He reviewed his list, checking it twice. And again for good measure.

He'd gotten his camping gear set up in a remote area. It was a fairly modest setup; a tent, a campfire with a few things he could cook with, and a few logs to sit on. It wasn't much, but he didn't plan to spend a lot of time there. It was more of a backup plan, though he'd make sure to leave some Pokemon there to keep guard. And he made doubly sure any Pokemon that could teleport memorized that location.

He'd made sure to empty out his PC. Not all in a single day, of course - his parents would've been tipped off if that happened, though he did have to do it all before their weekly checkup. He'd set up a separate PC account that they weren't aware of and deposited them there; as much as he wanted to leave them at a camp like Andy Blackadder did, he was still trying to train some of them so they wouldn't burn it between visits.

He had plenty of travel gear in his bag. A lot he was able to purchase on his own, but a few other things...he had to get offhand, mainly because they weren't things people would want a blind kid to have. But he knew stuff like a lighter and a multitool were important things to take while camping. Or just traveling in general. And if anything came up, he had an account his parents weren't aware of; he'd put in what he considered a good amount of cash from odd jobs he'd done.

So now all that was left was...to go out and do it.

It was what he wanted to do. Yes, he wanted to leave, to go out like all kids did when they were ten and travel the region, having adventures and collecting badges and even facing off against the Champion and being part of the Hall of Fame - or even better, become the new Champion.

But there was a pit in his stomach, a small sense of fear telling him not to do it. He could remember people like Mr. Ki (Chu-e Choi ) telling him not to run away, that it wouldn't go well for him...but it wasn't like he planned to stay away for the rest of his life. It shouldn't take more than a year. And he prepared himself for it.

Of course, he knew his parents were going to be pissed. But what of everyone else? He knew Andy Blackadder was on his side, but he worried about how John Sullivan would react. He knew Doug was on good terms with his parents, so would Doug be obligated to go after him? Would he have to avoid Doug whenever he tried to meet up with his friends?

And what would all his other friends think?

He shook it off. He couldn't doubt himself now. He was going to manage, one way or another.

"Elga?" he asked, his Beheeyem beside him the whole time, "Is it time?"

His Beheeyem looked over at his clock, and Hideo was made aware of what it read: 12AM. Midnight. His family was all asleep by now. Good.

Hideo breathed in deep, before letting out a sigh. "Alright then." He opened his desk drawer, taking out the note he'd typed out the day before. He laid it on the desk, for his parents to find in the morning.

He didn't know how long he stood there at his desk.

"...alright Elga, let's go." It wasn't the first time he ever left the house through his window, nor the first time he did it this late. And after the two got outside, Elga was able to close and lock it for him.

Now all he had to do was walk. Yet that pit in his stomach wasn't going away; if anything, it was getting tighter. Did he really want to do this? Was this really the right way to do it?

But he just smiled and pushed on. "Don't worry, Elga," he said, "I know I want to do this."

Elga just looked at him, confused. He hadn't said anything.

The two kept walking until Hideo was certain he was a good distance from his house. He took out a Pokeball, pressing the button and releasing his Gardevoir. "Alright, Dancer," he said, keeping up the brave face, "It's time. Bring us there."

She looked over to Elga, who nodded, then back to Hideo. In a quick moment, a light covered the trio. And in an instant, they were gone.

Hideo could feel the grass under his shoes, and the noise of his Lycanroc waking up the other Pokemon he had waiting for him. He could hear his Ambipom's giggling, his Ariados's skittering, his Aggron's heavy steps, his Ribombee's tiny buzzing. And of course, he could feel his Lycanroc brush against his side, and he knew his Beheeyem was there too.

"I'm really doing it..." Hideo muttered to himself. It was something he'd considered for almost a year now, but he was finally going through with it. He finally had the freedom to go out and do what he wanted, to prove he could be something.

He was happy.

He felt his Ambipom's tail brush against his face, and he could feel her wipe away tears.

He was crying.

He tried to hold it back, after so long of not wanting to look weak around others, like a helpless crybaby. But who was here to judge him? Why would he have to hide how he felt while he was here? His Pokemon had seen him at his highest and his lowest, and they all loved him anyways.

So he would let himself be weak right now. He'd let them comfort him at this moment. He'd let them all stay with him through this night.

It may hurt today.

But tomorrow?

He'd be heading his way.