A Tropical Holiday

by DiddyKF1

The 2016 Enthusia season has wrapped up with Diddy winning his fourth Professional Cup championship! In celebration, DK decides to reward his nephew by going with him on a nice family vacation for two on a mysterious island with supernatural abilities. This will contain lots of uncle/nephew love, monkeying around, Kong fun, adventuring in unexplored jungles, and so much more!

7. The Enthusia Awards Ceremony

Well, FanFiction readers, this is probably one of the most difficult chapters I've ever written in my life, and I hope you enjoy it, because who knows if I'll ever come across a challenge like this again!? After all, I had to do a lot of research on the internet to make sure everything in the Tokyo portions would be accurate to reality.

I should point out that there are a few points during the chapter which the point of view will be changing between mine and the third-person, because I actually make an appearance in this chapter because I was one of the Enthusia competitors.

When you see a scene break that looks like this ...

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...

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... that means that the POV is changing to go into a scene that I appear in.

Anyways, without further ado, here are the highlights of DK and Diddy's couple of days in Tokyo for the 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup Awards ceremony!

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CHAPTER 7

The Enthusia Awards Ceremony

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Sunday, December 11

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The sun rose over the eastern horizon and showered the supernatural tropical island with beautiful rays of golden sunlight. The light shone down on the trees and created small sunlit spots on the floors of the jungles and rainforests. This was among the most beautiful mornings on the island since DK and Diddy had arrived here 15 days ago.

The Kongs were sleeping in a cuddly fashion in their huge bed, snuggling warmly to each other. Then, the sunlight came in and blasted through one of the eastern windows. The light reached DK's eyelids, and he slightly turned his head before opening his eyes and yawning. Then, he looked down and admired his adorable nephew who was sleeping in his bear hug with his diaper uniform still on. The ape thought the monkey looked so cute, but he knew that he couldn't sleep forever. After all, today was the day they were expected to arrive in Tokyo.

So, without a moment's hesitation, DK reached for Diddy's feet with his left hand and started wiggling them in an effort to tickle him out of his sleep.

"It's morning, my little cutey-buddy," DK whispered as Diddy started giggling in his sleep from the ticklishness, "Time to wake up, my sweet, little monkey."

Diddy simply kept giggling and kept his eyes closed.

At that moment, Tiddly woke up in his nest and stretched his wings, and he unwrapped himself from the greenish-yellow leaf Diddy had given him, and he slowly flew down to the Kongs' bed. He was treated to the adorable sight of DK trying to wake up Diddy via feet tickling.

"Good morning, DK," the bird chirped quietly.

"Good morning, Tiddly," replied DK, "Say, you wouldn't mind trying to help me wake up this adorable monkey of mine, would you?"

"I'd be happy to help," replied Tiddly, and he gently rubbed his right wing against Diddy's face.

This, combined with the ticklishness on his feet, was enough to make Diddy's giggles clearly audible.

"Oohoohookeeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehehehehehehehehehehahahahahahaha!" the monkey giggled adorably.

"Time to rise and shine, my cute, little Diddy-buddy," said DK playfully as he kept tickling Diddy's feet.

"Wake up, bud," chirped Tiddly as he tickled Diddy's face.

"I dohohohon't wahahahanna wahahake uhuhuhuhup!" giggled Diddy, "I wahahanna snuhuhuhuggle with yohohohou foreheheheheveherherherher!"

"I wish I could snuggle with you forever, too, my little nephew," replied DK, "But it's time to get ready for the brand new day ahead."

Diddy opened his eyes, and he was treated to the sight of DK smiling at him and Tiddly rubbing right below his nose.

"DeeheeheeheeKahahahahay! Tihihihihiddleeheeheeheeheehy!" the monkey laughed, "Stahahahahahahop!"

"We'll stop tickling ya if you promise to wake up, little buddy!" teased DK playfully.

"Are you awake yet, Diddy?" chirped Tiddly, feeling like he was having so much fun doing this.

"Yehehehehehehes! Yohohohohou wihihihihin! I'm awahahahahahahahahake!" laughed Diddy, "Pleeheeheeheeheeheeheehease! Nohohohohohoho mohohohohohore!"

"Okay, my sweet, little monkey," chuckled DK.

The ape and bird immediately stopped tickling Diddy, and the diapered monkey yawned while his uncle unwrapped them from their blankets and sat up with his nephew on his lap.

"Good morning, my precious, little Diddy-buddy!" greeted DK cheerfully.

"Good morning, Diddy!" chirped Tiddly.

"Good morning, Tiddly, and good morning to you, too, my big Donkey-buddy," Diddy replied as his uncle freed his nimble arms from his diapers.

"Well, little buddy. Today's the day," said DK.

"Tokyo?" said Diddy.

"Yep!" chuckled DK, "Time to get ready to catch our flight!"

"Oh boy!" shouted Diddy excitedly as he jumped off DK's lap, and the two walked into the kitchen area, joined by Tiddly.

"Wanna have some banana cereal, little buddy?" asked DK.

"I'd love some, big buddy!" replied Diddy.

Just as DK got out two bowls and poured banana cereal into them, they heard the sound of a propeller plane that sounded like it was several miles away.

"That must be Funky arriving," said DK as he poured milk into both cereal bowls.

While DK slid his bowl over to him, Diddy listened more closely to the sound of the plane, and he could tell right away that it wasn't Funky's plane.

"I don't think that's Funky, big buddy," he said to his uncle as the two started eating their cereal.

"That's odd, little buddy," replied DK, "I thought only the other Kongs knew where we were vacationing."

"Unless they told someone else," added Diddy, "It would have to be someone who knows us, though."

"They probably might have," agreed DK, "Since we're going to Tokyo, it's probably somebody Enthusia-related."

A moment later, they heard the plane's engines lowering their pitch and eventually fall silent, indicating that the plane had just landed on some strip of plain grass not far from where Funky had dropped them off.

Diddy quickly scarfed down the rest of his cereal, and he grabbed a few bird seeds to feed Tiddly for his breakfast.

"You seem to suddenly be in such a rush, little buddy," commented DK, before he remembered that Diddy was still wearing his diaper uniform, and the monkey did not want to be seen wearing it by anybody.

Sensing that Diddy was in a hurry, Tiddly pecked on the monkey's diaper-gloved hand to eat his seeds, earning giggles of ticklishness from him. Once the bird had eaten his breakfast, the monkey stood up just as DK finished his cereal.

"I can't let anyone see me in this, DK," said Diddy as he stared down at his toddler-age diaper outfit he was still wearing.

"Okay, little buddy. Go grab the second diaper package and the previous diapers that are still in good condition, and we'll hide those in my backpack," instructed DK.

"Your backpack!?" said Diddy in horror.

"Diddy, I'm not bringing my backpack with us, remember?" DK reassured his nephew.

Diddy gasped a sigh of relief, and he walked into the bathroom and grabbed the pile of diapers that had NOT been thrown in the garbage, along with the unopened second diaper package. The monkey came back out, and DK took the diapers and stuffed them into his backpack.

Then, Diddy walked back into the bathroom and pulled out the bag of his urinated and soiled diapers from the week before out of the trash can, and he spun the bag and tied the two handles together in a knot. A bad stench reached his nose as he disposed what contained his own sweat, and he came back out of the bathroom and opened the front door to see if there was any way to get rid of the bag once and for all. DK, meanwhile, walked into the bathroom to take his morning shower.

"Oh, island with your supernatural powers, help me!" he shouted as he looked up at the sunny skies over the island.

Just then, a small hole formed in the grass right next to the house, which Diddy found weird. However, he sensed that this was the island's way to help him get rid of his own trash, so he hesitantly knelt down and dropped the bag into the hole. A few seconds later, the hole closed again so that it looked like nothing was even there.

"I wonder where that bag would even end up?" he asked himself, feeling dumbfounded, "Maybe the island's got its own underground garbage furnace or something."

Then, a few minutes later, … the monkey heard a few very faint voices that seemed to be just half of a mile south of their house, and he knew he was still wearing his diaper uniform. He had to take it off now or risk being seen and having their "nostalgia fever" secret being spilled out!

Without a moment's hesitation, the monkey frantically scurried back into the house and closed the door. DK had just come out of the bathroom after taking a very quick shower and brushing his teeth.

"Somebody's out there and I'm still in my diapers! They might see me, DK!" he panicked to his uncle, "What am I gonna do!? Our secret's gonna get spilled!"

"Just relax, little buddy!" said DK as he scooped his nephew into a hug to calm him down.

Diddy took a few deep breaths, then the voices grew closer, and they sounded as if they were admiring the scenery of the jungle.

"Run into the bathroom, take your diapers off and hide them underneath the sink before you take your shower," DK gently instructed Diddy.

"Okay," panted Diddy.

"Ah, this must be the place," they heard a voice say as the person in question entered the open area in the center of the island.

Both Kongs recognized that voice as Nissan/Toyota Racing's team principal, Takeshi Ogasawari, whom Diddy considered to be a fatherly figure to him in the Enthusia world. Of course, though, he had no knowledge of how DK occasionally slipped diapers onto Diddy, and the duo intended to keep it that way. However, they wondered why Takeshi could possibly be here when he rarely ever left the team's headquarters in Japan, with the exception of race weekends … or the upcoming awards ceremony. Additionally, how could he have discovered where their house was when he had to risk getting one of his fancy pairs of shoes dirty by walking on the only roomy path in the south jungle, which was floored by grass and dry dirt.

"It's no wonder they decided to come here for a break. I do find this place quite admirable for what you folks call, 'tropical paradise'," Takeshi continued in his Japanese accent.

"This cosmic island was the only place those dudes could think of once they made their preparations for their holiday," said a second voice whom the Kongs recognized as Funky.

Funky's presence answered DK and Diddy's question about Takeshi's presence. However, they quickly snapped back to reality as Diddy's eyes were growing wide. He was just seconds away from potentially getting caught!

"Run, Diddy! Run!" DK whispered in Diddy's ear, and just as Funky and Takeski approached the door, a still-diapered Diddy ran on all fours as fast as he could into the bathroom, grabbing his tank top along the way.

The front door was knocked on three times … just one second before the bathroom door was closed.

Diddy had escaped being spotted in his diapers … just in time!

Tiddly flew over to the bathroom door to listen in to Diddy taking his diapers off.

In the bathroom, the panicky monkey quickly took off his diaper gloves, along with his diaper uniform, baseball cap and red long-sleeved shirt. Then, he took off his two diapers still covering his belly, and he stuffed everything but his cap into the marble cabinet below the sink and closed it. Then, he let out a deep sigh of relief as he sprayed some fruit-scented air freshener in the trash can to eliminate the stench from his soiled diapers once and for all.

Tiddly gave a "thumbs up" signal to indicate to DK that Diddy had taken his diapers off and hidden them all, and the front door was knocked on again.

"Yo, Donkey and Diddy-dudes! Are ya in there!?" called Funky from outside.

Assured that it was now safe to open the door, DK walked to the door and opened it just as he heard the sound of Diddy starting up his shower. At the doorway stood Funky and Takeshi, who was wearing glasses (due to his age) and a short-sleeved dark blue polo shirt since the jungle was no place for the suit that he usually wore at the team's headquarters.

"My, oh my," he said with a look of surprise on his face as he looked into Takeshi's eyes, "Ogasawari-san. Kon'nichiwa."

"Kon'nichiwa, DK," Takeshi greeted the ape.

"Uh, … how did you know where we were vacationing?" asked DK.

"Funky's plane had a breakdown yesterday, so your relatives called the team to come here and pick you up," explained Takeshi, "Funky guided us with the coordinates of this place, and my, does it look magnificent."

The Japanese elder looked around in astonishment of the supernatural island.

"I hear you and Diddy have been having a good time here over the past two weeks," he said to DK.

"My little buddy and I have been having a great time here," the ape replied, "It's almost been like having the time of our lives."

"Speaking of which, is Diddy around?" asked Takeshi.

"Yeah, where's mister quadruple-champion-dude?" added Funky, earning a small chuckle from Takeshi.

"Diddy got a bit of a slow start this morning," DK lied.

"My, what a bummer," said Funky.

"He's taking his shower right now," DK added … truthfully.

"Well, in that case, may we come in for a few moments?" asked Takeshi.

"Uh, … sure, come on in," replied DK, and he stepped aside to allow Funky and Takeshi into the living room.

"Quite a small place, Donkey-dude," commented Funky, "You really must spend most of your time outside."

"We certainly do," confirmed DK, "It'll be nice to get another five days here after the ceremony."

"So you'll be back on Kongo Bongo by … the twentieth?" assumed Funky.

"Lucky guess, Funky," answered DK, sitting down on the couch.

"Would you mind if I tasted one of these fruits, DK?" asked Takeshi kindly, "I didn't really get a chance to eat breakfast this morning before we came here."

"Sure, go right ahead, Ogasawari-san. Help yourself to a fine, fruity breakfast," said DK kindly, "There's plenty on offer."

"Thank you," replied Takeshi, "I greatly appreciate it. Let's see, … I think I know just the combination to choose."

Then, the sound of the shower stopped just as Takeshi had sliced a few oranges and bananas. The Nissan/Toyota Racing team boss had taken a plate and placed some banana slices on it, topping each one with an orange slice.

"The perfect breakfast to enjoy before the flight," he commented as he sat down in DK's kitchen chair, "Even though I've already been on two trips today: one from Tokyo to Kongo Bongo, and another one over to this island."

"I guess the third time will be the charm of the day," commented DK, earning a laugh from Funky.

Tiddly let out a few cute chirps of laughter, and it was only then that Takeshi noticed his presence for the first time.

"And who, may I ask, is this cute, little one?" the elder asked, admiring Tiddly's adorableness.

"That cute, little bird just so happens to be my cute, little Tiddy!" came a very familiar voice in a happy tone from the back of the house as a strong scent of mango shampoo filled up the room.

Diddy had emerged from the bathroom, wearing his tank top and cap, and his whole body smelled like mango shampoo that he had used in his shower. His teeth were sparkling white from the banana toothpaste he had used to brush his teeth.

"Ah, Diddy!" said Takeshi with joy in his voice from the delight of meeting up with the champion, "Just the monkey I wanted to see!"

Diddy chuckled as his racing team boss greeted him.

"How have you been the last few weeks?" asked Takeshi.

"I've been having a great time over the past two weeks, simply hanging out in this tropical paradise," sighed Diddy relaxingly as he took a seat next to DK on the couch.

"That sounds very pleasant," said Takeshi before he took the first bite from his breakfast.

"So, … how exactly did you end up finding this island, anyway?" asked Diddy.

"With help from Funky," answered Takeshi, "He guided us here."

"My plane's outta commission," explained Funky, "So I called the team, and they brought their own plane."

Diddy was astonished to hear that Nissan/Toyota Racing had brought their own plane here just to find him and DK.

"You mean, … the team is here?" the monkey said with a fair bit of excitement in his voice.

"Well, not quite," replied Takeshi, "Just me and my pilot."

"Oh," said an understanding Diddy.

"So, … you were just saying that this bird's name is Tiddly?" asked Takeshi as he admired the cute bird.

"Yep!" chuckled Diddy, "He found me wandering around the Kongo Jungle two years ago during the summer, and he curiously decided to stay with me. The cute guy's lived with me ever since."

"Interesting," said Takeshi with a thoughtful look on his face, "It's not very common for a bird to curiously follow a stranger around the jungle."

"He just found me one day and took interest in me immediately," explained Diddy, "I don't know how else to explain it."

"Hmm," said Takeshi, "I must say this is one adorable bird you have here, Diddy. I greatly admire his looks."

"Thanks," chirped Tiddly, with Takeshi not understanding since only the Kongs were able to translate his chirps to English.

"He says, 'thanks'," Diddy translated Tiddly's chirps to Takeshi, "And I'm sure he's pleased to meet you, too."

Takeshi watched as Tiddly smiled at him, and the elder couldn't help but chuckle and grin back.

"So, is the rest of the team already in Tokyo?" asked DK.

"Ben, Sonic, Tails, the pit crews, everyone on the team," answered Takeshi, "It seems you're the only ones missing from what's going on, but I can see why. It's always pleasant to enjoy a good start to the off-season."

"True," said Diddy.

"I'll be right back, dudes," said Funky, "I need to use the restroom, since that was quite a long flight here from Kongo Bongo."

Diddy felt his heart beating rapidly as he hoped Funky wouldn't discover his hidden diapers.

While Funky walked into the bathroom and closed the door, Takeshi continued his conversation with DK and Diddy.

"I do apologize for having to disrupt your vacation for the sake of the upcoming ceremony," the Japanese man said sympathetically, "It will do your world a good, though."

"I have been dreading the moment I have to hear Ben make his farewell speech," said Diddy.

"I am interested in what Al Reder, Jr. has to say in his farewell speech," admitted DK, "Given how he and I clashed way too many times in those four years I competed and he was just beginning to win everything there was, and the chemistry between him and Diddy was often severely strained to the point of fistfights like I had with him although they settled their differences in the final race of this year, … I think everyone will be interested to hear what he has to say."

"He is statistically one of Enthusia's all-time greats," added Diddy, "One of the three great seven-time Professional Cup champions."

"And you're only three away from tying them!" DK chuckled to Diddy while playfully wiggling his fingers on his chest.

"Oh, DeeheeheeKahahahahay!" giggled Diddy as his uncle tickled his chest, "Please don't do this in front of our boss!"

"Just messing around with ya, little buddy! After all, you'll be the big star of the ceremony!" said DK.

"I know, big buddy!" chuckled Diddy.

"I wouldn't mind watching for only a few seconds," admitted Takeshi, "The strong family bond that you two have was one of the reasons I brought DK back to Enthusia to become your race engineer, Diddy."

The Kongs smiled at Takeshi just as they heard the sound of the toilet flushing, and Funky came out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed.

"Much better," he sighed, "No more negative vibes for now."

DK and Diddy secretly felt relieved that Funky had not discovered Diddy's hidden diapers.

"Well, you do have to rehearse your championship speech a few times before the big night, Diddy," said Takeshi, "I know it sounds weird coming from me since this is your fourth championship, but everyone needs to rehearse."

"I know, Ogasawari-san," replied Diddy.

"The day after the ceremony, you two, … or three if I count your little bird, here, … can return here and enjoy your last few vacation days," added Takeshi with a warm grin, "Your relatives told me about planning to stay here for a little while longer and be home in time for the winter holidays."

"Can't wait for Christmas," said Diddy as he stood up from the couch and put his backpack on his back, "I'm sure you can't wait for the Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights, can ya, DK!?"

"I can't wait, either, Diddy!" replied DK as he also stood up.

"The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights, you say?" said Takeshi, looking interested.

"It's a Kongo Bongo holiday tradition," explained DK, "Every year at Christmastime, we hold this festival of fireworks on Christmas Eve night. It's considered a celebration of being with family."

"Very interesting," grinned Takeshi, "I haven't been able to count the many Kong traditions you have on your island."

All three Kongs giggled as Funky opened the door, with Tiddly chirping some laughs along with them.

"Well, little buddy, I guess we still have so much to explain," commented DK jokingly.

"Yeah!" giggled Diddy.

"Perhaps you can explain some more once we've gotten on the plane," said Takeshi as he finished his fruit slices, "What fine fruit you have here."

DK and Diddy grinned at each other as Takeshi stepped through the doorway.

"I believe we all had better got going," the elder announced, "We don't want to miss the rehearsals, and Diddy, I'm sure you don't wanna miss what your three teammates wish to treat you to."

Diddy smiled as he thought of Ben, Sonic and Tails treating him to some pleasant activities in Tokyo during the week of the ceremony.

"Let's get going, little buddy," said DK as he wrapped an arm around Diddy's back, and the duo stepped outside with Tiddly flying right behind them.

DK then closed the door, and the five all ventured into the southern jungle.

"We managed to find a large strip of smooth grass to land our plane," explained Takeshi, "It's all the way on the south coast of the island. We weren't sure about landing on grass, but since it was the only place to land we had to take the risk."

"In fact, it wasn't all that bad," added Funky.

"At least this island's more friendly in that manner," commented Diddy.

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Half an hour later, the group of five arrived at the large strip of smooth grass on the island's south coast. It wasn't too far from where Funky had dropped off DK, Diddy and Tiddly a few weeks ago, but there was plenty more room for planes the size of Takeshi's to land.

DK, Diddy and Tiddly were treated to the surprising sight of one of Takeshi's personal planes with Nissan/Toyota Racing's logos painted on it in several areas of the fuselage. They knew Takeshi owned at least a few planes, including a large jet that he would fly to each race, but they had never seen this plane before. Apparently, this plane was meant for more private purposes.

"What a nice plane you have here, Ogasawari-san," commented DK.

"Twin propellers, fuel capacity for up to five hundred miles, and cabin seats for up to ten passengers," said Takeshi, "This is one of my two private planes that I use to fly to very important events that involve me but don't involve Enthusia-related subjects. You see, aside from being an Enthusia Professional Cup team owner, I'm also a businessman in my district in Tokyo."

"Wow," gasped Diddy, "I had no idea you were a businessman. I was always under the impression that you were simply a racing team owner, since you ran Nissan's Enthusia team for many years before the Double-Manufacturer Team Era started in 2009 and got you merged with former enemies Toyota."

"I have been a businessman for that long, too," said Takeshi with a warm smile, "I'm one of the best in my district."

DK and Diddy looked at each other with expressions of astonishment.

"Well, let's jump on board. The pilot's waiting inside, and I can assure you the cabin is very comfy. After all, the champion needs some offseason comfortableness," commented Takeshi with a slight chuckle as he slowly walked up the stairs that extended down from the plane door, followed closely by Diddy, then DK and Tiddly.

The pilot was sitting in his seat getting the plane ready to takeoff, then Takeshi walked into the cockpit and they spoke to each other in Japanese with instructions about the upcoming flight.

DK, Diddy, Funky and Tiddly all entered the cabin, which was accompanied by ten seats (five on either side of the aisle), and a small restroom right behind the last row of seats.

Diddy took the right seat in the first row, with DK right behind him. Tiddly flew onto Diddy's lap, and the monkey put on his seat belt and held his bird in his hands. Funky sat behind DK, then Takeshi closed the plane door and appeared in the cabin. He sat in the first seat on the left, next to his champion. A moment later, the pilot turned the engines on, and soon Diddy looked out his window and saw the right wing's propellers spinning. After a few more tense moments, the plane started to move, and it quickly gained speed as it sped down the island's only available runway. Diddy held Tiddly tightly in his arms as they all heard the plane's loud noises and felt the pressure of moving very fast rush around them. A few seconds later, the plane was off the ground, and DK and Diddy took one more gaze at their tropical vacation home. They knew it wasn't goodbye, though, as they would return to that island after the ceremony.

With Takeshi's private plane now maintaining at a constant airspeed at a constant altitude, the Kongs were now on their way to Tokyo.

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Tokyo

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After having to make a few fuel stops, the plane carrying the Kongs was now within sight distance of the brightly-lit Tokyo as the city's lights lit up the night. It had taken more then ten hours of flying time for DK, Diddy, Tiddly, Funky and Takeshi to travel from the Kongs' vacation home to Japan's capital city, and now they could all look out their windows and see the brightly-lit city below them.

Tiddly was utterly astounded, as he had never even seen a picture of Tokyo before, not even a picture from DK and Diddy's past visits here for previous Enthusia awards ceremonies or from his races on the REV CITY street circuit which he raced on twice each year, but now he could get his first glimpse of this beautiful city.

DK was happy to be back in Tokyo. He had always enjoyed visiting here whenever he could, whether it was to bring Diddy to visit Hattori Suzuki's grave for comfort or watching his nephew race on the REV CITY course in Enthusia Professional Cup competition.

Diddy was smiling brightly as he gazed at the city lights below. He loved coming to Tokyo several times a year, not just for racing, but for the fun his teammates often gave him. After all, Sonic and Tails were both VERY frequent visitors to Tokyo. Of course, though, the thought of this being Ben's last ceremony as a driver still lingered in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel torn up inside that after this ceremony they would no longer be on the racetrack together after seventeen years combining the Ridge Racer 64 Series and the Enthusia Professional Cup Series.

After flying over the city for a few minutes, Takeshi's private plane landed on one of the runways of Haneda Airport, one of the Greater Tokyo Area's two primary airports. Diddy was once again holding Tiddly tightly in his arms to keep him calm throughout the landing procedure, while the other passengers held on to the arms of their seats. Once the plane touched the ground, it slowed down and taxied slowly to one of the airport's terminals before parking in an area intended for smaller planes.

Soon, the plane's engines stopped running, and everything fell silent. The pilot then opened the cockpit door and emerged, and he spoke to Takeshi in Japanese. Takeshi nodded his head and undid his seat belt.

"We can get off now," he said with a smile, prompting the Kongs to undo their seat belts and follow the Enthusia team owner as they got off the plane.

Immediately, the noise of the engines from the bigger jet planes filled up their surroundings.

"It sure sounds busy tonight!" commented Diddy as Tiddly jumped onto his shoulder.

"It'll be much quieter in a certain sense once we get in the terminal!" called Takeshi.

The group of five all walked into Terminal 1, and the noise of the jet engines was replaced with the softer sound of travelers that filled up the terminal, some of which were other Enthusia-related individuals who were arriving for the awards ceremony. This was all accompanied by the sound of Japanese lounge music playing on the loudspeakers. As they walked through the terminal, some of the travelers waved at DK and Diddy, obviously recognizing them from their famous video games. A group of young Enthusia fans even excitedly ran up to Diddy and asked for his autograph. The monkey smiled and blushed as he took a pencil out of his backpack and signed his name in autograph fashion on the kids' "Diddy Kong" Enthusia merchandise.

"Are you here for the ceremony, too?" the monkey asked his fans whom he towered over by about one foot.

"Yes!" the kids all said excitedly, "We're visiting here from England!"

"I didn't know you were such a popular racer, Diddy!" chirped Tiddly.

Diddy blushed deep red as he often felt that being called overly popular and surrounded by his many fans often embarrassed and overwhelmed him. DK wrapped an arm around his nephew's back and gently patted him, prompting the monkey to continue on. Being a great racer was one thing, but having such big popularity within the Enthusia community was quite another.

After scrambling past autograph-hungry fans for another few minutes, Diddy and Tiddly managed to bail out by following DK, Funky and Takeshi to the terminal's exit.

"For those of you I didn't get, I promise you'll all get one on the night of the ceremony!" he called as he escaped the mob who waved excitedly at him.

"Are you sure you're really gonna satisfy all of those crazy fans, dude?" asked Funky.

"Just trying to look like the friendliest guy on Earth, Funky," answered Diddy.

"Sometimes it can pay off, but sometimes it won't," said DK.

"I know, big buddy," replied Diddy.

"So, Ogasawari-san," said DK to the team owner, "Seeing that the ceremony's venue changes every year, where is this year's ceremony going to be?"

"This year's ceremony is at Hotel New Otani Tokyo," answered Takeshi, "It's located in the Shibuya ward and holds a great history."

"Really?" said Diddy, feeling interested.

"In fact, since you seem to follow James Bond from time to time, I thought I might tell you that that hotel was actually a filming location for You Only Live Twice," added Takeshi.

"Really!?" shouted Diddy in amazement, "A 007 film was actually filmed there!?"

"That was fifty years ago, though," said Takeshi, "And a lot of things have since changed, but it still has its reputation as one of the most famous hotels in Tokyo, and because of that it has hosted the awards ceremony a couple of times. I believe this will be the seventh time it will be held at Hotel New Otani Tokyo."

"Is the Enthusia awards ceremony always in Tokyo?" asked Tiddly through chirping.

"Yes, it is," answered Diddy, "Different venue every year, but always the same city."

By listening to Diddy, Takeshi registered that Tiddly was asking if the ceremony was always in Tokyo. He was impressed by how smart the bird was.

"Well, everyone, our ride to the Shibuya ward will be waiting for us at the parking lot," Takeshi announced, and he led the Kongs and their bird to the airport's parking lot.

A few minutes later, the five were walking through the parking lot, until Takeshi pointed at a silver 2015 Nissan Leaf.

"Bought this baby earlier this spring," explained Takeshi as they approached the car, "It's an electric car, so it hardly makes any noise while it moves. It's the all-time best selling highway-capable all-electric car."

"How pleasant to have Nissan a leader in the electric car industry," commented Diddy.

"Prepare yourselves for a smooth, quiet ride, folks," announced Takeshi as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and unlocked the doors.

DK and Funky jumped into the back seats, while Diddy sat in the front passenger seat with Tiddly on his lap. Takeshi then stepped into the driving seat and closed his door, and he pushed a button behind the steering wheel that looked like it had a "power" symbol on it. A soft tune played as the car's silent engine started up.

"Wait a minute," said Diddy as he grew confused about something, "Where's the rest of our family?"

"They're already waiting for you," replied Takeshi with a grin as he reversed from his parking spot and accelerated the car towards the exit, "Along with your teammates, the rest of the team, … and a majority of the Enthusia community."

Diddy let out a strange grin as he found that they were entering the northbound side of the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway. He couldn't have imagined that the other Kongs were already at the hotel.

Takeshi drove at a constant speed of 45 miles per hour northbound on the Bayshore Route, since 80 kilometers per hour (or 49 miles per hour) was the Bayshore Route's speed limit. This gave the Kongs a good roadside view of some of Tokyo's offices and buildings as they steadily made their way towards the more crowded area of Tokyo.

---

After traveling for nearly ten miles on the Bayshore Route, Takeshi turned onto the No. 11 Daiba Route westbound towards the C1 Inner Circular Loop of the Shuto Expressway.

"Here's something you may not see everyday, but I see quite frequently," said Takeshi gently patting Diddy's shoulder as they approached …

… the Rainbow Bridge.

"WOW!" Diddy shouted in amazement, with Tiddly looking on with a wide open mouth.

As the large supports went higher, the color changed from green to yellow, and finally to red at the top.

"Look at those amazing colors, DK!" said Diddy.

"Why don't I see blue, though?" asked DK, feeling confused.

"The blue is below the bridge, so you can't see it unless you're on a boat or at a certain vantage point where you can see the whole bridge," explained Takeshi, "The blue is not visible to the cars traveling on it. The rainbow colors only appear at night, since they're powered by solar energy obtained from the sun at daytime."

"Hmm," said Diddy.

Takeshi's Nissan Leaf traveled smoothly across the Rainbow Bridge, and within another minute they were approaching the Inner Circular Loop, which was signed as C1. The Nissan/Toyota Racing team boss blended into the left lane to merge onto the outer loop, lowering his speed to 30 miles per hour as the Loop had a lower speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour). Within less than a minute, Diddy spotted a tall tower glowing in orange. Takeshi noticed Diddy's eyes widening as he stared at the tower.

"That's Tokyo Tower," he said with a grin, "Second-tallest structure in Japan."

"Wow," sighed Diddy.

It was barely any time at all before Takeshi turned onto Route 3 at Tanimachi JCT, which led straight to Shibuya.

"We're almost there," he said, "This is the last highway we have to travel on before we reach our destination, I promise you. Shibuya is just ahead."

Sure enough, they ended up getting off at the next exit, and after a few more intersections in the middle of the Shibuya ward, they finally made it to a large building with an average-sized parking lot. Over the front entrance, a large sign said, "The New Otani."

"This is it," announced Takeshi, "We're here. Hotel New Otani Tokyo."

Diddy felt butterflies in his stomach as he stared at the hotel. He couldn't wait for the moment he would get to not just see the other Kongs, but also spend time with his three teammates, which was what he especially couldn't wait for!

Takeshi parked his Leaf in a spot near the entrance and shut the near-silent engine off. Then, the five all undid their seat belts and got out.

The air around them felt cold as the December temperatures chilled their surroundings. DK, Diddy, Funky, Tiddly and Takeshi all walked quickly towards the front entrance. Once the hotel employee at the entrance recognized them, they were allowed in.

"Right then," said Takeshi as he stopped in front of the Kongs and pulled out a few room cards before handing one out to each primate, "Nissan/Toyota Racing's suite is all set up on the fourth floor, so here's how we've sorted things out: Funky, you and the other Kongs have a pair of three rooms, three Kongs each. You, Cranky and Candy share one room, while Dixie, Tiny and Kiddy share another room, and Chunky and Lanky have the third room."

"Got every word clearly, dude," replied Funky as he took the first card.

"Best if you keep that card so you remember what your room number is," informed Takeshi, "Cranky and Candy will already be there, so just knock and they should let you in."

"Got it," answered Funky, and he stepped into a nearby elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor.

"As for you two gentlemen," Takeshi turned to DK and Diddy, "I wish I could have placed you both in the same room, but I wasn't quite able to pull that off."

DK and Diddy sighed sadly as the ape wrapped an arm around his nephew's back.

"Here's how it'll go," Takeshi began, "DK, you share one of the rooms with the other race engineers, next to the rooms where the pit crews are staying."

DK took the card containing his room number, and he kept his arm wrapped around Diddy's back just to show his affection and family love towards him for as long as he could before they had to part ways for the night.

"And, of course, Diddy, our four-time champion," said Takeshi, smiling down at Diddy, "You have the drivers' room, shared with Ben, Sonic and Tails."

"Really!?" said Diddy excitedly as Takeshi handed him the card that contained the number of the drivers' room of the Nissan/Toyota Racing suite.

"I'm sure all three of them are looking forward to seeing you again," beamed Takeshi.

"Looks like you've got quite a good week ahead of ya, little buddy!" chuckled DK.

"I can't wait to see those guys again!" replied Diddy.

"Um, … where am I going to be sleeping during our stay here?" chirped Tiddly.

Diddy translated for Takeshi, "He says, 'Where am I going to be sleeping during our stay here?"

"Why, yes, how could I have forgotten?" said Takeshi, "I do apologize for that. I should get a little more familiar with the fact that you have an adorable pet by your side, Diddy."

"No problem," said Diddy, as Tiddly nodded in agreement.

"Tiddly, since you can easily get around by flying, I suppose you can join Diddy in the drivers' room and get a chance to meet Ben, Sonic and Tails," Takeshi informed Tiddly.

Tiddly gasped in excitement after hearing that. He had heard many stories from DK and Diddy about Sonic the Hedgehog, and now he would get a chance to meet not just him, but his famous sidekick as well.

"Well, you both have a good night, and I'll see you tomorrow at the speech rehearsals," said Takeshi as he parted ways with the Kongs, "I have a room with my wife and kids in the Nissan/Toyota Racing suite, and they're all waiting for me so I'd better head up there right away. Goodnight, Kongs."

"Goodnight, Ogasawari-san," the Kongs said together as Takeshi entered a second elevator.

"Well, little buddy, in just three nights, you'll be the shining star right in the banquet room of this hotel," said DK warmly as he kept Diddy's back in a warm embrace, and the two Kongs hopped on a third elevator.

Once all three were in the elevator, Diddy pressed the "4" button, and the elevator doors closed, and they all felt the shaft moving upwards until the "4" lit up over the door, indicating that they had arrived on the fourth floor. The doors opened, and the trio got out and stepped into a hallway intersection.

"Now then, we need to find the Nissan/Toyota Racing suite," said DK.

"I'm sure that each of the four Professional Cup teams are on a different floor, so it shouldn't be too hard to find," said Diddy, and the duo and their bed started wandering the fourth floor to find their suite.

Eventually, they stumbled across a hallway with the Nissan/Toyota Racing logo on a sign hanging over the ceiling.

"We found it, little buddy," said DK.

"Oh boy," chuckled Diddy as the butterflies in his stomach became very obvious.

Before long, DK had found a door with the number matching the one on his card, indicating that this was to be his room that he shared with Ben's, Sonic's and Tails' race engineers.

"I guess I've just found the race engineers' room, little buddy," said DK as he crouched down and hugged Diddy tightly, knowing that this was the final time tonight they would get a chance to cuddle before bed.

Diddy happily wrapped his arms around DK's back, and he kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, big Donkey-buddy," the monkey whispered.

"I love you, too, little Diddy-buddy," the ape replied in a whisper, "Have a good time with your teammates, my little nephew."

"I will, my big uncle," replied Diddy, "You have a good time with the other race engineers, too."

"I will, Diddy. We all get along very well now," chuckled DK.

Diddy chuckled back, and the two disengaged.

"Goodnight, Diddy," said DK as he brought his hand to the doorknob of the race engineers' room.

"Goodnight, DK," replied Diddy, and his uncle opened the door and was instantly welcomed in by the three other race engineers, those of Diddy's teammates walking in and closing the door, leaving Diddy alone with Tiddly.

With his pet bird on his shoulder, the monkey slowly looked at each door of the large suite, hoping to find the drivers' room …

---

...

---

I was sitting at the small counter, playing a game of "Sudoku" on my Android just to keep myself from getting bored. I had been dreading this speech as it would be the moment I said my final farewells as a driver and would soon begin the transition from driver to lead strategist. This season had not been an easy one for me, as I posted the lowest numbers of my ten-year career, but still managed to finish fourth in the Professional Cup championship with two wins. Overall, I found 2016 to be quite a good season for it to be my final year.

Sonic and Tails were sitting together on the couch, having a pleasant brotherly conversation. They often rotated between talking about the Enthusia season, the upcoming ceremony, what we all planned to do while here in Tokyo, and, of course, their previous encounters with Eggman. It was a weird feeling to be in the same room with Sonic and Tails with no one else in the room, but I knew that wouldn't last forever, as Diddy was expected to arrive soon. While I greatly enjoyed being in the company of Sonic and Tails, I couldn't wait to meet up with Diddy, since he had talked to me a few weeks ago about wanting to spend a lot of time with me before the ceremony. He had been dreading my farewell speech even more than I was, and I knew he wouldn't take this very well. In my mind, I pictured Diddy bursting into tears once I finished my speech during the ceremony Wednesday night.

"Hey, Ben?" I heard Tails say as I still had my eyes on the 'Sudoku' puzzle on my Android.

Luckily for him, I was just filling in the final empty space, completing the puzzle, and I turned the screen off and put my Android in my black jacket's pocket before looking into Tails' eyes as he stood right in front of me.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I was curious; what would you consider to be the biggest race of your career? Since you're going into retirement, Sonic and I thought we might ask," said Tails as he sat on the stool next to mine.

I thought for a minute and looked back at all the highlights I had over the past decade. Sure, I may have earned myself a reputation for being one of the early 21st Century greats, but aside from that I also thought about the races that contained lots of emotion, not just about special significance or coincidence.

Only one particular race could enter my head at that moment …

"I'd have to say … the 2010 Nürburgring Finale."

Sonic perked up and stood next to his little brother as we looked into each others' eyes.

"I'll always remember that day. Even today I'm impressed with how eventful a debut I had," said Sonic, remembering that emotional race six years ago.

"What really brings that race to my mind is how much emotion was surrounding our team at the time … after … Hattori's death," I began, "It was a really difficult time for us, and Diddy, Bowser Junior and I were all in a three-on-one championship battle with Al Reder, Jr., but Hattori's death nearly brought the whole team down."

"I may not have been there, but I do think about that day," said Tails.

"Once we got Sonic on the team to fill in for Hattori, our expectations were high, but none of us were sure if we were gonna be able to pull it off at the Nürburgring," I continued, "What makes that race special to me is how quickly we were able to overcome the emotion of tragedy and put in so much determination and guts to sweep the podium at the end of that race. It was only fitting that Diddy won that day, not just the race but also the championship, because, as you both know very well, he was affected by Hattori's death more badly than it did anyone else, … so it was very emotional for him. It was emotional for the whole team because we all proved that we were able to move on and keep Hattori's spirits alive, but it was especially emotional for Diddy. I will never forget the happy tears that streamed down his face when he lifted the championship trophy that day. It was so special, and it always will be special."

"Everyone will remember that race," said Sonic, "I don't really think about the fact that I qualified on pole position on my debut to surprise everyone in the whole paddock. I only think about how the team's emotions rose after the race, and everyone was ready to move on like one big family."

"Well, … sort of," I spoke up, "Diddy and Bowser Junior had never been the best of teammates, and Hattori's death caused a permanent strain in their relationship, and Diddy refused to speak to Junior for weeks at a time because he partially blamed him for Hattori's death. So, the tragedy not only affected the team's emotions; it also affected the team chemistry."

"I can remember seeing Diddy glaring at Junior very frequently whenever nobody was looking," recalled Sonic, "I was driving the Toyota Supra at the time, and I was gaining a hunch that their careers were going to go in opposite directions."

"Turns out you were right," said Tails, "Diddy ended up being the new guy to win everything, while Junior ended up slumping dramatically over the next few years and eventually got fired, which was what got me into this team."

"I guess it also goes to show that such a tragedy can have a lasting effect," I explained, "It caused a chain reaction that, over a period of two and a half years, led to Junior's undoing."

Sonic and Tails both nodded their heads as they showed thoughtful expressions on their faces. I knew they were thinking about how Hattori's death affected Nissan/Toyota Racing dramatically over a period of a few years.

Just then, I heard the sound of our door being knocked on. Since it was past 10 PM, I was sure that it could be anybody.

Sonic sped towards the door and in an instant had gone from standing next to Tails to having his hand on the doorknob. The blue hedgehog opened the door, and I heard a very familiar voice …

"You guys have room for one more?"

Tails and I stood up from our stools and looked over to the doorway, and I smiled at the sight of Diddy Kong standing right at the doorway. I couldn't have been happier to see my best friend joining us after we had spent the last 24 hours wondering why he hadn't shown up in Tokyo yet, but that no longer mattered now that he was here.

"Well, if it isn't the four-time champion!" greeted Sonic as he stepped aside and let Diddy into the room before closing the door.

The little monkey walked towards us, and it was then that I noticed a little bird sitting on his shoulder. The bird looked so adorable, yet I had never recalled seeing it before.

"Great to see you again, Diddy!" greeted Tails, and the monkey and fox shared a high-five.

"Sorry that I couldn't let you have two straight golds," said Diddy jokingly, referring to the fact that Tails had won last year's championship and ended up as the runner-up in this year's championship.

"I don't mind that, bud," replied Tails with a chuckle, "The fact is that we've had a great season and it's time to enjoy reflecting on it before we focus on next year."

"Speaking of next year, though," sighed Diddy before he turned his eyes over to me, with Sonic and Tails doing the same thing.

I looked into the eyes of all three of my teammates, and I could tell what they were expressing as if I was reading them like a book. They were all going to miss having me on the track next year, but with Knuckles the Echidna set to take my seat in 2017, I was sure that they were all in for great times in the years to come. The fact is, though, I had been one of the most important figures in Nissan/Toyota Racing's short history, having been the team's "Captain" over the last several years, and this trio greatly respected me on and off the track, and they all enjoyed having me as a friend, but none more than Diddy, whom I had been racing partners with for nearly two decades! In that perspective, I was sharing the same pain as he was.

Then, Diddy ran over to me on all fours and jumped onto my lap before tightly hugging me, which caught me by surprise. He knew I wasn't so crazy about hugging people anymore, but he couldn't help it since this was a time when it seemed as if we were parting ways forever, even though we weren't. So, I gently hugged him back, and he leaked a few tears from his eyes as if he was so overjoyed to see me.

"Say, Diddy, who's that cute little friend you brought with ya?" asked Sonic.

Diddy and I disengaged, and the bird whom was on his shoulder appeared to blush, which I found so cute since his cheeks were small.

"Guys," Diddy began, "I'd like you to meet my little pet bird, … Tiddly."

"Hey there, Tiddly," greeted Tails softly, waving a hand at Diddy's bird.

"Nice to meet ya," added Sonic.

I looked into Tiddly's eyes, and he looked as if he could recognize me immediately, even though I had no idea why.

"It's nice to meet you," I spoke gently to him before looking into Diddy's eyes again, "I had no idea you had another pet bird, Diddy, … well, other than Squawks."

"Tiddly and I met two and a half years ago in the Kongo Jungle, and he followed me around for a while before I went back home. He's lived with me ever since," said Diddy, smiling with pride at his bird, "We've since grown a great bond, and he's helped me get out of a few sticky situations."

"Sounds like you've got one loyal pet there, Diddy," said Sonic.

"He is quite charming, isn't he?" added Tails.

Tiddly then let out a few adorable chirps, and it sounded as if he was trying to say something, but I didn't have a clue what he was saying, and neither did Sonic or Tails.

"Tiddly says 'thanks for the compliments'," Diddy translated his chirps into English.

I couldn't help but comment, "Wow. Smart little guy."

"It's too bad I didn't bring my translator," said Tails.

"Which especially sucks because I'm terrible at Japanese," I added.

"Even though you've been on this Japanese team for ten years?" asked Sonic.

"I never took the time to learn much Japanese due to my terrible tendencies to end up on stressful schedules," I replied with some sarcasm.

I heard a few giggles from Diddy, as he seemed to have gained laughter fuel from hearing that.

"The way you say certain things never ceases to amuse me," the monkey chuckled.

"Well, what can I say? Even though I'm not the most social guy in the world, I'm still a big fan of humor," I added.

"Hmm, I wonder who will be the driver to produce the most humor next year?" said Sonic, "It'll probably be me!"

"Or me," replied Diddy.

"Either way, I'm pretty sure it'll be one of you two," Tails said to Diddy and Sonic, "Knuckles and I aren't quite the best fans of humor."

"Ya got that right, bro!" agreed Sonic.

Diddy giggled for a few seconds before he turned back over to me, and he gave me another (sort of) sad expression. Even though I wasn't leaving the team, I was still not going to be on the racetrack next year, and that was something the monkey had been dreading. I was set to become the team's lead strategist in 2017, and even having my voice in his ear from time to time would not feel the same as having me on the track in the Nissan R390 GT1 that I had driven for ten whole seasons (210 straight starts, to be exact).

"I'm really gonna miss having you on the track next year, Ben," Diddy said solemnly, "I wish you didn't have to retire this soon."

"I'm not retiring entirely from racing," I reassured him as I placed my hand on his right shoulder, "Not only will I be the team's lead strategist, but I might also compete in another series that offers more challenges … as long as it doesn't interfere with my personal schedules."

"Wasn't your personal schedules one of the reasons why you decided to quit competing in Enthusia after this year?" asked Diddy.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I have so much going on at home that running two hundred laps on a track over a period of five or six hours has become quite a burden. Not like I'm suffering from racing burnout or anything like that, but you've seen that my numbers were considerably lower this year than they had been in past seasons."

"You wanted to leave while you could still have at least sixty percent of your potential leftover, didn't you?" said Sonic.

"It makes sense," added Tails, "You simply didn't want to retire at the bottom. You wanted everyone to see that you could still win races, and you have."

"It was around 2012 when my career was at my peak," I told the trio, "Back then, I was capable of winning anything, but in the years that followed I began to have a small downfall in performance in some areas, and I couldn't win as much as I used to. That's why I thought that now was the time, to make an exit near the top while I still had a chance."

"You made a wise choice," Tails complimented me, "You'll forever have a reputation for being one of the best of the twenty-first century."

I smiled at the fox, and within a second, all three of my teammates were smiling at me, with Diddy shedding a few tears. Even Tiddly was smiling at me. He seemed to understand how much Diddy and I meant to each other as best friends and teammates, as we had been best friends for nearly two decades, and teammates for seventeen years.

"I will miss getting to be on those tracks, but I can't wait to start the next chapter of my racing career," I said, "I'm actually looking forward to my new position."

"You'll do great as lead strategist, bud," Sonic encouraged me.

"It'll be nice to have your voice in our ears when Knuckles joins the lineup!" added Tails, "After all, you did make a great team captain."

"In that perspective, I assume I'll be taking the role of captain next year," said Diddy, sounding like he was joking, but I wrapped an arm around his back and nodded my head to confirm that he WOULD be taking my place as team captain, as only racers could have that position and he would take over as leading active driver with both me and Al Reder, Jr. retiring.

"Well, Diddy, since you won the championship this year, … Ben, Tails and I wanted to treat you to a little something," Sonic pointed out.

Tails and I both flashed grins at Diddy as we quickly remembered a special surprise, us and Sonic wanted to treat Diddy to. We were all sure he would enjoy it!

"Really!?" Diddy said with excitement in his voice that always made me smile from his cuteness, "Ogasawari-san had mentioned to me about something you all wanted to do for me."

"And he's right," I confirmed.

"Oh boy!" Diddy said with excitement still pouring out from his voice.

I could tell my longtime best friend couldn't wait for this pleasant surprise, and it wouldn't be long before he got his wish …

---

Monday, December 12

---

After the four of us had spent our first night in the hotel suite at Hotel New Otani Tokyo, we all had to rehearse for our speeches for Wednesday night's ceremony. Sonic was being his flashy self with his ever-so-cocky personality, Tails was taking a very gentle approach towards what would be his runner-up speech, and Diddy tried his best not to become emotional as he read through his self-written script of his speech. Unlike many of the drivers who relied on the event's writers to provide them with speeches, Diddy preferred to write his own speeches so that he delivered with his own complete flavor of words. He always liked being unique with his speeches.

I took my rehearsal very smoothly as I studied over what was to become my farewell speech. In addition to finishing fourth in the championship, behind all three of my teammates, for the second year in a row, I would also get to share with everyone the best moments of my career, and how I wished everyone in Enthusia the best in the future after I had retired from driving.

Everyone in the Enthusia community was expecting an emotional farewell from both me and Al Reder, Jr., one of the great seven-time champions who was also going into retirement after racing in the Professional Cup Series for 23 years. The 42-year-old from North Carolina was receiving a lot more praise than he had been over the past few years because of how his aggressive driving style had not earned him a lot of allies over the years, but his 90s and early-00s fans had admired him, until I showed up on the circuit in 2007 and dethroned him immediately by becoming the first (and only) rookie to win the championship, and he never won another title after that. My arrival had essentially ended the Al Reder, Jr. era of Enthusia dominance, and Nissan/Toyota Racing soon became the most dominant team in the sport, winning the Team's Championship every year since 2009, when the Double-Manufacturer Team Era began.

Usually, only the top three championship finishers and the Rookie of the Year would get to make speeches, along with the championship-winning team owner, but since there were no rookies in 2016, only me, Al, Diddy, Sonic and Tails would be making speeches, with all other drivers and teams in the series in attendance. Al and I were only allowed to make speeches this year because of this being a special occasion (our retirements), while my teammates all swept the top three in the championship (with Sonic finishing third in points, Tails being the runner-up and Diddy becoming the champion). The ceremony would also be filled with lots of video material reviewing the 2016 season, and some other awards to be given out throughout the night.

After we rehearsed our speeches, along with Al, several times each over the course of Monday afternoon, with Nissan/Toyota Racing team owner Takeshi Ogasawari giving us the thumbs up as he approved each of our speeches, Diddy, Sonic, Tails and I all got permission from Takeshi to pay a visit to Akihabara Electric Town, a nineteen-minute drive northeast of the hotel (with Takeshi driving us), while Tiddly had decided to stay with DK. While Sonic and Tails had visited here many times, Diddy and I knew little to nothing about the district, but we were both interested to see what it was like. During the journey, Tails mentioned to Diddy that this was where we had wanted to treat him to his fancy surprise.

At 6 PM, we arrived at Akihabara, and Takeshi parked his silver Nissan Leaf in front of one of the anime centers. Diddy, Sonic, Tails and I all got out and admired the brightly-lit city of pop culture around us.

"I'll pick you guys up here at ten," Takeshi informed us as I closed the front passenger-side door of his car.

"We'll be here," I replied, and the boss drove off.

"So, Sonic?" said Diddy.

"What's to ask, Diddy?" said Sonic with his usual smirk, which Diddy giggled at.

"Where exactly are we going, anyway?" the monkey asked the hedgehog, "Now that we're in this fancy city."

"I'm glad you asked, bud," replied Sonic, "We're heading over to Club Sega. Tails and I have set up a little something for you in there."

"Hmm, if it's something Sega-related, then I'm sure it must be something cool," said Diddy.

"You'll definitely like it, Diddy," said Tails.

"We put quite a lot of effort into it, too," I added, "This is something you can't miss."

"Oh boy! You suddenly have me so excited!" shouted Diddy with a playful voice.

"Lead the way, bro!" Tails told Sonic.

"Right then, this way, guys!" Sonic signaled for us to follow him.

Tons of locals fans went crazy as they watched the four of us strolling through Akihabara Electric Town. Some wanted our autographs, but we had to persuade them that we didn't have any writing utensils with us, and that they would all be welcome at the autograph session in the hotel after the ceremony. I really wondered if we would be able to fulfill EVERYONE'S wishes, though.

---

After a while, I looked up and gasped in shock. Just ahead of us was a large red building with the blue "SEGA" logo on top. There was a large poster below the logo showing something SEGA or anime-related, though I couldn't tell exactly what it was. Just above the entrance doors was a sign that read, "Club Sega." I was truly astounded by the magnificent sight that lay before my very eyes. Since it was nighttime, the building and its surroundings were so extraordinarily beautiful. I suddenly felt as if I couldn't wait to walk inside and see for myself what it was really like in there.

"By the way," said Diddy as we waited for traffic to drive by so we could take the last crosswalk before we reached the building, "I saw your 'GP World' review episode last week."

Sonic and Tails both grinned and replied, "Really?"

"Yeah! I found it very interesting, driving an F1 car on full-motion video powered by a laserdisc," added Diddy as we finally started crossing the last street, "I was especially astounded to find Tsukuba Circuit in the game! I couldn't have imagined seeing one of the Enthusia tracks as it was like more than thirty years ago!"

"I know, right!?" chuckled Tails, "Not many people really heard about that game."

"I have," I spoke up, "I was looking up YouTube videos of the original 'Out Run' game, and all of a sudden I stumbled upon 'GP World', since it was also made by SEGA, and I thought it was amazing for its time."

"It was," agreed Sonic, "Laserdiscs have long since been killed off, but they did have a good role in eighties arcades and home video releases of movies."

"I wasn't even aware that laserdiscs even existed until I discovered 'GP World'," I admitted, emphasizing on the word, 'existed.'

"Really?" Sonic and Tails both said as they exchanged confused looks with me.

"Yeah," I replied, "I didn't grow up around laserdiscs. I grew up around VHS video tapes."

"A lot of people your age did," Tails told me.

"I will admit, I thought the synth music really wasn't that bad at all," I admitted.

"I liked it, too," put in Diddy as we made it to the end of the crosswalk and were now just inches away from the entrance, "I have a good taste for synthesizers. They fit in very well with those dance music genres, like drum and bass."

"I'm with you one hundred percent on that one, buddy," I agreed with Diddy, and we palmed each others' hands to show off our longtime friendship.

"Well, … we're here," announced Sonic.

"With two first-timers," added Tails.

It was quite true; neither me or Diddy had ever been to Akihabara before, so I was sure this was going to be a pleasant first visit for both of us. I couldn't wait to see Diddy's reaction, though. Aside from that, I couldn't wait to see what the place itself had to offer.

Sonic opened the door just as a few other fans came out (all teenage girls), all screaming with delight as they recognized us as Enthusia's Fantastic Four.

"Happens every time," commented Sonic.

"Popularity effect," smirked Tails.

Diddy and I simply giggled, and we all walked through the doorway …

Our eyes were met with the fantastic sight of rooms filled with SEGA arcades galore! Just about every SEGA arcade from the present era was here, and I couldn't even recognize hardly a fraction of them! I felt like I was in a completely different universe that was welcoming me as an extra-terrestrial being.

Diddy, likewise, was astounded by the sight of the many SEGA arcades that filled the building. He couldn't have imagined being in a place like this. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was wide open. I could tell right then and there that he felt exactly the same as I did; that we were complete strangers to a world that was not familiar to us.

"Sonic and Tails!" said a nearby employee, a male with glasses, "It's great to see you two again!"

"Good to see you, too," said Tails as he shook hands with the employee.

"We've got a few guests with us tonight, and we're here for a certain something," informed Sonic.

"Why, yes," replied the employee, "I shall lead you there immediately. Follow me."

"C'mon, guys," Sonic told me and Diddy.

The four of us all followed the employee that led us through several arcade rooms, before we came up to a hallway that led to another room. I could tell immediately that this was the room Sonic and Tails had set up for us to reveal Diddy's surprise.

The employee opened the door with a key, and the four of us walked into the small, dimly-lit room.

"Which one of you two guests is the one receiving this product?" the employee asked as he looked at me and Diddy.

"Diddy," I said, pointing to my best friend.

"Diddy … Kong, … is it?" asked the employee.

"Uh, … y-yeah," said Diddy shyly.

"We never get visits from Nintendo characters, but this rare occasion must be something to cherish," said the employee, "Sonic, Tails, … I'll leave you to it."

The man then left the room and left the four of us in. We then looked at a large tarp that appeared to have an arcade machine with a seat covered within. I knew immediately what this was, and so did Sonic and Tails, but Diddy remained clueless as to what game this contained, but since this was Club Sega we were in, the first clue was a game that involved SEGA.

Sonic, Tails and I all walked over to different areas of the tarp, and we each grasped a part of the bottom end before standing back up.

"Well, Diddy," Sonic began, "We all know you've been asking for something like this for a few years now."

"And after you beat me in this year's Enthusia Professional Cup championship, … I felt persuaded to complete the finishing touches as soon as I could, and now it's finally ready," added Tails.

"This isn't just an early Christmas present … or just a championship gift," I put in, wanting to sound as sincere as I possibly could, "This is a gift we wish to give you because you've been a great friend to all of us."

"Your nineteen-year friendship with Ben, and your kind and loyal friendship with Tails and I … have created a great bond that has turned us into a pair of four brothers it seems like," said Sonic, "Our Enthusia partnership only made it stronger."

"The moment Sonic and I met you for the first time, you were the kindest monkey we had ever came across," said Tails, making Diddy blush and smile, "How could any of us have known that we would eventually become teammates on one of the toughest racing series of them all?"

"I'm so glad to have met both of you, too," Diddy said happily to Sonic and Tails, then he turned towards me, "And I'm especially happy that you and I have been great friends and partners for many years, Ben."

I beamed at the monkey with a smile before Sonic continued with the presentation.

"Diddy Kong, … for your friendship, partnership, kindness and loyalty to all of us, … we are proud to present you … with this specially-made cabinet," the hedgehog finished.

Then, slowly but surely, Sonic and Tails removed the tarp as they stood on either side of the cabinet, starting from the seat, before they eventually reached my end, and I finished off the tarp by dragging it off the rest of the cabinet.

We all looked into Diddy's eyes so we could see his reaction, and it was truly priceless. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was agape as he stared at the cabinet …

This cabinet was a racing arcade machine with a single red and black player seat, a steering wheel with paddle shifters, and a six-speed gear shifter. The screen was an LCD 1080p. Painted on the sides of the red cabinet were the original "Out Run" logo from 1986, and the modern "OutRun" logo from 2003 directly below it. The sign that lit up over the screen was decorated with a combination of the two logos. On the back of the seat was the Ferrari Prancing Horse emblem, and the "Scuderia Ferrari" shield accompanied the "OutRun" logos on the sides of the cabinet.

Sonic, Tails and I had all known that Diddy had a soft spot for the modern Out Run games, since he was fascinated by the 'Magical Sound Shower' song, and he also was a fan of Ferrari. Now was the time to give him a gift he had truly deserved after we had worked hard on it for a couple of years.

The little monkey slowly walked towards the seat of the cabinet, and he sat down and gazed at the control panel right in front of him, which included the steering wheel, the six-speed gear shifter, a gas pedal and brake pedal for his feet, a "Camera" button, an "Options" button, and a dashboard that resembled that of the 2002 Enzo Ferrari.

"Well, Diddy, … whaddaya think?" asked Tails.

Diddy didn't answer immediately. He was too busy admiring the control panel.

Sonic walked over to the simian and snapped his finger in front of him to gain his attention, "Earth to Diddy!"

That did the trick, and Diddy shot up and looked at Sonic.

"You like it, Diddy?" asked Tails.

"Like it?" Diddy replied softly before he screamed in delight, "I LOVE IT! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I AM LOOKING AT! THIS IS WAY BEYOND AWESOME!"

"That's only the beginning, Diddy!" I chuckled, which got the little monkey even more excited, "Tails, … would you like to do the honors?"

"With pleasure!" the two-tailed fox delightfully beamed, and he flipped on the power switch, "Prepare yourself, Diddy! Bon appétit!"

In an instant, we all heard the sound of the machine starting up, and in a moment, the LCD screen turned on and displayed an animated "Warming Up" sign, before it played a short CGI video of a Ferrari traveling down a highway in the middle of a beach. A moment later, the Ferrari blasted away from the camera, and a large custom-made "OutRun Universe" logo appeared in front of a white background. Finally, the logo shrunk and panned to the top of the screen as the logos of several games slid onto the screen …

"Out Run" from 1986, "Turbo Out Run" from 1989, "OutRunners" from 1992, "OutRun 2" from 2003, and finally, "OutRun 2 SP" from 2004.

This was immediately joined by a cursor that pointed at the original "Out Run" logo, along with the words, "Steer to Select; Push Gas to Play," and a picture of the "Options" button appeared on the bottom right corner of the screen.

In the background, the sound of ocean waves could be heard, and an animated background featured a thirty-second clip of a beach highway being traveled on, playing in a continuous loop.

"Oh my! What on earth am I looking at here!?" said Diddy in amazement.

"This isn't just any old "Out Run" machine," said Tails, "I used my special programming techniques to turn this thing into an Out Run arcade historian's dream!"

"This thing can play all five of the major arcade releases of the Out Run series," added Sonic, "All in this one cabinet!"

"What!?" yelled Diddy with his mouth once again agape, "How could that be possible!?"

"When Tails is involved, anything is possible!" I replied, making Tails beam with pride.

"Not much has changed within the games themselves, except I converted 'OutRunners' into a never-before-seen single player version since that game had exclusively been on multiplayer cabinets," the kistune explained, "Other than that, the other four are almost original."

"Wow!" said Diddy as he started turning the steering wheel to select one of the games, "I think I'll play one now and save the other ones for after the holiday hype!"

I stood behind the monkey and leaned one hand on the back of his seat, while Sonic and Tails flanked him on either side. Then, Diddy selected "OutRun 2 SP," and its logo zoomed in while the others disappeared. The logo then zoomed out and disappeared into the center of the screen while a "Loading" message appeared for a couple of seconds.

In no time, the title screen for "OutRun 2 SP" played, accompanied with a message on the bottom saying, "Push Gas to Start; Push Brake to Return to Game Select; Push Option to Adjust Game Settings."

"Oh boy! This is gonna be fun!" shouted Diddy as he pressed his right foot against the gas pedal, and the car selection screen appeared.

"Ah yes, those beautiful Italian wishes for any car enthusiast of the world," commented Sonic.

Diddy selected the Enzo Ferrari and accompanied it with the "Manual Transmission" option. This was followed by the game mode selection, and the monkey selected "OutRun Mode." Finally came the music selection, and Diddy scrolled through the music until he found the original 1986 version of "Magical Sound Shower."

"This is it!" he said excitedly as the game loaded, and his car was at the starting line.

Another surprise then awaited him as he accelerated after the "Go!" signal …

As Diddy's car began to move, the gauges on the cabinet's dashboard actually began to function! A tachometer needle was showing his RPMs, and a red light flashed to remind him to shift up a gear, which he did by using the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The digital speedometer constantly changed its numbers as the car's speed increased, until the car reached the game's top speed for a "Professional-Level" car without slipstreaming: 186 miles per hour. While slipstreaming, the car's speed would increase to 192 miles per hour.

"The external dashboard actually works?" said Diddy in astonishment as he sped through the first stage, "Sunny Beach."

"Yep!" replied Tails, "Seat and dashboard styled to that of the 2002 Enzo Ferrari, tachometer and speedometer programmed to monitor your car's speed and RPMs as you play the game! This is functional for all five games, and the speedometer supports both miles and kilometers!"

"WHOA!" screamed Diddy in amazement as the first fork appeared, indicating the end of the first stage.

Diddy took the right fork, and the sky changed colors as he entered the "National Park" stage and passed the checkpoint, adding time to his countdown timer.

During the second half of this stage, Diddy had to drift in some corners by briefly getting off the gas and tapping the brakes while turning in the direction of the road's curve. This got the car sideways as it drifted through the turns in style.

After a series of consecutive hairpins, the second fork lay ahead, and Diddy once again went to the right, which brought up the "Canyon" stage as the skies turned yellow and orange before the checkpoint was passed.

"This is fun!" Diddy said happily as he enjoyed himself tremendously.

"I always loved this stage," I said as I admired the scenery of the 'Canyon' stage, which was based off the Grand Canyon and had always been one of my favorite stages in "SP."

Once the monkey circled around a lake, the next right-hand turn led to the third fork, and, as I expected, he turned right, heading straight for his favorite stage: the Jungle, based off the Amazon.

Diddy smiled brightly as he admired the "Jungle" stage. To me, it seemed to remind him of his home island, Kongo Bongo.

This particular stage was very tricky, as it required precise drifting in nearly every turn, but the little simian managed to survive the jungle without incident, and before long the final fork appeared.

"One more stage to go, and I'm going to New York!" Diddy said in a playful manner as he once again turned to the right and headed for the New York City-based "Skyscrapers" stage.

After passing the final checkpoint, Diddy found himself journeying through several different landmarks of New York City; starting with the Brooklyn Bridge, then a tiny version of Central Park, which led straight to Times Square. The hairpin in Times Square was the tightest hairpin in the whole game, and he had to slow down tremendously to make the turn without crashing into the wall, shifting down a few gears in the process. He eventually regained a little bit of speed through the next few tight right-hand turns that went straight through the city, before he turned left towards a more open area. The Statue of Liberty could now be seen, and the "GOAL" line was right next to it. Diddy sped towards the finish line, and the instant he went across, a female voice said, "Congratulations," as the car screeched to a stop right in front of the Statue of Liberty. The external tachometer's needle immediately spun all the way back to zero, and the digital speedometer instantly changed to "0."

The score was then counted before an end credits sequence was shown, followed by a full map of the "SP" course as it reviewed the route Diddy had taken, which was, in fact, the most difficult route on the map! This was accompanied by the "OutRun 2" version of "Last Wave."

Then, the "Best OutRunners" screen appeared, and a license plate took up the screen as a number "one" glittered on it. Diddy entered his initials as "DDK," and his name and score was listed on the top slot of the "Goal-E" scoreboard for those whom had ended the game at "Skyscrapers."

Finally, … "Game Over," and everything was silent for three seconds.

"Wow! That was so much fun!" Diddy said eccentrically as the "OutRun 2 SP" title screen appeared again, followed by the game's "Attract Mode."

"We all knew you'd love it!" chuckled Sonic.

"Our friendship gift to you, old pal!" I added as I playfully patted the back of his head, making him giggle in response.

"For what we've accomplished together as a race team, and for what you've done for all of us," finished Tails, "This is what we're doing for you in return."

"Thanks so much, you guys!" Diddy chuckled as he shared hugs with all three of us who had watched him play, "You're all the best outside-home friends and teammates a monkey like me could ask for!"

"You're very welcome, old buddy," I replied with a bright smile, "This is yours to take home!"

"Wow!" shouted Diddy with his own cute smile.

"We'll have it delivered to your tree house on Kongo Bongo after the ceremony," said Sonic, "The day you go home, it'll be waiting for a spot to be plugged into!"

"You're all the best!" Diddy said as he jumped for joy.

The blue hedgehog then opened the door and signaled for someone to come into the room. A moment later, the same employee whom had brought us into this room appeared.

"Would you bring a few friends along and inform them that we need to make a delivery to Kongo Bongo?" Sonic asked the employee.

"I shall do that immediately," the employee replied, and he signaled for us to come out of the room.

Tails turned the machine off, and a moment later, several other men came into the room, all of which were Japanese and dressed like workmen as they were wearing hardhats.

"So, Diddy, did you enjoy the preview of your present?" the employee asked Diddy as we left the room and stepped back out into the brightly-lit arcade section.

"I sure did! Thanks a lot!" the monkey replied, "I can't wait to start playing various Out Run games for hours on end!"

"You'll love it, Diddy!" giggled Tails, "There's so many ways to play each game, so you could end up not wanting to step away the next time you turn it on!"

"Of course, though, I do have some off-season commitments I still have to make, though," admitted Diddy.

"Christmas?" asked Sonic as if he was taking a wild guess.

"Yeah," replied Diddy, "Family and friends back home wanna spend as much time with me as we can spend during the winter holidays, but I'll still try to put some playing hours in that machine before Enthusia preseason testing starts again in January."

"You should, bud," I said in agreement, "You should come up with a schedule to balance time between that Out Run machine, friends and family, and, of course, enjoying what else you'll be getting for Christmas."

"Like we said, Diddy, this is mainly a friendship gift because of the bond that we've all built between each other, but you can consider this your early Christmas present from us," said Sonic.

"It'll be great for us to keep building up on the brotherly bond we all share," agreed Diddy, "I wonder how it will be like when Knuckles joins the team next year?"

"It'll probably get even better!" assumed Tails with a chuckle, "He's a good friend of Sonic and I, and since Ben's becoming the lead strategist, it'll be like adding another member of the family!"

All four of us shared some laughs as we exited Club Sega, and we started roaming around the city for a while just to let some cold air from the outdoors enter our noses, even though it was mid-December and temperatures had already dropped somewhat in Tokyo.

"Any day now it could snow here," I commented as I looked up at the skies, which were now covered with dark clouds as the day had faded into night and darkened the skies.

"Hopefully the ceremony will be over with before Tokyo's first big snow of the year," said Sonic.

---

Over the next hour, we explored a little more of Akihabara Electric Town. By coincidence, we managed to catch a rerun of a Sonic X episode as we walked by an anime center. We all had our eyes glued to the screen as we watched a few minutes of the episode before a Japanese commercial started playing, which drew our attention away and back towards our exploration.

After grabbing a drink at a local vending machine, in which I selected a Coca-Cola, we went back to the spot where Takeshi had dropped us off. By now, it was 9:54 PM, and we remembered that he would be here at ten, so we sat down on a nearby bench and waited while many cars (nearly all of which were Japanese) drove by, and many pedestrians and media enthusiasts filled up the sidewalks. Once again, some Enthusia fans approached us, and we again had to persuade them to wait for the ceremony on Wednesday to get their wishes and desires.

Finally, we spotted Takeshi's silver Nissan Leaf pulling up to the intersection, and he parked right in front of us and rolled down the front windows.

"Kon'nichiwa, boys!" he called as we stood up and approached the silently-running electric car.

"Kon'nichiwa, Ogasawari-san!" we all replied in unison.

"Did you all have a good time here tonight?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Diddy eccentrically as Tails opened the left rear door.

"Greatest team meeting we've had since Tails joined the team nearly three years ago!" I commented, opening the front left door and jumping into the seat alongside Takeshi.

Tails, Diddy and Sonic all sat in the second row, and Sonic and I each closed the left side doors. Then, we all fastened our seat belts and rolled the electric windows up, and Takeshi stepped on the gas.

"So, boys, did the presentation of Diddy's surprise turn out well?" the boss asked us.

"Yep!" replied Sonic, "Everything was flawless from the get-go!"

"It still hasn't sunk in yet!" said Diddy happily, "I got an Out Run machine that can play all five of the major Out Run arcade releases!"

"That is fantastic!" said Takeshi with a bright smile as he briefly looked at Diddy via using the mirror on the windshield, "We all knew Tails' expertise in the field of mechanics and electronics would produce a fantastic masterpiece!"

"I feel very proud of myself for my expertise paying off!" beamed Tails, "Diddy's got one heck of a cabinet to enjoy for some years to come!"

"Not to mention all the Ferraris!" I chuckled.

"Definitely!" Diddy agreed, "So many Ferraris, so many places, so much fun! I can't wait to start driving away with that machine!"

"So, Diddy, … by the way, … since Ben, Tails and I all arrived here in Tokyo a few days ago, we were all wondering what you've been up to," said Sonic.

Diddy appeared to put on one of his adorable thinking faces as if he was trying to think of the right way to explain what he had been up to during the first few weeks of the off-season.

"You and your uncle were enjoying a little … vacation on some … island of tropical paradise, if I recall," said Takeshi.

"A tropical vacation?" Sonic, Tails and I all said in unison as we all felt interested by such a dream place for the Kongs to chill out at.

"Yep," Diddy confirmed, "DK and I have been spending the last two weeks vacationing on a tropical island that looks so dreamy that every Kong would want to go there."

"Are you saying that Enthusia interrupted your vacation by bringing you here for the awards ceremony?" I asked the monkey with shock.

"DK and I didn't mind that, though," answered Diddy, "After all, once the ceremony's done, we're going back to that island the following morning to spend a few more relaxing days there, then we'll go back to Kongo Bongo just in time to spend Christmastime with our family and friends."

"Sounds like a Kong dream to me," said Sonic, "I could take a vacation just about anywhere."

"Me, too," said Tails.

"How does this island compare to Kongo Bongo?" I asked Diddy.

"Well, the jungles are much lusher with fruits, vines, … and everything tropical you could possibly think of, … except that we haven't really seen any animals living there," explained Diddy, "All the life you'll likely see there is abundant plant life. Trees, flowers, grass and fruits of all kinds scattered throughout the island. DK and I have been loving it there! There's large waterfalls, there's shallow creeks, and there's a big beach on the west coast, plus the jungles look so much like Brazilian rainforests. It's the perfect place for us to relax and take in the soothing scenery."

"I suddenly wish I could be on an island like that," said Tails, "It sounds so … dreamy."

"It is dreamy," replied Diddy, "It's so beautiful that you may not wanna leave after you've spent enough time there."

"I believe you," said Sonic, "Sounds like a nice place to run."

Diddy giggled at Sonic's comment as he continued to tell us about his tropical vacation with DK.

---

Eventually, we made it back to Hotel New Otani Tokyo, and we all got out of the car and walked back in.

"Pretty good for what could be the last team outing ever to involve me," I commented as we stepped into the elevator.

"I wonder if we could keep trying to get you into the team outings next year?" Diddy pondered, "If you're still gonna be on the team, then you should keep coming to the outings when Knuckles comes along."

"I could consider doing that," I answered as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor and opened its doors, "I just may or may not be involved in as many outings as I used to."

"I said this once before," Takeshi turned over to me, "Team outings don't have to be just the drivers. Anyone on the team can attend as long as they have time to spare when all the work at the headquarters is said and done, or especially any time during the off-season, when all the employees are able to enjoy the winter holidays."

"Hopefully we'll have plenty of those," said Diddy.

"We'll have to see what happens, Diddy," said Sonic, "Tails and I may have to deal with Mr. Egghead's doings again, and you have a family you're set to spend the holidays with."

"So do I," I added, as I also had a family back home in the United States that I couldn't wait to spend Christmas with.

"Well, boys, we'll have one more rehearsal period tomorrow afternoon after lunch," said Takeshi as he entered the Nissan/Toyota Racing suite, "However, I have a business appointment at that time so I won't be attending those rehearsals, but I will be back on Wednesday for the ceremony."

"Don't worry, Ogasawari-san," replied Tails, "We won't let you down."

"Besides, I write my own speeches, so I rehearse as I go along, and I keep rehearsing every time I look at that paper I wrote on," added Diddy.

"Excellent," said Takeshi, "I'll be turning in now, boys. See you at the ceremony. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ogasawari-san," we all replied as our boss walked into his room.

"Well, guys, … just one more day of waiting, then my official transition begins," I commented as I opened the door to the drivers' room and led my three teammates in.

"I'm sure it'll be one of the biggest Enthusia nights of the decade," added Tails.

I was sure the fox was right about that …

---

Wednesday, December 14

---

...

---

The last day of speech rehearsals came and went for the five drivers who were scheduled to make their speeches at the ceremony. Like he had said to Ben, Sonic and Tails, Diddy rehearsed his speech several times during the day, since he had written his own material, unlike the other competitors. The little monkey came close to breaking down a few times as he read through his writing, while Ben, Sonic, Tails and Al all handled their rehearsals quite smoothly. Through it all, Tuesday had gone uneventful, and before anyone knew it, Wednesday night had arrived, …

… the night of the ceremony!

The hotel's large banquet room was set to stage the ceremony. The whole place was decorated with Enthusia-related banners, nearly half of which had the colors of Diddy's Enthusia car, the 2003 Nissan Xanavi Nismo GT-R. There was a large LCD screen set right behind the stage, and tables had been set up with white cloths and were each accompanied by seats assigned to specific people. It may have been a small place compared to some of the previous award banquets, but since Hotel New Otani Tokyo had a great history and background, everyone wanted to get a glimpse of this remarkable place.

By 6 PM, the guests started to arrive. Representatives from all four Professional Cup teams whom had been in their hotel suites over the past few days started filling into their designated areas around the room. Mercedes-Benz/Opel Racing and Honda/Mazda Racing were further away from the stage then Audi/BMW Racing and Nissan/Toyota Racing, but none of that mattered, since this was the one night of the whole year where everyone had smiles to share, regardless of what team they were on. Fans started to take the seats in the back of the room over the next half hour, all wanting to get a glance of their favorite driver. Many of them were Diddy Kong fans, since he had won the championship.

Diddy was in one of the restrooms of the Nissan/Toyota Racing suite. His three teammates, Ben, Sonic and Tails had already put on their tuxedos and were heading downstairs to grab a quick drink before settling into the banquet room with the rest of the team. The little monkey was just putting the finishing touches on his tuxedo, but he struggled to get his necktie right. He wondered how DK ever managed to get his neckties on with ease.

By coincidence, DK arrived in the restroom at that very moment, and he sat down next to his nephew.

"Could you help me with my necktie please, big buddy?" Diddy asked his uncle.

"Sure, little buddy," replied DK kindly, "I can put a necktie on with ease."

Diddy grinned sheepishly, which DK noticed and could tell exactly why. The little monkey felt rather nervous about tonight's ceremony, even though this wasn't the first time he had been crowned Professional Cup champion.

"You're dreading this ceremony, aren't ya, my cute, little nephew?" the gorilla said softly like he was reading his nephew like a book.

"I'm not exactly … dreading the ceremony itself," replied Diddy, although his uncle could tell he was lying, and he blushed madly.

"I know exactly what you're dreading, little buddy," said DK as he helped Diddy with his necktie, "It's when the moment comes for Ben to make his farewell speech. It all makes perfect sense, my little nephew, and it's okay for you to be sad. You've been through so much together, and you'll always having racing memories that you get to cherish for years to come. It may not feel the same next year, but in a way you'll always be teammates."

Diddy let a few tears leak from his eyes as he looked into his uncle's comforting expression. Sure, he was going to miss having his most-respected teammate in one of the team's other cars running with him, but he knew that at heart Ben would never leave.

"Who knows, little buddy? Maybe one day if Ben does end up getting a ticket to race on another professional level of motorsport, he may want to get you involved," added DK, "That's how you ended up in this series, and it's part of the reason why you've been so successful. You've been such great friends over the years, and now … it's his time to be your mentor."

Diddy grinned faintly at DK as he thought of the idea of Ben becoming his mentor. When the monkey had first joined Nissan/Toyota Racing in 2009 as one of the team's original four, along with Ben, Bowser, Jr., and the late Hattori Suzuki, Hattori was the one who became a mentor-figure to Diddy before he met his tragic fate at the 2010 Honda 360 at the REV CITY course … here … in Tokyo. After Sonic replaced Hattori, Ben became the closest that Diddy had to having a mentor-figure on the track with him, since Diddy despised Junior after Hattori's death, and his friendship with Sonic was still in its early stages.

"You should look forward to 2017, little buddy. Could you ever have imagined that you would be teamed up with the entire 'Sonic Heroes' trio?" asked DK.

Diddy had felt quite astonished by the fact that Knuckles was signed to replace Ben in 2017, and this meant that the entire trio of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles would be his teammates for next year. Everyone in the Enthusia fans' communities had gone hyper when they first heard this news back in the summer when Knuckles was confirmed by Nissan/Toyota Racing for 2017.

"That is quite a spectacle," the simian agreed with his uncle, "I think that having three famous Sega characters as my teammates is gonna be a blast."

"It will be a blast, little nephew," chuckled DK, "And you'll have me as your race engineer still, and Ben will be the lead strategist, so with the addition of Knuckles to the Nissan/Toyota Racing family, I'm sure we're gonna have a great season next year. Don't you agree, little buddy?"

"It should be great, my big uncle," said Diddy softly.

"What I'm trying to say, little Diddy-buddy, is that just because Ben won't be driving anymore … doesn't mean he'll be gone forever. He's still gonna be part of the team," DK explained as he gently hugged his little monkey, "He's making the transition to become one of our garage figures, so you should be happy for the position he's being put into."

"I am happy for him, big Donkey-buddy," said Diddy, "It's just gonna take a while for me to get used to the fact that he won't be driving anymore."

"But he'll always be one of us," added DK, "Always remember that."

Diddy choked back a few tears as he hugged his uncle around the neck.

"I will, big buddy," he promised, "Always."

"That's my boy," whispered DK affectionately to his nephew, "It's okay. I'm right here."

The two Kongs hugged each other for a few minutes as Diddy tried his best not to cry. He didn't want to get tears onto his tuxedo before the banquet.

The duo then disengaged, and Diddy looked at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked very handsome. Aside from wearing his black tuxedo, white undershirt and black necktie, he also had black pants and shiny black shoes, … and, of course, he just couldn't go anywhere without his trademark red "Nintendo" cap. He smiled at his reflection as he admired his own look.

"Okay, little Diddy-buddy," DK chuckled as he watched his nephew admire himself, "Ready to go downstairs?"

Diddy turned back and looked into his uncle's smile, and he smiled right back in an adorable fashion and held hands with him.

"I'm ready, big Donkey-buddy," he said happily.

"Good," chuckled DK, "Let's head down and grab a fruity drink along the way."

"That is, if they have any," added Diddy.

With that, the two handsomely-dressed Kongs left the restroom and began their walk down towards the banquet room where the ceremony was to take place.

---

…

---

I had just taken a seat at one of Nissan/Toyota Racing's tables, where I was joined by Sonic, Tails and Takeshi. Diddy was also supposed to join us at this table, but he had not yet shown up, and it didn't take me long to wonder why he had taken so long. He was likely still not over the fact that I was retiring as a driver. I could understand his pain, since we had been together for so long.

Then, a few minutes later, the champion finally arrived with DK right beside him. I waved at Diddy to tell him where we were sitting, and he found my signal and joined us at our table, while DK took a seat with the other Kongs at the table right next to ours. Cranky, Funky, Dixie, Tiny, Chunky, Lanky and Kiddy, and even Tiddly were all there.

"Ready for your big prize, bud?" I asked Diddy as I put a hand on his shoulder.

"You bet I am," the monkey chuckled, and we palmed each others' hands.

I looked around the room and saw that some of the other SEGA characters were also in attendance, aside from Knuckles and Shadow for the Audi/BMW team. Amy Rose and Rouge the Bat were among the few I saw, but I was sure that some of their other friends were also here, but from the view I was in, I couldn't see all of them.

At last, the clock chimed seven, and everyone fell silent as Enthusia president Manabu Akita stood on the podium and spoke into the microphone in English.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "Welcome to the 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup Series Awards Banquet. It's a pleasure to see all of the competitors and teams with us tonight, along with families, friends, the fans, … and some faces of Enthusia's past with us as well. The sixty-second season of Enthusia Professional Cup racing has proven to be one that excited and surprised many fans in many ways; from the swansongs of two great American champions, to the unprecedented feat of there being no win-less drivers by season's end, as every single driver who participated this year won at least one race during the year. For the achievement, I think all of the current drivers deserve a round of applause for making that possible."

All eleven of us whom had competed in the 2016 season were applauded by our teams and the many fans who were sitting in the back of the audience, then Manabu continued his opening …

"All eleven of you put on great shows at some point during the year, and even though the battle for the championship may not have been as competitive as people originally thought it would be, it was still a season full of excitement. Of course, though, only one name could go down as the champion in the end of it all, and this year we got to see a little monkey by the name of Diddy Kong become only the fourth driver in history to win the championship … four times!"

Everyone, including myself, looked at Diddy and applauded him. The little monkey blushed and smiled sheepishly from all the attention he was getting. I heard Tiddly let out some happy chirps as he cheered for the monkey whom had adopted him.

"Tonight, we will be watching and reviewing some of the most important moments of the 2016 season, and also take a look at the moment that proved to be the most popular moment of the year, as voted by all of you fans back there," resumed Manabu, earning some screams of joy from the fans, "We will also be hearing from both of the retiring American champions, and from the top three championship finishers. And, finally, we will be presenting some annual awards for those who accomplished fantastic achievements during the year. So now, … ladies and gentlemen, … please turn your attention to the screen, … as we watch a few highlights from the first few races of 2016."

The room's lights dimmed down, and the large screen started playing a short film containing the highlights of 2016's first five races; beginning with the Speediapolis 500. The speakers were turned up very high, and epic film-like music accompanied the highlight reel, which in turn was filled with special visual effects and transitions as the more intense shots were shown, including Shadow the Hedgehog's massive run-in with the wall in turn two late in the race. After that, it showed Diddy crossing the line to win his third Speediapolis 500, and the sound of him screaming with joy on the radio was open for everyone to hear. Round two was the Victoria 400 in London, England. Diddy found himself dueling Greg Richards from Las Vegas throughout the closing laps, but in the end Richards scored his second career victory. The third race was the Konami 360 in Tokyo, in which Tails started in his 100th Professional Cup race, and he made it even more special by taking the victory; his first win since taking the 2015 series crown. The fourth round was the Snap-On 480 at the Pacific Gateway course in San Francisco, a track in which I had dominated throughout my career, winning seventeen of the twenty races I participated in! This year's spring race, though, was to be my third and final track loss, as 2013 series champion Sonic the Hedgehog beat Diddy for his sixteenth career victory while I finished third. The fifth and final race on the first video was the Tsukuba 250, held on the real-life Tsukuba Circuit in Japan. In cloudy conditions, I started on pole and led for just over half of the race to take the first win of my final season. I could still remember being so joyful to have won that day, as I had wanted to win at least one race during my last year on the circuit.

The video soon ended, the lights came back on, and a member of Enthusia's board of directors took the stage.

"In the first five races, we had five different winners, which was something we had seen before, … in fact, just a few years ago," he said into the microphone, "Throughout each driver's consistency, there was one person who made all the calls in the pit box that led to some wild and cleanly-driven competition, and those people were the race engineers. There was one race engineer, though, who really stood out from the rest when it came to strategy. His planning and communications led his driver to a very successful year, and without him we would have seen all the names more scrambled around. He showed great leadership within his pit crew, and every pit stop was well-planned and well-performed, thanks to his guidance and leadership. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that the 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup Series Race Engineer of the Year is … -"

He paused for a moment, and we all held our breaths as we awaited to hear the name …

"- … Donkey Kong!"

Everyone in the room stood up and cheered as DK smiled broadly and left his table to receive his award for Race Engineer of the Year. I looked down at Diddy, who was beaming with pride as he watched his uncle receive his award. I felt very happy for both of them. Their first year as a driver/engineer duo had resulted in recognition for each of them, and that made me feel proud as well.

DK joined Manabu and the presenting board member on the stage, and shook each of their hands as he accepted his award and held it up for everyone to see. I then heard the other Kongs all screaming with delight at their big hero, and the ape stood in front of the microphone to make a short acceptance speech.

"Wow. I knew that my first year with my little buddy was gonna be a great one, but this might be the biggest surprise for me right here!" he said as he once again held his award up, "I wanna thank everyone at Nissan/Toyota Racing for giving me a chance to return to the Professional Cup circuit as a race engineer, and I especially wanna thank them for pairing me with Diddy! I'm proud of the effort that everyone on the team put throughout the year, and I'm especially proud of you, little buddy, for translating all of that effort into a championship. I can't wait for us to continue this into next year, and I'm proud to be your chief. You know, the end of every pit stop feels like the equivalent of playing 'Donkey Kong Country Returns' and having you jump off my back to run more laps around a running track."

Everyone laughed at that comment, while Diddy simply smiled and blushed.

"Thank you all for welcoming me back to Enthusia, and I'll see you all next year! Happy Holidays, everyone!" DK concluded.

With that, everyone applauded as DK left the stage with the award in his hand. I felt very happy that he had been given something to go straight with his race engineer's championship ring. He had never been able to earn much recognition as a driver in the nineties, but his nephew was seemingly changing all of that relatively quickly.

Once DK rejoined the other Kongs, Manabu once again took over the mic …

"Donkey Kong, the only words we can think of saying to you are, 'Congratulations, … and welcome back to Enthusia'!"

Everyone applauded DK once more, then Manabu resumed the next segment.

"We will now take a look at some of the highlights from rounds six through ten, as spring transitioned into summer, and the heat became more intense for all the competitors."

Immediately, the lights turned back off, and the second highlight video began, starting with round six: the Audi 285 at ROUTE de la SEINE in Paris. It was the first race to take place in Paris since the infamous terror attacks there last November, and the French crowd were treated to a delightful conclusion as their local hero Jean Dubois drove his Mercedes his first-ever win in front of his home crowd, and the 28-year-old burst into tears on the top step of the podium while he held the French flag high in his arms. The video skipped the All-Star Race and went straight to round seven: the EXXON 500 at the Burgenschlucht course in Germany, in which Mercedes-Benz/Opel Racing scored their second straight win when Sebastian Jürgens also became a first-time winner in front of his home crowd for an all-German victory. Round eight was the Nissan 500 at Löwenseering, which was also in Germany; a track where Diddy seemed to win all the time! The little monkey put on a fantastic show in front of his loyal Löwenseering followers and won his seventh straight Nissan 500, and his eighth in nine years, to become 2016's first repeat-winner after eight races. The season's ninth round brought the series to the Marco Strada course in Venice, Italy, the shortest track in the league. Both Diddy and I had strong performances during the race, but the "Sonic Heroes" trio of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles found themselves sweeping the podium like they had done in Tokyo in March. Tails seemed to have victory in his hands, but Knuckles overtook him on the final lap for his third career win, while Sonic finished right behind in third for another all-Sonic Heroes podium. As for round ten, the series returned to Tokyo for the Honda 360. The day was very humid, and some of the drivers fatigued quite badly, including Diddy, whom had led 49 laps but would end up finishing seventh, which would hand Tails the championship lead. Meanwhile, Shadow led Richards to Audi's first 1-2 finish in the Professional Cup series, taking his third career win.

Once the second video ended, the lights turned on, and another member of Enthusia's board of directors took to the stage to present the next award.

"As the season reached its halfway point, we had already had nine different winners," he said, "The championship race was beginning to look very tight as we went into July. Many Enthusia fans around the world started gaining their hype as the season continued to gain form, and by now it was becoming clear that there were favorites among the fans to win the championship. This is where our Most Popular Driver of the Year comes in. As everyone knows, a driver is nobody without fans. With people to cheer them on, even though they cannot hear them, they know that they are receiving the love the fans have for them as professional athletes. While this driver's consistency may not have been boosted by the cheers of his many fans, he ran many consistent races over the course of the year in an effort to win another championship. Although the title may have been too elusive, he still proved himself as one of the big fan favorites for years to come. And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor and pleasure that I announce Enthusia's Most Popular Driver of 2016: … Miles "Tails" Prower!"

Just about every female in the back of the audience screamed as Tails left his seat with a beaming smile on his face. He had gone from Professional Cup champion one year to becoming the most popular driver the following year. I watched proudly as he approached the stage and accepted his Most Popular Driver Award, shaking hands with the handful of people on the stage while at it, and he held the award over his head.

Sonic then stood up from his chair and screamed loudly, "YEAH! RIGHT ON, TAILS!"

As the fox received more applause and cheers from his supporters and many fans, he smiled at everyone he could set his eyes on, and he stepped off the stage with his award, since his speech was to come later because he was the championship runner-up.

Just as Tails rejoined us at our table, Manabu began the next segment.

"We will now show our highlights from rounds eleven through fifteen, as some drivers reached their boiling point in championship contention, while the big superstars began to duke it out."

The lights dimmed once again, and the next race to be shown was the Michelin 400 at Speediapolis. In wet weather conditions during the night, Tails managed to hold off Sonic and Shadow to become the year's second repeat-winner, in which SEGA's top three most popular characters swept the podium for the second time in history. The fox also added some points to his championship lead over Diddy. For round twelve, the series went back to Burgenschlucht for the Toyota 500. In one of the season's most exciting races that saw every driver get a turn leading, Sebastian completed his 2016 Burgenschlucht sweep while all four SEGA characters slumped down by the end of the race so that none of them finished in the top five. For the Tsukuba night race, which was also rained on, Honda/Mazda Racing finally scored their first win in three years when Scotland's Jason Griffin beat his teammate Al Reder, Jr. for the second win of his career. It was the team's first-ever 1-2 finish. Round fourteen was the American 500 at Pacific Gateway as the year transitioned towards the end of summer. Although Diddy seemed to be on his way to victory that day, I passed him on the final lap to score my tenth American 500 win in a row, making it the one race I would NEVER lose throughout my entire career, proving once and for all that no living soul could ever finish ahead of me in the American 500! The video ended with round fifteen; the Mercedes-Benz 300 at the Autumn Mountain course in Japan. Diddy endured one of the worst races of his career when he had a bad start and never recovered, finishing seventh, while Sonic became the year's fifth repeat-winner after holding off a late challenge from Al. After fifteen races, Jason Griffin and Jean Dubois were already gone from championship contention and would have to wait until next year for another shot at the title.

The lights came back on, and Enthusia's executive director joined the stage and stepped in front of the microphone.

"On August 14, we saw history being made as (DiddyKF1) won his tenth straight American 500 to make it an event he would never lose. Of course, how could we have known at the time that it was to be his last-ever win? He ends his career with fifty-seven wins and three championships, and will go down in history as one of the greats of the early twenty-first century, and one of Nissan's greatest stars of all-time. So now, … it is only fitting that we at this time invite him to share with us his final thoughts as he makes the transition to become Nissan/Toyota Racing's lead strategist. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, … for the final time, … (DiddyKF1)."

My heart was pounding as the executive producer called my name, and Diddy was instantly sniffling as I stood up from my chair and slowly made my way past lots of people who were all applauding me. This was the moment. This was the time for me to make my last-ever speech to the Enthusia community as a competitor. After these next few minutes, my time as an Enthusia driver would officially come to an end … forever.

I walked up the few steps that led to the stage, and I shook hands with Enthusia's president, board members and leading executive, then I stepped up to the microphone and waited for everyone in the room to settle down and get back into their seats so I could begin.

The moment the room was silent again, I cleared my throat and choked back a few tears as I spoke into the mic …

"Wow. I was afraid this was gonna be a tough night, but after seeing that replay of that final California win, I feel that it has just made this evening a little more difficult on me."

Half of the people laughed softly as I continued with my swansong.

"First of all, … thank you … to everyone in Enthusia for creating such a great series that has grown to new levels and heights over the years. I don't think this journey would have existed without all the people behind the sport who work so hard year in and year out to maintain such a great league of professionalism and motorsport. I wanna give many congratulations to Diddy for becoming a four-time Professional Cup champion. I think it was only fitting that I would have a front row seat to see you win that final race on the Nürburgring and earn yourself another crown. You deserved it so much, and I'm proud to have been your Enthusia teammate over the past eight years. I'm proud of you, buddy. Great, great job."

The audience applauded Diddy as I looked at him. The monkey was blushing tremendously, and he was smiling cutely. It was one of the cutest looks I had ever seen on his face.

"To tell the truth, Diddy and I have been teammates going back to the year 2000 when we started out together in the Ridge Racer 64 Series, so technically we've been teammates for seventeen years. I know that sounds like a long time, but before you know it all that time has slipped past, and now here we are, having both become greats of both of those series over a period of nearly two decades that has flown so fast that no racer can keep up."

I paused as Diddy flashed a thumbs up at me, then I continued …

"When I first stepped into the Professional Cup Series in 2007 and was given the wheel of the Nissan R390 GT1, I had no idea what I was putting myself into. Throughout the week of my first Cup race, I was simply wondering what Enthusia was even all about. It was like a whole new world for me. I couldn't have imagined that over the next decade I would get to accomplish so much over the course of my career. I wanna thank Takeshi Ogasawari for putting me into the Nissan R390 GT1, that I would drive in two-hundred and ten straight starts. I wanna thank everyone at Nissan/Toyota Racing, and those at Nissan Motorsports during my first two years, for everything they've done over the years to put us all in this position we're in today. To Hideaki Tagawa, my race engineer throughout my entire Enthusia career, you've been a great person to work with, and I'm gonna miss having you as my race engineer, but I also can't wait to start working with you more frequently in the garage. These last ten years have been quite a journey that wouldn't have been fulfilling without you, so … thank you so much. You know, … these ten years I've spent on the Enthusia Professional Cup circuit has given me so many heartwarming memories that I get to cherish for years and years to come. Some have even been more heartwarming than winning races and championships. It's the moments where everyone on the team bring their efforts together so we can overcome emotion or adversity. Those are the moments that I will cherish the most as I step forward into the next chapter of my life. To all the fans who have supported me over the years, … thanks so much for the support you've given me throughout my career. It's been a pleasure to go to every race track and see many people who are pulling for you week in and week out. It really creates such a lively atmosphere."

The fans in the back who were wearing my colors all cheered loudly as I thanked them for their career-long support.

"Over the years, I've had some great teammates, but none will compare to the three that are sitting at that table right now," I said as I pointed to the table where Diddy, Sonic, Tails and Takeshi were sitting, "Diddy, Sonic, Tails, … you three have been the greatest teammates I could ask for, and I'm proud to have been able to race with you. I'm also proud to have seen all three of you become champions of this series, and I hope you continue to add to this team's legacy in the years to come. I'm gonna miss being on the track with you, but I can't wait to keep working with you in my new position. I can't wait to welcome Knuckles aboard next year, … and Knuckles, I think you and I are gonna have a lot of lectures!"

A majority of the audience burst into laughter as I finished that last sentence.

"If there's one person whom everyone at Nissan/Toyota Racing is going to miss, it's Manabu Minagawa, our chief engineer. He has decided to retire after this year and spend time with his family, and as the new lead strategist, I've also been asked by Ogasawari-san to take Manabu's place as the new chief engineer. I'm honored to have been offered that position, and I'm gonna make it official right now that I accept your offer, Ogasawari-san, and I can't wait to use my new position to its full potential. We've already accomplished so much together, and I think we should keep that going. Thank you so much."

I paused briefly as I looked into the eyes of the team's boss, who flashed a smile at me and gave me a thumbs up.

"Now, people have been asking me why I'm retiring at such a young age when I seemingly have many years left ahead of me," I resumed, "I believe that now is the time for me to begin another journey towards the next stage of my career as a racer. I'm proud of everything that I've done over the past ten years, and I hold no regrets. I feel that this is the right time to make my next move and discover more of what there is in professional racing, and I can't wait to tackle the next challenge that lies ahead. As I look forward to new opportunities while resuming my time at Nissan/Toyota Racing as the new lead strategist and chief engineer with my expertise as a former competitor, I will miss racing on the tracks that Enthusia visits every year. It's been a wonderful journey, and it wouldn't exist without any of you. It's been a pleasure to race in this series, and I will be forever thankful to have been given this opportunity. To everyone in this room, … thank you all … so, so much, and I'll see you all next year, just not on the racetrack! Happy Holidays, everyone! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

As I waved to everyone one last time while choking back tears, the entire audience stood up and showered me with cheers and applause. This felt like the perfect ovation for me to receive as I concluded my "goodbye" speech. I looked at Diddy and saw that he had burst into tears. I knew what those tears were for.

While I stepped away from the microphone, I exchanged hugs from everyone else on the stage as they thanked me for my accomplishments and for helping to make Enthusia so much more exciting than it was before I had arrived on the scene a decade ago.

Manabu Akita then presented me with a special award that showed the many accomplishments of my Enthusia career as a retirement gift from the sport itself. I was flattered to have received a gift like this. I could suddenly feel as if Enthusia was going to miss me dearly because of how good I had been over my ten-year career.

After exchanging one more handshake with Enthusia's president, I finally made my way down the steps and exchanged more handshakes with the people I walked past on my way back to the Nissan/Toyota Racing drivers' table. When I made it back, Takeshi and I exchanged a hug before I looked over at Diddy, who had a tissue in his hand as he tried to compose himself. The monkey had been crying since right after I began my farewell address. I sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his back, and he instantly returned the embrace by wrapping an arm around my back.

While I calmed Diddy down, Manabu Akita once again took the microphone.

"With six races remaining, nine drivers had a theoretical chance to win the title, but a lot of the competitors were now on the bubble as we approached round sixteen. Here now are some highlights from rounds sixteen through twenty, which would set the tone for the race for the Professional Cup title."

With that, the lights turned off again, and the fourth video of season highlights began with the sixteenth round: the Bridgestone 200 at Marco Strada. It was the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., and the race couldn't have ended any better with Al Reder, Jr. scoring his final win and me coming in second after trying to get around him unsuccessfully. The seven-time champion was choking back tears as he dedicated his victory to the victims of 9/11. With five races to go, Tails led Diddy by just 25 points, and Sonic was only a further 25 points behind Diddy, while Victoria 400 winner Greg Richards was knocked out of contention. Round seventeen was the Calsonic 400 at the Victoria Road circuit in London. Diddy put smiles on everyone's faces as he finally won the Calsonic 400 for the first time in his career after seven previous attempts, leading 159 of the 200 laps and finishing on the podium for the 100th time in his career! Round eighteen was the prestigious French 500 at ROUTE de la SEINE. In another thrilling race that saw everyone lead, Diddy held off Jean Dubois in the final few laps to win his third French 500. This win also sealed Nissan/Toyota Racing's eighth consecutive Team's Championship, as all of the other teams had no drivers left who could catch Diddy's points tally before the end of the season. For round nineteen, Enthusia returned to Löwenseering for the Pro Sports 500. Although Diddy was still proving himself to be the Löwenseering master, leading 79 of the 125 laps, the "Sonic Heroes" trio prevailed again, with Tails winning ahead of Knuckles in second and Sonic in third. The season's penultimate round was the Mazda 300 at Autumn Mountain in Japan. With the sun shining over the Autumn Mountain course, Diddy wrapped up his fifth win of the year, with Tails finishing third. Sonic and I were both eliminated from championship contention as the top two were set for a "Battle of the Sidekicks" championship duel on the Nürburgring!

The fourth video ended, and the executive director stood in front of the mic for a second time.

"On the fifteenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States, two great American champions whom are both retiring this year put on a fantastic show in the closing laps, in which Al Reder, Jr. won for the one-hundred-seventeenth and final time in his career. Tonight, we are not only saying goodbye to (DiddyKF1), but also saying goodbye to Al Reder, Jr. Coming from North Carolina, in the United States, he raced in the Professional Cup Series for twenty-four years and put up such astonishing numbers that some say will never be matched by those to come in the future. Although he did have it rough with some of his fellow competitors and the fans because of his aggressive driving style, he redeemed himself with the world during the last few races of his career. So now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome to the stage, our other retiree of 2016, … seven-time Professional Cup champion, … Al Reder, Jr."

The audience applauded as Al stood up from his table in the Honda/Mazda Racing section, and the 42-year-old North Carolinian made his way to the stage, shaking hands with the people on the stage in the same manner I had done. I grinned as he stood on the podium and cleared his throat before speaking into the mic.

"Good evening to all of my fans and fellow competitors," the former seven-time champion began, "First of all, big congratulations to Diddy. You've greatly deserved this championship, and I was so happy to have shared a part of the celebrations by finishing on the podium in that final race. I know you and your uncle have both had bad histories with me in the past, but I'm happy that we've made up for those past incidents, and we can now say that we're in good speaking terms. Throughout the twenty-four years I've competed in the Professional Cup Series, I've filled this long chapter of my life with so many moments and memories that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I wanna thank Enthusia for creating this amazing series that continues to grow year to year as racing gets more competitive. I appreciate getting to race against many people throughout my career, some of which are in this room tonight, and some of whom aren't with us tonight. There are many people who I can't thank enough for helping me get to this point of my life where I now find myself stepping away from one of the most competitive racing series. There are a few people here tonight that have been with me from the beginning when it was just Mazda Racing before it merged with Honda Racing, during which I won all seven of my Professional Cup championships. Even after the Double-Manufacturer Team Era started in 2009, I stayed with Mazda, and I'm proud to have driven for Mazda in all five-hundred thirty-five straight starts! I also want to thank the team for the effort they've put into giving us a great car year in and year out. Without them, I wouldn't have become one of the most spoken names of Enthusia lore, so thanks for that. Over the years I've had somewhat of a rocky relationship with the fans and other drivers, but as I end my Professional Cup career I have made amends with many of those people, and I will never forget the many people I raced against, especially those who were arch-rivals of mine at some point during my career, … like how Ben and Diddy were during the last couple of years. I'm proud to have driven against many of the biggest names in Enthusia history, both past and present, and possibly the future. I wish you all the best as Enthusia begins its next chapter of history, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for many future competitors and our current superstars. Thank you, Enthusia. Thank you, Honda/Mazda Racing, and thank you to all the fans. Have fun! It's been such great pleasure! Thank you! Thank you!"

With that, the whole audience applauded, and I stood up just as my teammates did and we joined in on the applause as our former nemesis received his final standing ovation. Like me, Al also received a special award with his achievements engraved on it, and he exchanged more handshakes with the Enthusia president and board members before he stepped down and walked back to the Honda/Mazda Racing section.

Manabu Akita once again took the mic …

"With just Diddy Kong and Miles 'Tails' Prower left in championship contention, many were hyped up about the Nürburgring Finale. We had the video game sidekick of Donkey Kong up against the video game sidekick of Sonic the Hedgehog racing for the Professional Cup championship, both in JGTC machinery, both on the same team, and both with one goal in mind. In the end, though, only one could come out on top."

Once more the lights dimmed down, and an extended collection of highlights from last month's Nürburgring Finale, beginning with closeups of Diddy and Tails as the video played audio from the media discussing the championship race. Then, they showed the starting grid as the race began precisely at noon. Tails had a promising run during the first half of the race, but after the halfway point of the 647-mile race, Diddy started to show his dominant form after a few more lead changes, and Tails' hopes for the championship began to look dire. In the final three laps, Al and I caught up with Diddy, and it turned into one of those situations where I was blocking Al in an effort to protect Diddy's lead. When we went into the Karussell hairpin during the final lap, Al tapped the back of my car and nearly knocked me off, but I came right back with a surprise move on the outside between Hedwigshohe and Wippermann, using the last of the overtaking strength I had left to regain second from Al and keep Diddy up front. Just a few minutes later, the checkered flag was up, and Diddy won his third Nürburgring Finale, making it his fiftieth career win, and he won his fourth Professional Cup championship! I finished second and Al finished third, so that we both finished our careers on the podium. Tails finished fourth to end up losing the championship by 300 points. Sonic wrapped up the top five in fifth to take third place in the championship, 500 points behind Tails, which meant that I finished fourth in the final standings for the second year in a row. The video then showed a very happy Diddy on the podium, receiving his champion's medal, and soon he was on the big stage, lifting his fourth championship trophy!

The video ended, and the lights came back on before Enthusia broadcaster Michael Curtis took to the podium.

"2016 will be a year for many to remember. Two great American champions make their exit, and three video game characters sweep the top three in the championship for the second year running. And now, I would like to introduce our third-place points finisher. He scored two wins during the year, including a dominating weekend in the Mercedes-Benz 300 towards the end of August. He may not have been in contention for the championship at the Nürburgring Finale, but we will likely be seeing much more from him in the years to come. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our third place driver for 2016, the 2013 Professional Cup champion, … Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Through the sounds of the huge applause and cheers, I could faintly hear Amy Rose screaming like a crazy fan-girl as Sonic stood up with a proud smirk and sped onto the stage. He shook hands with everyone whom was on the stage, and we all sat down in our chairs as he began his third-place speech.

"Man, what a wild night we've had so far, yet it already feels like it's been forever since it started!" he began, earning laughs from everyone, "First off, thanks to everyone at Nissan/Toyota Racing for giving us cars that run very reliably and competitively week in and week out. The whole crew have done a fantastic job all year, and I'm very proud of all of them. My race engineer, Hiroshi Gaseki, you've been a great figure for me in these past three seasons, and I can't wait for us to continue this into next year. Great job, man. Of course, I wanna congratulate Diddy. That little monkey right there, you're a true champion, and I think you've earned yourself a place in Enthusia's lore for years to come. Great job on winning that championship! Nissan/Toyota Racing has grown to be like a big family, and next year we're gonna gain another member. We can't wait to welcome Knuckles aboard in 2017. We've got good times just ahead of us! We're all sad to see Ben step out of the car, but I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job in his new position. We can't wait to see you in those chief engineer clothes! Congratulations on your promotion! To everyone in Enthusia and to all the fans, thank you so much for all the support you've given us and for the ways you've grown this sport to what it's become today. I can only anticipate that the next chapter of Enthusia will be very interesting, since Ben and Al will be out of competition, and newer faces will emerge to create a brand new challenge. We've got two rookies to welcome aboard the series next year, so that is something to look forward to. I hope you all enjoy the winter holidays, while I go off and run at the speed of sound! See you all next year!"

With that, we all stood up and clapped as Sonic was awarded with a bronze award for his third place points finish, and as he rejoined us at our table, another broadcaster; three-time Professional Cup champion Earl Cope, stepped in front of the microphone.

"Our runner-up in this year's championship ran with nothing but consistency all year round. He entered this year in defense of his 2015 Professional Cup crown with the hopes of becoming the next back-to-back champion. Although his quest may have fallen short, he still came through with three wins and more top five finishes than anyone else this year. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the runner-up in the 2016 Professional Cup championship; last year's champion, Miles 'Tails' Prower!"

The whole room filled with cheers as the two-tailed fox beamed proudly and made his way to the stage for the second time tonight. He shook hands with those on the stage, and he walked his way up to the mic to start his runner-up speech …

"Oh, my goodness! Doesn't feel like it was that long ago when I stood on the stage last year as champion!" he began with a smile on his face, "First of all, big congratulations to Diddy! You are a true champion in the eyes of everyone in the Enthusia community! I enjoyed going to the Nürburgring and battling for that championship with you. That first half of the race was a lot of fun, and I wish I could have been a little faster than I was in those closing laps, but you deserved this title, and I'm happy to be one of your teammates. Great, great job, Diddy. To my race engineer, Hidenori Kudo, and the entire Toyota Supra crew, you've all done a wonderful job all year keeping the car competitive and consistent. Without you, I wouldn't be standing here right now, and I probably wouldn't have won last year's championship, so thanks to all of you for a job well done. Nissan/Toyota Racing has continued to build like a team … and like a family, and it's all thanks to our great boss, Takeshi Ogasawari. That one man does such a great job keeping this team going through the good times and the bad, and the happy and sad times. I'm so happy to be one of your drivers. Ben, I'm gonna miss having you as a teammate next year, even though you will still be a teammate at heart to all of us as you become one of the team's garage faces, and with Knuckles coming aboard next year, I think this team will become more of a family than ever before. To the people of Enthusia, I don't think any of us could be here without all the work that you put in to help make this sport what it is today, so we all owe you big thanks for a job well done every year. And, of course, the many fans of Enthusia, … thank you all so much … for voting me as your most popular driver this year. I had never anticipated that I would become something like that, but you've accepted me, and you've been the greatest supporters we've had, so thank you all so much. It's such an honor to be the most popular driver this year. Lastly, I think it'll be interesting to see how much things will change as Ben and Al step out of the series. With some new faces coming in, I think the series has a very bright future, and I'll be so happy to have a part of it. I think I'll go work on the Tornado now, or probably jam to Nero's dubstep! Enjoy your holidays, everyone! Thank you all so much, and I'll see you next year!"

I stood up as everyone in the room flooded Tails with applause, but the loudest cheers came from the fans in the back whom had voted him as the most popular driver of 2016. The fox then received a silver award for finishing as the runner-up in the championship, before he stepped off the stage and returned to our table. He was immediately met with a big hug by Sonic before the two brothers sat down.

Seven-time Professional Cup champion Matt Spencer then joined the stage to introduce the next speech.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said, "Tonight, I have the honor to introduce us to our 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup Series champion. With his uncle becoming his race engineer this year, he started off the season by winning his third Speediapolis 500, and from there he refused to look back. He dueled with Tails Prower, and they swapped the points lead back and forth several times throughout the year, but in the end it was the young monkey who pulled through. He notched up a total of six wins this year, including a third French 500 win, and his third Nürburgring Finale win, which not only won him his fourth Professional Cup championship, but also made him a permanent member of Enthusia's select few of the fifty-win club. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you … the 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup champion, our youngest-ever four-time champion, … Diddy Kong!"

Virtually every person in the room cheered loudly as Diddy blushed and smiled sheepishly. I gently patted his back to motion for him to stand up, and the young simian did just that and slowly made his way to the stage. At the table next to us, most of the Kong family were throwing screams and cheers for their young hero. I felt very happy for that family. They now had a four-time Professional Cup champion within them, and I was sure they couldn't have been happier at this very moment.

Soon Diddy was on the stage and shaking hands with all three broadcasters, along with Enthusia's president and executive board. Then, he finally made his way to the microphone, and we all sat in silence as we awaited the moment he would begin his championship speech; the most important speech of the whole night.

"Good evening, everyone," the monkey began, sounding as if he was shying, although he steadily grew more confident as he progressed through his opening statement, "I just can't believe I'm standing on a stage as champion for the fourth time. First off, I wanna thank my wonderful uncle, DK. I'm so happy that the team made you my race engineer this year, and I think we're gonna accomplish so much together! I love you so much, big buddy!"

I looked over and saw DK grinning at his nephew as he went on with his speech.

"I wanna give big thanks to every person in my pit crew who did such a great job all season long. You all gave me a great car, and I enjoy driving what you work on throughout the year. I wanna give some credit to all three of my teammates who did their best to keep up with me in this year's championship race, especially you, Tails. You put in such a great effort all year as we fought for that championship, and you make an excellent teammate. I enjoy racing with you, bud. Great job!"

Tails pumped his fist up as he smiled at Diddy.

"Sonic, … I've greatly enjoyed being your teammate over the past six years, and I hope we continue to build up on this partnership we have, especially since Knuckles will be joining the team next year. I found it crazy at first when I realized that I was going to have all three of you 'Sonic Heroes' as my teammates in 2017. I'm still in disbelief, but I'm so excited about that happening!"

From the Audi/BMW Racing table, Knuckles stood up and waved his fist towards Diddy in playful fashion. He seemed like he couldn't wait to join Nissan/Toyota Racing next year.

"I wanna thank our team boss, Takeshi Ogasawari, … for guiding this team to its eighth straight championship, and his tenth straight title as an owner! You're the best team owner I've ever known in my life, and I love working with you, Ogasawari-san! You deserve this! Wonderful, wonderful job building this team to what it is now."

Takeshi, sitting right next to me, smiled brightly at Diddy and gave him a thumbs up.

"I wanna thank our technical director, … and my former race engineer, Yasushi Tsurumi, for a great first year on the technical side of the team. You've done an awesome job, and all year I've missed the times we had together while you were my engineer. We won two championships together, and I'm happy to have won another one for you … and everyone on the team. I also would like to give a big shout out to Manabu Minagawa, our chief engineer who's calling it quits this year. We're all gonna miss you so much next year. It's been wonderful working with you, and I hope you have a wonderful retirement. You deserve to go out on top in the position you were in for the last few years. Of course, I'm so proud of the numbers I pulled off this year: six wins, six poles, five fastest laps, eleven podiums and seventeen top five finishes. I may have previously done better than that, but I'm so happy for what this whole team has pulled off this season."

Then, Diddy paused and looked at me, and I knew what he was going to say next …

"Ben, … it's not gonna feel the same without you in the other Nissan next year," he said as he choked back a few tears, "Seventeen years we've been racing together, … since you were still a kid. I have so many memories of all those years we've raced together, … and I'll cherish every one of them for the rest of my life. Our friendship and partnership has grown to such high levels that we've been like brothers over the years. I seemed to be your big brother when we first started, and you've since grown to become like my big brother; … like my only brother, … since the truth is that I don't have any siblings. We won so many races and championships together, … and we had some of the most exciting battles that both Ridge Racer and Enthusia had to offer. I love having you as a teammate, Ben! I've always loved having you as a teammate from the very beginning, … we've been through so much together, and I'm gonna miss you so much next year!"

At that moment, the floodgates opened, and Diddy was now weeping as he sunk his head and covered his eyes, while everyone in the room applauded and cheered. I felt some tears slip from my eyes as Diddy's pain sunk into my heart. What he had just said was all true. We had been through so much together as teammates, and we had been brother-like friends for nearly two decades.

It took a whole minute for Diddy to compose before he could continue, but by now his cheeks had turned red, and his eyes were bright purple, which were both signs of hysteric crying. Also, his lips continued to quiver as he sniffled several times.

"I wanna congratulate you on your promotion to chief engineer and lead strategist," the monkey said to me, "Your presence in the garage will give me warm feelings, and hearing your voice in my ear will make my day, … but I'm still gonna miss seeing you behind the wheel as the best buddy I've ever raced with. You will forever be the greatest teammate I ever had, and I will forever remember the many good times we had together on the racetrack, in the garage, and on the podium."

Once again, the monkey was flooded with cheers as I stood up from my chair and clapped at him.

"Finally, … to all of our great fans, …-"

"WHOOOOOOOO!" I heard a fan in the back cheering hysterically.

We all laughed our heads off as a few fans screamed cheers at Diddy, and the monkey couldn't help but blush and chuckle to himself.

"Yeah! To all of you big fans out there in the back!" giggled Diddy, "Thank you so much for all the support you've given me, the other competitors, and the sport in general. Enthusia Professional Racing is nothing without its fans, and we appreciate you coming to the races and seeing us race each other like there's no tomorrow! Thank you all so much! Thank you, Enthusia! Thank you, Nissan/Toyota Racing! Thank everyone in this room! I'll see you all next year! Happy Holidays, everyone!"

With that, virtually every person in the room stood up and cheered as Diddy stepped away from the microphone and walked over to Manabu Akita. Satoshi Bando's "Slow On The Uptake" from "Gran Turismo 5" started playing in the background as I watched the monkey receive a golden award for his championship win, and he shook hands with Manabu, Michael Curtis, Earl Cope, Matt Spencer, and the Enthusia board executives. He then held the award right above his head for everyone to see, and he beamed a bright smile. Every Kong at the table next to ours yelled wild cheers, and Dixie's seemed to be the loudest of all.

Finally, Diddy stepped off the stage and slowly made his way towards our table. Once he made it back, he set his award on our table, and he suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around my neck, which initially surprised me, but I took it in and, feeling his pain of losing me as a teammate next year, I returned the embrace by gently wrapping my arms around his back, while those surrounding us applauded us for the duration of our hug that lasted for about two minutes. I felt his tears landing on my shoulder as he cried and cried. I patted the back of his head like a brother and whispered into his ear, "I'm gonna miss being your teammate, too. In heart, we'll always be teammates."

The monkey's eyes turned directly into my eyes, and he smiled the most adorable smile I had seen on him in years.

After those two slow minutes, we finally disengaged, and I playfully turned Diddy around so that he was facing his family, whom were all smiling and cheering at him. I could see the faintest sign of blushing on Diddy's face as he slowly inched away from me and jumped into his uncle's arms. I smiled and chuckled at the adorable sight of the ape and monkey embracing each other lovingly, and before long Diddy was exchanging hugs with every Kong at the table, except Cranky, plus he got a huge smooch from Dixie!

The moment Diddy finally made it back to our table, he earned some playful embraces from Sonic and Tails before he got back to his seat, and the cheers and screams finally died down until the room fell silent. Manabu Akita then stepped in front of the microphone to make his closing statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this will conclude our 2016 Enthusia Professional Cup Series Awards Ceremony! Once again, many congratulations to Diddy Kong, our champion this year! Now, just because the ceremony is over, doesn't mean the banquet is. The banquet is only just beginning! The hotel staff will be around the room in just a few moments with some of our country's food for everyone to enjoy! So please stay seated as they pass the food and drinks around, and enjoy the rest of the night, and we will see you again next year! Happy Holidays to everyone!"

Everyone applauded one last time as Manabu and his executives left the stage, along with the trio of booth broadcasters, and a moment later, hundreds of hotel staff members entered the room with trays of Japanese food and drinks for all to enjoy. This was always one of my favorite moments of the night, since I got to treat myself to some of Japan's tastes in food. I particularly had a fondness for some of the Japanese chicken, which tasted somewhat similar to America's honey!

Before long, every table in the room was stacked with food, and I helped myself to some Teriyaki chicken, while Diddy had a bowlful of Mikans he had sliced before putting them in his bowl, Sonic had a chili dog which he had personally requested the hotel staff, and Tails had a bowl of noodles, which he ate using chopsticks. Takeshi enjoyed a Tonkatsu pork cutlet, which he said was one of his most favorite cuisines.

Over the next half hour, we sat and chatted about what would come in store for Enthusia in the future, and how it would be like once Knuckles joined the team. In my mind, I couldn't wait to see what that experience would be like; to have Diddy teamed up with all three "Sonic Heroes" must have been like a dream that was just a few months away from coming true!

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Once the dinner was over, Diddy, Sonic, Tails and I, along with the rest of the 2016 competitors were led into another room in the hotel, in which an autograph session was about to get underway.

"Well, … here I go for one last time," I said to myself as I took a seat between Diddy and Al Reder, Jr.

"One last time for me, too," Al added, and we briefly grinned at each other.

Just then, the first pack of fans arrived, some of which I recognized from the trip me and my teammates made to Akihabara two days ago. Diddy even claimed that some of these fans were ones he recalled seeing at Haneda Airport the day before that.

With that, we all grabbed our pens, and the last autograph session I would ever participate in was underway.

The session went on for an hour. Fans kept pouring into the room, all wanting to get our autographs. After about twenty minutes, the repetitive process started to get tiring, and my left hand began to sweat a little, but I carried on like I still had lots of energy left in me; although, to tell the truth, this felt exactly like using the last of the energy I ever had left in Enthusia, given that this was the end of my final season as a driver. I ended up having to sign about five autographs per minute, as many of my loyal fans sought my autograph.

Finally, the last of the fans had their merchandise signed, and we could finally catch a break. From this moment on, one driver was finished with his career and could go back home to America, nine drivers were free for the holidays, and I could spend some time off for the holidays back home in America before I started my short training program to become Nissan/Toyota Racing's lead strategist and chief engineer. I knew I had a lot ahead of me, but for now it was time to relax and enjoy the winter holidays.

Among the things I heard from Diddy as the two of us, along with Sonic and Tails, settled down to bed that night was that he couldn't wait to continue his tropical vacation with DK …

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Well, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, since you may not find anything like this from me again for quite some time to come.

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COMING UP IN CHAPTER EIGHT:

DK and Diddy return to their tropical paradise island for another few days to enjoy some last-minute peacefulness.

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Please review and tell me what you think of this story so far, and I'll see you in the next chapter!