Finally he felt sensation return to him as his pixels were reassembled. He fell and landed hard on his rear right on the cold, hard floor of wherever he was now. Disoriented and with a sudden feeling of nausea -possibly a side effect of going through the Pixelator for the first time, Luigi looked around in terror at his new surroundings. He was in a small room, with a wall of monitors behind him and a bookshelf off to his left. Reigning over the whole disorganized mess sat a smiling Professor Gadd, obviously pleased that his latest trial had resulted in success rather than an appalling pile of Luigi-colored blocks. As realization of his location set in, Luigi released a helpless whimper, a sinking feeling settling into his stomach as he slouched in despair against the cold metallic floor.

I-I've been kidnapped from my own house through my television! W-What just happened?! Where am I?! I want to go home! Luigi thought to himself, in the brink of a panic attack. His heart pounding in his chest as he was forcefully taken from his peaceful home to a mysterious place he didn't want to be in.

The professor practically danced in his chair excitedly, jumping around like a immature child as he watched Luigi slump below him. He was ecstatic that his Pixelator had been able to flawlessly implement the complex task he had assigned to it. It had been pretty difficult to route the device through a television screen, but he had made it work. After locating Luigi, hacking the TV had been the easy part as he had struggled to turn an electronic meant only for one-way communication into a fully functioning two-way teleporting device. Now he beamed down with pride as he admired his handiwork in the form of his trembling, unwilling assistant. Sometimes, he internally gloated, he even managed to shock himself with his own scientific knowledge.

With a resigned sigh, Luigi stood and faced the jubilant professor, waiting for him to explain himself. Unfortunately, even being in the professor's presence caused an unpleasant wash of memories to come over him. He was also unable to stop himself from nervously glancing around every few seconds. Stars above, of all the things that could have happened to him, why did he have to end up in some strange place after all these years with this crazy old man again? All he had wanted to do today was get some much needed rest. He wrung his hands, glancing around the room for what had to have been the tenth time. "Why oh why! Why me! Why must I have to go through this again... Why-" he muttered to himself repeatedly in his head.

"Greetings Luigi! I knew our paths would cross again."

The professor smiled, genuinely happy to see his young friend for the first time in many years. He paused, waiting for Luigi to give some sort of reaction. Seemingly unaware, Luigi nervously scuffled and looked around yet again. The professor rolled his eyes behind his thick glasses. It seemed some things never changed. Shrugging it off and just waving a hand unperturbed with Luigi's nervous breakdown, the professor cleared his throat and resumed his spiel.

"You seem a bit tense, son. Relax! We're perfectly safe here in this impenetrable Bunker. Anyhoo, it's been too long, my boy! What have you been up to? I imagine you've been off adventuring with that daredevil brother of yours."

"Y-yeah I have been getting out quite a bit lately now. Finally going out on adventures with Mario and getting a lot more attention as of late which has been a lot of pressure on me... But I suppose that's how being a hero is ought to be so as you may have guessed, I've been very busy. What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I've just been continuing my research on paranormal happenings and what not. In fact, after our last adventure I became somewhat of an authority in the field!"

As the professor rambled on, Luigi managed to shake his nervousness enough to wonder what he was doing here. Last he had checked, King Boo was still in his portrait and he had not received any mysterious "prizes" lately.

"Professor, what-"

"But enough about that. Let me fill you in on our ghostly predicament!"

Luigi groaned internally, settling in for what he knew would be one of the professor's infamous long-winded speeches. Luigi was used to that by now.

"See that on the screen? That there is the Dark Moon. It's a mysterious celestial body that has a pacifying effect on all of the ghosts in Evershade Valley."

Luigi glanced at one of the smaller monitors behind him at something that looked suspiciously like a croissant or was it more like a crescent moon? Still confused about what he was doing here and more than a little hungry again, he wearily listened as the professor continued chattering.

"When I heard about it, I jumped at the rare chance to study ghosts in a peaceful environment. It was incredible, my boy! I was doing some of the best research of my long and storied career! That is, until something snapped inside the ghosts and they suddenly got all hostile! It got so bad I had to escape from the Gloomy Manor and hide here, where the ghosts can't find me. Of course, I'm not one to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. I wanted to know why the ghosts freaked out.

So I settled in and did some research to figure out what had happened. That's when I discovered something truly astonishing: the Dark Moon had vanished from the sky! And on top of that, the whole of Evershade Valley had become enveloped in an eerie fog. Now I can't be sure, but I think the disappearance of the Dark Moon is what caused all this mess. And what a mess it is!"

The professor animatedly recapped the story of his escape from the manor, his research, and his resulting discovery of the missing moon and the fog. As he expressed his fear of the ghosts leaving the valley, Luigi reluctantly nodded along, barely paying attention to the Professor as he was just staring into space while whistling a familiar old tune as an attempt to calm himself. Clearly, there was a major problem here. But what could he do about it? He was a plumber, not a scientist. He may have been into space but he wasn't an astronomer either. He didn't even want to be a ghost hunter or be here in the first place.

"...If we don't do something about it, the ghosts might leave this valley and terrorize the world beyond! Worse still, my research will go to waste! We can't let that happen!"

Luigi suddenly snapped back into focus, paying more attention now after hearing that unsettling statement. However, he was more concerned with the ghosts terrorizing the world more than the Professor's research.

"Now, I've got good news and I've got bad news. Wait here."

Luigi huffed and shook his head in disbelief as the professor turned around and began searching his bench for something. Typical Gadd, more worried about his research than the fate of the world.

The professor turned back around, triumphant grin on his face. Luigi eyed the glowing crystal chunk Gadd held warily, wondering if the sparks it gave off were somehow dangerous.

"The good news is that I found a fragment of the Dark Moon nearby! ...But the bad news is that I found a fragment of the Dark Moon nearby, meaning the thing's broken. And this Dark Moon piece seems to be corrupted by some sort of energy... I reckon it's a disruptive energy that suppresses the Dark Moon's ability to pacify ghosts! But lucky for us, I've got inventions for all kinds of situations! Stand back, sonny!"

A quick press of one of the control sticks on the professor's chair caused a small platform to shoot up out of the floor, dangerously close to hitting Luigi. It resembled an old turntable but it was repurposed originally as a duster for the many awards Gadd was sure, or what he thinks, he would win from his Evershade Valley research, as if this was his next science fair project. He decided it could be repurposed again for a short amount of time as a cleaner or purifier for the Dark Moon pieces for the time being. Ignoring Luigi's startled yelp and jump, he placed the fragment on the record that served as the top of the device.

Four brushes extended from the sides of the pedestal and, in a flurry of motion, the Dark Moon piece was cleaned of the energy that had repressed its power. The professor clapped happily as the machine completed its job while Luigi peered into the white cloud that enveloped the crystal. After only a few short moments, the dust cleared and the Dark Moon piece shone with all its former glory. As the platform retracted back into a compartment in the floor, the sound of rushing wind was heard from outside that caused both the professor and Luigi to look up, and the professor quickly turned to his monitors to see the results of his experiment.

Adjusting his glasses, Gadd watched in triumph as data once again began to stream through his various systems. Reluctant to take his eyes off the wealth of knowledge he had missed so dearly, he addressed his curious colleague while already beginning to analyze the information.

"Heh heh! I've done it, Luigi! It seems to have regained its original power! And did you hear that wooshing noise outside, youngster? Let me check my instruments."

The professor turned back and made a few more taps on the keyboard. As he did, Luigi just circled his index finger around his temple to indicate that the old man was in fact losing his mind a little. Suddenly, the professor turned back to Luigi in shock, who quickly gazed back at him.

"Criminy! All the fog around this Bunker... is gone! Quick! Let's take a look at a map of Evershade Valley."

A map swung down from the ceiling of the Bunker, consisting of little more than a few squiggly lines in a rough shape of Evershade Valley. Near the bottom of the map, the icon that indicated the Bunker's location was suddenly joined by a blinking mansion icon. Luigi stared up at the map, trying to garner what he could from the little information presented to him. Eventually, he gave up, letting the map swing back and allowing the professor to continue his explanation.

"Luigi, do you know what this means? We should be able to reach the Gloomy Manor now!"

"We? I bet by we you mean just me while you stay here safely away from the ghosts..." Luigi thought to himself.

E. Gadd continued. "...But more importantly, it means that restoring the Dark Moon will solve all our problems! If we find all the Dark Moon pieces, the fog in the valley will vanish and the ghosts will return to normal. But until then, all those ghosts will need to be contained. That's where you come in, Luigi."

Luigi gawked at the professor, his horrified expression mirroring the panic that now surged inside him. He must have misheard. Surely, the professor did not intend to send him into another ghost-infested mansion by himself. He had barely survived the first one. Plus, from what he could figure from the map, there was more than one mansion in this valley. If all of them had now had angry, bloodthirsty ghosts inhabiting them... Luigi, who had calmed down significantly since first arriving in the Bunker, started trembling where he stood again.

The professor, noticing this, started weakly trying to convince the cowardly plumber.

"Why, you're the best ghost wrangler I know, son! Coincidentally, you're also the only ghost wrangler I know..."

Luigi only continued shaking nervously, rubbing his hands together and whimpering in the process. Realizing this wasn't actually helping him in any manner, the professor changed topics quickly.

"So what do you say, young feller? Will you help me capture the ghosts and restore the Dark Moon?"

Luigi could barely hear the professor over the sound of his own raging fears. Panic did not begin to describe what he was experiencing. He couldn't handle another mansion, mentally or physically. The bruises he had gotten from ghostly punches, getting slammed against the wall by fake doors and countless other injuries, and even getting dragged around on the floor last time had taken a long time to heal, even with the aid of medicinal mushrooms. This damage, however, was nothing compared to the toll it had taken on his mind. He had been having constant nightmares for weeks, even months, after rescuing Mario. He had woken up screaming every night since the whole ordeal had occurred. He could still vividly remember how haggard his older brother's face looked after spending so many nights in a row awake trying to comfort his shaking younger sibling. He couldn't put himself or his brother through that again, now or ever.

So, as he looked at the professor's pleading face, he realized what his answer would have to be. He couldn't be the hero this time, mainly because he was never cut out to be a hero in the first place. Saving Mario was one thing since they were brothers who shared an unbreakable bond. He had to rescue him, just like how Mario would always step up to save him, but this was something different entirely. Let him be a coward—it was safer that way. He took a deep breath, preparing for the disappointment that he knew would be clearly written on the professor's face.

Shaking his head, he responded shakily, "I'm sorry Professor, I don't mean to disappoint you but I-I can't-"

The Professor chuckled. "Ho ho! Of course you will! It'll be just like old times!" He didn't seem to understand.

Luigi gasped, watching as the professor chuckled merrily to himself and turned back to the main monitor. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, the nausea that had passed earlier overtaking him once again. Head swimming, he felt the need to sit down as he realized that, willingly or unwillingly, he was going to have to essentially relive one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.

He was going back in to the mansion or more like the mansions.

"What're ya scared of, sonny? It's just a few harmless ghosts. Well... a few hundred ghosts. And they're not exactly harmless."

"That's reassuring... Professor, that's not helping!" Luigi quivered, eyes wide with panic.

"But looky here—With my brains and your... ah... your... Hmm." The professor adjusted his glasses lost in thought for a moment.

At last he continued. "We're in a bit of a pickle here, aren't we?"

"Glad you have so much faith in me.." Luigi thought sarcastically, sighing in response.

"Well, the only way out of this mess is to restore the Dark Moon. Which means you're going to need some ghost-hunting gear, son! But wouldn't you know it—I left my new Poltergust 5000 somewhere inside the Gloomy Manor."

"Of course...! So to make matters worse I have to go in the haunted mansion completely disarmed...! This doesn't look good for me at all...!"

"So now that I've cleared that blasted fog from around the place, I'm sending you in after it!" The professor pulled out a handheld device from his pocket. It resembled an old original titanium silver DS.

"Look familiar?"

"It's a DS?!" Luigi answered.

The Professor nodded and continued talking. "This customized DS has an interactive map of the Gloomy Manor on it. It'll also allow me to communicate with you while you're exploring."

Luigi grabbed the DS from the professor and gazed at it. It looked similar to the Gameboy Horror he used in his first ghost hunting adventure but it was sleeker and more enhanced. Technology really did evolve since then. He shut it and carefully put it away in his own pocket. The Professor tossed a flashlight without warning at Luigi who caught it in his gloved hands. "Oh!" He grunted in surprise.

"And it's mighty dark in there, so you'll want this flashlight."

"Okey dokey! Thanks, Professor!" Luigi said, latching the flashlight on the side of his overalls.

"Ok, youngster. Let's test the DS!"

The Professor turned his swivel chair to his bench and started tapping a few buttons on his keyboard before Luigi suddenly heard a muffled ringtone from within his pocket. He quickly took the DS out and opened it. "All righty. Now check your map—I'm marking an important location there."

Luigi watched as an orange exclamation point appeared on the map. "That's the Garage. I think that's where I left the Poltergust 5000. You ready, son?

"Ready as I'll ever be... I guess... I'm just a bit nervous though. Just like last time... It was unnerving then too..."

The Professor didn't seem to have listened to his reply as he continued to speak. "I'll zap you to the Gloomy Manor with my new and largely untested Pixelator! Let's hope all of the pixels make it this time. Heh heh..."

"U-Untested?! You're going to send me out there with an untested project that you just recently made?! Sh-should I be worried?!"

"Eh... I'm sure you'll be fine..." the arrogant professor shrugged it off.

Luigi took a deep breath and exhaled to calm himself. "I have to do this... I owe the Professor... I wouldn't have been able to save Mario if he didn't step in to help me... O-okay Professor... I'll take your word for it..."

"Hold on to your mustache!" Gadd remarked before pressing a button to activate the Pixelator.

Luigi tensed and grabbed his hat, pulling it down over his eyes as the disassembling sensation suddenly swept over him once again and he felt himself being pulled into the large center monitor.

                                     ~~~

Rain began to fall, splashing around the dark haunted house. The Professor mentioned that this mansion was called the Gloomy Manor. Bare trees surrounded it. A white picket fence swayed against the wind from the storm. Thunder clapped, and lightning lit up the entire stormy sky as a camera located in the front of the path to the mansion came to life, as pixels began materializing into Luigi, who was frozen in the air until all of his pixels were put together like a 3D puzzle. He was literally dropped off at his destination, landing hard in a puddle with a large splash.

He still had to get used to transportation via pixelation. Was he going to land on his rear every time he gets repixelized? Cold shivers bolted through him as he slowly picked himself up to his feet and dried himself off as best as he could. Which proved to be ineffective while it was pouring harshly. When he raised his head and caught sight of the Gloomy Manor, he was immediately reminded of the devastating memories that brought him right back to the trap the Boos had lured him and Mario into those many years ago. The two mansions looked vaguely similar in appearance. It was as if the Gloomy Manor took inspiration from the mansion in Boo Woods itself.

In this case, time didn't  heal all wounds unfortunately. Luigi couldn't stop thinking about what would've happened to Mario if he hadn't been quick enough or even brave enough to fight through the haunted mansion back in Boo Woods.

If he had just turned tail in the middle of the venture and run home at the first sight of the house and it's haunted residence,like the coward he was known to be and left his bro to fend for himself or if he had not met Professor Gadd in the first place. What would have happened to him if that first gold ghost he confronted actually gotten its hands on him. What would have happened to them then?

The terrifying voice of King Boo as well as his signature evil booish laughter lingered in Luigi's mind like a stubborn leech, a sound which assaulted him late at night and always kept him awake. Even after the many years that passed, he still had nightmares, and he knew without question that Mario himself even still suffered from them, too. Especially those that had involved King Boo and still being trapped in that painting. Both brothers were still receiving therapy on a regular basis since that day, and whenever that didn't work, they confided to each other in order to heal from those never ending nightmares, but something like the mansion would never go away. Neither would the memories of it that would forever linger in their minds forever. It would stay behind like an old stitched up wound that is unable to be healed completely —such as this one.

Luigi's breath came to him rapidly, as if he was coming close to another panic attack, but he soon used a breathing technique Mario taught him at a young age to help calm his nerves. He flinched at another boom of thunder and gripped his flashlight so tightly his knuckles hurt. "Oh, boy," he muttered. "This is gonna be another hauntingly 'fun' adventure for me isn't it..."

He set off down the walkway toward the Gloomy Manor, and an iron gate slowly and unnervingly creaked open to allow him in but just as he stepped into the entrance of the mansion's front garden, the gate slammed shut, making him jump. He attempted to steady his breathing again. "K-keep it together," he murmured to himself. "You can do this. You went through this before. Get ahold of your self... Just stay calm..."

His DS suddenly rang that familiar ring tone. He quickly picked it up. "Hello?" he answered.

"Luigi? Come in, Luigi. You there, young feller?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Professor. And I can hear you loud and clear too. What is it?"

"Ah, there you are! You sure took your time.
I was worried you'd turned off the volume on your DS." Gadd explained. "Anyhoo, it looks like everything's working, so we should be good."

Gadd studied Luigi through the monitor screen for a moment. "You look a little nervous, son. Try to loosen up a bit. Besides, tiptoeing about won't get us anywhere. Pick up the pace and get a move on!"

"I'll try, Professor... It's just that this mansion looks similar to the one in Boo Woods and it makes me feel very uneasy. It's causing me to have sudden flashbacks to the night I had to endure somatic fear to save my brother from those wretched boos and their despicable king!"

"Wait—are you still thinking about that day? After all these years?" Gadd's voice softened as an attempt to calm him down.

"Y-yes," Luigi replied, shutting his eyes tightly. "I'll never forget that night, even if I tried. I will never forget the sight of seeing my brother so badly battered and bruised and trapped within that awful portrait, for as long as I live and the Gloomy Manor looks to resemble it the most."

"It's going to be okay, Luigi," said Gadd softly, "I'll be with you every single step of the way. Just know, you're never alone in this, sonny."

"Oh, Professor.... I don't know... Living through the guilt of falling for that scam and putting my own brother's life in danger like that... I don't know anyone who shares that same guilt with me..."

"Just relax, youngster. Take a deep breath and... Just try not to think about it" Luigi did so, finding himself calming down at least a little. "Mario is safely at home. You don't have to worry about him this time."

With that, Luigi looked down again. "I'm not really sure what he's up to or where he's at right now. I haven't heard back from him in a while but I also never sent any letter to him since I left for my own house."

"I'm sure the lad is doing just fine. He can take care of himself, right?"

"I guess..." Luigi responded, still a little unsure, especially after those events that happened. Could King Boo really return after all these years?

"You can always talk to me about things like this, all righty? Don't keep it to yourself. It'll only make it worse."

"O-okay..."

"I'll check back with you soon. Good luck."

"Alright, Professor. Talk to you later." Luigi hung up and walked fairly fast up the steps to the manor's front porch. Hearing a noise, the curious young man in green stepped to the left window and peeked through it. There, he saw a green ghost in an old-fashioned car, happily honking on the horn. Another green ghost identical to the other, flew into the car's trunk and rummaged around in its hood before popping out, briefly startling the other ghost and holding up a green object.

"Look what I got! I got a weird looking thing! Wanna play catch?" The Greenie asked the one sitting on the passenger seat of the car. It smiled and nodded in response. The two ghosts exited the car and floated off, phasing through the wall outside in the opposite direction of the garage.

Luigi pulled away from the window and tensed up at the sight of two ghosts nearby. At least I know where the garage is but I hope those ghosts don't come back anytime soon or I'm already going to run into trouble." Luigi hurried to the front door and tried the knob. Not to his surprise—it was locked.

"Of course... Just my luck," Luigi said under his breath.

He knocked on the door. "Hello?" he called. But he suddenly realized,"Maybe I really shouldn't make my presence known... In case, there are other ghosts nearby..."

A squeaking noise coming from right behind him made him turn around. And there stood a mouse, eyeing him curiously, its tail wrapped around a key. He jumped back against the door in terror, dropping his flashlight on the porch in the process. Once Luigi got over his shock, he picked up his flashlight and chased after the mouse around the front yard. His years of playing many different sports and being an overall healthy active athletic individual paid off, as he soon caught up to the little rodent and plucked the key from its tail.

"Got it!" he exclaimed in triumph as he watched the mouse scamper away into  its mouse hole again. He hurried back up the stairs and inserted the key into the lock, jumping in surprise as the key suddenly dissolved through the key hole from his hand. With trepidation, he slowly pushed open the door and cautiously ventured inside.

"Hello?" he called out nervously, scanning the area with his flashlight. Once he knew the entrance of the house was clear, with no ghosts in sight, he slowly stepped inside. The door slammed behind him, making him jump at least a foot into the air and yelp in terror. Luigi breathed deeply to compose himself and headed to the door on his left, which opened into the garage.

The green ghost that phased through the car hood and pulled a tiny object out was a good guess that the thing he was looking for was in there but he hoped it wasn't taken by the ghosts too. There was only one way to find out so he slowly opened the car hood and what he found inside was precisely what he was looking for. There was the new Poltergust, waiting for him. Sleek and fire-engine red like the last one, with adjustable leather straps and a wide nozzle. However, this one had a more streamlined shape and an ergonomic grip. It overall felt very comfortable to wear and hold surprisingly.

Laughing heartily, Luigi removed the Poltergust from beneath the hood and slid it onto his back, making a few quick adjustments to the shoulder straps until they fit perfectly on him. Then, he took the nozzle in his right hand and struck a cool pose.

"I did it!" he cried, doing a little victory dance.
Unfortunately being the bumbling fool that he was, he accidentally bumped into the car, its hood slamming shut with a loud bang. The force was enough to cause a pile of debris to crash down, obstructing the exit. "Uh oh..."

The DS rang again, and Luigi answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, you've found it!" Gadd enthused. "Good work, Luigi! That there is the new and improved Poltergust 5000. It's simple to use just like the Poltergust 3000 you used years ago. Before you go hunting ghosts though, why don't you test it out on some of the junk in that room? Go on! Give 'er a whirl!"

"Okey-dokey. Bye."

Humming a made-up tune to himself, Luigi proceeded to get the feel of his new ghost vacuum, sucking up clumps of dirt and debris and vacuuming away sheets to unveil chests stuffed with gold and dollar bills. One such chest contained a key, which was, as always, more valuable than gold. It would get him to the next room. He quickly put it in his empty pocket and continued cleaning the garage with his brand new vacuum. He also vacuumed up coins perched on the rafters and made sure to search every nook and cranny. Because you'd never know what you can find.

Suddenly, The DS chimed yet again.

"Hey, Professor?"

"How's the Poltergust 5000 running so far, Luigi?" asked Gadd. "Not too shabby, eh?"

"Not at all, Professor. Not at all. I'm loving it already. It's working marvelously so far. I feel like it was made exactly for me."

"In fact, it is," said Gadd. "After our first adventure, I figured I needed to make you a better model so you could have a better hold on your own against the ghosts. You are my number one but also my only ghost hunter anyway. Thus-the 5000 model was born. Besides, ghosts are unpredictable. You never know how dangerous they might be so it's best to be prepared. Just wait till you catch some ghosts with her. There should be a few nearby."

"Yeah. Two were in here earlier while I was still locked out of the manor. I saw them playing around the Garage, but atleast they left before I was able to get in there. I'll just need to find them again to capture them." Luigi responded.

"Oh! And I know you young fellers are all about 'learning by doing' but you really should take a look at the Poltergust 5000 guide on the DS. You'll thank me later! All righty—I'll leave you to it then. Be careful, Luigi!"

"I will. Bye-bye."

I hope those ghosts didn't hear anything..." he slowly walked towards a window and peered into it, seeing the two green ghosts too busy  playing catch with the green object. "I wonder what that object is and if it came from the Poltergust... Maybe I should have mentioned that to the Professor..."

One of the Greenies suddenly started waving at the other, shouting. "Go long! I'm going to throw it to you very far. You ready? Go long! Go long!" It threw the object very hard at the other ghost, who flinched, causing the object to go right through its transparent body and crash right into the window. The reckless Greenie only laughed before the other turned to it with its pupiless eyes narrowed in anger with its hands on its hips. "Way to go, genius!" Its friend who threw the object with force recoiled from being scolded. "Sorry..." it muttered. The angry one facepalmed before gesturing its friend to follow it to retrieve the object they lost.

"Hm... These ghosts are nothing but trouble. They seem to act very childish and of course very mischievous." Luigi said to himself, moving away from the window.

He finished vacuuming up the garage until it was practically spotless. It was a force of habit, Luigi had always been a neat freak ever since he was a child, and that was unlikely to change in the near future either. Once he was satisfied with how the garage looked, he exited the garage and turned the vacuum on the chandelier, sending gold and dollar bills raining down, before checking the drawers and vases for anything important. He pulled down a sheet to reveal another door, but then he was drawn back to the front yard. There were more piles of junk to vacuum, along with cobwebs, and he even found lots of treasure, especially gold bars, in the various vases and cracks and crevices.

In a vase near the stairs, however, he found a golden bone. He marveled at it for a few seconds before the DS ringtone snapped him out of it.
"Oh, hello?"

"Hmm—you seem to have found something very special there, Luigi!" said Gadd.

"Yeah, you think?" Luigi rolled his eyes, starting to get slightly annoyed from the professor constantly calling him.

"I've heard that your chances of finding one of those is better if you have a lot of treasure," explained Gadd.

"Do you know what this bone does?" asked Luigi.

"Not exactly, but I get the feeling that bone will come in handy when you need it most! But that's just a wild guess. Yep, pure speculation."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Luigi. "Ciao."
He finished vacuuming the front yard and headed back inside, where he explored a mudroom. Something about the carpet seemed off, so he used the vacuum's blow function to roll it up, revealing some sort of switch. Luigi stood on the switch, causing all sorts of treasure to fly into the room. After vacuuming it up, along with a few coats, he glanced up and noticed another key sitting atop the ceiling fan. He used his vacuum to spin the fan around until the key was jostled off, catching it as it hit the floor.

"Oh, yeah!" He cheered. Now, he could proceed further into the Gloomy Manor but before he could do that. He noticed something white pass the window next to him from outside. He looked out to see a small little puppy with a red collar around his neck, digging in the dirt outside the Mudroom exterior. "I-is that another ghost dog?!" Luigi had experienced seeing a ghost dog before from the mansion in Boo Woods but it wasn't a friendly one, especially when the Bulldog named Spooky wanted to take a large bite out of his ankle. Thinking of that unforgettable and agonizing memory, he winced, starting to feel that same bite coming back again. He hoped he wouldn't meet face to face with this one next but he also had a very good feeling he most likely will. Luigi came to a realization that the dog dug up something from the ground and started playing with it. "What's it got there?" It looked like an amethyst gem. The puppy was chewing it and throwing it around until it accidentally tossed it up onto a tree causing the gem to get stuck on a branch. The dog barked before running off. Luigi turned away from the window and continued on his way.

The first key gave Luigi access to a guard hall. As soon as he stepped inside, however, he caught sight of the same two Greenies with the green object he saw earlier. Luigi gasped and flattened himself against the door. The Greenie on the left was playfully throwing the green object in the air while the one on the right was just watching it until they both noticed Luigi. Then the ghost holding the object threw it at its friend. "Here you have it!"

"No I don't want it!" It responded throwing it back.

"You take it!" The two ghosts continued arguing about who should take the object.

"Aw!" The ghost on the left was given it again and decided to give up and keep it. He groaned before phasing through the door behind them.

"Well bye!" The last one responded before leaving Luigi alone, breathing heavily while his back was against the door.

It was a surprise to Luigi that they didn't want to fight with him and decided to just retreat into the next room instead but atleast for now, he was alone and safe.

"What even is that thing they have? I have a feeling it might be something important." Luigi wondered as he set off after the two ghosts.

Suits of armor lined the guard hall's walls. Before he continued to move forward, he saw some wallpaper that seemed odd near him. He used the Poltergust to suck it up and found a few hidden coins from behind it. After taking the treasure he found, Luigi slowly walked towards the suits of armors but the moment he tried passing one, it attempted to slash at him with its sword. Luigi managed to dodge it but not without getting a small cut on his arm in the process. "Mamma Mia! Wh-what k-kind of hallway is this?!" He stammered, holding his injured arm. It wasn't too severe but it still left a small scratch that was bleeding. He had to get through this death trap to get to the other room. Luigi exhaled, preparing himself for the sprint of his life. He quickly ran past the armors as their swords sliced down at him whenever he passed. His dash across the hall was short but perilous, as he had to dodge swords swishing past his head. Several of them managed to cut him again, but, like the first, the wounds weren't too serious. Besides, he had more important things on his mind.

At the end of the guard hall, Luigi unlocked the door into a foyer. Straight away, he saw the two Greenies smirking triumphantly as they pointed out the green object on top of the chandelier. "I highly doubt he'll be able to reach it from up there. That is if he doesn't want to die trying!" One of the green ghosts murmured. They laughed at each other as if this was the punchline of a funny joke. Luigi didn't find it funny, however. They noticed Luigi standing there by the door and gasped in surprise. "Huh? But how?! I thought those suits of armor would finish you! Let's scram!" the one on the right spoke before leaving its friend phasing through the door on the right. "Shoot! Wait for me!" The left one followed making for another hasty retreat again.

"Whatever that green thing is—I gotta get it down from there..."

An incoming call from Gadd broke his train of thought. He quickly answered it. "
Hey!"

"Luigi, do you see that green circular panel on the door to your right?" asked Gadd.

Luigi frowned lightly as he studied the panel in
question. "Yeah. What about it?"

"It unlocks the door. All you need to do is flash it with the— Criminy! The Poltergust 5000 is missing the Strobulb!"

"Strobulb?" repeated Luigi.

"You won't be able to open that door without it," Gadd explained. "Those pesky ghosts must've hidden it somewhere. It looks like a little green lightbulb." The Professor showed a picture of the Strobulb to Luigi. "Find it, posthaste!"

"Oh! So that's what that object is..! I figured it was something that was integral for the Poltergust...! I know exactly what you're talking about," he said. "Leave it to me."

Gadd smiled proudly at Luigi. "Great. Thanks. Be careful in there, Luigi!" he said.

"I will. Goodbye."

Luigi studied the chandelier until he noticed the fan-like structure above it. Then, he hurried up the stairs and vacuumed the structure, causing the blades to spin around, which lowered the chandelier to ground level.

Then, he ran back downstairs to grab the Strobulb before the chandelier could re-ascend itself back on the ceiling. It took a few tries to actually time it right before the chandelier would fully go up to its original spot on the ceiling but he eventually succeeded.

"Alright!" he cheered, screwing the Strobulb onto the Poltergust's apparatus.

Instantly, the Strobulb lit up which indicated that it was fully screwed in. Luigi slid the vacuum back on to his back. He guessed that the red button on his flashlight activated the Strobulb, so he pushed it down before releasing it, causing a bright white light to flash in his face. Dazed for a few seconds, Luigi stumbled around.

He answered an incoming call on the DS. "Yello?"

"Whoa there, feller! Don't go flashing yourself with that!" Gadd warned. "The Strobulb isn't a toy—it's a powerful tool! For one thing, it can activate any of my inventions that feature green circular panels. And it's mighty easy to use. Try it on a nearby door, not yourself.

"Okay. Sorry about that. Atleast now I know how bright a Strobulb flash is." Luigi responded, rubbing his eyes.

"It's alright, sonny. I wouldn't want you to blind yourself especially with dangerous ghosts around. But anyhoo, there's also more information I wanted to give you: The strobulb allows you to stun ghosts by flashing them. Only then can they be captured. Got that? Now, go give those paranormal dust bunnies what for!"

"Got it!"

Spotting a safe at the top of the stairs with another such panel, Luigi headed over and flashed the Strobulb at it. The safe unlocked and spilled a whole lot of treasure. Luigi vacuumed it all up before heading back downstairs. He decided to explore around to see if he had anything else that he could use the Strobulb on. He remembered those strange flowers from outside and decided that would be a place to start. Just as he expected, there was treasure inside of them when he blasted them with the light from the Strobulb to make them bloom, even finding an Amethyst in one of them.

Then, he went back into the Mudroom where he saw the ghost dog for the first time outside from the window. Luigi noticed the dog was long gone and decided this would be the most ideal time to grab the Amethyst he saw the dog play with. He used the Strobulb to unlock the door to go outside and used the Poltergust to get the gem down from the tree. After all that done, he returned to the Foyer, giving the panel beside the door a Strobulb flash, removing the barriers obstructing that door and allowing him entry.

Luigi then accessed the coatroom, where the atmosphere changed considerably. He knew that meant ghosts were close by him. His senses were on high-alert as he searched the room for anything useful or valuable. He heard a mysterious humming sound alongside him as he pulled down coats and old wallpaper to reveal coins and dollar bills. It was then that he noticed a toilet.

"This is a rather peculiar place to put a toilet," he said to himself, flipping open the lid having the lid fall back down onto his head. He left the lid shut and decided to just take a seat on it to relax for a bit. To his surprise, The "toilet" turned out to be a secret passageway, flinging him into the next room. He landed right into the bathroom sink, water spraying into his face. Wiping off the water with his sleeve, he uncovered more treasure before vacuuming away the shower curtain in front of the tub, where the humming was at its loudest.

Just as he suspected, there was a Greenie, taking a shower and humming a familiar tone to itself that sounded familiar to Luigi as it was washing itself. Luigi had no idea why though, the water was literally going right through its transparent body and down the drain immediately. The Greenie noticed Luigi and the two just stared at each other for a few seconds before they both screamed in surprise causing Luigi to fall backward on the floor. The green ghost attempted to make a break for it while Luigi was startled but it slammed hard into the wall by the sink before turning around and quickly phasing through the secret passageway wall to escape. Luigi sighed in relief that the ghost didn't attack him, but he had to hold back a chuckle from the funny scene that just recently occurred.

"Geez, I didn't think a ghost could slam into something. What is that wall made out of ghost proof steel?" muttered Luigi before hopping back onto the "toilet", which took him back to the coatroom. Just as he reached the door, however, a Greenie leaped in front of him, startling him off his feet!

Pink gates slammed down over the doors and windows. Luigi knew what that meant from experience though Boo Woods. It was a clever tactic to trap Luigi in a room, leaving Luigi no choice but to fight the ghosts in the room before he can earn his way out. He dodged the Greenie's attack before steadying his breathing and taking careful aim with his flashlight. A low hum filled the room as Luigi held down the red button, waiting and waiting. Then...

BLAST!! A big burst of light shines within the room when Luigi let the Strobulb rip, freezing the Greenie with a blinding flash. Wasting no time, he turned the vacuum on full blast, pulling against the Greenie as they tried to escape. Out of the corner of his eye, Luigi saw a meter fill up on the Poltergust 5000 and flash blue. Once it did so, Luigi pressed the red button again. The nozzle kicked back in his hands with a strong force, and there was a surge of energy radiating from it as the Greenie was sucked into the Poltergust.

"That's interesting," said Luigi. "I didn't know the Poltergust 5000 could do that!"

He whirled as another Greenie appeared, standing his ground and getting the ghost into his sights before releasing a second Strobulb flash and going on the attack. Again, the blue meter filled, and Luigi pressed the red button, activating that surge and sending the Greenie into the vacuum. Finally, the lights came back on and the pink gates that blocked his wait out disappeared.

Luigi pumped a fist in victory. "I did it!" he cried.
He exited the coatroom and found himself back in the foyer, where more Greenies waited for him. He exhaled, brandished the Poltergust and prepared for battle.

These Greenies were a tad tougher to catch since there were a lot more of them around him. They seem to be a lot more clever than the fake ghosts Van Gore made in Boo Woods. As he tried to capture one, their buddies would relentlessly attack him. Luckily, he could now dodge attacks from other ghosts, even while he was struggling to vacuum one. The Poltergust 5000 was more light weight than its predecessor so he was able to jump to dodge while vacuuming up a ghost.

Nonetheless, he still took some punches from the Greenies, and these punches were hard enough to break his concentration—and his suction on one of the other enemy ghosts.

Luigi cursed under his breath—and then he decided to try something else. He lined up two Greenies with his flashlight, stunning them both with a single Strobulb flash. Just like last time, he found steady objects, like drawers, the banister and even the wall to brace himself against for better control over the Greenies. Taking out multiple at once always made the job easier and save some valuable time too.

It only took a few minutes, before Luigi finally cleared the last Greenies from the room. By that time, however, it had all come back to him abruptly. He was back into the ghost busting action after so long. He wiped his brow in relief when the lights came back on, standing straight and tall with total confidence, smiling at the reassuring feeling of the apparatus on his back. Nobody would hear it from him, but Luigi had to admit,  he was aching for another solo adventure.

The DS went off. "Hello?"

"That's the spirit, Luigi! Literally! Ho ho! Oho! Hooo..." Gadd chuckled with joy, especially at his own joke. "Just like old times, eh, feller?"

"Exactly," said Luigi. "I thought I'd be a little rusty after so many years, but fortunately that wasn't the case. I still have the skills for ghost hunting even after being slightly retired from it for so long."

"You sure do, young feller. Alright, that's enough for now. I'll bring you back to the Bunker."

"Why so soon?" Luigi asked.

"It appears you took a few blows so I suggest it would be wise to bring you back to the Bunker so you can rest and treat them." Gadd explained. "I think it'll be better if I bring you back after a mission to empty the Poltergust and take a brief break."

"You have a point there."

"I'll see you soon," said Gadd.

"You too, Professor! Ciao." Luigi twirled the DS before slipping it back into his pocket.

He started to celebrate for completing the mission before the familiar sensation of being turned into pixels swept over him as he was disassembled into pixels again before he was sent flying through cyberspace again. He arrived back in Gadd's bunker, once again landing on his rear. The professor beamed at him as he got to his feet.

"You made it back and with all your pixels to boot!" laughed Gadd. "Good work, Luigi. We might just make it out of this mess."

"I sure hope so," said Luigi.

"Let's see what you captured with the Poltergust 5000. In there...," said Gadd as he pointed down where a vent-like contraption popped up from the ground, surprising Luigi.

Wha-? Huh?"

"Put it in there." Gadd instructed. Luigi hesitantly attached the vacuum to the contraption as it pushed him forward.

"Woah!" He muttered. He sighed in relief as the weight on his back lessened. Once the Poltergust was emptied, Luigi detached the nozzle and shifted the apparatus from side to side.
Gadd happily spun around in his chair.

"Incredible! I'll start studying these ghosts, posthaste!" he announced.

"But, where does that pipe go?" asked Luigi.

"Eh? Wondering where that pipe goes? All the stuff you collect goes to a super-safe Vault below. It's a good idea to visit it often to check your progress and see the results of my studies. I've got ghost descriptions, hints... even each ghost's spectral mass! Knowledge is power, after all!

Ok, I'll scan the Gloomy Manor in search of paranormal signals. I reckon the ghost that took the other Dark Moon pieces is hiding in there."

"Alright. I'll leave you to it then and work on treating my wounds while you work on that."

"Take care, Luigi. I'll let you know when I need you for the next mission."

                                         ***
A Greenie floated towards a boo with a crown, seemingly nervous about something. The Boo noticed him and spoke in a deep voice, "what is it?"

"The green clad human you warned us about has arrived at the Gloomy Manor and managed to equip himself with the new Poltergust device provided by the Professor. He has also managed to retrieve the Strobulb attachment."

"Grrr..." King Boo growled through gritted teeth. He deeply sighed attempting to calm himself. "No matter, we will still persevere. He doesn't know what's coming. He and that old geezer are still trying to figure out what happened to the Dark Moon and yet the culprit is right under their noses. I'm surprised even Luigi hasn't already figured it out but I'd like to keep it that way for now. It'll only make it more fun if they don't know what hit them. That little green wimp will soon fall into my clutches. He won't be able to overcome what's coming to him in the near future. He will pay for his crimes once and for all!" The boo's purple crown flickered to life and a brown sack with a frame materialized in front of him. He uncovered the painting, just to see the young man trapped in the painting's worried face. "Your little brother has only stepped into our clever trap! Isn't that right, Mario?!"

Although Mario couldn't respond to King Boo this time around, he could still somewhat see the King's face, hear him and could still think to himself. "...Luigi... Please be careful...! Please...!"

"Luigi seems to be more optimistic and full of confidence than I remember. He thinks he's so sure of himself! Ha! That's about to change! I'm gonna enjoy tearing that puny little plumber back down to his cowardly self before taking away everything and everyone he cares so dearly about! I'm going to destroy your little brother once and for all! He will suffer far more than you! Just you wait, Luigi! I'm going to tear your world apart piece by piece until there's nothing left but darkness and despair!"

"No...!" Mario gasped in alarm. "Leave him alone! You better not hurt him, you monster!"

He turned back to the Greenie who was still watching the king. "Why are you still here?! Go and find out what he's up to. Now if you excuse me, I have other urgent business to attend to as ruler." The Greenie obeyed, leaving the king alone. Cackling softly, King Boo put Mario's painting back in the sack and flew off, on his way to enact the next phase of his plan of world domination.

_________________________________
That's already the end of another chapter. Finally started with the first level of the game in story form. I decided to work on this chapter earlier than expected after hearing about Charles Martinet's retirement news and decided to work on this as well and play more of the game as well. Most of the chapter was mainly going through a lot of the texts from the game because you know, E. Gadd never stops talking in it. Probably because he's lonely and doesn't really have a living human being to talk to.

Hope you enjoyed. More will be coming soon... ^^

I did change the DS explanation text to the European version because it made a little more sense than the English one. I might be doing that for a few lines if I feel that they make more sense than the English ones. Especially the ones that had the English translation typos.

Edited on: June 28th, 2024 note: I decided to add that guide statement that was added to the HD version on the switch. I might be adding other tweaks as I go on through the game if I think it is necessary.