be frank, was shocked that Luigi opened his palm as if he were stopping traffic.
"I choose nobody."
"Huh? Why not?" Yukari was genuinely taken aback.
"I don't need your help. I don't WANT your help!" Luigi's eye was massively twitching as if he were gonna cry.
"Master, I-" Ran prepared herself for battle. Yukari stopped her with a hand.
"...Why not...?" Yukari seemed genuinely worried.
"So, as I crashed onto the ground..." Luigi started speaking as if he was narrating a story. "Thanks to YOUR gap, by the way - I realised a few things." He then started stating his stresses.
"I have no idea where I'm going." He began. "I rescue my old professor and he expects me to save the world. By myself! Not even Alice would come to help me! She only provides shelter and that's it! The entire reason why I'm going up this mountain in the first place is to find the Human Village so I can get Reimu to stop YOUR shenanigans!"
"MY shenanigans?" Yukari repeated. "You act as if that is my fault."
"Oh, yeah, it is... and because of you...?" Luigi started stating his reasons on why he was pissed.
"I'm tired.
I'm hungry.
THERE'S AN UMBRELLA GIRL WHO JUMPSCARED ME!" Luigi yelled his third reason, then he continued his rants.
"And clearly your little servants aren't gonna like it when I complain! So they'd be better off with you than me! I have Gooigi as my only friend and nothing's gonna change that because it's gonna be boss battle after boss battle!"
"S-"
"AND! When I'm done with this grand quest? What do I get? More friends? Nope! I'll be back home without ever making friends because that's just how it is! People love to fight here and I'm not cut out for that life! And, besides..."
Luigi brought his voice to a low raspy voice.
"Mario's going to get all the credit anyway."
"..."
Everyone stayed silent.
"Master..." Ran stepped forward.
"No... Leave him. We'll all leave him. He's angry right now. We'll be back for him later." Yukari gapped everyone and then herself away. Luigi hung his head low.
"The only one who ever did appreciate me on my ghostbusting adventures was Mario. At least if I get him back, it'll all be okay..."
He looked up at the mountain, craning his neck. "Why does it have to be so tall... Wait, Youkai Mountain...?"
Luigi pulled out his medicine that'll buff him up against youkai. He looked at the label first.
"Let's see... The first part of the wording looks scratched out... but it says 'Youkai Elixr'... It's like there was a first word before Youkai... Eh. Eirin probably made a mistake in spelling..."
Luigi drank the elixr. Approximately three sips of the elixr drained it entirely. "Wow. Talk about a tiny medicine."
He felt his body feel like flames. "Woah! That IS stronger! Hm... Not bad, Erin."
He pulled out his Poltergust.
Luigi stepped onto the rocky path of Youkai Mountain. "Alright, mountain. You and me." He stepped onto a rock and it slipped down to the bottom. Thankfully, Luigi was good at balancing on one shoe.
"Aye-aye-aye..." Everyone's favourite cowardly personality was back. He carefully teetered across. When a pebble fell down, he booked it. He ran past a forest and then into a wide open area.
He saw the tallest point of Youkai Mountain. "Bet I'll get a good view from there."
Luigi looked down to pull out his Wii Boo gamepad and brought it out. He then contacted Alice.
Alice came online. "Hey, Luigi. How can I help?"
Luigi was slightly irritated from his rant earlier. "Hey, Alice. I just wanna confirm something..."
"From the looks of your surroundings, you're at Youkai Mountain. Sweet. Go by a forest yet?"
"More like I ran cuz I got scared."
Alice turned away. Luigi could of sworn he heard her faintly laughing a bit. Damn son of a-
"Uh, yeah, the tallest point should be your goal."
"Alright. Thanks."
"Take care."
"Ciao."
Luigi put the gamepad away and was met with a katana just inches from his eye.
"...eh." is alll Luigi could say. He couldn't even scream. What... was Death doing in front of his face?
He slowly shifted his eyes to see who his predator was. And... another woman was in sight. A long white shirt, a black skirt with red flame designs, white hair, and a cute little red hat on top. She also had a shield. Luigi took notice of one of her most defining features.
Are those... wolf ears?
"You." The wolf-girl spoke. "Hold it right there."
Luigi was shaking all over. "Don't gouge my eye out please..."
The wolf examined him once again. "Humans aren't welcome on Youkai Mountain. But... judging by your giant nose... you're not exactly human, are you?"
Luigi smiled nervously.
The wolf girl slowly put down her katana. "I apologise for judging so quick." She closed her eyes as she said that. "My name is Momiji Inubashiri." She stated her name
Well, Luigi's not gonna remember that last name.
"U-uh... hi... Momiji... I'm Luigi and I'm travelling to the peak of Youkai Mountain..." He pointed.
"That's a long way away. Don't you want to rest a while?"
Luigi wasn't sure what Momiji's game was. Don't wolves usually go ham on human beings and eat them or something? If Luigi was asleep while resting -
"Are... you sure? You won't, like..."
Momiji shook her hands in a dismissive manner. "Do I look like I can fit you in my stomach? No! I'm quite a small woman for someone my age..." She laughed nervously. "Ha ha... It'd be disgusting too. Plus, you can't really miss out on relaxing near these waterfalls..."
When Luigi did look at his surroundings, there was a waterfall in the distance, calming his nerves and his anger from Yukari earlier.
Luigi subconsciously put down his Poltergust and sat down on the grass.
Momiji did the same, crossing her legs and sitting down. "So, Luigi, if you're not human, what are you?"
Luigi just sighed. "To be honest? I'm not sure myself. I don't even know what YOU are!"
"Tengu." She replied.
"Tengu... First there was youkai, then fairies, then tengu... Have I met a single human yet?" Luigi thought. "Oh yeah, I guess Alice would count..."
Momiji tilted her head. "Luigi?"
"Oh, no no!" He laughed. "I was just talking to myself!" Luigi sighed again.
Momiji changed the subject. "If you're going up to the top of the mountain, that means you'll probably reach the Moriya Shrine. And if you're going up the mountain, that means you'll probably be challenged to a race by... her."
"Her?" Luigi tilted his head. "Race?"
"You'll see when you get up there." Momiji shook her head.
Luigi went back to looking at the scenery. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, etcetera...
Perfect weather for a race?
Nah, he couldn't think of that right now. Because right now...
A bunch of young-looking girls came swarming out.
"Ah, the Youkai found you."
"What can I say?" Luigi shrugged. "I'm a danger magnet."
Momiji shifted her eyes. "You stay back. You're practically defenseless-"
"No I'm not!" Luigi retorted, slightly irritated. "I can fight too!" He whipped out the hose of the Poltergust and aimed it.
"I'd like you to prove it. Momiji put her katana aside."
"And by that you mean you don't wanna fight!" Luigi ran up to a youkai and stunned her with a Strobulb flash. He then dragged her dress and started pulling. He then slammed the youkai into other youkai, causing them to get flattened, causing a chain reaction.
Luigi vacuumed up a flattened youkai without even using the Strobulb. He slammed once more into other youkai.
Slam, slam and slam.
Eventually, all the youkai were dealt with at once as they started fleeing.
"I did it!" He gave Momiji a thumbs up and then patted her head... What?!
Momiji turned red "W-w-w-w... that feels nice but what are you doing?!"
"Thanks for being concerned about me." Luigi laughed.
He stopped patting but Momiji's face was still red and her wolf tail was swaying subconsciously.
"Uh, right-o!" Luigi clapped his hands once. "I better get going."
"Y-yeah... you should..." Momiji hung her head low. "See you around?"
"Can't promise that." Luigi joked and ran off, leaving Momiji behind.
Leaving her behind and climbing up, he could almost see the peak. To be honest, it felt like Luigi had been walking for hours and miles. He felt chilly. He was so high up that the air was getting colder.
"How are you not dead?" A voice spoke up.
"I have no idea!" Luigi responded. Then he looked up at the voice. "Eh?"
Luigi was met with a blinding camera flash. "Owie! Y-you can't use my own attacks against me!" Luigi faced the attacker.
Black short hair, white shirt, black skirt, and another cute little hat.
"You'd be great in my next scoop!" The girl spoke. "I can see the headlines! Giant nose human about to lose to a graceful tengu!"
"Hey, my nose ain't gia-"
The girl thought and then spoke again. "Human? How are you not kicked off the mountain yet?!"
"Maybe cuz they al thought I wasn't human thanks to my 'giant nose'..." Luigi shifted his eyes and muttered. He then spke loudly. "What do you mean about to lose, eh?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like!" She boasted. "You see, you got past all the youkai and tengu and such WITHOUT dying! That means you could be worthy enough to challenge me.. to a RACE!" She shouted.
"A-a race?" Luigi quivered. He wasn't exactly the fastest thing alive... Especially with that Poltergust on his back.
"Yeah! If you win, (which is VERY unlikely, mind you!) then you get to proceed. If you LOSE..."
Luigi gulped.
"Then I'll send you all the way back to the bottom! I will do it! Hah!"
Luigi saw the girl's ego slowly inflating like a balloon.
"And that will be the greatest legacy that Aya Shameimaru will ever have! Whoo! I'm pumped! This article will sell like hotcakes!"
Luigi's eye twitched. "It's a 'shame' that I'll win."
"Oh, you accept?!" She turned, eyes beaming. "It's settled! We do this at sunrise!"
Luigi turned to the background.
The sun, was in fact, rising.
"...oh crap."