Chapter 5: Rent-A-Cop

(Back in Professor E. Gadd's lab)

Luigi, Diddy Kong, Bandana Dee, Tails, and Rottytops entered the lab the device they got from the previous chapter.

Professor E. Gadd- You got my briefcase! Hurry, give it here!

Luigi- Ok. Here you go, professor.

Then Luigi hands Professor E. Gadd the briefcase and Professor E. Gadd pulls out the container with the green liquid inside of it.

Professor E. Gadd- The latest invention from the brilliant mind of Professor E. Gadd! I give to you…Gooigi!

Rottytops- Goo…what now…?

Professor E. Gadd- Perhaps it's best if I show you.

Then Professor E. Gadd attached the container to Luigi's Poltergust G-00 and the green liquid moved into Luigi's Poltergust. Then out of Luigi's Poltergust came a green slime-like clone of Luigi.

Luigi- What's this?!

Professor E. Gadd- Luigi, meet Gooigi! He's meant to act as a special helper for you on this adventure, Luigi. He can help you suck up ghosts, can fit through metal bars since he has no solid mass, and can fit through tight passages like a drain pipe. However, I must warn you to keep Gooigi away from water. That will cause him to completely dissolve. The material Gooigi is made out isn't waterproof.

Luigi- He does sound pretty useful.

Tails- Have one for us, too?

Professor E. Gadd- I'm sorry, but I only have the one prototype available.

(3rd floor of the hotel)

Luigi, Diddy Kong, Bandana Dee, Tails, and Rottytops arrived on the 3rd floor. After exiting the elevator, they noticed there was a revolving door over to the left side of the room.

Diddy Kong- What's that?

Tails- I think I've seen these types of doors before in places like shopping districts or…

Rottytops- SHOPPING MALLS!

Before Luigi, Diddy Kong, Bandana Dee, or Tails could do anything, Rottytops rushed at the revolving door while knocking them into it. Causing them to spin around the revolving door like marry go round spinning way too fast. They did eventually stop on the other side, but they were all super dizzy except for Rottytops.

Luigi- Oh…my head…

Bandana Dee- Rottytops, what was that for?!

Rottytops- Sorry, but the thought of a shopping mall in this hotel just excited me! I really enjoy shopping!

Tails- What is it about girls and their obsession with shopping?

Rottytops- Hey, what's that supposed to mean?

Tails- Amy behaves the exact same way when she's at the mall.

Luigi- Shhh…quiet! I think I hear someone!

Then they spot a ghost dressed like a security guard walking on floor above them on the shopping district. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a mall cop outfit, carrying a flashlight, and had a chain of keys attached to his outfit. One of which was the elevator button. But then this mall cop ghost got startled by a strange sound coming from down the hall.

Kruller- GHAAAAAW! What the hell was that?!

Kruller pulled out his flashlight and tried to shine it down the hallway. Only to find a rat in one of the vending machines.

Kruller- That's a relief. Well, I better get back to work!

Then Kruller jumped right through the door to the security room, but he also dropped a key in doing so.

Bandana Dee- Looks like we got a rent-a-cop here in this mall.

Diddy Kong- But it looks like he dropped a key.

Tails- But I think I saw he was carrying an elevator button.

Luigi- Then let's get in there and take that button from that mall cop!

Luigi walked over and picked up the key with the diamond symbol on it, but when he put it into the star shaped lock on Kruller's office, it didn't budge.

Tails- Uh…Luigi…

Luigi- Hang on a second, Tails! I just need to…

After a few tries of the key not budging an inch, Luigi took the key out and looked at the key again. After a few seconds, Luigi finally connected the dots.

Luigi- Ohhhhh…am I an idiot…

Tails- Yeah…it's like trying to fit a shaped block through the wrong shaped hole. We're gonna need a key with a star shaped pattern on it if we want to open that door.

As they looked around the shopping mall, Luigi saw a diamond shaped symbol on the jewelry store on the top left corner of the mall.

Luigi- Right there! Something in that store must work with this diamond key!

Luigi approached it, only to see there was a bunch of bars keeping Luigi from entering the store.

Luigi- Now how am I going to get inside of there and use this diamond key?

Luigi ponders for a moment, but then he remembered Gooigi Professor E. Gadd equipped him with. Luigi then released Gooigi from its tank and handed it the key. Then Gooigi walked right through the bars like they weren't even there and while still holding onto the diamond key.

Bandana Dee- That sounded a little disgusting.

Tails- Reminds me a bit of that once scene from the Terminator.

Then Diddy Kong jumped at the gate and used his nimble movements to slip between the bars.

Diddy Kong- Who needs to be made of an amorphous slime? I can simply squeeze through on my own!

Before Diddy could celebrate, a hand suddenly smacked him in the face. Then a foot, then an arm, and then Rottytops' head.

Diddy Kong- Uh…what are you doing?

Rottytops- You could get between the bars with your flexible movements. I can get through by taking myself apart and slip through piece by piece.

Diddy Kong- But how are you going to do anything if you're in pieces like that?

Rottytops- Uh…say Diddy, you mind helping this zombie girl put herself back together?

Diddy Kong- Why me…

As Diddy Kong attempted to try and put Rottytop back together, Gooigi saw a cash register with the diamond symbol the key had and walked over it. After Gooigi used the key on the register, a key with a heart design popped out of the cash register. But before Gooigi could grab it, a ghost popped out from the wall behind Gooigi and attempted to scare Gooigi.

Ghost- BOO!

However, Gooigi wasn't fazed and this seemed to bother the ghost.

Ghost- BOOOOO!

The ghost got closer to Gooigi's face, only to realize this was a goo-like clone of Luigi as it poked its nose with its finger.

Ghost- This ain't Luigi! What even is this thing?

Then the ghost noticed the key with the heart design on it.

Ghost- The key! Oh shit! I better grab it before they do!

The ghost grabs the key and turns invisible.

Tails- Hey, that ghost is getting away with the key!

Bandana Dee- Diddy, Rottytops! Stop fooling around and get that ghost!

Diddy Kong- I'm not fooling, I'm trying to put Rottytops back together!

Bandana Dee- Sorry, but it's just the rest of us can't get in through the bars like you did earlier.

Diddy Kong was about to ready his Poltergust, but then Rottytops called him back.

Rottytops- Wait, Diddy! You still haven't finished putting me back together!

Diddy Kong- Uh…that's right, right?

Then it's revealed that Diddy Kong reassembled Rottytops' body to look more like a chicken than a zombie girl.

Rottytops- Does this look right to you?

Then Diddy Kong tried again and managed to put her mostly correct this time. Only her left leg was where her right arm went and her right arm where her left leg went. Rottytops pulled her left leg off and put her right arm back where it belongs as well as her left leg before pulling out her Poltergust. Diddy and Rottytops couldn't see the ghosts, but they could still hear their laughter.

Tails- Diddy, behind you!

Diddy Kong looked over his shoulder and saw a ghost about to try and grab him from behind. Diddy Kong used his acrobatics to jump over the jump over the ghost and avoid the attack. Before the ghost could do anything else, Diddy Kong flashed the ghost with his flashlight and begin sucking it up with the Poltergust. The ghost tried to pull itself out of the suction, but Diddy Kong performed a slam and flung the ghost over his shoulder. Then the ghost got sucked up into Diddy's Poltergust.

Bandana Dee- Rotty, above you!

Then Rottytops looked up and saw a ghost about to try and rush her from above and managed to avoid it by stepping backwards. This caused the ghost to faceplant into the floor in a cartoonish fashion. Then Rottytops caught the ghost in her Poltergust's suction and slammed the ghost into a jewelry case before the ghost got completely sucked up.

Rottytops- Whoops! Hope I don't have to pay for that.

Then a third ghost tried to jump Diddy Kong and Rottytops while they were distracted, but Gooigi flashed it with its flashlight and sucked it up with goo-like Poltergust. After Gooigi caught that ghost, the key dropped out of Gooigi.

Diddy Kong- I guess that ghost was the one who stole the key from Gooigi.

Rottytops- By the way, nice job on warning us about those ghost attacks.

Tails- Had to be useful somehow since we can't get through those bars like you can. Not all of us had Diddy's nimble movements.

Bandana Dee- Or be able to disassemble ourselves like a zombie.

Luigi- I think I saw heart designs just like that on the boutique store one floor below in this shopping district. Maybe that's where that key can be used.

(At the boutique of the shopping district)

Gooigi slipped through the bars at that store like it did before. Diddy Kong used his acrobatics to squeeze through the bars while Rottytops took herself apart to get herself in piece by piece. Diddy Kong managed to put her back together again without messing anything up this time.

Rottytops- Now where can we use that heart key on?

Diddy Kong- Hey, maybe that will lead us to it!

Diddy Kong was pointing at a pullable cord sticking out of the wall in the boutique.

Rottytops- I don't think…

But then Diddy Kong pulled on the cord and the curtain for the dressing room opened up, revealing a ghost who was holding two different outfits.

Ghost- Hmmm…which one would look best…

Then the ghost noticed the curtain was pulled open and exposing it to Gooigi, Diddy Kong, and Rottytops.

Ghost- Yikes! I'm not decent!

Then the ghost flew away in embarrassment.

Rottytops- Nice going, Diddy. If it wasn't bad enough that your friend, Donkey Kong had to peek through Shantae's window when she was taking a bath.

Diddy Kong- I thought we weren't going to bring that up anymore.

Eventually, Gooigi finds this cash register with the heart symbol on it and used the key on it. This revealed a key that looked like a spade.

Diddy Kong- I believe I saw a spade design on the window of the gift shop in this district.

(At the gift shop of the shopping district)

Gooigi, Diddy Kong, and Rottytops got in through the bars blocking the entrance to the gift shop.

Luigi- Strange how all the stores in this shopping district are closed and have those bars preventing most of us from getting in.

Tails- Well, it is past midnight. But then again, most ghosts don't use doors.

Rottytops- Hey Luigi! They have yours and Mario's plumber's hats on the shelves!

Then Rottytops puts on a Mario hat.

Rottytops- It's-a me, Mario!

Then she put on a Luigi hat.

Rottytops- It's-a me, Luigi, the cowardly ghost hunter who pees in his pants whenever he gets jumped!

Then Gooigi walked up to Rottytops from behind and beaned her on the head with part of the Poltergust.

Rottytops- Hey! What was that for?!

Luigi- That wasn't funny, Rottytops!

Diddy Kong- We're also trying to rescue our friends from their framed prison and we don't have time to joke around like that.

Rottytops- That's no fun!

Then a ghost popped its head from the sunglasses display.

Ghost- Actually, I thought it was pretty funny!

Rottytops tried to flash the ghost, but nothing happened.

Ghost- Sorry zombie girl, but you can't stun me with these shades covering my eyes.

Then Diddy Kong summersaulted towards the ghost, but he just flew through the ghost.

Ghost- Did you forget that your physical moves don't work on us?

Diddy Kong turned around and was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

Diddy Kong- Not really. I just wanted to grab something.

Just then, the ghost realized that Diddy Kong swiped the sunglasses off of it when he jumped at it. But before the ghost could run away, Gooigi flashed the ghost with the flashlight and Rottytops sucked it up.

Bandana Dee- I didn't think the ghosts would be smart enough to try different methods to defend themselves.

Tails- They were smart enough to trick us to come to this haunted hotel.

Luigi- I think I do remember the ghosts in Evershade Valley did do several different tactics to try and defend themselves. From wearing sunglasses to block the flash, to covering their faces with shovels, to wrapping themselves like mummies.

Then Gooigi put the spade key into the cash register and pulled out a clover key.

Luigi- There's only one store left on this shopping district that we haven't been to yet. And that's the barber shop.

(At the barber shop of the shopping district)

Luigi, Bandana Dee, and Tails were having their Poltergusts blowing air as they were spinning these pinwheels to make the gates open up for Gooigi, Diddy Kong, and Rottytops to slip through. However, there appeared to be nothing there preventing them from getting to the cash register.

Diddy Kong- Odd. There don't appear to be any ghosts in this store to try and get in our way.

Rottytops- Maybe we've sucked them all on this floor already.

Luigi- I seriously doubt that. After all I've gone through in haunted mansions, they've got plenty of ghosts to spare.

Tails- Then let's just get that last key before the ghosts do come!

Then Gooigi uses the clover key to open the register and pulls out a key that looks like the same star design on the lock where Kruller was hiding. But as soon as they got out of the barber shop, a ghostly red hand appeared at the top of the barber shop and squeezed this sprinkler system on the floor above to make water rain down on Gooigi. This caused Gooigi to dissolve and drop the star key.

Luigi- What the?! What just happened?

Tails- Professor E. Gadd did tell us that Gooigi wasn't waterproof. But what caused the sprinklers to go off all of a sudden?

Luigi walked over and picked the key up.

Luigi- Let's just get that elevator button from that rent-a-cop ghost.

Luigi began walking up the escalator, only it was now going down on both sides. Eventually, the escalator was going down so fast, it sent Luigi tumbling down the escalator and crashed down.

Diddy Kong- You ok, Luigi?

Luigi- Colonel Mustard did it with the candle stick…

Then out of the escalator came this huge muscular red ghost that looked much stronger than those other ghosts that kept attacking them.

Rottytops- Yikes! New ghost type?

Tails- I think so!

The big red brawny ghost swung its fists at them, but Luigi and the others managed to dodge. Luckily, Tails managed to flash it with his flashlight and stun the big red ghost. However, there wasn't any part Tails could suck up from the front. But before the red ghost could recover from the flash, Luigi and Bandana Dee got behind it and began sucking it up from behind. After the red ghost was suck up, the escalator returned to normal and they could continue to the security room where the Kruller was.

(In the shopping district security room)

Luigi, Diddy Kong, Bandana Dee, Tails, and Rottytops finally arrive in the room where they saw Kruller sitting as his desk, holding a book her was reading in one hand while holding the elevator button in his other hand. However, it wasn't long before Kruller noticed them and jumped out of his seat.

Kruller- GWAAAAHH! It's them! The intruders Hellen Gravely warned me about! What do I do?!

Then Kruller saw an area blocked off by bars near the desk.

Kruller- Ok…I've got to make a break for it…

Kruller then put his sunglasses back on and attempted to roll through the bared gate, but he just rolled halfway and stopped on his back.

Tails- Uh…is he ok?

The Kruller managed to pull himself together and continued the roll across and through the bared gate. Then Kruller rushed to a box and began to search through it for something he could use. He pulled out a jack-in-the-box that scared him. Then he pulled out a pufferfish squeaky toy that also pricked his hand and made him drop it. But then he found something in the box that got his interest.

Kruller- Perfect! This will do for a weapon!

Then Kruller pulled out a water gun.

Kruller- Alright you criminals…come and get some!

Bandana Dee- How are we going to get to him if he's behind there?

Then Luigi released Gooigi from the case in his Poltergust and had Gooigi slip right through the bars. Diddy Kong used his nimble movement to squeeze through like before while Rottytops took herself apart to slip through piece by piece.

Kruller- They got through?! Oh dear! Gotta think fast!

Kruller aimed his water gun at Gooigi in hopes of dissolving him, but Diddy Kong jumped in the way and got soaked instead.

Diddy Kong- YAAAAAAAAAH!

Rottytops- Don't tell me water is making a chimp like you dissolve as well?

Diddy Kong- No…but that water is ice cold! (Shivers) And I'm not a chimpanzee. I'm a standard monkey since I have a tail and chimpanzees don't.

Kruller- Uh oh…

Kruller tried to rush away, but a soggy Diddy Kong summersaulted in his escape route and began sucking away his sunglasses off.

Kruller- No! No! No! Not the sunglasses!

Kruller tried to hold onto them, but Diddy Kong sucked them up in his Poltergust. Before Kruller could do anything, Rottytops stunned Kruller with her flashlight while Gooigi began sucking Kruller in. Kruller struggled to prevent himself from getting sucked into the Poltergust, but Gooigi sucked up Kruller and got the elevator button for the 2nd floor.