Author Notes - Literally everything I did with Polterkitty in this story was because I love cats, and I'm fed up with that trope of 'heroic dogs, villainous cats' that plagues our media. Cats are the greatest thing on this planet, damnit!

CHAPTER ELEVEN - NO KITTEN AROUND

Parr T had made it to E. Gadd's bunker without a scratch, and button number six twisted into place. But when Daisy reached out to press the button...

'MROW!'

A ghostly pink cat stuck her head out of the tiny hole, holding the button in her mouth.

'Whoa, hello!'

Polterpup perked up at the sight of a fellow ghost pet, while Luigi stared. The jewel on her necklace had dark blue writing on it that spelled out her name downwards - 'Polterkitty'. She squeezed the rest of her body out and perched herself on the floor, revealing herself to have not one, not two, but three tails. Luigi had to admit: she was kinda cute.

Daisy thought otherwise. 'Bad kitty! Drop that button right now. Drop it. Drop it!'

Like most cats, Polterkitty was not one to obey commands, at least from anyone who wasn't her master. Instead, she threw the button into the air, caught it in her mouth again...

And swallowed it in one gulp.

'Hey!' Daisy yelled. 'Give that back!'

Polterkitty responded exactly how any cat would to a scolding order - complete and utter indifference. She simply strutted away with her nose in the air.

'Mrow.' She 'said', not even giving them the dignity of being looked at.

Polterpup bowed down before her, barking in joy to signify the start of a friendly game. She glanced at him for a moment, her eyes going wide, before she responded by making him talk to the tail. His head and tail drooped.

'Okay, that's it!' Daisy said. 'Come back here!'

She ran out of the elevator and charged after the cat.

'Uh, Daisy, I don't think that's gonna-' Luigi tried to explain, following after her.

She went to grab all three of that cat's long curvy tails.

'And, GOTCH... hey!'

Polterkitty, like any cat, was not going to let herself get captured as easily as that. She scampered off down the hall, with Polterpup in no mood to chase after her.

Daisy threw up her arms and groaned. 'We don't have time for this! Now we have to deal with a stupid cat taking the button.'

She was about to chase the cat down again, but Luigi grabbed onto her wrist. It stopped her on the spot, and the face of anger he expected was instead one of confusion.

'Uh, I think that, um… I should go after her. Cats, uh, don't do well with people running at them screaming.'

'Ah, right.' Daisy said. 'I was never much of a cat person anyway. I'm right behind you!'

Luigi looked down to his loyal dog, whose call to action from his owner served as a pick-me-up. Already this reminded him of those times in Evershade Valley before Polterpup became his pet, and instead stole keys or clock hands away from him. Polterkitty seemed to be quite a bit more malicious, though.

Tracking the kitty down was not a difficult task. She sat on the podium, licking the back of her paw and rubbing it against her forehead, faced away from Luigi and Daisy. Luigi smiled; that little kitty looked so cute, all relaxed on her little throne.

'Luigi!' Daisy whisper-yelled to him, bringing him back to reality. 'Don't just sit there and gawk. Go after her!'

'Uh, d-do we have to?' He asked, as confident as he sounded. 'She's just a kitty. She probably doesn't know what she's really done.'

Daisy groaned. 'Cats don't just pop their heads out of walls and randomly take the one thing you need the most. She totally knows what she's done.'

Even Polterpup nodded in agreement. Luigi rubbed the back of his neck.

'But... she's just a kitty.' He said. 'And cats are kinda known for being menaces.'

Daisy sighed. 'Alright, I'm taking over now.'

'Please, no...'

She ignored him, a rare event, and approached the ghostly cat as silently as possible. Polterkitty either hadn't noticed her, or didn't care to. Daisy smirked. With how close she was to the kitty now, it was all but guaranteed that she had her.

'Gotcha!'

She grasped Polterkitty's middle tail, and pulled on it just a little. The cat's eyes shot when open; clearly, she didn't expect the mortal to actually be able to grab her without her wanting to.

'You're not getting away from me n...' Her confidence trailed off.

Daisy did not expect what happened next. At all.

'MIAOW!'

A blinding pink light emerged from Polterkitty and covered her entire body. From behind her bright veil, she grew in size tremendously. Her tails became thicker, her body grew real bulk and muscle, and her claws expanded into scythes.

'RAWRR!'

The light vanished, and Daisy was now face-to-face with a purple, ghostly panther that loomed over her. This new form of Polterkitty stood on her hindlegs, her front paws and their long claws in the air.

'OH MY GRAMBI!' Daisy cried, falling onto her rear and backing away.

'WAAAHHHH!' Luigi screamed, nearly dropping his flashlight.

'YIIIP!'

Polterkitty lashed out, aiming her sickles at Daisy's face. The princess leaned back just enough to avoid it.

'Uh, sweetie, wanna help me out here?'

Luigi fumbled with his flashlight, and ran for the spectral panther with the Strobulb charging. Polterkitty flashed him a look, and - upon seeing the light - turned around and jumped.

'Get back here, you coward!' Daisy shouted.

Polterkitty perched herself on a little balcony barely big enough for her near the ceiling, snarling at the mortals down below. Spittle fell from her sharp teeth and onto our heroes. Daisy didn't even notice it, but Luigi cringed. The flash from the Strobulb couldn't make it all the way up there. Even if it could, Polterkitty put a paw in front of her terrified face.

Luigi's heart sank. 'Aw, she's scared.'

Daisy sighed. 'Luigi, I love ya, but sometimes you're too innocent for your own good.'

'But look at her!'

At this point, our heroes now faced each other and not their catty enemy. As they bickered, Polterkitty leapt off her perch and began to stalk towards them.

'Of course she's scared of us.' Daisy said. 'They all are! As they should be.'

'But... she's just a kitty.'

'Not now she isn't! Now she's a giant hulking pan-'

Both heroes turned their heads to the panther, who was just a few feet away from them. The moment their eyes lay upon her, she high-tailed back to her little platform, roaring on them once again.

'You... you saw that right?' Daisy said.

'Um, you mean seeing that we were a second away from being torn apart?' Luigi replied.

'Yeah, that.' She gasped. 'Turn around!'

Against his wishes, she grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around to face the other wall. She faced the same direction and side-stepped a few feet away from him.

'C-Can I ask what you're doing?' He asked.

'You'll see.' She said. 'Just, whatever you do, don't turn around. I repeat, do not turn around.'

With a gulp, he nodded. Against his better judgement, he trusted her. Polterkitty seized this opportunity, and resumed her attack. Luigi shuddered. He could hear that cat's footsteps getting closer and closer, every second bringing him closer to being teared to ribbons.

'N-N-Now what?' He asked.

Daisy stepped backwards a bit, once she was certain she was out of Polterkitty's view. 'Just trust me. I got this.'

'Daisy, please.'

She sighed. 'I figure she'll only go after her if you're facing away from her. And she seems pretty intent on tracking you down. So just turn around, and trust me.'

Though he was still uneasy about this plan, Luigi trusted her and stayed put.

Daisy tip-toed behind Polterkitty, staying out of her vision as she approached the tails.

'That's right, girl. Have your little green snack.'

She grunted; referring to Luigi as nothing more than bait left a bad taste in her mouth. Luigi struggled to keep himself sane. He could feel the cat's warm breath on his neck, and hear the growling coming from her throat. Still, he did as he was told.

Polterkitty rose up onto her hindlegs and roared, spreading her forelegs out to trap him in a horrible embrace.

'DAISY!' Luigi screamed.

'I have you now!' Daisy declared, grabbing hold of Polterkitty's left tail.

The panther cried out in pain. Luigi dared to turn around, and saw Daisy keeping her grip on Polterkitty no matter how much the feline struggled.

'No one tries to hurt my Luigi and get away with it!'

Luigi smiled, wide, at the sight of his princess's plan going perfect. 'Yeah! Go, Daisy!'

Though Daisy pulled hard, Polterkitty stood her ground. Suddenly, Daisy fell backwards to the floor, the tail still in her hands.

'What the...?!'

The tail was no longer attached to Polterkitty, and had been ripped clean off. It flailed around like a Blooper's tentacle that had just been cut off, before it disintegrated into dissipating ghostly particles.

Luigi winced. Despite how painful it looked, Polterkitty barely reacted at all. It took her a few moments to even realise that one of her tails had been ripped off, and she looked at her remaining tails in horror before directing a glare at Daisy.

'RAAAWWR!'

A pink light consumed her, and disappeared in moments. By the time it vanished, Polterkitty had returned to her much smaller form, as seamlessly as before, standing among the rubble of the podium. Except now she looked even more like an Espeon, with only two tails.

Daisy groaned. 'What are you, a lizard?'

Polterkitty hissed at her, and high-tailed it for the doors that led to the grand stage. She got her head through, but the rest of her got stuck. Whining and kicking her legs about, she managed to press herself out all the way.

'Arf arf!'

Polterpup wagged his tail and chased after her, getting himself through the door far easier than she did.

Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose. 'So, this is how it felt when Polterpup ran off with those keys, huh?'

'Pretty much, yeah.' Luigi replied, sharing her frustration. 'Except he was just being playful. I'm not sure about, um, Polterkitty I think her name is?'

'I say she's doing this just to spite us. Come on!'

The mortals opened the door up to the stage no less empty than it was when they left, aside from Gustavo trying to swipe up the remains of the piano to no avail.

Daisy grunted. 'You're kidding. They could've gone literally anywhere! How are we supposed to find them?'

Luigi turned the Dark-Light Device on and aimed it at the floor. The rainbow light revealed two sets of paw prints, one set pink and the other white.

'What are you doing?' Daisy asked.

'Following the paw prints.' He said. 'The Dark-Light reveals where Polterpup and Polterkitty were.'

'Oh! Right, it can do that.'

Luigi followed the trail of paws with Daisy behind him. They carried him all the way onto the stage and behind the curtains to the left. Turned out that a door stood there. When the Dark-Light shone on the door, the imprints of both Polterpup and Polterkitty could be seen.

'I hope they're in that room.' Daisy said. 'Okay, I want you to stay out here, and flash the kitty if and when she comes out. I'll go after her myself.'

'Uh, okay.'

Daisy stepped through the door while Luigi charged up the Strobulb. What welcomed her was a simple dressing room, with the only notable thing being the big picture of Amadeus himself hanging on the wall. Oh, and the small piano in the corner. Daisy shivered; it was far too early to be in the midst of another one. Luckily, it was not a grand piano, and thus was unlikely to be hiding a set of teeth.

Polterpup stood before it, bowing and yipping.

'You say she's hiding in that... piano?'

'Yip yip!'

She gulped. 'Of course she is.'

She couldn't help groaning at her own stupidity; of all the things to scare her, it had to be the musical instrument. Still, she approached the piano as briskly as she could.

'So how do I-?'

The piano began playing itself.

'Eep!'

The tune was nearly identical to the one that Luigi heard a ghost playing in a certain library in the Gloomy Manor.

'So glad Luigi isn't here to see me acting like an idiot...'

The lid of the piano opened up.

'Oh boy!'

Meanwhile, Luigi remained in place with the Strobulb fully charged. The pulsating sound it made got on his nerves fast. He was about ready to walk into the room himself, when Polterkitty finally got her head out. Once again, it took her some struggling before she got fully through. Luigi couldn't help wondering… why did she have so much difficulty compared to the other ghosts?

He obeyed the orders given to him and flashed Polterkitty the moment she got her whole body out the door. She froze for a second and mutated into a giant panther once again, hissing into Luigi's face. The cat spittle flying onto his face made him wince, and he had to back away.

'N-Nice kitty! Nice kitty!'

The panthergeist leapt over him, and grabbed onto one of the few spotlights still on its hook. It supported her weight well enough - ghosts usually didn't weigh much - but without any real ground to stand on, she had to hug it for dear afterlife.

Daisy burst through the dressing room with Polterpup running past her. 'Good! Ya got her. Now let's repeat the strat!'

'You mean the one where I have to play bait?'

'Yes.'

Luigi sighed, and turned away from the panther who was beginning to slip. Daisy walked away from him, and watched Polterkitty in the corner of her eye.

The spectral feline dug her claws into the support beams, darting her head back and forth between the two mortals. Which one should she go for? The green guy was the one that Master wanted, but the orange lady had too much of a punch. She lost her grip and fell to the floor, landing on all fours. Choosing quickly, she settled on the green one, the one that Master asked her to get.

She glanced at the orange lady, not trusting her for a moment, and ran for the green bait much faster than before. Daisy jumped around with a yelp.

'Whoa now! You weren't supposed to do that!'

Polterkitty pounced at the shaking man, her 'arms' and claws out. She gave out a big roar as her paws reached out, ignoring the dog barking aggressively at her. Luigi turned his head just slightly, to see the panther's claws getting far too close to his face.

He unleashed a scream that no doubt every ghost in the building heard.

'GET AWAY FROM MY MAN!'

And no doubt every ghost heard the pure rage dripping from Daisy's voice. Operating on furious instinct and nothing else, she grasped Polterkitty's right tail and slammed her into the ground.

'ROWWW!' The panther yelped in pain.

Daisy gave her no time to think and bashed her into the floor a second time, making sure this strike was even stronger than the last. Polterkitty looked up to her assailant with wide, terrified eyes.

'You lay a claw on my Luigi,' Daisy yelled. 'And you won't have any claws left!'

Polterkitty couldn't believe it. Why hadn't Master warned her that the orange lady would be this powerful? This was what she was up against? What was Master expecting of her? All the other guests she had been sent after before were far less difficult to deal with. As for the one she was supposed to go after... was she really meant to go for him? Compared to the violent orange one, the green one seemed far nicer and far more frightened. Was he really the one who the kingly phantom wanted mounted on a wall? The one who Master wanted so desperately to get?

'Now you better spit out that button before I yank it out of you myself!'

Polterkitty hissed at her. No matter what she thought of any order given to her, she would obey Master until the end.

Luigi watched the whole thing, divided between two different emotions: admiration and pride for his princess coming to his defence and kicking butt, or sadness and horror for the poor kitty getting beaten up.

She deserves it, he tried to tell himself. She took the button.

'Alright then.' Daisy said. 'So I'll just force it out of you!'

She yanked the panther's tail and threw her into a never-ending cycle of being slammed against the floor. Compared to Luigi's slams, which had a second delay in between in one, Daisy's had no delay whatsoever. Polterpup barked happily, seemingly celebrating the sight of a ghost cat getting beaten up.

Luigi couldn't take it anymore. 'Okay, Daisy. That's en-!'

It didn't matter. After the seventh slam, the tail detached just like the last one. Polterkitty rolled across the stage, until she hit the wall.

Daisy threw the disconnected tail aside. 'I hope you realise that if I can remove two tails, I can certainly remove the third one!'

Polterkitty backed up into the corner, the shadow of the approaching orange princess falling upon her.

'Remember Panthergeist,' Daisy said. 'The hard way is only hard for you.'

Daisy stopped approaching her when the ghostly feline began hacking, like a regular old cat about to have a hairball.

'That's it. Hack it up.'

After three heavy heaves, Polterkitty opened her mouth and the elevator button spilled onto the floor, no worse for wear minus the cat slobber and bits of half-digested fish. Luigi nearly puked looking at it.

Daisy merely picked it up and wiped it off against her sock. Polterkitty, not even changing back into her smaller form, jumped into the ceiling and disappeared in a flash, aside from the usual struggles she had with phasing through objects.

Despite her success, Daisy did not smile. 'We are absolutely going to see her again. And I know she'll try the exact same stunt again too.'

Luigi approached her slowly, his fumbling hands indicating he had something to say that he wasn't totally confident about.

'Did she really, um, deserve to be treated that badly?' He asked.

She sighed. 'She stole the button. I just did what I needed to get it back.'

'But... she's just a cat.'

'She tried to kill you! For some reason, I doubt that she's just a cat.'

She would've continued to argue her point, had she not noticed his sad eyes looking at her.

She sighed, more forlorn this time. 'Look, whether the kitty is mean or misunderstood is not important right now. What's important is that we have the button.'

'Y-Yeah. That's true.'

'So let's just go to the next floor, and try to pretend this never happened. Okay?'

A few seconds of hesitation. 'Okay.'

Though she wanted them to forget the whole thing, Luigi couldn't help but think about that kitty. Being the animal lover he was, he thought about her cries and winced. Granted, he knew that animals could do some pretty awful things. No way would he claim that they had the best grasp on morality. But, just like Polterpup, Polterkitty was certainly a step above the regular cat.

So then why did she steal the button? Perhaps Daisy was right...

But what if she wasn't?

'You know what I think we need?' Daisy said. 'A break. A proper break. We're marching down to E. Gadd's place, and we're bunking in for the night.'

'Should we really do that?' Luigi asked. 'The longer we wait, the more we-'

'Like I said before, we're not getting anywhere if we're exhausted. Besides, I think we oughta unload that Poltergust before it gets too full and explodes on us.'

Luigi gulped. 'Y-Yeah. Good idea.'


The entire climb up, Polterkitty feared returning to Master. She knew better than anyone that if you failed Master, then Master got mad. Very mad. Polterkitty ignored these silly fears. Master loved her too much to get mad. If only Master let her take off the pretty necklace that made travelling through objects hard. By the time she arrived back into the room covered with screens and filled with the scent of King Boo, she completely forgot that she was still in her panther form.

Hellen Gravely smiled upon her arrival. 'Ah, Polterkitty! You've finally returned! Hand over that button please.'

The panthergeist couldn't bear to look at Master. She immediately regretted her decision to return. Hellen's smile faded, and she tapped her fingers on her desk.

'Well, I... suppose that this minor setback is fine. Of course, it would've been much better if you, ya know, succeeded at your task, but this is fine. Just fine. This had potentially screwed us over, but fine.'

Polterkitty hated that tone that Master used sometimes. She had heard it far too much.

'But there is one thing we must absolutely fix!'

The cat's eyes widened. Upon seeing Master pull out one of her many make-up cases, she knew where this was going.

'Come here, darling. We cannot have you looking like a horrid beast!'

Hellen grabbed her pet by the neck and reeled her in, keeping her in place by wrapping her arm around her neck. Polterkitty tried to get herself free, but only barely. Master applied that special make-up all over her face, dabbing so thoroughly that her whole body got consumed by the pink cloud. The irritating particles gave the cat a horrible sneezing fit.

By the time the pink clouds vanished, a small kitten stood in place of the hulking panther. Polterkitty's sneezing persisted a few seconds after the powder dissipated.

'There you go!' Hellen said with a great big smile. 'You're looking cute and beautiful again!'

Polterkitty couldn't look at Master any longer, and returned to her bed. What was she so doing wrong to receive such copious amounts of that horrid Gheistpaint? The answer was obvious: She failed Master. Such a simple answer gave her so much anger, fury she directed at herself. How could she fail Master the way she did? She felt so ashamed.

Next time Master gave her an order, she was going to make sure she did it right.


'LUIGI! YOU'RE BACK!'

Parr T's joyous voice was the first thing our duo heard the moment they stepped into the lab. Daisy gave the little guy a hi-five, while Luigi walked over to the ghost container unit to deposit all the ghosts he had caught.

'You're back already?!' E. Gadd cried. 'Luigi, you still have… at least two thirds of the hotel to explore!'

'S-Sorry…' Luigi murmured.

Daisy groaned. 'Don't be, Sweetie. Professor, I'm not sure if you realised, but we have almost died several times already. If you want us to be operating at our peak, we cannot be tired.'

E. Gadd tapped his chin. 'Hm… good point. Wouldn't want my workers at anything less than maximum efficiency.'

Parr looked into the GCU through a small viewhole, his eyes wide in awe as he saw all the different types of ghosts floating about. The regular ghosts, like the Goobs, were all thrown together. The big guys - the Grand Ghosts - got their own section, much smaller than the last but still big enough to contain them all.

'WOAH!' He yelled. 'This is so cool!'

Luigi sat down on the nearby fold-out bed, taking a deep breath. Evidently, he didn't realise just how tired he really was. Daisy took a seat right next to him, feeling the fatigue in her legs. And her stomach. Mostly her stomach.

'Hey E. Gadd,' She 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 the last time E. Gadd offered it. In 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.'

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

'Uh…' Luigi murmured. 'Is that a good idea? What if the ghosts get us?'

'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. Just get some sleep!'

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 Polterpup enjoyed his meal 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 dress. Polterpup got his own serving, and he devoured his in a single bite. Luigi felt ill from the smell of it alone, but he was just too hungry. 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've 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.'

'You'll be a lot more comfortable.'

She put her arms on her hips. 'I've slept in much more uncomfortable positions before, Sweetie. I once slept on some rocks. This is nothing for me. Now, finish your meal and lie down.'

Luigi didn't want to argue with her any longer, and placed the Poltergust down on the floor so he could lie down. The simple bed was more comfortable than he was expecting. Polterpup jumped up and cuddled next to him, much like a cat. Daisy lay down on the floor, when a question popped into her mind.

'Hey, E. Gadd.' She said. 'Do you know anything about ghost cats? Luigi and I were attacked by one about an hour ago. She seemed a little too intent on hurting Luigi.'

'Funny you should mention that!' E. Gadd said. 'I was attempting to do some research on Hellen Gravely - there aren't exactly a lot of sources on her - and I found out that she keeps a little ghost cat she calls Polterkitty.'

Daisy shot upwards. 'SHE'S HELLEN GRAVELY'S PET?! Well, that explains some things!' She narrowed her eyes. 'She must've been trying to take Luigi away from me to bring her to her owner. Well, I'll be ready for her next time.'

Luigi was only half-conscious at this point, but he got the conversation. He couldn't imagine what it must've been like for Polterkitty, if she was indeed Hellen Gravely's pet. The only question he had, was if Polterkitty was just as evil as her owner.


Amadeus did not know what to expect when he disappeared into the Poltergust. Alas, no one who got trapped inside it 'lived' to tell the tale, at least anyone he knew. He certainly did not expect to be transported to a big room, surrounded entirely by grey walls made by a material impossible for ghosts to pass through.

'F-FREEZE!'

Amadeus didn't even need to look to know whose shaky voice that was. He glanced at the mall cop, who had his water gun aimed at his face.

'Greetings, Paul.' Amadeus said.

'D-Dat's Officer Kruller to youse...! Oh. It's just you, Mr Wolfgeist.' He lowered his aquatic weapon. 'Sorry.'

'That's quite alright, my good man. Are the rest of our captured friends here?'

His answer came in the form of aggressive yelling and grunting. Chambrea threw her entire body at the wall, attempting to break it down through any means necessary.

'I'll break outta here and get you, Green Boy!' She yelled, bashing her feather duster against her prison walls. 'You hear me?! I'll get that briefcase back if it's the last thing I do!'

Steward floated beside her, wanting to intervene but terrified to get any closer to her. He noticed his pianist friend dropping by.

'Oh, hey Amadeus.' He said. 'Sorry about Chambrea. She hasn't stopped yelling about a briefcase since she got in here. Before you ask, I have no idea what she's on about.'

Amadeus rolled his eyes. 'No doubt something she stole again. I know we all have our nasty habits, but...'

The maid stopped her attacks just to glare at him. 'I deserved that stupid briefcase after everything Ms Gravely puts me through without a scrap of pay!'

The pianist didn't even flinch from her anger. Chef Soulfflé was lying on the floor, lamenting the frying pan that he lost, when Amadeus caught his attention.

'What are you doing in here?' He asked, approaching him. 'Zat green gentleman seems to prefer being nice over attacking without question. Surely he would've left you alone.'

Amadeus, unable to look at his fellow ghosts, turned around and faced the giant metal panels that blocked the only way out. He rubbed his hand down the wall, only to give himself something to focus on.

'You... you attacked him?!' Soulfflé accused. 'Why on earth did you do zat?'

Kruller stepped in between the murderous chef and the regretful pianist, though horrified at the possibility of the former knocking him unconscious.

'N-Now Soulfflé,' He said. 'I-I'm sure dat Wolfgeist has a reason for attackin' da green bud.'

'Indeed, I did.'Amadeus said with a sign. 'I wanted nothing to do with Hellen's plan, until she lied to me and told me that...' He paused. 'That Luigi hurt Gloria.'

Everyone else gasped, except for Soulfflé. He just glared.

'And you believed such a blatant lie?!' He yelled. 'Gloria is all zee way on zee fourteenth floor! Do you know how many of us zee green gentleman would need to defeat before zen? Do you see Ug? Or Serpci? Or even our delusional king?!'

Kruller aimed his water gun at him. Soulfflé just knocked it out of his hand.

'Don't blame him!' Steward cried. 'We all know that Ms Gravely is capable of some horrible mind games, and with that boo guy amplifying her power we stood no chance!'

Chambrea crossed her arms. 'Hmph! Frankly, that green boy deserved to be attacked. With how he captures our kind without a care and steals what we rightfully deserves, he needs someone to teach him a lesson!'

The other ghosts all looked at her with contempt. With the container unit sparing them from Ms Gravely's mind games, she didn't even have that excuse.

'What do you mean, he captured you without a care?' Soulfflé asked. 'Zere is no need to place all your anger for our boss on him!'

'If he just let me have that briefcase, I would've left him alone!' She yelled back. 'It wasn't even his! His stuff has that green L on it, which that briefcase did not. But MAYBE, if our boss actually paid me-'

'Oh, so you think you have it hard?' Steward brought himself into the conversation. 'At least you kinda like cleaning things. At least you get some help. I have none of that!'

Soulfflé approached them. 'I ask for no pay and Ms Gravely rewards me by eighty-sixing zee vast majority of my menu! Do you know what it is like to have a yearning to create zat you cannot satisfy?'

The three of them launched into a three-sided argument over who was the most screwed over. The points made couldn't be heard as they yelled over each other.

Kruller frowned. 'P-Please stop fightin' among yourselves. O-Or I'll hafta arrest youse for a public disturbance.'

Amadeus groaned; if only he wasn't the token sane one in the group. He stretched out his arms like he was ready for a performance.

'BE QUIET, ALL OF YOU!'

It succeeded at getting everyone to shut up and look at him. He straightened out his hair and cleared his throat.

'Though I lack the leadership skills of Serpci or William MacFrights,' He said. 'The teamwork of the triplets, or even the clever strategies of Ug or Fishook, I'm certainly the best we have right now. And I suggest that fighting among ourselves is going to accomplish nothing.'

Chambrea cocked an eyebrow. 'What, and if we band together and sing a song about how friendship is magic or whatever, we'll magically break out?'

Kruller smiled. 'Ooh, we're doin' dat? I'll start!' He cleared his throat. 'I used to wonder what friendship could be.'

'SHUT IT!' Chambrea yelled.

'Now zat isn't necessary!' Soulfflé shouted. 'Amadeus only wants what is best for us!'

Amadeus sighed, and stared off into his new metallic prison. He blamed their boss. Whether she intended to or not, she drove a wedge between her workers. The thought of her would've made his blood boil if he had any, but unfortunately there was nothing they could do to escape her.

He cringed as he remembered Chambrea and Ug's failed escape plan from years ago. Johnny and Gloria were proud to serve as a distraction, and it almost worked. Almost. It was surprising how painful electro-shock collars could be…


POLTERKITTY, THE FEROCIOUS FELINE

AGE - Six months

GENDER - Female

CAUSE OF DEATH - Drowned by previous owners

Polterkitty is Hellen Gravely's pet. She was one of the first domesticated cats born, but was unfortunate enough to be born with a second tail. This harmless birth defect frightened her breeders, and when they couldn't pawn her off to someone else, they tossed her into a raging river. Thanks to Hellen showing her love, she will follow any order given for the sake of making Master happy. She dislikes doing the deeds, but she has nowhere else to go.

Author Notes - So my original story contained a plot hole. It was a small plot hole in the grand scheme of things, but a plot hole nonetheless. During the first Kitty encounter, Luigi and Daisy have no idea that she's Ms Gravely's pet and have no real reason to believe so. Next encounter... they somehow realise that she's Ms Gravely's pet with no explanation! Uh, oops.

Originally, this first little 'pitstop' scene was ALL THE WAY until right before Ug, and they were doing all of this in one sitting. I must confess that I only added that scene because - say it with me - of Hotel Horror, which actually realised that several hours of adventuring without a rest was absurd. Hence why I started doing it so late. Not doing that again! Whether I'm talking about establishing plot points later on than I should, or blatantly taking cues from another writer, is up to you.