Mario spun around vertically like his arcade variant and landed on his back, staring up at a seemingly endless elevator shaft. "Ooh, mama-mia, that one was a rough-a time, good thing I'm out of the fake world... Real-a world, come into my-a arms, please!"

But when Mario saw Bowser Jr. fall out of a DIGITAL portal, the plumber knew that his troubles weren't quite over. The young prince yelped out before jumping back in his clown car. "Ow ow OW, can that darn schoolboy not be so rough- wah?! Mario?! You're here too?! Where are we?!"

Participants received.

Junior JUMPED into Mario's arms upon hearing the sudden spooky robot female voice.

Identifying participants...

Mario simply looked around the giant tube they were in, curious about the voice.

Not from Earth confirmed. Searching other possible solutions.

Neighboring World deconfirmed.

Heaven deconfirmed.

Novela deconfirmed.

Flipside half confirmed.

Mushroom World... confirmed. Noted alien species for future references. Beginning authentication process.

Authenticating...

Authenticating...

Access granted.

A digital portal appeared as a white-haired digital girl appeared in front of them. Mario could only raise his eyebrows since his arms were full with Bowser Jr.

"Greetings. My name is Maria. -"
"awfully close there bud" Mario swiftly added in as Maria continued.
"- I am a digital construct in this digital world. You two have proven yourselves worthy to acquaint with my Master."

Bowser Jr. tilted his head to Mario. "What on non-earth is she on about? And why are all the important characters exclusively female?"

"Are you saying Shido isn't-a important?"

"He was part of violently beating me up! I say he deserves to be irrelevant!"

Mario simply dropped Bowser Jr. on the floor without a second thought and turned to Maria. "Proven-a worthy? Seeing a Master? Well, it-a certainly beats trying to reason with-a (the main) Kurumi. Are you saying I can get-a out of here if I do?"

"Either that, or you fall into a deeper abyss by the request of Master. Much less Marina."

Mario poker-faced. "These-a names are awfully close..." But he lightened up his face and thumbsed-up Maria. "Okie-dokie! I'm-a in!"

"Acknowledged." Maria bowed. The elevator jolted a bit, startling the two, as it started to rise, the shaft's patterns going down as wacky music played.

Greetings, one and all! This is a virtual world -

"Called it." Mario spoke to mostly himself.

- constructed by me, Marina, and my twin, Maria! This little jingle proves you are indeed worthy to see the Master! Buckle up, because you must prove yourselves worthy in order to get back into the real world! Keep in note, there is a Real Hero in here that you may bring back into the real world. Without further ado...

Mario and Bowser Jr. found themselves digitalized in some sort of dark cityscape. Not the edgy type, just a chill evening. Mario looked around. "Certainly not-a the real world, still..."

Bowser Jr. looked up. "Eesh, who's this Real Hero? WHAT are Real Heroes?"

"They-a contributed to stopping the-a Megabug."

Bowser Jr. looked away from Mario.

Mario added insult to injury. "Which you-a helped develop."

"I get it."

Suddenly, they heard something. A egotistical speech which made them stop talking.

?: "Hey kids! I'm here to make a VERY important call today!"

Mario and Bowser Jr. darted their eyes until a very rich black Tesla drove in and nearly made the two roadkill. Bowser Jr. lept up into Mario's arms frightened, as an emo-looking boy with black hair, red and black attire, and red eyes stepped out.

?: "So, you friends of Shido the playboy? Name's Anon!"

Mario looked around. "Why did the-a format suddenly change?!" Mario was FLABBERGASTED at Anon's surprise appearance - this was a VIRTUAL WORLD, there was no PHYSICAL way he could've gotten in! What the heck?!

Anon: "Part of 0.000000001% of my power. If I used 2 percent, then the whole universe would be under my mind control and serve me with no way to break it - and my servants would be immortal too!"

Bowser Jr was alarmed too. "And what if you dared to use FOUR PERCENT?!"

Anon: "I'd defeat all the spirits in a single snap of my fingers - cuz I'm cool like that. Shido doesn't deserve the Spirits, I do! Even though I only care about Kurumi! She's my waifu!"

"..."

Anon: "Anyway, I'm here to say that Shido SSSSSSSSSSUCKS! It should be me dating all the girls! My mom and dad abuse me so I deserve the pity party! Shido is omae wa mou shinderu! Nani?!"

Even BOWSER JUNIOR spoke so low to him. "What are you, four?"

Anon: "Nah, I'm twenty trillion years old - even older than the universe. I blend in as a teenage human, willingly go to school and then proceed to not pay attention in it."

Mario just... sighed. "And... uh... how are you gonna get-a these girls..."

Anon: "Just replace all instances of 'Shido' with me! But instead I'll sit at the back corner seat, looking out the window. Because I'm cool, depressed and edgy."

Bowser Jr. knocked everyone aside. "HOW DOES THIS HAVE TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE PLOOOOOOT!"

Anon: "I'm the master, in case that wasn't clear. Honestly, you are all quite slow learners compared to me. Maybe you'll QUICKLY learn my dark OP magic. Because it says in the title. But regardless, I have a few challenges for you. *smirk* Get ready for all situations, and MAAAAAAYBE I'll let you back into the real world."

Mario did an exaggerated shrug. "Then what are-a they?!"

Anon: "Not telling you, because it makes me THAT much more mysterious. Unless you'd rather have me spawn in a theater and have some sort of 'animeverse' react to you."

"...I think I-a get it! And no! I don't-a want that!"

Anon: "ok cool bye"

And then he was gone. The two heroes looked at each other, with Bowser Jr. the first to cough out a "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT" statement, in which Mario simply responded, in his own cough. "I HAVE NO FLIPPIN' IDEA"

A door suddenly appeared, with a note in Bowser Jr's hands. He scanned the paper as Mario calmed Bowser Jr. "Okay, remain calm. I-a know how to solve all-a this."

"Oh thank goodness."

"You-a hang tight, and I'll deal with this challenge."

"WHAT?!" Bowser Jr. screamed as Mario was already heading for the door. "MARIO WAIT NO THAT'S-" They suddenly got blasted by wind, but Mario held onto the door handle as Bowser Jr. was flung into the wall. Mario already went into the door, completely oblivious to the massive storm. "- a stormy challenge... oh boy.."

Mario whistled as he walked down the street, unaware he was being pushed back by the strong winds. Two twins in orange hair were holding onto a lamppost as they scolded Mario who just breezed right by. "Where the heck are you going?!"

Mario raised his finger, eyes still closed. (which explains how he was so oblivious) "To save a Real Hero!" He said with a smile.

The two twins used their hurricane powers - confirming them as a digital Kaguya and Yuzuru - to fly over to Mario, as Yuzuru spoke. "Demand: Open your eyes."

Mario opened his eyes as his entire figure turned white upon seeing the storm bringing along a lot of junk his way. He grabbed Kaguya and Yuzuru and bolted inside a house, which, thanks to this digital world, was empty. "THERE'S A STORM OUT THERE!" He panicked. He quickly pulled a hammer and some planks out of thin air and boarded up the door.

He sighed a sigh of relief, and then turned to the hurricane twins, who he only just now realised were in their Astral Dresses. Dammit, who designed those outfits?!

The twins backed Mario up to a couch, and forced him to sit on it. Kaguya smiled. "Thanks, hero. As a reward, you get two hurricane twins in nice, exposing Astral Dresses..."

"Correct: Just think, we have the power to blow away entire buildings, and here we are, not using our powers, and doting on you."

Mario bolted out of his couch and out the door. "Nope! Nonononono! My-a true love is Peach WAAAAAAAAAGH" He screamed as the hurricane took him further down the road.

Anon chilled as he relaxed while floating in the air, keeping up with Mario effortlessly.

Anon: "Two Spirits in questionable Astral Dresses and you turn them down? Damn, you're more edgy than me."

"Stop-a changing the format!" Mario protested as he looked down the street to see practically everything being thrown at him. Mario jumped through an empty car, jumped out of it, ran through a SKYSCRAPER, jumped out of THAT, and protested more. "How are these-a winds so strong?!"

Anon: "It's a digital world! Nothing's allowed to make sense!"

Mario snapped his fingers as he called out. "JUNIOOOOR! I hope-a you got a plan!"

Bowser Jr. descended from his Clown Car. "Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it! Sheesh!"

Anon suddenly bolted at Mario which he parried with his hands as they had a wrestle while being blown by the winds down the street.

Mario grunted. "Oh, NOW you-a wanna get serious?!"

Anon: "Get outta the story - you pryed into my life, and now I'm going to ruin you with my stronger-than-the-First-Spirit Powers!"

Mario gazed into the distance away from Anon, and saw that Junior finished hacking a digital portal. Mario tossed Anon to the side as he sprinted against the winds and leapt into the portal, and the portal sucked in Bowser Jr. as well.

"Fine-a then, I'll-a stay away from your power fantasy. It's just a digital world, like you-a said. Let's-a hope the next world we-a end up in isn't some dark world like-a this."

As Mario heard two chains being broken, he would be in a world of surprise...

When the next will will be a dystopia.