The instant the elevator doors parted, the air was filled with a rush of music and noise as if they'd opened into another world. Taken at face value, it was almost enough to knock a person down.

Whoa, the casino people. He'd forgotten how chaotic it could be.

Stepping forward slowly with Buddy at his hip, Mario tried to size it all up at once: the basement opened into a huge, high-ceilinged warehouse of some kind, with stone walls and floors that gleamed like polished granite. It was large enough to have been an extra floor for the hotel, but if it ever had been, it appeared to have been transformed into a party central for betting and entertainment, as if they'd walked into a miniature Vegas. Mario had never been there, but he imagined it was something of the kind. It was shockingly chilly, and dozens of rather boisterous voices mingled with a loud, upbeat parlor music that blared overhead and threatened to shake the walls. Overall, he was surprised by how normal it felt. It all seemed a far cry from the quiet and troublesome hotel above.

   Leading from the elevator's entrance where he found himself standing, a roped-off red carpet spread out before him up to where a uniformed orange pianta man stood keeping a sharp eye on the floor beyond. No one under twenty-one...

   For a brief second Mario froze, remembering Buddy. Then he glanced down and laughed. That rule didn't apply to yoshis!

Knowing he would need to speak to someone in authority, Mario headed for the pianta. It might have been the only decent interaction he would catch before stepping into the colorful sprawl, anyway. Walking up to him, Mario saw that he was definitely the bellhop he'd been promised, wearing a name tag pinned to his shirt that read Leonardo. On seeing Mario's entrance, he did a double take and seemed to come to life.

   "Ah, Mario? Thank goodness they finally sent someone," he greeted, rushing over. "We've been in the dark for quite a while... Metaphorically, that is."

   The human crossed his arms and appeared to turn all business. He was here to work, after all... "No problem. What exactly have you seen?"

   "Well, it's like I told the manager on the phone," Leo began. "We had the power go on and off a few times, and then the elevator stopped working. Once everything got back up to code, we started picking up noises from what seemed like behind the walls."

   Mario frowned and nodded. "What kind of noises?"

   "It's really hard to describe," the pianta said, lowering his voice as if anyone could hear them. "Almost like a... weird cackling or something. And beeping. We also thought we could hear some kind of machinery or... creepy music or something. Not from one of our games. Some of the customers heard it too, but we had to tell them it wasn't on our premises. We were trapped in here, we didn't know what else to do."

   "But did it sound... haunted?" Mario wanted to know.

   "I'm not terribly familiar with that sound, but I'd say it could pass," Leo offered. "It almost felt like it could have been coming from under the floor. Which is crazy, because it doesn't go any further than this. I honestly have no idea what could be making it. Can't be the plumbing or electricity."

   "Are you still hearing it?"

   "Oh yeah. Every few minutes, I think. Just hold tight."

   Mario pursed his lips. "Alright. I'll see what's up," he said, letting Buddy shove his head under his arm.

   "Yes, very good... Mr. Romano said you have free run of the place. If there's anything you need, just let me or one of the other bellhops know. Right this way, please," Leo gestured, unhooking the ropes for his entry. "Settle in and make yourself at home, okay? Normally I'd tell you to enjoy yourself, but I don't suppose that's why you came."

   "No, I'd say not," Mario replied with a sly grin. "But I might still have a little look around." With that, he turned and made for the waiting casino floor.

   "Casino Delfino," Fludd observed as soon as they were out of earshot. "The largest place to press your luck this side of the southern sea. Also home to the finest stirred martinis on Isle Delfino... or so they say."

   "Hm, I can be the judge of that," Mario assured sportively. Grabbing out his sunglasses, he suddenly put them on. "We'll want to lay low for our investigation," he determined. "The guests here are still going about it like everything is normal, so we'll try not to cause an upset."

   "But Mario, we are indoors."

   "Well, sunglasses show that we mean business; especially in this field. Trust me, Fludd," the boy replied in a veiled whisper. "You generally don't want to be the center of attention in a place like this." A bit louder, he added, "Maybe it is too bad I didn't get my luggage — I should've worn my tux."

   "What purpose would that serve?" Fludd asked.

   Mario broke into a grin. "It's just good to dress the part," he defended. "You have to look serious when you're infiltrating the wealthy's playground."

   "Well, perhaps next time," Fludd said, clearly not getting it.

   Gazing at the main floor from his vantage point, they had a pretty good view of the whole casino layout. It was oddly shaped, almost rounded, with a couple of enormous, showy slot machines built into the wall on either side. One was surrounded by a large red curtain, while the other was a huge attention-sucker surrounded by rows of colorful show lights. Tucked by the walls between them were what appeared to be 'rest areas' with benches and token machines. Interspersed throughout the rest of the floor were rows of smaller pachinko and slot machines, as well as a few tables where the likes of poker and blackjack seemed to be occupying most of the customer body. To the right was tucked the ever-necessary bar, with busy signs and enticing specials; and in the very center of the floor was the biggest, most amazing roulette wheel Mario had ever seen, stretching at least several yards across.

   That demanded his attention first. "Whoa, this is huge!" he marveled, looking down at its luxurious white and gold star-spangled finish. "I bet you could score some major coinage on that thing." He saw red and green checkering the pockets, but no black. Huh. Maybe it's a Delfino thing.

   "We must focus," Fludd spoke up. "I do not think the roulette wheel is the answer to the problem, Mario."

   "How do you know?" Mario asked, just to be difficult.

   "I am scanning for the strange signals... there is definitely something nearby. There may be a shine sprite, but there is more than just that..."

   Before Mario could answer, a pianta man standing nearby glanced up and noticed him eyeing the wheel. "Boy, I could really get into this! Alright, I'm ready to bet it all on this big roulette. ...So, when does it start spinning?" he asked.

   Mario raised his eyebrows and tried not to say something derogatory. "Uh, I don't know," he said as casually as he could. "You'd have to ask one of the dealers."

   Silently excusing himself, Mario took Buddy and meandered away, unsure where to begin. The place was perhaps just a bit too noisy for his taste, though he was still excited to be there. He soon found himself heading for the quieter region of the drinks bar nearby.

   "Well, there's nothing to do for it but to investigate," he shrugged, eyeing the menus overhead.

   Before his machine could make a potentially sarcastic comeback, Mario had marched up to the high seats by the bartender, a pianta who seemed refreshingly engaged in crafting a red concoction. Behind him, gaudy blue and yellow neon lights traced out Casino Delfino with the dolphin in mid-leap over a cascade of cocktail glasses. Even the surface of the counter itself glowed, illuminated by hidden lights from within.

   A brash smile tugging at one side of his mouth, Mario started to push himself up to one of the many empty stools, only pausing when he heard the complaint of the lone pianta woman a few seats away. "What? You mean I can't get any juice here?" she was asking.

   The cheerful barkeep shook his head. "Sorry. Only cocktails and hard drinks here."

   She sighed and turned back. "Alright, then..."

   All at once, the bar shook with a thump as someone put his elbow pointedly down on the counter a few seats down. "Excuse me," a male voice called. The pianta looked up in slight surprise. It was a human — a slightly burly young man. Raising his eyebrows, he scooped up a rag and came over.

   "What can I get ya?" he asked the little man parked brazenly on the opposite side. "...Did you just come in? I haven't noticed you in here."

   The man chuckled, removing his shades to reveal dangerously ambitious blue eyes. "I did. I'm here to take care of the... disturbances," he informed him, lowering his voice at the end as if it were top secret. "You have anything on that?"

   The barkeep was now visibly taken aback. "Uh, disturbances," he mused. "You mean the sounds. Well, I don't know much of use, if that's what you're getting at; but if we're being serious, I would be suspicious of the jumbo slots," he said equally low, nodding to the large panels on the walls. "Those seemed to be the ones acting up most when we had that power trouble a while ago. They just started spinning on their own and making those strange moans... Frankly I don't wanna think about it." Shaking his head, he busied himself with cleaning out a glass.

   The human turned, gazing at the machines in question. Abruptly he let out an incredulous laugh. "What, do you want me to win them?"

   "No, I'm just saying what I know," the pianta replied. "I sure as anything don't want anything to do with it, if this place is haunted." He stopped to scoff at himself. "Can you imagine, a haunted casino? ...Talk about creepy."

   "...So what activates the jumbo slots?" the man asked.

   "It's just another game," the pianta replied. "To set the whole thing off, you have to win. Well, triple 7s is obviously the best you can do. I've yet to see anyone get triple 7s on both slots. Do one of 'em, though, and the whole thing goes insane."

   Now the man leaned forward knowingly. "And you think—

   His words were cut off as a soft, sudden sound swept through the air like a wave, sending the entire casino into a brief quiet. It was muffled, and it was distant, but it was there: no person could replicate it with one's voice. It seemed to carry on the air like a cloud, emanating from somewhere beyond the room itself. First there was jingling, a faint sounding of music notes as from a machine; then, a brief, but unmistakably high-pitched laughter.

   "There it is," the barkeep murmured.

   The twosome at the bar sat straighter as the noise reached their ears, neither showing much emotion while it lasted. Slowly, the human relaxed his arm down on the counter. Within another moment it had ended entirely, leaving the casino to resume with its noisy business as if just passing through.

   The pianta shook his head again and picked up an armful of glasses. "It's not a good situation," he said at last.

   The human was silent for another minute, ruminating over something in his mysterious mind. Whatever it was, it made the barkeep nervous. "So, uh, can I get you a drink?"

   His guest looked back suddenly. Just when it seemed he was about to laugh and ask for the heaviest thing on the menu, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, I'm alright for now. But if I were you I'd take cover." With these ominous words of parting, the boy with the extreme mustache shoved off and headed for the opposite end of the room, soon disappearing in the slot machines.

   The bartender pianta was left staring after him in silenced surprise, trying unsuccessfully to catch a glimpse of him in the floor. Finally he turned back to the woman on the other side, who had been sitting back watching the whole time. "...Wonder what his story is?"

~

   A wail of mock despair rose over the din of whirring slot machines across Casino Delfino. "Waugh! I used up ALL of my coins!! ...Good thing the wife didn't let me take them all!"

"Any minute now, I can feel it! I'm about to get hot! ...But that's usually when I start losing..."

"The games are rigged! Where's the manager?! I want my coins back!!"

"Oog... I haven't eaten anything yet today..."

The chatter of players in the casino that day, despite the odd circumstances, were no less vigorous than on any other day of business. As usual, the hum of joyous and angry shouting combined into the lively chorus of voices that bombarded Mario, Fludd and Buddy as they walked right through the slots area.

   "Hehe. Boy, talk about extreme," Mario commented, glancing both ways as he passed through. The place was almost ripe with the scent of burning wallets, but there was still a cheerful attitude about it too. Countless reels rang with the whirling of colored images as patrons tried their luck at the slots, trying to match up coins or cherries or the like. All around the stations, metallic street lamps fashioned like palm trees lit the casino with a white light. Overhead, he noticed with amazement that the ceiling was an LED screen, and illuminated with thousands of moving images of shine sprites.

   Fludd didn't seem to approve of the general behavior. "It is reckless for them to be here without food all day!" he remarked.

   "They do have drinks though," Mario replied.

   "Mario, I do not recommend those in large quantity for anyone's health," the machine replied.

   "Come on, one shot wouldn't have hurt," the boy replied teasingly.

   "This is why I watch you," Fludd answered.

   Mario shrugged, leaving Buddy to slink along behind him, wide-eyed and floored at seemingly everything. There was so much noise and color to take in!

   "It all depends on the machine you choose," a pianta man was saying nearby. "Must... be... careful!"

   "I wonder if these things ever break down and spew out coins?" asked the woman next to him, nudging the console.

   Mario shook his head to himself. "Only in movies," he snickered, out of her hearing. Coming up to the west wall where one of the jumbo slots sat unoccupied by a large rest area with a water fountain, he stopped by the small metal fence surrounding the display. Gazing up at the three big slots, he seemed intent on something.

   "Mario, what are we doing?" Fludd asked. Buddy came to stop beside him and tilted his head up at it.

   "Well, he said there was something weird with the slots," the human said slowly. "So I guess the only thing to do is activate it."

   "That's a good amount to bet," Fludd observed the controls below. "Fifty coins at the minimum —

   "Who said anything about money?" Mario asked innocently. "Those reels are — well — real. I bet I can push those into position."

   "Physically?"

   "If water is physical, then yes," Mario replied, and before Fludd could make an objection, he activated the water gun at full power, aiming it directly for the reels overhead.

   "Mario—!"

   Buddy perked up in excitement as he watched his owner work magic, causing the slots above to begin rotating in place. It didn't make a terrible amount of noise, but it could only be seconds before someone noticed.

   Make that no time. Before he could even get all three 7s into position in front, Mario heard a sharp "Hey!"

   Pausing in his endeavor, though not backing down, the plucky human turned to see the bellhop Leonardo running toward him. "What are you doing?? That might damage the machine, are you —

   "Look, I know it's cheating, but I'm not playing a friendly game of slots here," Mario replied. "Mr. Romano sent me to get to the bottom of this, and that's what I'm gonna do. It's fine, see? I'm just moving them manually to see what happens."

   Leonardo calmed down a bit, but he still didn't see the logic. "What is that supposed to accomplish?"

   "Your barkeep said the weird noises were emitting from these things. So I'm gonna see what happens when you match 'em."

   "...Okay, mister," the bellhop didn't seem convinced, but he just shrugged and headed back for the entrance, leaving Mario to resume his work.

   Turning back to the panels, Mario continued pressuring Fludd just lightly as he coaxed the last reel to move along, bringing it to match the other two. "Boy, it's a lot easier when you move them yourself!" he laughed.

   Click! As the last 7 fell into place, a weird grating sound was heard, which activated something in the inner mechanism. Instantly what felt like the entire casino exploded in celebration.

   The rows of lightbulbs lining the display started flashing in enormous gyrating patterns, threatening seizures for anyone too close. Loud whistles from an unseen location almost rained down on his head, making him look like he'd just won the lottery.

   But not a single coin fell from the drop bucket.

   Ignoring the inevitable looks of nearby bettors, Mario squinted at it. "...Is that supposed to happen? No money?"

   "Well you did cheat," Fludd was quick to point out.

   Mario rolled his eyes and turned away. "Alright, let's just do the other one." Staying strictly business, he began making his way back across the casino.

   The other jumbo slot was similar, but this was the one surrounded by a large drawn curtain as on a makeshift stage. The reels looked the same at first glance, but when Mario began spraying them he discovered a nasty difference.

   "They're all linked on one internal reel," he realized, watching the images creep along and always match in threes. "I wonder if that's... legal."

   "Technically, what you're doing isn't legal either," Fludd supplied.

   "Thanks, Fludd," the man replied.

   "Of course," he responded.

   Due to the stubborn nature of the mechanism, it took a minute for Mario to finally get the 7 to land on the pay line. Even then, the remaining two reels took their sweet time to stop.

   7. 7...

   Ding!

   Then things got complicated.

   Firstly the expected victory whistles pierced the air, almost deafening the entire building for a few seconds. Backing away to avoid attention, Mario stared up at the enormous panels and held his breath. All at once, the red curtain over the machine dropped by itself, as if to hide what he had done.

Then all the lights in the whole casino flickered for a moment, albeit briefly, though it was enough to grab people's attention.

"You should learn to stop while you are ahead," Fludd said in the brief hush that followed.

   That's when things started to get busy. Suddenly Mario heard the click of the slot machine spinning again, causing him to turn...

Then they heard it again, faintly — the creepy sound suddenly seized the basement. The trace of a voice's laughter emanated from behind the curtain, as if mocking them; it was followed by an indescribable whooshing noise.

And then something like all heck broke loose.

Like the worst payout in the history of Slots, a handful of boos burst from the drop bucket, scattering in the air like bubbles. In a matter of short seconds they had spread out over the casino floor, lolling and cavorting about like the oblivious creatures Mario had encountered upstairs. They did, at least, seem rather harmless.

Which was why the primary reaction was somewhat amusing when, almost as one, every other customer in the casino leapt to action like people under fire. With a sudden chorus of screams from every direction, the previously happy people spending their life savings away now found themselves stirring in terror, tripping and jumping over one another in their attempt to flee the haunted casino. Contrasted with this were the people so immersed in their games of slots that they didn't even move at all while people bolted and coins spilled around them. Even the music had been stopped somehow.

"I state my case," Fludd added.

From his place by the jumbo slots, Mario could just see Leo and the couple of other employees gather near the door and funnel people towards the elevator as systematically as possible. "Alright everyone, remain calm," Leo announced as loudly as he could. "Line up and we'll fit as many into the elevator as possible. Please be patient and wait your turn..." Glancing nervously up at the creepy booish creatures floating about, he noticed how they seemed to be converging over the large roulette, and not necessarily chasing the crowd at all. Pressed by an exceptionally large pianta man reaching for the elevator controls, he turned back to the task at hand.

Mario, meanwhile, made no move at all to stop the commotion. Doing so would have been fruitless: after all, he already knew he had the ultimate weapon. On first sight of the rampant boos, he could practically see the hearts in Buddy's eyes.

The elevated hum of concerned people began to quickly diminish as most of them piled into the elevator to be shipped off, but so did the threat as well: in one swift movement the yoshi broke loose from his owner's side, jumping straight into the nearest row of slot machines. Slamming down into the controls of the corner machine, Buddy scrambled across the entire row, snapping at a nearby boo and activating a few levers while he was at it. Springing over the entire console, he had lapped up the boo and made it to the center of the floor in a matter of seconds. Now Mario could see he was clearly eyeing the big roulette, where the remaining boos seemed to be congregating over the wheel.

"Are you going to do anything about that?" Fludd asked passively from his shoulder, moving his nozzle with Mario's head as they followed the creature's erratic movements around the casino.

"Nope," he replied.

"Aahhh!!" A pianta woman screamed in fright as Buddy nearly crashed into her as she made a mad dash for the door. Spotting a low-floating boo, the yoshi made a beeline for the bar.

The bartender saw it coming a mile away, but it was too late to do anything. "Oh no, oh no oh no—!"

Mario wanted to be more sympathetic than he was, but it was hard not to crack a smile at the display: There were numerous small crunching noises as Buddy jumped right up onto the counter, letting himself up where customers sat to order. Using the bar as a runway, he turned and practically slid on the surface now wet with some beverage to catch the overhanging boo with his nimble tongue right before the barkeep's eyes.

"...AAAHAHHHHH!!" He took it quite well.

Mario winced slightly, but he didn't budge. After all, it was pretty entertaining.

"I've always kinda wanted to break something in a casino," he remarked sidewise to Fludd.

"That is a troublesome sentiment, Mario."

In the meantime Buddy had covered lots of ground, rocketing across surfaces a mile a minute. Slipping over the ledge where the roulette table was built into the floor, he didn't seem to notice the stirring people around him at all as he scrambled back up and darted straight onto the wheel.

"Hey! Stop that yoshi!" one of the bellhops yelled, pointing.

There was no one willing or able to comply. Amidst the confusion, Buddy had soon climbed into the golden domed center of the wheel and perched there, gazing up intently like a cat who had spotted breakfast. Every few seconds he would lash out his yard-long tongue at the boos, picking them off like flies.

Now Mario finally took action, running up to the edge of the wheel. "Hey you! Can you control that thing??" Leo shouted over at him.

The human shook his head. "This is part of the job!!"

Leo, too tied up with people, let it slide. Fortunately, the majority of the people had already evacuated, despite not having real permission from Mr. Romano about letting them out. "The people upstairs can deal with the people upstairs," he muttered to his co-worker as he hit the elevator button.

The commotion, however, was all over in just a few minutes. The last of the casino guests had gotten out shortly before Buddy gulped down his last victim, leaving the place utterly — and quite abruptly — quiet.

Standing a little aimlessly at the edge of the roulette wheel, Mario gazed out at Buddy in slightly awkward silence and called, "Good work, Buddy!" Hesitating for a second, but not knowing what else to do, he let himself into the wheel as well, stepping forward to join him in the center. Pausing by the golden dome, he placed a hand on the now-calm yoshi and glanced around.

The shock of the previous fiasco now wearing off, Leo and his co-worker stepped forward to the edge. "Hey, um... What just happened??"

Mario glanced up for a brief moment. "Oh, Buddy here took care of your boos. No need to worry." He chuckled slightly. "I guess that's one way to clear all hands."

From the drink-spattered bar on the opposite end of the room, the bartender yelled, "That's not the only thing he cleared!!"

The bellhops glanced in surprise at each other, then back to the human. "Uhh, well, can you come down now? People generally don't... stand on the wheel."

Leo suddenly grabbed his companion's arm. "Wait," he said in a tone that made Mario stop. "Something's weird."

His companion raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Leo jerked towards the roulette. "Was that there before? That color on the roulette wheel?"

The bellhop and the human standing in the center followed his gaze to the colored pockets below, where he seemed fixated in concern. Slowly, a frown spread over Mario's face.

There were the colors he had observed, alternating reds and greens, reds and greens, —

Wait.

Sure enough, there in one pocket where a red systematically would have been, something unusual caught the eye: purple.

Leo pointed. "That's not normal," he said.

The other bellhop stared at it, then sighed and looked at him. "Leo, you're paranoid. It's just faded a bit or something. Why would that have any bearing —

"No," Mario interrupted, "he's right. The boos were collecting right above here."

The bellhop snorted. "So what are you saying? The roulette is haunted?"

The human walked closer to the spot in question, stopping just a foot away. Quickly turning in a circle, he confirmed that it was the only odd spot out on the whole board. Each pocket was big enough to stand on...

Suddenly stepping forward, he planted his feet on the purple square.

"Hey! What are you doing??" the bellhop exclaimed.

Mario furrowed his brow, gazing downwards. "There's something about this..."

Leonardo stepped forward, concern written on his face. "Hey Mario, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Those wheels are—

The rest of his fruitless sentence was lost when, like a flimsy ventilation hatch busting open, the purple panel the boy was standing on gave way, sending him, followed by his yoshi, crashing straight downwards into the casino floor.

There was hardly any time to scream, scarcely a second to blink. "WHAA—?!" In one motion, Leonardo and his co-worker ran forward, falling upon the broken space in astonishment. They expected to see a floor, crawl space, something. At the very least, they expected to hear the boy's shout as he was swallowed by the roulette wheel, or sounds of some kind.

There was nothing but a dark emptiness below.

"It's... it's a hole in the floor," the bellhop marveled in disbelief. "Wh-where did they go??"

Leo stared in consternation. "I don't know..."

His companion turned on him. "What do we do??"

A deep, strange silence filled the casino. They were simply gone.

~

One second, the empty casino.

The next, a straight plummet to an unknown fate.

Jerked from his feet by the sudden loss of a floor, Mario and Buddy found themselves thrown into a violent tumult, caused only by the friction of their own bodies with gravity. They were falling...

How were they falling?

It could only have been a few seconds in hindsight. Twisting around for a grasp on his bearings — of which there was very little in the pitch-blackness to which they'd been thrust — Mario tried to re-center himself to fall upright. He could feel Buddy thrashing about aimlessly in air beside him—

THUMP. In a flat instant it all stopped as he and the yoshi splatted sickeningly into a wood floor.

Ouch. Joints.

"Yoshi..." Buddy moaned as he rolled over to his stomach. Beside him, the human sat up with a similar-sounding groan, putting a hand to his head.

"Ohh... what—

He cut himself off as he refocused and looked down.

Oh boy.

Wherever they had landed — inside some underground chamber — there was dim light enough to see; and as he stared at the expanse before him Mario could feel his lunch shifting. They were sitting at the top of some sort of huge, wooden structure, that dropped off beneath them in an enormous slope to the darkness below.

Stealing a quick glance over at Buddy, he and his partner met eyes. The ledge where they were perched wasn't big enough for both of them.

"Here we go again..." Fludd remarked as they lost balance, tipped precariously over the edge, and resumed their descent into the earth.

Are we underground? Mario wondered as he rolled onto his side, trying to slow his fall with an arm against the polished wood. It helped a little, but soon he spotted Buddy sliding wildly past him. Trying to withhold a laugh, he noticed how the yoshi was attempting valiantly to climb back up the slippery slope. "Buddy!" he cried, letting himself slide a bit faster. Not that he had real control.

Keeping his eyes focused on Mario, Buddy fell onto his chest and resumed sliding backwards with a small whine.

"Fludd, what's going on??" Mario shouted.

"We are getting deeper beneath the hotel. ...Massive readings."

Mario set his face in determination. "What's under here? It almost reminds me of... that secret sandcastle illusion on Gelato Beach!"

"I wouldn't know, you never told me much about that," Fludd said over the sound of their slipping. Suddenly, a slight bump or ledge in the slide made Mario jolt, slamming back down again into the wood with a grunt.

   "Ow! Look out, Buddy!" he called ahead, spotting to his duel dismay and excitement the bumpy surface below them. The slide was getting uneven and choppy as they went further down.

  Who needs Pinna Park when you've got a secret underground super slide? Mario thought in amusement. Not that he was unimpressed by any of it, but he had been on some pretty mean slides in the past.

Abruptly they hit a small protruding ledge in the slope, sending both he and Buddy flying upwards at an alarming pace. The yoshi let out a squawk of displeasure as they were thrown into the air, and Mario braced himself to land.

But the ground was a second delayed in coming, making the landing—

Painful, Mario thought as his rear slammed into a grooved floor. A few feet away, Buddy crashed down in a heap with a small whine.

   "Well, that's one way to get to the bottom of things," Fludd remarked as they got to their feet. "What a fall!"

   Ignoring his joke, Mario rubbed his backside. "I have new bruises," he informed them.

   "I am afraid I can't remedy that."

   Taking a breath, Mario reached out and laid a hand on Buddy's shell. "Alright, now to find those shine sprites." Squinting into the gloom, he tried to discern his surroundings. Nothing that he could see...

   Looking down, he was surprised to find the floor oddly familiar: there were the rectangular grooves, the golden lining... and in both directions red and green pockets extended into a circular nothingness.

   "A roulette...?" he whispered.

   "Where are we? I can't get a reading on the hotel anymore," Fludd stated.

   "Yoshi!"

   Mario hardened his stare and turned upwards. "We can't have gone in circles," he said in a low voice. "This is..."

He let his voice drop away as a faint light began to dance before his vision. Staring into the gloom, he soon was able to pick out shapes — little pinpricks, stars of light. They were appearing everywhere, in all directions, more and more rapidly as if someone was turning on thousands of light strings. The blackness began to fade into a deep purple.

   Then he heard a sound.

   An abrupt, grating screech — perhaps a laughter or growl of some kind — shook the whole enclosure, causing a deep trembling to momentarily shake the very floor. Whatever it was, Mario knew he could never have aptly described it.

   All he knew was that he had found whatever he was looking for — and it wasn't going to be pretty.

   Backing slowly towards the outer rim of the wheel, Mario took Fludd's handles and motioned for Buddy to follow. Silently, the dino got up and obeyed.

   The room — if it could be called that, for what he saw now — was getting brighter, as if unseen spotlights were being raised by the hidden orchestrator of this great show. Looking back, Mario was alarmed to see the wheel behind his heels was truly the edge: beyond the enormous roulette the cavern dropped off once again into a seeming eternity.

   This is an illusion, he thought. It must be.

   He didn't risk saying so to Fludd. There was no time: now, as he looked ahead in anticipation, he saw that their mysterious opponent was showing himself at last.

   Against the indigo backdrop spangled with imaginary stars, faint colored spotlights as in a circus bounced back and forth as on a curtain. There, where the lights converged overhead in mounting suspense, a shape began to take form.

   White and hazy and...

   ...No. No, it wasn't that. It couldn't be that.

   A sudden thought — a dread — had struck his mind, driving his self-confidence to the corners. No Mario, don't be ridiculous! This isn't him. You're on Isle Delfino, hundreds of miles away from...

   The anxiety knocked on his heart, threatened to come back in greater force. Suddenly he put a hand to his head, swooning back a couple of steps. No no... Had to keep his head. Behind him, Buddy crouched in apprehension, peeking upwards at the apparition.

   Fludd was only half paying attention. "Mario, are you alright? ...That is one big boo!"

   All at once Mario let out a forced breath. "Not just big... He's the king," he managed, barely above a whisper. "He's the one..."

   Behind him, Buddy lifted his head and crawled out a bit, watching the hovering creature with more interest. He made a small sound of similar intent.

   Buddy was not scared. Fludd was not scared.

   So what did that mean?

   A bit of reason came rushing back to his bones. It means I've got allies who can take him down. It means it's a fake.

   His mind worked faster and faster as the seconds wore on. ...It means I'm not going to let him do anything to me now. Not today. He tightened his hands around Fludd so hard the machine moved in surprise. It's just a figment of that evil Junior's paintbrush. It's nothing Professor Gadd can't handle. Today we fight back and win.

   At last, filled with these invigorating words, he raised his eyes to the voice of doom above.

   It was both better and worse than he'd thought.

There before him floated a towering boo, the rotund result of paint's creation; about ten times larger than the 'normal' boos he'd seen, this one still possessed the hungry, lolling tongue, wildly distant gaze, and blubbery surface of something unnatural. He was only half-visible, wavering in and out of a semi-presence; but that did not hide the shadows around his eyes and the spike-topped, outrageously comical golden crown that perched on one end of his head.

However unreal, however silly-looking — this was surely a king among boos.

Under the towering building. In the dark underground. Where there was a troubled past...

Mario took a deep breath. It didn't even look like the real deal. That helped. He could do this.

Fludd didn't catch on to his hesitation. "I don't think Buddy is up to eating this one..."

Mario tightened his lips. Of course he's not!

Just then, a jolt in the floor made them jump. Mario's stomach jerked as the roulette wheel they were standing on suddenly began to descend, as if part of a machine. As it sank lower, so did Mario's spirits.

Taking Fludd's handles half-heartedly, he asked, "How... how do we get him, Fludd? What do we do, can we catch him??"

Fludd glanced backwards as the wheel came to a stop and clicked into place, revealing it to be merely the center in a larger three-tiered roulette. Red and green pockets were everywhere.

"We will find out a way — one moment," Fludd said coolly. "I am trying to analyze his makeup. I am not capable of catching him; you would want another of Professor Gadd's inventions, the—

"Don't tell me," Mario breathed.

Fludd was only slightly offended. "...It is not for resale, anyway. What is wrong, Mario? You are unusually flustered—

"It's him," the human interrupted suddenly, raising his head to their hazy opponent. "It's not him but it is. The one I tried to tell you about... King Boo." His muscles tightened as he uttered the name.

Fludd did not seem to be bothered by this news. "Oh, do not worry, Mario. We will find a—

He cut himself off when quite unexpectedly, the golden dome in the center of the roulette began to open up, as if to let forth the next nasty surprise into the battle arena. Mario briefly stopped in dread. Oh no... what is it now??

That was why things got instantly more complex when, to their confusion, a large red slot machine sprang upwards from the opening, filling the air with a whimsical little jingle. For a brief second Mario and Fludd stared in joint surprise.

"Slots?" Fludd questioned.

Mario was quicker to catch on. "It's a game," he realized. "He wants us to play... something."

As if to agree, the boo made an abrupt movement, slinging its ginormous tongue across the reels. As if by magic, they sprang into action, filling the air with the jingling sound of whirring slots. As soon as they landed — he just saw it register what looked like pineapples — the machine dropped back down and was swallowed into the wheel.

Fludd spoke up. "Or, he wants to play something... and we're on the table."

They stopped and watched briefly as, to their even greater astonishment, the golden dome reopened, and a load of fresh fruit erupted out onto the wheel. Cantaloupes, pineapples, and other assorted colorful foods spilled over the grooves on each ring, filling numerous pockets like betting balls.

"Well that's unusual," Fludd remarked.

Mario widened his eyes. "Roulette!" he exclaimed. Turning to look at Buddy, he said quickly, "Alright, so gambling it is."

"It's always a gamble with you," Fludd remarked, but Mario pretended not to hear him.

Buddy was already in another world. On seeing the fruits go rolling in all directions, he broke from Mario's side and made for the nearest moving thing he saw.

That was when the wheels started spinning.

Like a series of circular treadmills, the ground beneath them was suddenly yanked out from their feet as a mechanism came to life in the roulettes. With a yelp of alarm, Buddy tumbled over the suddenly unstable footing and plopped down, his big body filling an entire pocket. "Buddy!" Mario cried, bracing his feet to remain upright as he was carried away. It was like an old-fashioned amusement park ride — without any seatbelts. The middle tier moved in the opposite direction of the other two, but they weren't going unbearably fast.

Okay, he's started the wheel... So that means I need to make a move, he thought. But what...

"Always bet on red," Mario realized suddenly, shifting over to the nearest red pocket on the second wheel. Situating himself there, he took Fludd and aimed for the boo's head with gave a dry laugh. "What else?"

With an odd, high-pitched garble, King Boo recoiled in place but made no other move. Hovering over the center with a strangely maniacal smile, he appeared content to watch the results of his bet.

"He looks kinda hammered," Mario said out of nowhere.

"He what?" Fludd asked.

   Mario shook his head, determination surging back. "Nevermind. Doesn't look like water works, Fludd," he announced, sidestepping a stray melon.

   "No, just like the other boos," Fludd observed. "However, I think his weakness may be in his mouth. You have to do something about that big tongue!"

   "You think?" Mario asked, struggling momentarily to stay standing. He was partially answered by the center dome opening up again, revealing the slot machine which was promptly activated by the king with a tongue-swipe. As the reels went wild, Mario turned and made for the outer edge of the roulette.

   The wheels never stopped spinning, sending him in countless circles around the king in the center. Somehow, he never seemed to have his back turned. With a musical little dinging, the slots hit a jackpot and abruptly spewed a shower of coins onto the wheels. 

   "Whoa! Bingo!" Mario commented, turning to run against the wheel.

   "I think that is the wrong game," Fludd said.

   Mario paused and faced the king grimly. "No kidding."

   Looking to see how Buddy was faring, he spotted the yoshi seated in the middle ring on the other end of the wheel, doing what looked like feasting on whatever fruit was still tossing around. Seeing it gave Mario a sudden idea.

   "Hey! Food!"

   Fludd didn't get it. "Mario this isn't the time—

   Mario pointed. "No, food! I bet we could do something about that tongue with all this fruit hanging around!" Without waiting for a second opinion, Mario jumped onto the next level and quickened his pace, hoping to reach the yoshi before he devoured his stash.

   By the time he got there, it was mostly a lost cause. Gulp! There went a bunch of entire bananas. Snap! A cantaloupe. And then—

   Buddy had just consumed the last one — a reddish pepper of some kind — when he suddenly threw up his head and let out a startling screech. Taken aback by the outburst, Mario stumbled and almost got swept off by the adjacent tier.

   Then, in a single second of burning indigestion, the yoshi thrust his head forward and — BELCHH. A stream of fire erupted from his throat like a dragon of old, missing Mario by inches. He could feel its heat licking the air by his nose.

   If Fludd had had eyes they would have been as large as Mario's. "My, what was that?? Must have been spicy!"

   All at once Mario placed a hand on Buddy's neck. "That's it. I've seen stuff like it before; spicy peppers, they burn really bad!" Turning violently, he scanned the spinning arena for any more of the fruits — the red ones. But it appeared that Buddy had already cleaned them all out: all he could see was a shower of golden coins scattered across a sea of symmetrically rotating reds and greens.

   "We've got to get him to land the fruit payout again—!" Mario shouted, turning back to Buddy. For a brief moment he froze, staring at his friend in surprise.

   Buddy had changed colors again; his dinosaur was now a lovely shade of pink.

~

   For another several minutes that later still felt like an entire night, Mario scrambled around the giant turning roulettes, trying to keep his balance while waiting for the stubborn goopy creature to win the fruit slots again.

   The illuminated, almost psychedelic backdrop sparkled like a dreamy illusion all around them as King Boo continued on his high horse, governing the roulette wheel like a croupier. But more than that, Mario knew, he was — truly — a king under the casino.

   "I wonder if he's any good at blackjack," Mario thought aloud. "...I bet he is."

   "Maybe if you beat him, he will play you fairly," Fludd offered. "Then one of you can take the title. I'll bet he doesn't even bet on red!"

   "Except that's not how blackjack works," Mario replied jokingly, watching in concern as the slots rang up what appeared to be a trio of question marks. To his disadvantage, it turned out a moment later to be a bunch of real, actual electrokoopas.

   "Ma dai," he muttered in exasperation.

   Meanwhile the newly-fuschia Buddy was letting himself be carried around and around the wheel, and seemingly was enjoying himself. On seeing the electrokoopas knocking about in their shells, he scrambled out of the way as if by instinct.

   Good instinct, Mario thought, letting one whiz by and shoot straight off the ledge. Tripping over the gilded pockets, he stumbled and flopped to the ground. You know, I think there's a reason roulettes aren't usually this size. Rolling over on his side and ignoring the pain jabbing into his side, he used Fludd and blasted the remaining koopas back with water.

   The little escapade which was more of a circus act went on for a few minutes longer, the slot machine singing like an old-fashioned saloon game over the sound of Buddy's cooing and King Boo's odd screeches. Sometimes he would spin a jackpot and laugh in the most unsettling little high-pitched voice as Mario slipped on the numerous coins. He didn't sound like a boo at all... but that didn't mean it wasn't disturbing.

   Finally he got the fruits to payout, and the instant he did Buddy was on them. Luckily, however, he had learned his lesson, leaving the red harvest for Mario's use.

   "I bet you all the coins in my pocket this works," Mario said challengingly to Fludd as he scooped up an armful of peppers. "I'll let it ride."

   "Now is your chance," Fludd replied. "Though if I recall your advice, I'd know better than to take a bet you make on red."

   Mario grinned. "Yeah... different kind of red." He tapped the brim of his hat, then ventured forward to the nearest tier of the wheel. King Boo hovered close, as if guarding his precious slot machine.

   Mario's attack was almost laughable to anyone who would have been watching. One by one he pitched the red peppers up to the king, making him quite literally eat the hand he played; each one, on contact, stimulated a harsh reaction of displeasure.

   Squirming like a baby a worm, the oversized boo-wannabe hissed in a strange way, flailing madly as the enormous weaponized tongue caught fire. For a few moments it was only that, and then —

   POP!! The giant boss of the casino underground was no longer a thing at all, eliminated as quickly as he'd arrived.

   Mario fell backwards in awe as the boo seemed to erupt in air, sending faint glowing lights like stars falling in all directions. On its departure, the slots machine, too, began to descend back into the dome.

   Mario climbed to his feet and was soon joined by a thoroughly shaken-up Buddy at the center. Slowly the wheels all came to a stop.

   For a second all fell strangely quiet.

   "Heh... good game," Mario said at last.

   "That was crazy," Fludd replied.

   "Yoshi!"

   Grinning, Mario glanced back. "It's like I told you, huh? I guess this means I am the king of the casino now."

   "For as long as your luck lasts!"

   Mario didn't respond this time. He was already aware of something else; the golden dome had not yet closed off yet, leaving only one thing remaining: the winner's payout. Stepping forward, Mario went to collect his prize.

   "Ah, now there is a winnings worth playing for," Fludd conceded. "I suppose a congratulations is due, Mario!"

   The human just laughed as he took the shine sprite, cradling it in one arm and stroking its golden sheen. "It was nothing, really," he assured. Turning to gaze upwards into the abyss, he added, "And if I know anything about these little painted illusions, it's that we'll be out of here real soon."