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Chapter 590 Mario Kart
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 12:28:09 +0000 UTCSaturday, 23 May 1995.
Sakaki and Sawada, both employees of ZAGE, were practically buzzing with excitement as they called up Kumogi and Rikki to meet them at Bakudan Arcades. The reason? None other than to experience Super Mario Kart! — the hottest new game from ZAGE, officially released that very day. Thanks to their employee privileges, Sakaki and Sawada had secured an early copy and had been itching to share it. What thrilled them most was that the game supported up to four players at once, which made it perfect for the whole crew. By the time the evening rolled in, Sawada, Sakaki, Kumogi, and Rikki — the Bakudan Boys, as the quartet of salarymen proudly called themselves — were already stepping into the neon glow of Bakudan Arcade, ready for chaos, competition, and plenty of laughter.
Kumogi sighed. “Man, what is this Mario Kart all about? Or is it just racing with Mario?” Sawada grinned. “You’ll see soon enough, dude.” Rikki straightened up with a smug grin. “No matter—I will leave you all behind! Hahaha!”
Then Sakaki sighed and slid the Mario Kart cartridge into the ZEPS 2 at Bakudan Arcade. The screen lit up, showing Mario in a tiny kart zipping across, followed by a parade of characters: Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Bowser, Yoshi, Wario, Toad, Donkey Kong, Sonic, SpongeBob, Alex Kidd, Pac-Man, Pikachu, Hello Kitty — and even Mickey Mouse, thanks to ZAGE now owning Disney. Rikki’s eyes lit up. “Heh, that’s a lot of characters, huh?”
A total of sixteen characters appeared, each balanced with unique stats. The game featured three main attributes: Speed, Acceleration, and Turning. Sakaki wasted no time, pressing start and setting up 4-player mode with two extra controllers, and soon each Bakudan Boy grabbed one.
Kumogi frowned. “Wait—why doesn’t Sonic have maximum speed?” Rikki chuckled. “Well, he’s in a kart. If he were running, he’d blow past everyone without a doubt.” Sawada grinned and nodded. “Yeah, just like when we raced him at Fantasy Circuit in Rad Racers — remember that madness?” Sakaki crossed his arms with a half-smile. “Well, make sure you actually read the controls this time. I don’t want to hear excuses later!” Rikki snorted and leaned back with a smirk. “Relax, Sakaki. I’ll smoke you all regardless, just make sure all of your ass is ready.” Kumogi frowned and said "That's gay dude!" Rikki is angry! "That's not what dumbass meant! I want to kick all of your asses!" The Bakudan boys laugh.
Then the Bakudan Boys learned the controls:
X for accelerate
O for brakes and moving backwards
Square for shooting projectiles
Triangle for changing cameras
R1 for boost
R2 for small hops and drift
L1 for looking behind
L2 for swap items
The Bakudan Boys finally leaned forward and began playing in earnest. At first they focused on testing each button, trying drifting, hopping, and firing projectiles until everyone felt confident with the system. A few minutes of warmup later, they nodded at each other, ready for their first official race. Sakaki decided to take Mario, Sawada picked SpongeBob, Rikki locked in Princess Daisy with a grin, and Kumogi naturally grabbed Sonic, eager to prove his speed.
Kumogi grinned. “Ready to lose, everyone?”
Rikki smirked and said, “That should be my line, dumbasses.”
Then the true game began. “3, 2, 1… go!” The screen split into four panels, each with a mini-map at the corner. Kumogi’s Sonic shot forward immediately, his kart darting past Rikki’s Princess Daisy, Sawada’s SpongeBob, and Sakaki’s Mario — Sonic clearly had the edge in acceleration. The race tightened as items appeared on the track. Rikki spotted a floating box, smashed through it, and grinned when he drew a power-up: a targeted missile. He didn’t hesitate, pressing Square to lock on to Kumogi’s speeding Sonic just ahead.
Kumogi’s eyes widened. “Rikki! You bastard!” He snatched another power-up, but it wasn’t a shield — only a machine gun, utterly useless for his situation. Then—boom! Rikki’s rocket slammed into Sonic, sending him tumbling wildly across the screen. Rikki threw his head back, laughing. “HAHAHA, take that!” One by one, the racers zipped past Kumogi. He gritted his teeth, fists tight on the controller. “Damn you!” he growled, forcing himself back into the race.
Meanwhile, Sakaki’s Mario had climbed into 2nd position. He snagged a banana peel, smirked, and tossed it behind with practiced precision. Sawada’s SpongeBob, trailing close behind, was caught off guard. “What the—!?” SpongeBob spun out dramatically after skidding across the peel, his kart twirling in circles as Kumogi sped past, laughing with glee. Sawada slammed his fist on the arcade cabinet and shouted, “Damn it, Sakaki! Just you wait!”
Meanwhile Rikki held firmly to the top spot, his focus razor-sharp. He had always been good at racing games, and here his timing with nitro boosts and precision in managing power-ups made him nearly untouchable. His Princess Daisy glided around corners with near-perfect lines, weaving between hazards and firing off items with expert efficiency. For several laps she looked unstoppable, a bright blur that even Sakaki’s solid Mario couldn’t seem to catch. Rikki laughed with confidence, convinced the race was his.
But suddenly Kumogi’s luck turned. He snagged a rare power-up and threw his head back with a booming laugh. “HAHAHA! Eat this!” he roared, unleashing the dreaded Thunder Strike — a devastating item that targeted every single racer at once. The arcade lights seemed to flicker as the screen shook violently. Sawada and Rikki both paled, their karts rattling under the surge of electricity, while Kumogi grinned wickedly.
Yet Sakaki wasn’t fazed. His eyes narrowed, and with sharp precision he unleashed his own rare pull — the elusive Z-Power. A blinding flash of light burst across the screen as a tiny but resilient Zabo-man appeared beside his kart, circling Mario like a steadfast guardian angel. With exaggerated swings of its little arms, the creature deflected the raging storm, batting away the bolts with almost comical but unwavering determination. Protected from harm, Sakaki’s kart blazed forward untouched, and the arcade erupted in awe as the watching kids gasped and cheered in amazement.
Kumogi’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “WHAT!? Sakaki!? That’s cheating!” he howled, flailing so wildly he nearly toppled out of his seat. His face flushed red with frustration as his fingers mashed at the controller. Rikki, gritting his teeth, hammered furiously on his own buttons, knuckles white, doing everything he could to keep Daisy steady through the crackling chaos. “You’re the one playing dirty, Kumogi! Damn you!” he shouted back, voice sharp with both anger and excitement, refusing to loosen his grip on the lead even for a second.
The race pressed on, with Sakaki holding strong at number 1, Sawada close behind at number 2, Rikki fighting at number 3, and Kumogi struggling in 4th. Sawada’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he leaned forward. “Eat this, Sakaki!” he shouted. With a flick of his thumb, SpongeBob fired a targeted missile straight at Mario’s kart. Sakaki’s eyes went wide — he had no shield, no Zabo-man power to protect him. “Damn it, Sawada!” he groaned just as the missile slammed into Mario, knocking him out and sending his kart spinning wildly across the screen in a dizzying blur.
The race pushed forward in a storm of chaos, laughter, and rising tempers. Every Bakudan Boy fought like their pride was on the line, karts colliding, items exploding, and curses flying across the arcade. At last, with a triumphant cheer, Rikki surged across the finish line first. “YEAAAH!” he bellowed, nearly shaking the cabinet with his celebration. Sawada’s SpongeBob rolled in at 2nd, Sakaki’s Mario managed 3rd, and poor Kumogi’s Sonic limped into 4th. Rikki threw his head back and laughed mercilessly at Kumogi. “What kind of Sonic are you, huh!? You’re not the fastest thing alive—you’re probably Sonic from Super Punch-Out!! That so-called ‘Real-Life Sonic!’” The jab hit hard, and Kumogi’s face twisted as he grit his teeth. “Rematch! I want a rematch!” he barked, his pride stinging. The others, grinning at the tension, quickly agreed, slotting in another round on a fresh track with renewed determination.
And overall, that was Mario Kart — a wild ride of chaos, laughter, and sheer fun, especially when experienced with friends crowded around the arcade cabinet. With 16 diverse characters and plenty of options to suit every play style, it stood out as a brilliantly designed multiplayer game that kept everyone shouting, teasing, and demanding rematches long into the night. Its truly great multiplayer game
To be continued
AN : additional chapters for you all hehehe
