Warning: This episode features a made-up challenge that'll make anyone sick if they attempt to do it. Do NOT imitate this challenge in real life. You've been warned.

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June 12, 2019 ~ Sandusky, Ohio

It's another bright and busy day at Cedar Point: one of the largest amusement parks in the United States. Business is booming as usual. Every attraction is occupied with lines, full of excited thrill riders who are enjoying their summer vacation thus far.

Well, except for Iowa.

He sits on a bench in front of a roller coaster, using his imagination to distract himself from boredom. Don't get him wrong. He loves going to amusements parks. His only gripe are rides that involve crazy heights; his heart can't contain all that anxiety. Unfortunately, he can't simply walk to the adjacent water park where Indiana, Kansas, and Nebraska are having fun splishing and splashing around. Instead, he'll have to spend the entire day doing one job: referee.

After losing in a game of rock-paper-scissors, Iowa is forced to oversee what he thinks is a dumb and dangerous contest between Ohio and Pennsylvania. It's called the Cedar Point Challenge: a made-up game between two roller enthusiasts who won't admit California is the coaster champ. The goal of this game: to ride Cedar Point's seventeen roller coasters without throwing up, going to the restroom, or forfeiting from the competition. Normally, riding all seventeen roller coasters isn't a problem, at least to hardcore coaster enthusiasts. However, Ohio and Pennsylvania decide to make this wild game a sadistic challenge by including food as a "fun" factor. Therefore, the likelihood of a winner and a loser becomes more apparent as they continue riding roller coasters throughout the day.

As the referee of their immature contest, Iowa is tasked with the spinner. Every four rides, the spinner will choose which food or drink the competitors will have to consume. A slice of pizza, a bowl of frozen custard, a cup of Icee, you get the point. As everyone knows, food and motion sickness don't go well together. Yet, it's exactly what Ohio and Pennsylvania want to see when their opponent barfs and bows down to them.

In case some are wondering, don't worry. Iowa also has the job of being this contest's "doctor" if something does go horribly wrong. He can only hope nothing bad happens. Hopefully...

So far, no one is vomiting. That's partially because the roller coasters Ohio and Pennsylvania are riding so far are "junior coasters". Wilderness Run, Woodstock Express, and Cedar Creek Mine Ride are perfect for beginners. But to experienced thrill seekers, they're acceptable at best.

It isn't until they get to Blue Streak where the challenge actually begins.

"AAAaaaAAAaaahhh!"

Everyone has their arms above their head when the train takes a 72 foot punge down a 45° degree slope. Their moderate screams rise and fall and rise and fall again. They catch their breaths on a climb, only to lose it when they make a sudden 180° degree turn. Up and down, they go. Up and down, they go again. And up and down, once more. Until at last, the train hits its brakes. A steady chug back to the platform, the train gives off a hiss before coming to a complete stop.

Ohio and Pennsylvania are the first to hop out of the train. When they meet up with Iowa outside the attraction, both seem pleasant. Not excited or bored. Just pleasant in demeanor. Which to Iowa is quite unnatural considering they're at odds at the moment.

But then, Pennsylvania opens her mouth. "I could've sworn I heard your stomach growl when we made that 180° degree turn."

Ohio scoffs, "Really? I thought it was yours. I mean, that hamburger you had was pretty greasy."

Iowa frowns. "Can we call this a tie? I wanna go to the water park before it closes."

They laugh at him. "Iowa, spin that wheel," they order.

The poor Iowan groans upset, but he doesn't argue with them. He does what he's told and spins the spinner.

☆☆☆☆☆

After a serving of loaded fries, Ohio and Pennsylvania ride three more roller coasters: Iron Dragon, Corkscrew, and Wicked Twister.

After riding Rougarou, their eighth roller coaster, the hamburger-fries combination is beginning to take a toll on Pennsylvania. It must be the brisket because Ohio doesn't seem sick after eating the chili and cheese variation. Her choice to get brisket fries may have cost her.

"Are you looking for the bathroom?" Ohio's question interrupts her worries. "It's right over there if you're wondering."

She chuckles in slight contempt. "You must be mistaken. I was looking at our options for our next fun factor?"

Grrrowl...

He smirks. "Oh? Is that your stomach betraying you?"

"Again, you must be mistaken."

GRRRRRoooooWWlll...

Subconsciously, her arms wrap around her stomach. She stumbles over in pain.

Iowa starts to panic. "Should I call 9-1-1?" He gets out his phone.

"N-No! I-I'm fine! I'm f-fine..." she stammers with clenched teeth.

"Come on, Penny. You obviously need to go." Ohio crouches down to her level. "You do know it's bad to hold it all in. Besides, you'll feel so much better once you get it out of your system."

She bit her lip. "True, but that's not necessary."

"Don't be stubborn."

"I'm not."

PPPPPRRRBBBFFFFTTT!

Ohio and Iowa stumble backwards with held breaths.

"A fart?! A freaking fart?!" Ohio chokes on air.

She breathes a sigh of relief. "You're right. I feel much better getting it out of my system."

Iowa can only imagine how the others are doing at the water park. "... Okay!" he interrupts their argument. "The break is over. Time for the next fun factor."

~ Hetalia! ~

Once everyone catches their breath, they continue to climb up the roller coaster ranking. Gemini is twice the fun. Magnum XL-200 brings the hype. And Raptor is a killer ride, both figuratively and literally. Soon, they'll make their way to the top five roller coasters in the park. But before they do, they must pass GateKeeper.

The bright blue wing coaster can definitely take anyone to great heights—170 feet at its highest! Anyone riding this majestic bird will feel free as a bird. They'll loop around, spin around, and spiral around in the air, experiencing freedom without the burden that is gravity. This ride will truly take anyone to the gates of heaven. And so far, it hasn't killed anyone like Raptor has done in the past.

"Alright! Here we go!" says Pennsylvania with great excitement.

Ohio squirms in his restraints. For a while now, all that carbon dioxide from the root beer has been building and churning in his gut. He looks at Pennsylvania who doesn't seem to be in pain anymore. Is it the root beer? All that farting and belching? Why isn't she squirming in pain?!

Normally, he doesn't have a problem with GateKeeper's loops and spirals. But at the moment, he's unsure whether or not he can contain all that burger, fries, and root beer inside his stomach. He considers giving up in fear of embarrassment, but it's too late. The train has already left the platform, making its way up to the top of the slope. At this point, all he can do is brace himself for what's to come.

Subconsciously, he squints his eyes.

"Hey! Look, you coward!" She nudges him with her elbow.

Reluctantly, he squeezes one eye open. The first thing he sees is the bright blue sky. The next, he sees the parking lot. The train starts to twist to the right. It's about to happen. He knows what to expect. But once gravity takes over, he immediately loses it.

They drop—164 feet.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" They spiral down from the sky, feeling the weight of 4Gs hit their face.

The second time the train makes a loop, Ohio can feel something come up his throat. His cheeks turn a pale green. "Oooohhh God... I'm gonna hurl...!" He shuts his mouth, trying hard not to make it rain stomach acid.

The ride lasts less than two minutes, yet it feels like an endurance test, at least to Ohio. By the end of it, he falls onto his knees, finally free of that gross feeling.

"Didn't you say you were going to hurl?" Pennsylvania asks with a smug face.

"... I kept it in," he mumbles, adamant to continue this challenge despite his close encounter with embarrassment.

Iowa can't believe their audacity to let their bodies suffer after all the rides they've ridden so far. "You know, there's still enough time to go to the water park," he suggests. "How about we continue this contest tomorrow and-"

"No!" they protest. "This contest is going to be settled today."

Iowa should've put his foot down. 'No! No! I'm not going to be strung around like a lap dog! I'm going to the water park and enjoy my summer vacation! This stupid game is over!' is what he's supposed to say.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the guts to tell them.

~ Hetalia... ~

Iowa stares at the multitude of colors in the cloudy sky while eating the last bits of funnel cake. It's a gorgeous sight, yet it reminds him of the water park. It saddens him. The place is probably closed by now. Indiana, Kansas, and Nebraska are most likely getting ready to go out to eat at a restaurant. Once more, he considers ditching his job in favor of a pork tenderloin dinner. He thinks about it really hard. And I mean really, really hard. Alas, he's committed to his job.

He sighs.

As much as he wishes for Ohio and Pennsylvania to stop this reckless contest, he can't imagine the pain they're enduring just to prove a point. They survive Valravn's 214 foot drop. They survive Top Thrill Dragster's 120 mile per hour ride. They even survive Maverick's multiple hills, curves, and back-to-back corkscrew rolls. By the time they reach Millenium Force, he knows they won't stop there. Oh no. They're going all the way.

Iowa looks up at the sound of belches and groans from a pair of zombies. Aka his friends after eating junk food and riding sixteen roller coasters in a single day. They're hunched over, on the verge of either fainting from exhaustion or releasing the fun factor onto the concrete pavement.

"I'll keep saying this: You two need to stop before this ends ugly."

They shake their heads.

"Alright... One more ride to go..." Ohio breathes.

"You don't sound so good..." Pennsylvania moans.

"Speak for yourself..." he coughs.

"You guys..." Iowa pleads with a whimper.

"Iowa... the wheel..."

He scowls, but he doesn't argue with them. He can't argue with them. There's no use talking any sense to their thick skulls. The only thing he can do is obey their request. He closes his eyes and lets his hand spin the wheel one last time. When he opens them again, the ticking arrow comes to a stop at a red wedge, at a picture of a slice of pizza.

"I'm not in the mood for pizza..." Pennsylvania groans.

"Are you giving up?" Ohio questions.

"Of course not..."

"Alrighty then... Let's get ourselves some pizza..."

~ Hetalia... ~

The most recent roller coaster to be built at Cedar Point is currently the tallest, longest, and fastest hybrid coaster in the world. Yes, in the world.

Steel Vengeance continues its mean streak as a top tier roller coaster, winning as many as ten awards in last year alone. Just looking at this steel hyper-hybrid will make the average mortal quake and say nope multiple times. If anyone wants to prove they have steel balls, their friends will simply point to this ride without another word. Anyone gutsy enough to ride this behemoth are going to have either an awesome time or a terrible time.

For Ohio and Pennsylvania, it's most likely the latter option if they lose their stomachs.

"Is it me or is the coaster always this big?" He takes a hard gulp at the ultimate test ahead.

Pennsylvania notes her rival's nervousness. "Let me remind you there's the option to turn back." Her stomach rumbles.

He chuckles, "Are you kidding me? There's no turning back at this point."

Iowa watches his friends stand in line, awaiting the inevitable end to this pointless challenge. "I wonder what Nebraska is doing right now..." he mumbles to himself.

"You called?"

"Ah!" He looks up at Nebraska standing before him. "What are doing you here?"

"The water park is closed."

"Oh..." He looks up at the pitch black sky. Once again, he's reminded how much time has wasted being here instead of the water park. He holds back from crying in front of her.

"So, how are you holding up?" She sits herself down on the bench.

"Okay, I guess..."

She frowns. "You don't look okay."

"I don't?" He slouches in defeat. "I guess It's obvious. Watching two of your friends torture themselves the entire day isn't the best thing to witness." He makes a light-hearted chuckle.

"Hey, isn't that them on the ride?" She points to the roller coaster heading up a steep hill.

"Yeah..."

"Is that the last one they're riding?"

He nods. "Crazy, right?"

"Why aren't you riding?"

"Me? Ride that?" He laughs. "Would you ride that?"

She shakes her head and chuckles, "Probably not. It looks fun, but I'm just too much of a chicken to stand in line."

"Yeah..." He softly smiles. "I gotta hand it to them. They sure are brave to ride them."

"Maybe one day we'll have the guts to ride that thing."

"Yeah... Maybe..."

As Iowa and Nebraska watch the roller coaster carry the riders down the tracks, a sudden gust of wind blows in their direction. No one notices the train lose momentum. They think they're about to head up a hill. But the train doesn't make it. Midway up a slope, the train stops moving forward. There's a slight pause before gravity does the rest. Riders scream, somewhat confused if this is part of the ride. It isn't until the train moves forward, only to go backwards once again, do they realize the train is stuck, rocking back and forth in a valley. To make matters worse, it starts to sprinkle.

"Help! Help!" the people on the train cry out for help.

Iowa and Nebraska stand up from the bench.

"Call 9-1-1." Nebraska tells him.

"R-Right!" Iowa gets out his phone. "Hopefully they're alright," he mutters.

Ohio covers his mouth. "I don't feel so good..." His cheeks turn green.

Pennsylvania belches. "I-I need to get off... I need to get off!" Her cheeks puff up.

By the time they're rescued, both states have fallen into defeat. From that day onward, they agree to suspend the Cedar Point Challenge indefinitely.

☆☆☆☆☆

+ Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Since opening in 1870, it's the second oldest operating amusement park in the United States, famously known as "America's Roller Coast" with a world record of 72 rides, including 17-18 roller coasters (number varies whether Pipe Scream counts as a roller coaster or not), the second most in the world behind Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California. Even though both Cedar Point and Ohio don't have the most roller coasters compared to other states, they proudly claim the distinct title of being "The Roller Coaster Capital of the World".

- On June 12, 2019, the roller coaster known as Steel Vengeance had a strange incident. Around 9:30 PM, a sudden gust of wind was strong enough to disrupt the ride, preventing the roller coaster from going up a hill. Riders on board remained stuck in a valley until they were rescued. Fortunately, no one got hurt in the incident.

+ In case some were wondering, I had to refer to various websites for roller coaster rankings in order to write this episode. Obviously, some might disagree with this 'ranking', saying this ride is more intense than that ride. As of June 2019, I had never been to Cedar Point in my life thus far. Even if I went, I would've probably chickened out on half the rides, so my personal experience wouldn't help me write this story. Despite being a complete pussy, I would absolutely recommend anyone visit the amusement park, especially coaster enthusiasts.

- On a side note, the 'Cedar Point Challenge' is entirely made up and is meant to depict Ohio-Pennsylvania's rivalry. While eating a light meal isn't a bad idea, never eat too much food before going on rides unless you want to experience an upset stomach and puke in public.

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