Again, it was Poet Bucky and I.K.A. Valian who reviewed the last chapter. What you're about to see is a more evident "split" in Milo's personality. You're going to see the side of him that believes he had to have joined the street urchins and participated in illegal activities, and the other side that feels there is a different path and that he can be saved in another way (AKA by Yoshi). Keep this contrast in mind as you read this chapter.
Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.
For the second time that day, Brendan and Ashley found themselves rushing to the police station. This time, it wasn't to update the Smashers on the condition of Yoshi Sr. but to bail out one of their own relatives. "Surely this must be a mistake," Ashley kept trying to convince herself, "he was with me earlier when I was closing down. All I did was to ask him to take out the trash, and he gets arrested?"
Hearing the worry in his wife's voice, Brendan tried to calm her down. "Don't worry, I'm sure Jack or whoever's in charge will give us an explanation," he soothed.
Upon reaching Jack's unit, Brendan immediately checked in with the secretary at the front desk. "We've been told that one of our relatives is being held here," he told her, "I'm his uncle, and I was wondering about the conditions for bailing him out."
"Slow down," the secretary replied, "we haven't laid any charges on your nephew yet. In fact, until the investigation into what he was doing in the alley is complete, we can't be releasing him, at least not for the moment."
"What? You can't be serious!" Brendan retorted, volume raising, "Why on earth are you planning to detain my nephew for that long? He never robbed that store!"
"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing I can do," the secretary explained, "the police has to follow its protocol in investigating, and I can only do what the officers say I can do."
Now it was Ashley's turn to calm her husband down, as Brendan began a tirade at the police station, demanding the release of his nephew. Officers looked on as the large dinosaur continued to cause a scene before the secretary. "His father, AKA my brother, has been blinded by a smoke bomb sent in by those street urchins! You should be going after those guys, not my nephew! Since when did the police become this incompetent?"
Finally, the yelling attracted the staff sergeant to come out and investigate, and he was none too pleased to see his friend and former baseball teammate ranting at the front desk. "Brendan, what's with the ruckus? We've got an important investigation in here, and we could appreciate a bit of peace and quiet, you know."
Brendan turned to face the source of the voice, and his eyes flashed in anger. "Jack, you're just the person I want to talk to," he hissed through his teeth, "what's the deal with your guy arresting Yoshi? Didn't you know we still have those street urchins to deal with? Why did you arrest my nephew, who has nothing to do with this?"
"Uh, not so fast," Jack held Brendan off, "you're right in the sense that those street urchins are involved, but Yoshi was somehow found with them. So it's only right that we bring him in for questioning. Please, let's talk at my desk." Jack led them in.
Brendan and Ashley followed their friend into the back of the unit, where the staff sergeant's office was located. As they strolled through, they saw a child being taken out of an interrogation room. One officer took the child into a back hallway, presumably into the prisoner's hold, while another officer approached Jack and handed him a file. He whispered something into Jack's ear, who merely nodded before sending him away. Brendan and Ashley only looked on in curiosity as they filed into Jack's office.
Jack took his seat behind his desk with Brendan and Ashley positioned before him. To avoid another shouting match, Ashley decided that she would do the speaking. "Jack, can you tell us why Yoshi has been arrested?" she asked.
"The arresting officer told me that he received a dispatch telling him of break-in at a store just outside your restaurant. Records from our phone records showed that it came from Yoshi's cell phone, so we believe Yoshi made the call," Jack explained, "the officer arrived at the store and found it's already been broken into. There was loot all over the ground, the shelves were ransacked, and few valuables were left."
"But why would Yoshi get arrested because of that? Yoshi didn't break into the store, so are you sure there's no mistake?" Ashley pleaded her case.
Jack shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll have to disagree. The arresting officer clearly saw two people wrestling on the ground when he went in, and those two people were a child and Yoshi. Seeing the fight, he had no choice but to bring them both in. In fact, we've just dealt with the child, although he's refusing to cooperate with our social services representative. We had to have one present since he's an orphan."
"Wait, an orphan? From the orphanage I donate to?" Brendan asked, in complete shock at the news, "Since when did those little guys start running away?"
"They've been escaping for quite a while now. In fact, this guy went missing from there a few years ago, and we're still trying to deal with how we can get him to go back there. He seems very afraid of what he'll get when he returns," Jack replied, preening through the folder. Turning back to the couple, he continued, "Our arresting officer also took Yoshi because he believed Yoshi and this youngster are both involved in looting. We'll be questioning Yoshi in a minute, and we'll know more by then."
This time, Brendan could not sit idle in his seat. "What? Are you implying that my nephew is behind this?" he demanded, shooting out of his seat, "That is preposterous, Jack! That is simply untrue! You've known me for twenty years and you know that's something I condemn! So how dare you accuse Yoshi, who I treat like my own son, of breaking in and looting a store? Unbelievable!"
"But that's why we must investigate him," Jack responded calmly, "I can assure you, Brendan, both as a police officer and your best friend for the last two decades, that the only way we can clear his name is to hear his testimony. We're doing this as fast as possible, and once we know of what happens, we'll inform you. Deal?" he offered. The two former baseball teammates were yin and yang right now, with Brendan showing anger and frustration, while Jack had a look of sincerity on his face. There was silence in the office as the strange staring match lingered on.
Finally, cooler heads would prevail as Jack and Ashley convinced Brendan to wait it out. Thanking his friend for his understanding, Jack recommended that they returned home and got some rest first. "It's been a hectic few days for you, and the last thing we want is a burn-out," he said, escorting them out of the unit.
"So when there's any news regarding Yoshi, make sure you call us, alright?" Ashley reminded Jack as they headed for their car. Waving goodbye to Jack, they pulled out of the police station parking lot and back onto the streets, heading into the night.
"And that's the entire story," Yoshi concluded. The interrogation went by faster than he expected, as all they asked for was his version of the events. Yoshi admitted that he probably left out some details, because he was so occupied with preventing the street urchins from running off that he doubted he saw everything, but otherwise he felt he told the events most honestly and to the best of his ability.
"So just let me get this straight," the interrogation officer asked. He was a balding man with glasses and a thin moustache, "you first called the police, and was originally to wait outside the store to lead the officer in. But you entered the store yourself to prevent them from escaping because you heard them say they'll attack a corner store?"
"Yes, they said they were doing something to the corner building. Since my uncle and aunt owned both corner buildings on the block, and my uncle's store was bombed the day before, I could only assume that they were targeting my aunt," Yoshi replied.
The officer nodded, scribbling down some notes. Yoshi glanced on nervously as the officer clutched the clipboard tightly, not letting Yoshi see what he was writing down. After a while, he set his pencil down and stared at Yoshi through those odd-looking glasses again. "Then, you said you tried to stop them with, and I quote, 'a wide set of moves known only to the Yoshi species, including but not limited to encasing one in a large egg and throwing weak egg bombs at them,' am I correct?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes. In fact, the kid you arrested along with me was originally encased by one. I was going to handle him until I got a bag shoved over my head and got beaten senseless by an older boy. It gave the kid enough time to crack the egg open, but then I launched an egg bomb and knocked him down, and that's when your guy arrived," Yoshi described, his eyes twitching in fatigue.
Again, more scribbling, which made Yoshi wonder if this cop understood any of his words at all, "You do realize you were putting yourself in a very dangerous spot back then," he muttered, "you could have destroyed valuable evidence in that fight."
"I was only worried about my personal safety, and I wasn't aware of any evidence at the time," Yoshi explained after taking another breath to calm himself, "besides, I'm not a member of the forensics team, so I can't comment on that. I realize I'm in enough trouble already."
"No argument there," the officer smugly replied. Yoshi had to bite his tongue just to refrain from snapping back at him. And he wondered why that little boy did not seem to have enjoyed the interrogation, when Yoshi saw him when he passed him by in the hallway coming in. Nevertheless, the officer had all the information he needed, and dismissed Yoshi from the interrogation room. "Once we have all the details, we should be letting you out. Until then, you'll have to spend the night here."
Yoshi nodded as two officers came and escorted him away. They just turned the corner back into the prisoner's hold area, where a bunch of people not in uniform were gathered next to where Yoshi was held earlier. Yoshi kept his eyes on the group of people as the officer's put him back into his hold, pressing his face through the side bars as he tried to get a better glimpse. From his position, he could see a few members of the police force, but the others seemed to be from another organization, probably governmental, given the ID's they wore around their necks. What's going on, he thought.
"It's not safe here, Milo. It's only right that you go back to the orphanage with us. Besides, you used to be there until you ran away three years ago, and the police has been following your case ever since," a woman in a light coloured jacket explained to the boy.
"No, I don't want to go back there!" the boy identified as Milo whined. From his cell, Yoshi could hear that it wasn't a typical bratty type of refusal; rather, there was a genuine sense of fear and apprehension in his voice.
"Milo, please be reasonable. Spending your days in this cell, or in the streets, is no way to grow for a child like you. We want you to be happy and well-adjusted, can't you see?" the woman pleaded. Yoshi guessed that she was probably from the orphanage, the very same one his uncle often donated to, and was determined to find out more.
But Milo would hold his ground, refusing to leave. The strange struggle between the frightened child and the orphanage representative dragged on, so much so that even the police had to call it off. "Maybe you can try coming again in the morning," one officer suggested to the representative, "or if you can find a temporary guardian for him until it gets sorted out. But until then, I doubt he'd budge." From his cell, Yoshi's eyes bulged in shock. Was there something about the orphanage behind the scenes that he didn't know about? Was this the dirty secret that his uncle never revealed?
Cooler heads would prevail as the orphanage staff moved off, while Milo was put back into his cell for the moment. The police departed for the night, with only the door guard on duty in the holding cell area. Sensing they were alone, Yoshi took a sideways glance at the boy in the adjacent cell. That sense of helplessness resonated from him again, as Yoshi could not see a cold-hearted bomber in the child. But nonetheless, Yoshi had his own set of questions for the boy, and was not willing to waste this opportunity.
Inching up to the adjacent cell, Yoshi banged on the bars. "Hey, you," Yoshi called, "come here. I want to talk to you."
The boy stared up again, his eyes clouded by fear. Yoshi probably guessed that he was still traumatized by the fight in which Yoshi employed his famous move set on him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Yoshi assured him, "I just want to talk."
The boy reluctantly moved forward, his eyes cast to the ground, not daring to stare at Yoshi. The young dinosaur tried to get as much of his face into the boy's line of vision before asking in a straightforward manner, "Why did you send the bomb?"
The youngster refused to look at Yoshi, which only made the dinosaur even more incensed. "Look, that was my father you just injured, and he's currently clinging to life and his eyesight in the hospital. You're an orphan, so you know what it's like to lose family. But when you openly take a family member from another person, then it's unforgiveable. So I suggest you talk, or we'll press charges against you on the spot!"
The child quivered and shivered, burying his face in his hands. After some heavy breathing, he finally spoke. "The bomb…was not meant…for your dad," he whispered.
Yoshi continued eyeing him suspiciously, pressing him to elaborate. "The bomb was actually for Brendan, your uncle," the boy continued, "It was…part of our leader's plans, to get rid of the orphanage's…biggest sponsor or something like that."
Yoshi growled as he heard the words. It seemed like the urchin was smearing Brendan more than pointing out his reasons. "That's a lie and you know it," Yoshi snapped, "Uncle Brendan had been a philanthropist for almost ten years, and making children's lives better has always been one of his goals."
"It's not the story I experience when I was there," the boy retorted, still quivering, "I had the worse time ever. It wasn't until I was outside when these guys from the street told me that they stayed there before, and how they'll let me join their group. They helped me escape from there, and that's how I finally got free. That was three years ago."
That story seemed to slow Yoshi's momentum, as he was no longer concerned with defending Brendan's honour. Rather, that story got him thinking about the events of the past day. Indeed, according to Link, all those who attacked the store were children, and even in the last break-in, it was young people who were involved. Was it possible that the escaped orphans have banded together to form an underground gang? "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name, and why'd you run away?" Yoshi inquired.
"Milo Sullivan, and I've been with the orphanage since I was seven. I've never been the biggest kid around, and the fact that I'm a bit of a loner didn't help either. The older kids just started picking on me, and…and I tried to work through it, but the staff at the orphanage didn't do much about it. They told me to just work thing through, and that everything will be better in the end, but…nothing ever seems to get better," he described, breaking down into sobs.
Yoshi rubbed his face. His uncle had told him that the orphanage was in a mess ten years ago, but he didn't realize that the problems lingered on even after all this time. "And that's why you ran away, because the other orphans convinced you," Yoshi replied.
"I had no choice," Milo hiccupped through his tears, "it's either being the little guy everyone picked on, or freedom. Since they offered me a new home, I didn't hesitate in taking off. I sneaked out, went to the gate where the others loosened the locks for me, and took off with them. And I've been with them ever since."
"So how many times did you flirt with breaking the law?" Yoshi pressed, "Just how many illegal activities did you and your so-called friends get into? And aside from my dad and uncle, how many people did you intend to kill?"
Milo's head shot up, letting Yoshi get a good look at his face for the first time since their fight. "No…no, it's never like that. I never intended to kill, or harm, or do anything bad to anyone! The bomb was not my idea, honest!" he pleaded with Yoshi.
But Yoshi would not relent, giving his death glare at the boy again. Even with his cuddly appearance, a Yoshi could be a scary sight should one make it angry, and this particular individual was no exception. Sensing he had no way out, Milo had to concede. "Look, how about I bring you to where we stay, and let you meet a few of the people. Maybe that'll get you to change your mind about me, alright?"
Again, Yoshi eyed him suspiciously. "You're going back to the orphanage tomorrow. How do you expect me to tag along?" he retorted.
"How many times are we going to try this before we give up?" a rather annoyed Cornerian fighter pilot grumbled as he followed his Hylian friend down the street. It was the second day in a row in which they were going back to the back alleys in trying to flush out the street urchins. Fox truly thought that with one boy arrested, and Yoshi being released today, that it would quell any of Link's determination of a crazy plan.
But giving up was not part of Link's vocabulary, as he was determined to deal with this matter once and for all. "Yoshi's discovery last night only gave us more clues as to what's going on," he told his vulpine friend, "and it's only right that we keep going. If I see Yoshi later on today, I'll definitely ask him about it."
Fox sighed and glanced sideways, and saw just the person they were talking about. Across the street the unmistakable green dinosaur, and oddly enough, he was headed in the opposite direction, away from his uncle's store and his aunt's restaurant. Fox kept his eyes on Yoshi while Link went on and on about wanting to redeem himself. It got to the point where Link was getting downright annoying, and Yoshi was about to turn the corner. "Hey Link, stop talking and turn around," Fox told his friend, his eyes still trained on Yoshi, "you might want to see this."
Link turned just in time to see the tip of Yoshi's tail disappearing around a building. The two Smashers stood on their side of the street and stared on, wondering where the young dinosaur was headed off to. "You said you wanted some answers from Yoshi on that street urchin he bunked with last night?" Fox asked, "now's your chance."
The two Smashers immediately made their way to the crosswalk, trotting across the busy road as the light was about to turn red. They continued their strange chase down the street, following Yoshi from a distance while dodging pedestrians like boulders off Death Mountain for Link, or asteroids in space for Fox. The bobbing and weaving around the crowd would continue until the two saw Yoshi step up to a large, old building at the end of the street. One glance and the two knew where he went: it was an orphanage.
Undaunted, the two stepped forward and followed Yoshi around the building. Oddly enough, Yoshi did not enter through the doors, but chose to go around to the back. "Didn't Jack say something about some of those street urchins being from the orphanage, and how they escaped throughout the years?" Link asked.
"Maybe the boy arrested along with Yoshi last night was part of this group, and Yoshi's going to the orphanage to speak with him," Fox mused, "although I find it weird that Yoshi would resort to such a sneaky method rather than go through the front door."
At last, they reached the back, and to their horror, Yoshi seemed to be committing another illegal act. He unlocked the back gate, letting a boy with dirty blond hair sneak out. He seemed a bit cleaner and his clothes tidier than before, but Link could recognize that it was the same boy he tackled in the alley during the bombing. "I still have his hat," he muttered, reaching into his pocket.
"You do realize that we're bordering on illegal activities," the two friends heard Yoshi tell the boy. It didn't hurt that both Link and Fox have rather sizeable ears, which allowed them to pick up sounds better than others. They glared at the boy as Yoshi took him in another direction, all the while hearing Yoshi say, "What guarantee do I have that you'll go back to the orphanage like you promised me last night?"
"I'll do everything you say, Yoshi," the boy replied as they turned into another alley. Link and Fox tailed them like predators hunting in the fields, stopping at where Yoshi and the boy were positioned earlier, "but I just want you to see the world through my eyes, and that requires going where you normally wouldn't go."
Some metal could be heard scrapping along the floor, sounding like someone dragging an anchor behind them when they walked. Link and Fox stuck their heads through the corner and saw the boy and Yoshi pull open a manhole, and to their shock, they gripped the ladder and climbed their way down. Within minutes, they disappeared from view, the voices muffled by the running water below.
Yoshi eased his way through the underground as he followed the lead of the small boy ahead of him. Milo did promise him that after today, Yoshi would understand the events and living conditions that brought about the bombing at the Yoshi Store. Yoshi was still unsure about this, realizing that Milo could very well be leading him into a trap, but unless he heard the other side of the story, he figured that he would probably never understand the events fully. So, taking the risk, he ventured into the world below.
And indeed, the darkness of the underground created a different atmosphere than what Yoshi was used to growing up. Yoshi's Island was a tropical, sunny place where the general mood of everyone was happiness or relaxation. There was rarely a worry in that world, and some of the most memorable moments of Yoshi's life were spent on that island. But here, it was dark, damp, and a sombre atmosphere, making even the most hardened people in society wanting to stay away. Yoshi truly wondered how anyone, let alone children, could grow up in such a condition. "So how long have you been down here? Were you down here during all three years?" he asked.
Milo sighed and nodded, the darkness and running water preventing Yoshi from seeing the movement of the head and the exasperated breathing. "This is where the others and I lived," he explained, "we were allowed to stay here and in exchange, we had to help make the world a better place for other orphans, and that's by taking out the orphanage."
"And whose crazy plan is that?" Yoshi asked as they turned a corner. The dark passages made it impossible for Yoshi to recognize the directions anymore, so the young dinosaur had to rely mostly on instinct. Milo was about to open the last door as Yoshi bombarded him with questions, "Who's been telling you to go bombing people and looting stores just to make things better for the kids at the orphanage?"
Milo didn't respond, but Yoshi could see from the change in body posture that it was a question Milo wasn't too keen on answering. "I'm not going to say anything bad about him," he slowly answered, his face turned away from Yoshi as he pulled the door open, "he can't be lying to me, since all these other orphans have been at the orphanage before, and they all say it's a bad place. Besides, he gave me this place to live, so…"
Yoshi sighed, shaking his head as the two entered the narrow passage. "Milo, you can't just blindly follow a guy just because he claims to offer you shelter and protection. If you look at living in the sewers compared to what you had before, can you genuinely say you're better off?" Yoshi countered. He was against this crazy leader Milo referred to, and if he ever saw the leader, Yoshi would be sure to give him a piece of his mind.
Milo again ignored Yoshi, but finally brought him into the open area. Yoshi's eyes nearly shot out of his head as he soaked in the sight before him. Many children of a variety of ages wandered before him, most in conditions filthier and messier than Milo's, and none of them had any trace of happiness on their faces. Milo stepped to the side as Yoshi moved in, amazed and appalled at the scene. "So this is…" he stuttered.
Milo nodded, those famous puppy dog eyes slightly watery as he explained, "Most are orphans, and they all came out from the orphanage when it was still in a mess. Most were here longer than me, and they all have bad memories of the orphanage."
Yoshi was still in shock, placing a hand on the side of his head as his breathing became quicker and shorter. Why would anyone subject themselves to a life of darkness and filth, and even giving up one's own rights to some mysterious leader just to escape the orphanage? Surely life there wasn't as bad as they claimed it was, was it? "What were their experiences like?" Yoshi asked apprehensively.
"I don't really know," Milo responded, scratching his head. The sad face now changed to one of confusion, as the boy seemed cornered by Yoshi's question, "I know when they came to get me, they told me about how they were treated terribly and the staff neglected them, but I've never heard them actually tell any specific stories."
Yoshi's expression turned from shock to disgust. "So you're willing to go with them just because they said something that you liked to hear? Milo, that's the worst way you can make a choice!" he exclaimed, waving his arms up and down.
"Yoshi, when you're in my shoes, you have no choice," Milo replied, looking at Yoshi with an exasperated expression, "the way my family went and the way my life was at the orphanage, I was surprised this didn't happen sooner."
Just then, there was a loud bang from behind them, sounding like a gun being fired. Yoshi and Milo turned just in time to see Link and Fox burst through the door they came through earlier. The two Smashers collapsed onto the ground, exhausted as they broke in. As they tried to catch their breaths, Yoshi approached and stood above them, his arms crossed and looking unimpressed. "What are you doing here?" he asked sternly.
Link and Fox looked up. "We thought you were heading into danger," Link told Yoshi, panting, "you were heading into the sewers with these guys and who knows whether you'd be attacked or not. So we had to follow you in."
"And how much of the conversations I had with Milo when we were making our way down did you hear?" Yoshi demanded.
"So that's your story," Link and Fox mulled over Milo's words as they left the area where the street urchins stayed. Milo guided them back to the surface where they gathered at a nearby park so he and Yoshi could fill the two Smashers in on the events. While they were discussing the issues, Milo also chose to reveal parts of his own life story to the Hylian and the vulpine, telling them of what happened to put him into an orphanage, and the events there that led him to taking up a life in the sewers.
"That's what you get when both your parents died," Milo said, wiping a tear from his eye, "I've lived with just my dad ever since my mom died trying to give birth to me. Dad tried to tell me that it wasn't my fault, and did everything possible to make my life comfortable. I helped him every now and then, but soon he became ill and lost his battle as well." He concluded.
Link, Fox and Yoshi were silent, still reeling from the sobering story. Milo had definitely been handed a poor hand in his life, but yet showed enough maturity to deal with a single family. Inside, the Smashers felt nothing but sympathy for him, and tried to convince themselves not to fault Milo for living a hard life. "It's similar to my life, I guess," Fox commented, his eyes focused on the concrete, "when Dad was ambushed by Andross after Pigma betrayed the team, all I had left was Peppy, and he was the fatherly figure for me. I realized I had to grow up faster than I wanted, or else I wasn't going to catch up with the world. And even today, I'm grateful for Peppy's actions."
"I could say the same for Saria when I was with the Kokiris, but I don't think we can compare ourselves to Milo. He never had anyone willing to adopt him after his father died," Link reminded his Cornerian friend, "those on his mom's side of the family kind of held a grudge against him. They never approved his mother marrying his father, and those on his dad's side weren't exactly in good enough economic situations to afford raising another child. The only choice is to go to a foster home."
Yet Yoshi still seemed a bit unsure of the rest of the story. "I don't get it though," he began, "my uncle made donations to the orphanage several years in a row, all because of the poor conditions at the orphanage that he started donating. So shouldn't things have been better by then?" he asked the boy, trying to sort out the inconsistency.
"I don't know about the events before I got there, but when I was there I was bullied constantly," Milo described another painful moment in his life's story, "It just got so bad after a couple of years that I really thought about running away, and when those guys you saw in the sewers gave me the chance, I took it."
Link clacked his tongue. "I wonder if Brendan is aware of this stuff?" he asked Fox and Yoshi, "Maybe he could have done more if he knew about it?"
Fox shrugged. "I think we should give Brendan some credit," he replied in a diplomatic fashion, "it's not like he isn't trying. But my question is why hasn't the staff been making changes if Brendan has been donating and helping out for years? Surely they have to turn things around, with increased funds and the warnings about meeting state regulations. Why were they so slow to act?" he wondered aloud.
Yoshi nodded. It was something he should probably confront Brendan with. After all, if children are suffering even after the efforts, then maybe Brendan probably did miss out of something even with his donations. "I'll ask Uncle tonight when I see him," he told the group, "knowing what Milo went through, we at least have a right to know."
With that, the group decided to depart, with Link and Fox going back to the Smashers and filling them in, while Yoshi dropped Milo off back at the orphanage. But before they left, the group made Milo promise them one thing. "Make sure you stay at the orphanage," Yoshi warned, "Those guys you were with earlier aren't offering a life that you should be choosing. Stay at the orphanage and let the police sort things out, okay?"
Milo seemed hesitant. It was obvious that the memories of the bullying still haunted him. His eyes were downcast, and his expression deflated as he murmured, "What if all that nasty stuff starts happening again? I don't think I can…"
But Yoshi cut him off, the dinosaur intent on making the youngster obey his words. Cupping Milo's chin, he made Milo look him in the eye. "I'm telling you right now, you have to stay at the orphanage. If you keep participating in illegal activities, I can't guarantee that I can help you again. Do you understand?" he asked sternly.
Reluctantly, Milo nodded his head, which allowed Yoshi to bring him away. But before they could go anywhere, Link came up to Milo and pulled out an old ball cap from his pocket. "You dropped this when I tackled you, so I thought I'd give it back. It's been completely washed, so it's clean enough to wear," Link placed the hat back on Milo's head before saying, "stay safe, alright? We'll help you in any way we can, I promise."
And throughout the entire evening, Milo could only mull over the words of Yoshi and his fellow Smashers: stay at the orphanage. It felt unusual that he had to stay at the same place he had such a miserable time with. But knowing that Yoshi had threatened to stop helping him should he break his promise, Milo was forced to give the orphanage a second chance. And as his first day there winded down, he began to have different ideas about the place. "Maybe it's not so bad," he thought out loud, "maybe it'll be fine."
And as he stood outside, taking in the cool breezes from the bay on this cloudless evening, two familiar figures approached him from outside the orphanage boundaries. The lack of lighting on the side area made it difficult to see who they were, as all Milo could make out were two silhouettes. But as they spoke to him, Milo recognized their voices in an instant. "Milo, the leader's wondering where you've been. What are you doing here back at the orphanage?" one of the people asked.
Milo's heart sank, as he realized it was those other kids that he invaded the store with last night. He had been told clearly by Yoshi that he was to stay at the orphanage, so he could be away from those he was with earlier. But he never expected them to approach the orphanage to seek him out. Sighing, he tried to stay true to his word. "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't leave. I promised Yoshi that I'd stay here so he can continue helping me."
The two older boys were in disbelief. How could Milo, the one they worked with all the time, be siding with the enemy? "You can't be serious," the boy that approached Milo first replied, "of all the people you're receiving help from, why the dinosaurs?"
Milo swallowed hard. He was at a crossroads again, where he was torn between those he "befriended" in the sewers, and the one who bothered to listen to his story. "I can't say why, but all I know is that Yoshi tried to listen to me, and convinced me that I should trust him. He nearly lost his own father when we sent the smoke bomb, so I know how he must have felt, and that's why I can't betray him now," he explained.
"And you're willing to betray our leader? He had us take you in, gave you a home, protected you all in exchange for your service, and you're willing to ditch him just like that? Who's the traitor now? I can't believe you, Milo!" the other boy spat.
But the first person spoke in a different tone. Instead of admonishing Milo, he tried to extend an olive branch. "Despite what the leader said about leaving those too incompetent behind to the police, he never really meant it," he assured Milo, "he was speaking in anger, and he actually does appreciate having someone as helpful as you around. He really values you, and does want you back. Won't you give him a chance?"
Milo was stumped. He still remembered the leader's last words to him: if you get caught, then it really means you're incompetent, and you really deserve to spend your life with the other lowlife beings, in jail. The leader was never known to be one to change his mind, so why now? He turned to the side, the light illuminating half his face and keeping the other side in the dark. He wondered what choice to make, as two sides tugged at him, pressuring him to choose in a way that would make him a villain in someone's eyes.
And that's it for this chapter. I know some people are expecting a bit more action or a quicker-pace, but I want to remind you that this is more of a drama story rather than action, so you might not see anything until later. But I promise you, there will be some action, so just stay tuned!
