It's been...a little over half a year since I last updated. As with several more of my stories, I'm well overdue. It's not much in the length department, but it is, to say the least, something to read.

We're almost done here.

Chapter 14: Final Memories

When the four had finally reached the Manor, it was 12:45 pm. It was during this time, where the supposed climax was nigh, that the Spirit Hunter had a strange feeling. Maybe...

Maybe the Smash Spirits weren't so evil.

Would something so evil want to fight for their family like Circuit had? Could there be some kind of larger influence behind these events? Larger even than the final spirit his or herself? Now was the worst time to be thinking of things like that. Only 1 more capture was required to ensure the Smash Bros. World's future. Compassion and doubt were not options.

"So what now?" asked Kirby.

Jigglypuff looked around. As usual, everything had returned to its original state. But Jigglypuff wanted to see the fountain's condition. It was very strange indeed.

The fountain was flashing rainbow. Violently flashing. She decided to check it out as soon as possible.

"We're going back to the fountain. But first..." Her stomach growled slowly. The Spirit Cloud reached her window; she and Kirby went into Jigglypuff's room.

"We'll see you," said Sukama.

"Bye, chi!" Chisakimaku said as the Spirit Cloud ascended into the sky, along with Sukama.

Jigglypuff and Kirby walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Young Link and a suit-less Samus were searching for some lunch. Young Link eventually found a couple of chicken wings. Samus made 2 ham & cheese sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and an olive. She kept one and gave the other to Kirby. She also made Jigglypuff a turkey & cheese sandwich, dry, save for a dab of mustard. They thanked Samus for the preparation and left the Manor with sandwiches in hand. Kirby followed Jigglypuff to the magic fountain, which, for some reason, emitted no scents. But the flashes of rainbow light could be seen several hundreds of feet away. In fact, when they finally reached the fountain, they had to shield their eyes. This wasn't good.

"How are we gonna get to the past now? We can't even look at the water!" Kirby said.

"I know. But we have to try!" said Jigglypuff.

She took one step closer to the fountain. A small beam of concentrated white light came out of it and struck Jigglypuff's hat. She tried to move, but it was no use. Within seconds, she was in a trance.

Kirby soon noticed it. He tried to snap her out of it, but there was some sort of force field blocking him. Jigglypuff began to hover in mid-air. Her hat grew incredibly bright. The fountain followed suit. Kirby had to close his eyes for several unwanted seconds. When he opened them, the light had disappeared. As did Jigglypuff.

"Hey! That's not fair! Where'd she...go?" Kirby hopelessly sat. He had no choice but to wait.

When Jigglypuff regained consciousness, she found herself lying on the grass, face-up. She could hear distant screams, and the sky became increasingly dark. She immediately stood up.

Chaos.

The village's protective rainbow had been destroyed. Huts were being demolished by huge rocks falling from the sky, water geysers from below, and several tornadoes. Lightning bolts struck at random, shocking unsuspecting villagers. The Seven Smash Spirits had arrived.

"3 are missing here...Volcanis, Crystal, and whatever the last spirit is, it's not here. I gotta check this out," she said to herself. Her hat glowed sky-blue and she took flight. When she was above the village, she noticed that the residents that weren't unfortunate enough to have been shocked, crushed, or taken to the sky held their chests tightly, began coughing, wheezing, and falling to the floor. After a few seconds of suffering, they began to puke fairly large amounts of darkened blood and eventually cease all movement. Jigglypuff shuddered.

"This is sick...What spirit could've this?"

She flew a good distance, but couldn't find anything of use. Suddenly, she felt a strong gust of wind move right by her. It was so strong that it spun her around several times. When she did, she caught glimpses of Sukama. He seemed to be heading for the wishing well.

"I can't find her. I'll just follow Sukama and see what's up," she decided. She flew to the well as quickly as she possibly could. It seemed that he, Sukama, suffered the same fate as the many rabbits of the village. He was tightly clenching his chest. It was getting harder for him to breathe. He began to talk to himself.

"No...I can't die...I have to help her...I..."

His voice was faint and strained. His heart began to beat faster and faster. Soon it felt like it was going to explode. The warmth in his heart slowly slipped away as he fell to his knees.

"I have to...help..."

Sukama lost so much energy that he couldn't hold his chest anymore. He fell to his hands. He began to gasp for air.

"She...promised..."

He fell to the floor completely, lifeless.

"Something had to have happened to revive him! If not...I wouldn't..." Jigglypuff was overwrought with worry, and even started sweating.

Several minutes passed. If she had fingernails, they would've been bitten to the base.

For some reason, Sukama never coughed up any blood. That meant that he was still somewhat alive, and this kept Jigglypuff floating there in nervous anticipation. How did he survive? What happened to him afterwards? What of the village?

As Jigglypuff focused intensely on him, she noticed the atmosphere was becoming brighter somehow. She could also hear a faint, echoing heartbeat.

What's going on? she thought. She gasped. Somehow, she could hear her own thoughts as if she'd said them aloud. Then she began to hear other voices. Voices she had never heard before. Voices that echoed as her thoughts did.

Sukama, Sukama, Sukama... A female voice, laden with pity, yet definitely caring.

Whatever happened to you? A male voice, of the same overall feel as the former.

Who...who are you people? Sukama's voice.

"What's going on here? Who are these people?" Jigglypuff asked herself. The male and female voices alternated, with the male speaking first.

Come on. You're stronger than that.

Tell me who you are. You have to be pretty close...if you know my strength.

I am your mother.

I am, of course, your father.

What? But...how...?

I know you're confused. When we disappeared, well, all contact was lost.

We're the only two relatives you have left, son.

What about the others?

They don't matter right now. The only thing that matters is you...and Chisakimaku.

She's out there right now, fighting for the future.

And you have to be by her side.

But I'm almost-

Dead? Don't be silly.

We didn't create you for you to die so easily.

Besides...she made a promise...

It can't be fulfilled if you're dead.

She'll keep me alive...the feeling in my heart...will keep me alive...

Yes, sweetie, with a little of your help.

You want to live don't you?

Yes.

You want to help her, right?

Without question.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Remember, you choose whether to live or die.

But she's already influenced the decision.

All you need now to survive is willpower.

You weren't made to die.

The voices integrated and spoke as one.

You will get rid of the dark forces in your heart. You will see her again. You will return to the skies. You will live...You must live! Death is not an option! Go to her!

Suddenly, Jigglypuff was nearly blinded by (what else?) an intense flash of light. When she was finally able to see, the form of Sukama was hovering in mid-air, just like Jigglypuff was before she traveled to the past. The light's radius grew larger and larger. Jigglypuff was soon enveloped in light, and could see nothing but white. Even when she closed her eyes, white was what she saw. Pretty soon, she was able to see Sukama slowly walking towards her.

"Sukama! Are you okay?" she called out, afraid to move.

"I'm fine," Sukama answered..

"Wait...you can hear me? What am I doing here?"

Sukama didn't answer. He just kept walking. He soon stopped in front of her, and extended his hand.

"What are you doing?" Jigglypuff asked.

Sukama's hand began to shine. In all of the whiteness, Jigglypuff could see it.

"Relax...if you plan on defeating the final spirit...saving your world...you can't do it in your present state. I will help you to strengthen your own spirit so you can stand a chance."

"How is that even possible? I'm still in the past, aren't I?"

"You are in an alternate dimension created by the fountain. When Chisakimaku was sealed, this was where she was kept. The Smash Spirits had been drained of their power, which is the only reason she's still alive."

"So I wasn't in the past at all, just being a spectator. That makes sense. But how did you get here?"

"Don't worry about it."

A multi-colored beam struck Jigglypuff's hat. It began to shine just like the beam. Eventually, Jigglypuff herself started to shine. She felt her heart beating faster and growing warmer. The feeling didn't cease, and it didn't hurt at all. It felt good. She didn't want it to go away. She could feel her strength rising.

"This battle will be the longest and toughest you've ever been in. Losing is out of the question, as is dying. Remember, the fate of the world is riding on your skill...and everybody's counting on you."

Sukama's voice echoed in Jigglypuff's mind. The feeling in her heart began to cease. As it did, Jigglypuff thought about something. No one except for Kirby and Mewtwo knew her secret. How could everybody be counting on her?

The feeling in her heart faded, just as the whiteness did. Within seconds, there was only black. She heard one final statement.

"Keep your spirit alive..."

"Jigglypuff...Jigglypuff, wake up...speak to me..."

The voice was faint, but Jigglypuff knew that it was Kirby.

"Jigglypuff, we have big trouble!"

She slowly opened her eyes. Kirby was standing directly above her.

"What's going on? What happened?" she asked, sitting up. Her body felt warmer, for some reason. She also noticed that her hat was flashing powerfully.

"What happened to you in there?" Kirby asked, staring at it.

"Sukama...strengthened my spirit. I think it made me become more skilled," answered Jigglypuff, uncertain.

"You're really gonna need that skill..."

Jigglypuff stood up.

"It's here, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah."

Jigglypuff slowly turned around, hoping it wasn't too bad. Her already large eyes widened.

"Oh, great..."

What happened to the world? How bad could it be? And just who or what is the remaining spirit? Find out in Chapter 15.