"You no good brat!"

The door to a bedroom swung open quickly and a figure was thrown into a wall, sliding down onto the bed. The figure was a small Charmander and he seemed to be covered in bruises. Even though he was thrown into the wall, he glared at his abuser.

A large Charizard walked into the room and scowled at him. "Of all of your mischievous antics, you just had to ruin my meeting?! You just ruined my billion dollar proposition!"

The Charmander shrugged while glaring still. "It was a worthless idea. And why would you of all people need a billion dollars? You are already a multibillionaire jerk."

The Charizard growled and slapped the kid across the face. "You may be five, but you are so going to get a beating tonight." He thought of something and immediately resented the idea. "I can't. With those executives staying at the house, I can't have them seeing me beat on a kid."

Charmander stopped listening and remember how he ended up in this situation.

FLASHBACK

The Charmander crawled under a large table. He had a messenger bag on him, filled with some mysterious items. Alongside him was a three year old Pichu, who looked like he was nervous. "Diego, are you sure this is a good idea? Our dads are already mad at us."

Diego turned towards the Pichu. "Relax, Chase. We'll be fine." He opened up the bag and pulled out explosive charges that looked like clumps of whip cream with wires and a kitchen timer.

"How did you make that?" Chase asked curiously.

Diego stared at the charges. "I was accidentally messing with whip cream and reactive material…long story short, I was grounded and we were missing half a bathroom." He planted the charges on the bottom of the table and set the timer to five minutes.

"Why are you even doing this?" Chase asked, keeping watch for their dads. Both their fathers were big time business executives and decided to run a successful partnership. Diego and Chase became fast friends when they learned they had one thing in common: they hated their fathers. So naturally, they pull off convoluted pranks to ease their frustration. But what Diego had in mind was going overboard.

Diego scowled. "My dad is being a pain in the side. 'Do this, do that'. 'Worthless twerp'. 'You'll never get anywhere in life. I'm a multibillionaire' blah blah blah. And let's not forget that your dad has been threatening you to finish with chores or stand in the corner for no reason. Well, let's see how they like it when their little meeting goes haywire." They got up from under the table and ran out of the room, just before the board of executives entered the room.

FLASHBACK END

Diego immediately snapped out of his daze when a hand clutched his neck and brought him to eye level with the Charizard. "Pay attention when talked to, you twerp." Diego's response was spit to the face. This just infuriated him more. "You need to learn some manners."

"You weren't exactly good at teaching them." Diego retorted. "But maybe, if I had a mother, I would have behaved myself."

Charizard glared deeper and decided to change the subject. "Where is Chase?" Diego didn't respond. "Answer me, NOW!" He punched him onto the bed. Diego got up and kept silent. Charizard was about to rip his head off when a Raichu walked in.

"Don't bother, he's right here." With a flick of his tail, he threw the Pichu roughly near Diego. "Found the little baby cowering in the pantry."

Chase started whimpering. "Don't beat us up again. I don't like it."

Raichu grumbled. "Fortunately for you two, we can't. Those executives will be staying at our house for the night." He then smirked. "But tomorrow, once they leave, you two will be severely punished."

Chase began to cry while Diego comforted him, glaring at the abusive fathers. "Don't worry Chase, it's not like they are threatening. They just have unstable emotional balance."

"What did you say?!" Charizard lunged at his son, but was held back by Raichu.

"Charizard, calm down!" He yelled. "If the executives see what we're doing, we're ruined."

Charizard nodded hesitantly and moved back. "Fine, but you two are grounded."

Diego gasped mockingly. "Oh no, but I thought we were already grounded." He spat on the ground. "That really the best you got?" He asked sardonically.

Raichu glared down on the kid. "Just for that, you both aren't getting dinner tonight…again."

Chase sobbed louder. "But I'm hungry!" He whined.

Raichu put on a calm, soothing face. "Hey buddy. You want to know something?" He nodded and leaned in. When Raichu was up to his ear, he yelled, "I DON'T CARE!" Chase yelped and held his ear.

Raichu laughed, but yelped when an air horn sounded in his ear. He held it in pain while glaring at the smug Charmander. Charizard swiped the air horn away from him. "Two days. No food at all." The adults walked out of the room and slammed the door shut.

"What are we going to do about those brats?" Raichu said, massaging his ear. "We can't just send them to an orphanage; that would raise questions. Besides, they never learn their lessons no matter how many times we punish them."

"I have an idea." Charizard said with a wicked look. "Remember last week when you said that if they misbehave again, we would cut their tails off?"

Raichu nodded, then widened his eyes. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I'm dead serious. We'll take them to a nice quiet part of a forest. We'll hold them down, listening to their pleas of mercy. Then, with one swift chop of the ax, we cut their tails off. That will show them how serious we are about making them behave."

Raichu was horrified for a moment, but after thinking it over, he nodded his head in approval. "Yeah, and we could always say that they were in a construction accident if this reaches the media." With a quick fist bump, they walked downstairs to talk with the board.

XXX

Diego had the side of his head pressed up against the door when they spoke. Once he was sure they were gone, he kicked the wall in anger. "Rotten scumbags." He whispered to himself.

Chase clutched his stomach in agony. "I'm…so…hungry." He looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Diego looked at the three year old in pity. He went under his bed and pulled out a stash of canned beans. After warming them up with his tail flame, he gave them to Chase. "Thank…you." He shoveled it all down his mouth.

The Charmander smiled warmly, but frowned as he sat on the other bed in the room. He reached into the pillow case and pulled out canned ham. He opened it and gulped it all in one bite.

Once Chase was finished, he turned towards Diego. "Hey, is something wrong?"

He looked up at his friend and sighed. "I overheard what our dads were saying. They've decided to take us out tomorrow and slice our tails off."

Chase gasped. "They can't do that!"

"Shh!" Diego shushed quickly. He then whispered, "They'll just fine someway to make it seem like it was an accident."

"Well, you're smart. Can't you just figure a way out of this?" He pleaded. He didn't want his tail to be chopped off.

Diego sighed. "What's the point, anymore? They'll find some way to get us, just like always. We might as well our accept fate for once."

"Don't say that!" Chase yelled, but quickly covered his mouth. He whispered, "You never give up, not even when you're being beaten. You are the only thing I have left to real family."

Diego looked away sadly. Chase's mother died while pregnant with him. The doctors couldn't save her, but they managed to save him. Whenever Chase needed comfort, he was always there to cheer him up. He always supplied food for the both of them whenever they were banned from having dinner. He always made sure Chase was perfectly healthy when they were ever sent to the cold attic to sleep in as punishment. They were like brothers with each other.

"I understand what you mean, Chase. But we can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, they were going to severely punish us. And right now, it's sooner." He got up and walked over to the closet. He started to rummage through it. "Life isn't like living in a big city, you know. There's always something holding you back from the things that you wish could happen."

"Like how you wish your dad would just die, but he is the only one who knows about your mommy." Chase brought up.

That sent a painful stab through Diego's heart. When he was born and growing up, he never met his mother. Thanks to his high intelligence, he was able to learn that she is still alive. But her location is unknown and only Charizard knew what happened to her. All he did know was that she left for some mysterious reason. He just puts up with his father so that, one day, he will find the information he needs to find his mother.

Chase quickly caught the message. "Um, forget I said anything."

He waved it off. "It's fine. It's just an uncomfortable subject for me, that's all." He pulled out random junk from the closet. "Where is it?" He mumbled to himself.

The Pichu looked over his shoulder. "Um, whatcha' doin'?"

Diego smiled when he found what he was looking for. A pamphlet about some city called Neo City. "I found this when I was younger. I've read about all the exciting things that go on in this city. Neat restaurants, great skate parks, and even some cool houses. I'm telling you, we would be living the life if we were here."

"I thought you said life wasn't like living in a big city?"

"That's only if it is unreachable to people. But not us, that's for sure." Diego started to grow a big, wicked smile. Chase knew that smile all too well. It's the one he makes when he starts formulating a plan. Chase would never say it out loud, but he sometimes questioned his friend's sanity.

He gulped in fear. "Diego, what are you thinking? I thought you said that you gave up."

He jumped onto the bed and nodded. "Yeah, I give up…on trying to get those sorry sacs we call 'fathers' to respect us more. They've bullied us for far too long at this point. Now they're going to the point of cutting off a limb. Well, I've had it. This will be my best plan yet." He started to laugh evilly.

"W-what e-ex-exactly is your plan?"

Diego grinned even wider. "We're going to run away from this sorry excuse of a family and go to Neo City!"

Chase's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" He covered his mouth again, then whispered, "Dude, we live in the Johto region and Neo City is in the Silvac region. That's impossible."

His friend shook his head. "Actually, I've already thought up a fool proof plan."

"But, you said that you'll never rest until you find your mother and get the info out of your dad." Chase reminded nervously.

Diego rolled his eyes. "That old fool will never give me the chance to find out. I'll be able to think better without him breathing down my neck."

Chase darted his eyes everywhere. "Well, what about-" Diego jumped off the bed and shut his mouth.

"Dude, what's wrong? You're usually onboard with me." He said.

Chase sighed and removed the paw from his mouth. "I'm worried. If we get caught, our dads will probably do something much worse. Like kill us!" He shook like a leaf.

Diego clasped a paw on his shoulder. "I promise you, we won't get caught as long as we follow my plan. Besides, do you really want to stay here for the rest of your life, tailless, and be punished 24/7?" His response was a shake of the head. "So, are you willing to help me out with this in exchange for a better carefree life?"

Chase rubbed his arm and looked at the door. He could barely hear the playful banter emanating from downstairs. Masked under that banter were two cold-hearted souls who would rather make their children's lives a living nightmare. He looked back at his friend and nodded, with a determined glare. "What do we need?"

Diego smiled and brought out a note pad. "I need five hundred thousand dollars, valuables were taking, two regular suitcases, one suitcase big enough for the both of us to hide in while also covered in lead, food that we can carry in the cases, a harmless but explosive compound, and a rope."

Chase stared at him like he was insane. "Where am I going to get that much money?!"

"Duh, our dads' wallets." Diego said like it was obvious.

Chase tapped his chin and nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

XXX

Diego was putting away all of the things they would need in the suitcases. All he put were some clothes, blankets, and a few toys. He was currently waiting for Chase to come back with the food and money. Diego already managed to get a large lead suitcase and rope. He walked up to the closet and pulled out a small jar containing a green goo.

He nearly dropped it when the door suddenly opened and closed. He turned and saw Chase, who had all of the stuff in two sacks and was panting. "Dude, what happened to you?"

Chase managed to catch his breath and say, "I was nearly caught downstairs by my dad. Luckily, a man got sick from some food and he had his attention diverted to him."

Diego nodded and took the sacks. "I'm just glad you didn't get caught." He put them away in the second suitcase. "You ready?"

Chase nodded. "You sure this will work?"

"I'm positive! Now help me tie this to the bed." They both started to tie the rope to the bed's leg and checked to make sure it was tight. "Okay, I'll go first. You throw down the cases." He climbed out the window and shimmied his way down the rope. Once his feet touched the ground, he whispered loudly, "Okay, now."

Chase, with some struggle due to his size, push the suitcases towards the window. He lifted one up and pushed it out. Diego stepped back and let it hit the ground. The dirt was really soft and managed to reduce the sound of the impact.

Once he was done, he said, "Okay, catch me." Chase jumped out the window and landed it Diego's awaiting arms. Once he set him down, he walked over to the rope. "What are you doing?"

Diego smirked. "They'll figure out were gone tomorrow anyway, so we might as well leave a gift." He blew a light Ember on it and it slowly caught fire. It then slowly travelled up the rope. "Let's get going, now." Fortunately, the cases had wheels, making their escape much quicker.

XXX

It took a half hour, but they managed to get to an airport. Diego said that their plane will leave soon, so they needed to act quickly. They snuck in and acted as if they were just looking for their parents, so they had to politely deny the help they were getting.

They made it to the conveyor belt to put their stuff on. "Okay, now what?"

Diego put the two bags on the belt. "Now we're going to get into this lead suitcase. The x-ray devices won't be able to see through it. Besides, I doubt anyone is going to suspect someone hiding in luggage."

"Okay, but someone will see us." Chase pointed out.

"What do you think this stuff is for?" He asked as he held up the small jar. He pulled out the goo and flung it to a wall, instantly sticky to it. He threw the jar into a recycling can. "We got 30 seconds before it goes off, get the case ready."

They propped up the opened case on the edge of the conveyor belt. After half a minute, a loud sound came from the direction of the goo. As expected from duo, everyone turned towards the direction of the sound. They quickly got into the suitcase and closed it up. They jostled it onto the conveyor belt and they began to move.

XXX

The airport crew finished loading the last of the luggage and closed up the plane. "Okay, that's the last of it. Start her up!" One of them shouted through the walkie-talkie.

They moved back from the plane. It slowly started to move down the runway. As it got closer to the end, the plane started to lift off the ground. It was fully in the air and taking off towards Neo City.

"This is your captain speaking, you are free to move about the cabin." A voice said through the intercom.

Inside the cargo hold, there were hundreds of bags scattered everywhere. And one was trapped under a bunch and desperately trying to open. "For cryin' out loud! Open!" "Push harder!" "I am!" "Clearly, you're not!" "Ugh, just help push!"

It started to shake around roughly until it managed to knock the bags, but this also resulted in it rolling down a mountain of bags. It ran into the metal wall and immediately clicked open. The first to pop out was Diego, gasping for air. "After all my brilliant thinking, why did I overlook air holes?!" He face-palmed and let his paw slide down his face. "Let's go find the bags."

Chase climbed out, gasping as well. "Can we just rest for a moment?"

"You rest, I'm going to look for the rest of our stuff." He climbed out, stretched, and walked around the cargo hold in search for their other bags. Chase fell out of the suitcase and started to nap on a conveniently placed mattress.

Diego spent a solid twenty minutes digging through luggage to find their bags. He moved away a bag and found both of their suitcases. He smiled, glad that they were together and that he didn't have to look around anymore. He pulled them out and dragged them over to where Chase was sleeping.

He set them down and sat down to take a breather. This caused Chase to stir awake. "Diego…" He said as he got up and rubbed his eyes. "What are we going to do once the plane lands? Even with the money we have, I doubt we're going to survive off it forever." Diego didn't make a response, but Chase knew he was listening. "How are we going to survive on our own?"

Diego kept looking at the metal wall, staring at it intently. He ran multiple scenarios through his head on how they will survive. They all work as far as he knew, but they each came with a horrible price. He didn't think Chase will be onboard with this, but he knew that it was the only way.

"Chase…I'll be honest with you. I don't have a decent plan to work with. They work, but not in a good way. You know we will have to resort to scavenging for awhile, just until I can get us somewhere to live." Diego laid down with arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "I don't like the idea of stealing or anything, but if we have to survive…" He didn't finish when he saw the emotionless look on Chase's face.

He turned away from his friend and said, "I…understand."

Diego stared at him for a moment, then closed his eyes. "I'll figure something out…I promise you, everything will be work out in the end. We'll live a fantastic life and…we will be able to do whatever we want." He yawned. "Get some shut eye. This plane will land in about 12 hours." He turned on his side and fell asleep.

Chase laid down and closed his eyes. He did like the idea of living free without an abusive dad. But, will it actually come true? And what exactly will they do to get money and a house? All he did know…was that he should trust Diego. Diego was like an older brother to him and always listened to his judgment. He knew what he was doing. With a small smile, Chase fell asleep with happy thoughts about what kind of life awaited them in the future.