Back at the lab, everyone was enjoying Peach's cake. Everyone except Vinny, because she obviously couldn't eat it. Being a ghost really stinks in that regard. E. Gadd gazed at his monitor. "Say Peach, wasn't the 8th floor where you and Daisy were kidnapped?" Peach nodded. "I recall we were receiving a pedicure, when... suddenly I fell asleep, for some reason. The next thing I remember was you two setting me free." Vinny had briefly taken her shoes off, so as to relax better. "I presume the person overseeing your relaxation was Hellen Gravely?" Peach looked surprised. "Yeah, I believe she was... How did you guess?" Vinny stretched. "Gravely used to be a hypnotherapist before coming to work here. And an old friend of my mother's. If I remember her record correctly, she was mentored by someone named 'The Contessa'...?"
Peach leaned back in her chair. "Well, if anyone would know where Daisy is, in all likelihood, it's her." Luigi nodded, all of them seeming to agree with that logic. E. Gadd then directed their attention to the screen, to show a map of floor 8. "Yes. But it's for this reason that she appears to have prepared for our arrival. According to my scanners, the entirety of the floor is crop-dusted with the same mist we encountered with Amadeus Wolfgeist." Vinny gazed at the screen. "Ugh. Don't remind me. That stuff really screwed with my head." E. Gadd turned to face them. "Thankfully, it appears the dosage shouldn't be enough to manage the same effect as before. But if my calculations are correct, it will be capable of inducing hallucinations." Vinny thought about it for a second. "Well... as long as you're able to tell us fact from fantasy, we should be fine, right...?" E. Gadd shrugged. "In theory. Just remember, the longer you're exposed, the harder it will be to stay in touch with reality."
Vinny stood up. "I imagine she'd probably have to pump it through the ventilation system somewhere. Our first priority should be finding out where, and cutting off the supply." Sounded like a plan. Luigi finished the last of his cake slice, and the two walked out for more investigating. "Please, come back safe." Peach pleased. They both nodded, and went back into the hotel. His memory returning to his time in his hotel room, Luigi was perplexed how the spa could be any more relaxing. Too bad he wasn't gonna be finding out tonight. Or any night, for that matter. Because as soon as he saves his friends and helps out Vinny, he is O-U-double T, out! The elevator doors opened, and the reception room was dimly lit. The moonlight through the windows providing most of the visibility. And just as E. Gadd said, that same purple mist floated ominously along the floor.
(The music "Kalos Power Plant" from Pokémon X/Y plays)
Before the two of them even did anything, they heard a voice. "To think these halls were once filled with joy and happiness..." A woman then materialized from the darkness. Purple skin, and a slim white gown. Her blue hair was styled into a very large beehive. She also wore a blue fur scarf. In her arms was a pink ghost cat. "But that was a bygone era. This hotel is haunted not only by the spirits of its staff, but also the tragic thought of what could have been." Vinny and Luigi hesitantly stepped into the mist, to get closer to her. "This isn't the time for poetic speeches, Gravely. Fact of the matter is, you took part in this conspiracy. You can either let us survey the floor freely, or be subdued." Gravely frowned. "I made a promise to Elline that I wouldn't make this any harder than it has to be. You know she loves you with all her heart, Vinny." Vinny looked down at the floor. "Of course I do. But I can't just pretend like nothing's wrong. If possible, I have to fix it somehow."
Gravely stroked her cat. "I understand how you feel. But there's a reason why all this is happening. It's only out of kindness that we're not telling you that reason." Vinny exhaled. "If that's true... then atleast it explains some of the behavior we've been seeing." She then looked back up at Gravely. "But something very wrong has gone down, and it's against my nature to ignore it." Gravely sighed. "Very well. If that's your choice, I'll respect it. However, don't think I won't slow you down..." She then vanished into the shadows. "Don't forget the plan. The you're exposed to that stuff, the worse the effects will get." E. Gadd reminded them. So off they went, splitting up to look for whatever was supplying this mist.
As Vinny explored the rooms, the darkness and the solitude gave her a clear mind. And that clear mind made her start thinking of things that she had repressed. As she began thinking about him, she imagined her father standing there. His head hung low in disappointment. His dark blue suit, his black shirt, his black hair, combed in a neat and fancy way. He didn't say anything to her, but she still felt the bitter memories. He never directly showed any resentment towards her, but... She always felt that way. He was never there, always slaving away in his office. Whenever she addressed him as father, he'd correct her saying that he'd prefer her to call him President. Mother always made her feel wanted, but she could never really shake the hole in her life meant for him. She knew he wasn't actually standing there, but it still felt real to her. A tear ran down her face, as she tried to look strong. And then... she started singing.
"Maybe I've made things a mess... And maybe you're right to have doubts in me..." She tried to fight the tide of sadness, but it was already flooding back to her. "Maybe, but nevertheless... If you for once could just trust me...!" She didn't even remember doing anything to make him this disapproving of her, but it hurt. It REALLY hurt. "Just this once, let me come through for you. The way that you'd want me to..." by now she was already crying, but she still wanted to get her message across, as the hallucination of her father looked away dismissively. At that moment, she had found the painting of Daisy guarded by Gravely's pink cat. Whom had mutated into its true form, of a terrifying panther-like monster. But she wasn't gonna let it stop her. Not here! Not now! She engaged in a fight with it, while still singing.
"Let me make you proud. Let me show you the best in me. Let me give you a reason to believe, that I can stand tall." She grabbed polterkitty by one of its four tails, and flung it into a wall. But polterkitty got back up, bearing its claws, but Vinny had no intentions of losing today. She grabbed it by the wrists mid-charge, and kept its razor sharp claws at bay. "And when I return. And I'm more than you'd dreamt I'd be..." She then overpowered it, tossing it into the ceiling's chandelier. Causing both to plummet to the floor, and polterkitty to be trapped in the fallen chandelier's cage-like grip. "Maybe then you will realize that you never actually knew me at all." She saw the hallucination of her father walking stoically through the door. Vinny quickly perched the painting near the door while she goes and fetches Luigi. Knowing she'd need her hands free in case anything else comes to attack her.
She ran after the hallucination, trying to look up into his eyes as he looked away at every opportunity. "Sure, I've made lots of mistakes. I know that I've disappointed you. Still though, whatever it takes. I'm gonna fix it, just watch me." He then faded away into dust, as if to symbolize how she felt about him. She then floated through the hallways looking for Luigi. "Just you wait, I'll make it up to you. If it's the last thing I ever do..." she kicked down the door, to see Luigi surrounded by some slinkers. They were purple ghosts, with a talent of surprising their prey. But Vinny welcomed this as a chance to prove herself. She started distracting them one by one, so Luigi could suck them up. "I will make you proud. I will make you have faith in me. I will prove that the way I used to be, is all in the past. I will save the day. And come back here triumphantly. Cause I long for that look of surprise, when you see your girl rising at last." Once they were all taken care of, they noticed a perfume bottle pumping the mist into the ventilation system. Luigi promptly sucked it up, dispelling the illusions. "The pride in your eyes, when you see your girl rising at last."
Luigi then clapped for her, only now drawing light to the fact that she was singing. She got so caught up in her emotions that she forgot. "You have a beautiful voice, Vinny. Where did you learn to-" Peach asked, as Vinny blushed, and looked away. "Wait... are you... crying?" Vinny bit her lip, and wiped the tears away. "Doesn't matter. I found where Daisy is. We should act fast, or Gravely will hide it somewhere else." The gang could tell from the lyrics they heard, that said tears came from a place of great emotional pain, but she was right. First things first. As they walked, Vinny started up a conversation in an attempt to make them forget what they saw. "I think I've always had a talent for singing. It's just that I've never really utilized it. I'm prone to stage fright." Luigi nodded, wanting her to feel less vulnerable.
When they made it back to the room with Daisy's painting in it, Luigi walked over and used the dark light on it... E. Gadd was confused. "Huh? This doesn't make any sense. It should be working." Luigi was just as puzzled as his mentor. But then a voice chimed in. "It is working. You just have the wrong painting." Both of them turned to see Hellen Gravely. Vinny took a defensive stance. "Are you saying it's a forgery?" Gravely nodded. "That's precisely what I'm saying. The real one is in the possession of Captain Vincent." She covered her mouth, realizing she just spilt the beans on Daisy's whereabouts, but it was too late. "Well, thanks for telling us. I do believe we have places to be." Vinny said, as the two bolted for the door, only for Gravely to block it. "Absolutely not. You've given your mother enough heartache as it is. Vincent doesn't have the same restraint as the rest of us. If he hurts you-" Vinny interrupted her.
"I'm very aware of the captain's tendencies. And Luigi will be here to keep me safe." Gravely then pulled out some vials of put purple liquid in one hand, and green in the other. "That's not enough. I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I'll have to bring you to your room by force!" She started throwing the vials everywhere, the green ones were poison, made for Luigi. And the others were sleep potions, meant for Vinny. Shards of glass were flying everywhere, as the duo looked for an opening. Luigi flashed her with the strobulb and started sucking her up, but just as she was almost there, she grabbed the fake painting and smashed it on Luigi's head. Causing him to lose his focus, and by extension, his grip on her. "You can be as nice as you want, we're not stopping till everything's back to normal." Vinny stated. Luigi started sucking her up again, but this time as she was about to grab something again, Vinny blocker her reach with her body. Causing her to be sucked away into the poltergust. "Sorry, Elline... I tried my best." Done. Contained.
With all that behind over, it was time to consider the next course of action. "Ironically, Captain Vincent is on floor 9. As you can probably guess, he's a pirate. He used to be an entertainer for the kids, but soon he was repurposed as the ghostly captain of his haunted pirate ship, for the more thrillseeking guests." E. Gadd then spoke up. "Intriguing. And by the signature coming from that floor, it appears she wasn't lying. We've finally found Daisy. Now all that's left is to go get her, in theory." Vinny nodded. "I likely don't need to tell you that Vincent is a fearsome warrior. Exercise caution to the best of your abilities, Luigi." Luigi agreed, and they both hopped on the elevator once more...
(Hope you guys liked this. I know some of you may have found it cheesy, with the unprompted musical number and all, but I felt that was the best way to illustrate Vinny's relationship with Maxill. I'm not gonna lie... I got a bit choked up while writing that scene. Brought back some unhappy memories of my own. But I believe it's worth it, to tell a story like this.)