Author Notes - This is a chapter I have been waiting for. Let's go!

Some necessary disclaimers I think I should have by now - I did not rip anyone off, and unless you have sufficient evidence I don't want you accusing anyone else of ripping me off. Whether it be TheGameNguyener, Crystal Rose of Pollux, or anyone else writing a Luigi's Mansion 3 story. Inspiration may be taken (I wholeheartedly admit to taking inspiration from the aforementioned writers myself), and I require multiple cases of suspicious similarities before I start accusing people. Mostly because I was tempted to accuse TGN over something that I don't care about anymore (read: don't go after him, please).

I am saying this as I am worried about unintentional idea overlap. TGN started before me but since I have no life and thus far more free time I am updating much quicker (not to say I'm better than him; it's just a fact... god, that sounds so gloaty), and I have already found that we - by accident - ended up having similar ideas. King MacFrights speaking in 'Ye Olde English' is a stellar example of this. Let it be known that, as far as I am aware at least, moments like this are purely coincidental.

Now, if I feel like I am getting ripped-off, I'll be the one to decide that. Of course, it might be the case that no one gives a crap and this entire rant meant nothing. Either way!

No new favourites/follows to mention since this chapter was posted immediately after the last one.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - THROW THE CAT A BONE

Charles had stalled out this meeting long enough.

'Hellen Gravely,' He said with total seriousness. 'As someone who has been here since the very beginning, I suggest you call off the plan.'

'You. Suggest. WHAT?!'

Hellen Gravely slammed her hands into her desk hard enough to leave a noticeable impact. Polterkitty jolted awake from her nap with a shriek. It scared the ever loving sunshine out of Charles, but you wouldn't have been able to tell by his stoic expression.

'Your plan is falling apart at the seams. Luigi has made it to the ninth floor, and he's captured practically every ghost he's seen. Not to mention the might that princess has. Admit defeat, Hellen, and he might just spare you.'

Hellen gritted her teeth, her entire body beginning to glow an eerie red. Charles backed away, well aware of what this could potentially lead to.

'We can't give up!' She boomed. 'Not when everything fell perfectly into place. Every plan before now has been an absolute success!'

'And yet, the one that's actually important - the one that'll win your 'boyfriend' over - is crumbling away.'

Already, Charles regretted responding in such a snarky way. The regret was not unfounded, as Hellen screamed the loudest she had that night. She grabbed him by the neck and dragged him so close, their faces nearly touched. His stoic façade disappeared as he was up close and personal with Hellen and her soul-breaking death glare.

'Charlie!' Sam cried from just outside the office.

Hellen grasped Charles's neck tighter, tight enough that it would kill any mortal.

'Listen to me, Charles! Who's fault is it that my plans are failing? NOT. MINE! If you workers had it together, I would have Luigi by now. King Boo would finally be mine forever, and you and the others would be swimming in riches!'

Charles held back a scoff. The very idea of her paying them anything worthwhile would be funny if it weren't so painful.

'I had everything planned out perfectly for you imbeciles to follow! Even a brain-dead Goomba could've done it. It's all your fault! HOW WILL KING BOO EVER LOVE ME NOW?!'

She breathed heavily, and shoved him away. To keep her anger in check before it happened, she lathered on her make-up even more heavily than usual.

'Hellen,' Charles said. 'I am telling you this for your own good.' He left out the part where her capture would only be beneficial to him and his family. 'Luigi is stronger than you think. He stood up to an angry Amadeus. No other mortal could even hope to live through that.'

'Then clearly, Amadeus was holding back. Like he always does! Failures, the LOT OF THEM!' She sighed. 'If only my plan didn't rely on them...' Her glare snapped to Charles. 'What are you still doing here? GET OUT!'

Charles did just that, backing out while keeping his eye on her in case she chucked something his way.

'Leaving. Leaving. And... left.'

He drifted through the entrance and slipped through the wall to his right. There, he saw his wife waiting for him. And she seemed more than a little worried.

'She's still dedicated to this?' She said. 'I just... what?' She paused. 'Where's our boy? Tell me he's safe.'

'I haven't seen Lou in a while. Last time I saw him, that little Hammer was watching Luigi in the delusion idiot's castle.'

'When the Green Kid was in the-? That was hours ago! Our little boy could be in danger!'

'The only thing Lou needs to fear is our 'wonderful' boss finding him.'

Meanwhile, Hellen Gravely felt so mad she had to bring it out on something. Anything. She grabbed the first thing she saw - her mirror, one of many - and with another shriek tossed it at the wall.

'MIAOW!'

It narrowly missed Polterkitty as it slammed into the wall, its broken glass scattering. The cat jumped to her paws, her fur standing on end and her eyes wide open.

'Look at what you made me do!' Hellen yelled.

Polterkitty hung her head in shame. No doubt Master's fit of anger was caused by her failing Master the first time.

'I'm sorry, darling.' Hellen said, with feigned remorse. 'But if you want to make up for that, you'll need to bring Luigi to me. Directly.'

'... Meow?'

And she found grabbing the button to be cruel enough. With how nice and timid Green Man was, it made her question if he was really the one Master wanted.

'But be careful, my sweet Polterkitty. That man has captured many of our friends. Even Amadeus, when he was just trying to defend his daughter!'

Polterkitty looked at her doubtfully. Their 'friends', huh? Right after insulting them no less. Still, she felt grief in her heart for all the friends they'd lost.

'Don't trust that man! Bring him back no matter the cost and present him to me! It will make up for all your mistakes in the past.'

That was all the motivation that Polterkitty needed. What an opportunity. If she brought back Green Man, then Master would finally forget King Boo and pay attention to her again!


When the elevator arrived for floor number nine and opened up, our heroes noticed something right off the bat: the floor was completely silent. The last few floors weren't exactly loud themselves, but they were a full classroom compared to the utter void of this museum.

Polterpup stepped out the elevator cart first, sniffing around intently. To his surprise, he picked up practically nothing paranormal. But he did love that smell of bones, which was absolutely everywhere. Luigi looked up in awe. In the little alcove the elevator opened to, a pterodactyl skeleton hung above them. Though it lacked everything but the bone, it still looked ready to kill. With how quiet everything was, there was a good chance it'd come to life and attack him.

'Oh, a dinosaur exhibit huh?' Daisy said, stepping out and admiring the place. 'Gonna compare the skeletons to Pokémon again?'

'Uh, maybe?'

'Good. It's really cute when you do that.'

Aside from the unsettling silence as opposed to bustling people, the place seemed to be no different from a regular old museum. Still out of place for a hotel, but whatever. Directly in front of them was a little reception desk, with a little toy dinosaur resting on it and no one at all sitting on the chair. Like the hotel tracker suggested, it split up into two pathways that connected on the other side of the elevator, making the hallways a square.

Daisy walked down the hallway to her right. Not wanting to be alone, Luigi went right too. Three gigantic bones were hung up again the wall next to the alcove, and in the corner stood a glass case. It contained a pearl and a purple dinosaur-foot-shaped gem. To Luigi's disappointment, neither item had any information to read. Still, he stared intensely at that shiny purple gem. It reminded him of those gems he collected in the Gloomy Manor, thanks to its hue. The pearl was a lot like those the portrait ghosts from the first mansion dropped, and it looked like a big one.

Daisy waltzed through the hallway, marvelling at the prehistoric plants that decorated the walls even thought they looked incredibly fake. At least the complete velociraptor fossil, encased in a slab of solid rock, seemed legit. Unlike the glass case, this one had information.

'Velociraptor.' She read out loud, in case Luigi wanted to know. 'A small but fast - up to 64 kilometres or 40 miles per hour - dinosaur that attacked in herds.'

Polterpup would marvel at the fossil with her, but he was too busy drooling over the huge bone that took up the entire left wall of the hallway. Apparently, according to its information, it was once part of some sort of epic Blaarg.

'Oh, I don't care if it's made of rock. It looks yummy as heck!'

Luigi wanted to listen to Daisy reading out random dinosaur facts, but he simply couldn't focus on her. Something other than her voice filled the silent void - rustling leaves, coming from the other path.

He left the gem behind, and walked to the other side of the elevator hall. He went past the three fossilised eggs in a big rock - one of them seemed to be missing - and past another glass case that contained what it claimed to be an ancient Yoshi egg. The hallway on this side of the room had been taken over by those plastic plants, to the point where it resembled a fake jungle. Only the floor was free of the decorative flora. The leaves were almost completely still, except for some very slight rustling.

With how lifeless, even more so than usual, the entire floor was, he couldn't imagine anything - life or afterlife - lurking around.

'Hey Luigi, look at-! Luigi? Where are ya?'

A horrible chill went through every vein. An eerie vibe emanated from the plants above, one he could recognise. He stepped through the overgrown hallway slowly, keeping his flashlight pointed at the ceiling. As he began to approach the giant (and slightly horrifying) triceratops skull at the end, he began to once again doubt his instinct. There was nothing awaiting him in those plants. Surely, if there was, it'd already come out by now. Right?

Something fell to the ground behind him.

'AHH!'

He jumped around, every nerve locking up. Now he knew why the vibe felt so familiar.

'RRAAARRRRR!'

'Luigi!'

As the beast before him bared her long, knife-like teeth, he muttered the name of this familiar creature.

'Polterkitty...'

She had not come in her sweet little kitty form though. Oh no. She had gone straight for her hulked up panther form instead. All three tails were back, and she was no less bulky than last time. Nor any less angry. And unlike her last encounter, she was going straight for the kill.

Luigi had been thinking about that spectral kitty ever since he first encountered her. And here she was, yet again. Right in front of him. He knew he wanted to do something, but what? What could he do to accomplish his goal?

'Polterkitty?'

Daisy arrived on scene, skidding on the floor just behind him. The moment her eyes lay upon the ghostly cat, they filled with rage and narrowed.

'You!' She yelled, pointing an accusatory finger. 'I had hoped we were done with you. But I guess making things worse for us and forcing my Luigi to play bait just wasn't good enough for ya, huh?'

Polterkitty, remaining stationary, looked at her and growled.

'Coming from the lady who ripped my tails off!'

Luigi's eyes widened. That voice came from the kitty. Of course, the universal translator! If it could translate Polterpup barking, why not Panthergeist growling?

Wait, he could understand her. He could understand her. He took a single step closer. Polterkitty bowed her head and hissed.

'Get away from me!'

He went as still as a statue. Now he could truly see the real emotion in her eyes. Not anger. Not disgust. Not malice. Just fear.

'Daisy!' He cried. 'She's just scared!'

She looked at him like he was insane. 'Um, excuse me? You call trying to rip you to shreds being scared? You sure about that?'

'I'm certain Daisy!'

Polterpup growled at the Panthergeist, staying by his owner's side. The moment Polterkitty leapt out, he would immolate her. She hissed at him, but didn't take a single step forward.

Daisy groaned. 'I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Sometimes, you're too innocent for your own good. She's Hellen Gravely's pet, remember?'

'But why does that make her evil? Why can't you trust her?'

'She's given me no reason to trust her! She tried to kill me!'

'Because you attacked her first!'

Daisy stopped bothering with trying to win and just rubbed her temples. It seemed Mario's stubbornness had rubbed off on him.

'You know what? Fine.' She said. 'Try to redeem her or something.'

Luigi didn't like her tone, but still took the grant of permission. Holding onto his flashlight for the worst case scenario, he approached the hissing panther with care.

'Hi there, Polterkitty.' He said in a calm voice.

The fur on Polterkitty's back stood up. She lifted her paw and extended her claws further.

'Make this easy, Green Man!' She said, not expecting him to understand her. 'I have to deliver you to Master!'

'But why?'

Polterkitty stared at him in shock. 'Wait... you can understand me?'

'Not on my own, but I have this electronic... thing. That's not the point. Why do you-?'

'It's what Master wants. And Master gets what Master wants!'

Luigi frowned. If it wasn't clear enough to him already that she wasn't doing this on her own will, then it certainly was now. That Hellen Gravely... what else does she force this kitty to do? He stepped closer, not noticing her muscles getting more tense. Daisy was two seconds away from pounding her into ectoplasm, only fighting the urge for Luigi's sake.

'It's okay, Polterkitty. You don't need to do this. If Ms Gravely makes you do things you don't wanna do, then I can-'

'LIES! Only Master would love someone like me!'

The words made Luigi heart sink. What was that hotel owner telling her?

'And if I don't bring you to Master...' She winced. 'Master might punish me!'

'What?!'

Luigi had yelled that much louder than he usually would, but it was the only way to release all that concentrated anger.

Daisy could only follow one half of the conversation, leaving the other half mostly a mystery. Judging by Polterpup's sad eyes and drooping tail though, it wasn't any happier on the kitty's side either. If as that justified anything.

'If Ms Gravely is willing to do that to her own pet,' Luigi said. 'Why are you still with her?

'It's my fault if I mess up. Master just gives me what I deserve!'

Luigi clenched his bare fist. How badly he wanted to tell her how demonstrably untrue and destructive that line of thinking was, but he knew changing a point-of-view like that took much more time than he had.

'Don't worry.' Polterkitty continued with a shaky voice. 'Master never hits me.'

'That doesn't make it okay!' Luigi cried.

'How would you know? Orange Lady slapped you! I can see the mark on your cheek. Master would never hit me like that!'

Luigi narrowed his eyes. Conflating a one-time instinctive act with constant power and control? How could she...? No. It was not Polterkitty's fault. None of this was her fault. With a sigh, he came to the conclusion that words simply weren't going to cut it.

'I gave you the chance for a conversation.' Daisy said. 'Now it's time I grab that cat and-!'

'No! I can't give up now!'

She sighed. 'It isn't worth it. Diplomacy never worked before, so why would it work now?'

Luigi didn't have an answer. Ignoring her - as much as it pained him to do it - he walked towards Polterkitty one step at a time.

'Luigi? Luigi! What are you doing?!'

'I have to try.'

He reached his arm out, intending to get close to her head, no matter how dangerous it sounded. As he approached her, the glare and energy she gave off got more and more angry.

'Stop trying, Green Man! I am loyal to Master, and nothing you can do will change that!'

Luigi almost gave up. Was he wrong? He made his intentions clear, didn't he? Why would Polterkitty still want to hurt him? Then he noticed where she was looking: not at him, but the flashlight in his hand. Of course! She was scared of the Poltergust, not Luigi himself!

'Wait, Polterkitty! I'm not going to-'

He was so caught up in this new revelation that he didn't notice the Panthergeist lifting up her paw to strike him down.

'LUIGI, LOOK OUT!'

Daisy shoved him out of the way, not caring one bit for her own safety. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing, but she felt two long scythes drag through her chest and not let go until they cut all the way through.

'AAHHH!'

The impact sent Daisy tumbling backwards to the floor. She struggled to breathe through the intense pain in her chest. She sat up, trying her damnedest not to cry despite the agony.

'D... DAISY!'

Luigi couldn't believe it. He felt sick to his stomach.

The strike left two long gashes in Daisy's chest, tearing straight through her shirt. Though the gashes didn't look too deep, they began to bleed. And Daisy could feel her energy draining away with her blood. She gritted her teeth and muttered expletives; anything that would keep the pain at bay. Even through the burn she glared at the one who did it.

'An innocent little kitty, huh?' She wheezed. 'Get over here... so I can rip out all your tails this time...'

Luigi felt like he was in the middle of two major conflicts. His heart screamed at him to rush to his princess's side, but his brain told him not to turn his back to Polterkitty.

'Polterpup,' He said. 'Stay by Daisy and don't leave her for a moment.'

'Luigi!' Daisy yelled. 'Why are you still doing this... after that?!'

His heart sank from the guilt. Never had he ever doubted his own actions before. Polterpup's angry barking spiralled out of control. Still, he refused to give up.

'Polterkitty...'

The cat seemed more surprised than anything that he chose to keep trying, in spite of the human blood on her claws.

'You see that?' She said. 'If you don't surrender, I'll do the same to you!'

The threat meant nothing to him. If anything, he deserved the lacerations far more than Daisy. He wished they were his instead.

'Polterkitty, you don't need to be scared of me.'

'Scared? Of you? You... you're a coward!'

'Please, listen to me. You have to listen.'

Polterkitty, against her better judgement, lowered her bloody paw and allowed Luigi to continue. Just to humour him, really.

'I do not want to hurt you. I really don't. I just want us to be friends.'

'Friends? W-With the likes of you?!'

'I mean it.'

'Only M-Master would ever be nice to me!'

Luigi sighed. He could hear what she refused to show: the fear in her voice upon mentioning her 'master'. No way in the Underwhere was he going to let her continue living in fear.

'You have to trust me.'

'M-Master told me I can't trust anyone, and Master is always right! You'll just c-capture me, like you did with all those other ghosts!'

With the trembles in her voice, Luigi knew she only half-believed those words. A realisation dawned on him; with that Poltergust on his back, she'd never trust him. He knew what he had to do.

'Polterkitty, I'll prove I'm not here to capture you.'

'And how are you going to do that?'

Without another word, he slipped off the Poltergust straps, and held the ghost-busting device in his hands. Keeping eye contact with the panther beast, he tossed his weapon aside like a used rag. Its clanking echoed in the quiet hallway.

'Luigi!' Daisy yelled. 'Have you just lost the will to live or something?!'

Polterkitty gawked at the Poltergust resting against the wall, unable to comprehend the fact he threw his only weapon away.

'You... I... you can't be serious! Now there is nothing stopping me from taking you to Master!'

'I am serious. And I'll prove it.'

He reached his arm out again, approaching the kitty in the least threatening manner possible. Polterkitty didn't even have it in her to attack him again. She was just too shocked at his courage. He was a coward, scared of all. Where did this bravery come from?

'Luigi, she's going to rip you to shreds!'

As if she'd do that. She couldn't return to Master with Luigi in ribbons, now could she? Luigi got close enough that his hand was a mere inch away from Polterkitty's teeth. Though he showed bravery on the outside, in reality he was petrified that he'd lose a hand.

This is a bad idea. His brain told him. She's going to rip your hand off. But he didn't care about some lousy hand.

Polterkitty looked up at him, what little malice there was in her eyes totally gone. Just like him, she went through her own inner conflicts. Should she trust him, despite Master's words? Was it worth the risk of punishment? She closed her eyes, and bowed her head. Luigi did what he would do to any cat - stroked it on the head. His hand didn't go through. It made him smile - he did it.

'That's right Polterkitty... I won't hurt you.'

Polterkitty couldn't believe the feeling of his glove running through her fur. It felt so... nice, and relaxing. So much better than bony fingers or long nails scrapping against her skin. In fact, it was so nice that she did something she hadn't done in years: purr. It just made Luigi smile more. Daisy could only watch the whole thing with her mouth wide open. She didn't just see that, right? It wasn't really the same beast who had just scratched her, right?

In a flash of bright purple light, the hulking panther disappeared and was replaced by an ordinary house-cat ghost.

'Miaow?'

She needed more of those pats. They were almost as good as catnip! Luigi knelt down, and scratched the underside of her neck. Enjoying this even more than before, she stretched out her neck and lowered it so much that Luigi's hand touched the ground. His heart soared once again, not just for his plan succeeding but also for just how freaking cute she was.

'Mrow!'

'That's right, Kitty. You're with us now.'

Now she really reminded Luigi of Polterpup, another paranormal animal causing trouble when all they wanted was love.

'AHEM?!'

Daisy caught his attention. He winced, seeing her staggering off the floor as she tried to fight against her own weight dragging her down.

'Daisy!' He cried, running to her side. 'Can... can you stand?'

The princess dragged her body upwards, groaning with what little air remained in her lungs whenever pain soared through her nerves. She knew the answer was 'no', but she was fighting to make it 'yes'.

'Yes, I'm...' She wheezed through teeth clenched tight. 'I'm alright...'

She leaned up against a pillar, her breaths coming out short and restrained. Luigi cringed, feeling her physical pain in his own chest. The gashes didn't look like they'd be lethal, but that didn't help the pain Daisy suffered.

Luigi choked. 'We... we have to go back to the professor. He might have something to help it. Or, at least, stop it from getting infected.'

Daisy stepped away from the pillar, fighting against the dizziness attacking her. Her glare did not leave Polterkitty alone.

'No.' She said. 'We've already wasted enough time making that movie. I can keep going.'

'But you're in pain!'

Polterkitty watched with wide eyes. She decided to join him not even a minute ago, and he already dropped her? He couldn't have. Not so quickly. But there he was, focusing on another. She couldn't lose him too!

'MIAOW!'

He didn't even glance her way. She rubbed her head against his legs, mewing and purring non-stop to return him to her.

'Not now, Polterkitty.' He said.

The feline cringed. 'Not now Polterkitty' was the only thing Master ever said during the first few years of her King Boo obsession.

'MIAOOOOW!'

'KITTY!' Daisy yelled. 'SHUT IT! The world doesn't revolve around you!'

Polterkitty shuffled away, her eyes wide with fear. Even Polterpup looked distressed from the volume of Daisy's voice. Luigi wasn't going to get mad at Daisy, or at least he'd try not to. He looked at the panicked kitty, and then back at Daisy.

'Don't yell at her.'

'And why not?'

'She... she's been Ms Gravely's pet for who knows how long. I don't think she knows, um, how to behave anymore.'

Luigi knelt down to Polterkitty and gave her another scratch under her neck. Her purring flared up again.

'I'm sorry, Polterkitty.' He said. 'I'd love to cuddle you some more, but I have to give Daisy attention.'

'You're not going to forget about me, are you?'

The man in green had to let that sink in. If that was her response... he didn't want to think about how Ms Gravely treated her.

'You just... came at a bad time.'

'SHE DID THIS TO ME!'

Luigi groaned as he stood up, looking at her with slightly more anger than he ever normally would.

'She was scared, Daisy. Of me. She meant to scratch me.'

'That just makes it worse! If she aimed for me, that'd be one thing, but you never tried to attack her once!'

As much as Luigi wanted to defend Polterkitty at every step, he couldn't disagree with Daisy on that. He couldn't bring his eyes away from the bleeding cuts across her chest.

He sighed. 'But she's gonna make up for it.'

She cocked an eyebrow, her vision getting a little blurry. 'Uh huh. You sure? She 'switched sides' way too quickly. How can you be so sure that she isn't planning on double-crossing us?'

Luigi fumbled with his hands. 'I... can't.'

'Arf arf?'

Polterpup approached the spectral kitty, bowing down and yipping in curiosity. Polterkitty jumped back, the fur on her back standing up, and lifted a paw as a warning sign. Polterpup didn't seem to care about her threat.

'G-Get away! Master told me that dogs are mean, and dirty!'

'Who cares about what your old master said! You're not working for her anymore, are ya?'

'Well, I-'

'So relax and have fun!'

Polterpup pounced forward, just enough to barely miss her. She scampered back in a rather clumsy manner, eyeing him as if he were an actual threat. Luigi smiled - of all the dogs in the world, of course Polterpup was the one who didn't hate cats. Or at least gave them a chance.

Daisy breathed in harshly, her body shaking. 'Well, great. Polterpup has another friend now. Let's just get the button and hope it's the one that will lead directly to Hellen. So I can punch her in the face.'

Dragging her pained body around, she lumbered towards two red curtains in the middle of that back wall, past the giant triceratops head. The pair of curtains extended all the way from the ceiling to the floor, and had a dinosaur foot symbol in the middle. Her usual waltz of confidence was gone, and now she slogged about like a drunk man. She held her bleeding chest, doing little more than getting blood over her arm. Her breathing grew progressively harsher, while lightheadedness attacked her and tried to bring her down.

Luigi delivered a quick stroking to Polterkitty's back - making sure she wouldn't think he would abandon her - and ran over to his injured princess. The sight of her blood dripping over her arms made him feel sick to his stomach.

'Daisy, you can't go on like this.'

She looked up at him with her face incredibly strained, both from the pain and her desperate attempt not to cry.

'I'll... be... fine...'

A tear fell down her cheek. She fought back the lightheadedness with all her might.

*THUD*

Unconsciousness finally won the battle. Daisy fell to the floor with a weak groan.

'DAISY!'

Luigi knelt down, making no attempt to stop the tears flowing down his face.

'DAISY!' He cried again, his voice choking up.


'PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR! E-E. GADD!'

Luigi never thought he'd have to carry Daisy around anywhere. He had only made it back to the elevator until he found himself unable to carry her anymore. Thankfully, Polterkitty shifted to her panther form and allowed Daisy to lay on her back without question. Now, Luigi knocked on the door to E. Gadd's bunker, his face wet with tears and mucus. Daisy had not regained consciousness, but was still breathing.

Polterkitty felt weird having someone laying on her back, and not for the obvious reasons. It lit a small ember inside of her, a tiny spark of joy, and she had no idea why. Was that the warm flame of doing something right?

The door slid down into the floor, releasing puffs of steam as the steel slab opened the way up into the lab.

'PROFESSOR!' Luigi yelled.

E. Gadd sat in his chair, as if he never left, and was in the middle of attempting research on Hellen Gravely. He spun his chair around to the panicking plumber.

'Woah, sonny! No need to make such a hullabaloo. Now, what has you so-? EGAD!'

Parr T had stopped looking at all the pretty inventions the moment the door opened. For once, he had no words.

Luigi gasped for air. 'Never mind the cat! We need to-'

'What... what the criminy happened to Daisy?!'

The plumber had no time to let E. Gadd setting his ghost obsession aside sink in. He rushed inside the lab, falling to his knees.

'Daisy! She... she... unconscious... hurt...!'

'It's okay, sonny! I'll see what I can do. Polterpup, I have a small bed over there. Let her lay on it.'

Polterpup nodded, and grabbed Daisy by the back of her shirt. Dragging her heels across the floor much more than Luigi was okay with, he lay her on a bed by the wall as carefully as possible for any ghost. She had not woken up. He sniffed at her, cringing from the heavy scent of blood.

Luigi wiped his face with his sleeve and looked at E. Gadd with begging eyes. 'You have to help her! If I ever lost her, I... I... I...!'

E. Gadd waved his hands around. 'Whoa-ho, sonny! I understand this is a lot to deal with, but panicking all willy-nilly won't help our princess.'

'B-But... what can I do? I have to do something to help her! Anything!'

The professor adjusted his glasses, and sighed. He proceeded to speak in a tone uncharacteristically solemn.

'Listen, Luigi. At this point, there is nothing more you can do. Getting her back here quickly was a great idea, but now it's time for me to take over. Do you understand, sonny?'

Snivelling non-stop, Luigi nodded.

'Good. Now, I want you to sit down and do whatever you can to calm yourself down.'

E. Gadd hopped off his chair and approached the unconscious Daisy. Since the bed was built by him, there was no need for any sort of step-stool. He climbed onto the bed, and looked closely as the gashes. Polterpup sat by Daisy, silently watching the professor do as he needed.

Luigi perched himself by the wall, sitting in the fetal position. Parr sat next to him, twiddling his thumbs as he debated what to say.

'You... you okay, Lou?' He asked.

The man in green didn't even look at him, and just stared into space. Past his blank stare, his mind flooded with random things. Anything that would help him relax, everything from his favourite Pokémon to wholesome moments with his big brother.

Polterkitty returned to her housecat form, unable to comprehend the situation. Even putting aside the fact that she did this... why hadn't Luigi ratted her out yet? Why did he accept this so quickly, no matter how much it hurt him?

'Don't worry, sonny.' E. Gadd said. 'This is certainly not lethal now.'

'Y-You sure?' Luigi squeaked.

'Absolutely. She didn't faint from blood loss or anything like that. It was just over-exertion. But it's a good thing you got her here as fast as you did. If she kept bleeding, she might've lost too much. As is, she'll be fine.'

He reached for the bedside table and opened up the drawer. Inside, among other things, were cotton balls and a bottle of disinfectant. He poured some disinfectant onto some cotton, and dabbed it over her injuries. She winced.

'Ah, it seems our princess is coming to!' E. Gadd said.

Daisy awoke to a stinging sensation. She opened her eyes slowly, and saw E. Gadd hovering over her. Had she more energy, she probably would've screamed.

'What...? Where am...?'

'Back in the lab, missy! Luigi and some ghost cat got you back here before anything catastrophic could happen.'

'Lui...?'

Daisy glanced around, everything coming together into nothing but blurs. Amongst the greys and reds, she spotted some leafy green.

'Luigi? Is that...?'

'DAISY!'

Luigi jumped off the floor and charged over to his awakening princess, quicker than a cheetah leaping to her cub's defence. He cried tears of joy at the sight of Daisy awake. If it weren't for those painful-looking lacerations, he'd pull her into an immediate embrace.

'Daisy! You're okay!'

She chuckled, though it sounded more like coughing. 'What? You thought some little... scratches could keep me down?'

Luigi grabbed her hand and squeezed it like a sponge, holding it close to his chest. It hurt quite a bit, but Daisy was not going to ruin this for him.

'If you don't mind me asking,' E. Gadd said. 'How did you end up like this to begin with? Not even that pompous 'king' did something like this!'

Daisy looked to Luigi, as if expecting him to answer. His eyes darted around - how was he supposed to handle this?

'Um, well, you see-'

'Spit it out, sonny! This isn't some top secret or anything.'

Now Polterkitty was even more confused. Did Green Man just forget this was all her fault? Judging by his stammering, he clearly knew. Whatever compelled him to hide the truth was beyond the panthergeist.

'MIAOW!'

Luigi yelped. 'Polterkitty, you don't-'

'So it was you who hurt Daisy,' E. Gadd said. 'Wasn't it?'

Polterkitty nodded. She saw no need to hide the truth. With a little grumble, she lowered her head and waited for her punishment. It was different every time. Maybe today it'd be the brutal berating, or perhaps disabling her claws for a day again.

E. Gadd tapped his chin. 'Hmm, a ghost cat capable of transforming into a panther... I'll have to look into this! Luigi, stay by Daisy. Companionship is no substitute for modern medicine, but it certainly helps!'

The professor returned to his desk, and entered 'ghost cat panther' into a generic search engine on his computer. Polterkitty was beyond confused. Beyond puzzled. Beyond bewildered. It was utter discombobulation! First Green Man seemingly forgot it was her fault, and then Weird Guy didn't care at all. What was happening?

'Mrow? Miaow miaow?'

'Punish you?' Luigi repeated. 'Why would we do that?'

'Miaow.'

'Never mind Master! She's not important anymore.'

He turned back to his princess. Somehow, that fiery passion had already returned to her eyes, even though the rest of her showed nothing but pain.

'You weren't worried about me, were you?' She said with a smirk. 'If I can deal with a mind-controlling alien, I can deal with some little scars.'

Luigi's eyes fell onto those awful gashes. Now that she was laying down they had stopped bleeding, thank Grambi, but it didn't make them look any less painful. The blood had stained her shirt, making the whole thing look like it was straight out of a horror movie. He whimpered, feeling more physical pain in his own chest the longer he looked at it.

'Daisy, I am so sorry... You shouldn't have taken it for me. I was the one trying to befriend Polterkitty. I was the one taking the risk. Y-Yeah, it ended up working, but if it didn't... it would have been for nothing. And what if she... she...?'

Luigi stopped himself before he could go any further. If he kept going, he would've burst into tears right in front of her. How he hated his uncontrollable emotions sometimes. Daisy, fighting against his tightening grasp, pat him gently on the chest. Just feeling his warmth made her feel stronger.

'Luigi, sweetie, don't feel guilty. Don't bother with those 'what if' questions. 'If' didn't happen. You felt that diplomacy would work for once. And guess what? It did. Now we have another member of the team.'

His eyes widened. 'Wait, another member? You're letting her join us? I-I thought you didn't trust her.'

She shrugged. 'I don't. But you do. And as much as I wanna rip all three of those tails out, I trust you.'

He held her hand even tighter, much to her annoyance. No matter what happened, he still couldn't believe someone like him had someone like her for a partner.

'And anyway,' Daisy continued. 'I'm happy that I was the one to get struck instead.'

'Really? Why?'

'Well, first of all, I always wanted some real scars.' This answer got a chuckle out of Luigi. 'But, in all seriousness, it means that Polterkitty didn't hit you.'

Luigi adored that feeling of utter warmth and bliss that few people could spark within him. Only Mario, Daisy, and Polterpup could invoke that feeling.

'Mrow?'

The plumber looked at that kitty, sitting down and staring at him with begging eyes. He noticed the intense glare Daisy gave her.

'Polterkitty,' He said. 'If you're going to be a part of this team, you have to learn proper behaviour.'

'What do you mean? I'm already very well behaved.'

'Your first lesson is apologising to Daisy. It won't magically fix her wound, but it shows you feel bad.'

Daisy scoffed. 'Assuming she does.'

Polterkitty's eyes widened. Apologise? How long had it been since she did that to anyone other than Master? Still, Green Man said she should do it, so she would.

She hopped onto the bed, and came face-to-face with the consequences of her actions. Suddenly, she felt something she hated feeling - guilt. The yearning to apologise went from being because of obligation to an actual genuine urge. What an inexplicable feeling. The glare that Orange Lady gave her just made that feeling stronger.

'Miaow...'

Daisy looked to Luigi. 'Did she apologise, or say my face is stupid?'

Luigi stroked the kitty's head. 'A genuine apology. Good job, Polterkitty.'

He rewarded her with more scratches under the neck, which made her purr harder than before.

'Do you forgive her?'

Daisy said nothing, and simply glared at the spectral cat. Her eyes were heavy with distrust and bitterness.

Luigi sighed. 'That's fine. I don't expect you to forgive her right away after what she tried to do to me.'

'Heh. Too right.'

E. Gadd found precisely what he was looking for. He read a webpage for a ghost called a 'Panthergeist', a feline ghost who normally resembled a typical house cat that morphed into a panther beast when scared or angry. Judging by the few images all being either inaccurate sketches or blurry photos, they were hardly ever seen by anyone. What confused him was that every picture, as few and as unclear as they were, showed that Panthergeists typically only had one tail. One seemed to have two, but that looked to be more bad camerawork than anything.

'Hey E. Gadd,' Daisy said. 'You got any food around here?'

'Yes!' E. Gadd replied. 'In fact, I have my Marinator currently making an old family recipe - pickled dandelions with barnacles in a diesel marinade!'

Luigi wrinkled his nose and winced. It sounded no more appealing than it did before. On the contrast, Daisy licked her lips.

'Ooh, yeah. I'll take a bowlful of that.'

Luigi looked at her with a mix of shock and disgust. 'You serious?'

'I'm a sucker for diesel marinade. And besides, I really need a midnight snack.'

Upon hearing the word 'midnight', E. Gadd looked at her concerned. He glanced at his digital clock - that did not say 'midnight'. Not even close.

'Princess, it's four o'clock.'

She furrowed her brow. 'Huh. It's later than I thought it was.'

'In the afternoon.'

'WHAT?!' Luigi and Daisy yelled at once.

Daisy nearly sat up in shock, but the pain that suddenly coursed through her stopped her in her tracks.

'How?!' Luigi cried. 'It's pitch-black outside!'

'Only around the hotel.' E. Gadd explained. 'According to the cameras I have in your house, it's currently a very sunny day elsewhere. It seems King Boo thought it'd be funny to keep the hotel in constant darkness.'

Luigi groaned.

'Wait a minute.' Daisy said. 'If it's four in the freaking afternoon, then how long have we been doing this for? I could've sworn it was only a couple hours or something.'

'According to the few security cameras I've managed to hack, Hellen Gravely put her plan into action at about two in the morning. When Luigi awoke from his nasty fall, it was about half-past-two. When he saved you, it was almost five o'clock.'

'We've been at this for ELEVEN HOURS?!'

Luigi tried to let that sink in, but it really wouldn't.

'Well, you know what they say!' E. Gadd said a little too enthusiastically. 'Time sure flies when your life is in constant danger!'

Come to think of it, Luigi did feel a little bit sleepy. Eleven straight hours though... how did they do it? Pure adrenaline, most likely. Daisy just stared at the ceiling, totally shellshocked.

'Here's what I propose.' E. Gadd said. 'I give you all a bowlful of my delicious family recipe, and you get some rest.'

'Get some rest?!' Daisy said. 'We can't do that! What if - owww... if the ghosts attack us while we sleep?'

'In my air-conditioned lab? There's no way any ghost will penetrate it! And if anything does come to attack anyway, I'll wake you up before anything happens. Not to mention those claw marks of yours... you need it.'

Daisy groaned, half from pain and half from exasperation. She was in no mood to argue with him, and nor did she think she would win anyway. All she wanted at that moment was food and sleep. So, they accepted the deal.

E. Gadd gave them all a bowlful of his pickled dandelions with barnacles in a diesel marinade. The mortal couple sat on the bed next to each other, while the pets enjoyed their meals on the floor. Parr chose to have his by the container unit - looking at ghosts never got old.

Daisy gulped it down directly from the bowl, not caring at all about getting any on her already-ruined dress. Polterpup and Polterkitty both got their own servings, and while the dog devoured his in a single bite the cat took her time. Luigi felt ill from the smell of it alone, but with his empty stomach he had little choice. Groaning, he scooped by a spoonful and sipped at it. The taste was... alright. Much better than the smell, at least. No way he was eating those barnacles, though.

Daisy licked up what remained in her bowl. 'Mmm... I never thought to pickle dandelions. I always just fried them.'

The plumber was not going to question her taste. He sat his mostly empty bowl and spoon on the floor, and sighed.

'I'll sleep on the floor.' He said.

Daisy nearly choked on her food. 'Excuse me? After all you've been through? Heck no! You're taking the bed.'

He shook his head. 'No. You're injured. I insist. I can sleep anywhere, remember. Those pi'illos were solid rock when I slept on them, after all.'

She shrugged. 'Alright, I guess. But the moment you feel uncomfortable, we are swapping.'

With a yawn, Luigi slipped the Poltergust off his back and put it aside. He lay flat on the ground, and drifted off in seconds. Only he could fall asleep on cold hard metal.

E. Gadd blinked at him. 'My word! That boy falls to sleep faster than any ghost I've seen. I should study him sometime. I could finally invent a cure for insomnia!'

'Yeaaah, not today.' Daisy said. 'Right now, I just wanna sleep.'

She put her bowl on the bedside table, and settled herself down on the bed. It amazed her that Luigi could look so comfortable on such an awful surface. Polterpup cuddled up to his legs and fell asleep curled up right next to him. Polterkitty opted to sleep in an empty corner. She already missed her warm, soft bed, even if it smelled like King Boo and was filled with that sneeze-inducing powder.

'E. Gadd? Can you promise me that no matter what, you'll wake us up if something goes wrong?'

'Of course! I've been gulping down my delicious Lunoman Green blend all night!' A pause. 'Speaking of which, the bathroom is over there.'

'Noted. Make sure a cup of that is waiting for me when I wake up.'

With all the horrors going on in her head, she doubted she'd ever get to sleep. But with how much she had exerted herself, she conked out in a matter of minutes.


Polterkitty couldn't sleep. At least an hour had passed, and she hadn't slept a wink. Imagine that, a cat who couldn't sleep. She underestimated how important Master and her bed were for her. For one reason or another, her attention focused on Green Man, the guy who slept like a rock. He could've slept on spikes and still feel comfortable, something she thought came to a cat naturally.

She looked at Polterpup. The delighted vibes coming off that blasted hound were off the chart. He was so happy that his tail wagged even in the deepest of sleeps. When was the last time Master made her feel like that? What a silly question. Master would never treat her like that if she kept screwing up.

A horrible realisation dawned on her. How would Master approve of this little alliance? Simple - she wouldn't. At all. Polterkitty shuddered. If she hadn't screwed up before, she certainly had now.

She groaned. All she wanted to do was sleep! She was a cat, that's what they do. But she couldn't do it on such a hard surface. Doubts plagued her mind, but regardless she got to her paws. Scampering across the floor in a silent manner typical for a feline, she approached the sleeping man without attracting the attention of Weird Guy or Yellow Fun Guy.

His rising chest looked so comfortable. She stepped up onto the soft, warm fabric and perched herself like the Sphynx, with her paws tucked in. And just like that, she drifted off to sleep.

Luigi didn't open his eyes, but he lifted his arm up and stroked the top of her head with a content smile.

'Welcome, Gattina, to the family.'


POLTERKITTY, THE CUDDLY PANTHER

AGE - An adorable kitty

GENDER - Female

Polterkitty was Hellen Gravely's pet. She worked for Hellen in a desperate attempt to win her love. When Luigi faced his fear and befriended her, she found out what true affection was and jumped ship. But perhaps her loyalties still lie with Hellen Gravely...


Author Notes - And thus begins the second half of Polterkitty's redemption arc! Did I mention that she'll be joining our heroes for the rest of the story? I am definitely a cat person, after all.

Polterkitty's situation is intentionally based on domestic abuse. Gravely's psychological abuse and Polterkitty's reasoning for not leaving, among other things, are inspired by reality. Not my reality, if anyone's worried.

What's that? You weren't expecting a Luigi's Mansion story to tackle the issue of domestic abuse? Just wait till you see my upcoming Star Wars story about the civil war and extreme activism.

Credit to TheGameNguyener for the idea to have King Boo overcast the hotel in constant darkness. More specifically, the Chap 8 line - "Unless King Boo put a curse on the entire area to make it perpetually dark," Luigi groaned. Giving credit where it's due.


'Not now, Polterkitty. Can't you see I'm admiring my honey?'

'Not now, Polterkitty. I'm busy putting up my new King Boo paintings.'

'Not now, Polterkitty. We can cuddle later. I have arrangements to make.'

'Not now, Polterkitty. I can't have you ruining my King Boo perfume, can I?'

'I don't care how much you hate this powder! You must look cute for my sweetheart. Stop sneezing all over me and sit still!'

'You can't sleep on this bed! It's for me and my sweetheart only.'

'Come back to me when you do your damn job right!'

'Oh, my lovely King Boo... soon we will meet and live happily ever after.'