Side Story (1)- Serena (1/?)

The clouds had been the first thing Serena noticed, a premonition that something big was going to happen.

The darkest clouds Serena had ever seen appeared sometime the day before, covering the sky like a blanket. It was a strange sight to be sure as the weather had been forecasted to be clear and sunny with no chance for rain. Furthermore, the clouds had moved at an abnormally brisk pace, travelling across the sky and swallowing the sun within minutes after it first appeared. The clouds were unlike anything Serena had ever experienced in her 14 years on Earth, a shade of black that seemed to absorb light. No rain fell from it and she heard no thunder, all it did was prevent her from feeling the warm embrace of the sun's rays.

Besides the appearance of the clouds, nothing else had changed, at least to the extent of worrying. The wind was relatively calm and cool, going without the scent of rain or any strong breeze that could indicate a storm. If anything, all of this normalcy was even stranger, the clouds themselves already being enough by itself to make front page news. The absence of rain and other elements involving storms brought about a feeling of apprehension within Serena, one that continued to fester even as she closed the door to her hotel room.

As it stood right now, Serena found it hard to fully enjoy the particular day, despite it being the day she had been waiting for nearly her whole life. It was the day she finally received her starter Pokemon and began her journey. The sudden appearance of the black clouds putting a damper on her previous excitement.

As she walked down the stairs, taking the staircase leading to the first floor of the hotel, Serena couldn't help but wonder just what her future path would look like; what her goal would potentially become. During the whole day and a half walk from Vaniville to Lumiose, she had pondered this topic again and again to no avail. Though this was the main reason she was going on a journey in the first place, to grow and learn, she still had a few qualms. Regardless of how she felt though, she wouldn't get anywhere without taking that first step.

"Okay, lets go and choose my starter," Serena muttered to herself, forcing a smile. All she had to do was take it one step at a time and she would be fine, or at least thats what she kept telling herself.

Stepping outside, the young lady took a deep breath, ignoring the dark sky and inhaling slowly, willing herself to calm down before letting it all out. She had an hour before she needed to meet up with Professor Sycamore but she needed to take her mind off things. Instead of waiting until the meet up time, she opted to head over early.

Deep in the heart of Lumiose City sat an enormous structure, one that stood tall and could be seen even from the far edge of Lumiose, a construct known as Prism Tower. It not only served as the symbol for Lumiose City but it also worked as a landmark to help tourists find their way around. As someone who had only occasionally visited Lumiose in the past, this tower was definitely useful in Serena's navigation.

On the other hand, as long as she knew where her destination was, she would be able to book a taxi, which was precisely what she was about to do as she stepped forward. Stepping her left foot out as well as her left hand, Serena gave a thumbs up to signal the nearest car, a light blue automobile with a small sign on the top of it, the word TAXI sprawled in large, bold letters.

"Good day miss," The driver said as Serena crawled into the cab, handbag tightened over her shoulder. "Where are you heading today?"

Serena gave a small smile as she closed the door and buckled up her seatbelt. "Do you know where Professor Sycamore's Lab is?"

The man seemed to realize something as he gave the girl a once over, genuinely looking at her for the first time. "I do indeed know where it is. Judging by the way your dressed and your age, I'm assuming you're heading there to get a starter pokemon right? Just about ready to start your journey?"

Serena nodded as the man pulled away from the curb and drove onto the lane leading towards the tower. "I walked here from Vaniville. Today I get my starter and set out."

"Wow, that takes me back. I remember my first day as a pokemon trainer. It was quite amazing-"

Serena mentally tuned the driver out as he launched into a tale that she wasn't really interested in. Its not that she was trying to be rude, but she had other things on her mind at the moment as her eyes trailed out to look at the dark sky covered in clouds.

Lumiose City was one of the most populated cities in the world, containing around 5 million people, including both permanent and temporary citizens. It was also, unsurprisingly, the largest city in the Kalos region, and was famous for its tourism as well as its numerous attractions. It was almost always bustling and taxis were a common sight as the airspace above the city was a no fly zone without a proper permit. Even now, with the disturbing black cloak covering the blue sky, crowds of people still walked the sidewalks, meandering from cafès and casually strolling about without a care.

Serena had to wonder how people could remain so calm despite how unnerving the clouds were.

It took around twenty minutes to reach the Pokemon Lab, it being on the opposite end of Prism Tower, and she was genuinely surprised when the driver, who had been talking non-stop since the beginning, waved aside her fee. Despite the journey being rather long, the driver simply smiled and wished her luck, shaking his head when she held out a few pokedollars and tapping her hand away.

"You remind me a little of my own daughter when she began her own journey," The driver said as he began to pull away from the curb. "Save your money and make sure to keep yourself safe. Thats all I want from you."

Serena was taken aback as she watched the taxi cab move into traffic once again before disappearing around the corner. Due to the unusual amount of pent up stress and anxiety she had been feeling since waking up, she had been completely wrapped up in her own thoughts and hadnt expected such a display of kindness from someone she never even met before. It actually made her feel a bit better and helped soothe the uneasiness that had been squeezing her chest for quite some time.

Turning away from the street, Serena took a slow breath, briefly glancing at the sky. It was still as dark as before, but now an occasional bolt of lightning would streak through the air before landing somewhere in Lumiose, brief white flashes illuminating the surrounding area.

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Sorry about the HUGE delay in chapters but your boi is hella broke and needs to work 2 jobs in order to keep a roof over my head.

That being said, you guys can help a brother out. If I can get enough money then I can post a solid 2+ chaps a day. So I ask for your financial support. (Of course if you cant due to the Corona then thats fine as well.)

I'm working on getting a Pa.treon up and running so I'll let you know when thats up. I like posting long and balanced chapters so any amount of contribution will help tremendously. I'll link my email in the description if you wanna donate via PayPal.

I also plan on making my own original so stay tuned for that.

Anyways, thats all I wanted to say for now. Have a good day peeps. Full chapter comes out later today.

Email- Carloswatler76@gmail.com