CW: King Boo being King Boo.

30 October 2019

RIP Suites (5th Floor), Last Resort

10:20p.m.

Dear Diary,

After installing the tracker, my companions and I took the elevator to the 5th Floor, known as the RIP Suites. During the ride up, Miranda and Grace took off their shoes and opted to leave them in the elevator bay. We were about to head toward Gadd's room when the nearby wall-mounted phone rang.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Hello, handsome," said King Boo.

"Hello," I said curtly. "Goodbye." Then, I hung up.

The phone rang again. This time, Roland answered it.

"We have nothing to say to you," he said firmly. "Good day to you, sir."

I gave him a big smile as he hung up.

"Scumbag," Roland muttered under his breath. "Shall we?"

We started down the corridor to room 508, using our Suction Shots to clear away the cleaning carts in our path. But hidden in one of these carts was a group of Goobs dressed like maids and wielding feather dusters. The dusters didn't do much damage, causing us to sneeze at worst and tickling us at best, but the Goobs used them to block our Strobulb flashes. A quick Burst jolted the dusters from their grips, allowing us to easily capture them.

In no time, we reached Gadd and Becky's room and walked inside. It looked like a mad scientist's room, what with the beakers, the small library and the suitcases with those green switches on them. Leaning against the sofa was a red and gold briefcase, which presumably housed Gooigi.

"Okay, Gooigi," I said, stepping toward the briefcase. "Time to get you to the Lab."

"Ah—excuse me!" said a perky voice with a slight Maine accent.

A plump, ghostly maid swooped in and grabbed the briefcase. The nametag on her outfit identified her as Chambrea.

"I'm sorry, Luigi," she said politely, "but King Boo and Ms. G ordered me to dispose of this briefcase."

"Hey, Chambrea," I said. "May I ask you something first?"

"Go ahead, and call me Brea."

"Okeydokey, Brea—do you like working here?"

Brea shrugged. "It pays the bills."

"That's not what I asked you," I said. "Do you like working here?"

"I cry at night," replied Brea.

"How do your bosses treat you?" Grace piped up.

"They barely acknowledge me," sighed Brea. "They're too obsessed over your friend here. Not that I can't see why…"

"I'm flattered," I said, "but I'm taken. Look, my point is, if you give me the briefcase, then I'll put in a good word for you elsewhere."

"I can't," said Brea. "They told me that if I don't get rid of the briefcase and anything that could be seen as evidence, then I'd regret it. My hands are tied, don't you see? Now please, leave."

She opened her mouth and crammed the briefcase into it, causing her belly to take on a rectangular shape, and phased through a wall into the neighboring room. My companions and I moved to follow her, only to be stopped by more Goob maids.

These maids fought more aggressively than the first group, but we still managed to prevail. Achy and a bit cross, I led my companions back into the hallway, stopping when the VB rang.

"Professor, a maid named Chambrea has your briefcase," I said. "We're gonna try and get it from you, but it won't be easy."

"The Strobulb won't do anything, but that's where the Suction Shot comes in," said Gadd. "Don't stress it."

"Easier said than done," I said before ending the call.

We tracked Brea to a room under construction, and I briefly grimaced, imagining that the room had probably been intended for Daisy. I shook the thought out of my head as I saw Brea, absentmindedly dusting the walls.

I cleared my throat, getting her attention.

"You again?" she asked incredulously.

"I tried to be nice," I said, "but I need that briefcase. And if you won't give it to us, then we're taking it from you."

Brea brandished her feather duster. "Try it!" she dared.

She barreled at us, swinging her feather duster like a baton, but we used the open space to dodge about.

"I got her!" exclaimed Miranda, firing a Suction Shot at the briefcase in Brea's stomach and using the vacuum to hold her in place.

Running over, I fired off another Suction Shot, and together, Miranda and I slammed Brea several times, maintaining a steady, metronymic rhythm.

But Brea broke free and aggressively tickled us with her feather duster before flying off.

Grace, Roland and Gavin ran to our side, looking concerned.

"We're fine!" I said between giggles. "Just get after that maid!"

Looking reluctant, the Butters filed out of the room in pursuit of Brea. I gathered my bearings, and after helping Miranda gather hers, we followed them.

We heard commotion coming from Oliver's room, and that's where Miranda and I found the Butters, already engaged with Brea. Gavin had a grip on her with his Suction Shot, and his parents were helping him heave her about.

That's when I noticed some more Goob maids sneaking up on them. Instantly, I flashed them with my Strobulb and laid a smackdown on them, with Miranda following my lead. A few Goob bellhops arrived on the scene, but Miranda and I took care of them, too.

I heard Gavin swear, followed by Grace chiding him for swearing. Whirling, I saw Brea trying to make another getaway. She was fast, but I was faster, letting a Suction Shot fly onto her back. Acting quickly, Gavin and Miranda did the same, allowing us to land a few extra slams on Brea before she managed to escape.

"Agnes's room," I realized. "Let's move!"

Brea immediately attacked us when we confronted her in Agnes's room, joined by two Goob maids and two Goob bellhops. Grace and Roland engaged the Goobs, allowing Gavin, Miranda and I to focus on Brea, and they helped us by slamming the Goobs onto Brea, distracting her long enough for us to hit her with our Suction Shots.

As Brea broke free and fled to Alec's room, more Goobs poured in, armed with flashlights.

"Rollie and I will handle this," Grace said after we captured a couple of Goob bellhops. "Go, and we'll catch up with you!"

I had Miranda and Gavin hold onto me as we fought our way out of Agnes's room and cornered Brea in Alec's room. This time, we boxed her in, the teens using Burst to knock her towards me while I fired off one last Suction Shot.

One good slam finally dislodged the briefcase from Brea's stomach, and she wildly flailed her feather duster about before disappearing into the Poltergust. Seconds later, an elevator button rolled out of the nozzle and into my palm.

"Okay!" said Gavin. "Let's check on Mom and Dad!"

"Hey!" Grace called from outside. "You got the briefcase?"

"Yeah, and we got an elevator button, too!" Miranda called back.

Hand-in-hand, Grace and Roland walked in, battered and breathing heavily.

"Oh, Dio!" I exclaimed.

"We'll live," Roland said casually.

Gavin picked up the briefcase and handed it to his parents, and then we headed for the elevator.

"Hey, Professor," I said over my earpiece. "We have your briefcase."

"Well done! Bring it here, posthaste!" said Gadd.

Before doing so, however, we decided to stop at our rooms to change clothes and grab supplies. As Polterpup stood watch, I took a quick but refreshing shower, washed my hair and face and pulled on a pair of light blue leggings and a V-neck Brooklyn Nets shirt, followed by my socks, boots and cap. Then, I packed my first-aid kit, some candy bars, some Mushrooms, some assorted snacks, some bottles of water, juice and soda and some energy drinks before heading out the door.

The Butters and Miranda met me at a small lounge near the elevator, having also changed into more adventure-worthy attire. Grace wore capris and a scoop-neck UCLA shirt, Roland wore jeans and a polo shirt, Miranda wore jogging pants and a red top with a heart in the middle and Gavin wore a baseball tee and jeans. All of them had sneakers on their feet, and the ladies had their hair in a ponytail to keep it out of their faces.

They looked ready for action.

We're about to return to Gadd's Lab. I'll check in with you later!

Luigi

30 October 2019

Prof. Gadd's Lab, B1, Last Resort

10:40p.m.

Dear Diary,

Huge news—Gooigi has joined the fight! He's currently inside my Poltergust's tank, and his near-invulnerability makes him a perfect addition to the team!

Gooigi's re-introduction came with a demonstration. Gadd had led me and my companions outside and dropped a cage over us. Then, he had me summon Gooigi from his tank so he could free us by pulling a nearby rope attached to a pulley.

If Gooigi melts after coming into contact with water or open flame, he'll simply regenerate inside his tank. I can press the same button on my Poltergust to summon and recall him. He was so happy to see me that he gave me a gooey hug after his demonstration, and he was extremely upset when I told him about what King Boo and Hellen had done to Mario, Peach, Oliver, Agnes and Alec.

After depositing Brea and the other ghosts we'd defeated in the Vault, Gadd insisted that we take a short break. We sat in the lounge area and ate a light meal, listening to some music. I attempted to call Jules and his family, only to be kicked to voicemail. If King Boo did anything to them, then I'd show no mercy!

Okay, break time's over. Let's see where this next elevator button takes us!

Luigi

30 October 2019

Hotel Shops (3rd Floor), Last Resort

11:15p.m.

Dear Diary,

Say what you will about the Last Resort, but they have a killer shopping center! The floor's boss was more comical than frightening, and we even got to go on a shopping spree. Let me tell you about our excursion in the Hotel Shops…

When we arrived, the entrance was locked, but we found the key after exploring the restrooms. I even put my plumbing skills to use by fixing a leak in the ladies' room. Yes, Gooigi helped out by exploring an area under a drainage grate, but still.

Just as we were about to head inside the mall, the phone next to the revolving doors rang.

"Hotel Shops," I said bluntly.

"Ready to do some shopping?" asked Hellen.

"If you mean for elevator buttons, then yes, we are," I tightly replied.

"Good luck trying to get them all," said Hellen. "My King and I made some friends who are simply yearning to meet you and your fellow adventurers. You won't even make it past midnight."

"It's funny what someone can do in extreme situations," I said coolly. "See you soon."

I hung up, and then we pushed through the revolving doors into the shopping center.

The individual shops were blocked by a gate, so we knew that only Gooigi could access them. We also saw a ghostly security guard doing his rounds, an elevator button attached to the keychain on his belt.

When the ghostly guard passed, Gavin snickered.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Paul Blart," whispered Gavin, snickering again.

Silently, we watched the ghost phase through a door marked "Employees Only", leaving a key with a playing-card diamond on it in his wake.

We scrambled up a dormant escalator and grabbed the key, but it didn't fit in the door's star-shaped lock. That would've been too easy. Looking around the shops, we saw that each of them had a playing-card symbol—a diamond, a heart, a spade and a club. Instantly, I realized what we had to do to get the key to the employees' area.

"Who wants to go shopping?" I asked.

"I do!" Miranda sang out.

"That was rhetorical," I said, "but I like your enthusiasm."

We went to the outlet with the diamond symbol—a jewelry shop. Through the gate, we could see a cash register with a diamond-shaped lock.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed. "Gooigi—work your magic."

I gave Gooigi the key, and he squeezed through the gate, entered the shop and inserted the key into the cash register. The drawer popped open, revealing a heart-shaped key.

Grace snapped her fingers. "The keys are in the cash registers," she said, "and we'll get the key to the office by having Gooigi look around the other stores! Brilliant!"

Gooigi triumphantly held up the key. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

I smiled, and then I shouted a warning as I saw a Goob hover toward him.

Gooigi handily defeated the Goob, only for another one to grab the key and toss it to a third Goob, the two of them playing keep-away. Gooigi ended the game with a Burst, took back the key and captured the Goobs. He stored the key inside his body as he picked out a few pieces of jewelry. A fourth Goob appeared behind the cash register, but they allowed Gooigi to leave peacefully after he gave them some gold coins.

"Thanks, Gooigi," I said when he emerged from the store.

"I got you guys some trinkets," said Gooigi, pulling out the jewelry he'd purchased.

Miranda and Grace picked out a few necklaces and rings, and Gavin, Roland and I chose one wristwatch each. Then, we went up the escalator to the outlet with the heart on it.

"Sweet—a clothing store," said Miranda.

Gooigi entered the clothing store, fighting and defeating a Goob hiding in the wardrobe room. He pulled down a mannequin to reveal a secret treasure room, and then he entered the heart-shaped key into the cash register, which gave a spade-shaped key.

The key suddenly floated through a wall, and the cash register fell over to reveal one of those green panels. Gooigi flashed the panel with his Strobulb, which lifted the wall and opened up storage room and a mountain of gold coins. Miniature Goobs jumped out and started tickling Gooigi, but he managed to shake them off and defeat them with Strobulb flashes. He vacuumed away the gold to reveal the key hidden inside, grabbed the key and rejoined us.

Next, we went to the gift shop with the spade on it, the gift shop. The mugs, pillows and other knick-knacks had grinning Boo faces on them, but Gooigi didn't seem to mind. He saw some Spirit Balls fly into the cash register and forced them back out with his Dark Light. This cash register yielded a club-shaped key.

Gooigi grabbed the key and turned to leave, only for a Goob wearing sunglasses to stop him. My gooey clone vacuumed away the shades, and then he stunned and vacuumed the Goob.

Next to the gift shop was a coffee shop, where another Goob wearing sunglasses and some Mini Goobs awaited Gooigi. He defeated all of the ghosts and then took a look around the coffee shop, emerging with some coins.

"We have one more store to visit," said Gooigi. "The hair salon."

"Let's go," I said.

The escalators suddenly started working, and we rode down them to the outlet with the giant scissors mounted on top, next to the club symbol. There was a steel door blocking the salon's entrance, but blowing on the scissors with our vacuums spun the scissor blades, causing the door to retract. Gooigi squeezed his way in, unlocked the cash register and grabbed a star-shaped key.

"That was easy," said Gooigi as he rejoined us.

He spoke too soon, for we heard a ghostly laugh, and then the overhead sprinklers activated, drenching me and my companions. Gooigi melted, and once he reformed in my tank, I moved to a dry area and let him back out.

Roland had grabbed the key when Gooigi melted, and once the sprinklers stopped, he tossed it back to Gooigi.

"Thanks," said Gooigi.

We all turned toward a rumbling sound and noticed that the escalators were acting up, the steps moving at a faster-than-normal pace.

A beefy, red-hued arm reached up and grasped one of the rails, followed by another red-hued arm. And we soon found ourselves face-to-face with an imposingly bulky, red-hued ghost with a boxy body and a wide mouth.

The ghost, which I decided to call a Hammer, roared and then barreled at us, but we leaped out of the way. This Hammer's brutish, aggressive nature made for a tough fight, but the difficulty was lessened when we discovered that they had two tails, meaning that two Poltergusts could handle them at the same time. Eventually, the tide turned as pairs of us took turns stunning, vacuuming and slamming our opponent. Once we subdued the Hammer, the escalators resumed working normally.

"Is everyone okay?" Gadd asked over my earpiece.

"Yeah," I exhaled, "for the most part."

"This is one of the reasons why teamwork is key," said Gadd. "Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially when it comes to fighting such hulking ghosts!"

Armed with the star-shaped key, we determinedly strode to the office, unlocked the door and went in.

The ghostly security guard sat at a desk, enjoying a cup of coffee and a box of donuts as he read a girly magazine. A pair of shades was propped up on his forehead, and the nameplate on the desk read "Kruller".

Softly, I cleared my throat as Roland and Grace covered the teens' eyes.

Kruller looked up from his reading, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, [bleep]! Intruders!" he shouted, jumping out of his seat and behind the desk.

"It's okay—we won't hurt you," I said. "We just need that elevator button on your keychain."

"They said not to give it to you!" protested Kruller, still hiding behind the desk.

"King Boo and Hellen?" asked Grace.

"Yes, and they're f—ing crazy!"

"We know," said Gooigi.

"But we really need that button to save our friends," Roland piped up.

Kruller peered at us, sliding the shades over his eyes. "You want it? Come and get it," he challenged.

He performed a clumsy combat roll, phasing through a gate as he did. After rummaging through a box, he brandished a water pistol. "You'll never take me alive!" he crowed.

"You're already dead, dude," deadpanned Gavin.

"Here I go," breathed Gooigi, squeezing through the gate and readying his Poltergust.

During the ensuing fight, Kruller acted like he was in a cop movie, unnecessarily diving and rolling in between trying to squirt Gooigi with water. Gooigi stayed at a safe distance, turning his vacuum on Kruller's shades before moving in, stunning the night guard ghost and slamming him into boxes and other junk. The rest of my companions and I watched the fight, safe as could be, cheering like we were at a boxing match.

"Aw drat!" groaned Kruller as Gooigi managed to suck him into his Poltergust.

Gooigi braced himself as the elevator button was ejected from the vacuum, and then he walked over and picked it up.

"Oh, yeah! I did it!" I cheered.

"Ho-ho! Gooigi number one!" replied Gooigi, dancing a victory jig.

I winced in realization. "Ah—okay…" I said.

Triumphantly, Gooigi gave me the button. "Gavin's right," he said. "Kruller looked a lot like Paul Blart."

When we walked back onto the main concourse, we saw that the gates were removed from the shop entrances, and the mall was hopping with ghosts. They weren't attacking us, though—they were shopping, with friendly Goobs manning the cash registers. Exchanging looks, we decided to do some shopping, as well, the ladies hitting the hair salon while Roland took Gavin to the clothing store and Gooigi and I had some cake at the coffee shop. We'll meet up at the elevator when we're done shopping, and we'll drop off our purchases in our rooms before heading to the next floor.

Later!

Luigi

30 October 2019

Mezzanine, Last Resort

11:55p.m.

Dear Diary,

This hotel has everything—a parking garage, a ballroom, a shopping center—and a fancy restaurant. The second we entered the restaurant, the smell of freshly-prepared food assailed our senses. Polterpup woofed happily, my stomach growled, and my companions' mouths watered. However, eating would have to wait. Dinner service was in full swing, and Goobs occupied every last table in the dining room, socializing as if they were normal hotel guests.

One of the Goobs noticed us and chattered a warning. Instantly, the ghosts sprang up from the tables, grabbing breadsticks, cream puffs, various pastries and pies and surrounding us.

"This is gonna be fun," I quipped, and then the fight was on.

Strobulb flashes lit up the dining room, and there was crashing and smashing and grunting as we slammed attacking Goobs into each other and into nearby tables, sending glasses and silverware clattering to the floor. Roland and Grace covered Gavin and Miranda's blind spots, and Gooigi and I covered Roland and Grace's blind spots, liberally utilizing Burst to get them out of tight spots. It seemed as if the Goobs wouldn't stop coming, but eventually, they did.

My companions and I sat at one of the tables, breathing hard and checking each other for serious injuries. We were just bruised and covered in weaponized dessert. Grace and Roland, and Gavin and Miranda flirtily licked the dessert off of each other, and I popped a few dollops of cake into my mouth.

"What sugary malice," I said.

"Tell me about it," said Gooigi, also licking away as much dessert as he could.

We used napkins to clean off the rest of the dessert, and then we saw the black smoke wafting from the kitchen.

"That doesn't look good," said Miranda.

Cautiously, we entered the kitchen, our vision blocked by the thick smoke. A baritone voice sang in French, oblivious to the fact that the kitchen could burn down at any moment. We turned on our vacuums and sucked up the smoke, revealing a ghostly chef with a bushy moustache, grilling some fish in a pan. The name "Soulffle" was scrawled across his cooking smock and chef's hat.

"Keep an eye on your food, will you?" Gavin interjected. "You could've burned down the place!"

Soulffle jerked his head up, the fish slipping out of the pan and plopping onto the floor.

"Oh, boy…" I said, moving protectively in front of Gavin.

Soulffle's cheeks reddened, and he raised his frying pan threateningly. "You pests!" he shouted. "I'll teach you a whole new meaning of 'Hell's Kitchen'!"

He certainly made good on the threat, swinging the heavy frying pan at us and bombarding us with fish and various fruits. But over the chaos of clattering cookware and a choleric chef, my companions and I devised a plan. We used every projectile we could find to knock the frying pan out of Soulffle's hands, and then we introduced him to our Poltergusts. Or, Gavin, Miranda and I would use our Suction Shots to yank the frying pan away. Gavin and Miranda took hits for one another, Grace took hits for Gavin, Roland took hits for Grace and Gooigi and I took hits for all of them. Soulffle had a frightful temper, the kitchen was a tough battlefield to negotiate, and that frying pan knocked the wind out of us, but we kept going, managing to get our licks in. I, especially, thought about Mario, Peach and Oliver and his family, trapped and scared in a strange place.

Do it for them, I told myself. Do it for them.

I landed the finishing strike and captured the ill-tempered chef, an elevator button launching out of my Poltergust and landing near the sink. Taking slow, deep breaths, I braced myself against a nearby countertop as terrific, throbbing pain assailed my body. I tasted blood, and I prayed I wasn't hurt too badly.

"Oh, no…" I heard Gooigi gasp. "Oh, no, no, no…"

Then, Polterpup scampered over, his forepaws on my knee and his eyes wide.

"Hey—it's okay, puppy," I said soothingly, petting him.

I saw Gooigi dash over to the freezer, Roland limping in after him. Grace leaned on a table across from me, her arms around Gavin and Miranda.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"We'll live," replied Grace. "Are you okay?"

I nodded.

"You don't look okay."

"I'm fine. It's fine," I insisted.

"Sweet Lord! That chef really served up the pain!" crackled Gadd's voice.

"You need to head back here, now!" Becky's voice joined in.

"Yeah—okay," I said as Gooigi and Roland emerged with ice chunks wrapped in rags.

I shrugged off my Poltergust and pulled off my shirt, my companions gasping in horror. Looking down, I saw the livid bruises marbling my upper body, and there was swelling in some areas. Gooigi pressed one of the cold compresses against the tender areas, causing me to wince.

"I got you, Luigi," Gooigi said softly. "I got you."

I steeled myself against the pain, watching Roland tend to Grace and Gavin tend to Miranda.

Fortunately, nothing was broken—just terribly bruised. The thought of my bro and my friends trapped honestly hurt more.

"Luigi…" said Grace.

"I'm right here," I said.

"We'll help you find them," Grace breathily vowed. "We'll help you find them."

"I know," I said.

The pain dulled to a manageable level, and I ate a Mushroom and leaned down to pick up the elevator button, only for a mouse to scurry over and swallow it.

My companions and I spent the next few minutes chasing the mouse out of the kitchen and all over the dining room, eventually using cheese to lure it out so I could sneak up and vacuum it in. Then, a second mouse ate the button and scampered into a billiards room, where we made the acquaintance of golden-hued ghosts I decided to name Oozers. The Oozers pelted us with billiard balls while the mouse hid, but we quickly found its hiding place after taking care of those pesky, projectile-throwing ghosts.

The chase ended in a bathroom, where the mouse was piled with other mice on a toilet. We vacuumed all of them up, and I gingerly picked up the elevator button and washed it off before pocketing it.

We're resting up in the Lab at Gadd and Becky's insistence. They've applied more ice and salve to our bruises, and they're having us wear pain patches. Gadd had me recall Gooigi to my tank, and now he's tinkering with my Poltergust again. After we take a short break, he'll explain everything to us.

Luigi

31 October 2019

Prof. Gadd's Lab, B1, Last Resort

12:18a.m.

Dear Diary,

What I'd feared since March 2013 had come to pass. King Boo had mentioned it during our run-in at the RIP Suites, but I didn't accept that he'd actually done it until I saw it. And I only have myself to blame.

After our break, Gadd told me and my companions that he and Becky had picked up strong paranormal signals, indicating that Boos were lurking around the Last Resort. Since Gooigi was made of a substance highly reactive to Boo frequencies, he could help us smoke them out. Once we were near a Boo, Gooigi would vibrate.

"Mmm—vibrate…" murmured Grace.

"Get your head out of the gutter," admonished Becky.

Grace blushed.

With Gooigi in my Poltergust's tank, the Butters, Miranda and I combed through the areas we'd previously explored, looking for Boos. To capture them, we'd stun them with our Dark Lights, grab their tongues in our vacuums and repeatedly mash them on the floor until their HP was depleted, whereupon we'd sent them into our Poltergusts. It felt pretty nice to rough up those round, little sadists, and it gave me a clue on how to fight King Boo (hey, that rhymes!). There was even a Boo named Booigi, who thought their impression of me was funny. I didn't, and neither did my companions.

I won't go through all of the Boos we'd captured thus far. I'll skip ahead to the moment things took a little—turn.

Gadd and Becky called us, telling us that they'd detected something—big—in the ballroom where they'd been imprisoned. At the ballroom entrance, Gooigi vibrated so intensely that my Poltergust started jumping. Inwardly bracing myself, I threw open the door.

And there they were.

Julian and Jackie in one painting, and Jasmine and Jake in the other. I didn't see Joanna and Josh, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that Jules and Jake only wore a white undershirt and boxer briefs. The women only wore panties. All four were mottled with bruises, though I could tell that they hadn't gone quietly. I thought I was gonna throw up, but miraculously, I didn't.

Good thing, too, because the two paintings turned out to be guarded by an old friend.

Boolossus.

The behemoth dropped down in front of the paintings, cackling.

"Hi, Luigi!" they said. "Feisty ones, those four. The King, his most loyal Boos and I—we had a swell time partying with them. Now, I'll have the tremendous pleasure of partying with you!"

Heat rose to my face, and I brandished my Poltergust as my companions stood by my side.

Boolossus's attack pattern hadn't changed much. They still bounced like a giant ball and tried to ram us like an angry bull. This time, though, they rolled about the ballroom like a pinball and lashed out with their tongue, which we evaded with Burst. Then, they began throwing firecrackers at us.

Perfect!

We sucked up the firecrackers and launched them into Boolossus's mouth. The resulting explosion "popped" them into multiple, regular-sized Boos, and it became a race to capture as many of them as we could before they merged back into Boolossus.

"Sit tight!" I called to my four imprisoned friends. "We're gonna get you out of there!"

"Fat chance," retorted Boolossus, floating over to some glass plates and bottles and shoveling them into their mouth. Then, they fired jagged pieces of broken glass at us.

My companions and I dodged as best as we could, but we were still caught in Boolossus's barrage. Before long, our clothes were practically shredded, and we were cut and slashed all over. The best we could do was try to repel the glass with our vacuums' exhaust function.

Inspiration struck when I saw a pile of broken glass. I grabbed Boolossus's tongue, stretched it taut and launched them into the pile, once again splitting them into regular-sized Boos. From there, the Butters and Miranda joined me in getting some sweet vengeance for the rain of glass.

For their final stand, Boolossus used their magic to summon daggers and shatter the nearby tables and chairs into bits, launching all of it at us. Then, they repeated the previous two attack cycles. We deflected as many of the projectiles as possible with Burst, and when the firecrackers came our way, we caught them and threw them back at Boolossus, reducing them to their remaining regular-sized Boos.

These Boos swarmed us like angry bees, but a flash of our Dark Lights froze them in place, allowing us to fiercely mash them against the ballroom floor.

"This is what you get for harming my close friends!" I yelled as I wrestled the last Boo into the Poltergust.

A stream of riches spouted from my nozzle, but I could care less about that. I sprinted over to the two paintings and trained my Dark Light on them. Jules and Jackie were freed first, and then Jas and Jake. Their faces broke into [bleep]-eating grins when they spotted me.

"Hey!" Jules jovially exclaimed. "Look who it is!"

"That mean old Boolossus never stood a chance!" crowed Jackie.

"You're a sight for sore eyes!" laughed Jas.

"You're the man!" smiled Jake.

The quartet surrounded me in a big hug, which I was all-too-happy to return.

"Oh, Dio—how did they find you?" I asked.

"We took all necessary precautions, but somehow they tracked us down to the hotel," Jackie said solemnly. "We fought tooth-and-nail, but they subdued us and shoved us into those paintings. And then you found us."

"Joanna and Josh…" I started.

"King Boo, his girlfriend and their cronies tried to make us give up their location," growled Jasmine, "but we wouldn't. They're safe, and that's all you need to know at the moment. How do you know they're not listening in?"

"You guys…" I said. "I know you didn't sign on for this, but…"

"Hey," Jules said soothingly. "It's okay. We're okay."

We hugged again, and then the Merricks and the DeWitts greeted the Butters and Miranda.

"J—s!" exclaimed Becky over my earpiece. "Are those…?"

"Yes," I replied, fighting back tears.

"Bring them to the Lab," said Gadd. "We'll have them clothed and fed in no time!"

"Okay. See you soon."

Grace, Roland and Gavin emerged from the wardrobe room with some coats, which my four rescued friends quickly threw on. Then, we took the elevator to the basement and walked to the Lab.

I was shaking by the time we arrived, and Gadd had to brew me some mint tea.

"Do you have showers?" asked Jas.

"Yes, we do," said Becky.

"Great, because we could use a shower," Jas said casually.

The Merricks and the DeWitts picked out a change of clothes and headed for the shower room while the rest of us sat quietly, drinking tea.

"That piece of [bleep]," I spat. "All bets are off now. This means war—war to the death."

"L," cautioned Becky. "I know you're angry, but getting upset won't help anything."

"She's right," said Gadd. "Plus, we managed to stay a few steps ahead. We couldn't get them to your friends in time, unfortunately."

"'Them' meaning…" I prompted.

"Why—their personalized Poltergusts, of course!" said Gadd.

He and Becky lugged over another large suitcase and opened it to reveal four more Poltergusts.

"Wow," I said. "You're only a few hours late."

"Like I said, King Boo and Hellen sprung their trap before we could deliver them," sighed Gadd.

"And that sucks," added Becky. "But do you wanna know what doesn't suck?"

"What?" asked Gavin.

"The Gadd Shopping Network!" replied Becky, flicking on a light to reveal a commissary of sorts. "GSN, for short. We have everything you could possibly want and need for this adventure, for an enviably low price. But wait—there's more! You can take advantage of our grand opening special—a free Gold Bone, no purchase necessary! Limit one per customer. Plus, you'll get half off on your first purchase! So, what are you waiting for? Come give us a try!"

So, Grace, Roland, Gavin and I looked around the commissary, bought some food and lined up to pay for our stuff and receive our free Gold Bones. I gave one of them to Polterpup, and he jumped into my arms in thanks.

Jules, Jackie, Jasmine and Jake emerged from the shower room, attired in fresh clothes.

"Okay, Luigi," said Jules. "How can we help?"

"The Professor has something for you," I said, indicating the new Poltergusts.

"Whoa! No way!" exclaimed Jake.

"You shouldn't have," Jackie said warmly.

Gadd lifted one of the Poltergusts and handed it to Jules.

"For you, Julian, I made the Poltergust J05-H," he said. "Wait for me in the training area, but don't do anything yet."

"Okay," said Jules, proceeding where he'd been instructed.

"Jackie, you're getting the Poltergust J4A-N," said Gadd.

Smiling, Jackie received her Poltergust and joined Jules in the Training Area.

"Jasmine, you're getting the Poltergust J4K-3," said Gadd, giving her the third new Poltergust, which was equipped with a projectile-firing function resembling a slingshot. "And Jacob, you're getting the Poltergust J4-S. Now, if you'd follow me to the training area, I'll give you four a crash course."

Gadd spent the next half-hour teaching the quartet some ghost-wrangling basics. By the time he was finished, Jules and his family were all smiles and ready to help me save my friends a third time.

Our next stop, according to the elevator tracker, is the Great Stage. So, on our way there, we'll stop at our rooms and find something formal to wear. I knew it was a good idea to bring some suits along. I'll get to look sharp while kicking some paranormal [bleep].

Time to let you go for now. The sooner I resume trekking up this hotel Hell-hole, the better. And with eight people backing me up, I have a feeling that it's gonna be a little easier.

Luigi