It wasn't like anything out of a fairytale that his mother used to read to him. There wasn't any poisoned apple, there wasn't any magical sorcerer casting spells, and there wasn't a hero to swoop in and save anyone. No, it was tuberculosis. His mother was diagnosed with the sickness and four weeks later she died. Barely five months after that his father had a heart attack. The always smiling man hadn't recovered from his wife's death and at eight years old Keith was an orphan. He was found shaking on his bed by neighbors and before a week had passed they took him to Sky Orphanage.

"His name is Keith Daze." Mrs. Jenne told the woman at the front desk. She pushed Keith up in front to get a better look at the woman. He frowned. This woman was tall, even while sitting down, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her face was narrow and she had high cheekbones. Her lipstick was red and her nails were as well and Keith didn't like her. The woman didn't have a welcoming attitude. Keith tried to pull away. He wanted to leave but Mrs. Jenne's hand was on his shoulder.

"Yes, yes," The blonde woman said. She didn't look at Keith. "How old is he? What happened to his parents? Fire? Flash flooding? Any siblings I should know about?"

"I'm eight." Keith told her with a glare. Now the woman did look at him. Her blue eyes were cold and her lips dipped down into a frown. Mrs. Jenne was quick to shush Keith and answer the questions. The blonde typed away at her computer, plugging in information to a general form, nails clacking in a way that make Keith wince.

The adults exchanged more information as Keith looked around the waiting room curiously. Bland tan walls with three pictures total, a few generic wooden chairs with cushioned seats, a desk where the tall woman sat, and a potted plant. It was boring. He pulled away from his current caretaker and wandered over to a picture of a Ranger doing a capture surrounded by his team and partner Pokémon. It would be cool, Keith thought once again, to be a Ranger. Maybe he'd go to school to be one when he was older. His dad had always supported the idea.

Keith's eyes burned at the thought of his father but he didn't cry. Keith Daze never cried and he wouldn't start now. Crying was for the weak, the ones who never achieved anything, because crying only held a person back. Always smile, his dad had always said, smile and make the sun shine. Keith turned at the sound of Mrs. Jenne's voice.

"Keith, Ms. Blanson will take you to your room now." Keith's neighbor dabbed a tissue at the tears in her eyes and awkwardly hugged him when he drew near. He didn't hug back. She was hugging him for her comfort, not his own, and besides Mrs. Jenne wasn't his mother. Her hugs didn't feel right to Keith. No, it was better to not hug back.

"My room?" Keith questioned. His situation was finally becoming clear. He hadn't wanted to believe everything but now he had to. Keith rubbed his eyes with his left hand, his dominant hand, and frowned.

"Yes," Mrs. Jenne said gently, "your room. You're going to be staying here now Keith. Remember? We talked about this on the way here."

"Oh." Keith responded quietly. The little flecks of dark brown in the tan carpet suddenly caught his interest. "Right."

The blonde woman—Ms. Blanson—Keith reminded himself, stood and moved to open a door. She gestured for him to follow. She and Mrs. Jenne had already said their farewells. "This is the way to the main rooms and then the dorm hallways branch off."

Keith nodded absently. He took in all the details with curious eyes and only halfway listened to Ms. Blanson. She was explaining the layout of the building and how the boys' and girls' sleeping quarters were down different hallways but the meals and play times were for both genders.

"Is there a yard?" Keith interrupted Ms. Blanson's talk of meal times and being on time. "Are we allowed to play outside?"

Ms. Blanson frowned but answered promptly, "Yes, there's a yard, and yes, you can play outside, but there are rules. Now, on the topic of your lessons…"

Keith zoned out and imagined the forest near his home. There were tall trees to climb with green leaves that turned gold and red and orange as the seasons changed and a little babbling brook that he loved to play in. It was a perfect place for Pokémon to live and a perfect place for a curious little boy to explore. It was home. Keith was shaken from his imagination when he was brought to a stop in front of a dark green door.

"Here's your room." Ms. Blanson told Keith. The door was opened to reveal three boys around Keith's age. "You'll be sharing with Luke, Christopher, and Jonah. I'll leave you to get acquainted with them. Don't forget to unpack. Dinner will be served in an hour."

Keith's gaze landed on the three boys. Two had blonde hair, one brown, and all three were looking at him warily. It seemed to him as if they thought him an unpredictable Starly. Keith sent them a tentative smile.

"Hi." Keith said. "I'm Keith. Which bed is mine?"

Hello! This is an AU Pokémon Ranger fanfic, set in Shadows of Almia. There will be a couple of very minor OC's (such as in this chapter) and there will be some bits where characters aren't exactly in character. It relates to the AU-ness. I'll be adding character profiles with the differences from the game as they are introduced. Read and review please it means so much to me. Reviews are an aspiring author's best friend! Thank you! ~Light