This is my second longest chapter, under the last. Enjoy it.

Chapter 9: Deep Connections

"This is way too much for me to handle."

Jigglypuff now had a mountain of duties/responsibilities, and she felt it indeed too much for her alone to handle. Sealing the spirits. Discovering Chisakimaku's, Chisakumaki's, and Sukama's pasts. Unlocking new skills. Discovering the connection between her hat, the magic fountain, and the wishing well, if there was one. Living. Keeping her three friends a secret. Maintaining her relationship with Kirby. Fighting with the Smashers. Discovering her hat's secrets and her connection to the magic fountain, if she had one. She had no idea where to begin. She hadn't had any relaxation time in a good while. She wondered if she could cast aside all of this for now and go to a city. Besides, the fountain wasn't glowing anyway.

Or was it?

Jigglypuff decided to find this out first. She walked downstairs, hat on head, and went for the sky room elevator. The hat, luckily, emitted no glow. If it did, she would've surely been exposed. She walked past the dining room and the billiards room, both of which were empty. As she walked, she wished that she had brought along her Pokemon food, which she accidentally left on her TV stand. She took the left hall down to the sky room elevator, passing many other elevators along the way. (These led to some of the fighters' rooms: Peach, Falcon, Mr. Game & Watch, Link, Roy, and Yoshi. Their rooms were placed where it would take a long time to walk.) She pressed the button that read "UP"; she didn't have a choice. There was a ding, and the elevator began to go down. It didn't take very long for it to reach the bottom. The dark red door opened, and she walked in. The door closed behind her, and the elevator ascended.

The elevator itself was nice. It had mirrored walls, a carpeted floor, 2 chandeliers, and even a back door that was disguised just as the front was. Muzak played 24/7, and it was air-conditioned. But since the elevator moved so quickly, all of the decorations couldn't be enjoyed for very long. Jigglypuff reached the sky room. She exited out the front door. The elevator door closed, but the elevator stayed put.

"Now, where is that fountain?" she said, looking out the front of the room. She looked slowly to her left, where the Smash Central Park was located. She could see a faint red glow, but unlike before, she couldn't smell a thing.

"Finally. Now all I gotta do is get there…but…" She didn't want to take the elevator all the way back down and walk there. She wanted to fly. "I know I can do this again." She closed her eyes and concentrated very hard. It wasn't necessary, for as soon as she thought about flight, her hat emitted a bright sky blue shine, and Jigglypuff passed through the glass and was flying towards the fountain at high speed.

"Let's see what I find out about this time…"

Her flight ended when she reached the fountain's light. She inhaled and received another pleasant scent. Roses.

"First honey, now roses. Do the smells relate to the visions in some way I don't get?" She shrugged the best way she knew how. "I'll find out later." She stared at the fountain, which was still glowing red. The hat glowed the same color.

"When this happens…it seems like they're communicating."

Both the fountain and the hat stopped glowing abruptly and simultaneously. Jigglypuff stared into the fountain, waiting to fade away again.

"Okay, go ahead. Show me. Show me the past again."

A few seconds after she said that, she began fading. "Wonder what I'll witness this time around…"

Everything went black.


When Jigglypuff regained sight, she found herself, once more, in Smash Central Park. Everything was still in place; the trees and the bench were still intact. It was nighttime. There was a crescent moon in the dark blue sky, and there were many stars. It was very peaceful.

"I wonder what's going on in the village?"

She ran up the nearby hill and gazed down below. The village was in good condition. It was well lit with torches lining every plaza and dark area. The rainbow was still protecting the village, of course, but it wasn't a problem for Jigglypuff, of course. She remembered about the phantom thing. As she walked down to the village, she heard much commotion.

"This place is very energetic, even at night. Why can't the Manor be like this?"

She passed through the rainbow with ease and walked throughout the village, searching for any hints of new secrets about Chisakimaku. As she walked, she noticed that most of the plazas were still open, and the village was still bustling with rabbits.

"How come what happened before isn't happening again?" Jigglypuff wondered. She wasn't flying to her destination automatically like last time. Eventually, she caught an interesting conversation as she walked. Maybe this was part of the fountain's plan?

"Hey! Know what I heard?" one rabbit asked another. He was tall and wore a plaid blue hat.

"What?" the rabbit of normal height (Jigglypuff's) asked, wearing an acrylic green hat.

"Have you heard of the Smash Spirits?"

"The Smash what?"

"Spirits. They're a force that was formed out of 7 elements. Something contaminated them, and they became evil."

"Wow."

"Their path of destruction supposedly includes this village. Ha! Good luck!"

"Yeah! We have the rainbow and Princess Chisakimaku to protect us. We'll be fine!"

"I forgot about that!" Jigglypuff exclaimed. "Wait. If she's a princess, then where's her castle? I don't see it anywhere in this village." She neared the statue of the princess, where most of the village's light was. Torches surrounded the 20-foot-tall statue, and rabbits from all over were praising it in a sort of melody. They repeated their praise in a musical tone.

Hail Chisakimaku!
Hail Chisakimaku!
Protector of our village!
Hail Chisakimaku!
Hail Chisakimaku!
The one who will save us!

"That's nice…" Jigglypuff stopped for a listen. Apparently, the rabbits of this village greatly respected Chisakimaku. Why? What did she do to receive such praise? How did she become a princess in the first place? The normal, boring, birthright way or something else? Just more of the many questions that flooded Jigglypuff's mind. She continued walking. She walked through (literally through) the crowd and the statue. She looked and looked for Chisakimaku but had no luck.

"Why can't I fly to her like before? Oh, the hell with this."

Utilizing the sky blue glow of her hat, she rose above the village and continued looking for any signs of a castle or Chisakimaku. "Where is she hiding? It really does take a while for me to find her alone." She finally decided to head back to the fountain. She was probably there. When she got there, not to her surprise, no one was in the vicinity.

"Hmm, this is tough…I know! If the fountain was here for centuries, maybe the wishing well is still where the Manor is. Er, was. Is going to be- whatever! Sukama should be there and that's better than nothing."

She flew to the area where the Manor would be created. Her hunch was correct. The wishing well was still standing. Also, Sukama was standing over it, looking into it. (The well looks like an ordinary well, except crystallized.)

"There's Sukama. I wonder why he's here…" Jigglypuff said as she landed nearby.

There's something peculiar about this well...thought Sukama as he stared at his reflection. Jigglypuff did nothing except stand and watch silently. Sukama stared deeply into the well for what seemed like minutes, saying absolutely nothing. Soon he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a golden coin with a strange pattern imprinted on it. It was quite obvious that the coin was the village's currency. It was also quite obvious that Sukama was about to make a wish. He clenched the coin tightly in his small fist. He muttered a few words and then dropped the coin into the well.

"Oh, that's not fair! What'd he wish for? This doesn't help at all!" a frustrated Jigglypuff whined.

Minutes passed. The two didn't move an inch.

"Something…something just has to happen," Sukama said, ever hopeful. A mysterious power had been urging him to go to the well for weeks, but it hadn't been very strong. He only wanted to visit the well for a few seconds; after that, the urge vanished. That night, the feeling was as strong as ever. It couldn't be helped. He had to come. And he was determined to know the reason. Pretty soon, both sensed a mystical energy surrounding them.

"Let's see…" said Jigglypuff, paying close attention to what was happening. Sukama still stood where he was, looking at the well's water. He saw it flash.

What's going on? Is this the reason I came? What is this energy surrounding me?

Sukama stepped a few paces back to ensure his safety. The well began flashing wildly. Even Jigglypuff, already quite a distance away, stepped back a bit. Was this what Kirby could've witnessed? Was the well fulfilling Sukama's wish as it did Kirby's? She would indeed find out.

The flashing of the well calmed, and Sukama stepped to it to take another look at the water. Still sparkling. He still stared at the beautiful water, shining even more in the moonlight's bask. Then he saw something that immediately caught his eye.

A reflection of Chisakumaki.

It faded very quickly, and as it did, the well returned to its normal state.

"Weird…" Jigglypuff said. Sukama stood, dumbfounded. He then fell to his knees, resting his arms on the well's side, and began chuckling. "What's he laughing for?" Jigglypuff asked no one.

So that's it…that's why I had to come. To see her…

Jigglypuff began to fade away. Though she didn't discover much, now she had 3 new questions stuck in her head.

Why was Sukama laughing?

What did he see?

What did Kirby see?


When Jigglypuff returned to her own time, she could guess that it was around 1:00. She looked toward the Manor. She saw Mr. Game & Watch, Mario, Fox, Zelda, Ness, and Marth about to leave for the World Portals. This reminded her of her rematch with DK. She ran back to the Manor as fast as she could. As she neared it, she began to get hungry again. She hoped that Peach was either making lunch or had made it already. She busted through the door. The pleasing scent of cheeseburgers filled the air. She walked into the kitchen and found that Peach was making burgers.

"Jigglypuff, how are you?" Peach asked.

"I'm all right. Just have a lot on my mind," replied Jigglypuff.

"Where have you been for the past half hour?"

Jigglypuff didn't realize so much time had passed. To her, it felt like 10 minutes.

"In…the park."

"Oh."

"What were you doing earlier?"

"Not a whole lot. Just stuff around the Manor. Now that Zelda's having a battle, it's a little harder doing everything on my own. But I can manage."

Peach flipped over all 30-something burgers, each making sizzling noises. She went into the "Lunch" fridge and grabbed 20-something packets of cheese, then put them on the counter by the stove.

"Question?" asked Jigglypuff.

"What is it?"

"Why do you do what you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're always contributing in some way. Do you do this out of choice, or...?"

Peach sighed. "It's a personal thing."

"How?"

"I am the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Being such…I haven't exactly done much of anything. In my castle, all the Toads do much of everything: cleaning, cooking, et cetera. I can't help but feel that the only thing I'm good for is getting kidnapped…Doing what I can here helps quell that feeling. Does that help?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Jigglypuff smiled. Peach smiled in return. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going now?"

"Any idea where Kirby is?"

"He should be in his room. That's where I last saw him."

"Thanks. Again."

Jigglypuff hurried upstairs. She had to talk some more with Kirby after what she'd witnessed. She got to Kirby's room door and opened it slowly. His room was simple, and Jigglypuff had never been inside before. He had a small bed in front of his wide window, a dresser with a television right beside it, a closet (which contained little), and a few posters of himself. Kirby was sitting in his beanbag chair, which was red and covered with blue stars. He'd been waiting patiently, with the window open, since around 12:30. He just sat and did nothing.

"Kirby!"

"You finally came back!"

"Yeah."

"So, what did you find out?"

"About the well?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Let me think…" Jigglypuff sat on Kirby's bed. "When I first appeared in the village, I didn't discover anything about the well, so I decided to go to it on my own."

"What did you see?" Kirby was on the edge of his seat.

"I got to the well and found Sukama."

"Huh?"

"A friend I met earlier. Anyway, he was staring into the well for a while, and then he took out a strange coin, muttered something under his breath, and dropped the coin into the well."

"Then what?"

"For a long time, nothing. Suddenly, the well started flashing like crazy, but it calmed down. Sukama looked into the well again, and the weirdest thing happened."

"What? What happened?"

"He fell to his knees and started laughing. I don't get why."

"Did he see anything?"

"I don't know. I didn't even hear what he said when he put the coin in. That sucks!"

Both brainstormed for a few minutes. Finally, something clicked in Jigglypuff's head.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You wished for me, right?"

Kirby nodded.

"And you said you saw...?"

"The well flashed a couple of times…and I did see a faint reflection…"

"Why didn't you say so? I get it now!"

"Tell me!"

"When the well flashes, it fulfills a wish. Sukama had to have wished and saw a reflection related to it. Since you wished for me, Sukama must've wished for-"

"Lunch is ready!" Peach called from downstairs.

"Coming!" both replied.

"I get it now," Kirby said, getting up and leaving.

"Wait for me!" Jigglypuff exclaimed, following him. When the two got to the dining room, DK, Falco, Falcon, and Young Link were sitting at the table waiting for their burgers. Kirby and Jigglypuff didn't sit too far from Young Link, but they sat right next to each other.

"Hey," greeted Falcon.

"How ya doin'?" said Young Link.

"We're okay," said Kirby.

Peach brought the large burger tray to the table and set it down. Everyone grabbed one burger (except for DK, who didn't eat meat, and Kirby, who took 10) and began eating.

"Jigglypuff, our rematch is after lunch," said DK.

"Where?" Jigglypuff asked, taking a bite of her burger.

"I think it's Mushroom Kingdom II."

"All right, then."

Jigglypuff had finished her burger before the rest. She then went upstairs, put her hat on her dresser, stared at it for a little while, and went back downstairs. DK met her at the front door.

"Let's go," he said.

"Good luck," Kirby called from the dining room. Though the two left and Jigglypuff didn't respond, he wasn't offended in the least.


Jigglypuff and DK made it to Mushroom Kingdom 2 at around 2:30. They waited for the signal to fight, in the void before the match.

"Can someone tell me the rules please?" Jigglypuff said.

"Hang on." DK took out and read a tiny monitor that recorded its owner's KO's, Falls, and SD's. It also displayed the battle's time limit, the character's stock or coins, and the battle arena. Jigglypuff had forgotten her own monitor. "3 stock each…5 minutes…Low item appearance…This match should be fun." DK pressed a button, and the monitor disappeared.

"I hope you're ready," said Jigglypuff.

"You ask yourself that question," said DK.

"Ready?"

The match was about to begin.

"GO!"

Jigglypuff immediately jumped towards DK, who was on the left of the middle platform, and attempted a Pound, but DK sidestepped. She turned around and tried again. It connected. As DK landed, he was Pounded again and brought to 24 percent damage. He grabbed Jigglypuff and slammed her into the ground, then used his downward Smash. Jigglypuff kicked him as she landed. DK landed on the far right of the stage. Jigglypuff had an idea. When Birdo came from the opposite side, she went to her and Pounded her until she was knocked away. DK jumped towards her and used Spinning Kong. Jigglypuff stood on the edge, stopped the spinning by grabbing him, and threw him backwards, KO'ing him easily.

Jigglypuff had 29 percent damage.

DK was revived. As he was, a Crate appeared in the middle of the stage. Jigglypuff couldn't get to it in time. DK broke it; out came a Pokeball, a Home-Run Bat, and a Motion Sensor Bomb. Jigglypuff grabbed the ball and hit DK with it. Snorlax appeared, landed, and knocked DK slightly upward. As soon as he landed, Snorlax hit him again, knocking him to the left of the level, and bringing him to 53 percent damage. Jigglypuff threw the Motion Sensor Bomb upward. DK tried to hit her with a Meteor Smash. Jigglypuff dodged, and luckily, the bomb had already landed, so DK sealed his own fate by accident.

3 lives to 1. 3 minutes left. The tables had completely turned from the previous battle. DK was revived.

"You're doing great," he said.

Jigglypuff picked up the Home-Run Bat. "You too."

"I'm gonna fight serious this time!"

DK jumped at her and spun around, bringing her damage percentage to 41 and knocking the bat out of her "hand". She quickly grabbed him, threw him upward, picked up the bat, and hit him with it, giving him 32 percent damage. DK landed on a carpet. Jigglypuff jumped on it and put DK to sleep. Then she got an easy Home Run. The match was won. Jigglypuff collected her earnings (1 coin) and left the arena.

DK did the following this time.


They made it back to the Manor. DK wasn't at all upset. In fact, he was impressed that he lost so quickly.

And to Jigglypuff, even.

In the Royal Room, they found the Ice Climbers, Link, Peach, and Yoshi.

"So…how was the match this time around?" Peach asked cautiously.

"Jigglypuff kicked my butt. Not only did she win quick, she didn't die at all!"

"Um…yeah," laughed Jigglypuff.

"Well, I'm not surprised," said Yoshi.

"Me neither," stated Nana.

"Is Kirby still here?" asked Jigglypuff.

"…I don't know, actually," said Peach.

Jigglypuff began walking upstairs.

"Might as well," DK said, also walking upstairs. Both went to their own rooms. Jigglypuff sat on her bed.

"Now what do I do? It's gonna be so boring today…and where the hell is Chisakimaku?"

"You called me, chi?"

Chisakimaku and Sukama were outside Jigglypuff's window, on the Spirit Cloud.

"Finally! Where have you been all these hours?"

"We were talking. It has been 7 centuries," said Sukama.

Jigglypuff began to speak, but was instantly interrupted.

"I know. We need to have a talk, chi."

"Okay…that needs to stop."

"Sorry. Habit."

"Uh-huh."

"What are you going to ask?" asked Sukama.

"Okay, let's start with this…How did you become a princess?"

Chisakimaku hesitated a few times before answering, as if it was on the tip of her tongue.

"Honestly, I can't remember, chi! But I'll let you know if something comes to mind."

"Right. Next question."

Sukama remained silent.

"How did you use your hat once you received it?"

"It took me a while to master the hat's power. Pretty soon, with a lot of practice, I began to eliminate any evil that threatened my village, and later, the Smash Spirits, chi!"

"Next question. This one's for Sukama." He paid attention. "When you went to the well…what did you wish for?"

"I wished for Chisakumaki's safety."

"So then, you saw her reflection, right?"

"Yes."

"Were you laughing…because of that?"

"Actually…well, it's really kinda hard to explain. I've believed that was the reason for centuries, but I've had my doubts."

"What would be your second choice?"

"Maybe I was just glad that that wish was fulfilled."

Something else clicked when Sukama said that. Jigglypuff knew. Sukama was the reason that Chisakimaku was sealed in the fountain.

"You…how…why would you let this happen to her?" Jigglypuff screamed. Sukama was hardly shocked.

"Please, chi…" She tried to comfort Jigglypuff, to no avail.

"Why would you even consider a wish as stupid as that? It doesn't make any sense! If you loved her that much…why would you...?"

"You don't understand," said Sukama.

"Yeah, I know that…so answer me!"

"It was that love…that led to the decision."

Jigglypuff calmed down as much as she could to listen to Sukama as much as she could.

"You see, I really loved - actually, I still do love - Chisakumaki, and Chisakimaku is my best friend. My only friend…I couldn't imagine either of them taken from me. This fear created the urge to go to the well I'd heard so much about. I heard it granted any wish, but only to the purest of heart and soul. I tried my luck. I wished for Chisakumaki to be safe from harm…no matter what it took. The price was great, but nothing unfamiliar with what I've already experienced. I was left with nothing once again. But I knew that she was safe, even if it meant that she wasn't with me. And for 700 years, this thought kept my heart alive. I hoped that I could see her again, just once. And, well…" He turned towards Chisakimaku.

"Sukama, I never knew…" Chisakimaku burst into tears. "Thank you, chi! Now I know! It's not that horrible anymore!" She hugged Sukama tightly, and Sukama did the same to her.

Jigglypuff was stunned.

"I get it now. I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," Sukama forgave.

"Anyway…Chisakimaku."

"Hmm?" She was still hugging Sukama and spoke into his chest.

"Do you know what spirit is coming tomorrow?"

Chisakimaku stopped hugging Sukama and wiped away a remaining tear. "No. If I had to guess, I'd say the Smash Spirit of Wind, chi."

Jigglypuff knew what that meant. A whole lot more tornadoes.

"What are you gonna do now?" asked Sukama.

"I need to clear my head…I'm gonna go lie down for a while."

"Go, chi?"

"In the park."

"Good. Well…bye!"

The Spirit Cloud rose into the sky and disappeared. Jigglypuff put on her hat and went downstairs, where Peach was washing dishes.

"Later, Peach!" she called out, about to open the front door.

Peach didn't reply.

Guess she didn't hear me. Jigglypuff left the Manor.


Jigglypuff made it to the park. She stared at the fountain for a short while. Neither it nor the hat glowed. She decided to go on top of that familiar hill. When she got there, to her surprise, Mewtwo stood there, looking at the sky.

"What are you doing here? I know you go out, but I didn't know you came here."

"Likewise," Mewtwo replied.

Jigglypuff sat on the grass beside him. "Why do you come here?"

"This park is the most peaceful place in the Smash Bros. World. The reason I come…is nature."

Jigglypuff listened.

"One can become in tune with nature just by listening. Nature and its beauty shine here."

"I never paid attention to that."

"You, being a natural born Pokemon, already possess the ability to be incredibly in tune with nature. Me…I must listen to gain. But no matter how skilled or how natural something is to anyone, there is always room for improvement. Especially in your case. You must listen now. Absorb the sky, the trees, the grass, the wind, and the sun. I am certain that you will feel invigorated after a while."

Jigglypuff couldn't challenge Mewtwo's logic even if she wanted to. So she obeyed. She looked in the direction Mewtwo was, and listened. Absorbed. Her hat took it all in within a half an hour. And so did she.


Jigglypuff made it to the Manor at around 3:10. She had the rest of the day to do whatever she wanted. Something she didn't know. She'd probably just sleep. Instead of thinking about it, she just waited to see what would happen next. When she got inside, no one was around. They were most likely either in their rooms, other rooms, or out. Jigglypuff went to her room and instantly laid on her bed.

"What now? It's gonna be so boring if I don't think of something to do soon. I could go to sleep, but what'll I do when I wake up? Man…"

Her door opened slowly.

"You're bored too, aren't you?" asked Kirby.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Kirby sat beside Jigglypuff.

"What do you do when there's nothing to do?" asked Jigglypuff.

"Practically what you're doing right now. But, there's a place that I've always wanted to visit."

"Where?"

"…Forget it."

"Kirby. The last thing I need is more questions. Please tell me."

"Nah. It's too far away."

"Kirby…"

"I'm just saying, it's very far. What's the point of saying where I wanna go? Not only am I bored, but I really don't feel like doing a thing. Besides, I'm not sure if I'll be able to go. I'll tell you later."

Kirby left the room, just like that.

"Just great. One more question…"

Jigglypuff closed her eyes. The air around her was comfortably warm. There was a pleasant breeze seeping through her cracked (not literally cracked, cracked as in barely open) window. All of the pleasing air was very relaxing. It made it virtually impossible for anyone not to fall asleep. So she did.

And I'll end it here. The chapter was actually two pages longer than this, but enough is enough. I'll sum up what happened at the beginning of the next chapter, the fourth spirit battle.