Leaving the temple immediately brings the Spirit Train to the surface, so no need to dodge the Armored Train on the way back. There’s a rabbit Link can grab on the tracks leading to the Tower of Spirits, but so much to do before getting the next rail map. To start with, with the whip, Link can summon birds and latch on to their harnesses and reach the stamp stations in the Ocean Sanctuary and Papuchia Village.
In Papuchia Village, a woman tells Link she’s looking for a husband on the Wise One’s recommendation. She asks him to bring her potential match to her, and lists several physical features she likes: facial hair, large nose, and “the burly, manly type.” Until Link completes this sidequest, Zelda brings up the idea with every man he talks to, so it’s probably best to find the right guy as quickly as possible so I don’t have to explain to all the men in Hyrule why I don’t think they’re the right fit. Mr. Right is the chief of Whittleton, and although he expresses doubt about the prospect of marriage, he agrees to come, and the meeting is love at first sight. This gives Link another Force Gem, opening a section of Spirit Tracks with two more rabbits.
Back in Whittleton, Link can use the whip to fully explore the area to the northeast. Here, a man runs a game to climb a pillar using the whip, and here’s where I had my first real frustration with the touchscreen controls. Constantly having to tap the upper-right corner of the screen to activate the whip gets old fast, and I found it entirely too possible to turn the whip off rather than whipping what I wanted, and then when I tried to use the whip, I instead sent Link running over the edge. I managed to get the first real reward here, a bomb bag upgrade (from 10 to 20 bombs), but it wasn’t until I learned I could activate items by pressing/holding the L button that I was able to get my time down enough to get the heart container. Of course, being able to use the L button means holding the DS in my hands rather than playing from a stand, so it wasn’t my favorite solution, so I wasn’t going to be coming back here to farm treasure for train cars.
In Castle Town, Joynas has opened the second round of Take ‘Em All On. The enemies this time are largely pulled from the Snow Realm and Temple, plus Snappers, both varieties of Geozard (Link can take away their shield with the whip, leaving them open to frontal attacks), and huge groups of Spinuts, Keese, Rats, and Octoroks. All three dungeon bosses also appear, and the Phytops fight at the end includes the introductory climbing phase. The reward for getting through this time is the second bomb bag upgrade (to 30).
There are a couple people in Castle Town in need of train rides. First, Mona has lost her husband, a gentle man who’s apparently fond of rabbits. That description immediately calls Bunnio to mind, and sure enough. Mona is not thrilled to discover what he’s been up to, and despite how she talked about his love for rabbits back at her home, she apparently finds it one of his less endearing qualities. She asks to be taken back to Castle Town, but in the time it takes her to walk to the station, she changes her mind and decides to stay at Rabbitland Rescue with him. For his part, Bunnio was annoyed at Link for bringing Mona to see him, but at least felt good to have the secret out – and he’s not so thrilled she’s planning to stay. But what’s done is done, and Link gets a Force Gem from Mona that lets him catch a couple more bunnies for them to frolic with.
The second is a man wearing a bandana and dark glasses hanging out by the station, and I believe, by the convention I set with the masked shop owner, I have to call him I Can’t Believe It’s Not Teacher. He’s searching all over for Zelda (he only uses pronouns, but… it’s Zelda), and has Link take him to the next destination. This is a minigame with a reward in rupees based on how safely Link drives; it can be replayed, although both the starting and ending points of the trip are random each time.
Finally, back in Aboda Village, the boy who taught Link to roll into trees and run from bees wants to see the world from on high, so Link takes him to Beedle. The boy finds Beedle funny-looking and weird, to Beedle’s annoyance, but getting to travel on a hot air balloon makes him happy enough to give Link another Force Gem. This one just seems to be a shortcut connecting Castle Town and Rabbitland Rescue.
With everyone settled (for now), now’s the time to return to the Tower of Spirits.
Next: The circle is now complete.
