Brother's Loyalty

Rejuvenation

The smell of a home-cooked meal greeted the man in green as he stepped into Gadd's lab. His stomach growled in response, and he couldn't wait to find out what the scientist had decided to prepare. The professor himself emerged with a white apron protecting his lab coat, his face paling when he eyed the slashed-up younger man.

"My word! You look like you've walked into a Boo attack!" cried Gadd, quickly rushing to get the disinfectant and gauze.

"I did," said Luigi, sidling over to the Portrificationizer and emptying the Poltergust into it.

As the ghosts he'd captured were turned into paintings, Luigi slid off the Poltergust and plunked himself onto the sofa, Gadd running over and taking stock of the Boo-inflicted wounds.

"Yikes—a few of them bit you, too," murmured Elvin, beginning to apply the disinfectant as Luigi winced at the sting. "Don't worry, they don't have any diseases, because they're, you know, ghosts. But I don't want these wounds getting infected. Where did this happen?"

"On the balcony," said Luigi. "I came upon a bunch of Boos waiting for me. And then they formed into one gigantic Boo. I decided to call him Boolossus. Did you know Boos could do that—merge together?"

"I—didn't observe the Boos doing that yet," Gadd said, surprised. "I'd better make note of that."

Carefully, Gadd wrapped the gauze around Luigi's wounds. "Would it surprise you if I said that the Boos were once friendly with me?"

"No way—the Boos being nice?" balked Luigi. "They must've had an ulterior motive."

"I thought the same, so I always had my guard up during our interactions," said Gadd. "Here—I'll tell you more over dinner."

To start off, Gadd served up a shrimp salad with croutons and thousand-island dressing, with a side of freshly baked bread and warm butter.

"As I mentioned before, I grew up in the States," said Gadd. "In 1941, I earned my degree, became a professor, and taught paranormal studies at Colombia University in New York. Then, the Red Scare happened, and I was suspected of being a Communist sympathizer and dragged before McCarthy and his HUAC friends. Naturally, I was very upset at being accused of such things and left for greener pastures, eventually finding myself here in Boo Woods. There, I built my lab, set up my gallery and decided to devote the rest of my life to observing Boos."

"And you say that the Boos were hospitable?" asked Luigi.

"Well—maybe," said Gadd. "They'd follow me around and lick their tongues out at me, but they didn't attack me. In fact, when I looked directly at them, they'd cover their faces. But—they let me conduct my research in their woods. And at night, I'd observe them and discover morsels about their society. Either they didn't notice me, or they just didn't care—yet.

"In 1955, a new King began his reign. The night was oddly quiet, so I followed the Boos to a secluded area of the woods and saw them all arranged in a circle, with a larger Boo kneeling in between. Two more Boos flew in with a bejeweled crown on a pillow, and they slowly placed the crown on the larger Boo's head. The other Boos started cheering and chanting 'Long may he reign!', and the newly-crowned King floated up and smiled." Gadd shivered. "I'll never forget that smile as long as I live."

"That King—is that their current King?" asked Luigi.

"He is," replied Gadd.

"Wow—he's definitely older than he looks," mused Luigi. "Of course, ghosts don't age, but still—this Boo's been King for forty-six years. Did you two—interact?"