Game, Set, Match

Preliminaries 3: DK vs Diddy Kong

The next match was between DK and his nephew, Diddy Kong. Once the court was ready for them, the two Kongs sized each other up, rackets in hand.

"Ready, little buddy?" asked DK.

"You bet I am!" Diddy enthusiastically replied.

On the ref's command, the tennis match began, with DK serving. The King of the Jungle had strength on his side, at the cost of speed and ball control. Diddy, however, was a speedy tennis player, albeit his swings were weaker than DK's. Even so, the two Kongs were initially evenly matched, DK chaining off hefty topspin shots and Diddy replying with brisk slice shots.

At one point, Diddy stood on his hands and bent backward into a banana shape, springing forward and hitting the ball. As the ball made a half-circle, DK found that his sense of direction was briefly reversed, confusing him and causing him to miss one of Diddy's shots. The score was now 15-love in Diddy's favor.

DK wound up and lobbed the ball, Diddy crisply returning with a drop shot. The Kongs engaged in another rally, the stalemate finally broken when the smaller Kong executed a smash shot into the net's corner, earning another point. DK's next serve almost zipped out of bounds, so Diddy suited up in his signature barrel jetpack and blasted off after it, sending it arcing back toward DK.

Phillip nudged Carolyn. "Hey—which one are you rooting for?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I like them both."

"Who would you rather face off against?" pressed Phillip.

"It doesn't matter," said Carolyn.

She watched as DK hopped into a cannon and launched the ball so forcefully that it sent Diddy skidding back a short distance. The King of the Jungle earned a point, bringing the score to 30-15. Diddy pulled himself together and executed a flat shot as DK served, the Kongs once again whacking the tennis ball back and forth. An excited hum arose from the stands as a topspin shot from Diddy brought the score to 40-15.

"Game point," said the ref.

The Kongs stared intently at each other for a few seconds before DK served. Diddy hurried over to one of the corners and managed to curve the shot toward his opponent. DK fired back with a smash shot, and Diddy once again used his Acrobatic Banana move to send the ball past his uncle.

"Game—Diddy Kong!" announced the ref. "Change court!"

Once the two players were on opposite sides of the court, Diddy shook out his limbs before pulling off a fast, fierce serve. At this point, DK began relying on force more than anything else, and Diddy began relying on speed and timing. The smaller Kong scored the first point, but DK brought them to a tie moments later. With each serve, their scores kept inching up and up and up. DK even pulled off a Defensive Power Shot involving a banana! But it ended with the two of them staring each other down, the score 30-40 in Diddy's favor.

"Match point," said the ref.

Diddy served the ball harder than he'd ever served a ball in his life. DK lumbered forward, answering the serve with an equally forceful corner shot. Nimbly, Diddy intercepted the shot just in time, initiating yet another rally between them. And after Diddy executed a final Acrobatic Banana, he scored the final point and clinched the victory.

"Game, set and match—Diddy Kong!" announced the ref.

"Congrats, Diddy," said Toadsworth. "You're advancing to the next round!"

"All right!" cried Diddy, doing a series of celebratory backflips.

DK wiped his forehead and walked over to Diddy, patting him on the back to assure him that there were no hard feelings. "Great game, sport," he said.

"Thanks," said Diddy.

"I don't care if you don't make it to the finals," said DK. "All that matters is that you play your best and have a great time."

"Yeah," Diddy agreed.

The two Kongs waved at the crowd before walking off the court.