Genre (s): Fanfiction/Adventure

Written When? Sophomore Year of College

Prologue

This is it. Kellyn knew this day would come. After spending five years traveling the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola Regions, it is time for him to put his skills to the test. It is time for the Ranger School's entrance exam.

***

Ever since he was a young boy, Kellyn's had a dream–to become one of the best Pokémon Rangers ever. He heard of a majestic Region known as Almia, where young boys and girls attended Ranger School. It was a boarding school that taught children how to become Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics. When Kellyn was ten years old, he promised himself he would travel to Almia so he could go ahead and live his dream.

However, just when he was getting ready to leave his Kanto house, his mother stopped him and said, "Now just wait a minute, Kellyn! You can't become a Ranger unless you are knowledgeable about Pokémon!" She told him if he tried the entrance exam that day, he would surely fail.

That angered Kellyn, and he asked his mother, "Well then, what am I supposed to do?"

"Become a Pokémon Trainer," was her response. "Travel the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola Regions, and then you will be ready to become a Pokémon Ranger."

"Oh, but, Mom," Kellyn argued. "That's so much work."

"Then I'm afraid you'll never become a Ranger." And just like that, his mother went right back to sipping her coffee.

Kellyn thought about his mom's words. When he went outside to his hometown of Pallet Town, he sat on a bench that overlooked the ocean. The more he pondered his thoughts and dissected her words, he started to think she was right. How could he become a Ranger if he had no knowledge about the world of Pokémon? Perhaps he should become a Trainer and travel the Regions? But seven regions? That was insane!

As Kellyn continued to think about that, he made a decision. He would become a Trainer, but he would only travel the Kanto Region. When he passed the news on to his mother and Professor Oak, they were excited, but also upset with the young boy. Only one Region? That was nowhere near enough training to become a Ranger! There were so many different species of Pokémon out there, and Kellyn had to see them all.

Yet, he refused. He said that as soon as he finished the Kanto Region, he would travel to Almia. With his Starter Pokémon, Charmander, by his side, he left Pallet Town and began his epic quest.

However, as Kellyn traveled the Region, he picked up a new feeling. It was not selfishness, nor was it confidence. It was fun. Kellyn actually had fun. It was so satisfying to knock down every Team Rocket Grunt he encountered. He would never forget the day when his Starter Pokémon evolved into Charizard. Kellyn would never forget the day he defeated Giovanni, Team Rocket's Boss, and he would never forget the day when he beat the Elite Four and Champion for the first time. Therefore, he had to do it! He had to travel the rest of the Regions!

Now, that was the news that excited his mother and Professor Oak. Kellyn was finally coming out of his shell.

Because he was so dedicated to becoming a Pokémon Ranger, he was willing to take the proper training he needed before he applied to the Ranger School. For five years straight, he traveled the Regions, caught Pokémon, defeated Trainers, and became Champion for every single Pokémon League. He went down in history as the first Champion of the Alola Region.

***

Now, here he is. Five years later, fifteen-year-old Kellyn is ready.

Dressed in his blue and green Ranger School uniform, he clutches the School Styler tightly in his hand and gazes at the towering gates in front of him. He has to do this. He's trained his whole life for this special day. It is time for Kellyn to become a Pokémon Ranger.

Chapter 1

Welcome to Ranger School!

Kellyn’s knees knock together, as he comes within reach of the Ranger School’s gates. Lifting his hands, he pushes them. They open with a long creak. Kellyn feels like he’s stepping into jail.

The first thing he sees is a staircase. It reminds him of the staircases that led Trainers to the Pokémon League. Flashbacks of the League flush through the young man’s brain. He would never forget the look on Blue, Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha, and Kukui’s faces when he seized victory. He has to think of the entrance exam like another League. Kellyn’s done it seven times. There’s no way he can’t do it again.

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A curious Slakoth watches him from a tree, munching on a few berries.

Kellyn places his Styler on his belt and takes a deep breath. Shaking out his hands, he starts up the Ranger School’s staircase.

Kellyn finds himself in an enormous, green courtyard. There are some barrels over there and a small building. Directly in front of him is the Ranger School itself. He heads over to a circle in the grass that’s decorated with the symbol of the Pokémon Ranger. Kellyn peers down to it, and then his eyes move up to the Ranger School’s building. “Calm down, Kellyn,” he tells himself. “You can do this. This is just like fighting the Pokémon League.” Was it? A Pokémon Trainer and a Pokémon Ranger are two, very different titles.

Kellyn tenses up. His hands grow sweaty. He does not want to be there.

Just before he runs away like a scared little Buneary, he hears, “You must be Kellyn!” from off to the side. The voice belongs to a man who appears in front of the smaller building Kellyn saw when he first walked in. He has short, brown hair and wears a hat on his head. Lifting his gloved hand, he waves the boy over. “Over here! Don’t be shy.”

Kellyn, even though he has no idea who the man is, jogs to him.

“Welcome to the Ranger School,” he speaks in an excited voice. He gives Kellyn’s back a hard slap, which knocks him forward a bit. “I will be administering your entrance exam.”

“Wait, we’re doing it now? Aren’t you going to give me a tour of the school first?”

The man gives a huge, hearty laugh at the boy’s question. “Oh, you’re hilarious, kid. Why should I give you a tour when you haven’t been accepted yet?” Oh, great. That just makes Kellyn even more nervous than he already is. “Come! Come!” The man pushes open the building’s door and waves him in. “We’ve not a minute to lose.”

“But I’m not ready!”

“Something tells me you are. You’re just a little nervous.” With that, the man pushes Kellyn into the room and shuts the door behind them.

Kellyn is in a single room. There are a few machines here and there, but other than that, there isn’t much to it. His eyes roll forward to the man who forced him in here.

He heads over to a table at the back of the room, where a Pikachu sits on the tabletop. The man scoops the Pokémon up in his arms and shows him to Kellyn. “Here is the Pokémon you’re going to catch for your exam. Pikachu.”

“Pika! Pika!” Pikachu leaps from his arms and lands in the heart of the room.

Slowly and carefully, Kellyn approaches it. The second he does, his mind goes a total blank. He forgets how to capture a Pokémon. His hands sweat again, and he breathes rapidly.

“You can do this, kid,” says the man. “I know you can.”

Right. Kellyn cannot let his nerves get in his way. He spent five years traveling the Pokémon World, learning about new Pokémon species and taking out evil teams. Today is the day he has to put all his skills to the test. With this in mind, he takes a deep breath and calms down. Shoulders relaxing, he tells the man, “Okay. I’m ready.”

Both Pokémon and aspiring Pokémon Ranger get in ready position.

Kellyn draws his Styler and holds it behind his back.

Pikachu gets down on all fours.

The teacher moves off to the side. He lifts his hand and announces, “Let the entrance exam begin!”

Kellyn points his Styler at Pikachu. “Capture on!” Right when he says this, a spinning top flies out of the Styler’s head. It spins towards Pikachu. This is the Capture Disk. The Capture Line, which conveys feelings of friendship to a Pokémon, circles it. To assist with the capture, Kellyn makes circles with both his Styler and arm. A halo-like light appears in front of him. He moves so fast that it looks like his arm is running a marathon. Kellyn has no idea why it’s so satisfying to draw circles. Circle, circle, circle. He’s doing it!

Off to the side, the teacher’s jaw drops to the ground. Wow! This kid was amazing! He definitely had a future as a Pokémon Ranger.

Just before Pikachu can hit Kellyn’s Line with a Thundershock, a white light washes over it, which indicates he has successfully caught it. The look on the teacher’s face tells him everything. Kellyn has passed the Ranger School’s entrance exam.

Pikachu, who nods at the teenager, turns and jogs to the teacher. Both it and he meet eyes with Kellyn.

The teacher lets out a goofy-sounding, evil laugh. “Hee, hee, you’ve passed the exam with flying colors. ‘My name, it is Kaplan.’ To celebrate your recruitment, I am gifting you with that School Styler. ‘Together, we shall rule the world…’”

“‘Oh please, Mr. Kaplan!’” a voice pipes up from the building’s front door.

At the sound of it, Kellyn jumps. He moves off to the side when a young woman appears next to him. She has long, brown hair and wears a white skirt with a green, sleeveless top.

The woman places her hands on her hips and tells Mr. Kaplan, “‘Please don’t tease my student with a silly performance like that.’ You’re probably scaring the poor kid half to death.”

Which he is. At one point, Kellyn thinks he has met the boss of another evil team. The thought came after Mr. Kaplan said, “‘Together, we shall rule the world.’”

However, he calms down when the man says, “Right. Right. My bad, but you should have seen him, Ms. April! You could hardly see his arm! Young, strong-willed boys like him are exactly the kind of people I’m looking for.”

“Oh, Mr. Kaplan. You never change.” Ms. April pulls her attention away from Kaplan and focuses on Kellyn. “‘Congratulations, you’ve been accepted! From this day forth, you are officially a student of the Ranger School.’”

“Really?” Kellyn cannot not believe what he’s hearing. After five years of traveling the Pokémon World’s seven Regions, did he really pass the entrance exam on his first try?

When she sees the look on his face, Ms. April chuckles. “I’m Ms. April, and I’m going to be your teacher. Come on, let’s head to the classroom. I can’t wait for you to meet your classmates.”

“Is this really happening?” Kellyn asks in a high-pitched voice.

“It sure is,” says Ms. April, gesturing for him to follow her.

Kellyn does. While he and Ms. April leave the Training Room, he hears Mr. Kaplan say one more thing behind him: “‘Enjoy your school life!’”

Kellyn’s nerves rattle with both excitement and nervousness when Ms. April escorts him in the direction of the Ranger School’s main building. His eyes catch a few Pokémon playing with one another: Pichu, Tailow, Bidoof, and Budew.

A lone Bidoof, who stands next to a crate, curiously examines the teacher and student. Something about the boy intrigues it. Whatever it is, it knows this is not going to be the last time it sees him.

Right when Ms. April opens the doors to the Ranger School and holds it open for Kellyn, the school’s bell rings.

Just hearing it, Kellyn knows he’s in for the ride of his life. This is a new adventure for him–an adventure he’s spent five years preparing for. This is just the start of Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.