Chapter 8- Evershade Valley

Back in his cottage, Luigi shifted in his chair, scratching his mustache as he dozed. His soft snores and the crackle of a dying fire were suddenly interrupted as the television image at the front of the room changed from its normal "standby" screen to one of flickering static. The sounds of electricity jolting through the device were loud enough to rouse Luigi. Sleepily he pushed up the cap that had fallen down over his eyes and stared uncomprehendingly at the screen. Still in the strange half-asleep stage that comes after waking up from a nap, he stumbled over to the set and blearily eyed it. He had never seen a TV do this before. He had just gotten this set, too. How could it be broken already? Maybe he could fix it, somehow.

As he stood in front of the box, he realized that he had no idea how to even begin going about fixing a TV. However, as the sounds emitting from the set became louder and more garbled he figured he had to do something and reached hesitantly for one of the dials on the box.

"Luigi!"

With a cry Luigi fell over and scrambled backwards, slamming into his chair as he struggled to distance himself from the set and the bizarre face that now filled it. The impact had pushed his hat over his eyes again, and he hastily pushed it back up as he prepared to confront whatever had invaded his TV.

"I need your help, sonny! It's an emergency! The ghosts have gone hostile!"

Fully awake now, Luigi recognized the face as that of Professor E. Gadd, albeit a little distorted due to the extreme close-up. Still somewhat in a state of shock, he could only rub his eyes and stare up at the screen, almost missing the question the professor asked him.

"Ah… What are you doing on the floor?"

Luigi felt heat rush into his face as he quickly rose from his sitting position. Yet another incident where his cowardice had gotten the better of him. Before he could reflect on it too deeply, the professor continued on.

"Never mind that. I'm preparing the Pixelator!"

The gleeful look on the professor's face only served to raise a warning flag in his mind. Luigi had learned over the years that whenever Professor Gadd got excited about something, it typically did not bode well for him in the future. Protesting vehemently, Luigi stepped backwards as he tried to get the professor's attention. Unfortunately for him, Gadd was already typing out the commands as he prepared for what would his Pixelator's fourth time transporting a living organism.

"Hold still, young feller!"

The TV screen became fuzzy again as electricity surged through it, a bright green light filling the dim sitting room. The professor's excited voice was barely decipherable as it became distorted while the Pixelator powered up. Panicking now, Luigi frantically looked for a means of escape from his possessed TV set. Out of options, he began to run away before he suddenly found himself frozen in place. Luigi could only scream in terror as the green light became brighter and he found his body dissolving before his very eyes, the small cubed-shaped pieces flying into the set. Soon enough he felt the last pieces fly away and he entered a state of nonexistence, similar to that of a warp pipe but penetrated by flashes of light and a swirling feeling.

Finally he felt sensation return to him as he was "reassembled," falling and landing in a heap on the floor of wherever he was now. Disoriented and with an acute feeling of nausea, 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 this disorganized mess sat a smiling Professor Gadd, obviously pleased that his latest trial had resulted in success rather than a 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.

The professor practically danced in his chair as he watched Luigi slump below him. He was ecstatic that his Pixelator had been able to flawlessly execute 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 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 brilliance.

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, and he was 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 with this crazy old man? All he had wanted to do today was get some rest. He wrung his hands, glancing around the room for what had to have been the tenth time. Why oh why oh why-

"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. Unperturbed, 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. 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.

"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. Still confused about what he was doing here and more than a little hungry, 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…"

The professor animatedly related 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. Clearly, there was a major problem here. But what could he do about it? He was a plumber, not an astronomist.

"…Worse still, my research will go to waste! We can't let that happen! Now, I've got good news and I've got bad news. Wait here."

Luigi huffed 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 the control sticks on the professor's chair caused a small platform to shoot up out of the floor, dangerously close to hitting Luigi. Originally built as a duster for the many awards Gadd was sure he would win from his Evershade Valley research, he decided it could be repurposed for a short amount of time as a cleaner for the Dark Moon pieces. 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 cleansed 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, the sound of rushing wind caused both the professor and Luigi to look up, and the professor to quickly turn 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."

Another few taps of the keyboard, and the professor turned to Luigi in shock.

"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! 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, who had been staring into space while whistling an old tune, suddenly snapped back to attention. He 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. 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.

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…"

Realizing this wasn't helping matters, 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 and 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 had nightmares for weeks, even months, after rescuing Mario. He had woken up screaming night after night after night. He could still vividly remember how haggard his brother's face looked after spending so many nights 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, 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.

"Professor, I can't-"

"Ho ho! Of course you will! It'll be just like old times!"

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 to the mansion.

Author's Note

So, as you can probably tell, I left out quite a bit of dialogue (really monologue) from the game here. This is mainly because it was saying basically what I spent the last chapter going over, so I didn't want to bore you all with a large block of text. I believe this is how the rest of the story will go- if I've already covered something, I'll skip over most of the in-game text. Of course, I may end up going a different way entirely because nothing is set in stone (I originally thought this story was only going to be 30 chapters. Haha.).

However, if the majority of you want me to go through this game word by word, I will happily comply- there are a ton of great lines in this game that are just fun to write. Be aware that it is a lot of text, though!

Thanks again for your continued support!