I want to thank Cody the Pikachu for reviewing the last chapter and supporting me greatly through the fic with his fantastic ideas. Now we finally get to the good part, where the whole ordeal with the hazing and cyberbullying finally comes to a head. You're going to see people's lives being put in danger, and Milo will face his greatest challenge. Are you ready for this? If so, then let us begin!

Nintendo owns Super Smash Bros. I own Milo Sullivan, his parents, his friends, and all other OC's in this story.

"I'm just surprised that nobody came out to cheer you guys on, or wish you good luck for your Round Two matchup today," Scott observed, glancing at the cafeteria from the orphans' corner table. The Round Two matchups for the junior varsity baseball playoffs were set, with Milo's team playing as a visitor after school today. "If you win today's match, that means you would have done what the varsity baseball team didn't do. Why won't the students be happy?"

"They're probably still sulking from the varsity team taking a beating last night," Mark commented, sending a death glare over his shoulder at the jocks table. The varsity baseball team did not advance past the second round, losing their matchup and ending their season. "Like you said, if Milo's team advances to the next round, Milo would have beaten those guys at their own game. How's that for turning the tables on those guys?"

"Well, it has been awfully quiet without them talking trash about us, although I wonder if that's because they got their so-called warning about hazing, or if they're finally coming to and starting to treat us better," Haley added. From what the latest gossip revealed, Haley found out that the athletics department did warn the varsity captain of impending legal action. While Haley was still unconvinced that it sent the message, it did buy them a couple of days of peace. "At least I don't have to see them make faces at me, so that's always a bonus."

Milo pursed his lips and thought about his friends' words. Indeed, once word got out that there was legal action, the school's reaction towards them became unpredictable. There were those who resented Milo's group for going up against the school's most popular people, thinking that Milo was trying to ruin the varsity teams' reputations out of revenge. However, there was also the other side who were grateful for Milo's actions, given they too were victims suffering under the jocks' poor treatment. Richie and Willis from the junior varsity soccer team were the best examples, and so far they had been the most vocal and supportive of all the students in helping Milo stop hazing. With the polarization now setting in, this could be a strange balance.

"Milo, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about what the varsity guys are thinking. Just go out there and play your game," Mark suggested, looking at the youngest orphan with caring eyes, "It's not worth getting mixed up with a bunch of people who are already on a short leash. If the school doesn't punish them, then we know Haley here will, okay?"

Milo shook his head. "I'll try not to, but I keep feeling like they will still try to do the hazing even though they were warned," Milo stated, rubbing his forehead anxiously, "You recall me telling this to Cassandra, right?"

All the other orphans nodded. "What makes you think those guys will do anything, Milo?" Scott asked, taking a sip of water from his bottle, "I know the school still hasn't done anything against them, but don't you think they'll at least back off for now?"

Milo shook his head. "Think about all the times when those guys tried to pick a fight with us. Time after time again they keep coming back, so what makes you think they'll stop now?" Milo suggested, clasping and unclasping his hands nervously, "Do you remember what happened when we were still living in the sewers? It took me how many times before I convinced everyone to stop following our leader and go back to the orphanage. This is even when Yoshi and the Smashers all convinced me to change, and Sergeant Riley was clearly onto us. If it takes that much for us to change that little, what do you think will happen here?"

All the orphans paused, with none of them saying a word. Indeed, no punishment was handed out, with Cassandra reporting that the principal was satisfied with the disciplinary committee's decisions. That meant the person getting the harshest punishment was still Mark, who had cafeteria cleanup duty for the rest of the month. "And they still haven't done anything with the cheerleaders' cyberbullying either," Haley murmured, drumming her knuckles on the table in frustration, "Those guys really want to get sued, don't they?"

"But aren't you pressuring them through the social justice club?" Milo asked, tugging on his open-fingered gloves, "You told me the social justice club will focus on some anti-bullying initiatives, and you even said some varsity people might join. So what did you guys do so far, and how has that affected what the school is doing?"

"I said any varsity member who wants to join will be welcome. But so far none did, and based on what I'm seeing, I don't think they will soon," Haley corrected Milo with a frown, "As for the anti-bullying campaign, we do have some support on our side, and the school does seem open to more bullying education. I just hope they don't use this as a way to bypass punishment and let those cyberbullies go. It'll be pretty sleazy of them if that's how they play it."

"Hey Milo, can we talk?" a voice called from the side. Milo and his friends all glanced to the edge of the table, where a Chinese boy and his spikey-haired friend stood anxiously. "We just heard some stuff from the varsity soccer team that we want you to know about. Can you spare a minute?" Richie asked, a mask of worry plastered onto his face.

Milo gestured to the seats at the edge of the table, to which Richie and Willis plopped themselves down on. Just looking at the slow movements and careful gestures and Milo knew something wrong happened. "Are you guys alright?" he queried.

Richie and Willis glanced nervously around the table before nodding. "The varsity soccer guys aren't happy they got a warning for their actions, and some of them are taking it out on the junior varsity guys," Willis reported, scratching the back of his head, "We already told them to stop or we'll go to the principal, but it's just scary, that's all."

"But that's not what we're most scared about," Richie continued, picking up from where his friend left off, "Remember when we talked about the varsity guys still planning to do hazing, even though the school warned them? From what I heard, they want to do it sooner rather than later. Instead of waiting until after their appreciation night, they'll do it within a week, and it'll involve something bigger than anything the school has ever seen."

"They said the school's hazing tradition has gone on for twenty years, and it's time to do something bigger to remember it. Richie and I thought they're crazy, but then we overheard them wanting to trespass into a wastewater treatment plant and have the junior varsity people jump into the sewage," Willis added with a slight shiver in his body, "We tried to tell our teammates but they don't believe us, and so far we can't reach Cassandra. Do you think you can help us?"

Milo's eyes widened and his body swayed slightly. Richie and Willis all but confirmed the former orphan's fear that the hazing threat was real and still present. Either the supposed warning by the athletics department had no effect, or the school never did its job at all. "Did they say when and where this will take place, and if no junior varsity people know about this, how did you guys find out?" Milo asked, rubbing his forehead in confusion.

"We just overheard them after the varsity captains came to give us flack," Willis pointed out, "They kept blaming us for getting them in trouble with the school. We told them to stop it or we'll tell, and then they trailed off into another discussion. Richie and I just stood there for a moment and we heard everything they said."

"They weren't paying much attention to us. It was like we weren't there at all," Richie explained, "It was only after they found out we were still there that they told us to go away, but we heard it all. But if no one knows about it or believes us, do you think they'll still take this seriously? And will the school even believe us when there are no witnesses?"

"The competition looks tough tonight. I don't know if Milo's team can pull out a win, although I sure hope they can," Yoshi commented from the bleachers at the baseball diamond. The Smashers again gathered at the bleachers to support Milo's team, this time going to the hosting school rather than Milo's own. Just by initial observations, the Smashers could see that this team was bigger, faster, and could hit better than Milo's last opponent, making chances of advancing to the next round stacked against Milo. "Do you guys know what the regular season record is of Milo's team against theirs?" Yoshi asked the former orphans.

"I think they split the season series, with each side beating the other on home field," Scott reported, sipping his drink through a straw, "Remember that Milo's team finished with a slightly better than .500 record, so it's expected that they pretty much split every series."

Yoshi nodded. The teams were evenly matched, and Yoshi even believed that Milo's team was overmatched in some areas. Glancing around, Yoshi tried to look Milo's classmates or fellow athletes. "Nobody from the school shows up to cheer them on, that's not very nice."

"Then again, when have they ever been nice?" Mark remarked, staring at the field with uninterested eyes, "If the latest rumours about the planned hazing is true, then we know for sure that none of those bozos learned their lesson. And the school expects these nutcases to go out there to win awards and scholarships, so that the school's reputation can be boosted?"

Yoshi and the surrounding Smashers all turned to Mark, some of whom disgusted with the comment. "Are they really going to make someone swim in sewage water just to prove that they belong?" Kirby asked incredulously, "That is just plain gross!"

"And won't that just make them be charged with trespass of something? They have to sneak into a wastewater treatment plant just to do that, and I'm pretty sure no sewage treatment staff will let them in," Pikachu chimed in, "I think these guys just lost their minds!"

"Mario told me that it's not just gross, but dangerous too," Haley pointed out. She was seated directly to the plumber's left, having a detailed discussion with him about the hazing. "Mario said anyone jumping in can lose their lives, no matter how good at swimming they are."

Mario nodded in agreement. "Do you guys know what primary wastewater treatment is?" he asked. When all he got were blank looks from the Smashers, Mario decided to elaborate. "When we flush our toilets, or take a shower, or wash things down the sink, any physical object that goes down with that water will end up at the sewage treatment centre. These objects must be separated from the water before the water can be treated, and that's primary treatment."

The Smashers looked on as Mario stretched his arms and legs, adjusting his body on the bench before he continued. "In primary treatment, the wastewater is placed in tanks where the physical objects like sludge will settle to the bottom of the tank. Any oil or grease will float to the top where it can be skimmed off," Mario described, "If you make someone jump into that type of tank, they will sink straight to the bottom, with no chance of coming back up. And even if by some stroke of miracle they stay afloat, they can still be injured or killed if the skimmers are turned on. Only an absolute psychopath will force someone to swim in sewage tanks."

By the time Mario was finished his explanation, everyone around him became silent. Never in their lives could they imagine what could happen if this hazing event happened. Could students be killed as a result of this madness? "So, what do you think we should do?" Scott eked out after finally finding enough courage to speak, "How do we stop them if they do proceed?"

"Right now you don't even know if it's happening," Samus pointed out, leaning her head forward from her back row seat, "If the hazing situation doesn't come up, then there's nothing you have to do. But if does come up, then it's either you try to stop them before they get to the treatment plant, or you have to call the police if they succeed in breaking in."

"Last time we spoke to Jack, he said the police will only get involved in events where hazing is clearly established. That's why Mark's fight with the varsity captains was out of his jurisdiction," Brendan pointed out, "If we know for sure that this hazing event will take place, then it doesn't matter what happens, because that is already against the law."

"But if you want to catch them before they actually force the junior varsity people to jump, then the only way is to keep your eyes and ears open at school," Fox added, adjusting his headset while splitting his attention between the field and the group, "If you look at the people playing today, chances are some, if not all of them can be targeted for hazing. Other than Milo, are there baseball players who are more likely to be on the jocks' bad side?"

The Smashers and the former orphans all scanned the field, watching each player go through their warmup routine. They were unsure if any of them would know of the varsity plot, although they believed some of them would have at least heard of it. If the hazing tradition was at least twenty years old, and almost every junior varsity player went through it at least once, then it was doubtful that this current bunch would be blind to that reality. But given the lack of information, with no confirmation of whether the hazing event would even take place, anyone could be a target. It was no different than waiting for lightning to strike.

Yet thinking about the issues, it only meant more eyes were available for observing what was going on. If Richie and Willis already attempted to contact Cassandra, it only meant no varsity athlete would be off the hook. And with Haley's getting the social justice club involved, it would only cover a wider scope. If Milo and his friends could get a few more junior varsity athletes involved, then there was no way they could be hazed. "If they play their cards right, they can protect each other from those guys," Ashley commented.

"I think the best way for you guys to approach it is to think about this in stages," Link suggested, adjusting his blue scarf once more, "The first stage is to stop the bullying at the school. If you can get more people onside with you, that can pressure the varsity guys to watch their actions. They can't push you guys around if you all stand against them. The second stage is to intercept the varsity guys if they still want to proceed with the hazing. I think that's where a buddy-system will work, where you guys just keep an eye on each other. If any varsity guys even try to snatch one of you off, then there will be someone to report it. See what I'm getting at?"

The former orphans all stared at Link, still trying to digest this large-scale plan. It would not be easy to convince more people to turn on the popular crowd. But for their sakes, as well as for every potential victim of the jocks' hazing or the cheerleaders' cyberbullying, this was the only plan that worked. "I can definitely talk to the social justice club about this when we expand our anti-bullying efforts," Haley replied, pulling out a notepad and scribbling down the ideas, "Thanks, Link. If this works out, I think you and Zelda may have to switch Triforce pieces!"

"Well, I won't be giving up my Triforce of Wisdom, and I'm sure Link likes the Triforce of Courage too much," Zelda joked, giving Link a playful slap on the forearm. And Ganondorf was also confirmed to make a return, meaning the three Triforce pieces would reunite once more. "Anyway, let's focus on the game now. I think they're ready to start," Zelda suggested.

"It's really too bad you didn't advance to the next round, Milo," Scott stated as the former orphans headed for their lockers. By a one-run margin, Milo's team lost yesterday's match, officially ending their season. While everyone who attended the match was proud of the way Milo's team played, they knew this was one defeat that would sting for a while.

"You played your hearts out yesterday, so you should be happy," Haley insisted, leaning against the lockers while Milo placed all his books and notes into his bag. With baseball season over, the group could now focus on the main event: the orphanage concert. The date really came up at them, and to prevent scrambling near the end, Milo and his friends decided to do planning all weekend. "And if the orphanage hears about your result, I'm sure they'll be happy too."

Milo managed a weak grin before closing his locker. "Thanks, you guys," he replied with a shrug, "At least I'll know what to do to improve for next year. Anyway, are we all ready to go? Is Mark coming with us, or does he have detention again?"

"Mark has to stay behind again because he took too long to clean the cafeteria. The jocks give him the Friday afternoon special, and he ended up missing one class," Haley explained, her face darkening at the mention of the varsity athletes. The varsity captains still left bigger messes for Mark to clean up, to which Haley chalked it up to them still holding a personal vendetta against the oldest orphan for challenging them to a fight. "And for that, Mark can't go home early on Friday and has to catch up for the weekend."

"We're not really rehearsing today, are we?" Scott asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading to the exit with his two friends, "We're just helping the orphanage test the equipment again to make sure everything goes well. We checked out the site once with the Smashers before, so this shouldn't take too much time and effort, right?"

"You're forgetting that we're also dealing with catering. We're lucky that Milo's mom runs a restaurant, or else I wonder what we'll do to prepare food for so many people," Haley pointed out, tilting her head in Milo's direction, "I can't thank you enough for convincing your mom to cook for us. That takes one thing off of our list."

Milo nodded. "No problem, glad I can help," he responded, pushing the door open and holding it for his two friends, "How about you guys? Did you guys get the social justice club or the band to volunteer anyone, even on an unofficial basis?"

"Some members of the social justice club are starting to listen, and we may see them starting this weekend, but I don't think Scott has any luck with the band," Haley described, tilting her head in Scott's direction. Scott could only manage a weak shrug in return, confirming Haley's comments. "Some help is better than none, so at least we have that on our side."

"You know, you're taking it kind of well," Scott remarked, scratching the back of his head confusedly, "You would think after hearing about the band still siding with the jocks than the rest of us, that it'll make you all volcanic like Mark. But you seem like you came to terms with it or something. Is it because of the lawsuit that you're now more relaxed?"

"Partially, but it's also because I came to terms with myself," Haley responded, stuffing her hands into her pockets and leisurely strolling along, "Things obviously weren't going my way earlier, so I have to change. Instead of getting into a shouting match with those preppy cheerleaders, I should report them to Cassandra or the school. And when the school doesn't take action, then I should bring it to a lawyer. The old way of doing things is out, and now I have a new way to take those guys on without getting into trouble."

Both Milo and Scott nodded, although the latter still had a confused look on his face. "So do you think this change is good or bad?" Scott asked, gently rubbing his forehead, "It can be good if you aren't as stressed out, but won't it be bad if nobody listens to you?"

"One of my parents' friends came over for dinner the other night, and I asked them that question. His response was that I truly became mature when I accepted things for what they are. I can't force the cheerleaders or the jocks to change, so I have to accept that and move on," Haley explained, recalling the dining room conversation with the family friend, "Some people might think I'm being harsh by using a lawyer, and there are others who think I'm weak for doing so, but I think whether what I'm doing is a good thing or not will depend on who you ask. For me, as long as I accept what's happened, and I put my best foot forward for whatever challenges are ahead, I think I'm doing a good thing and the right thing."

Milo thought about Haley's words, spending the rest of the walk from the school to the orphanage in silence. This experience not only changed Haley, but all of them. Milo found resonance in Haley's words when she indicated that different people would view their actions differently. It was no secret that there were individuals who openly hated Milo and his group for their actions. Yet at the same time, Milo knew that if they did not take action, there would be plenty more victims in the school. It was only after getting a lawyer that the school finally took action against the varsity teams, warning them not to bully or haze people. Part of Milo felt that if he took action sooner, maybe it would all be prevented.

And in an ironically fitting sort of way, Milo went through the same changes that Haley did, despite taking a different route to get there. While Haley was headstrong and pugnacious, Milo opted to be low-key, wanting the varsity people to fix their mistakes on their own. Due to him getting a second chance, Milo was adamant that as many opportunities should be offered to those varsity athletes, so that they would realize the wrongness of their ways and made an effort to change. But when the jocks continued their ways, Milo realized that his method failed, which caused Milo to change as well. Even though he did not want to sue anyone, Milo did it to protect his group of friends and any other potential victim. It was strangely fitting that Haley would make that comment, because Haley and Milo ultimately reached the same conclusion.

"You know, your family friend also reminded of something Yoshi said to me," Milo pointed out, glancing over at Haley, "He told me that no matter what happens, we are living in the world that we created. Every action or decision will go towards building our world, and whether the result is positive or negative will depend on us. That's why he told me to stay positive but true to my principles. I think that really works if you apply it to your friend."

They finally reached the orphanage, where Scott held open the front door for the others to go in first. "Don't you think it'll be appropriate if you end up choosing a song for our concert that's based on this theme?" he suggested with a cheeky grin, "Not only are we building our own worlds, but we're helping build the worlds of all the orphans staying here. I think it makes sense to do a song like that. What do you guys think?"

"Who knows? Since we chose so many songs, maybe we can find one that can fit that theme," Haley responded, "Let me check in with the staff first. We'll talk more about this later." With that, Haley scurried off to the front desk, leaving the two boys in her wake.

"And I'm going to call Sean," Milo reported, moving to the side opposite to Haley's, "He's still part of our team, and I'm sure he'll want to show up the night of the concert. If we can get him to drop by this weekend, then it'll only make things go smoother."

As Milo and Haley dealt with their respective people, Scott could only beam from ear to ear. Things came a long way since receiving a wedgie and getting dumped in the trash, and he would love to hear the appreciation of their efforts to make the lives of many orphans better. "I really wish Mark is here to see this," he murmured to himself.

"This about does it, you guys," Haley announced, directing volunteers on where to go at the orphanage. The weekend brought out a larger outcome than was expected, with members of the social justice club assisting Haley in setting up the orphanage. Even though the concert was still a few weeks away, there were other tasks that everyone wanted to address before then. Plus, there were other things that the social justice club could assist with, meaning any help they gave the orphanage was a blessing. "Just a bit more to go and we're done. Milo, Mark, Scott, and I will take care of the rest after you go," Haley concluded.

"Your social justice club really knows how to get things done, right Haley?" Scott commented, adjusting the cardboard box in his hands, "I think even without the band people, we can have everything off and running in no time!"

"I think we just cut our losses. We can see that the band is untrustworthy and unreliable, so let's not try to involve them any further," Mark responded, taking the box from Scott's hands. Climbing up a ladder, he placed the box in its slot before turning back to face the group. "At least we got some people to show up, including Sean."

Everyone turned to watch the ball boy adjusting various items, having major struggles in getting them straight and not dropping some. Despite his reputation for being a klutz, Sean was surprisingly effective today, not making any messes or breaking anything. "Are you still doing okay, or are you close to shattering something?" Mark teased.

"Oh, everything's fine, don't worry about it!" Sean called back, shuffling some items in his arms to prevent them from falling, "I'm used to dealing with sports equipment all the time, so something like this shouldn't be too much for me."

"I'm just really glad all of you decided to help us. This means a lot to us, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Milo announced to all members of the social justice club. It felt like after a long time of being ignored, finally someone realized this was a worthy cause and decided to do something. "I guess I have to thank Haley the most, since she's the one who kept pushing this issue. You did a good job of convincing them, huh?"

"Speaking of the social justice club getting involved in campaigns outside their usual mandate, how are you guys doing with cyberbullying? I've heard you say this quite a few times now, but have you actually reported cases of cyberbullying to the school admin or the police?" Mark asked, climbing down from the ladder and wiping his hands on a towel, "You said the school does support bullying education, but are there any tangible results at all?"

"Seriously, Mark?" Scott groaned, slapping his forehead exasperatedly, "When are you ever getting out of your gloom and start focusing on the positives? Do you want to have a case where no one even speaks up for the cause? Lighten up, will you?"

Haley stepped between the two brothers before they could pick on each other more. "In fairness, we did do quite a bit over the last week or so," she reported, "We did focus on what people wrote in school pages, particularly those involving school teams or clubs. You can't believe what crap people put on those Facebook pages when they think only their teammates or friends can see. We've also reported some of these to the school authorities, and I'm trying to see if we can get Sergeant Riley to help us. I'm sure there are some officers in his department who are in charge of dealing with schools and education, so maybe they should see this as well."

"Did you let Sergeant Riley know about this beforehand?" Milo added, trotting up to the group, "Sergeant Riley did say we can still keep him updated on general bullying, even though he won't get involved yet. So did you keep him posted so far?"

Haley nodded. "It's just emails so far, but I did tell him that I want to meet with him soon. If we can at least get some of those suspicious IP addresses tracked, then there won't be as much a problem in the future," Haley described. Checking her list once more, she decided to call it a day. "We're clean up from here, so everyone can go home now."

The members of the social justice club soon finished their tasks and filed out the doors. Milo and his friends made sure to thank each and every single one of them when they stepped out. The group greatly appreciated their efforts to help make the lives of the orphans still living here a bit better. They still had a lot more work to do to convince more people in the school to address the issues of bullying and hazing, but at least some already broke from the norm and would give them a hand. If they could make some efforts here, and Haley still had two more years to go before graduating, maybe change was not out of the question.

"You know, even though things went well today, I'm still concerned about the hazing thing," Milo pointed out. That got the other former orphans pausing, focusing in on the youngest of the bunch. "I'm surprised that none of the junior varsity people seemed worried. I don't think they aren't aware of the hazing, since it's a long tradition at this school. If Richie and Willis did overhear stuff and tried to report it, won't everyone know about it?"

The others only shrugged, not sure what to expect. While they were concerned at the lack of action against the supposed hazing event, there wasn't much anyone could do. "Like you said, they're just rumours, so what else can be done?" Scott replied, picking up some trash from the ground. He trotted over to the nearby garbage can and tossed the pieces in. "Let's just get going and forget about that for now. We still have to update the Smashers on what's going on."

The group finished their cleanup and stepped out of the orphanage. The sun was already at the horizon, dipping lower beneath the waterline. Brisk winds from the ocean blew in from the shore, chilling the air around the group. Even though spring was already here, the weather did not show any signs of getting warmer soon.

Yet before the former orphans could go too far, they were ambushed from the shadows. Milo, Mark, Scott, and Haley felt several arms descend upon them, holding them in vice grips and pulling them into the darkness. "Hey, what's going on?" Mark demanded, struggling to break free. He could see the other three in the same position, trying to break free from those sets of arms. Despite being the largest and strongest of the bunch, even Mark had trouble with it.

Before long, the foursome was dragged away from the sidewalk and into the alley. Amidst their frustrated grunts and flailing limbs, they were dragged into the back where a couple of vehicles were waiting for them. "Stop their screaming already, they're annoying me," the one they figured was the group leader ordered. The darkness made it difficult for the former orphans to identify the individual, but somehow that voice seemed very familiar to them.

As the group was dragged off, the kidnappers felt their mission was a success. They were busy slapping hands and giggling when they entered their vehicles, roaring off into the night with their targets onboard. What they did not notice was one set of eyes belonging to the one person who stayed at the orphanage with the former orphans. Sensing the dangers, Sean Cunningham slowly pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number for help.

"Shouldn't Milo be home now? Volunteering at the orphanage shouldn't take them until almost dinner time," Ashley observed, glancing nervously at the front door of their home. When Milo originally went to volunteer at the orphanage today, it was only for the afternoon. He told his parents that he would be back before dinner and would update the Smashers on the latest progress. But now it was past dinner, and there was still no sign of him. "I'm getting worried. He should be back a long time ago," Ashley murmured.

"I called the orphanage already, and they said everyone left quite a while ago," Brendan reported, anxiously flipping his cellphone open and close, "I also tried to call Milo, but there's no answer. You don't think something happened to them, do you?"

"Milo's not the type to be irresponsible. He's always good at telling everyone where he is and when he'll be home," Ashley responded. She trudged back to the dining room table and took a seat, joining her husband and nephew who were equally as perplexed. "Part of me thinks we should just call the police. Do you think Jack is available for a quick chat?"

Just then, the doorbell went off. All three dinosaurs stared at each other in shock, with Yoshi slowly sliding off to get the door. Milo had house keys, so he should not be using the bell. Who would be dropping by at this hour? Undoing the locks, Yoshi pulled the door open to get a big surprise. "Sergeant Riley? What's going on here?" Yoshi demanded.

The police sergeant strode into the house, with a scared teen following closely behind him. Jack approached the dining room table, briskly taking a seat and gesturing the teen over. "Guys, this is Sean. He said he was volunteering with Milo and his friends at the orphanage earlier today," Jack reported, "He was supposed to leave with Milo but then he saw them get ambushed and carted off into an alley, so that's why we're here to get more information."

Brendan and Ashley dropped their jaws to the ground. Why would anyone kidnap Milo? "Jack, we don't have enemies or anything like that!" Brendan exclaimed, waving his little arms about, "Why would anyone kidnap Milo or hold him ransom or something?"

Jack raised his hand to halt his friend. "I think you should hear out the rest of the story," he suggested, turning his head to Sean, "Sean here says he recognized some of those kidnappers, even though it was in the alley. He thinks some of them resemble the varsity captains in the same school Milo attends. That got me wondering if they're doing this as retribution for what Milo and his friends did. Do you know if Milo got threats from the varsity captains recently?"

"Why would the varsity people threaten Milo and his friends?" Ashley demanded, her voice somewhere between shocked and frustrated, "We already told the school we won't stand for more bullying. The school said they would warn those guys to do no more hazing. And most importantly, Haley has a defamation action ready if those cyberbullies don't take down their hurtful comments. Why would the varsity captains go on a rampage against Milo when they know they'll only get in more trouble in the future?"

"But that's not what the main issue is right now," Sean interjected. The three dinosaurs could see Sean slightly hunched over, his eyes on everywhere except at the table and his arms fidgeting nonstop. "There's been talks at the school that some varsity captains might still go ahead with the hazing, hopefully earlier than later just to avoid whatever punishment the school will give them after the investigation. They know Milo complained to the school and Haley wanted to sue, so they want to get it done and out of the way so they can't get in trouble. There were talks about what they will do this year, but I didn't realize they were doing it this week."

"Are those guys crazy? Even after threatening legal action against them, they're still going to haze people? What are they thinking?" Yoshi shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. Based on what Milo told his family so far, it truly felt like things were turning the corner. Milo felt more confident in the school, there were more people getting involved with volunteering at the orphanage, and baseball was fun again. "I thought the jocks ignoring Milo was a good thing, given they won't hurt him anymore, but now it seems like they're just biding their time."

"I think we should focus less on wondering about the jocks' sanity and more on what exactly they plan to do," Jack insisted, bringing out his notebook and flipping through the pages. From previous conversations, he knew that Mark had a fight with some of the varsity captains, and both Haley and Milo sent warning letters to the school as a result. Haley also reported to Jack several instances of cyberbullying and hoped to meet with him someday to further discuss. "Do you know if they mentioned anything about hazing activities?" Jack asked.

The three dinosaurs glanced at each other, all of whom wearing confused looks. Milo did not mention anything about hazing because they were all under the impression that there would be no more of that. "The follow-up we had from the school was that warnings were given to all varsity captains, but that was it," Ashley reported, rubbing her hands together nervously, "If there is anything planned, then I don't think it was made known to anyone."

"I just remember hearing something about doing something extra big because this is the twentieth year in which the hazing tradition has gone on," Sean recalled, rubbing his cheeks like he could coax the answer out of his mouth, "I haven't heard anything about what they plan to do or where they plan to do the hazing." Sean soon felt the eyes of Milo's loved ones zoning in on him, feeling their disappointment and anger on his inaction to stop the bullying. "I know I didn't do enough to stop the varsity team in the past. That ended with Milo and a lot of other people getting bullied nonstop. I'm sorry I let that go on, but now I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stop it from happening," Sean pleaded, hoping Yoshi wouldn't devour him on the spot.

"We're not blaming you, Sean," Yoshi assured the shaken teen, "If anything, we blame the toxic culture of the school and the admin team's failure to stop these barbaric practices. Right now, we have to focus on finding out where those jocks took Milo and his friends."

"I'm just really surprised there aren't any evidence from those cyberbullying tips that Haley gave," Brendan commented, accessing the internet from his phone and scrolling through various Facebook pages, "You would think those guys left some clues from the sports pages for the school. Have you noticed anything about those sites that made you suspicious?"

Jack got out of his seat and shuffled over to Brendan's side of the table. Pouring through his notes, he pointed to several pages that were frequented by varsity members. "I even saw one that was pretty much exclusive to varsity captains," Jack reported, pointing out the page to his friend, "I didn't go through these in detail quite yet, mainly because Haley wants to meet with me before I start. But if we go through there, maybe we'll get some hints."

"Are they completely exclusive the varsity captains, to the point where no one can post if you're not a captain?" Ashley wondered, leaning her head closer to the two males, "How can we access that if we're not members of that group? Can we even see what was posted?"

Just then, Jack flashed a grin. "They may be varsity athletes, but they're not the brightest bulbs in the shed," he announced, tilting Brendan's phone to the centre of the table so everyone could see, "They made it group-only posting, but they didn't keep the posts private. That means anyone can see it, including this little post here. Now why would a bunch of varsity athletes want to visit a wastewater treatment plant on a weekend evening?"

The entire group was too stunned to say anything else. It was obvious that the hazing event would involve some pretty dirty water and trespassing into government property. "You guys get going first," Yoshi decided, "I'll call the Smashers to see if they can give a hand."

Darkness had officially descended upon the land, chilling the atmosphere and sending most people indoors. Other than the sounds of leaves rustling or branches shaking, an eerie silence smothered the area. And given this was a weekend night, most people would either be at home enjoying dinner with family, or out an about in various hotspots of the city. Certainly no one would visit an isolated facility on the outskirts of town, let alone one that dealt with sewage and wastewater that flowed from people's homes.

But tonight was no ordinary night, not when a group of varsity athletes were about to initiate their junior varsity counterparts. They parked their vehicles a distance away, leaving them out of sight so no security at the facility could spot them. Then, in small groups of no more than ten, the athletes and their juniors slipped pass an unlocked fence, courtesy of one of the varsity captains who scaled it earlier to undo the locks. By the time things were done, there were nearly a hundred people gathered next to several large round tanks filled with rancid sludge.

"Listen up, maggots!" the loud voice of Ralph, the varsity soccer captain, called. The arrogant grin on his face only made the junior varsity athletes even more concerned, wondering what their seniors had in store for them. "To celebrate the twentieth year of our school tradition, we on the varsity soccer team, along with the other varsity captains, came up with the greatest way to welcome you to the group. Unlike usual years, where we just do weak stuff like paddling or ice showers, this year you'll do what no past groups have ever done before."

Ralph gave way to Mick, who had an equally disturbing smirk on his face. "This is a wastewater treatment plant. Some seniors from the science club did this as part of their science competition, although we're not here to study wastewater treatment, unlike those nerds," Mick explained with a sneer. He scanned the crowd like a king scanning his subject, almost like the junior varsity athletes were inferior to him. "Instead, we're here because tonight, all of you junior varsity people are going to take a swim in the sewage water."

Many junior varsity athletes moaned, groaned, and fake-gagged at the mention of this nasty task. Some of them were downright shocked that the varsity captains thought up of this. "Won't we get in trouble?" a junior varsity basketball player shouted, "We're trespassing by being here, and now we have to jump into their tanks? What if they call the police?"

"I thought the school also made it so that we can't participate in hazing," a junior varsity volleyball player added, "I heard the athletics directors say this is being banned or something. If they find out about this, we might get banned from the teams next year."

"Zip it, maggots!" the varsity quarterback yelled, silencing the crowd once more, "Just to demonstrate how it works, we brought in some special guests." He gestured to the back, where six individuals were hauled to the front against their will. "Most of your junior varsity soccer people will remember Richie and Willis, two of your teammates who wanted to chicken out. Let's just say there's no room for traitors in our crew, and that's why they get to go first."

Richie and Willis glared at the quarterback and the varsity soccer captain, their eyes downright murderous but their bodies incapacitated due to two varsity soccer players holding their either arm. As they were pulled closer to the large tank, their disgust with the athletes soon turned to disgust with the tank. The tank was almost as wide as one of the smaller classrooms in the school, and the dark shadows above along with the disgusting sludge below hid the true depth of the tank, although it didn't require a genius to figure out that it was deeper than any pool they had ever been to. There were also two mechanical arms that skimmed the water surface, although neither was operating at this time. Even so, just the smell of the sewage water below was enough to make both Richie and Willis wanting to lose their last meal.

"And as if ambushing these two when they exited the public library wasn't enough, we managed to snag four other individuals who deserve to be thrown in the sewage just as much as they do," the varsity basketball captain announced. The next four people to be placed at the front were none other than four former orphans, one of whom was a junior varsity baseball player. "These four pretty much declared war on us with their parents and lawyers and whatnot, and I think it's time we send the gutter trash back into where they belong!"

"When I get out of here, none of you will survive!" Haley roared, straining hard to break free of the holds. It did not help that the jocks took away their phones and other communication devices, leaving them completely helpless and at the mercy of these jerks. She thrashed about so hard that she almost lost balance when they dragged her to the edge where Richie and Willis stood. Had she not paused in time, Haley would have been the first to go into the drink.

"Uh, you guys, I think there's been a big misunderstanding," Scott stammered, trying hard to work his way out of the mess. Despite his pathetic babbling and his goofy grin, Scott soon found himself standing beside Haley, looking down at that disgusting sludge. "You don't suppose you have a life jacket on you, do you?" he asked around the group.

Mark's grunt broke Scott's train of thought as the oldest orphan was shoved towards the edge. "No life jacket will save us now, Scott. Remember what Mario told us about primary treatment? If this tank is the primary treatment tank, then physical waste will be separated from the liquid, meaning we will sink straight to the bottom," Mark described. Despite his calm demeanor, just thinking about the plumber's explanation sent shivers through his spine.

"You have to let us go! Mario said this thing can be dangerous! He's a plumber, so he knows what he's talking about! You'd be insane to do this!" Milo shouted, sending pleading eyes towards the people holding him. Right now, Milo couldn't care less about reporting the jocks to the school or getting a legal remedy. Lives were at stake if this hazing plan went through, and Milo had to stop it at all costs while trying to not fall into the tank himself.

"You'd rather listen to that silly plumber? You're the one who sounds insane," Greg retorted. The varsity baseball alternate captain released Milo before marching a few steps back. Now, with many sets of eyes glaring at them while being close enough to prevent escapes, Milo and his friends were truly trapped. "Well, show us how you sewer rats lived in the sewage!"

Milo and friends glanced nervously at each other. They had to get out of here somehow, but there was no way to go. Before them was the disgusting wastewater, and behind them were the varsity captains who refused to let them out. With all their phones confiscated, there was no way to call for help. "You guys don't have to do this," Milo called to the junior varsity athletes in a last-ditch appeal, "This entire hazing tradition is crazy and stupid, not to mention dangerous. Do you seriously want to drown in this just so you can join the popular crowd? Popularity isn't achieved by doing stupid stunts. Instead, you become popular by being kind and humble, helping anyone in need. If we all leave now, then none of us will get hurt!"

"Will you stop your whining, or will we have to shut that hole in your face for you?" Mick snapped. The varsity baseball captain cracked his knuckles, tilting his head at Ralph, who marched slowly but menacingly towards the group. "Looks like you may require some incentive before you listen," Mick continued. Now, all varsity captains and various varsity athletes closed in on the group, guaranteeing them no escape from what was sure to be a smelly, suffocating death. "Maybe a slight push in the right direction will get you to change your mind."

Here is another one of my long lists of inspirations and assists:

1.) Cody the Pikachu, once again, gets the first shout-out. His idea of the school giving warnings but not punishing anyone yet comes into play here yet again. Because the school never actually put teeth behind the punishment (for obvious reasons, given they want the jocks to uphold their reputation), the jocks still get free reign to do what they want. The result is the continued tradition of hazing, where they want to get it done before Haley does start suing.

2.) The idea of hazing via jumping into a body of water is another reference to the fic by Wavebreeze, where the hazing event is to jump into a debris-filled lake. I changed it to a wastewater treatment plant because I want the danger element to be more obvious, plus I'm more familiar with it.

3.) The talk about primary wastewater treatment is from a field trip that I took with my high school chemistry class. Because primary treatment involves physically separating solid from liquid, any solid waste (including bodies) will sink to the bottom, meaning the orphans will drown if they jump in. Mario is the one explaining because of his background as a plumber, and other than the orphans no other individual present at the hazing is aware of this danger.

4.) Haley's comment about whether her changes are a good thing or bad thing will depend on people's opinion is based on the debut episode of Korra, Book 3. Haley's comment about the jocks not surviving after they kidnapped her is from the finale episode of Korra, Book 3. Scott claiming there's a misunderstanding is from when Bolin was first captured by Amon and was about to have his bending taken away. And finally, Milo telling everyone that the hazing plan is insane, only to be called insane himself, is from when Korra was loaded onto the airship headed for Ba Sing Se.

So what do you think will happen? Will Milo and his friends end up in a watery and stinky grave? Will Jack call for backup from his officers? Will Yoshi and the Smashers arrive in time? Tune in next time to find out!