The loudspeaker boomed again. "And now, I will announce the Tengu Festival performance results!"
Meanwhile, the battle in the sky still raged on. Origami was darting past some bullets and Mario was using Origami's mech as a SURFBOARD while he pulled out his hammer and bonked any nearby wizards.
"...Senjo University High School!" A spotlight came on said group.
Cool. The least relevant school got last place. Shiori still had hope.
Origami's vision was distorted by the wizards as she barrel rolled away from the missiles. Mario was teetering to stay on.
"...just a step below first, Raizen High School!" A spotlight came under Shiori.
"U-uh?!" Shiori couldn't believe it.
Meanwhile, Origami gasped a bit. That was so many damn missiles. She launched Mario into the air and did a massive backroll.
"And the school that receives first place for the stage portion is... Rindoji Girls' Academy!"
A spotlight came on Miku, and a most evil smirk was planted on her face. This was PLANNED.
The crowd went wild upon Miku reaching first place.
She giggled while keeping her grin.
The loudspeaker continued. "Next, we will announce the winners for the total results!"
The spotlight dimmed and Miku took her chance to approach Shiori. "See? It's all because you relied on your friends that this happened. A promise is a promise." She reached out to touch Shiori. "Now you and all five of the Spirits you sealed belong to me."
Tonomachi smirked. "Little does Miku know..."
The loudspeaker continued again. "The winner for overall results in Day 1 go to... Raizen High School!"
A spotlight came onto Shiori. Both 'she' and Miku were confused. Buuut the crowd went wild anyway. Innocent little crowd.
Shiori was ultimately confused. "First... Us?"
The loudspeaker then explained. "The food booth portion allowed Raizen High to dominate top spot as number one!"
Meanwhile, Tonomachi was sitting on his lonesome. Even still, it was hard not to brag about their school's victory. "It's quite simple! Miku's performance on stage was surely a lot of pressure. However, Rindoji usually excels in the food booth portion. They failed that this year."
He nodded to himself and Shiori couldn't be any more happier.
Tohka instantly ran to hug Shiori. "Shidoooo!"
Kaguya chuckled. "Of course we won!"
Yuzuru just kinda vibed there. "Of course. Nobody beats us."
"We won! We won! WE WON!" Shiori cheered.
Miku was fidgeting her fingers in pure anger as the spotlight was no longer there. "You must be kidding me... What do you MEAN I lost...?" Miku stepped forward, all the spotlights dimming. "I'm Miku Izayoi, you know?! I'm... I'm..."
"Miku." Shiori stepped forward.
Miku twitched and turned to Shiori. "Stop it! I-I beat you... I beat you fair and square!"
Shiori continued. "The reason we won is because... How do I put it... is because of that 'relied on friends' thing?"
Miku's voice went quieter. "Friends?"
"It's true I couldn't beat you in singing, but the other students at Raizen covered for me. Even those humans you look down on can beat you when they band together. THAT'S why, Miku, you should..."
Miku turned away from Shiori. Silence fell for a few seconds before she uttered words.
"Shut up."
"H-huh?" Shiori took a step back.
"Friends? Coming together? Give me a break. Let me tell you. Those things... They're meaningless when you face me! GABRIEL!"
A gust of wind knocked everyone around Miku back. Just then, a giant organ was slowly raised. Golden colored and massive, covering the width of the entire stage. Organ music was also playing.
"MIKU! WAIT! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Shiori begged.
A wide floating keyboard was also in front of Miku. "Sing! Sing! Sing! GABRIEL!"
Sound waves came out of the keyboard, causing Shiori to cover 'her' ears.
Tohka was simply wide-eyed at the situation. So were the Yamai.
The glowsticks the crowd once had dimmed completely. Yoshino was also flabbergasted, and the young girl simply blinked.
"T-this is..." Shiori looked around at the dark audience area. "Miku...?! Don't tell me...?!"
Just then, a rumble was heard from the roof. Oh, right, the battle atop. A red figure crashed through the roof to the back of the audience area, followed by many other figures.
Mario groaned and rubbed his head. "That-a hurt... Wait...!" He looked towards the stage.
Luigi simply hid behind Mario. "Mario! This is bad, this is really, seriously bad! Mama-mia.."
Miku grinned at Shiori. "They WERE your friends, weren't they? So lovely. So wonderful." She giggled. "And so easily broken." She then pressed three keys on the keyboard. Everyone's glowsticks turned purple. Mario was utterly shocked.
"W-wha..?!"
The other Spirits were completely drained from the music as a few Rindoji girls apprehended Shiori. "Let go!"
Just then, Mario and Luigi jumped on stage behind Miku, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
"I don't care about the promise anymore." Miku walked towards Shiori. "Because there isn't a single thing in this world that doesn't go the way I want!"
She touched Shiori's dress and slowly traced her finger down. "You, the Spirits, everyone... They all belong to me."
She then stopped her finger at a peculiar spot. Mario was about to charge in to attack Miku when he stopped to see where her finger was. He actually stopped charging to let out a snicker.
Ah, yes, the forbidden depths of a MAN. That's where Miku was touching. Poke... Poke poke...
Luigi furrowed his eyebrows at Mario. "Can you save the immature jokes for later?"
Poor Luigi had to say that out loud. She turned and recognised Mario.
"That ugly alien man... A-and... What I'm touching... U-uh...?"
Shiori's dingdong was about to become King Kong.
She stepped back. Realising the situation. Seeing Mario reminded her of a MAN... And the feeling of a MAN reverted back to gazing at Shiori...
"WHAT DID I JUST TOUCH?!" Miku pointed. "N-no! It can't be! C-check at once!"
More girls completely invaded Shiori's privacy. And sure enough, the forbidden 'meatballs' were shown.
"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Miku and Mario were horrified. Miku because of... the meatballs... And Mario, because of the lack of privacy.
Miku staggered her pointing. "S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-SHIORI?! N-n-n-n-n-no! Are you actually a man?! You're all males?! Heeeee?!"
Mario simply shrugged his shoulders. "What-a took her so long."
"M-m-m-mm-Miku!" Shiori stepped forward. "Calm down! I'm-!"
"GAAAAAAAAABRIEL!"
Even more soundwaves were produced. The wind effect actually knocked the Rindoji girls away. Mario lost all form of humor and had a serious glance this time. The glowsticks turned RED as the audience slowly rose up like zombies.
"How dare you?!" Miku shouted. "How DARE you trick me?!"
Shiori went angry, and tried to look for an escape route. Great. Absolutely nowhere. Her only chance now was to stop Miku.
Shiori actually sprinted at Miku but was stopped by an ice gust. There, Shiori saw ZADKIEL.
"Rehehehe! That's dangerous!" Zadkiel giggled.
And who else could pilot Zadkiel but YOSHINO.
"I will.. protect Miku." Yoshino spoke.
Shiori looked up. "Yoshino?! But that can mean-?!"
'She' then blocked herself from a hurricane blast.
Kaguya smirked. "You fool. You think we would defy Miku?"
Aaand Yuzuru too. "Scorn: We won't let you get any closer."
Mario's foot went forward on instinct. "Don't-a give up just yet!"
He ran forward at Miku in a desperate attempt. He jumped up high in the air to stomp on her, but was dealt a heavy blow and landed back down.
"Mario!" Luigi cried. The green plumber looked at the source of the kicking.
"Now! Shido!"
Mario and Shiori both lept up into the air to combine their power.
But then, a glitchy presence was in Mario's mind. "Gah! That-a hurts..."
When Mario's foot collided with Miku, a flash of white appeared.
Luigi was shaking Mario awake. "Mario! Things have gone from bad to VERY worse!"
Mario slowly woke up. "What-a are you talking about...?"
When Mario turned to face the source. Yes, Miku, and everyone else who was brainwashed. were still there, staring at him.
He then noticed a shadow above them all. Mario's eyes looked up and they shrunk in fear.
There was a large ghost-like figure, donning a fancy opera-singer outfit. It's bottom half had a cellophone inside it. A handkerchief in it's hand and a fabulous mustache. Mario's surprise was most concerned with...
It was a Rabbid. And Mario KNEW this Rabbid.
The Phantom of the Bwahpera returned?!
"THINGS GOT VERY WORSE!" Luigi insisted.
Miku was looking at Mario. "Did you do this, ugly alien? Because of this strange ghost, that damn Shiori got away! Along with one of my girls!"
Mario looked at the ceiling past Phantom. Sure enough, there was a hole in it.
Luigi had to explain to Mario again. "That blonde girl from the island crashed in and took Tohka away while Shido was escorted! Shido got away, but Tohka..."
"It-a got very worse..." Mario gritted his teeth.
Phantom-no, to avoid confusion with the glitch Phantom, we're naming the Rabbid one Tom Phan, finally spoke.
"It seems I have been reviiiived! And our front-row guests are right... here!" He pointed at Mario.
Mario prepared his fists. "I'll-a take you on anyday, Phantom! Or should I call-a you Tom Phan so you aren't as-a worthy as the glitch?"
Luigi shook Mario. "MARIO! It's not worth it! We're completely surrounded!"
Yoshino, the Yamai, and all the crowds in between all stared at the two unbrainwashed people.
Mario and Luigi. Clearly they were outnumbered.
Miku grinned. "Well, looks like the ghost would like to work with me! And I always like that favour! But what I don't get..." She put a finger to her own chin. "...is how you aren't under my control."
Mario pieced it together VERY quickly. The two unbrainwashed people were all present during the Bowser fight in the Mushroom Kingdom. And they all had physical contact with Bowser, brutal or not...
Could Bowser's power somehow have leaked it's way into their group?
Mario was about to touch his own ear to communicate Kotori when Luigi stopped him.
"Don't do it, bro... Shido tried earlier. Kotori's brainwashed too!"
"Gh... No... We're-a SEVERELY doomed..."
Oh, right, the entire audience area exited the stage and were now surrounding the duo.
"I-a don't wanna hurt them.. but.."
Mario jumped up and Ground Pounded the stage, knocking everyone off balance.
"Uwa-?!" Luigi lost his balance.
"I think that's-a our cue! MOVE IT!" Mario dragged Luigi away from the fight scene, leaving the entirety of the brainwashed cast to their own devices. Not even Tom Phan followed the,.
The team was stretched a bit thin. Only Mario and Luigi remained as they kept runnning, sweatdrops slowly forming on their foreheads.
"Mario! Where do we go?!"
Mario saw a certain blue-hair schoolBOY entering an abandoned skyscraper. "Shido! That's where we-a go!" He picked up the pace and ran straight in.
Meanwhile, two other familiar characters were surrounded by brainwashed civillians. A blue-robed Koopa and the young prince himself.
"Lord Junior... This looks bad... Even with your enthusiasm... We can't make it..."
Bowser Jr. groaned. "I wanna be useful for once! I'll take 'em all on!"
Kamek just nodded and opened up a portal with magic. "Go. This will take you to a safe place."
Bowser Jr. whined at first but Kamek pushed his own lord into the portal and closed it.
And with that, the Magikoopa summoned his broomstick and flew away from the crowd.
Shido looked at his phone. A news broadcast was airing. "A few minutes past 5pm today, the mysterious disturbance at the site of the Tengu Festival spread throughout the city in an instant. It's population has led to tens of thousands of people..."
Shido had different thoughts, though. He just witnessed Tohka being taken away by Ellen. "Tohka...!"
He heard footsteps approach. Shido prepared himself for the worst.
Mario and Luigi ran upstairs and tripped on each other.
"MARIO! GREEN GUY! You're alive! Thank goodness! I thought that strange ghost took your life..."
Mario spat on the floor due to how exhausted he was. "Nope... We-a just barely managed to escape... with a few-a sacrifices..."
Shido lamented. "Dammit! What do we do?! We're just three guys..."
A female giggle echoed throughout the building and the three huddled up together. Was this Miku?
And yes, it was moonlight, so everything was ten times harder to see!
Mario pulled out his hammer, and the same with Luigi.
Shido squinted his eyes and saw a figure slowly emerge.
A gothic dress with uneven twintails...
The three men gasped.
"Kurumi?!" Luigi sputtered.
Kurumi spoke after emerging from the darkness. "You three are in such a tight spot. You look like you're in such a bind! Care for a little chat?"
Mario's grip on his hammer slowly loosened.
"Kurumi..." Shido was angry too.
"Yoshino and the Yamai have been taken by a rogue spirit. A random ghost has been 'resurrected' to join this Spirit. Along with your crew, Shido. On top of that, Tohka has been taken by DEM. What a despair-ridden path."
Mario's eyes went up to down on Kurumi, noting the shadows below her feet were the unnatural ones she could summon.
"I know everything about you, you know."
"So.." Shido looked up. "You're not controlled, then?"
Kurumi giggled a bit. "Oh my, how sweet, you think I'm so easily swayed by that performance?"
Shido stayed silent and spoke up. "Kurumi, I'm sure all three of us have a favor to ask."
"Mhm..." Mario nodded. "Wait, we do?"
"Please.. lend me your strength to save EVERYONE!"
"Well-"
"I know that you're after me! But before that, please! Us three can NOT do this alone!"
Kurumi balled up into a laughter. "What a surprising turn of events! Yes, yes! How surprising!"
Tohka blinked, but only saw white. "Morning already...? First, I have to open my eyes... After I get off the bed, I have to wash my face... Then I eat breakfast and go to school with Shido..."
Then she fully waked up, realising she had been strapped to a chair with wires connecting to her and her wrists were handcuffed.
"Where am I...?"
Another figure walked in the room. "Are you awake?"
"You-!"
The figure was someone Tohka detested. It was an ash-blonde woman. Ellen.
"Please calm down. With your strength right now, you won't be able to break those bonds."
"Don't mess with me! Take it off! I have to go save everyone!"
"We are also looking for the whereabouts of Shido and 'Mario'... They will probably be here in a few days. But if Shido resists.. then he may have a broken arm. Or two. Or even a broken leg. Or two."
Tohka gritted her teeth and struggled to get out of the chair.
Ellen's hair flowed in the wind, causing Tohka to get surrounded by Territory.
"T-this is?!" Tohka was struggling to breathe, an ear-piercing sound getting louder.
"My Territory is the most accurate out of all the Wizards. Please understand that resistence is futile."
She let go of the Territory and Tohka sputtered to get her breath back.
"Now, let me ask you a few questions."
Kurumi and Shido were ever-so casually walking down empty streets.
Mario and Luigi, however, not so casual. Especially Luigi. He was whipping his flashlight all over the place.
Once Shido saw the nervousness of the Mario Bros, he started jogging to go a bit faster. "Oi, Kurumi... Are we really raiding Miku's house right now?! I still have a few questions! Like, can't we go for Tohka right now?!"
Kurumi stopped in front of the gate. "It's true the Tohka problem is huge... but we must take care of the Miku problem first."
Meanwhile, in the empty, zombie-fied streets of the city, someone was watching it all from a skyscraper roof.
The same skyscraper that Mario hid in.
The certain someone laughed and turned. "If you win this impossible oddity... You'll fight me again." The figure walked out of sight while laughing.
"Gwahahaha."
"Wow, Shido! Take a look at THIS!"
Mario turned and instantly wished he could unsee.
"Jesus-a Christ, Kurumi. Are you-a really invading Miku's underwear? AT A TIME-A LIKE THIS?"
"This bra's almost as big as your head, Mario!"
"You're all so serious." Kurumi was lighthearted despite the seriousness of this situation. "Go on, Shido! I wanna see YOU try it on!"
Shido stepped back from the approaching Kurumi. "Why would I?!"
"Aaah. I see. Then perhaps SHIORI would like to try it on?" She teased.
Luigi awkwardly looked away. "You saw the whole situation, huh."
"Well, yes. But the thing is, I never got the chance to see it up close. I would like to carefully see it sometime, though!"
Shido went in a defensive state. "S-stop joking around!"
"You're all no fun." Kurumi pouted. "Just a little while is fine. I wanna see Shiori's face tremble in humiliation."
Shido went even more defensive. "Stop it! Leave Shiori alone!"
"Why not? Why not?!" Kurumi stepped closer and closer.
"O-oi now!" Luigi stepped into a defensive state. "We really don't have time for this! There is an absolute horde of brainwashed citizens and a ton of Spirits and-!"
Kurumi didn't notice Luigi's foot was in the way and tripped down, taking Shido with her.
"O-ow!" Shido lifted his head up. "Are ya alright, Kurumi?"
"Yes. I'm fine." Kurumi grinned. "Because a big brave knight took the fall for me."
Mario stomped his foot in impatience, and with that, a ca-klink sound was heard. Something dropped to the floor.
"O-oh?" Everyone looked. It was a CD. The cover album had a familiar diva on it, but with a different name.
Mario read the label. "Tsukino Yoimachi?"
Kurumi looked at a photo she recently picked up. "This looks interesting too."
Shido squinted his eyes. "That's..."
Kurumi took the album from Mario and the picture she had and held them in both hands. She then held them both in one hand and pulled out one of her pistols.
"Aaaah!" Luigi screamed. "Kurumi! That's dangerous-!"
"Zafkiel! Yod!" Shadows entered her pistol and shot herself using the album and the picture as her 'cover'.
"KURUMI!" Everyone shouted.
Kurumi laughed out loud. "Don't worry! I'm fine! Yod's power is recollection. It's an attack that allows me to see past memories of the target."
"Memories?" Shido squinted again.
"It seems Miku is.."
"Dammit!" Tom Phan slammed his fist on the wall. "I almost had them, what a tragedyyyyy!"
Miku grinned. "I suppose I have you to thank for stalling them, Mr. Tom Phan."
The phantom Rabbid boasted in confidence. "Well, that makes me much betteeeer..."
Miku continued. "So, who captured him? If it's a female, I'll lovingly embrace them! If it was a man... well... uh... give him a piece of candy and send him on his way."
"Um..." Ai was there too. "There were so many people who saw him..."
Mai continued. "It's hard to know who was the one who actually caught him..."
"That's so lame..." Mii finished.
Miku blinked twice. "Huh."
Tom Phan finally said it. "What is thiiiis? He actually showed up himself. Along with the Mario brotheeeers!"
Mario, Shido, Luigi and Kurumi were in the middle of a brainwashed crowd.
Shido was baffled. "No matter how insane you are, Kurumi... Facing a crowd head-on is..."
Kurumi was calm. "Well, it's a surefire way to meet Miku! Persuading her after we get through is up to you, though!"
"Even so..."
Everyone heard a voice on the loudspeaker. Miku herself. "How bold of you to come back to my CASTLE, you lot! You must be very confident, Shiori! No... I mean... Shido!"
Mario's usual white happy glint in his eyes was replaced by a red glint of pure anger.
Time to get his friends back.