"Alright, is Luigi seated?" Ichirin glanced to the grass and Luigi was indeed sat down, still in his blank state. "Ah. He is. Well, Mokou, feel free to begin at any time!"
It was a simple stone circle unlike the grand spectacle that was Nitori's arena. Also, the only spectators were Luigi, Alice, Red Toad and Reimu.
Reimu, however, didn't want any part of this. "Let's just hope this works."
Alice and Reimu sat down on each side of Luigi. Red Toad was just vibing on his own.
Mokou clenched her fist and beckoned forward by opening her palm and twitching her fingers. "Come at me, then!"
Luigi just had a blank stare.
Meanwhile, in Luigi's subconscious...
"...I don't want to try... Please, Mario... I'm scared."
An area started form in his mind. A blank grassy area. Wait, no, it was starting to form into a village...
The Human Village.
And then he heard a voice he yearned to hear so much.
"What's-a wrong, bro?"
A sparkle appeared in front of Luigi as it started to take form into his own brother, Mario.
"...Mario?" Luigi finally spoke after an entire day of being silent.
"Well... Not-a really. I'm-a like a manifestation of-a your subconscious." Mario shrugged.
"...oh." Luigi got depressed again.
"More importantly!" Mario lifed his posture up again. "You're an-a empty husk in the real world! We need to get you-a back and save... well... 'me'." He pointed to himself and chuckled a bit. "Hah hah..."
Luigi averted his gaze. He couldn't look at his manifestation of his own brother in the eyes. "I... I don't think I'll wake up. Yuuka traumatised me."
"I know, I know." Mario nodded. "Your thoughts at-a the time were very much like a certain tracksuit-a boy who's good at-a returning by death. It's easy to get your-a brain muddled up when you're constantly in pain."
"...How am I not dead...?" Luigi looked at his own body. Perfectly fine.
"You-a drank the 'Youkai Elixr' but it's true name was-a the 'Hourai Elixr'."
"...Huh? I don't get what you're saying... I'll ask someone like Alice to confirm for me when I wake up..."
"Come on, Luigi!" Mario beckoned. "We're-a gonna get your sanity back by going on an adventure! Let's-a-go!"
...Even though this Mario was fake... He was right. Luigi wasn't just gonna stand there and be depressed! So Luigi followed up on Mario's famous line.
"Okie dokie...!"
But the question is...
How would they get out?
As if hearing the text's thoughts... Mario turned around to Luigi. "So, how do we-a get out anyway? Hah hah."
"That's-"
"-easy." Someone interrupted Luigi's sentence.
A gap with eyes appeared. Luigi instantly got mad as Yukari emerged.
Luigi popped off instantly. "Even in my own subconscious I am not safe from you!"
Smug Yukari. "Well, the subconscious is the boundary between real and imaginary. Of course, boundaries are my speciality."
"...What do you want? Set it straight!"
"Well." A gap with eyes opened up again. "If you win THIS battle I'm gonna send at you, then I'll bring you back to the real world."
"..."
Yukari head tilted. "Aaaw, staying silent, are we? It's fine. These type of characters are your speciality anyway!"
From the gap of eyes, emerged a green-hair girl with a blue dress.
But most importantly...
Luigi looked at her bottom half and SHIVERED.
Instead of legs, it was a ghost tail.
"A g-g-g-g-g-gGHOST?!" Luigi stepped back.
The ghost got up. "Alright, I got you now, Reimu-"
"..."
Everyone stayed silent and awkwardly stared at the ghost.
Yukari just slid closer to the ghost. "Everyone. This is Mima."
Mima turned to Yukari. "Wait, what's going on?"
Aaaand of course, Yukari had to out her. "So basically, Reimu gets her power from that green man over there and that explains how she keeps resealing you every time, yes?"
Mima furrowed her eyebrows. "You think I'm falling for that?"
"...It also explains why you never saw this man until now. He knows he's the only way to stop you and has been hiding out!"
Mima turned to Luigi.
The green plumber, just sighed. "You're always such a troll, Yukari." He shrugged.
"Yep!" She hid a smirk under her fan. "Anyway, now I shall have you two fight!"
She then disappeared into her gap.
Luigi innocently turned to Mima. "Uuuuh... Hello?"
Mima, however, wasn't having it! She pulled out a staff with a moon at the end.
Luigi clenched his fists... It's him and Mario against a giant ghost...
Scene cut to... Well, five seconds after the battle was started.
...Mima was then seen chasing a running-away Luigi around a black void of his own subconscious. Mario fizzled out because Luigi's subconscious couldn't process so many things at once. It was now just him at Mima.
"THISGHOSTISWAYTOOSCARYOHMYGODICANTHANDLETHISAMOUNTOFTERRORGODHELPIMSORRY-"
Luigi spoke way too frantically as he tripped over his own foot.
DONK!
He landed flat on his face and his vacuum nozzle bonked his head. "Ow..."
Wait, vacuum nozzle? Luigi craned his neck and saw that the Poltergust was on his back.
His eyes lit up like a child! Now it's time to get Mima back-
Mima thrusted her moon staff at Luigi and he YELPED and rolled to the side. He switched his Poltergust to 'katana' mode and swung at Mima, knocking her back. Using this time wisely, Luigi got up on his feet, evening out the playing field.
Mima laughed. "What? Gonna cry? Gonna pee your pa-"
Mima didn't finish her sentence as Luigi switched back to normal Poltergust mode and stunned her with the Strobulb. He dragged Mima's ghost tail inside his Poltergust and built up enough energy and -
SLAM!
SLAM!
SLAM!
Mima broke free as she gripped her head in pain. "Owowowowowow..."
Luigi had a massive smile on his face... "It still works!"
Mima turned her head. "What works?!"
He grinned. "What? Gonna cry? Gonna pee your pants maybe? Maybe sh- wait..."
"wait a sec"
Luigi paused to think about it.
"Do ghosts even pee their pants?"
"WHY ARE YOU EVEN ASKING THAT?!"
Mima screamed as she thrusted her moon staff at Luigi as he yelped. He barely dodged. "No, I don't wanna get hit by danmaku again..."
An idea got into his head. Danmaku is a projectile. And what's also a projectile is...
"HIYAH!" He fired a Plunger at Mima, getting it stuck in her face.
Muffled screams of Mima were heard as Luigi dragged her ghost tail again and pulled back.
SLAM!
SLAM!
SLAM!
Mima huffed and exhaled, getting her breath. "Aaagh, what is wrong with my powers here...? They're WEAK compared to what I've been capable of!"
Luigi kept his flashlight ready. "Well, maybe you're getting old!"
"I AM NOT OLD! I still have all my green hair and I still look young! Only thing about me that's old is the fact I'm a gh-"
"Okay boomer!" Luigi interrupted, setting Mima off.
In a fit of rage, she blasted danmaku in a line at him, relentlessly homing in on him.
"AAAAAGH-"
Luigi ran away from the line. Thankfully, they were very basic projectiles.
Mima was infuriated. "WHY ARE MY ATTACKS SO WEAK? AAAAGH-"
She fired a really fast shot at Luigi and, sadly, he took the hit. He got plunged back and clenched his stomach. "Ow... Not again..!"
Time to deliver a payback blow a thousandfold!
He switched to 'katana' mode and Mima gulped.
"H-how are you... not dead..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Luigi swung and sliced Mima, effectively knocking her out. No, literally. she had dizzy star effects over her head.
As soon as Luigi was about to do his victory celebration, in came a gap with eyes.
Yukari emerged.
"Well... you actually did it. Quite quickly and easily too. I'm quite impressed. Well, as promised... I'll bring you back."
Before Luigi could rant at Yukari again, he was sunk into a gap.
...
...
...
Luigi felt a breeze tickle his mustache.
Is this what air felt like?
He felt another bree-wait, no scratch that!
It was a massive gust! Luigi flinched and opened his eyes, basically squinting...
...Oh... Mokou was here... And she's losing against... what seems to be a new person... an enemy? An enemy?
AN ENEMY?!
Luigi got up and put his Poltergust into 'katana mode'.
He charged blindly at Ichirin. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!"
He swung and Ichirin stepped back in surprise.
Everyone turned to Luigi in utter bafflement.
The green plumber was exhaling rapidly.
...then they all questioned at once.
"LUIGI?!"
Yes... It's him, Luigi. And he's back in the game!
Sorry for the short chapter. The next ones will be a tad longer as we're really getting into the story now.