A/N: Without going into much detail, I needed to take a mental break. Thankfully, I'm feeling better than before, and I'm back with another chapter of Hotel Horror. Plus, I'm glad I updated New Brotherhood, too.
We're also approaching the final floor very soon, so I hope you guys are looking forward to that as much as I am! Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows lately. Happy Halloween and happy second anniversary to Luigi's Mansion 3 (and this story)! Let's start this dance, shall we?
Disclaimer: The Mario characters and franchise belong to Nintendo.
Chapter 34: Panic at the Disco
"Luigi, I'll be honest. You got some really nice muscles. And I'm not referring to just the biceps," Daisy grinned as she proceeded to squeeze his arms, making her partner jump in surprise.
Luigi, who was now dry and fully clothed in his original plumber outfit, whined. "Daisy, I thought we were done with this conversation."
"I can't help it! Plus, you told me that you don't work out a whole lot."
"Yeah, I don't. But I still exercise whenever I can. Then, I shower whenever I'm drenched in sweat. Or in this case, chlorine."
Earlier, he took a quick rinse to clean his body. Since his swimming trunks were still damp, he asked Colombo if he could return them to his room and hang it over one of the chairs. With the Polterpup gone temporarily, Luigi returned to the Elevator Lobby with the princesses and Polterkitty.
"Hey, don't blame me for your cute looks."
"I think he's already gotten the point, Daisy," Peach held in a giggle.
"Thank you," the man sighed.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop. But next time you're going swimming, I'm joining you with a cannonball," the tomboy teased.
"Fellas!" E. Gadd called from his lab. "Great work once again on conquering this floor. And Luigi, take some credit for yourself. You performed well against Johnny and earned his respect. Because of your efforts, there are only Floors 14 and 15 remaining. Mario, King Boo, and Hellen have to be close on your radar."
"It would make sense that they're all up at the highest floor," mentioned Red Toad.
"I wish I could say I'm surprised they're holding Mario prisoner in the last, accessible area of this hotel," said Yellow. "Unless we missed him in the Basement or somewhere outside, he's gotta be with those conniving ghouls!"
"Luigi! Princess Peach! Princess Daisy! You're so close to finding them! You can't give up now!" cried Blue.
"Don't worry. That's the last thing on our minds right now. Not that we were going to do that anyway," Luigi assured as he and his friends heard the bell ring before walking inside the lift.
Colombo came back at the perfect time to rejoin the heroes. "Arf! Arf!"
"You got the next button, lad?"
"I sure do, Professor! Any moment now..." Luigi waited for the object to fly out of his fingers and watched it lock into place beside the '13'. As he reached up to press the '14', the elevator closed its doors and sluggishly rose to the penultimate level. Only one slot remained empty on the panel. The final button was hidden somewhere on the upcoming floor.
~14F – The Dance Hall
Retro. It was the first word that popped in Luigi's head the second he stepped out into the lobby. Bright, neon lights lit up around the elevator, from the wall icons of stereos and a group of people dancing to the tiles on the floor directly below their feet. One could say he was blinded by the lights. He was drowning in the night, where the perpetual darkness and the ghosts he ran into were keeping him unsteady. But with his friends, he trusted them to be by his side whenever he was in trouble, including Polterkitty. In fact, after the choices she had made, Luigi couldn't help but wonder what Hellen must be thinking as her pet traveled with her opposition.
He did have an idea though. She was probably as ticked as King Boo.
Despite the fact he had never been face-to-face with either ghost since the night he found out the hotel was a trap, the plumber was both hesitant yet determined to encounter them for hiding up in the penthouse. There was no other place they could be right now. It also had to be where Mario was being held captive. All he had to do was claim the '15' button, and he'll be one step closer to the ultimate showdown.
"Is it just me, or do you feel the floor vibrating a bit?" Peach stopped to ask the others.
"I feel it, too," Luigi answered.
"Must be some catchy, disco tunes going up there. According to the map, this Elevator Hall is only one of two rooms on this floor. So, there is a decent chance we can find the button quickly compared to most of the previous levels," Daisy deduced.
"The question is, who's the ghost guarding the final one?" Peach queried.
"Only one way to find out!"
"Arf?" The Polterpup stepped on an unlit tile before a light-blue color nearly blinded his eyes. He wondered if lighting up the entire floor uncovered a secret. Polterkitty and the humans didn't seem to notice as they moved forward, so Colombo stayed behind as he carefully strolled across the panels.
Once he lit them all up, they switched to a shade of green except for six of them where they died out. He went over to one of the unlit tiles, but he wasn't able to press the others as they were separated from where he sat. And if he walked away from one, it instantly became dark.
"Bark! Bark!"
"What is it, boy?" Luigi turned around.
The ghost dog pointed his paws at the floor, indicating there was a secret linked to the puzzle.
"Do you think he wants us to step on the dark panels?"
"Arf!" he confirmed Peach's question. He soon watched her, Daisy, Polterkitty, and Luigi take an open tile. But there was still one more left.
"Hey, Luigi, do you think you can bring out your gooey doppelganger for this one?"
"Okay, Daisy!" he pressed the button on his Poltergust.
"Ta-da!" Gooigi replied as he made his way to the final square. A retro tune played out loud before the floor suddenly turned into a descending staircase. The unexpected movement caused Gooigi and the dozing Luigi to tumble to the bottom of the secret room.
"Luigi!" the princesses both yelled. Colombo and Polterkitty hurried down as well.
"Oof! Owie..."
"Are you okay?" Daisy asked as she and Peach lifted up Luigi's arms.
"Um, Daisy... I'm technically in Gooigi's body."
"Oh, whoops. I literally forgot."
She and Peach carefully placed Luigi on a nearby, wooden chair before helping the gelatinous man. Gooigi chose to remain sentient as he walked further down the clandestine corridor. To their surprise, a few lights turned on as they discovered a caged vault with an extraordinary amount of gold coins, dollar bills, and gold bars alongside a yellow gem in the shape of a large set of headphones.
Daisy whistled. "We hit the jackpot! Good job checking out the floor panels, Colombo!"
"Ruff!"
"It'll be easier if I squeeze through these bars and suck up all of the money inside. Just give me a minute or two."
Gooigi turned on his vacuum and made sure not a single coin or bill was left behind. He grabbed the jewel last once the entire cage was clean.
"Finished! We're a little more filthy rich than before, and maybe we can use this money to spend on a real vacation – after we rescue Mario, of course," Gooigi replied before he gave a thumbs-up. Luigi regained his eyesight as he stood up from the chair.
"Let's make our way up to the hall," Peach nodded.
"I recall seeing the other room on the map; it was named the 'Dance Floor'. I'll be honest, I'm a little eager to see what it looks like. Plus, after seeing Luigi show off his swimming skills, I kinda want to see him bust a move rather than bust some ghosts," Daisy smirked.
"Okay, number one, I am not a good dancer."
"Counterpoint, you danced and led well at the Mushroom Ball with me. Second counterpoint," Daisy continued before Luigi could interject, "you used your dancing skills to recover the Music Keys in Truffle Towers."
"That was honestly the second-dumbest adventure I've ever been a part of."
"What's the worst one?" Peach raised an eyebrow.
"You already know, Princess," Luigi sighed without a direct answer. "And what I was about to say next, number two, we might have to wait a little longer to reach the Dance Floor. I feel Gooigi vibrating in my vacuum. There is definitely a Boo hidden somewhere around this area."
The hallway led to some rope barricades and an artistic graffiti mural plastered on a brick wall, featuring four incognito dancers who were sporting red hoodies and sweatpants along the skyline. Further down was a ticket booth, a wardrobe, and a souvenir shop – indicated by the neon signs placed high on the wall. Gooigi began shaking violently as soon as Luigi approached the entrance to the last stand.
"Bark! Bark!" Colombo was the first to enter inside. He began sniffing around the stacks of folded t-shirts. Polterkitty followed in pursuit, but she couldn't help herself playing with the stuffed Hammer trinkets hanging on the shelf. It was a slight distraction since she missed her ball of yarn up in Hellen's vault. Shaking her head, she also put her nose to the test.
With her whiskers twitching, she made her way to the next room where the wardrobe was. A few suits and fur jackets hung on clothes hangers while a few hats were sitting on top of the high shelves. In the back, Polterkitty spotted a small safe and a vinyl record framed on the wall. She kept clawing at the articles of clothing, hoping the Boo was hiding in a costume of some sort. It's not like she was ruining Hellen's dresses, so she couldn't care less if she left a few scratch marks. But if she did ruin one of her outfits, Polterkitty expected the hotel owner to berate her like almost every other occasion. She did not miss Hellen's rants one bit. Yet she was petrified about returning to the Master Suite very soon.
Why did she think that? Because she knew Luigi and his friends wouldn't stop after making it this far.
Suddenly, the vinyl record fell off the wall, creating a loud 'thud'. Jumping from the noise, she then realized there was a hole that the frame was covering.
"Mrow?"
"Polterkitty?" Daisy heard her meow. "Do you see the Boo?"
Eventually, the princess noticed Polterkitty who didn't even move or hear her speak. The purple cat was out of her stupor the second Daisy stood next to her.
"A safe, huh? It probably only has money or valuables in it. At least it's simple to open up."
Polterkitty was a little staggered how Daisy was more distracted at the metal strongbox rather than the aperture. She was more on edge the second she barely perceived a pair of eyes staring straight at her. How Daisy didn't notice was beyond her. But Polterkitty crept closer, one paw at a time. As she was mere feet away, Daisy had already unlocked the safe, sucking up a measly two coins.
"Pfft. What a rip-off."
Out of nowhere, something emerged from the partition. A metal clang freaked not only Polterkitty but also Daisy. Luigi, Peach, and Colombo also heard the odd sound.
"What was that?" Peach peeked from the other room. Luigi and Colombo also showed their heads from behind the corner.
To their surprise, it was a familiar-looking object. The kitten stepped back for the tomboy to pick it up.
"It's... a valve..."
"You mean, the one that was taken away from the Pool?" Luigi questioned.
"Mrow!"
"I think so, too," Daisy agreed. "But what is it doing-"
"REEEEE!"
"YAH!" the princess shrieked. Polterkitty was just as frightened as she stood behind her legs.
"What's up, dance monkeys? The name is Boosician! Got a minute to listen to my demo tape, Boo-gie 'til You Drop Dead? It's got a number-one single, too – 'Drowning My Sorrows'! And it could've happened if that stupid plumber wasn't a good swimmer, so I went for a different approach to have some fun around here!"
"So, it was you who stole the valve!" Daisy pointed at the ghost.
Boosician cackled loudly. Like everyone else, she was getting annoyed by their laughter. "Of course it was me! Who did you think took it? The Boo-geyman?!"
"Okay, if anyone is going to be making puns, it should be me! I don't even need to listen to your music to know it sucks as hard as-"
"DAISY!" Luigi abruptly stopped her mid-sentence, his face written with disgust.
"What? I was gonna say 'this Poltergust!' I'm aware of the boundaries."
The perpetrator sneered and turned invisible before Daisy could attack. He ventured out to the hall and teased the ghost hunters through the open window.
"Can't catch me, slowpokes!"
"Hurry! Let's follow him!" yelled Peach.
As they exited the shop, the gang reached the end of the corridor but couldn't find him. Colombo soon barked twice when he detected Boosician ascending the long staircase. It led to a large, brown door at the top.
"After him!" Luigi shouted, but he was immediately denied access when a paranormal gate dropped in front of him. He banged his face against the grating. "Ow!"
"Luigi!" Daisy and Peach pulled him up from the floor.
"Oh..." he rubbed his nose. "Why did that happen?"
Suddenly, the group heard some shuffling to their right. There was nothing but a pair of neon signs – depicting a human doing a handstand and a target, a small vent, and a standard wastebasket. The sound couldn't have been from the Boo since he vanished into the upper room. But they couldn't tell what happened.
"If this gate is blocking us, then there has to be another ghost around here," Daisy deduced.
Colombo sniffed around the trash bin for any paranormal activity. But then he heard a weird noise directly near him. Curious, he pressed his paw on the front and immediately stumbled back when he encountered a Possessed Bin. Similar to the Possessed Chest, it was an inanimate object brought to life, waiting to chomp on its unsuspecting prey. The bin nearly pounced on Colombo, but the Polterpup hopped back in time to avoid damage.
"We got to get rid of that thing!" Peach cried.
"Stand back!"
Luigi cautiously approached the enemy and used a Burst to bring the bin upright. He stared at its creepy, intimidating eyes as it growled fiercely at him. Just when it was about to attack again, the plumber fired a Suction Shot from the G-00. The plunger was stuck to the circular face, rendering him vulnerable. Luigi pulled tightly on the rope and caused the Possessed Bin to tumble forward.
"Daisy, help me here!"
"Right!"
They both shined their Dark-Light Devices until the purple Spirit Balls materialized in the hall. Peach joined the others to get rid of them, the bin reverting to its lifeless form. The purple gate vanished as well.
"Whew, finally got that annoyance out of the way. Now, come on! Let's track down the Boo!" Daisy led the party up the steps.
"Bark! Bark!" Colombo was next to run, followed by Polterkitty, Luigi, and Peach. Once Daisy made it to the door, she and the others stopped once they heard a record scratch. Such impeccable timing.
"Wow. When I was about to open it, they cut off the music. Did the ghosts spot us on a hidden camera or something?"
"All I care about is not finding another key," Peach spoke candidly. "It would be a waste of time to find out it's locked after running up the stairs. We could've searched the shops more thoroughly before coming up here."
"Well, I don't think you need to worry about that, Peach," Luigi replied as he was able to push through with the handle.
The group didn't even take a single step into the next area. Instead, they marveled at the sight before them for several seconds. The Dance Floor was a lot more flashy than they anticipated. Tons of neon illuminations, bass speakers, fog machines, spotlights with interchanging colors, a disco ball, and a huge amount of purple radiance – this room had it all for a dance party. Except, there was still no music, and the place was void of spirits.
Even with all the aesthetic amenities, the one thing that stood out to the ghost hunters was the entity sitting in the middle of the multicolor, tiled flooring.
The final elevator button, marked with a bold '15'.
"There it is!" Peach delightfully pointed. "Let's go grab-"
"Whoa, hold on, bestie," Daisy stopped her before she ran up. "I've seen something like this before."
"What do you mean?"
"Luigi, remember we entered the Atrium down in the Garden Suites?"
"Uh-huh..."
"The elevator button was just simply... there, right in front of our eyes without any notable obstacles or ghosts. Then all of a sudden, a haunted watering can appeared and caused that vicious flytrap to snag the button away from us."
"Don't remind me," Luigi groaned, remembering how Petunia left some bite marks on his glove. "Dr. Potter definitely made us trek all the way up the Atrium only for us to fall back down and duel him with the Three Sisters."
"Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm getting serious déjà vu vibes."
"And here I thought you weren't the cautious type," Peach commented.
"Listen, I may be daring, but I'm not stupid. This has to be easy bait for us."
Seconds later, the floor elevated with a loud sound effect, causing the humans and Colombo to jump. Polterkitty had a feeling this was going to occur, so she didn't react in the slightest. A small staircase was provided for the heroes to head up onto the platform.
"See? This couldn't have happened unless it was on purpose. It has to be!"
"Either way, there's definitely going to be at least one ghost lurking to spook us. The Boo is still on the loose, too," reminded Luigi.
"Arf!" Colombo was the first to climb the steps. He got closer to the button and was about to snag it with his mouth. To everyone's surprise, he let out a muffled bark, showing that he grabbed it with ease.
"Hey, that was easier than expected!" Peach smiled.
"Good boy! Come here, Colombo!" Luigi patted his knees.
The Polterpup woofed once more until something unexpected happened. On the stage, the loudspeakers roared with an ultrasonic boom, forcing the heroes to cover their ears. The brash vibrations caught Colombo off guard as he accidentally let go of the button. He was even sent flying forward off the platform. Luigi somehow managed to hear a whine through the cacophony. Eyeing his pet in midair, he hastily ran forward to save him from his fall. All for the price of nearly going deaf from the constant blare.
"OW! I can still hear the blast!" Daisy complained out loud.
Likewise, Peach was just as irritated as her eyes were squeezed shut. "Someone turn it down!"
Luigi gently placed the dog down before tuning out his ears. Poor Colombo and Polterkitty were unable to block the noise, causing them to shudder. By then, the blast dissipated but was replaced by some bass-boosted music playing through the speakers. The plumber opened one eye and noticed a red, poofy afro emerging behind a DJ stand. Soon, the Boss Ghost of the fourteenth floor showed herself to the public, the hair concealing her eyes.
She was sporting a strapless, red dress top with a purple skirt, purple earrings, blue bracelets, and a pair of headphones worn around her neck. While playing with her spinning records on the table, she turned on a microphone and started a speech.
"Oh yeah! Get down, get movin', bust a dance and keep groovin'! How are y'all doing on this fine, retro night?!" the DJ shouted enthusiastically.
Some artificial cheers played out loud accompanied by the sound of fake applause. At least the music wasn't as deafening as the shockwave.
"That's what I'm talking about, baby! Mmm, give it to 'em good!" She performed a fun jig before introducing herself. "Ayo, it's your favorite jockey in the universe, the one and only DJ Phantasmagloria!"
"Phantom who?" Luigi raised an eyebrow.
"Only when I'm offstage, you can just call me Gloria. But even if you say it here, it doesn't matter as long as you get down and shake your tail feathers! We about to rock this place up, you feel me?!"
"All I feel is uncomfortable if I'll be honest," Peach whispered.
"Let's get this show started with our special dancing guests: the Boo-Hoodies!"
"Did I just hear her correctly?" asked Luigi.
"Yeah, I know. Who names their crew after a wailing cry?" Daisy crossed her arms.
"Not that, Daisy!"
"Mrow!" Polterkitty looked up at the stage. The gang was so distracted that they didn't notice Boosician returning in front of their eyes. He was now suited up in a red hoodie, taking charge of the dance group as seven more hooded figures appeared on the platform. Boosician swiped the elevator button before anyone moved a muscle.
"Reeheehee! Very kind of you to make it here! Now watch us not only show off our moves, but we're gonna wipe the dance floor all over you!"
"Uh-huh, that's what I'm talking about!" Gloria smirked as she continued the beat. "C'mon, audience! Let me hear some noise from y'all!"
After another round of audible cheers, Boosician shuffled backward and hid his face within the red hoodie. Cackling at the heroes, he teased, "Come and try to snag this from me without getting dizzy! I bet your eyes can't detect me!"
The other dancers performed a dab while the Boo kept grooving to DJ Phantasmagloria's tunes.
"Hey, Luigi, isn't that the move you performed after you deployed a sentry when we teamed up with the Rabbids?" questioned Peach.
"You did what now?" Daisy couldn't help but snort at him.
"It was a one-time thing that I tried, and I stopped doing it, I swear!" Luigi's cheeks flushed red again. He wasn't as embarrassed compared to whenever Daisy complimented his muscles or physique, but he also wasn't proud of his confession. He had dabbed a few times – no less than ten, to be precise.
"Okay, whatever you say," Daisy sang.
"Bark! Bark!" Colombo wanted the humans to refocus on the main issue. Polterkitty was also getting a little restless.
"Sorry! Come on, guys, we have to find the Boo!" urged Peach.
The hoodie-wearing ghosts disappeared for a few seconds before re-emerging in an aligned formation. Any one of them could be Boosician who is holding onto the elevator button. Even with his body shape, it was difficult to discern which dancer was the Boo.
Out of nowhere, the princesses heard some shuffling right near them. It was accompanied by the sound of some fingers snapping. Once they peered over to their right, they gawked in shock to see Luigi dancing to the tempo.
"Luigi, what's going on?" Daisy was amazed, amused, and bewildered all at once.
"I don't know! But at least I'm not dabbing!"
Something struck a nerve, or rather a groove, in the green plumber. He couldn't stop dancing for some odd reason, whether when he's moving forward, backward, or to the side. Even when he's not walking, Luigi kept dancing! Peach and Daisy couldn't tell if they were the odd ones out since they were unaffected by Phantasmagloria's music.
Nevertheless, they headed up on stage with a dancing Luigi in tow. A familiar tune played through the speakers as Peach and Daisy started searching for the Boo. Just when they were about to take off someone's hood or use their Poltergust, the dancers denied them by shuffling across the stage or vanishing within several feet. Colombo tried tugging on the pant leg of one ghost, but he had little to no success in stopping the crew member. Polterkitty also failed to pause the performers, completely undeterred by her claws.
"I must say, this DJ really knows how to get funky!" E. Gadd spoke through the Virtual Boo.
"Honestly, I don't know if I should be worried, or if I want to dance along," said Yellow Toad.
"It's gonna be impossible to tell where the Boo is!" complained Red.
"Oh, you think?" Luigi rolled his eyes as he continuously capered.
"Wait, doesn't your vacuum have the Burst function? Can you spray some air to reveal the ghost's identity?" suggested Blue.
Despite him repeatedly snapping his fingers, he realized his idea was smart. "Yeah, you're right! Let me stop this dance!"
"Can you at least stop your tapping shoes?" Daisy couldn't keep her eyes off them.
"I seriously don't know why I have no control over my feet! Hopefully, I can burst momentarily so I'm not chained to the rhythm!"
The problem was that he had trouble reaching the triggers to activate his Burst mechanic since he was clutching the flashlight in his right hand and snapping his fingers with the left. Trying to break from his ridiculous jig, he was able to blow out a huge blast of air, frightening a parcel of the breakdancers. A few ghosts were revealed from their hoodies: a Goob, a Greenie, and a Hider. Unfortunately, Luigi struck out finding the Boo in his first attempt. But to make his search less complicated, Daisy and Peach flashed their Strobulbs at their exposed heads. Colombo also snagged their sweatpants, baring their tails as well.
"If we get rid of these guys, this should narrow down our suspects to find the Boo!" Daisy smirked as she turned on the suction power. She was lucky to snag the Greenie and Hider, proceeding to heave over her head and slam them onto the platform.
"I got the other!" Peach pulled the hose towards her body. The Goob failed to escape the 3000 as he got smushed a few times before heading inside.
Five dancers remained on the dance floor. But when Luigi used his Burst a second time, he only unveiled a turquoise Grabbing Ghost and an Oozer. Cackling at his failure, Boosician took off his own hoodie as he was on the opposite side of the stage.
"Reeheehee! Idiot! If your eyes are having trouble detecting me, then you better get them checked out! DJ! Run it back!" he commanded before disappearing.
"You got it, sir!" Gloria nodded. "Fair warning to y'all, these speakers are gonna shake up your vibes!"
"What does that supposed to-"
Daisy got cut off as the Boss Ghost twirled her finger in the air and pressed a button on her stand. Another reverberating blast blew out of the speakers, causing the heroes to cringe and groan from the vibrations. Even Luigi stopped dancing temporarily to cover his ears, yet his fingers and feet returned to being in sync.
"Oh no!" Peach realized what transpired in front of her eyes. "The ghosts are back!"
The eight-man crew was indeed dancing again as if nothing changed. This was going to be a long game of keep-away if the heroes can't pinpoint Boosician.
"I don't know where to start!" Luigi complained.
"Arf! Arf!" Colombo tried to toy with one of the hoodies, but he was unlucky to reveal a Purple Puncher. The dog yipped out of surprise, evading a purple fist to the face.
"You might as well get near some dancers and use your Burst, Luigi," E. Gadd advised. "Although no one can figure out where the Boo is hiding, your best bet is to take your shot and hope you're lucky!"
"Oh, great," the man in green rolled his eyes. He had zero faith in his fortune. Usually, he always ended with a negative outcome. He approached the bottom-right portion of the Boo-Hoodies and stunned them with the Burst. Yet he remained unsuccessful as he uncovered a Ghost Guy and a Bowling Ghost. There was his bad luck again. Adding insult to injury, the latter hurled an explosive right at Luigi. The plumber had to slide with his feet, narrowing the residual boom.
"I thought this was a dancing event, not a Bob-omb minigame!" Daisy exclaimed.
"Hey, anything can happen on the disco floor, sweetie!" the disc jockey chuckled before mimicking the sounds of her records.
"Try tackling the ones on this side, Luigi," directed Peach.
He nodded as he tapped his way to the left. Another Burst blew off a pair of hoodies, except he finally revealed Boosician. Phantasmagloria was so distracted that she accidentally scratched her vinyl.
"YEEK! My cover is blown! And I'm not talking about a music cover!"
"I got him!" The pink princess snagged his tongue and repeated the same procedure of rapidly smashing the sneaky ghoul against the floor. Gold coins sputtered all over the platform. None of the Boo-Hoodies were aware as they kept on going with their moves, but several of the performers slipped and fell.
"Luigi! Let's take care of these buffoons while Peach is busy with Boosician!"
"Right!"
Both Daisy and Luigi managed to suck up two tails in their vacuums. The orange princess slammed the Ghost Guy and Bowling Ghost from before while the latter defeated the Oozer and Goob. Throughout their fight, the rockin' DJ played around with her sound effects to coincide with the ghostbusting.
"Come on... Oh!" Peach squealed as the white ghost squirmed in his outfit.
"Urgh! You haven't made it to the second half of our routine! Hit it, boys!" Boosician rejoined the remainder of the Boo-Hoodies. There were only four left, including himself, as they flipped upside-down on their heads. The trio began whirling around with a spin attack, prompting the animals and ghost hunters to avoid them. Once they finished, they transitioned by doing the worm, flopping their stomachs against the platform before rippling their bodies in a wavy pattern.
"Mrow!" Polterkitty indicated that all three dancers were close to each other.
"Thanks, kitty!" Luigi got the message and used a Burst to reveal the final set of apparitions. Boosician was unveiled a second time before he got his tongue pulled by the Poltergust G-00.
Gloria was not pleased with the Boo-Hoodies who were unable to escape their vacuum power. "You can't stop the disco now! Keep going!"
"YACK! I... WON'T... STOP... SHUFFLING!"
Luigi disregarded him and smacked him recurrently until he was officially trapped. Daisy and Peach took care of the Greenie, Hider, and Grabbing Ghost as they wiped the dance floor clean. But when the man's Poltergust G-00 trembled violently, the ultimate elevator button launched into the air. Its trajectory was a straight shot at DJ Phantasmagloria who managed to catch it, despite her lack of view through her puffy afro. Stuffing it in her skirt, the Boss lifted her hair, displaying her yellow, incensed eyes.
"Hmph... You dare to interrupt the greatest act to ever perform on my beloved, hip-hopping, movin' and groovin' dance floor? Either you got some backbone to outdance my special guests, or you have no soul and taste when it comes to my fresh beats! Considering you made it this far, I know for sure that you had to have taken down Amadeus Wolfgeist and his classical, killer piano. I'm not a possessor myself, but I will rock you all so hard that you're going to be hearing my music from fifty feet beneath the ground!"
"Wait, listen! We don't mean to be a disturbance!" Peach defended.
"What are you talking about? Of course we're being a disturbance! We're basically a group of old hags telling the annoying teenagers to turn their loud music down!" Daisy scoffed.
"Mrow..." Polterkitty wasn't a fan of her analogy. The feline shuddered behind the tomboy's legs as she watched Gloria strut her stuff and pull two records out of nowhere. She could tell the DJ was seething to break a leg. Literally.
"So you're going to mock me and my love for disco, brat doll? Fine! I'd rather aim for your thick skull first before I even tackle the one Hellen and King Boo are after!"
Like hell Luigi was going to let Daisy get severely injured. He already saved her from being speared by flying arrows in the medieval castle, and he was thankful she wasn't on the receiving end of the Boilerworks brawl. Phantasmagloria spun her entire body with her arms sticking out. The second her vinyl records got close to the princess, he hurried over and used his Burst.
"EEEEK!" the Boss Ghost squealed. Her afro was knocked off, revealing her actual hair – short, black, and nowhere near puffy.
"That's her real hairdo? How embarrassed do you have to be to sport a wig?"
"Forget about it, Daisy! Let me handle this!" Luigi snarled as he released a strobe of light at the DJ.
"No! My hair!" Gloria couldn't grab it in time as her tail got sucked into the G-00's hose. She yelped every time her body got slammed onto the colored tiles. When she got the chance to flee, her face was redder than her fake hair. "Grr... You're going to PAY for that!"
She instantly vanished before re-emerging with another poofy wig. Her next move was throwing a trio of records that were red-hot and sharp.
"Bark!"
"Mrow!"
Colombo and Polterkitty barely dodged them in time, but they continued spinning towards the princesses.
"This way, Daisy!"
"Screw that, I'm running the other way!"
Gloria was acting restless yet relentless. Constantly appearing from one part of the stage to another, she kept throwing her records in an attempt to distract her foes while doing dance poses. Luigi made sure he wasn't going to forget the purpose of his Burst as he managed to destroy the vinyl with the wind blasts. But the DJ refused to directly engage in an attack unless she spun around like the blades of a helicopter.
As the plumber was getting tired of chasing her across the platform, Polterkitty thought of something devious. When Phantasmagloria focused on the humans, she crept from behind and waited to lunge. Once she threw another set of records, the cat jumped high and snagged the wig off her head.
"Wha- AAAHHHH! Who took my-" She paused when she spotted Polterkitty spitting the wig off the stage before staring back at her. Ironically, she was expressing the same, sinister look when she purloined the elevator button in the Garden Suites.
How the tables have turned.
"You!" Gloria hissed, desiring to get revenge on Hellen's pet. But Daisy beat her to the punch, flashing a strong light at her eyes. "OW!"
"If you're going to try to harm an animal, you must be one messed-up disc jockey with a terrible buzzcut. Eat this, wannabe!"
"Ack! Get off of me!" Phantasmagloria demanded, but she was simply ignored as Daisy hurled the woman over her head multiple times before crashing into the ground. "Can I at least get my wig back?!"
"Girl, you should just flaunt whatever you got. Who cares about your hairstyle if it's short or not to your liking?"
The ghost was somewhat appalled by her questioning. As Gloria avoided getting sucked in, she recuperated herself before disappearing once more. With another afro shielding her black hair, she simply stared down at the heroes from the front of her DJ stand.
"You hippies may not realize it, but I had to deal with a severe hair loss condition! And without sugarcoating it, I was diagnosed with cancer! Because you had to blow my top off, you've done nothing but humiliate me and my reputation! Wouldn't you wear a wig if you were mostly bald?"
Everyone was stunned by the revelation of the DJ's past history. A nerve definitely struck Luigi inside as well.
"Honestly, no, I wouldn't," Daisy replied to her question.
"Neither would I. As much as I hate to imagine such a thing, I'd rather take pride in it and maintain my duties as a princess," confessed Peach.
"I'd wear my beloved hat, but I wouldn't be embarrassed dealing with hair loss either," mumbled Luigi.
"Pfft. Are all of you saying that just to make me feel better? Because it didn't work! What's your reasoning for ruining my disco party?!"
"We're really sorry, Gloria, but we were trying to claim the final elevator button so we can confront Hellen," the pink princess explained.
"And believe me when I say this, but there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to your appearance, interests, or traits," Luigi told her. "To be frank, I know a relative of my family tree who dealt with the same issue. He was fighting a severe case of cancer and underwent some procedures that made him go bald. While he hated how he looked, he always wore wigs or hats to hide it, mostly the latter since he collects them. But everyone in my family never made fun of his condition. They supported him throughout his life, giving him as much treatment to make him feel loved. Ultimately, he didn't survive for much longer. I never really knew him since he passed away when I was just a toddler. But his love for hats is part of the reason why I wear one to this day. For you though, if wearing a wig makes you more comfortable in public, then you should do so. But you can still embrace yourself without it as long as you continue doing what you love best. Who cares if people think you look horrible with short hair? They're just ignorant to understand the reason behind it. Don't let them tell you otherwise."
Phantasmagloria remained floating in place as she took in the plumber's words. She still couldn't tell if he was lying to act sympathetic or if he was bringing up a real situation. But by judging the earnest look in his blue eyes, the DJ was starting to believe him. If he explained all of that from the bottom of his heart, his advice helped her understand what was truly important to her. Music over hair.
"You really think my wig isn't excessive or weird-looking?"
"Gloria, look at my nose. It's abnormally huger than most people's noses. Sure, it's genetics that makes me the person I am, but I've gotten used to it. Daisy and Peach don't care if my brother and I were born this way. There are things that we can be insecure about, but we always find a way around it. You can do the same thing with a hint of self-confidence."
"Wow. I'll be honest, most of the ghosts who I met at this hotel thought my hair was odd. After I told them about my condition, they at least sympathized with me. The only one who put a dent in me was Hellen Gravely. She thought it looked gross! When I tried to show off with my enormous afro, she called it excessive and clown-like! And that's coming from a hotheaded ghost with a bee-hive hairstyle! I never made fun of her hair whatsoever. In fact, I loved it when I first met her! Yet she acted tacky towards me all while convincing me to maintain a special dance club by myself. I mean, I love everything about this floor! I can make my own music and share it with many others. I always wanted to host a dance party like this. But at the same time, Hellen gets on my nerves whenever she brings up my hair predicament."
The more she heard Gloria talk about her owner, the more tense Polterkitty became. She couldn't believe how unkind she had been towards the DJ that she wondered how she managed to persuade the other Bosses to guard the elevator buttons from Luigi. It culminated to the point where Polterkitty was fully aware of how deceitful and rude of a ghost she was. She was the uncanny embodiment of a soul who was dead on the inside and didn't possess a heart. The cat suddenly felt bad for snatching her afro not too long ago. Phantasmagloria's behavior was nowhere close to the hotel owner.
"That's totally impolite of her!" Peach gasped. "She mocked you?"
Gloria nodded silently, grasping her left elbow while glancing at the floor. "I just wanted to feel a little appreciated for who I am."
"Well, whenever your music isn't deafening, it's very catchy to listen to. Plus, I do like your outfit. The red tank top matches the wig," Daisy complimented.
"Oh yeah? I'm a big fan of this attire. I wear this a lot whenever I play my music or get funky, you know?"
"If you know how to breakdance, I would definitely pay money to see you compete against Luigi. He likes to show off whenever he wins a gold medal!"
"Daisy..." Luigi's cheeks flushed.
"Is that so? If you don't mind, can you show me?"
"Arf! Arf!" Colombo enticed his owner.
"Okay, okay! One second. I need some room." The mustached man proceeded to rotate his body around while balancing his hand on the ground. With his flexibility, he continued rolling around without stopping. His pose reverted to balancing himself on a hand while his legs flew high up into the air. Luigi finally pushed himself off before landing successfully, pumping his fist with emotion.
"Amazing!" Phantasmagloria applauded. "I would gladly recruit you to be a special dancer at my mix parties!"
"Thanks, that does sound nice," the ghost hunter chuckled. "But I have a more important task to handle right now. I need to save my brother from Hellen and King Boo."
"Which is why you were seeking the last elevator button, correct?" Gloria asked, who then received a plethora of nods from the heroes. "Tell you what. I apologize for acting all haywire recently. You're more respectful to me, unlike the wretched Hellen. I wouldn't mind you pop stars getting a little revenge on her. I like to imagine there's some kind of demonic pimple trapped underneath her blue hair that's causing her to be all obsessive."
"Okay... A little graphic and strange, but I probably wouldn't be surprised if that was the case," Daisy shrugged.
Phantasmagloria dug into her purple skirt and showed off the '15' button in her hands. Tossing it to the plumber, the DJ made one final request. "Give Hellen the ol' disco fever for me, would ya?"
"We'll try, but we can't say that we'll succeed."
"No, Peach. We will. Anything to get Mario back," Luigi narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, you're right. What am I saying? We'll make sure Hellen gets a valuable lesson taught to her!"
"You said it, bestie!" Daisy smirked.
"Bark!"
"Meow!"
"You've caught the other members as well, I assume. I'll happily join them. At least they don't mind about my hair, wig or no wig."
"Thanks, DJ. Hold on tight!" Luigi pulled back on the suction power to guide Gloria inside. She pulled off a few disco poses before waving goodbye at the ghostbusters. The plumber felt so accomplished that he mimicked the same move as her while holding up the final elevator button. "Groovy!"
"Yes! We did it! Now we can access the top-most level of this dreaded resort!"
"Hold your horses, Daisy!" E. Gadd pushed himself into the conversation. "I think it's safe to say you all did a splendid job making it this far into your ghost-hunting journey. You fellers sure went through some interesting boss encounters."
"Yeah. In fact, it's a little relieving how Johnny and Gloria were nice to hand us the buttons on their own," Peach replied gratefully.
"Nevertheless, you've made so much progress that you haven't stopped for a break yet. If I could make a proposition, head on down to the lab and deposit those new ghosts you've captured. Plus, I bet Madame Clairvoya and Morty would enjoy another visit from you all."
"You know what? I'm not opposed to hearing more background from the ghosts," said Daisy. "It'll definitely be a nice refresher to recoup before we reach the penthouse."
"Then it's settled! Secure the last button, Luigi. And I'll see you all here soon!" E. Gadd clapped before signing off.
"Okey-dokey then. Sixteen floors have been cleared. Only one more to go. Mario, please wait a little longer. I'll be there for you soon," Luigi prayed.
~15F – Master Suite
She didn't dare to say a word. She didn't bother to release her rage. She didn't have the gall to repeatedly label her cat as a traitor, even though she considered her one long ago.
All Hellen Gravely did was remain silent in her chair, filing her nails and observing the televisions with the dullest expression on her face. Puckering her lips like she sucked the juice out of a lemon, the hotel owner swiveled her chair around as she refaced her desk.
The vindictive words of King Boo's threat gave her a slight chill that roamed deep in her chest. She didn't want to openly admit it, but her sworn promise was starting to look bleaker than ever. Hellen knew Luigi and his friends were coming for her. At this rate, everything about her alliance was doomed to be broken off. However, she convinced herself that it wasn't entirely over. Glancing across her vault, her yellow eyes were directed at the awestruck plumber in red. Sitting up from her seat, the purple ghoul floated her way to the painting before picking it up with her hands.
"He may be close to saving you, but he still has a long way to go. Whether or not you get to see me vanquish him for my benefit, you really don't have much of a choice. In fact, it's pretty clear what kind of scenario you're trapped in right now. You're the bait, and I'm the fisherman... as I wait to reel in a soon-to-be-dead cod."
END OF CHAPTER
I honestly made up another backstory so Luigi could somewhat relate to Gloria's problem. I really thought she seemed like a cool ghost for whipping out some tunes, and she's got a soft side in her when she's not throwing her discs of fury. Nevertheless, the DJ accepted to be trapped in Luigi's Poltergust for the price of trusting the heroes. Plus, I was kinda surprised how small this level was.
Several differences were displayed here, including the fact I used Boosician as a part of the boss fight. With another down, Luigi and friends only have one more Boo to track: King Boo. Plus, they have an overdue invitation to meet with Hellen since the day they arrived at her hotel. But not before we have one last meetup with Clairvoya and Morty! More ghost lore is coming soon!
Thank you all once more for reading, reviewing, and especially waiting for me to post another update. I hope to see you all soon for the final analysis! This is TGN, signing off.