Again, it was Poet Bucky and I.K.A. Valian with the reviews. Both sides mentioned something about Milo's character, and I've taken their comments to heart. From now on Milo will be a 12-year-old, not a 10-year-old. I just felt that by making him 12 (not 10) it'll make his situation more realistic. This has been fixed in all of the past chapters, so there's no confusing or inconsistency between chapters.

Nintendo owns SSBM and SSBB. I own Yoshi's uncle Brendan and Sergeant Jack Riley.

"Uncle Brendan, can I ask you something?" Yoshi was in the guest bedroom of Brendan and Ashley's house, and was preparing for bed when his uncle dropped in to check up on him. Seizing his chance, Yoshi decided to question Brendan on the issues regarding the orphanage he heard about from Milo, just before going to bed.

Brendan stood at the end of the bed. It reminded him of when Yoshi sometimes visited when he was younger. Brendan recalled he would stand near the end of the bed and talk to his nephew before he slept. It was with this gesture that the two developed a father-son bond, even though Yoshi had a similar bond with his real father, Yoshi Sr.

But this time, Brendan would be caught off guard by Yoshi's question. "Can you tell me about the orphanage?" he asked, "You know, the one you donate to all the time?"

"Sure, I can tell you about it. What do you want to know?" he replied, still wondering why his nephew asked the question.

Yoshi pushed himself to sit up, trying to be at the same eye level as his larger, genetically mutated uncle. "Is it true that, ten years ago, you decided to donate to the orphanage because you found out about the bad state of the orphanage? You decided to start your project by donating to them to give the kids a better life?" he began.

Brendan tried to cross his small arms, which looked more like he was hugging his chest. "I did recall saying that the orphanage was my new target, mainly because I felt the children would benefit more from my profits," he recalled, his mind in deep thought, "I was aware of their less-than-stellar records, and that's why I decided to donate to them. I truly wanted those kids to get a better life, and I was intent to make it happen."

Yoshi nodded. "But what happened between when you made your first donation to now? Were you aware of activities that were deemed harmful to the kids?" he asked.

Brendan closed his eyes, racking his brain as he tried to remember every detail. "From the first donation on, I know they've had a poor record, so much that I heard not long after, the state regulators issued them a warning. The director at the time promised me that changes would be made, and that my funds would not go to waste. I didn't pursue the issue any longer and just left the staff to handle the issue on their own," he answered.

"But you were aware that there had been escapes from the orphanage, right?" Yoshi continued interrogating Brendan, "You do realize that most of those street urchins may have come from that very orphanage that you've been funding."

"Uh, no, I wasn't aware of it," Brendan replied, his voice quivering. It was obvious to Yoshi that his uncle seemed quite uncomfortable on this issue as Brendan tried to work himself out of this mess, "in fact, when we went to the station last night, I heard the story for the first time from Jack, who told me that they've been running away for at least three to four years. I knew nothing about this until now, honest."

"Relax, Uncle Brendan, I'm not blaming you. I'm just trying to gather all sides of the story," Yoshi assured the Honorary Smasher, "things are getting more complicated than expected, and it's only right that we hear all sides say before we pass judgment."

Now it was Brendan's turn to be suspicious. "You said you wanted to hear every side. Just who is this 'other side' that you're mentioning?" he demanded.

Unlike Brendan, who seemed hesitant in revealing the past, Yoshi reacted with strength and authority as he explained his day. He told his uncle of how he met up with Milo after he was returned to the orphanage, and how he went to the sewers to view the underground world Milo lived in before. "What's more, Link and Fox followed me there and afterwards, we heard Milo's life story and how it put him in today's situation," Yoshi described, "the little guy did have a bad hand, so I can't say I blame him for all that's happened. I returned him to the orphanage, but I made him promise not to go back to the sewers or contact any of those guys who broke into the store again."

Brendan nodded apprehensively, his mind completely sobered from the story. "I always thought that what I was doing was actually helping the orphanage, but only now I realize that there's such a long way to go," he murmured, "I was too proud of my own efforts, and didn't realize my mistakes. That's something I'll have to live with."

Yoshi crawled out from under his covers and approached his uncle. Putting a hand on Brendan's shoulder, he said, "Nobody wanted it to happen, and changing the way an orphanage is run takes time as well. We can only blame those manipulating these kids for taking advantage of them during a time in need. We're all victims, and it's up to us to make things right again."

At this moment, uncle and nephew embraced, holding each other in a tight hug as they realized the rebirth that was happening before them. "I promise you," Brendan told Yoshi, "I will make things right again, and I'll do everything to save those kids."

As they released each other, Brendan made an offer to Yoshi. "You said you wanted to hear every side of the story, right? So why don't we go to the orphanage tomorrow and check up on your friend? Besides, I can also show you the progress that was made during the time, and see what may have been the source of frustration for those kids. Maybe your friend can be convinced that the orphanage isn't that bad of a place."

Yoshi smiled. "That seems like such an 'Uncle Brendan' thing to do, you know?" Yoshi always found his uncle as an optimist, always finding a way to come through. Whether it was school, or bullying, or baseball, or marrying Aunt Ashley, or even opening the Yoshi store, once Brendan had the determination, nothing could stop him. "Why not? Let's check up on Milo tomorrow, and let's convince him to keep fighting for another day. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Uncle and nephew indeed followed through on their words, as they, along with Ashley were on their way to the orphanage early next morning. Yoshi made sure he called the Smashers from his cell phone informing them where he was, and told his friends to temporarily call off their investigation. "It's not worth it right now, not when we're still in the dark about so many details," he explained.

Yoshi put his cell phone away just as they reached the orphanage. Brendan and Ashley had a little spring in the step as they trotted up the walkway to the front door. Yoshi merely followed quietly, knowing that this was his uncle's chance to tell his side of the story, and perhaps convince Milo to stay. I sure hope he'll listen, he thought.

"Brendan, what a surprise," the clerk at the front desk greeted the large dinosaur, "I didn't expect you to visit today. And by the way, all the staff here heard about your store, and we're all really sorry about what happened."

"That's really kind of you, but I'm not here to talk about my store," Brendan replied, "I brought my nephew here to show him how the orphanage is doing today. He's interested in knowing how you guys turned things around after all the problems you've been facing ten years ago. Is it alright if he takes a look?" he asked.

The secretary told Brendan that she would check with the centre's director first. So while Brendan waited patiently at the desk, Ashley and Yoshi took a seat at the bench in the corner. Brendan seemed a bit out of his positive character, fretting and looking a bit uncomfortable while leaning against the desk, prompting Yoshi to ask his aunt, "Do you know anything about this orphanage and its so-called progress in the last ten years?"

Ashley sighed. It was evident that she probably knew something about the back-story to the orphanage as well, and knew of some negative connotations with it. "Your uncle made those donations because he felt the money could get the orphanage back on track. But actual change was harder to achieve than expected, and some rather not-so-memorable things occurred during this time," Ashley described to her nephew.

Yoshi looked intrigued. "What sort of not-so-memorable things happened? Did Uncle Brendan know about them, and what did he do to help fix them?" he demanded.

"He knew that some orphans were running away, but I don't recall him revealing too much of the back story to me. I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on, and was hoping to leave it in the hands of the staff, but then again..." Ashley trailed off, her head turning slowly towards the direction of her husband waiting anxiously at the desk.

Yoshi turned around as well, and saw his uncle looking insecure for the first time in his life. Throughout his life, Brendan had never been one with an insecure outlook, always persevering through the toughest of times. Even when his relationship with Ashley was on the rocks after a bitter argument before Spring Training over fifteen years back, they worked through it and became a couple again. Now, it seemed like a strange spell was cast on Brendan, as the large dinosaur was haunted by whatever mistake made by the orphanage in the last ten years, and it made Yoshi feel just as uncomfortable.

The clerk returned just in time to let Brendan into the orphanage, snapping aunt and nephew out of their train-of-thought as Brendan signalled for them to follow him. Yoshi and Ashley entered through the doors and into the back, into a large classroom of some sort. The children were gathered here at the moment, as Yoshi and Ashley took in the sight. Many of them were around school-age, and were seated in a formation similar to a regular classroom, being taught similar material as regular children.

"This is one of the programs that we developed within the last few years," the secretary explained, "when we were told that the orphanage was going through some major changes, one of the suggestions is to revamp our teaching of the children. This new curriculum is based on local schools, and is comparable that material, minus a few things here and there. Brendan's donations were crucial to the formation of this, I must say."

Yoshi and Ashley peered into the classroom and saw all the children focused on the instructor. "So outside of the changed teaching curriculum, what other goals were you meeting when the changes were suggested?" Yoshi asked, his face still pressed close to the window, trying to locate Milo in the room.

"We want to change the entire outlook for children who came here, so they don't feel like they're an outcast of society. And that means changing the way they stayed here, which ultimately is to give them a chance to rejoin society somewhere in the future, especially when they're to be adopted," the secretary described, "it took a lot of creative thinking and financial management to get it done. I was there for some administrative work, and I can honestly say it was a true team effort. Shall we continue?"

The secretary moved on to a different part of the orphanage, going to the area where the orphans stayed for the night. "This area went through a renovation of gigantic proportions when we were told that our original plans didn't meet state regulations. So when Brendan made his first donations, we put that into the funds for improving living conditions. By the time we had enough funds, we were well on our way to fixing things, and Brendan's donations made up a fair proportion of the money. Of course, some kids had to be moved to another foster home, but considering the long-term benefits, all of us here can genuinely say that the efforts paid off when the inspectors came back again."

Yoshi and Ashley nodded, appearing to be somewhat satisfied. But it did not stop Ashley from asking questions, as she sought to clear up some things her husband perhaps left out whenever they discussed this issue. "Regarding the issue of orphans running away, how was the overall security when these renovations or improvements were happening? And was there anything within the orphanage that perhaps didn't ease those feelings of the societal reject at this time?" she interrogated the secretary.

The secretary shifted her stance, leaning back and forth on her two feet. "Well, part of the extra funds, both from Brendan and the government did go to security, and the older parts of the orphanage did include exits and entrances," she replied sheepishly, "we did have to make some changes to the locks and such, but when so much renovation is going on, we can only do so much at once."

"In other words, it took some time to address the problem, which means there is a window of opportunity for those dissatisfied with their lives here to run away," Ashley concluded, looking unimpressed, "I can probably accept that point, but I want to know how this latest escape happened, the one involving Milo Sullivan from three years ago."

Again, more hesitation from the secretary, making Ashley tilt her head in an angle to get a better look at the expression on her face. "Well, that was the year that the orphanage lost some valuable staff. The director retired, and his supposed successor moved to a city on the east coast, leaving us with very little to work with. We had to put a committee together on hiring the next director, all the while trying to revamp policies to fit the new needs. I guess when that happened, we never paid attention to the security issues, and that ended up letting the little boy escaped," she explained helplessly.

At this time, Yoshi was completely disgusted with the story. His optimism from last night completely faded as his anger caused his normally innocent-looking face to flush red. "I don't know if this is just a comedy of errors, or pure incompetence, but you're talking about lives of innocent children here. How could you be so careless?" he demanded.

"I think you should put things into perspective, Yoshi," Brendan suggested, speaking for the first time since they were let in, "when things are going that badly, can we truly blame them completely? Everyone had to do their part, including myself."

"I'm not blaming you, Uncle Brendan. In fact, after hearing this story, I'm more than convinced that you should have helped. But to have your funds be prioritized in the wrong way and causing so many orphans grief, is absurd!" Yoshi insisted.

Just then, the children were let out of their class, saving the secretary from further receiving Yoshi's indignation. Excusing herself, she stepped out of the living quarters, leaving Yoshi and his relatives to stew in their own thoughts. As if in slow motion, the three gathered the thoughts, and slowly moved for the door, marching like as if they had been hypnotized. Finally, as all three exited the room, Brendan approached his nephew to set the record straight. "Instead of admonishing the staff, I think you have to understand why you're here. You want to convince Milo to stay and not go back to the sewers. But if all you're doing is pointing out and condemning their past errors, then what message are you sending Milo?"

"What the management did was wrong. It was cruel and unusual punishment for the kids, who are the true victims of bureaucratic blunders," Yoshi spat, "at the very least Milo should have a right to know about this."

"And what good would that do to Milo?" Ashley chimed in, "I fully admit that mistakes were made, and I'm very disappointed too. But in context of the entire decade, progress has been made, and the centre has been modernized. More work can be done, and you can bet your uncle and I will keep pushing. But to ensure that the kids continue to feel welcome here, we have to engage them, not insult them. You tell Milo about the horror stories, he'll leave in an instant; you tell him the progress made, he'll feel welcome. Now which option fits your objective best?"

Yoshi stared at his uncle and aunt in an exasperated manner. His eyes still flashed in anger, but his face showed helplessness more. Was it even possible to tell, at least in his mind, half-truths to Milo? And would that even ease the youngster's mind, that the orphanage did indeed have his best interests? Sighing, he realized he only had minutes to decide, as the children exited the class, and were on their way outside. Moving off, Yoshi followed them, in hopes of catching Milo before he left.

Meanwhile, at police headquarters, Staff Sergeant Jack Riley was in no mood to deal with any distractions. Taking long strides and climbing the stairs two steps at a time, the tall, dark-haired man hurried into the conference room, where his unit was assembled for their daily briefing, something that was not uncommon since Jack's promotion.

However, this meeting would be anything but normal, as some past research into both the smuggling rings and the orphanage allowed Jack to dig up some valuable clues into the current case. Slipping into the room, he gently closed the door behind him and moved to the front, clicking the overhead project and slapped a slide onto the screen. "Right now we have more clues as to who may be behind this scheme of using orphans as smugglers, and how this relates to the explosion at the Yoshi Store."

Moving to the screen, he pointed out the areas of interest to the unit. "The Yoshi Store was bombed two days ago, with eye witnesses accounts stating that it was a group of children who delivered the bomb. The next day, another store at the block was broken into, with more reports, including one from an officer on patrol, informing us that kids were present again. In fact, he arrested a Milo Sullivan that night, identified as a runaway from the orphanage three years ago. He's been returned since."

Jack switched the slide to another one, this one of more orphanage records. "I did some research work on my own, including having some officers check the orphanage's records. Indeed, every time that an orphan had gone missing, there had been mysterious visitors to the front desk that either required special attention, or caused certain mischief or mayhem that required security or police be called. From each departmental report it always indicated the same type of people: a young adult and several pre-teens. This leads me to believe that the same people distracted the staff while siphoning more orphans off."

Police members mumbled among themselves as Jack dropped the bombshell. So not only was the move to use orphans pre-meditated, but the forcing or aiding of children in leaving the orphanage was planned as well. Jack pulled out another slide, this time of the face of a heavyset man. "This is Barry Langston, who you're all familiar with," he explained, "he's been involved in smuggling within the Chinatown neighbourhood for the last decade. We haven't laid any charges on him because of a lack of evidence. But according to connections with other smuggling groups currently in custody, I believe that he's the one with the most control over this orphans business, although I doubt that he's the one that directly oversees the orphans on a daily basis."

Jack changed slides again, this time showing a young man, looking no older than early-twenties. "This is Lane Jackson, an orphan with said orphanage ten years ago. He went missing seven years ago, when he was sixteen and after spending three years at the orphanage. According to initial tests, it was found out that he have some psychological problems, and was really obsessed with 'controlling' people or 'forcing' others to do what he wanted. Because of this, he became quite a handful to the orphanage staff. When the funds began trickling in from various groups, but mainly Brendan, there was more staff to enforce policy, and indeed he was punished."

Again, more mumbling came from the officers as they took notes, as one officer raised his hand to ask, "How do we make a connection between these two guys, if there is one at all?"

Jack nodded. "I figured that someone would ask something like that, and the logic behind the connection is this: Jackson had been involved in petty crimes ever since his escape, and I believe that to sustain his life on the streets, he had to have turned to larger crimes like smuggling. What better way to do this than to meet with Langston, and form a loose alliance? Moreover, he's known to have manipulated many kids in the orphanage, so I won't be surprised if he pulled some of them out to do his deeds,"

Another officer raised her hand. "Let's say we're able to get Langston, in a raid or on a regular patrol, how do we get the evidence to fit your story? I doubt he'll reveal his smuggling mechanism to us openly, so we'll be stuck with letting him go again,"

Jack shook his head. "I doubt it, because we're cracking down on most of the smuggling rings in the area, meaning whatever sources the underground movement is getting are slowly being choked off. Under this scenario, Jackson will be forced to take other actions, such as breaking into nearby stores, just to get the money he needs. In that case, we should have him captured no problem," he explained.

The officers all mulled this option. It was worth a shot to cut off the supplies, since it could flush the movement above ground and make it easier for them to destroy the movement altogether. Many officers smiled, as finally, after all these years, there finally seemed to be an end in their continually frustrating case.

It was not an unusual sight for Milo Sullivan to be by himself, sitting in a corner or somewhere outside taking in some fresh air. Ever since he was arrested with Yoshi, he felt he might have a new lease on life. The breeze from the bay hit his face, as if the wind could blow away the problems of his past. It didn't hurt that Yoshi had met him earlier, and told him about the troubled past of the orphanage. Knowing that his uncle and aunt would continue to make things better, the twelve-year-old boy was convinced that Yoshi could be trusted and decided to give the place a second chance.

And as he leaned on the fence, reminiscing over his past, he wondered about all the should-have and could-have possibilities. What if he had not become an orphan? What if he stayed in his middle-class suburban family? What if he continued in school and experienced what it was like to be a regular student and made friends that lasted a lifetime? Yoshi did say that he believed Milo could go very far, but the decision to leave the orphanage and join the street gangs was what ultimately made things worse for him. Deep down, Milo truly felt that he was starting to trust Yoshi more than his street friends, or even the leader. "Yoshi's alright, he's okay," Milo reassured himself.

Suddenly, the familiar shuffling from the building's side sounded off again. Milo turned to the source of the voice, and despite not being able to see through the ink-dark pathway, he had an idea who it might be. "I know you're there, you know," he called.

Suddenly, the rustles abruptly halted, leaving Milo in the dead silence of the night. An originally unimpressed Milo now became suspicious, as he could have sworn that he had heard something before. Readjusting his ball cap, he slowly inched towards the direction of the sound, his famous puppy dog eyes turning into intense dark pools as he glared into the pathway. "Who's there?" he demanded. He leaned against the railing, staring straight into the darkness. It was like a huge black hole, engulfing every source of light around him, even with the street light just down the lane. Three years of living in the sewers gave Milo better hearing and night-vision abilities, but even then he could not be sure what was stalking him tonight, it made him feel very uncomfortable.

Then, like a tiger leaping out from the grasslands, a set of hands shot out from the darkness and grabbed Milo. The boy struggled to break free, trying to get back to the safety of the orphanage, but the assailant was too strong. The strong arms were wrapped around Milo's midsection, and the boy was pinned against the fence. Soon, another set of hands came out and made their way around Milo's right arm. The two sets of arms worked together, like two anacondas constricting their prey as they hoisted Milo over the fence and into the side alley. Any efforts by Milo to struggle against them were futile, as it only sapped his own energy, and made himself even more entangled into the mess.

Milo was running out of options as the people dragged him off, a mini-scuffle in the works as they pulled him away from the orphanage. His attempt to scream for help proved to be fruitless as the two bigger assailants pulled him to the ground, landing a few hits on the smaller boy. Once Milo was subdued and in great pain, they pulled out two long cloths: one acted as a blindfold across his eyes, and the other as a gag for his mouth.

Once that was done, they pulled out too long ropes, one to tie his hands together, and the other to tie his arms around his body. Soon enough, the now helpless Milo Sullivan was nothing more than a piece of heavy luggage, being hauled off to and stored on the right plane. The two people hoisted him about a foot off the ground, and carried him off into the night, with Milo having no clue where he was heading.

The bumpy ride would continue until they reached an alley. Milo could not see what was going on, but could hear the familiar scrapping sound of a manhole being opened. He sucked in his breath in fear as he realized what had happened: the kidnappers were from the sewers, and Milo figured that it must have been all the times he rejected going back under the consideration of giving Yoshi a chance. Butterflies flapped in his stomach as Milo fretted the possibility of having to be addressed by the leader again, this time as a traitor who supposedly sided with Yoshi's family, their long-time nemesis.

When he was released, he was right back to where he had spent the last three years of his life: in the sewers, at the centre meeting area whenever the leader assigned roles. Milo glanced around, only to see those that captured him scurry off. It left him alone and vulnerable, like he was some performing animal put in the middle of a circus ring. Although he could not see it clearly, he knew people were around gaping in shock.

"So, Milo Sullivan," that all too familiar voice called from above, "they finally managed to find you after your pathetic attempt to elude police," it snickered.

Milo lifted his head to see that famous silhouette on the platform above him. His former leader was behaving every bit like a circus ringleader, preparing to crack his whip at Milo whenever he did not do what he was told. "As if you weren't incompetent enough to be captured by the police, now you're going back to the orphanage? I'm disappointed in you, Milo, I truly expected more from you," the leader sneered.

"Hey, it's not my fault. Yoshi put me in an egg, then he threw an egg bomb at me, and then the police arrived. I really didn't know what to do!" Milo pled his case.

"And what did you say while you're at the police station?" one of the older boys demanded from the side. Milo recognized the voice, as it was one of the longest-tenured kids in the sewers. The teen did not relent as he pressed the smaller and younger Milo for answers, "So talk, did you become a squealer? Did you tell the police about us?"

"No, I didn't say anything, you got to believe me!" Milo exclaimed, leaning away from that direction. From Milo's point of view, the dim lighting on him put him into the spotlight like a dissection specimen, and the surrounding crowd was like the dissecting crew, ready to cut into Milo to reveal whatever secrets he was hiding.

"You claimed you never said anything, but yet you've been seen with Yoshi and his family. It's pretty hard to believe that you didn't switch sides," another teen from the opposite direction stated, "So what are you, Milo? Are you a squealer, or a traitor?"

Milo felt extremely squeezed as his former living mates closed in on him from all directions. The small boy tried to shift his balance, only to tangle his own feet up and collapsed onto the ground, laying almost completely on his back as everyone glared at him. "I suggest you get your story straight, Milo," the leader fumed from above, "I've known you for three years, and when we recruited you, you promised us you'd be with us to the end. So why did we find you siding with the Yoshi family?"

"I never said anything about you guys to Yoshi, honest," Milo insisted, "when we were at the police station, we talked about our families, and how I became an orphan. I showed him a bit about the sewers, and later he showed me his friends. That's all that happened, and I promise you I never did anything!"

"You told the enemy about your past, you showed him around the sewers, and in turn he revealed that information to his friends, who all have connections with the authorities," the leader listed off, "I don't think we can let that off the hook. If anything, what you said only proved that you're a traitor, and I have specific punishment for that."

Milo's eyes widened to the size of plates. He knew if there was one thing the leader did not take well to, it was traitors, and he shuddered to think what cruelty would be dished out to him. Thinking fast, he immediately ditched going on the defensive, and offered ideas to limit the damage instead. "I'll do anything you want," he suggested, "I'll stop hanging out with Yoshi. I'll help keep an eye out on things whenever you have your missions. But please, don't hurt me! I don't want to go through any more pain!" Milo was nearing a face down position, his voice quivering and his eyes close to tears.

The leader paused for a minute, leaving Milo in total fear. Every second felt like a year as Milo's heart pounded out of his ribcage. Although he never revealed it to Yoshi, the fact was that the leader and most of the older kids not only bullied, but actually beat him physically when he performed poorly. In reality, Milo would admit that he had his fair share of horror stories to tell regarding the life of a street urchin as well, but it was only a matter of what was worse: the sewers, or the orphanage.

Finally, the leader spoke, his body leaning near the railing. Milo's misty eyes could see his hands and parts of his front, but the face was still shrouded in darkness. "I have the perfect way to test your loyalty towards us," he proposed, his tone sinister, "as most of you already know, we're running out of funds, as most of the people we worked for have stopped coming back. I only have one or two 'customers' left, and that doesn't bode well for me to keep all of you around. Since we need money, and we have a case where our enemy is prying away one of our own, why don't we try this?"

"And that's what happened," Yoshi concluded as he put another chair up onto a table. He convinced his two good friends, Kirby and Pikachu, to ease up on criticizing Milo by telling the orphanage's situation during this time. Until now, Kirby and Pikachu had been the most persistent in bringing Milo and the street gang to justice, mainly because they were directly involved when the explosion happened, but also because they were the closest to Yoshi, and did not want to see any more harm done to his family.

"Wow, that's really sobering," Kirby replied as he put down some flattened cardboard boxes, "but I still have one concern though: what guarantee did Milo offer to stay in the orphanage and not go anywhere? You can't control his every move, right?"

"True, but I did make him promise that if he wanted any more help from me, he has to stay away from the sewers. He agreed the deal, and I trust him," Yoshi explained, "Milo's smarter than most people think, so give him credit."

"But I'm still uneasy about this alliance," Pikachu replied, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, "After all, if the other street urchins get their hands on Milo again, there's no telling what they'll do to him. I think it's risky either way."

"Yoshi, can you help me take out the trash again? I just have to make a call to Brendan before we leave," Ashley requested. Brendan had decided to visit Yoshi Sr. again in the hospital, and Ashley wanted to hear an update on his condition before they headed home. Since Kirby and Pikachu were willing to stick around, Ashley felt it might be best if they helped shut down the restaurant for the night.

Yoshi nodded and went into the kitchen to grab the garbage bags. It gave him an eerie sense of déjà vu, reminding him of the time he and Milo were arrested. It was also the first time that they had met, and little did Yoshi knew then that Milo was actually a victim, rather than the instigator, of their so-called battle. There's more to him than that meets the eye and I'm glad I didn't pass judgment that quickly, he thought.

But just like the night when he ran into Milo, there was that familiar rustling sound from the deeper parts of the alley. Yoshi was about to put the trash away when the strange shadows from that night returned, waving in the distance and taunting Yoshi's efforts to help his family. This could be dangerous, Yoshi thought, I don't feel safe being alone here, especially with that long and dark alley ahead.

Thinking quickly, Yoshi pretended to throw away the trash by opening the top of the dumpster. The loud creak echoed through the alley as Yoshi held the garbage bag near it. But instead of pushing them in, he pivoted off the step and sneaked back to the restaurant's back door. He slipped inside and called for Kirby and Pikachu to come out and help him. "Guys, I think something weird is happening," he told his friends.

The pink puffball and the electric rodent followed their dinosaur friend into the dark alley. Thanks to Pikachu's great hearing, he could pinpoint the source and location of the sounds. "We know you're back there," Pikachu called, "come out now!"

Instead of running away or turning back like the night Yoshi faced them, the street urchins marched forward to face the Smashers head on. "It's no secret what our mission is: we're invading your restaurant, taking your money, and shutting you three down. If you got the guts, then face us head on," the lead teen challenged.

"We have no choice," Kirby whispered to Yoshi and Pikachu, "if we want to defend the restaurant, we have to take a stand right here."

Yoshi nodded. Taking a step forward, he shouted back, "You don't know who you're messing with. We're the Smashers, the best fighters in every Nintendo universe, and we have more skills up our sleeves than you can imagine," he took a fighter stance as Kirby and Pikachu stood to his each side, "you want to take down my aunt's restaurant, then get through us three first." The threesome stood their ground, refusing to budge.

But the street urchins were unfazed by their move. The lead teen stepped up to them defiantly and called, "I think you might want to see what our secret weapon is, especially the dinosaur," he pointed a long finger at Yoshi.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the other street urchins behind him parted, revealing an all-too-familiar face. There, standing behind them, in his trademark ball cap, his open-fingered gloves, and his newer clothes from the orphanage, was the same boy that made the deal with Yoshi. "Milo, no," Yoshi gasped, "what are you doing there?"

So what do you think this is? Is it a true betrayal? Did Milo truly return to the street urchins? Or did his former leader do more than that meets the eye? Only reading the next chapter will these questions will be answered...