Back at Bowser’s Castle, tensions rise between Bowser and Kamek. Kamek warns that the Shadowy Figure is not under their control and is actively destroying the castle. Bowser refuses to believe it—until he sees the devastation with his own eyes. The Shadowy Figure sets the castle ablaze and turns against Bowser, nearly destroying him in the process.
Hours later, a battered Bowser arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom seeking help from the last person he ever expected—Mario. When Mario awakens after being defeated by the Shadowy Figure, he finds the kingdom engulfed in flames and blames Bowser… until Bowser pleads his case. Mario remembers the truth, and the two bitter rivals form an unlikely alliance to stop the Shadowy Figure from destroying the multiverse.
With the help of F.L.U.D.D., Mario extinguishes the fires across both the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser’s Castle. Then, Bowser and Mario head to Sonic’s World, where they reunite with Kirby, Sonic, Tails, Luigi, Dedede, Link—and a surprising face: Bandana Dee, who reveals he was never dead, only knocked out.
The reunited heroes strategize at Tails’s lab to defeat the Shadowy Figure once and for all. But before they can act, they witness the Shadowy Figure setting Green Hill Zone ablaze. Declaring the heroes to be “pathetic losers,” the Shadowy Figure unleashes destruction—until the heroes unite and fight back.
Using Kamek’s wand, they manage to weaken and purify the Shadowy Figure, revealing Vivian beneath the dark magic. At last, she’s free—and now back to be herself again.
