Barrel Cannon Target Practice

On a crisp fall afternoon, Dixie Kong gathered her friends at the Kong's Target Range, an open clearing dotted with colorful leaves and the smell of fresh bananas wafting from nearby trees. She'd been cooking up a fun idea: Barrel Cannon Target Practice!

The rules were simple yet thrilling: each player would get four cannonballs, three regular and one special golden cannonball worth double points. They'd take turns launching these cannonballs at a huge, colorful target split into five scoring zones:

• Red: 10 points

• Orange: 20 points

• Yellow: 30 points

• Green: 40 points

• Blue: 50 points

• And, at the very center, a gleaming banana bullseye worth a whopping 100 points!

If any Kong managed to score perfectly with all their shots, they could reach a jaw-dropping 500 points! The stakes were high, but the energy was even higher. Dixie had a mischievous grin as she set up a special barrel cannon with ten balls inside: nine white and one golden. Whoever drew the golden ball would get the first shot—but there was a twist. Dixie would activate the barrel cannon, making it shake for five seconds before exploding open, keeping everyone on edge.

Finally, the draw began. As each Kong reached into the barrel, they held their breath. After a few nerve-wracking moments, Funky Kong pulled out the golden ball, flashing a relaxed smile as he prepped to take his shot first.

"Alright, bro! Time to catch some gnarly points!" he whooped, cracking his knuckles.

Round 1: Funky Kong

Diddy and Donkey dutifully turned around, covering their eyes. Dixie grinned and handed Funky the first cannonball.

One by one, Funky took his shots. The scoreboard would briefly light up to show the score from each hit but quickly reset, keeping his total hidden. He managed to score some solid points, even hitting the green zone once, but he just missed the banana bullseye.

When Funky was done, Dixie tallied up his points. He grinned, confident he had set a solid bar.

Round 2: Diddy Kong

Dixie reset the cannon, and Diddy drew a white ball for the second turn. He cracked his knuckles, eagerly facing the target as Funky and Donkey turned away. Dixie handed Diddy his four cannonballs, and he fired each one, trying to gauge the angle and force to maximize his points. As he launched the golden cannonball, he almost hit the banana bullseye, narrowly missing it to land in the blue zone.

His scores briefly flashed up for each shot, keeping him guessing about his final total. When he finished, Dixie again tallied up the points quietly, leaving Diddy with a mix of excitement and nerves.

Round 3: Donkey Kong

Last up was the big guy himself. Donkey took his place as Funky and Diddy turned away. With a grin, he loaded his cannonballs and let each one fly with a mighty roar. He landed shots all over the target, but just as he thought he might miss the banana bullseye, his final shot struck dead center! The scoreboard flashed a brief "100" before vanishing, leaving Donkey grinning.

The Final Reveal

With all shots taken, Dixie gathered everyone together, letting the suspense hang in the air. She cleared her throat dramatically and announced:

"Alright, Kongs! Here are the scores!"

• Funky Kong: 170 points

• Diddy Kong: 210 points

• Donkey Kong: 300 points

Donkey Kong threw his fists in the air, cheering for his victory. Diddy pouted playfully, and Funky just shrugged with a smile, happy to have had his chance to play.

"That was awesome!" Dixie cheered, already planning the next competition. "Maybe next time, we'll add a few more tricks!"

With the sun setting and the crisp autumn air turning chilly, the Kongs shared a hearty laugh, recounting each near-miss and triumph of the day.