This is the true end to the story, as we have the epilogue. I just want to say that for a different style of story, I found it extremely fun to write, and I've added a little bonus scene for you guys, with a surprise at the end (Poet Bucky, pay attention!).

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

"It was his choice, he chose this route." This line was branded into the brains of each Smasher, Milo, Brendan and Ashley. Jack uttered that phrase as Lane Jackson hit the ground for the last time. Now, as the paramedics treated each person's injuries, including those of Samus and Jack, the Smashers could only mull over the meaning of those words, and what it would have been like had they reached him in time.

Mario was especially struck by the entire situation. He had rushed as quickly as he could, with the still-hurting Samus, to the alley to inform Jack of the situation. True, no one knew that Lane was out of bullets; in fact, the police had been trained to shoot to kill in hostage situations, so he couldn't possibly fault Jack for his actions. But in the process, a life was taken, one they could have saved. The thought cycled in his head as he glanced down at Kirby and Pikachu, watching the orphans being treated for injuries and loaded into the police cruisers while taking sneak peeks at the coroner dealing with Lane's body.

Meanwhile, Yoshi stood aside from the group, talking quietly to Milo while his uncle and aunt listened on. "Looks like this is goodbye," the dinosaur stated, "They might be discharging my dad soon, since his eyesight made miraculous progress. I'll have to take care of him at home while he recovers completely. You'll have to be brave, okay?"

Milo sniffled, holding back his tears as hard as he could. "I'll work hard, and I'll make it happen," he replied firmly, despite his voice quivering, "I won't let that incident stop me from helping them out. They will get a chance to be normal again, I promise."

"That's all everyone can ask for, Milo: that you do your best," Yoshi replied, choking up in tears as well. The two pulled together for another embrace, one that both sides believed would be their last. They wanted to cherish this friendship as much as they could, as neither side ever have a friend quite like the other before.

Seeing Milo depart, Brendan and Ashley tried to cheer up their nephew. "Let's join the rest of them, shall we?" Ashley suggested, "We've all had a hard day, and it's not going to get better with everyone shaken and sulking like that."

"I was nearly shot to death, and it resulted in a bullet whizzing awfully close to me, courtesy of my best friend. You think I'm not traumatized?" Brendan added, "But we can't think about should-haves, we have to move forward. I can't take back the wrongs that I was indirectly involved in that caused Lane Jackson to make this choice, but all I can do is to be more diligent to ensure that this won't happen again."

Yoshi tried to smile, but with great difficulty as he could not let go of this very special boy. He inspired Milo so much, and in turn Milo had inspired so many people, so it did not feel right that they had no more to offer Milo. The thought churned in his mind as Ashley gathered all the other Smashers and offered to serve them dinner at her restaurant tonight, as a way of easing their minds from this issue.

The thoughts of a gathering by the Smashers just before they left San Francisco resonated with the group, as they all welcomed the idea. Mario and Kirby, two naturally big eaters, slowly turned their attention away from the alley and towards Ashley, while Pikachu had waved Samus and Jack over from the paramedics to join them. But perhaps the comment that made the mood relax the most was from Fox McCloud, who merely pointed at Link broken shirt and said, "You're not wearing that tonight, right? I know what that thing means to you, but you look just ridiculous right now."

Link chuckled, rubbing a finger along the side of his belly button, in parallel to the object dangling from the round depression. "I never really thought that something as innocent as my belly button would be my saving grace. I got plenty of stories to tell to the new Smashers when they come in," he replied.

The crowd chuckled as they headed off for the night. Brendan, Ashley and Yoshi led the way as the Smashers followed them down the street and towards the restaurant. Samus brought up the rear, with Pikachu looking out for her after the paramedics taped up her stomach. Jack, who had his side bandaged, wanted to return to the station to file a report first, but would be joining them later on. It was truly the first time in a week that everyone finally got a chance to celebrate their efforts and accomplishments.

"And here it is!" Brendan announced in a flourish as he pulled the tarp away from his store's roof. It was the last night the Smashers were staying in San Francisco, and they wanted to be present for the new sign to be finally unveiled. The words "Yoshi Store" was carved into the wooden board. There were tropical trees on either side of the sign, homage to the climate and vegetation of the island, and all sorts of fruits and berries on top. It was truly the rejuvenation of the business that Brendan held so dear to him.

"So you finally got to do it," Mario smiled as he shook Brendan's hand, "after all the incidents behind the celebration, the orphans, and a shoot-out, you finally revealed your sign on the tenth-year anniversary. Congratulations!"

Brendan shook everyone's hands, including his best friend Jack's, as he brought them into the store. "So looks like we won't see each other for a while. You've been called back, there'll be new Smashers joining you, and my brother's going home to rest?"

The Smashers nodded. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow to prepare for the new Smashers," Kirby explained, "Yoshi will join us later after he picks up his father from the hospital."

"What about Milo?" Yoshi asked, "What have you and Aunt Ashley decided on doing for him at the orphanage? Will it help him reform all the orphans?"

"The explosion interrupted our original goal of donating to the orphanage, but it doesn't mean we won't redo it. In fact, thanks to this event and meeting Milo, Ashley and I have decided to double our donation," Brendan replied, "knowing the new direction the orphanage is willing to take today, I'm confident they can get it done."

That drew a round of applause from the Smashers, who were very impressed by the efforts of Brendan and Ashley. "It's good someone here will still show compassion after what the neighbourhood went through," Fox stated, "but what about Bryce? Since he's pretty much a ringleader, would he be returning to the orphanage soon?"

"Unfortunately, the police has enough evidence to pinpoint that Bryce not only carried out Lane Jackson's plans, he also planned and proceeded with several illegal activities on his own, meaning charges will be filed," Jack described, "I can only hope that we can rehabilitate him rather than put him in the slammer, but again, it's a choice he made to stick around Lane for that long. I just hope he has enough time to reflect on it."

The Smashers were silent, mulling over the consequences that Bryce and the other orphans must live through. The only thing they could hope for was that they could rejoin society by reintegrating themselves, or be adopted by a caring family. "Especially Milo, he's really matured since he met Yoshi," Pikachu murmured, "and his determination on fulfilling Yoshi's promise really makes him special. I can only hope that he gets every chance possible to meet his potential and become the gifted person he's meant to be."

Brendan and Ashley glanced at each other with a strange expression, like they were hiding something. "I think we could make that happen," Ashley said sheepishly, "like you all said: he is an orphan, meaning a caring family could adopt him. Who knows what will happen then? But it's getting late now, so I think you should be heading back and getting a good night's rest. You have a long way to go back tomorrow."

The Smashers returned to their hotel, ending the light evening by resting and talked casually with one another. Mario was on the phone for a majority of the time, calling to Smash Mansion to get more details, while Fox, Kirby and Pikachu were in the lobby, going through this last adventure. The only two Smashers not socializing were Samus and Link, who were in their respective rooms. "I'm going to ice my stomach a bit more," Samus told everyone, "I just hope this won't affect my fighting abilities."

And in Link's room, the Hylian had already stripped down to his usual sleepwear, his white boxer briefs. He laid flat on his back, lifting his head slightly off the bed while wetting a Q-tip. He pealed the Triforce pendent back to expose his belly button. "I'm taking good care of this from now on, after how it saved me," he muttered. With that, he dipped the Q-tip into the deep, bowl-shaped depression and began swabbing it clean.

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Yoshi asked as he escorted his father out of the hospital. It was the first time in almost a week that Yoshi Sr. could finally be free from the tubes and wires monitoring his body, and the departure from hospital food was only an added bonus. Brendan, Ashley and Yoshi held onto their relative while he gingerly stepped forward, still feeling his way around thanks to his still unclear eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Yoshi," Yoshi Sr. told his son, "your mother will take care of me while my eyesight continues recovering. You can join your Smasher friends and have a great time." Turning to his brother, he asked, "What about that Milo boy? Whatever happened to him? Is he staying at the orphanage for now?"

"Well, to an extent, yes," Brendan replied, "he is an orphan, meaning the state does have custody of him until someone offers to adopt him. But I'm sure that won't be long, since he's such a special child." Taking advantage of his brother's blindness, he gave his wife and nephew a distinctive wink as he finished that remark.

Yoshi Sr. turned his head to the distance, the blurry skies and streets melding together as he reminisced the first and so-far only time he had spoken with Milo:

Yoshi stepped out of the room with Pikachu while Kirby looked on, waiting for Milo to finish with Yoshi Sr. But the boy didn't seem comfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and glancing around the room nervously. It made the puffball truly wonder what was going through Milo's mind. He was about to say something when Milo beat him to the punch. "Kirby, can you wait outside for a minute? It'll be very quick."

Kirby had a confused expression on his face, but he obeyed nonetheless. As the short, round Smasher stepped out, Milo turned back to Yoshi Sr. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for everything that's happened. I'm sorry I caused all that trouble at the celebration, stole the money, made Link send the bomb, and caused you to be in this state. I know no amount of apologizing will make your eyesight return faster, but…"

Yoshi Sr. raised a hand, silencing the boy. Milo looked on anxiously as the large dinosaur spoke. "You know, no amount of evidence can justify you being forced to attack my family like this. But to an extent, your appearance to us is a sobering reminder that we shouldn't be too quick to put ourselves on a pedestal. My brother and I were too proud of our achievements to evaluate our efforts. And it took an explosive at the celebration to show us what we've done still isn't enough."

Milo shook his head vehemently. "No, it's never meant to be like that! I never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone send bombs! You got to believe me, honest!"

"I believe you Milo, and the last thing I'd do is blame you," Yoshi Sr. replied, "I know Yoshi brought you here to seek reconciliation, and I also expected that you would seek forgiveness from me. I will accept your apology, but my family and I want to move forward with you. They always say the best way to reconcile with others is to reconcile with oneself first, and I've definitely gotten a chance to look inside myself. I definitely resolve to make some changes, and I can truly say: sometimes it takes blindness for one to truly see. I hope you can take this lesson with you, and always look inside yourself when you want guidance. Just the fact that you're here and apologizing shows me you have the strength to be someone special."

A smile crept across Milo's face, the boy truly relieved that he exorcised this final demon inside him. "I will," he promised, "I won't let anyone of you down, I swear."

Just then, Kirby called in from the hallway, prompting Milo to shoot up from his chair and hurry to the door. From the bed, Yoshi Sr. thanked the boy and assured him he would be fine. "Tell Yoshi not to worry about me, alright?" he said.

Yoshi guided his father, still deep in his thoughts, away from the hospital and prepared to return him to Yoshi's Island. But while they moved ahead, Brendan and Ashley lingered around, with Ashley pulling out a beige folder. She showed her husband the contents as they checked over everything. "I'll just drop this off after they get back," Ashley stated, "by the way, don't tell Yoshi or your brother yet. Let's keep it a surprise."

Brendan grinned from ear to ear as he read over the pages. Everything was signed and filled in properly, and they didn't leave any important information out. Brendan looked at the front page one last time before closing the file and handing it back to his wife. The title page stated: "Application for Adoption," and on the top right-hand corner was the picture of the child they targeted. It was boy with dirty-blond hair, round eyes, and a cheerful smile. Underneath it, there were two special words: Milo Sullivan.

You know, I didn't intend this to be a preachy fable with morals, but I guess that inadvertently became part of the story. So here's what I came up with:

1.) Don't be too quick to let others put you on a pedestal, as you may never know what unintended side-effects your positive intentions may have (Brendan, Ashley, Yoshi Sr.).
2.) If possible, don't be too quick to judge others and give them a second chance, as it may make them better people later on (Yoshi and the Smashers).
3.) To truly seek forgiveness and reconciliation, one must look inside oneself and make changes within before approaching others (Milo).
4.) All our choices have consequences, and one must think carefully before committing to a route (Bryce and the orphans).

And just for fun:
5.) You never know when something like a belly button comes out and saves you, take good care of your belly button (Link)!

And that's a wrap, folks! I'm going to return to "Tales of Symphonia" and work on a couple of stories there. If you're joining me, then I'll see you there. If not, then I still hope you stick around. This is Canada Cowboy, signing off! Thanks for reading!