Saturday 8 December 1997 Bakudan Arcade Japan.
The Bakudan boys, now all proud ZAGE employees, had decided to hang out this weekend with one clear mission: to dominate each other in a few heated rounds of Mario Party. It was their go-to game for weekend fun, second only to Diablo II—which they still played religiously even today.
Sakaki, Sawada, Kumogi, and Rikki arrived at the Bakudan Arcade early in the morning, even before the place officially opened. Inside, the familiar scent of cigar smoke lingered in the air as Toki Bakurou, the always frowning owner, sat near the counter sipping his usual black coffee. Meanwhile, his towering son, Toji Bakurou—the same Toji who now worked as a gym instructor at the ZAGE Tower Main Gym—was busy sweeping the arcade floor. Even though Toji made a solid living from his gym job, he still helped his father maintain the arcade out of loyalty and habit. For him, the arcade was more than a family business—it was home.
"Hey! Toji, how you doing, man?" Sakaki grinned, clearly already familiar with him. "I heard you're working at the ZAGE Tower Main Gym now as an instructor? And there are rumors about a monstrous trainer terrifying everyone—that's gotta be you, right?"
Meanwhile, Sawada, Kumogi, and Rikki were still in awe, stunned by just how massive Toji was in person. The guy stood nearly two meters tall with a ridiculously built physique that looked straight out of a comic book.
Toki, still seated with his cigar, chuckled. Toji grinned and replied, "Yeah, Sakaki, it's been a while! I'm really enjoying working at ZAGE Gym now. All thanks to Boss Zaboru for giving me the opportunity, hahaha. Anyway, you guys here to play the usual?"
Sakaki grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Yeah, I want a four-player match as usual—and this time, I'm gonna kick all your asses in Mario Party."
Kumogi scoffed, arms crossed. "It's you who's getting your ass kicked, Sakaki. You barely won last time."
Sawada just sighed quietly, already mentally preparing for the chaos. Rikki sighed too but couldn't resist throwing in a jab. "Tch, low-skill players always talk the most. Keep yappin', Sakaki."
Sakaki gritted his teeth and pointed dramatically at Rikki. "We'll see, bastard! Let's go!"
Toji chuckled at their usual antics and moved quickly to help set up one of the ZEPS 3 Rental spaces—ZAGE's advanced play stations available for in-store rental. The Bakudan crew knew the layout by heart by now, and they always picked the same spot with the best view of the snack bar and vending machine.
Toki, still watching from the counter with a half-lidded glare, let out a long sigh. These brats were noisy as hell—but damn, they sure spent a lot. Between the games, snacks, drinks, and occasional merch, they always made it worth his while.
"Make sure you order a lot, brats!" Toki barked, raising his coffee cup like a warning. "Otherwise, I won't tolerate your damn noise!"
Kumogi flashed a wide grin. "Don't worry, boss! We got it covered, promise!"
Rikki gave a quick thumbs-up, already reaching into his wallet. The chaos hadn't even started yet—but it was already shaping up to be one hell of a Saturday.
It wasn't long before the Bakudan Boys jumped straight into the action of Mario party. Their first destination was Pirate Island, a fan-favorite board full of traps, cannon rides, and chaos. Each player picked their character with absolute confidence: Sakaki chose Luigi, Sawada went with Mario, Kumogi picked Yoshi, and Rikki, with a smug grin, locked in Peach.
As they rolled their dice and moved across the board, the competitive energy quickly ramped up. Then came their first mini-game: Lava Tile Isle.
The rules were simple, but brutal—stay on the moving platforms and don't fall into the lava. Each tile wobbled and shifted unpredictably, and players could push each other off, adding layers of strategy and betrayal. It was a recipe for mayhem, and the Bakudan boys couldn't wait to tear into it.
When the stage began, Rikki wasted no time—he lunged at Sakaki with a dirty push. Sakaki's eyes widened in outrage. "MAN! That's LOW! The tiles haven't even started shifting yet!"
Rikki grinned with zero shame. "It's war, Sakaki. No rules!"
Caught off guard, Sakaki stumbled straight toward Kumogi's direction. Kumogi's eyes gleamed with mischief. His Yoshi bumped Sakaki's Luigi with perfect timing, sending him tumbling into the lava. "DAMN YOU, KUMOGI!" Sakaki shouted.
Kumogi burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! A noob's gotta burn sometime!"
Rikki smirked, enjoying the chaos. But just as Kumogi laughed, the platform suddenly shifted under his feet. Rikki, who had been creeping up to push Kumogi off, found himself outplayed when Sawada's Mario came out of nowhere with a clean tackle.
"Damn! Sawada! What the hell was that?!" Rikki yelled.
Sawada didn't even respond—he just gave a sly grin and adjusted his position. Now only three players remained: Kumogi, Sawada, and Rikki. The tension was building. The platform shifted again. Now, Kumogi was the only one standing on a safe tile.
Sensing an opportunity, Kumogi made his move. His Yoshi lunged across the narrowing platform, aiming straight for the other two. He managed to intercept Sawada, shoving his Mario right into the lava pit. "Hah! That's what you get!" he shouted triumphantly.
But Rikki wasn't done. With the flick of his joystick, Peach twirled around behind Yoshi and delivered the final shove. Kumogi's eyes widened as his character soared through the air, landing in the lava below.
"HAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT!" Rikki roared, throwing his fists into the air. "I'm the undisputed KING of the tiles!"
Kumogi stared at the screen in disbelief. "DAMN IT, Sawada! Why'd you help Rikki like that?!"
Sawada gave a bored look and shrugged. "I didn't help anyone, dumbass. He just waited for the perfect opening. I jumped too early."
Rikki tapped his temple with exaggerated flair. "Big brain plays, boys. I'm smarter than the three of you combined. Bow down to the genius!"
Sawada , Kumogi and Sakaki snorted in unison.
"Just wait, you smug perverted bastard," Sakaki muttered under his breath.
"You're going down next round. No mercy," Kumogi growled.
"Next time I will show you pervert" Sawada said.
The trash talk only got louder from there, erupting into a storm of insults, wild laughter, and ridiculous dares. The arcade was buzzing now, not just from their chaos—but because everyone knew: the Bakudan Boys were just getting started.
Next up was none other than the infamous Bowser's Big Blast—a chaotic game of pure luck. The setup was simple: five giant buttons stood before the players. Some were safe, and one unlucky button triggered a bomb blast from the oversized mechanical Bowser head looming over them. It was a game of nerves and chance, and the Bakudan boys knew this one could flip the standings fast.
Rikki, controlling Peach, was up first. He grinned confidently and stretched his fingers like a showman before announcing, "This'll be a breeze—I'm blessed by the God of Games himself!" Without hesitation, he selected the red button.
The Bowser head came to life with a whir and began a slow, menacing countdown. "3... 2... 1..."
Rikki's eyes widened in disbelief. "N-no WAY!?"
Boom!
The bomb exploded in Rikki's face, sending his character flying off the stage. Kumogi, Sakaki, and Sawada erupted into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! You've got the BEST luck, Rikki!" Kumogi howled.
Still dazed, Rikki slumped back in his chair, stunned at how fast his luck had betrayed him. The game continued without him. Sakaki stepped up next, muttering something about cursed buttons. He didn't last long—boom, out on his second press.
Now it was down to Sawada and Kumogi.
The tension mounted as each took turns selecting buttons, the odds getting worse with each round. Finally, with only two buttons left, it was Sawada's turn—and he chose wrong.
Boom. Sawada's Mario was launched off the screen.
Kumogi threw both arms into the air. "YES! I WIN! Who said luck wasn't a skill?!"
The others groaned, already plotting revenge for the next round.
They kept the momentum going with the third mini-game: Rainbow Run! This was a classic 1-vs-3 challenge, and when the randomizer landed on the red tile, it was Sakaki who got singled out. He slammed his palm on the floor. "DAMN!" he shouted dramatically.
Now it was Sakaki's turn to cross the perilous bridge while his three so-called friends—Rikki, Kumogi, and Sawada—were armed with cannons, blasting cannonballs to knock him off. The tension mounted as the countdown ticked toward the start.
Rikki leaned back, stretching his fingers before the onslaught. "Ain't no way you're reaching the finish in under one minute, Sakaki. You're toast!"
Kumogi smirked and elbowed Rikki. "Make sure you hit properly, you pervert. I don't wanna do all the work."
Sawada just sighed, not even bothering to respond as he adjusted his grip on the controller.
The round started with a bang—Sakaki's Luigi made his dash across the shaky bridge, tiles lighting up under his feet. The camera zoomed in on his determined expression while Rikki, Sawada, and Kumogi launched cannonballs from platforms on each side.
Rikki's aim was deadly. His shots came fast, timed precisely with Sakaki's jumps. Sawada was steady, doing his best to corner him. Kumogi, on the other hand, couldn't hit anything. His shots fired way off course or missed by miles.
"HEY! You tall bastard!" Rikki barked. "Shoot properly! Look, Sakaki's almost at the finish!"
Kumogi fumbled with his controller. "Damn you, I'm not used to this control scheme!"
As cannonballs exploded all around him, Sakaki zigzagged between them, eyes wide, heart pounding. It was chaos—explosions, shouting, misfires, panic. But somehow, impossibly, he kept moving forward.
"ALMOST THERE, BABY!" he screamed, jumping over a final blast.
He dove onto the finish platform with a triumphant slide. "WOHOO!!!" Sakaki roared, leaping up from his seat. He did an exaggerated victory dance right in front of Sawada, arms waving like a lunatic.
"Take THAT, bastard!" he taunted with glee.
Rikki threw his controller down. "You Kumogi bastard, it's because of you! Just you wait!"
Kumogi gritted his teeth, cheeks red with frustration. "You F*CKING son of a—next time, I'm not holding back!"
Sawada adjusted his glasses, his voice low and dangerous. "You're starting to really piss me off, Sakaki. Just wait. I'll make sure you suffer next round."
Now Sawada had his own personal grudge against Sakaki, and everyone knew the next match would be even more intense.
Then they continued to play, and the chaos only escalated. Bursts of laughter echoed through the Bakudan Arcade, drawing even more curious onlookers to their corner. As the crowd grew, people started gathering just to watch the Bakudan Boys trash-talk, scream in frustration, and burst out laughing over absurd turns of fate. Their energy was contagious.
Even Toki, the grumpy arcade owner, couldn't help but glance over every now and then, a twitch of a grin tugging at his lips. The banter between the four friends was fast and relentless—insults flying, alliances forming and breaking within seconds. And as expected, they ordered a ridiculous amount of snacks. Piles of chips, sodas, meat buns, and candy filled their corner table, fueling their competitive fire.
Meanwhile, around the arcade, other groups had also started playing Mario Party, inspired by the Bakudan Boys' rowdy enthusiasm. Some even cheered during intense mini-games, treating the matches like live sports events.
It was more than just a game—it was an atmosphere, a vibe, a memory in the making. And as the boys kept playing, round after round, it was clear to everyone watching: Mario Party with four chaotic friends was one of the best ways to spend a Saturday in '97.
To be continue
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