Battle Field 2

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ "But Jian Guo and Bubbles will need breaks," Zhan said. He looked down at their feet, only to find that Piplup was not there. "Did you put Bubbles in his pokeball again?" Zhan asked accusatorially, his hand twitching toward Yibo's bag, as if ready to wrestle Piplup's pokeball from him and release Bubbles himself. "You know, it's not very good for a Pokemon to stay in their pokeball all the time. When there's no danger, you should let him out to walk and have fun with us." Jian Guo chirped in agreement, hopping a circle around Yibo's feet. He looked at the Pokedex in Yibo's hand. "My mommy gave me something similar so I can call her. Can you teach me how to use it?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Of course, even when Yibo said for them to go, Zhan and his mom had yet another drawn out moment of tears and whispering, and Yibo rolled his eyes, wondering if all mom and son pairs could get this annoying. Luckily, his mom had never done to to him before. She hardly ever spoke three sentences with him before rushing off to her next shift. As the door shut behind them, Yibo pulled out his shiny green Pokedex, opening up the map option as he checked all the viable routes to them, "Well, the first gym leader is in Fuschia City. So we're heading there." he announced to Zhan, "Try to keep up, and don't ask for rest stops unless you absolutely need to." Yibo warned him, "Or else you'll be setting up campfires for the nights we spend sleeping outdoors." And with that, they left Aspertia, and began on a long walk.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ On shaky legs, Zhan stood from the table and retrieved his backpack. "ZhanZhan, you can always call me, remember?" Mrs. Xiao told her son as she saw them out to the door, her own eyes brimming with tears. "Remember when we learned how to call each other?" Zhan nodded, and threw himself in his mother's arms for the last time. She forced him out the door, waved, and shut the door so that Zhan could not turn back. Zhan sniffled, then he walked up to Yibo, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "Okay... where are we going now...?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Whereas Zhan was having a hard time bringing food from his plate to his mouth, Yibo was storing up energy without any issues. He had gone through a stack of pancakes before Zhan finished one, and was on his way through a half piece of grilled meat when Mrs. Zhan came in to comfort Zhan, the outsider of this trio clearly not interested. Yibo only stopped to entertain Zhan and his useless question, shrugging as he talked through his mouthful of food, "Maybe- maybe not. My mom didn't mith me when I lef ome." he told Zhan truthfully, though there was no sadness in his tone. He could see Zhan's watering eyes but Yibo chose not to comment on it. When Mrs. Xiao gave Zhan the plushie, Yibo had to hold back a laugh. That plushie was so old, its original shape was pretty much indistinguishable, not to mention the worn and tattered colors that it made like clothes rolled in dirt.

As they cleaned up their area and grabbed their backpacks, Yibo bowed his head at the daycare host, offering a little grin, "Yes no worries Mrs. Xiao. We'll be going now." he said, then turning as he called to Zhan, "Let's go."

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan was trembling through the pancakes that his mother had prepared for them. It looked delicious - fluffy pieces of pancakes topped with a generous mountain of whipped cream and a handful of fresh berries, perfectly fried eggs, sliced bread, and grilled meat. Zhan poked at the food on his plate and looked so obviously down that his mother was quick to comfort him. "What's wrong, ZhanZhan?" she asked as she d his hair, trying to encourage him to eat. "Are you sad because you will miss Mommy?" Zhan nodded sullenly, chewing slowly on a mouthful of pancake. "Wait here, Mommy has something for you." Mrs. Xiao bustled off, leaving Zhan and Yibo alone.

Zhan turned his large, owlish eyes brimming with tears towards Yibo. "Do you think Mommy will forget me if we leave?" Jian Guo pressed her body against his leg, purring in comfort. At least she would be coming with him, he thought. Mrs. Xiao returned. "This is Baby," she said, holding up a small, worn plush. "And you Baby was your best friend when you were little. I gave him to you so you wouldn't be lonely while I worked. Now Baby can go with you in my place, until you can come home again." Mrs. Xiao smiled warmly at Yibo. "Thank you, Yibo. Now, both of you, run along. You need to always make use of the daylight, and try to avoid travelling at night, okay?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Yibo looked like he was a burglar that was caught red handed when Zhan woke and chirped his name way too excitedly for this time in the morning. Holding a hand up as greeting, Yibo reached over to flick on the lights to light up the room. Well, since he had been caught in the act, he might as well turn on the lights to make sure he didn't forget anything in this place. "Mhm, I'm planning to leave when the sun starts coming up." he said, rolling his eyes as Zhan listed off his to-do list for the day. "Hurry up-" he said to the first few items on the agenda, then rapidly shaking his head to cut Zhan off, "No. We're leaving after breakfast. This isn't just some normal day you know? But if you want to stay home and watch cartoons, I'm not going to wait for you. It's your choice." Yibo said as he left Zhan to make up his mind quickly.

He headed downstairs, expecting it to be quiet like when he went to bed last night. However, Mrs. Xiao was already in the kitchen, and on the table were platters of bread, pancakes, sausages, and eggs laid out on the table. "Oh, you're up early Yibo!" she called out, waving for him.

"G-good morning." Yibo stammered, caught off guard by having company in the morning. Piplup chirped beside him as it noticed two bowls of Pokefood laid out on the floor, one presumably for Piplup.

"Come have breakfast, dear! You and Zhanzhan should not be traveling on an empty stomach!" Mrs, Xiao argued, to which Yibo could not refute.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan dreamed of becoming Pokemon Champion. But he woke up confused, because he did not even want to train Jian Gun to fight. He would rather live his life helping his mother run the daycare rather than subject himself and Jian Guo to years of torture to have some shiny medals. As he came to his senses, he realized it was still dark, but Jian Guo and the Piplup were awake already. When he squinted, he could see Yibo, too. "Good morning!" he greeted cheerfully. "Are we leaving already? I have to brush my teeth first, and my mommy will make us breakfast."

He sat up, then for the first time seemed to realized that he would not be coming home every night. Zhan wilted immediately, clutching his blankets to his stomach. He didn't want to leave home just yet. "And... maybe we can watch the morning cartoons before we go?" He asked hopefully, though his body trembled with uncertainty. "And... water the berries in mommy's garden...?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ The next morning, Yibo woke while it was still early outside. He was about to officially head out on his journey today, so of course his nerves got the best of him and woke him earlier than usual. When Piplup had returned to bed with him, Yibo did not know, but his penguin companion had still managed to slip his way in between Yibo's arms and get himself squished like a plush toy. Yibo's movement stirred his partner, and he looked down at Piplup, motioning for him to be quiet. He got up silently, peering over at Zhan's snoozing figure that was rising and falling under the covers. Yibo tried to make his way around the room without being too noisy. Maybe it was meant to be that they did not travel together. Or maybe they had to. Either way, he'd make his one last getaway attempt right n-

Hearing the little "ding" from Zhan's alarm clock, Yibo tensed in his spot and looked over. Of course Piplup had to slap his smaller fin over the button, effectively creating noise to stir Skitty first, even if not Zhan.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ "Good night Yibo," Zhan whispered when Yibo announced he was going to bed, obediently getting up to switch the lights off. Although he was going to let Yibo sleep, he couldn't ignore the younger's questions. "Of course I have to bring Jian Guo. She's my only other friend." Silently, Zhan added, in his mind, 'For now'. As soon as he was sure Yibo was really asleep, he hurried to his desk's bottom drawer, pulling out the egg he'd kept for the past week (wrapped in a shirt) and packed it into his bag. Then, as if he hadn't done that so sneakily, he slipped into bed, falling asleep promptly at the thought of heading out into the big, wide world the next morning.

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ "Whatever," Yibo grumbled, getting up so that he wasn't needing besides Zhan. He went over to the small portable mattress that Mrs. Xiao had set up for him. "I'm going to sleep." he said as he slipped under the covers, "Turn off the lights." Piplup would come find Yibo when he was tired, so Yibo didn't have to wait up. He turned to face the wall, shutting his eyes as he tried to fall asleep quickly, "Your Pokemon can't protect itself, and it can't protect you. Are you sure you're going to bring it along with us?" he asked, frowning to himself. Zhan didn't seem to have anything useful on him except for that dang new pot. Yibo didn't think to make conversation for much longer though, and promptly fell asleep without responding to Zhan.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ "It's my good luck charm," Zhan explained, so preoccupied with it that he could even forgive Yibo taking out the last of his plushies from his pack. "I never used it before, so that must mean it's full of luck that it's been saving. I'm going to use it for our adventure." Kneeling beside Yibo, Zhan tucked the keychain into the inner pocket of his bag, not wanting it to be exposed to the elements if he hung it on his zippers. "Besides, Jian Guo won't need to be healed. She doesn't battle anyone. If she gets sick, the lucky charm will give her luck, duh." At that, Zhan tried to zip up his bag, signalling the end of packing.

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ "No way." Yibo replied without missing a beat as he saw mass of /things/ that Zhan held up. All of that looked like it would do nothing but take up space. "What even are those?" he asked skeptically, finally removing the last plush that was lodged under Zhan's clothes and chucking it back on the other's bed. "Everything that you need is in here already. You'll need to leave room to carry food and other items to heal your Skitty if it gets hurt in battle." Yibo tried to reason for once, standing and reaching for the giant keyring of little miscellaneous keyrings. "Now put that away and get some sleep. I'm leaving first thing in the morning, and if you oversleep, I'm not going to wait for you."

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan was scared that Yibo was upset at him still when the other finally returned after acquiring his Pokedex, but brightened at the younger's praise for his pot. "We looked very long for a pot," Zhan confirmed. He had even sewed together a scrappy, Skitty-patterned cover with a drawstring top to protect the pot when it was't in use from dents and scratches. Watching Yibo take his belongings out of the pack, Zhan pouted. "But those are important," he tried to argue, holding up another one of Jian Guo's toys that Yibo had taken out. "This one is her first toy ever. She needs it for comfort..." At that, Zhan remembered: he needed a comfort item, too. Heading to his desk, he searched through the mess piled atop it for a moment before pulling out a small tassel of keyrings tied together to make one mega-keyring. His mother had gotten all of them for him, each one marking a special occasion. Surely, all the power of his keyrings would converge to give him luck? "I want to bring this," Zhan said, showing Yibo the mass of dangling objects. "Can I?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ If only Yibo had not run into Mrs. Xiao at the PokeMart at the end of the week, the day right before his Pokedex and badge case were supposed to arrive, he would have followed through on his decision to simply leave Zhan behind and head out of town on his own. He didn't owe Zhan anything, and he was sure the male would eventually get over it. But no, here Yibo was, sitting back at the dining table in the Xiao household after cleaning his dinner plate again and being invited a place to stay - in Zhan's room - until he set off the next morning. Yibo didn't make much conversation with Zhan during the meal though, only speaking minimally to get by until they were alone in the older's room again. "You got a pot." he noted, seeing the cookingware hanging off a hook on Zhan's backpack, "Well, that's good...but you still can't bring most of this stuff with you." Yibo said, helping himself to remove the excess toys and accessories that Zhan packed into his bulging backpack. Piplup and Skitty were downstairs playing in the daycare area, so Yibo didn't have to worry about Zhan's loyal little feline biting him in the arm again as he cut out the items in Zhan's bag by a third.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan watched in silence as Yibo stormed out of his room, listening to the other's footsteps down the stairs until he front door shut. He sighed, slowly beginning to rearrange his pack again. The next day, as promised, Zhan and Jian Guo snuck out of the house behind Mrs. Xiao's sleeping back. They examined every single pot in the city together, before Jian Guo decided on a light but sturdy pot. One would be enough, Zhan decided. It even had a hole in the handle, so Zhan was able to tie it easily to the bottom of his backpack strap. Together, he and Jian Guo waited the rest of the week for Yibo's news to signal the start of their journey.

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ "What the !" Yibo howled as he shook his arm viciously to get Jian Guo off. The Skitty was tiny, but she sure knew how to bite. He glared at the Skitty disdainfully as she hissed menacingly at him. If Zhan had not been quick enough to act, Yibo would have had the mind to leave them right on the spot and cancel all plans of having a travel partner. He slammed the money down on Zhan's bed, not finding it necessary to take for his own anyways. "Damn right you will." he growled, getting up and picking Piplup's small body up with his uninjured arm, "I'm going back to the Pokemon center. You finish packing." and he made a motion to grab his backpack to leave.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan faltered as Yibo took his piggybank in his hands. It was all that Zhan had accumulated over his life. His mother gave him everything he needed, and he didn't spend often (only on toys for Jian Guo). "I..." Jian Guo leapt from her perch and the bed and sunk her teeth into Yibo's forearm, growling for him to let go of the money. Zhan gasped. "Jian Guo, no!" He grabbed at his tiny body, pulling her off Yibo. "I'm sorry! Jian Guo, bad girl! Of course we'll b-buy a pot. We're um..." Zhan took the bills from Yibo, his fingers shaking. "We'll go tomorrow... To get a pot..."

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Yibo grabbed his backpack leaning against the wall, hurling it at Zhan and flicking his chin for the other to open and check it himself. "Exactly the same as you. See for yourself." He couldn't be bothered to explain to Zhan that they were going to be crossing major and varying terrains, so all of the items would be extra effort to take care of. He held out his hand when Zhan raised the piggybank, opening it up for himself and sliding two fingers inside to pull out a wad of cash. "Hm." Yibo grunted, a little smile on his face now, "Looks like if you don't want to bring mommy's pots and pans, you'll have to get your own, no?"

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ "But how many changes of clothes are you bringing?" Zhan cried out in protest. He didn't put them back in, only looking into his now pitifully empty pack. Crawling on all fours towards his bed, Zhan pulled a box out from under it. It was a bit dusty from the lack of use, but Zhan ignored the griminess on his hands as he lifted the lid. "My mommy said this belonged to my daddy," Zhan said, lifting a tarnished compass off the top. It may have been a brilliant brass once upon a time, but now it was eroded around the edges, but it still spun properly. "We should bring this." He dug a little deeper, and offered a piggybank. "I have money! Maybe 500?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Yibo was going to facepalm. He was already questioning his sanity for even allowing this imbecile to travel with him in the first place. Why oh why was he suddenly being so kindhearted, it just didn't suit him! Now he had to deal with this nonsense...or get rid of Zhan before things went too far astray. "Who the hell is- My Piplup is NOT named Bubbles." Yibo groaned in frustration. He slid off the bed and stomped over to Zhan, grabbing the first three layers that he saw in the older's backpack out, "You're only bringing /one/ change of clothes, /one/ set of pajamas, and /one/ toothbrush. No toys. Got it?" he all but growled. After a moment of consideration, he asked, "Do you have money?"

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan stared back at Yibo from his spot on the floor, his large eyes owlish and unblinking. "But everything is useful," he said, looking down at his opened pack. "See, I have to change every day. And this is for brushing my teeth. And this is for washing my face. Oh, and this is for Jian Guo to play with." Zhan offered the floppy, plush toy to Piplup, smiling as he rubbed the little Pokemon over his head. "But she can share with Bubbles." He packed his folded clothes neatly to the bottom of his pack, considering the space left. "But I can't take Mommy's pots. What will she cook with?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ The room went stony silent when Zhan asked the question. Yibo glared at the male, who was hunched over as he laid his clothes out and began to fold them. "Are you for real?" he asked as he eyed Zhan up and down, "What are you going to cook with if you don't bring a pot?" He scoffed as he pointed dissingly at everything scattered around him, "Most of your backpack space better be for useful things." Piplup, seemingly understanding what Yibo wanted to say next, waddled over to Zhan and pressed his two fins on the male's outstretched arm, squeaking softly in sympathy, "This is a journey, not a vacation. Don't bring useless ." Yibo scolded, waving a hand uncaringly.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan brought Yibo up to his room after they ate, spending an abnormally long time picking the perfect, most suitable bag for their journey. It had to be big enough to hold all his things, but small enough that Zhan didn't tire too fast carrying it. In the end, with the help of Yibo, he settled on a medium-sized backpack that would rest the weight of his belongings over both his shoulders evenly. Zhan was folding clothes slowly, carefully, when Yibo made a suggestion. "Huh?" he asked. Jian Guo danced atop the bed with Piplup, leaping from one end to the other. "Why do I need pots and pans?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Yibo forced another smile as Zhan began listing off useless things for things to pack, "Yeah, we'll see." he concluded in a strained voice.

After dinner, Mrs. Xiao left Yibo and Zhan to themselves so they could start preparing. Yibo found himself sitting on Zhan's bed, uninterested as the male scurried around his room and pulled out his belongings to pack. "Make sure you leave enough room to pack pots and pans." he hinted at Zhan, frowning as he looked around to see if Zhan had taken out that inventory yet.

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ At Yibo's agreement, Yibo and Jian Guo cheered together. He was unable to contain his excitement just sitting so he stood, his eyes shimmering with a thin layer of tears. "Really! Hear that, Jian Guo? We're going on an adventure! We're going on an adventure!" Jian Guo chirped, hopping in a circle around Zhan's feet. Mrs. Xiao returned Yibo's smile. She appeared nonchalant, but her heart swelled for her son. Zhan nodded eagerly, tugging on Yibo's elbow to get the other up. "You'll help me? I want help! I've never packed before. What do you think I should bring? My Teddy? My bracelets? My toothbrush?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ After removing all the excess times Zhan mentioned he could cook spaghetti, Yibo counted a total of four unique things that Zhan could cook. He nodded his head, satisfied with the variety for now. He could always have Zhan read a cookbook at night and the older should pick up something new from there. "Alright, sure." Yibo finally answered, even smiling to come off as agreeable to Mrs. Xiao. He turned to Zhan, clasping a hand over the male's shoulder, "I'm leaving as soon as my Pokedex and badge case come in, so you should pack and we'll head off soon." He could see the hopeful twinkle in Zhan's eyes and Yibo raised his brows mischievously, "Want me to help you?"

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ His mother's praise was really helping. Zhan's expression slowly began to lighten up again. "Yeah! I always cook when Mommy is busy. I can make spaghetti, soup, spaghetti, salad, spaghetti, beef stew, and.. spaghetti!" Mrs. Xiao laughed, and that made Zhan laugh too. "That's right," she said, beginning to clear her empty plates. "Zhan knows how to do a lot of things. You'd be surprised. If he could come with you, Yibo, I would be so grateful. He's never been out of Aspertia before."

Zhan turned to give Yibo hopeful eyes. Jian Guo scurried to join them as well, pawing at Yibo's legs and doing figure-eights around his ankle. "Yibo..." Zhan said, ready to beg on his knees. This was it, his big break. His one and only chance. Yibo was the only friend he'd ever have in his life. "Please... I really want to go with you..."

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Mrs. Xiao placed her spoon down on the table, a very surprised look on her face as she looked back from Zhan to Yibo and back to Zhan again. "Oh, is that so dear?" she asked, then leaning forward on the table and smiling with a little nod, "Well, this sure is a first. I never thought the day would come where my baby boy would leave for his very own journey." With that, she turned to Yibo, a slight protective layer added to her voice, "Would you really let Zhanzhan tag along, Yibo-dear?"

Yibo gave a nod of his head, peering over at Zhan, "He said he wants to come along. He said he'll help me cook and raise my Pokemon, so how could I refuse a traveling companion like that?" he asked, teeth grinding together as he asked the rhetorical question, "Say Mrs. Xiao...can Zhan-ge cook as well as you can?"

Mrs. Xiao chuckled as she waved her hand abashedly, "What a sweet compliment, Yibo! And yes, I've taught Zhan everything he needs to know!" Almost as if in disbelief of Zhan's good fortune of finding someone who accepted him, Mrs. Xiao added, "You know, you are the first friend Zhanzhan has ever brought home! And now he's going on a journey with you! You're so very kind, dear!"

@Wang Yibo ᵗʳᵃᶦⁿᵉʳ Zhan had been plotting all afternoon on how to break the news to his mother: he wanted to leave. He wanted to go on an adventure and he wanted to go with Yibo. However, he hadn't exactly planned out what to say yet when Yibo put him on the spot. Mrs. Xiao looked between the both of them quizzically, then turned to Zhan to ask, "What request?" Zhan took his time to chew his food, fidgeting in his seat. Would his mother be said if Zhan wanted to leave? Zhan was sad, too, but he would be even more sad if he never got to leave Aspertia. "Yibo said he's going to become a pokemon master," Zhan said between chewing his spoon, his eyes trained on the food before him. "I want to go with him. He said I could. Can I go, mommy?"

@Xiao Zhan ᵈᵃʸᶜᵃʳᵉ ᵃˢˢᶦˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ Yibo released Piplup again when they were waiting at the front door. His blue companion gave a squeak as the door swung open and he was greeted with Skitty, who was at eye level with him. Yibo raised a hand awkwardly in greeting, inviting himself inside as he sidestepped Zhan and peered around the daycare again. "Oh you know...I got carried away with training." Yibo excused noncommittally, "Where's your mom?" Yibo was here for two things and two things only: 1) he had to see if Zhan could actually cook and 2) his bag. The moment Mrs. Xiao gave any indication that Zhan was just an extra mouth to feed, Yibo was going to take off on his own. He followed the smell of freshly cooked stew into the kitchen, bowing his head in greeting towards Mrs. Xiao. The older woman seemed to be expecting him and she waved Yibo and Zhan inside excitedly, setting out a bowl and spoon for each of them.

"Well! Dig in boys!" she offered.

Yibo only waited for her to take the first bite for formality purposes, but beyond that, he was chowing down on yet another delicious meal with no regards for anything else. Only when the pot was three quarters empty and Yibo's motions slowed due to his filled stomach did he look up, swallowing and interrupting Mrs. Xiao from her last mouthful, "Oh, Mrs. Xiao...has Zhan-ge told you about...his request?"