21 November 2001
MK
Dear Diary,
Almost everyone here is talking about how I beat the odds and rescued Mario. Like I said before, it's like they've had their eyes opened. Mario wasn't too proud to admit that yes, he'd found himself in distress that night, with zero chance of rescue, and it was me who bumped up that percentage to a hundred. A few weeks after it happened, the MK held a small celebration for me. It wasn't as bombastic as the ones after we brought Peach home from Koopa's clutches, but it was something.
Just the other day, I got a call from Josh.
"How've you been?" I asked.
"A little better," he replied. "Any adventures on your end?"
"Well…" I said bashfully.
Eventually, I allowed Josh to coax it out of me.
"Holy [bleep]! You saved your brother last month?!"
"With some help," I shyly admitted.
"Oh, Luigi—that's wonderful! My folks are gonna be SO stoked!"
"He was held in a mansion full of ghosts, and I hate ghosts, but I kept thinking—Mario's in there; I gotta do it for him. Do it for Mario. And I did!" I wiped away a tear. "There are some still-healing bruises on my face from fighting King Boo, but I'll wear them like badges of honor."
"You told me about your phobia of ghosts," breathed Josh, "but all fears are meant to be faced. And you faced yours."
"For my big bro," I said. "I also told you that such fears are moot when it comes to the well-being of someone I love."
"And I believed you—I still do. Wow—I'm proud of you, Luigi. I knew you had bigger b—s than you'd care to admit."
"Thank you, Josh," I said. "Give Joan and the others my love."
And in Toad Town today, I was going on a little shopping spree when a "Psst!" got my attention.
I turned and saw a pair of humanoids composed of pink wires, with a familiar symbol on their faces, manning a booth. And I was at their booth in one leap.
"Uh—hi," I said.
"You're the one who fought King Boo?" asked the male wireframe.
"Yes," I replied.
"Despite your fear of ghosts?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And you beat him to free your brother?" asked the female wireframe.
"Yes."
Both beamed.
"Does this mean…?" I spluttered. "Is there…?"
The female wireframe gently shushed me. "Master Hand learned of your bravery not too long ago," she explained, handing me an envelope sealed with the Smash symbol. "Congratulations."
"I—th-thanks," I managed to say before racing home on the double, tearing open the envelope and reading the letter inside.
Dear Luigi,
I've just been informed of the events of October 18 of this year, how you took on a haunted mansion filled with ghosts, aided only by a vacuum cleaner and a nineteen-year-old rookie ghost-hunter, for the sole purpose of retrieving your brother from the clutches of King Boo. I'd like to take this time to extend my praises for your stunning act of valor. Facing your fears is an action we hold in high regard in the Smash World. On that note, I'd like to invite you to participate, along with the rest of the Original Twelve, in the brand new Super Smash Brothers Melee tournament, which will commence on December 3. I've planned some exciting new changes for this tournament, and I will tell you these changes after all participants have reported to the Smash Mansion. I hope you'll find the enclosed map, instructions and tentative itinerary for the first day handy, and I look forward to seeing you in Melee!
Sincerely,
Master Hand
I couldn't believe it. There was gonna be another tournament! And I'd been personally invited back! I wasted no time calling Mario, and he told me that he'd been automatically invited back, as well. He also heard somewhere that returning participants didn't have to re-apply—but newcomers still needed an application.
"The MK is gonna have more representatives this time around," he said cryptically.
"How—do you know?" I asked.
"I—just do. And you'll find out at the tournament."
"O—kay. I'd better start getting ready," I said before hanging up.
After telling Daisy, Josh, Joan, Jamie, Janice, Julian and Jackie about Melee, I began packing my suitcase. Maybe I should set aside some time to brush up on my fighting style and strategy and shape it into something—different from Mario.
Luigi
3 December 2001
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
It was similar to the first tournament. Mario and I grabbed something to eat and said our goodbyes—except that Peach had a little twinkle in her eye and told us that she'd see us again "sooner than you think". Then, a Wireframe drove up in a minivan to take us to the Smash Mansion. Mario and I hopped in, and we'd only driven a couple of feet when the Wireframe braked.
"Thanks!" chirped Peach, hopping in between us. Off of my shocked look, she said, "Told ya."
"MH invited you, too?" I asked.
"What can I say? I have a lot of stress to let out," she explained.
I recovered from my shock and said, "I'm sure the other Smashers will be happy to have you aboard."
"I sure am," said Mario, giving Peach a flirty look.
Peach blushed in response.
Once again, we listened to a CD during our ride to the Smash Mansion. Upon arrival, we went to the check-in window, where another Wireframe greeted us.
"Thank God you're okay, Mario!" said the Wireframe as they helped us with our luggage. "I don't know what would've happened if we'd lost you!"
"Boy, news travels fast," said Mario, "and while you're at it, thank Luigi, too. He's the one who saved me."
The Wireframe whooped and gave me a high-five.
"Had to do what I had to do," I said quietly.
Then, Mario helped Peach out, and the Wireframe bowed when they saw her. "Princess," they said politely.
"It's okay—you can call me Peach," she smiled.
We were led to the Main Hall, where we were, like last time, encouraged to mingle with both new and returning Smashers.
Mario and I greeted the eight other veterans, and we wound up in a big group hug in the center of the room. Then, we introduced them to Peach.
At once, they all knelt at the sight of her. Her eyes scanned them before she spoke.
"Arise," she said, and they did.
"Wow…" said Fox. "It's an honor to meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you all, too," said Peach. "I take it you got along well with the Mario Bros?"
"Well…" said Falcon. "Yeah."
"Oh, yes," Fox said quickly. "We did."
I gave the two of them a look.
Link cleared his throat. "Actually—there's someone I'd like you all to meet, too," he said.
From another part of the room, a young woman wearing a pink and white dress and sporting pointy ears rose and stepped daintily toward us.
I gaped. "Is that…?"
"Yes," said the woman. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule, bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom."
Mario and I removed our caps and knelt before her, followed by everyone else.
"You bow to no one here," said Zelda. "We are all equal in Master Hand's eyes. Arise."
So, we did.
"By the way, was that the Toadstool Princess I saw in the crowd?" asked Zelda.
"Peach is fine." On those words, Peach stepped forward to meet Zelda.
"Oh, my gods!" Zelda cried. "I've heard so much about you! I think we have a lot in common."
"Indeed," giggled Peach, and the two women hugged.
"Shall we?" asked Zelda, and the two women strode off, chattering.
Then, Fox came forward, accompanied by a blue-feathered avian. "You guys, this is Falco Lombardi, the best d—n pilot Star Fox has ever seen."
"Hey," said Falco.
"He's quit or threatened to quit several times, but overall, he's cool," added Fox.
"What made you change your mind about Smash?" I asked.
"I dunno," said Falco. "Maybe I wanted a piece of the action. I asked myself, 'Can I be Fox's wingman in other places than Star Fox?'"
"Good man," mused Link.
"Where are you from?" asked Ness.
"Brooklyn," smiled Falco, "and proud of it."
"Hey!" I cried. "Mario and I are from Brooklyn, too!"
Falco nodded smartly. "Let's be friends," he said.
"Best friends," I smiled. "I think that's what Smash is all about."
That's when a short man in doctor's attire walked briskly into the room. "Sorry I'm late," he said. My eyes bugged—he looked just like Mario!
"Wha…?" I asked.
"I'm Dr. Mario," explained the man. "MH invited me."
"So—we have two Marios now?" asked DK.
"Looks like it," said Dr. Mario.
"Puff! MH invited some more Pokémon!" warbled Jiggs. "Here's Pichu…"
Pichu was Pikachu's pre-evolved form, small and yellow with pointy ears, except that he could hurt himself using his attacks. He was twice as cute as Pikachu!
"…and here's Mewtwo. You'll have to watch out for him, because he's into mind control."
Don't worry, Mewtwo assured us. I won't bite—not that hard.
Mewtwo was a Psychic-type Pokémon, and as Pikachu explained to me in pika-speak, was an antagonist in the Pokémon universe. Pikachu, Jiggs and the other first-gen and second-gen Pokémon had to fight him. But, the electric mouse was quick to add, Mewtwo had more or less cleaned up his act and accepted MH's invite into Melee.
"I'm still keeping an eye out for him," I said.
"Good idea."
I jumped. The voice had come from directly behind me. "Who said that?!"
"I did."
Whirling, I found myself eye-to-eye with a blond-haired ninja with reddish eyes, clad in a gray-white sneaking suit.
"My," I said. "I didn't see you there."
"That means I did my job," said the ninja. "The name's Sheik, and I'm the last of the Sheikah tribe."
"Hi, Sheik," I said. "What universe are you from?"
"The Zelda universe. I've appeared in one game so far, but people liked me so much, that MH sent me an invite."
"Melee is just the place for you," I smiled. "My name's Luigi. It's very nice to meet you."
"You may not know this, Luigi, but we already met," Sheik said cryptically.
"What are you talking about?"
With a swirl of sparkles, Sheik was gone, and Zelda stood before me.
"Ta-da!" she said. "Sheik's my alter ego. I used that persona to escape from that stupid demon king."
"Ganondorf? Link told me a little about him," I said.
"Oh, boy," sighed Zelda.
"What?"
"MH invited him, too," groaned Zelda. "He's getting chummy with your archenemy as we speak."
"My archenemy?! Don't tell me…"
I looked, and sure enough, there was Koopa, holding a glass of punch and chatting up the King of Evil, Ganondorf.
"Poor Mario—he's in for an awful surprise," I said.
"If he doesn't know already," eyerolled Zelda. "So, I was talking with Peach, and I think that a political alliance between us would be very beneficial. She can help me deal with Dorf, and I can help her deal with Koopa. Plus, my hero can work with hers!"
I nodded. "They're already good friends, so a strong alliance makes sense," I said.
"All right," said Zelda. "See ya!" On those words, she teleported out.
A monochrome, 2D man tottered up to me, offered me a cupcake, and then tottered away. He reminded me of the games Mario and I used to play on the old Game and Watch system. His language consisted of BEEP and BOOP.
"That was Mr. Game and Watch," said Link, suddenly appearing next to me.
"Thanks for the info," I said.
Then, I noticed the younger elf beside him. "Is that your son?" I asked.
Link chuckled. "I wish! That's my past self, Luigi! He simply goes by Young Link, or YL, for short."
"Hey, Luigi," said YL. "I stopped a moon from destroying the world!"
"A moon?" I asked, puzzled.
"No, really. The moon was possessed by an entity named Majora, who also possessed a Skull Kid. I had to defeat Majora by going inside the moon. And if I messed up, I could simply use my ocarina to go back in time!"
"Interesting," I said.
"Hey, Nana! Popo! Come meet my new friend!" called YL.
Two young kids wearing parkas, a boy and a girl, ran over.
"This is Luigi," YL said to the two.
The boy frowned. "Never heard of him," he said, causing me to roll my eyes.
"You never played Super Mario Bros?" asked YL. "That game rocks!"
"I've heard—of the game," said the boy, obviously weighing his words. "Just—not of—him. Sorry."
"Don't apologize," I said. "Mario's the more famous one."
"It's good to meet you, Luigi," smiled the boy. "I'm Popo."
"I'm Nana," said the girl.
"And we're the Ice Climbers!" they said together.
"We're from this obscure game where we climb mountains and interact with polar bears and all that good stuff," explained Nana.
"Well—I've never heard of that game before, so I guess we're even," I quipped.
The Ice Climbers giggled.
"See you on the Battlefield, L!" they said before skipping off with YL.
I ventured over to the refreshment's table and helped myself to a croissant sandwich, some cookies and some punch before sitting on a sofa to eat it. A blue-haired man clad in armor, a red cape and armed with a sword sat next to me.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey," said the bluenette. "Luigi, right?"
"Yes," I said, surprised.
"Everyone in my homeland, Altea, won't stop talking about you," he said.
"I have fan clubs in this—Altea?"
"As of recently, yes. We learned of how you undertook a perilous journey to save your older brother, even though your fears tried to weigh you down. That is true courage."
"I'd live and die for Mario, just like he'd live and die for me. I wasn't about to let King Boo get his appendages on him!"
"I'd do anything to protect my countrymen, too," said the man. "Oh—we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Marth, and I'm the rightful prince of Altea. The sword on my hip is called Falchion, the divine sword. You know—lots of people name their swords."
"It's a beautiful sword," I said.
"And there he is," smiled Marth as a red-haired man walked in and sat on his lap. "Luigi, this is my friend, Roy."
"People call me the Red Lion," said Roy. "Good to meet you, Luigi. I'm the Lord of Lycae, and my sword is known as the Sword of Seals."
Marth smiled wryly. "Like I said, lots of people name their swords."
The two men leaned in and kissed, and then they kissed some more, laughing like a pair of young lovers.
They separated quickly when MH warped into the room.
"Smashers," he boomed.
"Hello, Master Hand," we all said.
"To the returning fighters, welcome back, and to our newcomers, welcome to Super Smash Brothers Melee," greeted MH. "I am Master Hand, Melee's master of ceremonies and the Hand of Creation. The format is similar to the previous tournament, but with several new and improved features. Allow me to explain…
"Instead of Polygons, the Smash Mansion will be staffed by Wireframes. Matches will once again run from 9a.m. to 5p.m. Lights out will be at midnight, and breakfast will begin at 6:30a.m. You will still get to compete in one-on-one, free-for-all and team battles, but I have introduced a new mode, Stamina Mode. The first fighter depleted of their hit points loses. In addition, we have a renovated Training Area, renovated lounges, the Windows XP operating system for our computers, additional pools, a remodeled spa and a remodeled Replay Area. And finally, I have introduced Multi-Man Melee. Sign-ups for each Multi-Man event will be available the day prior, and I expect them to fill up fast. You can choose from 10-Man, 100-Man, 3-Minute, 15-Minute and Endless, and your opponents consist of Wireframes.
"I expect you to once again abide by battlefield decorum, and there will be no fighting outside of your battles whatsoever. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Master Hand," we replied.
"Good. You will now form two lines. Returnees on the left, newcomers on the right."
We arranged ourselves as instructed and received our room assignments. The rooms were almost the same as last time, except that now we had charging stations for our iPods. There was also more room for us to move around. Once again, the matches would not begin until tomorrow.
So, I unpacked my stuff, napped for a while, took a quick bath and then joined the newcomers and returnees in the lounge to bond or otherwise catch up. A very popular topic was what happened in that mansion. Being talked about is something I still need to get used to.
Time to get back into fighting shape! See you tomorrow!
Luigi
4 December 2001
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
What better way to start Melee than pitting me against two formidable villains? I don't know what MH had in mind when he composed that match spreadsheet, but that was the first match of the day.
I made sure to use the men's room well before reporting to the stage of choice. The three of us fought on a stage similar to the one where I fought those Polygons, known simply as Battlefield. Koopa and Dorf smirked and sneered at me, taunting about how they were gonna reduce me into a green smear on the floor. But I wasn't about to make it easy for them. The Luigi they were expecting had long gone!
"Ready—GO!" commanded Master Hand.
That was my cue to jump and leap all over the stage, throwing my fireballs. Dorf was the first to close in, aiming a dark-aura surrounded fist at me. I spot-dodged and battered the Gerudo King with volleys of sharp, quick karate chops. That was better than my previous f-air, I'll give you that. It was an attack I could throw out quickly, and I could throw out multiple chops in a single jump. My jump-kick helped keep most of the heat off me, too, but I preferred to use that more defensively.
I hammered Dorf with my Cyclone and then turned to face Koopa, cartwheeling out of the way of his Fire Breath. Memories of that fight on the roof came, but I stubbornly shooed them away as that turtle slashed at me with his claws. I got him back but good with a forward knifehand thrust attack I'd spent the last month perfecting, hitting him in the center of his gut. But I didn't drop my guard for a moment, coming after him with fireballs and aerial attacks and finishing with my Super Jump Punch.
Harshly, I was whipped around, a hammy fist slamming hard into me. [Bleep]. I almost forgot about Dorf. Slightly dazed, I stood to face the evil king, who tried to punch me again. But I was too fast, dropping to the ground and pulling off a flare kick, knocking him off his feet. Koopa grabbed me from behind and violently body-slammed me, but I shook that off, as well, grabbing him by his tail, swinging him till I was almost dizzy and tossing him into Dorf.
"Is that the best you can do?!" yelled Dorf.
They really shouldn't have asked that.
Crouching down, I focused all of my energy and power, a warm feeling building up in my navel—and then blasted off. The wind was a high-pitched whistle in my ears, and the sensation was like being on a zipline. The top of my head collided with Koopa's abdomen, and I could hear the satisfying sound of the air leaving him as he flew offstage. The force of my attack also sent Dorf stumbling, which I capitalized on with another spearhand strike. The ache in my hand was worth it.
"You'd better save your energy, Green 'Stache," said Koopa when he respawned. "My new friend and I—we've got you for ten minutes. Ten minutes of PLAYTIME!"
Bring it on.
As one, the two villains rushed at me, but I knocked them back with a kick and two karate chops and then flipped myself onto one of the floating platforms, throwing out back aerials when they tried to follow me. I'd also disrupt their assault with a Cyclone or a Smash attack (that's what the heavier attacks are called, by the way), or simply leap here and there, engaging them in a tiring (for them, hopefully) game of cat-and-mouse, keeping myself covered with my fireballs and quick punches and kicks, changing my strategy along with theirs—if they had one.
But they were larger and stronger than me, and I was reminded of that more than once. Dorf had this move called the Warlock Punch—a charged punch encountering my body. Three guesses as to how much that hurt. He also had several diving kicks in his arsenal, a double-footed stomp, a shoulder charge, a forward kick and and upwards kick. And of course, Koopa had his claws, tackling attacks, kicking attacks—and he also attacked using his shell, the Whirling Fortress. But more often than not, he'd throw me all over the stage—he even stole me and Mario's Ground-Pound! Halfway through the fight, I was covered in burns, bruises and blood. I could feel swelling and throbbing. But I wasn't about to give them what they wanted, oh, no. After every punch, slash and kick and toss, I'd just get back up and focus on attacking before they did.
"All right, Luigi!" yelled a familiar voice.
Sitting in the Spectators' Area in their usual spot were Josh and his folks! Josh was dressed in a green polo shirt and jeans, Joan was clad in a blue blouse and skirt, Jackie was wearing a green casual dress with a green cardigan over it, Julian was in a green sweatshirt and blue jeans with a green baseball cap, and Jas was wearing a green, long-sleeved shirt and green leggings, with a green ribbon in her hair. The five waved at me when I made eye contact.
"Give them heck, buddy!" Jules shouted down to me.
"Yeah, Weegee!" laughed Jas.
I turned back toward my two opponents and went at them like never before! First, grabbing Dorf and slamming him down over and over, and then assailing Koopa with knifehand strikes and flip-kicks, using my fireballs to prevent them from double-teaming me. Later in the fight, I found that I could meteor-smash them from above with my downwards kick. Those ten minutes were definitely playtime—for me. I continued to take hefty blows from the two heavyweights and spite them by getting back up, glaring defiantly. I continued to flit about the stage, ignoring the pain, dealing twice as much as I was dealt. I continued to breathe, controlled breaths which not only conserved my oxygen but kept me under control. And I continued to listen to the voices in the stands, Josh shouting, Julian exhorting, Joan cheering, Jackie whooping and hollering, Jas beginning to replace her little girl giggle with a big girl laugh. And then there was Mario's voice, Peach's voice and the voices of my Smasher friends, people looking forward to Koopa and Dorf being taken down a notch. And that's when I told myself—almost two months ago, I faced down someone worse than these two!
I can do this! I told myself.
In the final minutes of the battle, I dashed toward them, clenched my fist and served up a sizzling Super Jump Punch to my foes, launching them sky high.
"TIME!" yelled MH.
Everyone in the stands rose to their feet, cheering.
"Yeah! You did it, Luigi!" shouted a feminine voice I also knew well.
I looked into the Spectators' Area and saw her in the front row, a section away from Josh and his family. Her auburn hair was loosely curled, and she was attired in a spaghetti strap carnation pink dress, waving a pink cardigan around like a rally towel. The violet eyes flashed, and excitement mixed with fascination on her face, animating her freckles.
"Grace," I gasped.
Our eyes met, and Grace's grip slackened on her cardigan, causing it to float into the air and soar above the stands, like a beautiful, pink bird. Or more like an angel—a lovely pink angel.
My newest friend, no longer a girl but not yet a woman, stared breathlessly at me. I knew this was her first time seeing me in a Smash battle. And she appeared amazed at seeing this side of me. I beamed at her in response, touching the bill of my hat, silently thanking her for being here. It was just like she said—my determination in that mansion had visibly left an impression on her, inspiring her, and I guess that was why she was here. To remind me that even though I wasn't quite as heroic as Mario, I still had the power to touch the people around me.
Her presence here was her way of saying "Thank you."
You're welcome, Grace, I thought as Master Hand announced my victory.
Since there were more fighters on the roster, MH had a greater variety of matchups at his fingertips. I got to fight a few Smash veterans, like Link and Fox and Pikachu. And after lunch, I got to take on the Ice Climbers and their aggravating Wobble technique, Marth and his Shield Breaker, Mr. Game and Watch and his Judge move and Mewtwo and his psychokinesis, which was more powerful than Ness's. Through all of those fights, Grace was there, along with Josh, Joan, Jules and Jackie, with Jas sometimes napping on one of their laps or other times greedily lapping up the action. And after my last match of the day, I autographed one of Grace's notebooks for her.
"I think we met each other at a very strange time in our lives," she said.
Oh, yes, we did.
Luigi
20 December 2001
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
I can't believe we're over three weeks into Melee! And just like the previous tournament, I settled rather quickly into the schedule. The matches I fought were significantly more grueling, and there were more of them per day, but what else could I do with the aggression and nervous energy inside me? It turns out that in spite of—recent events—some still don't take me seriously as a Smasher. But I don't get mad about it—I get even. During one-on-one fights, I battle aggressively, pounding my foe with relentless, rock-hard blows and finishing with a Super Jump Punch or my rocket move, which I've since named the Green Missile. I've done a lot of tinkering with that move to the point I've managed a "Misfire", in which I'm propelled by an explosive blast, heat briefly flashing around me as I launched myself faster and farther, hitting the foe so hard I could hear a rib or two crack. Due to this move, my stats have improved significantly. But you didn't hear that from me.
Several times, Peach finally got the opportunity to confront her longtime tormentor. It was positively delicious. Mario and I sat in the front row, along with Yoshi and a few other friends, drinking in the sight of Peach beating the ever-loving [bleep] out of Koopa with such moves as a ribbon twirl, blows with a frying pan, golf club or tennis racket and a Parasol. But my personal favorite was when she'd unleash the Peach Bomber, a powerful hip-bumping attack with an explosive effect. That turtle got a few claw strikes in, but he was no chance for a Princess loaded for bear. And she won. She actually won!
I don't see Koopa carrying her off anytime soon.
But the main piece of news I want to share with you is that I competed in my first Multi-Man event today. Yesterday, I decided to sign up for 15-Minute Melee, and a lot of people expected me to fall. Except Marth, of course. He asked me about it, and I told him that I was tired of being treated like someone's kid brother. Then, he smiled and said that he believed in me, and that I'm far from a kid brother because of my actions two months ago. He told me that he was rooting for me, as was Roy. I think both of us needed that little pep talk.
And during those fifteen long minutes against loads and loads of Wireframes, Marth and Roy sat together, next to Mario, Peach, Josh, his family and Yoshi, with Grace seated a short distance away. I could feel their presence, even with the Wireframes all around me, and that was what kept me fighting on, the knowledge that at least some still had faith in me. While faced with those Wireframes, I relied heavily on my Smash attacks and throws, as well as my Cyclone and Green Missile. But not the Super Jump Punch, because I had to get in really close for it to work. I used quick aerial attacks and fireballs to negotiate crowds, and most of all, I didn't stay stationary for long. If I did, one of them would grab me. Over the cacophony of battle, I heard the cheers, the many voices replenishing my energy. And I hollered my battle cry, loud and strident, as I Smashed my way through Wireframe after Wireframe, not relaxing for a single second until—
"COMPLETE!" boomed Master Hand. "A new record!"
Everyone in the front row cheered, while everyone else stared at me in slack-jawed disbelief. I fixed all of them with a meaningful look before exiting the battlefield. They didn't think I'd survive fifteen minutes with those aggressive Wireframes. Well, they thought wrong.
A lot of what they thought about me was wrong.
"Luigi—that was—amazing!" cried Fox.
"We knew you could do it!" cheered Roy.
Even MH was taken aback, and that's saying something. "Is there anything you can't do?" he asked.
I merely blushed in response.
And I still can't believe it myself. I was in there for fifteen minutes, and I didn't break once. If someone had asked me to do that before the mansion, then I would've said 'no way'. But now—I would've looked them in the eye and said, "Give me twenty minutes with them instead."
Because I'm not a regular Giuseppe anymore.
Luigi
25 December 2001
Boo Woods
Dear Diary,
Professor Gadd invited me to spend Christmas with him, Rebecca and Grace at his lab, and I quickly accepted, bringing Mario, Josh, Joan, Janice, Jamie, Julian, Jackie and Jasmine with me. I couldn't bear the three of them spending the holiday alone in such a gloomy place. The mansion's absence made it less gloomy, but still.
Gadd, Grace and Becky were happy to meet the Merricks and the Spellmans. They were even happier to know that I had such a strong support system. After introductions, we all exchanged gifts. For Grace, Mario and I had pooled our money together to get her a Game Cube and several games. And Gadd presented me with none other than—the Poltergust 3000!
"Wow—are you sure?" I asked.
"You need it more than me," Gadd smartly replied, "and I want it to remind you what you're capable of when the mess hits the fan."
I beamed. "Thanks, Professor," I said.
Once we gave and received gifts, we sat around the lab's lounge area, enjoying hot cocoa and cookies while holiday tunes played on the radio. Professor Gadd entertained us with stories about his misadventures and adventures growing up in Hartford, Connecticut, how he longed to overcome his phasmophobia, how he conceived the first Poltergust in his college dorm room and how he taught Paranormal Science in New York City until the mid-80s, whereupon he retired to this humble lab in these haunted woods.
"I wish I'd met you earlier," I mused.
"Same here," replied Gadd.
Later that day, as we prepared Christmas dinner, I found myself browsing Gadd's gallery, mulling over the Portrait Ghosts I'd fought and captured. I'd avoided it during my convalescence, but I guess I still needed to process the fact that I'd stood up to them. I paused when I reached King Boo's portrait, depicting him with his Koopa suit, backdropped by a blazing inferno.
"I beat King Boo," I whispered to myself. "I beat King Boo. I beat King Boo."
"Yes," said Mario as he appeared behind me, "and he's one less enemy to deal with."
Mario slid an arm over my shoulders and gently steered me away from the portrait. I allowed him to lead me out of the gallery and back into the lounge, where the others helped set the table. The less time I spent mulling over King Boo, the better.
I stopped thinking about him once the holiday feast was ready, and we were all piling our plates high with food. The mansion was the site of my metaphorical death and rebirth, and that was all there was to it.
Merry Christmas, and God bless us, everyone!
Luigi
31 December 2001
Times Square, NYC
Dear Diary,
When the ball drops, the roughest year of my life so far will be behind me. Mario and I have decided to watch the ball drop, rather than celebrate in the Smash Mansion or the MK, because we want to stand in solidarity with our fellow New Yorkers. Even after three months, the wounds from the September 11th attacks are still fresh. But tonight, there's an air of optimism. The famed Ball is red, white and blue this year, symbolizing a nation coming together after unspeakable tragedy. Time stood still for those 102 minutes—but slowly, yet surely—the wheels of time began to turn once again.
Time is now marching us steadily toward a new year. Mario and I have joined the rest of NYC, including Josh and his brood, in jamming Times Square, looking toward the New Year with nothing but good feelings. The time has come to recover, to heal, to rebuild, and most importantly, to learn from our experiences. 9/11 and the mansion put me and my loved ones to the test, but we passed—there's only the future to look forward to now. And one of my high points for the coming year is possibly deepening my friendship with Grace.
The big ball drop is twenty minutes away—I have to get ready. Happy New Year!
Luigi