It's been over a year, but I'm finally back with the sequel to "The World's Greatest Uncle". I just want to tell everyone that it's not a requirement, but a preferred option, to read the prequel before this thing, just to understand what Brendan is like. Please note that he's not the main character from the Pokemon game, but an OC and a Yoshi. And that this takes place between Melee and Brawl, so only limited Smashers will actually show up here.
Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.
"There it is, the city of San Francisco." A group of Smashers admired the scene of the Bay City as they prepared to visit their friend. It was told to them by one of their own, the resident dinosaur Smasher Yoshi, that his uncle Brendan was to celebrate the tenth year of his store's opening, and would be holding a large celebration. Brendan was the first person to be given the title "Honorary Smasher" and when he visited the Smashers to receive his award, he invited the Smashers to visit San Francisco later on.
And that's where they found themselves, strolling through the streets of the city and trying to find the right address. The group included Mario the plumber, Link the Hylian hero, Fox McCloud the pilot, Samus Aran the bounty hunter, Kirby the Star Warrior, and Pikachu the electric mouse. These Smashers were lucky enough to have been the first to be notified that they would be involved in the next meeting of their group along with some new people. For them, this was a chance to take a well-deserved break and visit their dinosaur friend, who would be helping his uncle throughout the entire time.
Despite being in San Francisco for the first time, the Smashers enjoyed what the city had to offer, taking in the diverse sights and enjoying the breezes from the bay. Soon enough, they reach the border of Chinatown, where Brendan's store was located. The smells of goods from the Far East floated into their nostrils as they marched down the last street. "This should be it," Mario told everyone, holding a small note in his hand.
Indeed, before them was a plain looking store, with no special decorations or labels. Except for the unit number, the only words on the door were: "Yoshi Store." The plumber stuffed the note back into his pocket and pulled it open, letting the group file in quietly. There were no customers inside, and nobody at the front counter. "Strange," Link muttered, "Brendan doesn't seem to be too concerned about security. Someone could loot the entire place and I doubt he'd notice. Maybe we should keep an eye on things?"
"Well, we wouldn't be able to defend looters anyway. None of us are armed," Fox replied. Indeed, the three people expected to carry weapons had nothing on them today. The intention for coming was strictly relaxation, meaning Link had put his sword, shield, bow and arrows away, while Fox chose to leave his blaster. Samus shed her usual heavy armour and chose to wear a lighter blue suit, something she dubbed the "Zero Suit".
"Wait, I hear something," Pikachu said through the translation device worn around his neck. The electric rodent's large ears angled towards the back of the store, gently twitching as it picked up on the sounds. The Smashers slowly followed the little rodent as he pranced his way into the back, where the storage area was.
The door to the back was left open, and above the noise from the ventilator in the back alley, they heard the voice of a person very familiar to them. "Everything delivered has been stored and locked properly," a high-pitched voice said. Indeed, standing with his back turned to the Smashers was that familiar green dinosaur Yoshi.
"Alright, if everything's there, then just let me sign it off," Brendan answered. Brendan was a genetically mutated Yoshi that grew to resemble a realistic carnivorous dinosaur like a T Rex rather than a regular Yoshi. His colouring was also different, as he had silver skin with two red lines running down each side of his back. Nonetheless, he still had the abilities of regular Yoshis. Being left-handed, Brendan held the clipboard containing the delivery information tightly in his right arm while scribbling on it with a pen in his left. "There we go, all done!" he exclaimed, handing the board back to Yoshi.
Yoshi turned around to head back out only to see his good friends standing before him, letting a smile take over his face. "Hey, you guys made it," he greeted them, tucking the clipboard under his arms as he gave each a quick hug, "I told my uncle you would be coming and he'd better prepare for you, and looks like you caught him off guard."
The Smashers chuckled as they accompanied Yoshi and Brendan to the counter. Brendan took his usual position behind the cash register and pulled out a schedule from a drawer. "This is what my wife and I are planning to have tomorrow," Brendan explained, "to go back to the theme of ten years ago, when I first opened, she wanted to do an East Meets West situation. There'll be guests from both the Chinatown Association and my former baseball teammates and coaches, so we'll want all the help we can get."
The Smashers crowded the counter like a feeding frenzy as they tried to read the messy handwriting on the sheet. From the notes given, they found out that Brendan and Ashley had a lot planned for the day. "Lion dance or race after opening remarks, two lions race down block to reach money pot. Bring money pot back and donate money to orphanage. Give money to orphanage director, and bring guests to Ashley's restaurant…" they read quietly. Knowing Brendan's philanthropic nature, they were not surprised at the donation to the orphanage. It had been a project of his since his store opened, but to do it in such a grand fashion was truly out of the ordinary.
While his friends poured over the details, Yoshi asked his uncle, "What do you want us to do in the meantime? Knowing there's so much around, I'm sure my friends are more than willing to help out, and I'll be here all day as well,"
Brendan smiled. "The main thing you guys need to do is set up the front door tomorrow, so the guests have a place to stand when we have our lion race," he explained, "I just don't want them to pour into the sidewalk and block everyone's paths. Other than that, put up my sign on the top so we can unveil it tomorrow,"
Apparently, the Smashers heard the last remark. "Wait a minute. You finally got yourself a sign? That means by tomorrow, people will actually know this is the Yoshi Store?" Kirby asked as the group faced Brendan eagerly.
Brendan nodded and offered to show the Smashers. Yoshi led the way as they returned to the storage area. Some Smashers joked that it was about time Brendan had a better label for his store. "We were walking around aimlessly trying to find your store," Samus described, "we were expecting a large dinosaur, or maybe a large egg, or even island fruits to be at the front. Instead, all we got was a lousy door number."
Brendan pulled a long board out from the corner. He instructed the Smashers that it would be put up above the door and front windows, and to be unveiled after the entire celebration was over. While the Smashers looked the sign over, Yoshi approached his uncle and asked a personal question. "Do you think you've kind of come full circle? Aunt Ashley did say the store was a renewed life for you, so do you feel by making the largest donation yet to the orphanage, you're doing even more to renew life for all those kids?"
Brendan shrugged. "It's a chance I took, right? When my baseball career ended early, I wanted to do something else. It was once I started the store that I saw how hard the lives of these kids were. It made me realize my childhood was much more fortunate than theirs, even though I was an immigrant. That was when I decided to give back; since people supported me throughout my baseball and storekeeper career, I had to support those in need of help. Not bad after ten years, no?"
Yoshi cocked his head at Brendan, not expecting such an ambiguous answer. He thought Brendan would say something along the lines of being proud of helping out or even wanting to do more. But saying it was a risk he took? What did that possibly mean? Is there something about that orphanage that Uncle Brendan is still unsatisfied with, or maybe even regret when he originally committed to that cause, Yoshi thought.
But unknown to the group of friends, a short, mysterious figure was crouched just around the store, and overheard most of their conversation. Sneaking off behind the store, the person sped through the dark, damp and narrow alley and disappeared into a manhole. The person got all the information needed for the next operation, slated to take place the next morning, at the same time as the Yoshi Store celebration.
The same mysterious figure snooping around the Yoshi Store had now returned to the sewers. The stench from waste and foul running water were usually enough to make a regular person vomit, but this person had no reaction to it; rather, he strode past the mess like he had done it every day of his life. The dark surroundings were also not an obstacle to his navigation of the area, as he took fast steps down the dark, damp passage, evident by the splashing of the water beneath his feet. Soon enough, his quick pace took him to a small opening at the end. He opened the heavy door with a loud creak, and slipped inside.
The chamber away from the sewers was a totally different world, almost like a paradise compared to the filthy situation outside. There was a living quarters of some sort in there, with stashes of materials littering the area, enough for a long-term survival plan for anyone trapped down here. The short, cloaked figure filed quickly past the central meeting area and into a room at the back. He whispered a password through the door and was let in, the door closing behind him with a loud slam.
The hooded figure stood there in silence as the dim lights danced before him. All he could see was the silhouette of an older person seated before him. Not a word was said as the smaller figure stood next to the door, as if waiting for permission to speak. The position made him feel small and inferior, as if he was not short to begin with. A sense of nervousness descended upon him as he wondered when he would be addressed to.
"You can tell me what you found out now, Milo," the figure from the darkness suddenly called out, his voice cutting through the air like a welding blade, "and take off that cloak while you're at it, you don't need it every time you go out anyway,"
The cloth was removed from the short person's body, and the face of a young boy was revealed. He was only about twelve years old, but his conditions resembled anything but a normal child. Instead of being energetic and having fun, he seemed tired and scared, standing with a slight hunch, with smudges and scars on his body. His clothes were worn and torn on various parts, and the parts of his hair not covered by an old, dirty baseball hat worn in reverse was caked with dust and dirt, darkening what should have been a dark blond. The only unclouded objects on him were his eyes, as the blue-green orbs still gave off a twinkle that signified some hope in his otherwise pessimistic appearance.
"You were spying on them the entire afternoon, so what have you found?" the mysterious figure demanded, "You're bound to have something for me, don't you?"
The little boy named Milo sighed, as if he was not intimidated enough already. He just wished he could relay all the information and get out of there as soon as possible. "It seemed like he has visitors, and asked them to help him out. The celebration for his store is going as planned tomorrow morning, and the money that he'll donate to the orphanage will still be part of the plans," he murmured, trying to avoid eye contact.
The figure from the shadows said nothing, which only made Milo more uneasy. The young boy shifted his weight around, trying to wiggle out of this mess. Knowing any dissatisfaction from his leader would mean cruel punishment, Milo dared not provoke him anymore in fear of retaliation. But fortunately, the reaction was not as negative as he imagined. "Have you heard any more details regarding who'll be there and how the money will be handed off?" he asked, putting the glare on Milo.
The darkness made it impossible for Milo to read the older person's expression. That being said, Milo also heard no more details from Brendan's shop, so he was in difficulty. "Well, he didn't say too much about that, so…" he trailed off.
"In other words, no details," the figure in the shadows interrupted, "figures, right? You always miss out on something. No matter, the plan will still go forward. Tomorrow, when you go to his shop, sneak in with your group at the peak of the celebration. Then, do everything possible to get the money, and then leave without anyone seeing. But while you're at it, I suggest you drop him a gift, courtesy of me. I'll be giving that to you later on," with that he dismissed Milo from the room with a wave of his hand.
The small boy sighed in relief as he trotted out, leaving his leader alone. Leaning back on his chair, the figure said to himself, "Soon, I'll have my revenge."
"Thanks for coming in and doing this, I know it's your off-day and you have stuff to do," the police captain thanked Jack Riley as he gathered his unit into the meeting room. The recently promoted Sergeant Riley was off-duty today, but knowing this was his first case as staff sergeant, he thought he should give the pre-case briefing.
And that's where this tall, uniformed man with dark, neatly combed hair found himself, at the conference room of his unit ready to address his team. "I just hope they don't have too many questions," he joked, "I don't think my old friend and former teammate Brendan would be too impressed if I showed up to his celebration late."
As the team filed in, Jack explained the new case for his team. "We've been, for the last few years, aware there's been suspicious activity regarding smuggling, both within and outside of state. We've arrested several leaders of smuggling rings, but since there's no concrete evidence as to who's helping them or how their goods are smuggled, the charges are questionable at best," he described.
Some officers grumbled, well aware of the past few smuggling cases involving gangs, but could never quite close the cases. "But that's no longer true, as new clues from interrogations and other witnesses tell us the smugglers they used are nearby," Jack continued, "In fact, we believe it comes from a source you'd never expect: orphans."
That aroused a shocked reaction from the officers. How could some supposedly defenceless children be directly behind this operation? Jack moved to the overhead projector and showed a slide of the neighbourhood surrounding Brendan's store. "This is an area I know quite well, since my friend works here. This is where his store is," he said, marking it with a felt pen, "and as you know from casual conversations with me, Brendan has been donating to the orphanage down the street, right here," he marked it on the map.
The officers craned their necks forward as Jack continued his explanation. "I have reason to believe that the orphanage, under its poor management and maintenance for most of the last ten years, had escapees that ultimately became street kids. And these confused children were ultimately manipulated into becoming smugglers for the gangs. In exchange for their smuggling, the kids were probably offered food, some shelter, and maybe superficial protection," Jack concluded, "and that's why you don't suspect them, because it's not unusual just to see a bunch of kids out in the open."
Again, more whispers between officers, shocked and appalled at how anyone would take advantage of children, let alone orphans. Jack then showed the orphanage's records dating back to ten years ago. "Their record was dismal at best, with limited resources and expertise," he explained, "I was surprised they kept going even when living conditions were in the 'third world' at best. They were warned in the past by regulators to fix their act, but it wasn't until they had better funds to make it work, thanks Brendan's personal donations. In those years, with poor living space and pathetic security, I wouldn't be surprised if we got street urchins from here."
The officers all took notes, realizing the implications of this revelation. A hand was raised for a question. "Have there been records from the past of kids running away from the orphanage before?" the officer asked.
Jack flipped through a set of files, all part of a large missing children's project coordinated by various units and community groups. "The first 'large-scale' escaping was about seven years ago, where Brendan has already made donations to the orphanage three years in a row. The management was starting to turn things around and plans to make living conditions better were supposedly being developed. The escapees' ages ranged from as young as eight or nine, and as old as thirteen or fourteen. In fact, the oldest runaway was sixteen at that time, and he's actually had quite a record here, since he's been caught in various petty thefts before."
Another officer raised his hand. "So is there any awareness among the two sides, both Brendan and the orphanage, of this investigation?"
Jack nodded. "I've given phone calls to the orphanage for the last few days now, but none of them have been exactly cooperative. As for Brendan, he's told me he wants to help, and I'll talk to him today after attending his celebration, of course."
After entertaining a few more questions, Jack was ready to leave. But before he could adjourn the meeting, a female officer had one more point to make. "It seems like, with all these children missing or running away, there could be dozens of them in this business, with no idea of what they're doing. And the most recent escape occurred less than three years ago, with the missing child being a nine-year-old boy, is it possible that some of the more recent kids are recruited by past runaways?" she asked.
Jack held up the file of the last missing child. "Milo Sullivan, nine years old at the time when he went missing. I would assume he's around twelve years old today, but the orphanage didn't give too much information on this to me. It's possible that Milo or any of those other missing children are in this. We have to be careful, alright? Dismissed."
The chairs scraped across the floor as officers filed out of the conference room, still in shock that children were subject to such terrible crimes all in the name of survival. As they moved off, the captain thanked Jack for calling the meeting giving Jack a firm handshake before Jack moved off. The staff sergeant left the station and onto the streets, heading for his friend's store, where a more optimistic occasion was waiting for him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this wonderful celebration," Mario spoke into the microphone just outside the Yoshi store. Under the request of Yoshi Sr., Mario was made the masters of ceremonies of the celebration. Yoshi Sr. praised Mario for his ability to capture crowds, and gave him the job the night before.
As Mario continued, Yoshi Sr. and Brendan prepared to meet the crowd. Yoshi was the spitting image of his father, except Yoshi Sr. was larger in size, and a bit bulkier due to his lack of activity. The older dinosaur was no longer an active fighter, opting to live a slower lifestyle at his homeland of Yoshi's Island. He had been living there since the death of his parents, or Yoshi's grandparents, and was instrumental in keeping the environment undamaged but sustainable in supplying fruits to his younger brother's store.
"Where on earth is Link?" Brendan muttered as he dialled on his phone. It was decided Fox would record the events on video, while Link brought the two VIP's out from the store. Samus was to prepare the sign for unveiling, Kirby and Pikachu had the money pot to be handed over to the orphanage director at the end of the lion dance race. Yoshi was to stack the Yoshi Island fruits onto the shelves, where they would be sold for half-price today.
But for some strange reason, Link was running late, and nobody knew where he was. Samus ended up staying on the roof of the store, trying to adjust the sign while calling him on his cell. Yoshi had to multitask between shelving the fruits and keeping the VIP's happy, and Pikachu helped unpacked the fruits in the storage room. "Some Hylian hero, does he always do this during big celebrations?" Yoshi Sr. asked his son.
"I don't know, Link's usually pretty punctual, but I'm not sure why he's absent today," Yoshi replied, "they left the hotel together, but Link ran off to do something. He didn't say what, but he promised he'd make it on time." Yoshi did not stay with the Smashers at a hotel; rather, he stayed at his uncle's house.
Just then, Kirby came in from the storage room. "Samus just gave me the update, Link is on a taxi cab and he's on his way here right now," he reported. There was a ladder that led to the roof that was accessible from the storage room.
Just as this was reported, Brendan also got off the phone from the counter. "I just called Jack Riley and he said he's on his way as well. We're all going to be here."
The group breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that everyone would make it. Yoshi Sr. peeked outside and heard Mario introduce the VIP's. He and his brother promptly picked up the banners to the Yoshi Store and prepared for their entrance. Looking at his son, he beamed with pride. "It's a bit regrettable that your mother couldn't make it," he said, "she was feeling sick last week and was still bedridden as of last night, so she told me to go without her. I would have really liked her to come see this."
Yoshi shrugged. "Maybe that's why we got Fox, who'll be recording all of this. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture," he responded.
"And with that, I invite the founders of the Yoshi Store to come out," they heard Mario announce, "the brothers who brought the best of Yoshi's Island to San Francisco and beyond, Yoshi and Brendan!" Hearing the thunderous applause, the brothers pushed the doors open and emerged with their banners held high and proud.
The crowd roared and cheered as Yoshi Sr. and Brendan took the stage. They planted the banners of Yoshi's Island and the store front and centre. Yoshi Sr. moved to his old friend Mario and greeted him with a handshake, while Brendan saw Jack in the crowd, and invited him onto the stage where they too shook hands. Returning to the mike, Mario told the crowd, "Ten years ago, these two had an idea to showcase the best their homeland had to offer the world, and today, here are the fruits of their labour."
As the audience laughed along to the joke, a taxi cab pulled up at the corner of the block. The door whipped open as a tall young man with dirty blond hair stepped out. Quickly paying the driver, Link hurried around the bend to attend the ceremony. Things went a bit out of hand where he was before, throwing his schedule out of order.
But just as he headed to the front door, something in the alley behind the Yoshi Store caught his eye. He took a few steps into the darker passage, letting the shadows around shade over him. It reminded him of the now-destroyed Shadow Temple back at Hyrule, as the atmosphere here was a direct contrast to the celebratory mood on the other side. And in the dim and damp alley, Link could have sworn he saw an unusual sight. "Why would there be kids playing, especially here in an alley?" he wondered.
The Hylian warrior inched into the dim alley, the moisture on the ground seeping through his boots. Indeed, the sounds of children echoed through the walls of the old buildings as he got closer. Link was used to having children playing in unusual areas, since the Kokiris were children of the forests, but an alley was certainly much more dangerous than Kokori Forest, and the people that tended to hang around places like such were much more unfriendly than any of the leprechaun-like race, even Mido. He leaned against the wall, trying to conceal himself while peeking around the bend.
From just around the wall of the adjacent building, Link could see a bunch of kids gathered around on the ground. Most of them were in the early-teens, and wore dirty or tattered clothing. An older boy was barking orders at the others, and the echoes bouncing off the walls made the words inaudible to Link, even with his extra-sensitive ears. But the most suspicious part was that a box was present in this older boy's hand, as Link could only imagine what it contained. "Are they painting graffiti?" he murmured.
But before he could get closer, the back door to the Yoshi Store swung open, and Pikachu stepped out to throw something into the trash. Because of his small stature, he had Kirby help him lift bag into the dumpster. As they turned around, they saw Link with his head still facing the back of the alley, and the two were none too please. "Link, what on earth are you doing?" Kirby demanded, a grimace pasted onto his pink face.
Link stuttered, taking a step back to regain his balance as the pink Star Warrior and the electric rodent glared at him. "You're late, for crying out loud," Pikachu berated Link, "where've you been and what took you so long?"
Link's expression flashed between guilty to shock, and between all that he still had the issue of the mysterious kids behind the alley. "You might want to take a look at what's behind that building," the Hylian said, pointing in the other direction, "I saw some kids back there and they look like they're trying to paint graffiti on the walls."
However, Kirby and Pikachu were not impressed. "Don't change the topic on us, Link," Kirby fumed, "you ran off on us and now you're late, and all you can do is make up some story about kids vandalizing the store? What do you take us for?"
"No, I'm serious, they're right there just then," Link insisted, still pointing over the two short friends' heads, "look, I'm sorry for being late, and I'll do everything to make it up to you. But seriously, just turn around and take a look, please?"
"You'll make it up to us alright," Pikachu replied angrily, dropping the bag of garbage at Link's feet and stepped away. "You're going to help us throw this bag in the dumpster. It's just old wrapping and broken pieces of wood from the new sign, so I'm sure you won't have difficulty with it," he spat before heading back into the store. They still had plenty to do, and Link was not making their lives any easier by being late.
Link reluctantly picked up the bag and threw it into the dumpster, all the while keeping his eyes trained at the back alley. The sounds were gone as the children seemed to have taken off. "Who are those guys?" he wondered, staring into the darkness.
"I would like to introduce our two VIP's for this ceremony, performing the all-important task of dotting the eyes on our lions for the lion dance race," Mario explained. For Ashley's idea to come to fruition, it required the cooperation of two local martial arts schools, who were willing to send their lion dance teams to participate in the event. It didn't hurt that Ashley had been a popular character in Chinatown, not just with her restaurant, but her open personality and ability to mingle with the Asian crowd.
"The dotting of the eyes signifies the blessing of the lion, and for this occasion, we have two people very close to the Yoshi Store with us today," Mario announced as two men in their sixties exited. One was dressed in a traditional Chinese dress shirt, and he was the head of the Chinatown Association, a friend of Ashley's and the main person to bring husband and wife into the Chinatown core. The other was dressed in a sports jacket and ball cap, and was Brendan's manager on his Major League Baseball Team.
The two elderly men stepped up to the lions and dotted the irises onto them with a thin black pen. As they slowly stepped back, the banging of the drums signalled the start of their race. The bobbing and weaving of the dancing lions seemed more like an artistic performance rather than a race, yet slowly but surely, they made their way down the sidewalk. The crowd backed off slightly, but looked on like curious kittens as the lions moved around the bend, jockeying for position as they prepared to enter the mouth of the alley. Kirby was expected to handle the money pot, and the winner was the one to grab it first. The winner would then parade back to the front, where the director of the orphanage would receive the money from the store owners.
"You guys got the money pot ready?" Kirby shouted from the mouth of the alley. Pikachu was expected to head out from the back door with the pot in hand, but somehow Pikachu was nowhere to be found. The increasing volume of the pounding drums and the continued silence from the back door made the puffball really uncomfortable. "I'm going to be late handing the money over, buddy. Hurry up please?" he hissed.
As Link pushed the back door open, letting Pikachu out with the pot, someone flew through the air and bowled over Pikachu, letting the money pot hit the ground with a loud clang. The rushing people knocked the open door so hard that Link almost ended up with a broken nose. The Hylian staggered back, full well knowing that Pikachu had been mugged. Undaunted, Link pushed out of the store, catching a glimpse of the culprits as they sped off into the alley. "Kirby, come here!" he yelled, "Pikachu's been attacked! I think they made off with the money! Tend to him while I go get it back, alright?"
As Kirby watched over the wounded Pikachu, Link gave chase to the assailants. Link was not known to be a fast Smasher, but without his heavy sword and shield, he was quite nimble. The Hylian raced into the alley, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for the thieves that took off with the money. Link's feet slapped against the moist concrete ground as he tried to gain ground. There was no telling how far they might have gone.
Indeed, the thieves disappeared into the nooks and crannies of the back passages, leaving Link completely beat and hyperventilating. As he crouched over and caught his breath, he tried to peer inside any openings that might fit a person. Most of the slots were thin and small, and would probably fit small children better. Where are they, he thought.
Then suddenly, from the corner of his eye, a small figure holding a pot sneaked into the open. Link could not believe his luck, as the thief made the drastic mistake. He pivoted sideways and dove at the figure, tackling him straight to the ground. Using his upper body strength, Link pinned the thief and grabbed the pot. Seeing his face covered by an old ball cap, Link reached up and snatched it off. "Let's see who you are."
But to his surprise, the assailant was a young boy, looking no older than Link's younger counterpart. The smudges and cuts on his face only added to his misery, but it was the watery eyes that distracted Link the most. It was as if Link faced Oliver Twist, begging for more food. "You're just a kid," Link whispered, his eyes the size of plates.
That split moment was enough for the kid to wriggle free and speed off. It didn't matter that Link had his muscular torso and abdomen on the boy; when survival was at stake, the kid did whatever it took to get free, even at the expense of Link's pity and sympathy. "Hey, come back here! Hey, you!" Link shouted with the ball cap still in his hand.
"Link, is everything alright?" he heard a voice ask. Turning around, he saw Kirby help Pikachu limp over to him. Pikachu had cuts and bruises of his own, and his head was still shaky, but otherwise he was fine. "You got back the money? Who's the assailant?"
Link nodded, still shocked at the revelation. He stuffed the cap into his waistband and tucked the pot in. "It's a kid, around the age of my younger self," he stammered, "He might be a beggar or something like that, judging by his clothes. We should tell Brendan about it afterwards, maybe he'll inform Sergeant Riley to look into this."
The three hurried back to the store, where the lions had already made their way into the alley and near the back door. Link charged in with the money pot in hand, where two lions immediately lunged at the Hylian. More jockeying for position took place, but finally one lion managed to pull the pot into its mouth. The crowd cheered as the race was over, the winning lion bowing its head in gratitude to Link while the loser bowed to the winner, gracious in defeat. Throughout the events, Link stared on expressionlessly, his mind still wrapped around the young beggar. Where did he come from, he thought.
The lions slowly danced their way back to the front, waiting to put the pot into the store owner's hands. Link, Kirby and Pikachu decided to beat the crowd and go to the front through the store, knifing through the storage room and the aisles of fruits. They blazed in so quickly that it nearly knocked over Yoshi, who had just finished placing the fruits onto the stands. They reached the front door just in time for Mario to announce the winner and waving Yoshi's father and uncle to the front to receive the money.
But instead of the expected, it was Yoshi Sr. who was asked to get the pot. "I owe it to my brother," Brendan grabbed the mike and explained to the crowd, "It was his idea to showcase the fruits to you, so it's only right that he makes the donation."
Yoshi Sr. thanked his brother's gracious gesture with a strong hug. Still smiling at Brendan, he plucked the pot from the lion's mouth. The crowd roared in approval as he brandished the pot, lifting it high in the air for everyone to see. Cameras snapped and Fox swung the recorder at Yoshi Sr. as he prepared to open it. The orphanage director stood nearby, waiting anxiously to receive the cheque. Friends and supporters of the store were ready to erupt into more cheers as they neared the final step of the unveiling of the sign.
Then everything seemed to move in slow motion as Yoshi Sr. reached for the lid. Nobody knew what or how it happened, but a strange smoke could be seen seeping out, and before anyone could react, an explosion rocked the area, blowing back Yoshi Sr. and the people surrounding him. Screams of fear were heard as the crowd raced for safety, all the while Mario pleaded for calm despite coughing on the suffocating plume. Jack leaped to the front with his gun drawn, prepared to shoot at any suspects in sight.
Meanwhile, the Smashers could only look on helplessly as Brendan attended to his injured brother. He tried to sit Yoshi Sr. up, assessing the injuries done to him. The blast caught the upper body, causing burns and cuts to the face. But the most shocking revelation was when Yoshi Sr. spoke for the first time. "Brendan, my eyes, I can't see!"
How's that for an explosive beginning (no pun intended)? There's more to come, so hang on to your hats!