Whatever it Takes

"Hey, Lil' Bro. Guess I never thought I'd wind up in this situation again, huh? I know I said no more surprises, but I actually thought I could fight him off this time."

"Don't feel too bad about this, Luigi. Part of the journey is the end. What I can take away from all of this is that—I finally have a new captor. Trust me, it's more fun than it sounds."

"Before long, we'll all be King Boo's decorations on his wall, subjected to his wicked whims—and that'll be it. When we drift off, we'll dream about you. It's always you, Luigi..."

THUP! THUP! THUP!

I fired off plunger after plunger at the target in front of me, face set.

THUP! THUP! THUP!

My mind raced. My heart pounded. Images floated before me—images of what could happen if I didn't act on time.

THUP! THUP! THUP!

I smiled when I saw that a plunger had landed directly on the bullseye. The "target" I'd used consisted of several photos of Boos taped onto the wall—and in the middle was the reviled Master of Illusions himself—King Boo.

How on Earth did he escape from Elvin Gadd's vault? It probably had something to do with that second button on his remote—the button which would release all Boos from containment. Six years of confinement had made him more vengeful than ever—and therefore more dangerous and cunning. He'd lured me and my friends into this hotel—and then he'd pounced.

"King Boo did—exactly what he told me he'd do," I'd told Gadd earlier. "He has my bro and all of my friends in his sinister clutches. Only God knows what he'll do to them if I don't stop him."

I smiled at the familiar, comforting feeling of the Poltergust G-00 on my back before practicing with it some more, getting the hang of its new features. Not only could I stun and vacuum ghosts, but I also could blow air outward, fire plungers and propel myself skyward with a quick burst. I could also get more handsy with any ghost I encountered by slamming them onto the ground and into other ghosts. And in one compartment was a relatively new friend—Gooigi.

Gooigi was Gadd's latest creation, and just as his name suggested, was a gooey clone of yours truly. I could use him to explore perilous and hard to reach places—but he was also vulnerable to fire and water. Also, we could work together if the situation demanded it. I was grateful for the help and for the additional company. It wasn't as severe, but I was still quite skittish when it came to facing ghosts by myself.

After I finished practicing, I joined Gadd in his lab, where my Polterpup jumped into my arms. Sighing deeply, I buried my face into his fur and allowed him to lick my face. We'd started off on the wrong foot back in Evershade Valley, where he'd continuously impeded my quest to restore the Dark Moon—but I couldn't stay mad at him. He was just too cute! So, I took him in, and I'd signed the adoption papers a week later. Who would've thought that someone afraid of ghosts would own a ghost puppy, right? But like I said, I was less afraid of ghosts now than I used to be, since I'd met some friendly ghosts during the Dark Moon adventure.

Six years later, a new Poltergust was on my back, and King Boo was once again on the loose. I had to summon every last drop of courage in my soul to confront my archnemesis and save everyone I held dear.

Gently, I set Polterpup down and turned to face Gadd.

"King Boo may still give me a bit of a fright," I told him, "but he has my friends. And like you said, I'm the only ghost hunter you know."

Gadd nodded. "We're in the endgame now, my boy."

"I don't care what he has planned," I stated determinedly. "I'm gonna put a stop to it. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes," repeated Gadd.

"Woof!" Polterpup chimed in.

"Whatever it takes," I vowed again in a low, steely voice.

Whatever it takes—I'm gonna get them out of there.