Content Warning: Touchy-feely vines!
31 October 2019
Prof. Gadd's Lab, B1, Last Resort
12:52a.m.
Dear Diary,
The Great Stage was a large, imposing auditorium on par with the Apollo Theatre. It was surprisingly devoid of major obstacles, and a sparse amount of Goob ushers patrolled the area. There was a popcorn machine and a booth where you could buy drinks, along with a candy and snack shop. Right off the bat, we knew that something ominous awaited in the performance hall.
"Are you sure you're ready to pitch in?" I asked Julian and his folks. "Because you can take your time."
"Yeah, we're sure," Jules said brightly. "Better here than sitting around in the Lab."
"Why are you risking your lives for me?" I asked.
"Because that's what friends do," Jasmine replied.
We walked into the auditorium proper, and just as we'd suspected, there was a light purple-hued, silver-haired ghost playing a grand piano, immaculately dressed. Nearby him was Oliver, still trapped in his portrait prison.
The pianist ghost glanced up when he entered, his fingers still moving over the keys. Then, he smiled.
"Wonderful!" he exclaimed in a soft Austrian accent. "I'm so glad you could make it to my concert. My name's Amadeus Wolfgeist, and I'm a globally-renowned pianist and composer. Do make yourselves comfortable, and enjoy."
"As much as we'd like to listen to some relaxing classical music," I said, "we've come for my friend."
Wolfgeist stopped playing, his face darkening. "Then we're at cross-purposes, I'm afraid," he said. "Your friend is now in my custody—King Boo's orders. There's no telling what he might do to me if I defy him."
"We can protect you," said Jackie, "and we can get you a residency in New York City."
"I'm sorry, but your offers will do you no good," said Wolfgeist. "Is this mushroom in a portrait worth dying for?"
"He is," I replied.
"Then that'll make this easier. I hope you all have saved your energy," smiled Wolfgeist, turning back to his piano and beginning to play an aggressive, threatening tune.
As Wolfgeist played, the auditorium's chairs became his weapons, dive-bombing us. For the next minute or so, my companions and I ran and dodged about the hall, evading the chairs which moved in time to the music. Some of the chairs glanced me, but I shook off the pain and focused on shielding the others. By the time Wolfgeist had finished the song, we were a bit ragged, gasping for breath and covered in light sweat. I was conscious of a few aches from where I'd taken glancing blows, and my companions were mildly bruised, as well.
"You look hungry for more," said Wolfgeist. "Allow me to satiate your appetite."
He began to play another song, fast and more light-hearted, as a small company of Goob ballet dancers joined him on the stage, wearing tutus and eye masks. They danced onto the audience area, attacking us with ballet moves. We vacuumed away their masks, exposing them to our Strobulbs, but even with Burst, they proved to be a difficult group.
"Wait a minute," Jackie spoke up in the middle of the fight. "I have an idea!"
She kicked off her shoes and put on a pair of ballet slippers one of the Goob ballet dancers had dropped.
"Do you dance?" asked Wolfgeist.
"Yeah," replied Jackie. "I've played Odette, the Sugar Plum Fairy…"
"Are you sure this'll work?" asked Jules.
"I am," replied Jackie.
"Be careful," said Jas.
We watched as Jackie pirouetted toward the Goobs. One of them offered their hand to her, and she accepted. They danced a spectacular pas de deux, and towards the finale, Jackie deftly plucked the mask from her dance partner's face. As she danced toward another Goob, I dashed in and captured the unmasked Goob. Then, Jackie repeated the process with the other Goobs.
The affair lasted about three minutes, and when the last Goob ballet dancer was captured, Jackie took a little bow.
"Bravo!" said Jules as we applauded. "You've still got it after all these years!"
"Practice, practice, practice," replied Jackie.
We all faced Wolfgeist, whose left eye began twitching.
"Let Oliver go, and we'll leave you alone," I said.
"Never!" shouted Wolfgeist, his slicked-back hair coming undone.
He pounded his fists on the piano before flying inside, the instrument leaping high into the air and crashing down in front of us with a discordant key pound. The piano now resembled an angry, snarling beast with glowing "eyes", the key pounds sounding like roars.
I'd had experience dealing with possessor ghosts, so I took the lead in the ensuing battle. I protected my companions as the piano repeatedly slammed onto the floor, trying to pounce on us. One such slam produced a shockwave, which we had to Burst over. Then, Wolfgeist angrily peered out at us, spitting what sounded like insults and threats at us in German, and then flung bombs all over the auditorium.
The piano then hopped back onto the stage, and I directed everyone to grab a bomb that wasn't flashing red. We lined up our shots, and on my command, we fired them into the piano. It was knocked onto its side from the explosion, and Gooigi, Miranda, Gavin and I fired Suction Shots onto the piano's base. Together, we heaved the piano onto the floor, sending Wolfgeist tumbling out, dazed.
Quickly, we stunned him, slamming him briskly onto the ground until he recovered and retreated into his piano.
"What makes him so special to you?" Wolfgeist demanded of us. "That you'd fight me this fiercely for him?"
"When I found myself in a faraway land," I said between gasps for breath, "he and his wife were the first locals to greet me and make me feel at home. And I'm not abandoning him to someone like you."
"Very well," said Wolfgeist, "but I'm not giving him up without a proper fight."
"Fine," I said.
The piano cover slammed shut, and then it fired several rounds of keys at us. We deflected the keys with Burst, but I felt several of them slash me. But I'd rather take a hit than let any of my companions take hits.
Wolfgeist's entire attack pattern repeated twice more, and he mixed in flaming musical notes with bombs during these repetitions. After the third cycle, his piano was completely destroyed, so he tried to grab us with his long arms. But this attack was relatively easy to avoid by just dancing out of his reach.
After a harrowing battle, my companions and I defeated Wolfgeist, the pianist ghost taking a final bow before being captured. We were rewarded with an elevator button, which Polterpup grabbed in his jaws, but the real prize, to me, was Oliver's freedom.
I dashed onto the stage and shone my Dark Light on the portrait, freeing Oliver from its confines. He landed in my arms, and a hearty laugh tore from him.
"You made it!" Oliver cried, throwing his arms around my neck. "You escaped! And now, you're gonna find Aggie and Alec, right?"
"Don't worry, I know they're somewhere in this hotel," I assured him.
"God bless you, Luigi," breathed Oliver as we hugged. "I'm definitely giving this hotel a bad Yelp review. Horrible atmosphere and even more horrible service."
I chuckled.
"So, what's our next move?" asked Oliver.
"My fellow escapees and I need you get you to the basement," I said. "Professor Gadd and Rebecca were also targeted, and they set up a lab there after I freed them. It's the safest place you can be at the moment."
"But my wife…" objected Oliver.
"We'll save her," I said. "I promise. I just don't want you to get hurt. These ghosts aren't f—ing around."
"I suppose I have no choice," sighed Oliver.
"Uh, guys…" warned Gooigi.
I turned and saw that my gooey clone was jiggling. A Boo was nearby.
"Where?" I asked.
"Dressing room," replied Gooigi.
"Stay with Oliver," I said to my companions, and then Gooigi and I entered the dressing room to confront the Boo. We found them inside an upright piano, capturing them in seconds.
Back on the stage, there was a weird socket standing where the grand piano had been.
"What does it do?" asked Miranda.
"I wish I knew," I replied.
We walked out of the performance hall, stopping at the restrooms to answer the call of nature.
"Aggie, Alec and I were playing a board game when it happened," said Oliver as we headed to the elevator. "It suddenly got very dark, and then Hellen was standing there, grinning at us. She started talking about her partner-in-crime and about how our stay was now permanent, and then we heard that awful cackle and his eyes. I'll never forget those eyes for as long as I live. I tried to defend my wife and child, which is how I came about these bruises, lacerations and torn clothing, but I failed."
"Those two will regret ever putting their hands on you," I vowed.
Gadd then gave us a call. "Is that one of your friends—Oliver?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm bringing him down there," I said.
"Awesome! We'll have some food waiting for him!" said Becky.
My companions and I boarded the elevator, which began its descent.
Letting out a slow breath, I allowed myself to slide down to a seated position on the ground, closing my eyes. I heard everyone else sit down, too, feeling Gooigi's hand slip into mine. Then, I felt Polterpup nuzzle my cheek, and I used my other hand to sift my fingers through his fur.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that Oliver had settled onto my lap, leaning his head against my chest. I held him close like a small child, feeling him tremble a little.
The elevator reached the basement. Slinging Oliver onto my hip, I proceeded to the lab, followed by the others. The Toad's eyes began to droop, his breathing evening out.
Oliver was fast asleep by the time we arrived at the lab.
"I got him," said Becky, holding out her arms. Carefully, I placed Oliver into them, and she carried him toward one of the guestrooms.
"Exhaustion—or relief?" asked Gadd.
"Both," I postulated, crossing over to the Vault and emptying my Poltergust.
"How did you get those frightful gashes?" asked Gadd.
"Wolfgeist possessed a piano," I explained. "They don't hurt."
"Still, you all need to rest," insisted Gadd. "That was a tough fight."
"Fine by me," said Grace, plunking herself down onto a chair.
Becky returned after getting Oliver settled in, and she helped Gadd tend to our wounds. Then, we ate some snacks and washed them down with a sports drink. In a few more minutes, we'll head back out there.
Luigi
31 October 2019
Castle MacFrights (6th Floor), Last Resort
1:15a.m.
Dear Diary,
Yes, there's an actual castle, or an attraction made to look like one, in this hotel. Its rooms were chock-full of ghosts, traps, puzzles and deadly weapons, and the boss ghost was a short, red-haired king named MacFrights, who held the next elevator button.
Heck, the moment we stepped off the elevator, we were nearly bisected by an axe. For this reason, Gooigi decided to walk ahead of us, leading us past the ticket office and opening a gate for us so we could enter the "castle". A few Goobs warmed us up, and then we found ourselves at the courtyard, overlooking an arena, where MacFrights awaited us.
"I do fancy a good joust," he said. "Defeat me, and this elevator button will be your prize. But you'll have to make it through my castle first." He laughed.
My companions and I didn't find it funny as we worked our way through the castle's many rooms. First, we were attacked by Goobs wielding swords, maces and other medieval weapons. Then, some crows swooped down on us. We came across areas with spiked floors, which only Gooigi could access, and there were crossbows automatically firing rounds at us, which Gooigi had to disable by pulling down awning on them.
Most of the doors were locked, forcing us to search hazard-filled rooms to proceed. One memorable room was a dungeon, and the key was located inside the cell. It was across from a small body of water, making it inaccessible to Gooigi. He volunteered to hold the cell door open by pulling on a ball attached to a chain, and I'd grab the key while the others were on the lookout for danger.
Right as I grabbed the key, a Goob appeared with a bucket full of water.
Grace knocked Gooigi out of the way, taking a face full of cold water, but Gooigi lost his grip on the chain, causing the cell door to slam closed. To make things worse, a spiked wall trap activated.
The Goob with the water bucket was quickly joined by other Goobs, and my companions leaped into action, furiously stunning and slamming them to the ground as I nervously looked on. Those walls inched closer and closer, and I could hear my companions frantically shouting directions to each other over my drumming heart. My breath came fast, and my stomach churned…
…and my companions defeated the last Goob and freed me from the trap in the nick of time.
My legs were shaking a little, but my mind propelled my body forward, unlocking the door and proceeding into the next room of obstacles as my companions called for me to wait up.
At the entrance to the arena, Jules rested a hand on my shoulder.
"You're bleeding," he said. "I think those spikes pierced you."
Did they? I hardly felt them.
"At least let one of us be your champion," said Grace, to a chorus of "yeahs".
"I appreciate that you're looking out for me," I said earnestly, "but I think I'll be fine."
However, Jackie insisted on breaking out her first aid kit and disinfecting and bandaging the minor puncture wounds. Once she was finished, we steeled ourselves and walked into the arena.
MacFrights laughed when he saw us. "All right, then!" he exclaimed. "Let's duel with honor!"
The ghostly king jumped into a mounted suit of armor with a fearsome-looking spear, the arena's stands suddenly filled with cheering Goobs, Hammers and Oozers. MacFrights spurred his horse and charged right at me, barely missing me as I leaped to safety.
MacFrights galloped around the arena, raising his spear as arrows fired at us from small hidden doors on the walls. I managed to get a good look at the armor, seeing the bullseye painted on the breastplate. If only there was a way to stun MacFrights and get a clear shot at that bullseye…
"Luigi," crackled Becky's voice. "When he charges at you, stand your ground! You can stun him when he gets close enough!"
"Thanks for the advice," I said.
Setting my face, I whirled toward MacFrights. "C'mon!" I yelled. "I'm right here!"
Laughing madly, MacFrights charged at me, and I planted my feet and waited patiently, charging my Strobulb. As the king leaped out of his saddle, I released the charge, stunning him, and fired my Suction Shot onto the bullseye, allowing me to slam the armor to my heart's content. Pieces of the armor sheared off with each slam, the spectators booing and jeering.
MacFrights freed himself, and I saw Grace and Julian vacuuming up the debris as the cycle began again. Quickly, I passed along Becky's instructions to my companions, and then the arrows flew at us again.
Barking wildly, Polterpup charged at MacFrights, who grinned as he barreled into him with his horse. Just as he aimed his spear at my puppy, I stormed over, blocked it with my bare hands and gave the armor a swift punch, disorienting the ghost. Then, I punished him with another round of slamming, knocking away more pieces of his armor.
Breaking free, MacFrights jabbed me with his spear, which was luckily blunted. Slightly winded, I rushed to Polterpup's side, and he yapped and rubbed his nose against mine to demonstrate that he was okay.
Meanwhile, MacFrights had gone after my companions, but unfortunately for him, they were far from pushovers. Those equipped with the Suction Shot copied me perfectly, stunning their foe at the right moment and hacking off his armor with relentless slams. Still steaming from what he'd done to Polterpup, I had the honor of completely shattering MacFrights's armor, leaving him with only a wooden sword to defend himself with.
From there, it was easy for us to defeat MacFrights by dodging or parrying the sword, getting in close, stunning him and then going on the offensive.
"Consider yourself dethroned," I said coldly as I sucked the ghostly king into my Poltergust.
Confetti shot into the air, and the ghostly spectators grumbled as they filed out of the arena. Grace caught the elevator button as it launched out of my vacuum, and then Gooigi helped us capture a Boo hiding nearby.
We've found someplace in the stands to sit and rest. MacFrights's lance and wooden sword left some bruises, and some of those arrows scratched us. Not to worry, though—we'll be back on our feet in no time!
Luigi
31 October 2019
Garden Suites (7th Floor), Last Resort
1:45a.m.
Dear Diary,
So—the Last Resort has a botanical garden. That would be nice—except for the fact that all of the flora, along with the garden's caretaker, were out to get us!
Where to begin? As soon as we reached the Garden Suites, the pollen caused some of us to sneeze. It's a good thing we changed into long-sleeved shirts, pants and sneakers and applied bug repellant before we left, or else we would've been in bigger trouble. Unfortunately, the repellant didn't protect me from the snakes that jumped out of the shrubbery to take bites out of me! I'd shake them off me with Burst, while Gooigi or anyone nearby vacuumed them up. Gadd and Becky called, assuring that those snakes weren't poisonous, but those snakes turned out to be the least of our worries.
The Garden Suites were tended to by a botanist ghost named Dr. Potter. He was a green-hued specter with a bushy beard and a twisted sense of humor. After luring us into a false sense of security by leaving the next elevator button out in the open, he proceeded to take it from us and hide it inside the mouth of a tall, blue carnivorous plant. I think the watering can he carried had magical properties, too.
During our tour of the Garden Suites, we learned that Dr. Potter had an obsession with particular types of plants. Specifically, with abnormally big, long and thick plants and—ahem—suggestively shaped flowers. Some of the flowers we came across were moist and gave a strong aroma. The fact that none of us had severe allergies was only a small mercy.
While making our way to the top of the large carnivorous plant to retrieve the elevator button, Dr. Potter used his watering can to create more floral obstacles. One such obstacle was a large plant, which spat pineapples at us. We tried to destroy the plant by yanking on the root, only for those pineapples to keep knocking us back down the stairs. Eventually, Polterpup took out that plant for us, and I rewarded him with some belly rubs.
Which was worse, the pineapples or the vines Dr. Potter liked growing? These vines smashed through stairwells, forcing us to find longer, alternative routes. Some of them were too thick to destroy with our vacuums. Fortunately, we came upon some Strobulb-activated buzzsaws in one of the rooms.
Drawing from my experience in the Haunted Towers, I taught my companions how to use their vacuums to grab onto plant cords and swing their way across obstacles. Goobs and Hammers attacked us with flowers, but we could easily shred the plants with our powerful suction. We continued pulling on exposed roots to clear pathways, and whenever there was a buzzsaw lying around, we used it. I, especially, gleefully tore my way through thick vegetation with that buzzsaw.
"Whoa—whoa!" Gooigi exclaimed when I was tearing up one such room. "I think you're going overboard a little!"
He eased the buzzsaw out of my hand, and I went through a breathing exercise a Wii Fit Trainer had taught me.
"Forgive me, but I have a lot on my mind," I said finally.
"That's understandable," said Jules.
The closer we got to the top, the more perilous our surroundings became. We ran afoul of some grabbing ghosts I decided to call Slinkers. Activating Burst could help us escape their grasps, but they were difficult to stun and capture because they tended to slink away, hence my name for them. They were also the creepiest of the ghosts we'd encountered so far, in my opinion.
On our way out of one particular room, Jasmine was snatched by a glowing, blue, vine! I sprinted toward a buzzsaw to free her, only for a second vine to grab me and a third one to grab Miranda! Gooigi grabbed the buzzsaw and ran toward me.
"No, no! Don't worry about me!" I shouted as the vine squeezed and groped. "Help them first!"
"No, Gooigi! We're okay!" shouted Jas. "Get him down, and then he'll get us down!"
This back-and-forth went on for a few seconds before Jackie and Gavin marched over with two additional buzzsaws. The dilemma thus solved, Gooigi sliced through the vine holding me, while Gavin and Jackie freed Miranda and Jas, respectively.
"I owe you one, Gavin," said Miranda, kissing Gavin on the cheek.
"Thanks, Mom," said Jas, giving Jackie a hug.
"Are you three okay?" asked Grace.
"We're good," replied Jas.
"I say we never speak of this again," said Miranda.
"Agreed," I said.
The last room before the top had glowing, purple mushrooms whose caps doubled as trampolines. We bounced our way up to a door, and Miranda and Jas made up for wandering into a trap by helping us find the key.
Atop the large carnivorous plant, five of us stood on one side, and five of us stood on the other side. Using our Suction Shots, we pried the plant's jaws open, sending the elevator button flying toward us. We all made a grab for it, but we missed, and it dropped all the way down to the floor. However, we used the plant's inner leaves to safely slide back down.
Dr. Potter waited for us there, holding a potted carnivorous plant, the elevator button in his apron pocket.
"I can't let you have this elevator button, I'm afraid," he said.
The carnivorous plant snapped their jaws at us, licking their lips. They looked like a nightmarish version of a Piranha Plant.
"Look at that," said Dr. Potter. "Audrey likes you. Maybe you'd like to play with her?"
"No, thanks," said Grace.
"Too bad—you're playing with her anyway," grinned Dr. Potter. "How about a nice, fun game of tag?"
The "game" involved Dr. Potter chasing us with the snappish Audrey, trying to prevent her from "tagging" us. Translation: trying not to get grabbed in her jaws or using Burst to break free before she did considerable damage. Numerous buzzsaws lay around, and there were fruits growing around the area. A wild idea flashed into my head.
"Try to get Audrey to bite into one of these fruits!" I shouted. "Then, we can nail her with a buzzsaw!"
In short, the plan worked like a charm. As Audrey tried to yank her jaws free of the fruit, we could slice through her stem with the saw, leaving Dr. Potter open to an attack. As the pulse-pounding "game" went on, each of us got to go to town on Audrey, while another stunned Dr. Potter before he could grow her back. It took a lot of effort, but we eventually "won" the "game".
"Tag," I said to Dr. Potter as I vacuumed him up. "You're it."
Dr. Potter managed to throw the elevator button out of our reach before I captured him. His watering can was expelled from my Poltergust, and the elevator button was conveniently floating above a young sprout.
"I got it," said Gooigi, watering the sprout with the can.
In seconds, the sprout became a leafy latter. Polterpup scampered up the ladder and grabbed the button and passed it to Jas, who passed it to her parents, who passed it to Miranda, who passed it to Grace, who passed it to me.
"Thank you," I exhaled.
Dio, was I shaking again? I was partly conscious of a few of my companions—Gooigi and Jules, I think—helping me toward the base of the large carnivorous plant and sitting me down. I do remember sliding off the Poltergust and leaning against the plant stem. And I recall scrutinizing my companions, checking them for injuries. Bite marks here, scratches and bruises there. There were some bite marks on Gooigi that quickly healed themselves. Gradually, the rest of my companions sat beside me, all of us forming a circle. Miranda and Gavin were talking to Roland and Grace, and Jas was chatting with her husband and her parents, but I couldn't hear what they were saying over my heartbeat. My puppy was in my lap, and Gooigi was rubbing my back comfortingly. I allowed my head to lean against his gooey shoulder as I hugged Polterpup close.
Faintly, I heard Jas speak. "I should've watched where I was going," she was saying. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, too," said Miranda.
"It's all right, ragazze," I assured them, hoping to put them at ease.
My heartbeat slowed, and my mind cleared. The tension dissipated, and we relaxed a little as we grabbed our first-aid kits and helped patch each other up.
We'll be back on the road soon, so to speak.
Luigi
31 October 2019
Paranormal Production Studios (8th Floor), Last Resort
2:22a.m.
Dear Diary,
After tangling with grabbing ghosts, man-eating plants and touchy-feely vines, it felt refreshing to explore a movie studio. Plus, we actually got to befriend a ghostly director! Let me tell you about our little breather episode…
The director ghost's name was George Mortimer, also known as Morty. He wore a black turtleneck sweater and a black beret, and he was sulking over losing his red megaphone.
"Some strange lady gave me this stupid elevator button to babysit," he groused. "I've directed the finest films, and now I'm reduced to this?! It's so humiliating!"
"Maybe we can help," I nervously volunteered.
Morty swiveled around. "What's that?"
"We want to help you find your megaphone," I said.
Morty brightened. "You'd do that for me?"
"Sure!" Jas replied.
After some brief introductions, my companions and I began searching the premises for Morty's microphone.
Walking down a hallway, we saw posters for a sports drama film, a sci-fi action film, a fantasy film and a paranormal adventure film, all of which resembled the stories of Little Mac, Samus and me and my bro, respectively. I didn't know whether or not I should sue, but I'd worry about that later.
Eventually, we came upon four small movie sets: a horror movie set, a medieval war movie set, a fire disaster movie set and a The Incredible Shrinking Man-type movie set. It was on that last set where we found the megaphone, ensnared in a web which was too sturdy to be vacuumed.
"You'll have to burn it," said Gadd when I talked to him about the situation.
"There should be a lot of pyrotechnics in a production studio," said Becky. "Maybe you can search the other soundstages for clues."
"That's a great idea," I said.
My companions and I checked on Morty, who had stopped lamenting over his lost megaphone, but still looked a little bummed out.
"Mind if we take a look around?" I asked.
Morty smiled wanly. "Go ahead," he said.
"What's this bucket doing here?" Grace asked as she held up a metal pail.
"The janitor probably left it," shrugged Morty. "You can keep it if you want."
"Thanks," smiled Grace.
As we investigated the soundstages, we came across TVs that acted as teleporters, allowing us to move from one place to another while holding objects. First, we took the bucket to the horror set, which was a simple well with a blue effects screen in the background.
"I think we have to act out the scene in order for this to work," said Jas.
"I'll be the actor," Grace volunteered. "I have the bucket, after all."
Grace placed the bucket into the well, while the others and I stepped behind the camera. The background was now a haunted house in a raging thunderstorm at night, and Grace stood out in her bright clothes. We zoomed in on the well, and then we watched Grace jump back a little as a pale, ghostly girl with dark hair splashed out, holding the now-full bucket.
"Hey—that's Samara!" whispered Jackie. "Or—a look-alike of Samara."
"Samara?" I asked.
"From the American version of The Ring," Jules explained.
"Oh," I said.
The "ghost girl" in the well would've looked creepy—if not for the sunglasses on her face or the rubber duckie on her head. Grace hefted the bucket from the well and walked out of the camera frame. Then, we stepped back from the camera, and the magic disappeared.
"I'll take that," I said, noticing how Grace was struggling a little.
Grace smiled gratefully as I grabbed the bucket in my vacuum.
"The fire in the fire set can't be put out with that puny bucket of water," said Roland. "We need to find a way to take some of that fire to the web—like a torch or something."
"There was a torch on the epic period film set," said Gavin.
"Yeah, let's head over there," said Miranda.
So, we walked through two TV teleporters to the castle set, where Jules and Jackie decided to be the "actors". I gave Jules the bucket and went behind the camera, where the movie magic showed the castle in the midst of a siege.
Stones smashed through the castle walls, and I saw where the bucket of water could serve its purpose—a sprout! Would it grow into another leafy ladder? Only one way to find out.
I came back to the present and shouted a warning to Jules and Jackie as Goob "invaders" arrived on the scene, armed with swords and shields. The pair yanked away the shields with their Suction Shots and parried the sword swings before stunning and defeating the Goobs the usual way. Jules then passed the bucket to Jackie, who watered the sprout. Sure enough, it grew into one of those leafy ladders. Jackie scaled the ladder, extinguished the torch with her vacuum's exhaust and then grabbed it before sliding back down and rejoining Jules.
"Good going!" I said when the pair walked off the set. "Now, let's get some fire."
We went to the fire disaster set, and this time, Gavin, Miranda and Gooigi were the "actors". Once they were in place, I headed behind the camera, watching the street set turn into a blazing inferno. Gooigi couldn't physically emote, but I saw him visibly shrink away from the flames, his body tensing. Then, he took a deep breath, took the torch and held it toward the fire as Gavin and Miranda steadied him.
Sirens wailed as firefighter ghosts rushed in, armed with fire extinguishers, which they swung at the trio. Gooigi, Miranda and Gavin captured them all, followed by a Hammer with a siren on their head. With all of the ghosts defeated, Gooigi ignited the torch and briskly walked off the set.
"Did anyone see that?" Gooigi bluntly asked as he thrust the torch toward the first person he saw. "Because I'm not doing that again."
"Gooigi," I said. "Why did you go in there if you hate fire?"
"Because—I want to fight my fears the way you fight yours," Gooigi confessed, his voice cracking a little. "I can't let you down. Not in this situation…"
Gooey tears trailed down his cheeks, absorbing back into his body. I drew him into my arms, and his own arms encircled me as he softly wept.
His cry only lasted for a moment. Then, he composed himself and followed the others to the set where the megaphone was trapped as I brought up the rear. There was no question in my mind that Gooigi was more than just Goo. He was a person, and he need to be treated like one.
At the set with the spiderweb, Jas and Jake were the "actors". When the rest of us stepped behind the camera, the pair studied the box where the web was located. Using their Suction Shots, they opened the box, and a lavender "spider" with orange and purple stripes charged out! Yes, it was a prop, and it immediately ran into the nearby torch and disintegrated, but still. The memory of the Grouchy Possessor in the spider queen's body was quite fresh.
Shockingly, Jas and Jake were unfazed by the "spider". They grabbed the torch and burned the web, the megaphone dropping into their waiting hands.
"All right," I said as the DeWitts presented me with the megaphone. "Time to reunite this with an old friend."
Morty brightened when he saw us approaching him with his long-lost red megaphone. "Thank you!" he exclaimed as he plucked the object from my vacuum's suction. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome," I replied, "but I couldn't have done it without them." I indicated my companions.
"You have lovely friends," said Morty.
"True," I said, "but some of them are still trapped in this hotel. It's up to me to save them."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Morty. "Can I help?"
"I'll need to borrow that elevator button from you," I said.
Morty cocked his head to the side. "Wait a minute," he said. "Wait a d—n minute! I haven't really noticed until now, but—you have such wonderful facial features! And your build—it's to die for!"
"Ah—okay," I said, blushing.
Morty framed me with his fingers. "I see the makings of a leading man!" he gushed.
"Well, I've always wanted to be a leading man," I said cautiously.
"All right—I'll make you a deal. If you help me finish my magnum opus, then I'll give you the elevator button," said Morty.
"Really? You're not gonna attack us or anything?" I asked.
"Why would I attack you after you helped me?" asked Morty. "Have you always been this paranoid around ghosts?"
"Let's just say we've had a bad experience," Grace piped up.
"I don't like the woman who gave me this button," said Morty. "She gives me the creeps."
"That's something we have in common," I said. "Okay, Morty—we accept your deal. But no tricks!"
"You have my word," said Morty, rising from his chair. "All right! Places, everyone!"
The large soundstage behind him came to life, a ghostly film crew hustling and bustling. A Goob quickly applied some powder to my face, and I glimpsed Grace, Miranda, Jackie and Jas being tended to by Goob makeup artists and hairstylists. Some more Goobs then whisked us to the wardrobe area and gave us costumes to put on. I got a white shirt, a green vest and gray slacks, the ladies got knee-length dresses, and the rest of the guys got various shirt-and-pants combos. Finally, a Goob styled my hair with a wet comb and brush, and my companions and I were led onto the large movie set—a miniature city.
"A monster vs. monster movie," I realized.
"Yep," replied Morty.
"And I'm one of the monsters?" I added. "Do I have any lines, or…?"
"Hey," Morty said encouragingly, "just be yourself."
"Okeydokey," I said. "I can do that."
"Everyone clear the set," Morty told the rest of the cast and crew. "We're about to start!"
My companions were hustled to some chairs around the soundstage, while Morty guided me to the middle of the "city". The ghostly director then took his place behind a camera mounted on a dolly, alongside several other Goob camera operators.
"Action!" Morty commanded.
The miniature cars whizzed past my feet as I wandered through the "city", a few of them bumping my shoe. I stopped when I felt the ground shake and heard screaming, and I turned to see another "monster" terrorizing the town, shooting fire and roaring.
That was the monster I had to fight, I thought.
Then, the "monster" stomped toward me, beginning our clash. I dodged between skyscrapers as they blew fire at me, and then I readied my vacuum when they sent a nice-sized ball of green energy my way. Thinking quickly, I turned my exhaust function on the energy ball, blowing it back into the "monster" and sending them tumbling. The costume was now mildly damaged from the projectile, but the damage served to make it more terrifying.
"I like what I'm seeing!" cheered Morty. "Let's see more of that!"
Roaring, the "monster" resumed their rampage, smashing through the phony skyscrapers to get at me and spewing more fire. This time around, I wound up knocked down a few times from the swipes and singed from the flames, but I was up again in no time. The show must go on, you know.
"Are you okay?" asked Morty. "Do you need a stunt double?"
"I'm fine," I assured him.
The "monster" fired a larger projectile at me, which I again tried to repel with my exhaust function. But the larger size, combined with the "monster's" doubled force, made it quite difficult.
"It appears that my leading man needs a leading lady!" I heard Morty shout. "Do I have a volunteer?"
"Me!" I heard Grace reply, and then she was at my side, also training her vacuum's exhaust on the energy ball.
The extra help allowed me to propel the second energy ball into the "monster", the costume taking considerable damage.
"Right on time, Grace," I said.
"Fashionably," she replied.
"Focus, you two," warned Morty. "It's almost time for the big finish! Here's where my two leads could use a supporting player!"
"And that's me!" crowed Gooigi, striding onto the set.
The three of us resumed our face-off against the "monster", shielding each other from their attacks and from falling "debris". I called for my two "co-stars" to get ready when I saw our opponent charging up a third energy-based projectile. Standing in a balanced stance, we turned our exhaust functions on full blast as the "monster" let the energy ball fly.
"This is it!" we heard Morty shout. "Here's where you can achieve stardom!"
Sweat dripped down my face as I helped Grace and Gooigi push back against the energy ball. The advantage seesawed back and forth between us, and it looked like three of us wouldn't be enough.
"And—cue the cavalry!" Morty sang out.
The rest of my companions charged onto the set before Grace, Gooigi and I could be overrun. Now, the energy ball seemed almost weightless.
"Awesome teamwork!" Morty exclaimed as we propelled the energy ball into the "monster", knocking them off the set.
The costume burned away, revealing the Goob actor inside. Capturing them was a cinch.
"Cut and print! That's a wrap!" called Morty.
A big grin was on his face as he put away the megaphone and removed the film reels from the camera. The other Goob camera operators did the same, handing them to the ghostly director.
"You were absolutely phenomenal!" said Morty as he gave me the elevator button. "We should do business again sometime!"
"Yeah—that was fun," I conceded. "Kinda."
"I'll see you guys later, okay?" said Morty. "I have a film to edit."
Waving goodbye, Morty took the film reels and carried them into his office.
Triumphantly, I held up the elevator button. "I'm a star!" I exclaimed.
We took off our costumes and wiped off our makeup, deciding not to capture the other Goobs on this floor. They were friendly enough, and all they did was have us act in a film.
So—yes. My companions and I now have a film credit to our name. It's not a major blockbuster, but it should count for something, right?
Luigi
31 October 2019
Prof. Gadd's Lab, B1, Last Resort
2:55a.m.
Dear Diary,
I'm sure Luigi won't mind if I write a few words here. He's resting right now, so let me tell you what we've been up to.
After helping Morty with his film, we were ready to head to the next floor, only for a purple-hued, ghostly kitten to snatch the elevator button from us. This kitten had three tails, sky-blue eyes and a string of pearls around her neck. Luigi decided to name her Polterkitty, and it soon became apparent that she was Hellen's (boo, hiss!) pet.
I helped Luigi and his companions track down Polterkitty to the fire disaster set, using our Dark Lights to trace her paw prints. When we cornered her and flashed her with our Strobulbs, she transformed into a fearsome panther! In this form, she wouldn't approach us when we were facing her, so we had to face away and listen as she slowly stalked toward us, her breath hot against our backs. Just as she reared up to pounce, we'd have to time things carefully in order to nail her with our Strobulb and vacuum up one of her tails. Unfortunately, we'd have to endure a few misses, and that mean Polterkitty managed to hurt Luigi! That made me so mad!
But, as always, Luigi shook it off and followed Polterkitty as she fled into the Garden Suites. Polterpup looked miffed—I think he was jealous because he couldn't transform like Polterkitty. Luigi stopped his pursuit to reassure his puppy, which was very sweet. However, a mob of Mini-Goobs rudely interrupted this tender moment, tickling all of us into laughing fits. Polterpup helped us capture them, and we sat against that large plant from earlier to recover our wits.
"Hellen's stepping up her game," said Luigi, "so it's time to step up ours!"
We got to our feet and resumed our search, Polterpup's pawprints crisscrossing with Polterkitty's. In a foliage-filled bedroom, we cornered her a second time, she took on her cat-beast form, and it was then that I realized that she wouldn't retreat when I turned toward her. So, I crept forward and nailed her with my Strobulb flash.
Luigi didn't waste time asking questions, grabbing Polterkitty in the suction and slamming her to the floor until he vacuumed up her second tail. She hissed and lashed out with her claws, but this time, I was ready for her, taking a hefty slash in my (sort-of) bro's stead.
"Go!" I told him as he knelt at my side. "I'll catch up with you!"
Reluctantly, Luigi resumed chasing Polterkitty. His companions helped me to my feet, and we caught up to him in another room covered in thick foliage, laughing as he chewed through the vegetation with a buzzsaw. He loved that thing too much, but you didn't hear that from me.
"She's not in here," panted Luigi when he was finished. "She might be in the bathroom next door."
He set the buzzsaw aside and turned to leave, but then a two-tongued ghost snatched him, repeatedly lashing their free tongue across his back! I wasted no time freeing him from that ghost, and together, we gave them one good slam, capturing them.
I really hate it when people hurt Luigi, can't you tell?
When we encountered Polterkitty for the third time, she was in a bathroom filled with watermelons. We used the largest watermelon to rouse her from her hiding place, and then we turned on the faucet, flashing her with the Strobulb as she treaded water. She tried to pounce on us in her cat-beast form, but we were too quick, freezing her in her tracks with another Strobulb flash, and finally vacuuming up her last tail.
With a glare warning us that she'd be back, Polterkitty coughed up the elevator button and flounced away. I picked it up and gave it to Luigi, and he smiled in response.
Before heading to the lab give Becky and Gadd an update, we stopped at Morty's studio to check on him, capturing a Boo in the process. We found him in his office, sitting next to his finished film with an accomplished look on his face.
"Wow," said Luigi as we watched the film. "I look surprisingly good on camera."
He turned to Morty. "Hellen may already know you willingly gave up the elevator button," he warned. "If you come with us, then we can keep you safe."
"I'm sorry, Luigi, but I'm not abandoning my studio," said Morty. "Besides, what more can she do to me?"
The two exchanged contact information, and then Luigi gave Morty a shy "call me" gesture before we headed back to the elevator.
Gadd and Becky were upon us the second we entered the Lab, tending to our injuries from our fight with Polterkitty and insisting that we take a breather. Which brings us to the present—Luigi resting up while his companions chat up Oliver and I write in your pages.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help me help Luigi. Bringing you along, as well as having some unexpected assistance and a gooey, almost-indestructible clone, is the only reason why he's still in the game.
Gooigi