"Alright Charlie, this is where you'll be staying as long as you'll be here with us. Make yourself comfortable, then come downstairs for breakfast," a middle aged woman nudged the young boy forward into a small bedroom. She didn't hesitate to quickly turn away, the click-clack of her heels echoing down the silent hall as she left Charlie alone in his new environment.

A few days back, his father had passed away and the doctors did just what they said they would do. The following day one of them was kind enough to take Charlie back home to grab as many belongings as he could carry. Once he had completed the process as slowly as possible, trying to soak in the last time he would see his home, the doctor drove him to the orphanage.

Now he was there, standing in the doorway of his new bedroom. The room was very small, the bunk bed in the corner taking up a fourth of the room. Taking a step inside, the wooden floor creaked, sounding much louder due to the silence. The floral wallpaper was peeling off and the smell of rotting wood filled the room. Next to the bunk bed was another door, which Charlie presumed was the closet. Opposite that side of the room, a large window that took up most of the wall let sunlight inside.

Charlie let out a small sigh. This wasn't his home. He missed his room, his kitchen, the nice carpeted floors, the warm fireplace; he missed everything, but most of all, he missed his father. Up until now he had been numb about the situation, but it seemed to be finally soaking in; this was reality and this was his home now.

Taking slow steps into the room, he headed towards the closet, dragging his small bag of belongings with him. The hinges creaked in the same manner the floor had as he opened the door. The inside of the closet had no shelves or compartments; it was almost identical to the room itself except smaller and darker.

"Hiya!" a high-pitched, upbeat voice suddenly sounded behind Charlie. The boy jumped and fell forwards into the closet, nearly scared out of his skin. Charlie could hear amused giggling as he fought to catch his breath.

"You're funny," the same voice spoke to him in a friendly matter. Rolling back around towards the person, he could finally make out who it was. Standing before him was a little girl, younger than he was judging by her size. She had black hair that went past her chest and vibrant violet eyes that looked merry. She stood with her hands behind her back, leaning in slightly as she gazed at Charlie.

"Wh-Who're you?" Charlie stammered, stumbling to his feet.

"My name's Kiara. I'm your new roommate," the young girl curtsied before continuing. "What's your name kid?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Uh…It's…" he paused for a moment. He didn't want to give Kiara his real name. Somehow it felt special, like something he and his father should share. It was then he recalled the nickname his father had given him. He would always call Charlie his "brave little wolf." Blinking, Charlie finally replied after a long pause. "Wolf. My name's Wolf."

Not much to his surprise, Kiara raised a brow at that. "Wolf huh? Well that's an interesting name," she inquired, but soon her expression went back to merry. "Well it's nice to meet you Wolf! I hope we become good friends. C'mon, let's get down to breakfast and then I can help you unpack," without waiting for a response Kiara grabbed Wolf's wrist and dragged him out of the room and down the hall.

The boy didn't really like the idea of being dragged but he said nothing as he tried to keep up with Kiara. Gazing around, he saw many rooms identical to his. He felt overwhelmed by the size of the building. Do so many children not have families?

Kiara continued to lead him down the stairs and past the main entrance. Soon the sound of many voices could be heard and it grew louder as the two got closer to two large heavy doors. Kiara then let go of Wolf's wrist and pushed against the door, grunting with effort as she slowly but surely pushed it open. With that the sound barrier was broken and the jumbled voices were deafening as Kiara struggled to keep the door open. "C'mon in Wolf!"

Wolf looked hesitant as he took slow steps towards the noisy room. Peeking inside, he saw many different children of varying ages and appearances, all talking to their friends while eating breakfast on foam trays.

Once Wolf was all the way inside, Kiara let go of the door, causing it to slam loudly, though hardly anyone noticed because of the noise level of the room. "Follow me," Kiara called Wolf's attention as she walked towards a rack with trays.

Wolf followed close behind, mimicking her actions in hopes to not embarrass himself in front of so many children. Casting a glance behind him, he noticed Ms. Martin, the woman who had escorted him to his room not long ago, was patrolling around the tables along with some other adults. When he looked back towards Kiara, the girl was putting a small milk carton on her tray and was about to reach for a packet of fruit tarts. It was then he realized how meager the food options were. Grabbing a tray, he picked up the same things Kiara had chosen and put them on his tray.

"Oran berries are my favorite," Kiara mentioned as she grabbed one out of the pile of assorted fruits in a clear container.

Wolf simply picked up a random fruit and swiftly followed after Kiara. She led him away from all the chaotic chatter towards a table at the back of the cafeteria that was empty. Together the two sat as far away from the others as they could. "Don't you have any friends to sit by?" Wolf asked as he opened the carton of milk once he was situated.

"Not really. They're all really annoying and say dumb things," Kiara murmured as she opened up the wrapper that held the fruit tarts.

"Oh," Wolf replied, taking a sip of milk quietly. After a moment of silence he asked, "Where's your parents?"

"Where's anyone's parents? I don't got any," her voice was muffled as she chewed. Swallowing, she continued. "Ms. Martin told me she found me as a nearly new born baby on the doorstep, no note, nothing."

"Wow…" was all Wolf could say as he stared down at his tray, awestruck for a moment. He couldn't even imagine not knowing who his parents were. "Do you ever wonder about them?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time though I just hope they put me here for a reason and not just because they wanted nothing to do with me," Kiara shrugged in response. She paused for a moment before taking a sip of her milk. "But it doesn't matter now. I just know a family is gonna adopt me some day, no matter how long it takes," she sounded like she had a forced determination, though her expression swiftly changed to curiosity as if she were trying to change the subject. "How old are you?"

"Six. What about you?"

"I'm five, though sometimes I think I'm more mature than the big kids!" Kiara laughed in amusement, gazing over at a table that was full of ten year olds. "They'll be heading over to Columius Town in a few weeks to get their starters," she explained, slightly envious.

"Wow, they must be excited. I can't wait to get my own Pokémon! I already know which starter I'll get; Treecko," Wolf's eyes were also staring at the group, sparking with his own excitement for the future.

"I hope I get a family before then. Once you get your Pokémon they give you some money and set you on your way to your journey," Kiara shivered at the thought.

"But wouldn't going on a journey be more fun? There'd be no rules, no responsibilities; you could do whatever you wanted!" Wolf blinked in surprise as he spoke.

Kiara sighed. "You don't get it. Pokémon are all around us. Even if I have to wait longer to get one, a family isn't as easy to find when you're an orphan cooped up with so many other orphans who all want families too."

Wolf looked down at his fruit tart as he tried to see the situation through Kiara's eyes. He couldn't no matter how hard he tried. I don't want a new family…Dad's the only Dad I will accept, no one can ever replace him

***

Wolf lay in his bed, curled up under the thin sheets. The room was dark but there was enough moonlight to make out the bottom of Kiara's mattress as well as the frame that held it. The boy had decided to take the bottom bunk so Kiara could keep the bunk she had been sleeping in since she'd been old enough to be in a bed.

Throughout the rest of the day Kiara had explained basic rules of how things worked in the orphanage, curfews, regulations, all of those things. After that the two were separated as they went to their daily classes, reunited at lunch and recess. Afterwards they played around the rest of the day until supper time. After supper, it turned out to be bath day in which everyone got bathed. All the children were in bed now and the silence of the building felt odd after a day full of noise.

Wolf stifled a sigh. So this is the routine of my life now huh? he thought to himself, feeling slightly disappointed. Kiara might be used to this, but all this same stuff everyday will get so boring for me…

"Hey Wolf, you still awake?" Kiara's whisper sounded from above.

Wolf didn't respond and coughed a bit, hoping she would understand his signal.

"You can't sleep huh? Yeah, me neither…Hey, I know you might not like it here, but I'm really glad you're here. Somehow you seem different from all the other kids. I just know we're gonna be great friends…" there was a pause in her speech as she let out a yawn. "Hey…I think I can finally sleep now. Well, goodnight Wolf. See ya in the morning," after a moment of silence Wolf could hear the steady rhythm of Kiara's breathing as she fell asleep.

Wolf's eyes started to feel tired as well. Maybe being here won't be all that bad, if I have a friend like Kiara. What do you think Dad? I bet you think Kiara's a nice girl too. Well, I'm kind of tired now too all of a sudden. Goodnight.