A/N: I wanted to get this chapter done before I leave for vacation. I did it for New Brotherhood and My Own Worst Enemy, so this was next on my priority list. By the time I upload this, I'll be on my way to the airport.
Despite another long break, I want to thank everyone for the new favorites, follows, and reviews! And of course, I appreciate everyone for checking out Hotel Horror from the very beginning! This fic is now over 82,000 views, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Thank you all so much!
In case you didn't know, I edited some parts in the Paranormal Productions arc. I also added a note for the respective chapters to explain what I changed.
As an extra note, I am aware of Superfloxes' version where she used a chapter title called 'Diving into the Deep End' around this stage of the game. The one I had from my outline is shown down below. I talked to her several months ago, and she said it was okay since they were somewhat similar. I also want to give Superfloxes one more shoutout since they finished their LM3 rewrite. You should read it if you get the chance!
Disclaimer: I think you know what goes here, correct?
Chapter 33: Going off the Deepend
The following room wasn't as gloomy or intimidating as the others in the Fitness Center. It was a fairly spacious area with six green mats on the floor. Based on the layout, Luigi and the others learned they were in the Yoga Room. There wasn't much else that caught their eyes aside from the air humidifier and a stack of white towels on a nearby bench. The partition to their left consisted of multiple tiles of soundproof foam panels and a tall, movable mirror. Somehow, there was a tiny hole that allowed the heroes to barely peek out of the hotel. Across the Yoga Room was a locked door, preventing them from proceeding further yet again.
"The Wii Fitness Trainers would probably love this place the most," Luigi mumbled.
"A yoga room like this should radiate some calm, peaceful vibes so that we can relax and forget about the stressful things in life. Instead, we have to find another stupid key," nagged Daisy.
"Wow, look at all of that steam coming out of the ventilation up there," Peach pointed above the locked door. "Didn't the map say there was a Shower Room on this floor?"
"Yeah," Luigi confirmed. "It was north of the Locker Room when we couldn't go through that passage."
"How are we going to find the key in this region?"
"I don't know if shining the Dark-Light Device may reveal a hidden key."
"I already checked. Just an invisible bag of dollar bills," Daisy cleaned up the money. "There's nothing else here, but I did inspect the hole in the wall. It leads to a small balcony with a trail of coins."
"Sounds like a conspicuous clue. Maybe the key is at the end of the path?" Peach assumed.
"Possibly. The question is, how can we get there?"
"Mrow!" Polterkitty saw a strange anomaly that the ghost hunters didn't perceive at first. From the mirror's reflection, she detected a pair of rugs against the opposite wall. However, those rugs weren't visible to the naked eye. There were four more mats pinned up on the same screen.
"Hmm... Can we move this to see the rest of the yoga mats?" Luigi wondered. He grabbed his Poltergust hose and blew some air, pushing the mirror from the far-right side to the left. The reflection exposed the layout of all six mats.
"Okay. From what I saw, the top-left and bottom-right mats were rolled up. The remainders are fully shown with some ghost outlines," Daisy explained before she snapped her fingers. "I bet we have to match the arrangement of these mats to the ones on the floor!"
"That's brilliant, Daisy!" Peach complimented. "Let's see what happens!"
The princesses went to work as they each went to one of the laid-out mats and blew air to duplicate the pattern. The middle rug in the bottom row was also curled up, so Colombo pushed his paws to completely unfold it. Polterkitty responded with a satisfied 'meow' as she commended the heroes for solving the puzzle. Then, the mirror rolled to its original spot before a portion of the soundproof wall slanted open.
"We did it!"
"Leave it to Daisy for using her brains again," Luigi smiled.
"I know. I'm just smart," Daisy shrugged her shoulders with a smug grin on her face.
The secret passage brought the heroes to The Last Resort's exterior. Even with the perpetual night sky and the scary atmosphere, Luigi and his friends had one heck of a view from the thirteenth floor. They saw many jagged mountains, hills, and the lake down below.
"So basically, this is the same view from the Training Room but without the window," said Daisy.
"Ooh, it's very chilly outside," Peach huddled her arms over her chest.
"Arf..." Even Colombo wasn't a fan of the cold air or the mysterious fog.
"Hey, Peach, you were right. The trail of coins does lead to something important. A treasure chest!" exclaimed Daisy.
"I'll go investigate," Luigi strolled over, collecting the loose change along the way. But as he progressed, he felt something odd. "Huh?"
"What's wrong, Luigi?" Daisy saw him stop in the middle of the walkway.
The plumber felt the stone slab tilt down, making him slightly unbalanced. He trod sluggishly with baby steps until the surface began to crack.
"Daisy, step back!" Peach gasped. Colombo and Polterkitty also jumped back as they watched the floor crumble off.
"WAAAH!" Luigi panicked, hurrying towards the chest. But the ledge continued to fall apart.
"Make a run for it, Weege!" warned Daisy.
He didn't take a second to re-evaluate his decision as he hastily listened to her warning. Luigi scurried as each chunk of the floor plummeted to the base of the haunted skyscraper. He didn't know why he decided to peek down from where he stood. The second he did, the Italian freaked out and planted his back against the hotel.
After a huge gulp, he took his time to catch his breath. "Mamma Mia. One bad step and I could've been a spirit for King Boo's painting."
"Are you okay, Luigi?" called the pink princess.
"I'm alright," he gave an unsteady thumbs-up. "Let me open this real quick."
"Is there a key inside?" questioned Daisy.
Two seconds later, the plumber pulled out the prize they were looking for. "Got it!"
"Great! Just please be careful coming back."
"No kidding. If only I could float like Colombo and Polterkitty. Then it'd be less nerve-wracking."
"Arf!" Colombo gave him some encouragement. He and the others dreadfully watched the man in green hug the wall behind him. Despite his wobbly legs, Luigi tried to maintain his balance while crossing the narrow ledge. Taking his time, he safely reunited with his friends.
"Whew. Another close call."
"Good work, Luigi! I can't imagine how scary that must've been," Daisy sighed in relief.
"Trust me, I think I've dealt with worse."
"Come on, everyone. Let's take the key to the next door."
"Meow!"
"Arf! Arf!"
Heading inside, Luigi led the party to the next area. But before they could advance, the purple fences blocked all of the doors. The movable mirror revealed a set of invisible ghosts, including a stack of Mini Hammers, a Slinker performing the downward-facing dog, and a Hammer doing a plank pose. All of the ghosts were more entranced by their yoga techniques that they never broke from their forms. Luigi, Daisy, and Peach quickly stunned the apparitions before they could retaliate. A series of slams and tail grabs made the ghost-catching as smooth as butter. With the barriers gone, Luigi inserted the key into the next room.
They soon found themselves blindsided by a plume of steam, filling up the entire room. Hot water continuously poured from the shower stalls, all occupied by a trio of ghosts. The steam made it difficult for the heroes to traverse or bear their surroundings. Luigi nearly slipped on the nearest stream of water, Daisy accidentally ran into a laundry basket, and Peach bumped into a bench.
"Ow! My goodness, I didn't see that at all," the blonde ruler rubbed her left thigh.
"Is there any way we can turn off the water?" Daisy groused as she felt a little pain in her foot.
"This is just as horrible as driving through Boo Woods with a bunch of thick fog. But maybe we can get through it. Just try to be careful not to slip like I almost did," cautioned Luigi.
"Not to mention, keep your eyes peeled for the ghosts who might attack us."
"OW!"
"Luigi!" Daisy widened her eyes, barely noticing her partner on the wet floor.
"What happened?" Peach was worried.
Colombo emitted a guilty whine as he figured he got in the way, causing Luigi to fall flat on his face. Polterkitty hid behind Daisy's leg as she wanted no business with the pouring water.
Reaching her hands out, Peach searched for her partners through the thick clouds. With Luigi up and walking normally, everyone but Polterkitty slowly traversed forward, following the individual trails.
"Hello?"
Luigi rudely opened the curtain, revealing a Blue Blaze. The elemental spirit screamed, causing Luigi to shriek out of habit. Since his heart was protected by water, the shower energized his stamina. He proceeded to shoot a hot stream right at the plumber, soaking his face and drenching his green hat.
"Okay, I deserve that," he grabbed the article and squeezed out the excess water. The Blue Blaze disappeared, making Luigi miss his chance to trap him. Adding insult to injury, he was pushed from behind with his right cheek landing roughly on the damp floor. "Gah! My jaw!"
Peach kept her hands out in front of her body, aimlessly moving them around to feel something through the steam. Even though her hair and clothes were getting wet, she finally felt a metal knob against the wall.
"This has to be the shower handle!" She tried turning it counter-clockwise, but it wouldn't budge. Logically, Peach twisted it in the opposite direction, catching a bit of cold water before the shower head stopped spouting. "One down!"
"Good, because this steam is ruining my vision!" yelled Daisy. "Wait, what is this? It feels like a-"
An echoing squeal provoked Daisy to lean back in surprise. She soon realized she unintentionally placed her hand on the Goob's head.
"Hey, I didn't mean to hurt you! Honest!"
Despite searching for so long through the haze, the orange princess got a hold of the rightmost handle and turned it off. With one shower left, the steam was starting to diminish. But the heroes still had trouble seeing clearly. While Daisy used her Poltergust 5000 to clear the cubicle, Peach reached down to help the plumber on his feet.
"Here, Luigi. Are you alright?"
"Owie," he groaned, rubbing the sore spot. He kept opening his mouth wide, experiencing some discomfort. "Thanks. This feels like the gym class in high school all over again. And I don't want to share those stories with anyone."
"Are you talking about the time where someone pantsed you while you were changing clothes after your shower?" Daisy couldn't help but ask.
Luigi's immediate reaction was full of embarrassment and disbelief. His cheeks started blushing, and it wasn't from the immense amount of steam or hot water.
"How the hell do you know about that?!"
"Oh... Oops..."
"Mario told you, didn't he?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Luigi, let's focus on that at a later time. We need to stop the water in the last shower!" reminded Peach.
"Bark! Bark!" Colombo was already on the ball as he hopped onto the golden handle and spun it rapidly. Soon, the sound of rushing water gurgled for a few seconds before the room was clear of the steam. Luigi and his friends could easily hear the ghosts' resounding cackles. Polterkitty was more than happy that the showers were finally off, but she didn't like getting the bottom of her paws soggy.
"Over here, guys!" Daisy unveiled the Blue Blaze. Alongside him were two more cobalt ghosts: a Hider and a Blue Twirler. "You aren't gonna stop us!"
"I'll go for the Blue Twirler!" said Luigi.
"Then I'll pursue the Hider!" Peach trailed.
The Blue Blaze was blinded by Daisy's Strobulb, unable to scamper away. Spotting their dazed ghost buddy, the others flew from the bright radius. Daisy fought the Blue Blaze while fighting the traction between her shoes and the shower floor. Peach kept her eyes focused on the slender ghoul as he hid inside a white and red bathrobe that was hanging on a hook rack. Tugging on the fabric, the Hider emerged out of the neck.
"Gotcha!"
He didn't expect the princess to detect him very quickly or easily. The ghost got his tail trapped in the 3000. Unable to withstand the slams, he was sucked into the vacuum with the robe falling to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Blue Twirler snatched the empty laundry basket and smashed it in front of Luigi. The object crumbled to bits of wooden planks from the sudden shockwave. Although he lost his balance momentarily, Luigi somehow kept himself upright while flailing his arms to the side. He lingered until the buff phantom rose his arms in the air. Fully exposed, the Twirler yelped as he couldn't evade the G-00's suction power.
"Come on! Almost... Yeah!"
He fruitfully captured the last spirit to bring the lights back on and remove the purple fences. With the Shower Room void of ghosts and steam, the subsequent area was the Pool – their targeted destination. Even from where they stood, they could detect the distinct scent of chlorinated water.
"Assuming the ghost didn't switch his gym routine, he has to be through the next door," stated Daisy. "Remember, he hurled a bunch of dodgeballs at Colombo and Polterkitty."
"Don't forget about the window in the Gym Lobby. I nearly... Actually, I don't want to finish that sentence," Luigi's cheeks flushed red once more.
"Well, here we go," Peach went forward with the humans and animals right behind her.
They observed the dimly lit space with the large, inground pool directly in the center. The water motioned in small waves, creating a reflected pattern on the walls. Around the border were some beach chairs, life preservers, potted plants, and some benches. In front of the heroes was a metal barricade and a digital swimming scoreboard. On the back wall was a valve that provided the source of the water. Lastly, a set of dodgeballs floated in the middle and the corners of the pool, but the red ghost was nowhere to be found.
"Do you think he got out and dried himself off?"
"I doubt it, Peach," Daisy shook her head. "Wherever this showoff went, he's probably invisible as we speak. He's a ghost after all!"
"MROW!" Polterkitty screeched as her purple fur rose up in terror. One of the dodgeballs blitzed directly at the group. The kitten pushed behind Daisy's legs, forcing her to tumble forward. Luigi and Peach ducked in time as the projectile bounced off the door. When a second projectile was aimed at them, the plumber pulled the princess with her and hid in front of the scoreboard. Colombo copied his owner and dove for cover.
"Man! Those guys have some quick reflexes!" the spirit grumbled. "They likely aren't as fast as mine, but I'm impressed they managed to avoid my dodgeballs!"
"Hey!" Daisy popped her head over the panel. "How about you give us a warning next time you- AAAHHHH!" she screamed as Johnny hurled another ball at her. Somehow, the woman eluded the object by mere inches. Keeping herself shielded, she was not pleased. "That is not cool, dude!"
"Hey, come on out, and I won't harass you with my dodgeballs anymore!" the swimmer shouted.
"You know, you could've like... not chuck them at our faces and maybe we'd listen to you?!"
Luigi took a deep breath and hesitantly peeked his head above the scoreboard, his blue eyes shimmering from the water's light.
"Ah, the man in green. You're Luigi, correct?" the ghost pointed at him.
"Uhh... Yes?"
"What's hangin', dude? The name's Deepend; Johnny Deepend, to be exact! I've heard about you and your fellow friends who were invited to The Last Resort! So, how do you like it so far?"
Right off the bat, Johnny seemed a little congenial compared to most of the Boss Ghosts he had faced. Granted, he's no Morty Spiritberg since the first thing Deepend decided was to greet the guests with dodgeballs flying as fast as Mario's fireball pitches. He also wasn't as shy as Ginny. Nonetheless, Johnny definitely had something on his mind.
Luigi was afraid to talk that Peach spoke up for him. "For the record, all of us but Luigi were kidnapped from the start! Realizing how we got tricked into thinking we were going to spend a vacation at a luxury hotel, it should be safe to say that none of us are enjoying the experience!"
"Aw, come on now! You can't be that unsatisfied about the hotel."
"Listen, fish lips," bullied Daisy. "We have traveled high and low from the Boilerworks to The Spectral Catch while running into some weird, creepy ghosts. King Boo and Hellen have already crossed the line, and we're going to stop them!"
"So, you're very determined to defeat the heads of the operations, huh? I can't say I'm surprised. Then again, I'm not too worried about the situation. Even if you make it up to the penthouse, making it to her private chambers won't be a walk in the park. Or a lap in the pool. Speaking of which, do you want to make the stakes interesting?" Johnny smirked.
"Interesting in what way?" the mustached man dared to question.
The ghoul took out the '14' button hidden in his swimming cap. "You want this elevator button?"
"Yeah. Do you want an actual gym membership in exchange?" Daisy asked sardonically.
"Pfft... I don't need a real one when I got the whole floor and pool to myself! Not to mention, these muscles are absolutely ripping!" Johnny flexed, causing the princesses to roll their eyes.
"What do I have to do that doesn't involve fighting you?"
"It's quite simple. You're going to test your skills in some water challenges! If you can succeed in a best-of-three contest, I'll hand over your prize with no strings attached!"
"And if I lose?"
"Heh heh, then you're taking home the silver. No gold elevator button for you!"
"There has to be some kind of prank you're not telling us. What are you trying to pull?" Daisy narrowed her eyes.
"You seriously doubt that I'm telling the truth? Or are you too chicken to participate? Bawk, bawk, ba-gawk!" mocked Johnny. "I'm only teasing, dude. But I'm just saying, I'm not like those ghosts who want to end your life."
"So you're not going to... drown me, are you?" Luigi hesitated with a gulp.
Then, the cheeky grin on Johnny's face vanished immediately. He lifted the goggles over his forehead, revealing a pair of white, pupil-less eyes.
"Listen here, man. Drowning is not a laughing matter. In fact, it's the reason why I passed away," Johnny lamented, piquing the heroes' curiosity. "Believe me or not, there are many people out there who cannot or refuse to swim. I don't blame them. It's a long learning experience, yet they are either not comfortable keeping their heads above water or they just can't. To me, I was in love with swimming when I was a little boy. Because of my interests, I grew up to become a professional rescue swimmer. My job was to provide aid to those in trouble – whether they're in the sea, air, or land. My crewmates and I have saved plenty of people who almost drowned. Although I'm no longer living, I never stepped away from my passion."
If Johnny was telling the truth, then it couldn't hurt to take on his challenge. However, Luigi had an ultimatum.
"Okay. If I compete against you, will you promise not to hurl your dodgeballs at my friends? I'm not risking the possibility of getting them hurt just because I'll be in the water with you."
"A solid offer you got there, buddy. You know what? I'll accept it... as long as you and your ghost-catching crew leave the audience alone."
"Audience?" Peach reiterated.
Johnny Deepend whistled loudly, prompting a horde of ghouls to dash into the room. With a variety of Goobs, Greenies, Golden Ghosts, and many other generic apparitions, they huddled near the back wall with the water valve and began to cheer. One thing was for sure; these ghosts were more lively than the ones in King MacFrights's battle arena.
"We gotta have some spectators to make the event more thrilling!"
"Alrighty then," Luigi undressed the straps of the Poltergust G-00, setting it next to the scoreboard. "What do you want me-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before we even get started, you seriously thought you're going to dive in with that?"
The man peered down at his plumber outfit. "Um, yeah? I've swum with my clothes in the past."
"Really? How do you even handle it, going around in damp garments that stick to your skin all the time?"
"You never heard a scuba suit?" Daisy raised an eyebrow.
"Never mind. The point is, I want you to be geared up in the right attire. If you want to compete for a prize, then you have to dress up for the occasion. Or in this case, strip down."
Luigi's eyes blinked before they shrunk as small as an ant. "You don't mean..."
"Ditch the overalls. Ditch the shirt. Your socks, shoes, gloves, maybe your hat as well if you're not too attached to it."
"Where are you even going with this?" Luigi was getting more uncomfortable than ever. "I'm not swimming in the nude if that's what's on your sick mind!"
"Don't worry, man. Luckily, I've got a spare swimsuit for you."
Johnny whistled once more as a Greenie eagerly appeared from the Shower Room. He carelessly dropped a piece of clothing on Luigi's face. Shaking his head, he realized what fell onto the floor.
Luigi's cheeks reddened again. It was a single-piece, black solar brief. One that looked too small and tight for him to don.
The orange princess pinched herself, trying so hard not to burst out laughing. Peach couldn't tell if she should be amused like Daisy or mortified like Luigi. Colombo and Polterkitty were glad they weren't in the hero's shoes.
"There's no way in hell I can go out with just this! My swimming trunks are less... revealing!"
"Then why don't you bring your shorts with you and change into them? I'm not complaining unless you're not in the spirit to win this button!" Johnny taunted as he squeezed the object in between his biceps.
"Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Neither can we. But hey, it won't stop us from cheering you on! You got this, Luigi!" encouraged Peach.
He appreciated the kind words from the Mushroom Kingdom princess. Whatever Johnny had in store for him, the man needed all the support he could get. Especially when he's about to change his ensemble.
After Luigi remembered that he conveniently packed a pair of trunks in his suitcase, Colombo was asked to teleport all the way down to his room in the RIP Suites. The Polterpup understood his request and hurried as fast as he could to 5F. He grabbed what his owner was looking for and zipped his way back to the Fitness Center.
A few minutes later, Luigi went into the Shower Room for some privacy. He didn't want to switch his clothing with many eyes locked on him, including the princesses. The plumber removed his brown shoes and striped socks from his feet first. He then unclasped the buttons on his overalls, letting the pants fall to the floor. His shirt, gloves, and hat were taken off, leaving him in just his white boxers. Eventually, the hero sighed and replaced the underwear with his black swimming trunks.
Shivering from the cold air in the shower, Luigi wasn't fully prepared to head back to the Pool. But if he wanted to win the button fair and square, he had to abide by Johnny's rules. He returned to where his friends were waiting. The first thing he heard was a whistle from the Sarasaland princess.
"Looking good, Luigi."
"Daisy, don't..." he squirmed, crossing his arms in a diffident manner.
"Come on, Weege. You got this in the bag!"
"Didn't you hear what Johnny said? He's a rescue swimmer! He's got more experience than me!"
"But we've seen you swim fast before! Don't you remember all those times we participated in the Olympics?" reminded Peach.
"Yeah! You were even faster than Sonic and the others in almost every race!" Daisy smirked.
"He sinks to the bottom like a rock unless he wears a life vest. Sonic isn't strong at swimming, in case you two forgot. And you both know he's still faster than everyone else."
"Yo, Mr. Mustache! Are you gonna keep stalling or what? The audience is growing impatient, and so am I!" Deepend hollered.
"Bark!" Colombo was also eager to watch him compete.
"Okay, okay! Sorry..."
"First things first, you're pretty spiffy in your bathing suit."
"That's basically what I said!" Daisy yelled, making her partner more embarrassed.
"You ready for the contest?"
"I guess so."
"Hey, I want to hear more oomph in your voice, man. Show me that you're pumped up!" Johnny flexed his arms.
"Okey-dokey. I'm-a ready to go!" Luigi forcefully added more emotion in his chant. But some of his motivation came from how close he was to reaching Hellen and King Boo. More importantly, he was on pace to find Mario soon.
His energy stimulated the ghost audience to roar in satisfaction. After receiving confident nods from his friends, he sat on the edge of the pool and slowly dipped in. The water felt frigid at first, but it was at a moderate, lukewarm temperature. He waded over to the center where Johnny was. With the event underway, it was time to begin the first round.
"Alright, Luigi. As I said earlier, this is a best-of-three matchup. Whoever wins two activities wins the whole thing. Sounds simple, right?"
"You make it seem simple, but I just don't know if there's a catch."
"The first trial is nothing too special. We're gonna test how long we can hold our breaths underwater. Whoever comes up to the surface first, loses."
"Really? That's the first challenge?" asked Daisy. "Piece of cake!"
"Says you!" Luigi clearly didn't forget about you-know-what. But he chose not to bring it up in front of everybody. Instead, he did his best to compose his mentality.
"Come on, Luigi! Believe in yourself!" Peach exhilarated.
"Hey, ladies, do you see the clock down that way?" Johnny motioned.
"Yes. What about it?"
"There's a button you can press to activate so our times can be displayed on the scoreboard near you. Feel free to record them once we start!"
"I can do it!" Daisy volunteered, heading over to the opposite end of the pool. "Ready, boys?"
Deepend provided her a thumbs-up. "How about you, Mr. Green?"
"One question. Does pinching my nose violate the rules?"
"I'm afraid so, pal. To be fair, I'm a ghost, so it may look like I can hold my breath for eternity. But I don't cheat against my opponents. It's completely unsportsmanlike."
"Fair enough. Let's do this."
Putting his goggles over his eyes, Johnny was ecstatic to begin. "Okay! The first challenge shall commence! Whoever can hold their breath longer than the other will take a 1-0 advantage! Are you ready?!"
The spectators cheered and whistled loudly. Colombo barked happily and did a backflip in excitement. Polterkitty watched with anticipation. At the same time, she honestly didn't want Luigi to suffer a similar fate like he did in the Boilerworks.
"On your marks... Get set... Dive!"
Daisy galvanized the timer as the contestants submerged themselves. Luigi puffed his cheeks and kept himself as steady as possible. Johnny Deepend mirrored his expression as he remained still, eyeing his opponent. Despite how blurry it was for the plumber, he could somehow detect an innocent smirk on the ghost's face.
Outside of the pool, the entire area was dead silent. All of the viewers slowly anticipated the outcome of the breathing challenge without uttering a single word or sound. Peach and Daisy could make out Luigi's figure down below. Bubbles started to rise up to the level, a bad sign to see.
"Oh, dear," Peach worried.
"Come on, Luigi. You can do it," whispered Daisy.
Colombo softly whined as he wondered how his owner was faring. Even Polterkitty was getting anxious as she emitted a quiet 'meow'.
Thirty seconds had elapsed, yet it felt much longer than that to Luigi. The more he remained stuck underwater, the less confident he got. He didn't know how he was going to outlast his competitor. Johnny was hardly batting an eye even though Luigi couldn't tell through his goggles or the chlorinated water. Heck, he was barely moving any of his muscles.
He couldn't last for much longer.
"GAH!" Luigi desperately lunged out of the water and gasped for air. Droplets spread around the pool as they flicked from his auburn hair. He couldn't stop breathing heavily after his failed attempt.
Several seconds later, Johnny emerged alongside him. "What's the time for our fellow guest here?"
"Luigi stayed underwater for one minute and twenty-six seconds," Peach responded. "Actually, the scoreboard says 1:26.39."
"And my time was?" The boss knew he won, but he wanted to hear his record.
"Just barely over a minute and a half. 1:31.84, to be precise."
"Ha ha! So the first victory goes to me!"
The ghosts in the background were pleased by the results as they applauded Johnny Deepend. Luigi's hopes had not hit rock bottom, yet his confidence was lower than the water level. It was too early to surrender when he had a chance to tie things up.
"Thank you! Thank you very much!" Johnny bowed, splashing water onto Luigi's face unintentionally. He ended up hearing the man hacking uncontrollably. "You good there, pal?"
A few more coughs came out before he could finally reply. "I'm still trying to respire properly."
"Well, if you need some help or CPR, I can handle it. Ready for the next activity?"
"If it doesn't involve me nearly suffocating, then sure."
"First, I actually need a volunteer from your little friend group. How about your adorable ghost puppy over there?"
When Colombo heard that Johnny was referring to him, he tilted his head in confusion as to why he needed him.
"Let me explain. We have a net set up way over there. Using these balls, you must aim to score as many goals as you can from the center of the pool. However, there will be a goalie to block your shots. That's where your companion comes into play. To make sure the event is fair, he'll be defending against my throws. When it's your turn, I'll have one of my audience members try to stymie you. It's kinda like water polo but with fewer players. With a maximum of ten dodgeballs, whoever scores the most points wins the second match."
Colombo quickly understood the rules and became very enthusiastic to play some ball. He skipped past Daisy and headed in front of the net.
"I see the pooch is raring to go. You better keep your distance so I don't accidentally hit you. And a fair disclaimer to everyone else, including you ghostbusters! Just be careful if any dodgeballs deflect off the walls and come towards you!"
"Oh, sure. Thanks for the heads-up," Daisy rolled her eyes.
"Ms. Pink Princess! You'll be keeping score of the points on the board," instructed Deepend.
"Okay!" Peach nodded.
"Arf! Arf!" Colombo wagged his tail.
"Ready and... GO!"
Johnny sent the first dodgeball flying right at the net, but the Polterpup was able to leap to his right and pushed his paws against the projectile. He denied the ghost another point as he recovered and blocked the second ball. Colombo wasn't lucky the third time as Johnny managed to sneak a dodgeball into the top-left corner of the net. It started to get tricky as the swimmer attempted to perform a few fake-outs to mess up the dog's rhythm. The fourth ball was impeded, but the fifth one went in.
Luigi was proud to see his pet unfazed by Johnny's throws. The dog had so much energy that it reminded him of all the times he played fetch with him. No matter how hard he threw the ball or how long they spent at the park, Colombo kept going without a trace of fatigue over a lengthy period.
Everyone was impressed with the canine's athleticism – most notably Polterkitty and Johnny. The latter was getting somewhat frustrated how more than half of his tosses have been obstructed. Not even the jeers from the onlookers distracted the Polterpup. With one last dodgeball, Johnny hoped he could add one more point to his total. Just when he was about to score, Colombo jumped high in the air, spiked the ball with his right paw, and denied Deepend yet again.
"That's ten balls thrown by Johnny! What's his score, bestie?" Daisy asked.
"Johnny Deepend finished with four points," Peach announced.
"Man!" the ghoul punched a fist into the water. "I should've had a better score. But I got to give credit where credit is due. You're one heck of a goalie," Johnny commended, receiving an appreciative bark from Colombo.
"Good job, boy!" Luigi clapped.
"Well, green fellow, four is the number you have to beat. For the opposing goalie, I'll choose someone who's about the same size as your dog. You there! Come on down to the net!"
A random Goob was picked and made his way to the side of the pool. Compared to Colombo, he was neither brave nor ecstatic that he got chosen. For safety purposes, he geared up with a pair of floaties tightened up around his arms and a hockey mask to protect his face.
"Here we go, Weegie! Here we go!" Daisy chanted. Most of the audience started booing her. "Oh, be quiet and let me cheer on my man, for Grambi's sake!"
"All you need to score is five points, Luigi! You can do it!" Peach joined.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Meow!"
"Okay... I can do this. This is probably easier than the first challenge," Luigi gave himself a pep talk. "Remain calm, aim carefully, and most of all, don't choke."
"Whenever you're ready, Luigi. Go ahead and fire!" Johnny called as he swam off behind him.
The man took a deep breath and leaned his arm back with the first dodgeball in his hand. Meanwhile, the anxious Goob quivered with his hands clenched in front of his torso. Luigi wasn't as strong as Johnny, but his first throw was solid enough to reach the end of the pool. Surprisingly, the Goob panicked and hovered to his left as the ball ended up landing in the net easily.
"Um, okay?" Luigi was confused.
"Why out of all Goobs did I have to choose him?" Johnny facepalmed his forehead.
"Don't bother questioning it, Weege! Keep throwing!" yelled Daisy.
She was right. If the Goob continues this act, all he had to do was throw at least four more balls into the net successfully. Luigi had to take advantage of the unexpected blunder, or else he'll lose without partaking in the third and final event.
Grabbing another dodgeball, he fired it high and far for a second point. The Goob hadn't budged from his spot. Luigi smirked as he took another ball and sent it flying. Unfortunately, his grip slipped, and he tossed it wide. But he swiftly redeemed himself with a third point, scoring just underneath the Goob's tail.
The next two shots missed; one hit the edge of the pool while another sailed over the goal and bounced off the wall. His sixth throw accidentally knocked the mask off the ghost's head, causing him to freak out. With the Goob scurrying from one edge of the net to the other, Luigi had a better range to throw his last set of dodgeballs. As he maintained focus, he didn't need to chuck all ten as he earned his fourth and fifth points within the next two throws. The Goob felt so guilty and ashamed as the audience didn't appreciate the fact he didn't try.
"So, does that count or not?" Peach sounded unsure.
"You know, for the sake of making things less complicated, Luigi is the winner of the second challenge! Our competition is tied at one win apiece!" Johnny went over and raised the man's hand up high. The reception was a mixture of boos from the ghosts, hurrahs from his friends, barks from the Polterpup, and an enthusiastic meow from Polterkitty.
Luigi didn't think he deserved the victory, but he'll take it nonetheless. He waited for Johnny to announce the last event.
"You all set for the rubber match?" Deepend had a wide grin from cheek to cheek.
"If you're ready, then so am I!"
"That's what I wanted to hear! It may sound just as vanilla, but we're going to have an old-fashioned swimming medley!"
"What does he have to do?"
"I'm glad you asked, Ms. Pink! Luigi, you'll be participating in a four-lap race that requires going from one end of the pool to the other. Every time you complete a lap is worth a distance of twenty-five meters. In total, it's a hundred meters for the entire race."
"Aw, sweet! It's literally the Olympics all over again!" Daisy beamed.
"Precisely! In fact, it's a freestyle event, so you can choose a stroke you're most comfortable with. Breaststroke, crawl, butterfly, whatever floats your boat – or body if we're being literal. The first contestant to finish their four laps will be declared the winner in the best-of-three competition!"
The whole room got loud as they anticipated an epic finale. But Luigi was brought back to reality as he thought he was going to get washed away in the contest. Johnny's history of saving others with his swimming skills automatically gave him a huge advantage. Luigi didn't know if he could pull off a huge upset and beat the odds against an expert.
He headed over to the ladder and climbed out, water dripping from his body. The sudden chill hit his skin, causing him to nestle his arms over his chest.
"How are you, Luigi?" Daisy checked on him, laying a head on his shoulder. The plumber shivered a little from her touch. "Oh, sorry."
"No, it's okay. I always get cold whenever I get out of the water."
"I can tell that you're feeling a little nervous and tired," Peach approached him. "I wouldn't blame you after competing in those first few challenges. Do you want me to use my powers to replenish some of your energy back?"
"Thanks, Peach. But maybe we should save your healing in case we run into something much more dangerous later on."
"If you think it's for the best, then I don't want to argue."
"Mr. Luigi! We don't want to keep the fans restless!" Johnny hollered as he was already floating at the far-left edge of the pool.
"Sorry! I'm on my way! Oops, don't want to step on you, gattino," Luigi carefully moved around her. If there was one thing Polterkitty liked from him over Hellen, he was more meticulous than the hotel manager. He slipped around the metal fence and stood next to Deepend.
"Alrighty then. I don't need to repeat the rules, do I?"
"Nope, I memorized everything you said."
"Awesome! Then let's get ready. For all the marbles, best of luck to you," he extended a hand out to him.
"You too, Johnny," Luigi accepted the gesture. He slightly yelped and lost his balance when the ghost shook with a firm, aggressive grip.
Daisy and Peach reset the clock and scoreboard for the final match. With the crowd cheering raucously, no one discerned the invisible entity floating near the water valve. Luigi and Johnny were in starting position, bending forward as they prepared to dive. The tomboy started the clock, prompting the swimmers to go head first. Johnny opted to swim via breaststroke while Luigi made haste with the front crawl. The Boss Ghost was a few feet ahead of the competition, sacrificing a decent amount of his stamina to pull ahead early. Luigi kept his constant pace without showing any signs of stopping. Through the loud splashes, he could perceive the princesses and the Polterpup giving him moral support from the sidelines. Johnny was making his way back to the left edge after swimming his first twenty-five meters. Luigi touched the wall and pushed off with a ton of force, keeping himself at a close distance.
Suddenly, the two were about to finish half of their race when the valve spun rapidly counterclockwise. The only individual who initially spotted the arrow moving from the right of the meter to the left was Polterkitty.
"Meow! MROW!"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Peach glanced down at her.
Daisy noticed from where she stood that the cat was pointing across the pool. Her eyes bulged as the wheel continued moving until it couldn't turn anymore. Before anyone could react, there was a sudden rumble in the room, startling the spectral audience. Luigi stopped in the middle of the pool as he also felt the reverberation. The pool waves became aggressive like an ocean experiencing high tide in the middle of a thunderstorm. Johnny was more focused on the race that he didn't realize what was occurring.
Another loud boom caused the ghosts to evacuate. Simultaneously, the pool drain opened up, creating a whirlpool that started sucking up the water. By then, Deepend finally noticed the strong pressure as it deterred him from swimming forward. Not even Luigi could withstand the current.
"What's going on?!" Peach panicked.
"The water is being drained!" Daisy pointed down below.
"Arf!" Colombo was nervous.
"Meow!" Polterkitty was on the same boat.
"Whoa! I can't escape!" Johnny bellowed.
"Mamma Mia!" Luigi screamed as he became dizzy.
The water level went from six feet to nothing in a matter of seconds. Luigi plopped onto the tiled pool floor, but Johnny's tail and lower half were caught inside the drain.
"Ack! Ow! Urgh! I-I'm stuck! I'm wedged in here!" Johnny pushed with all of his might, but not even his muscles could flex him out of this predicament.
"Huh, I wasn't expecting a disappointing conclusion to the competition," Daisy pouted.
"The valve was turned all the way to get rid of the water, but who did it?" Peach was bewildered. Not even the pets knew. Polterkitty was the first to find out about the incident.
"Hey, I just realized! He's totally stuck!"
"Oh, you think?!" Johnny scowled at Daisy.
"Luigi! Now's your chance to capture him and snatch the elevator button!" she tossed down the Poltergust G-00 to him.
"W-What? After all that I've done?! I tried to make it fair for you to win it, and you're just gonna suck me up against my will?!"
"Hey, we've done it to most of the enemies we encountered," remarked Daisy. "This is just karma for freaking us out and nearly pounding our faces with your dodgeballs!"
"Daisy..."
"What? You can't say that I'm wrong, Peach! Back me up, Luigi!"
The plumber, who was now holding his vacuum in his hands, was at an impasse. He could easily take Johnny down right then and there. However, he wasn't the most malicious Boss Ghost he encountered. Luigi circled back to his intuition. While Johnny Deepend seemed chaotic with the dodgeballs, his genuine speech showed a different, compassionate side of him. Maybe he wasn't all flashy and egotistical. In fact, he exhibited great sportsmanship throughout the competition.
He soon made up his mind.
Luigi placed the G-00 down at his bare feet, shocking the flower princess.
"Wait, Luigi?"
Johnny was still squirming in the drain, unable to break free. Once he was about to give up, he saw a pair of hands stretched towards him. Blinking from behind his goggles, Johnny grabbed hold of Luigi as the latter began to tug.
He tugged... and tugged... and tugged as hard as he could.
"Colombo! Daisy! Anyone! Help me!"
His Polterpup immediately responded by carefully biting the bottom of his swimming suit. While the dog pulled with Luigi, Johnny could barely feel his body loosen from the tight space. Then, Peach sat on the edge and landed in the drained pool. She obliged and began heaving with the others.
"Daisy! Help us!" the blonde princess urged.
"You have got to be joking," Daisy was incredulous.
"Mrow?" Polterkitty snuggled up to her leg.
After an uneventful sigh, she muttered, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. But I'm not a fan of this."
Daisy hopped down and pulled with the rest of the team. The feline gently jerked on the back of Daisy's sneaker because she didn't want to ruin her blouse. Their team effort made things easier for Luigi, but it was still difficult to lug the boss from his spot. The plumber refused to yield, and his determination only fueled him to draw even harder. Finally, Johnny sprung out while Luigi and his friends flew back. All of them tumbled roughly in awkward positions, feeling some discomfort in their bodies.
"Oh... Phew... I wasn't expecting that to happen," Johnny wheezed.
"Are you okay?" Luigi asked.
"Not gonna lie, I really thought I was a goner. But... you saved me. You went out of your way to unplug me from the drain!"
"Yeah, any reason why I decided to help, Luigi?"
"Daisy, stop..." Peach elbowed her friend.
"I have to say, our competition ended prematurely without a spectacular ending. I don't know why the pool suddenly emptied itself, but it was very unselfish of you to get me out when I was stuck. Heck, even if I was drowning and you went out of your way to sacrifice your life, that's very noble of you, Luigi," Johnny commended.
"It's weird how you mentioned drowning. I almost went through that experience not too long ago."
"Whoa... Really?"
Luigi solemnly nodded as he explained the truth about what Clem did to him.
"I... I didn't realize he actually did such a thing."
"It's alright. Daisy and the others barely rescued me before my lungs could give out."
The Pool remained very quiet aside from the faint echoes of the water gurgling in the pipes down below.
"Listen, Luigi..." Deepend grabbed the elevator button out of his cap again before tossing it to him. "Here. This is for you."
The man was surprised that he nearly bobbled it out of his hands. "W-What? Why are you-"
"It's all fun and games until you lose to your competition."
"But... I didn't truly win. I shouldn't get credit for the second challenge."
"True, but you displayed defiance and determination no matter how nervous you were at first. Your heart is set to do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand. And I gotta say, you were quite the dark horse and a good sport for dealing with my aggressiveness. Lastly, I should be sorry for nearly whacking you with my dodgeballs."
"Wow... You're the third ghost who has willingly given up a button even though Hellen has ordered you to guard it."
"Pfft... Sure, she told me to prevent you from advancing, but that lady doesn't know the first thing about sportsmanship. Your opponents could be your worst enemy, maybe even a bully. But sometimes, you gotta respect the player and the game if you want to thrive. And you clearly showed that, Luigi."
"Thanks. I guess I should be fair to you, similar to Morty and Ginny. Do you rather be at peace by yourself? Or do you care if I take you along and store you with the other people we've captured?"
"Hmm... I appreciate the offer. I might turn the water back on and lazily swim around-"
Johnny paused when he and the gang heard a metal clank hit the floor. The valve wheel was suddenly levitating before it vanished through the roof.
"...Well, shoot."
"Chalk up another thing we didn't see coming," mumbled Daisy.
"In that case, I'm alright plunging into your little vacuum there. It was an honor to compete against you, good sir."
"Same to you, Johnny," Luigi gladly shook his hand one final time.
"Maybe someday we'll have an actual swimming race we can finish. Or maybe not. You never know!"
Luigi chuckled before he charged the Strobulb. Johnny removed his goggles and waited for the inevitable. He flexed his muscles once more before pinching his nose in a scuba dive. Another ghost down, but he was a respectful one.
"Good job, Luigi," Peach smiled. "Now you have the next button in our adventure!"
"Only two more floors to infiltrate, and we'll get our revenge against King Boo and Hellen!" Daisy pumped a fist.
"And save Mario, too!"
"Arf! Arf!"
"Mrow!"
"Just one last thing," Luigi held a finger.
"What's that?" Peach tilted her head.
"I got to change back into my clothes. It's really cold with just these trunks."
"Well, you don't have to..." the flower princess teased her man.
"Daisy!" his cheeks burned crimson.
END OF CHAPTER
Not all ghosts are evil. Even though Johnny Deepend seemed malevolent with the dodgeballs, I wanted to flesh out his personality and background. I hope you enjoyed what I did in the second half just to spice things up!
We got one more chapter to go before our final encounter with Madame Clairvoya. Once they're done, Luigi and the team will make their way to the final level of Hellen's hotel. She and King Boo are within striking distance, and Mario is closer than they think. Thank you so much for reading this chapter of Hotel Horror! Until then, I'll see you all next time in Ch. 34 when Luigi gets his groove on! This is TGN, signing off.