Serena Yvonne was always a hopeless romantic. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of the perfect man to spend her life with. A handsome, funny, smart man who is always there to make her feel loved. Of course, having him being a big hugger and a good kisser wouldn't hurt either. Where many women in Lumiose City, the Kalos region's capital, dreamed of staying in the city to live in beautiful apartments or houses with their husbands, Serena wanted a man who would transform her lonely, boring life into one of adventure. A man who would give her the chance to travel beyond Lumiose City or even Kalos if possible. Her dream to travel was the only dream that she desired as much as she wanted love, but in the five years since she got her passport, it has been kept inside her nightstand drawer with no stamps on it.
Of course, Serena didn't decide that she wanted either of her dreams out of the blue. Her father, Chandler Yvonne, was as much of a hopeless romantic as she was, Lord rest his soul. Throughout her childhood, Serena only knew her mother, Grace Yvonne, from the stories her father would happily tell her like a priest preaching the word of the Lord. Chandler talked about all the adventures he had with Grace and when he cheered her on during her Rhyhorn races. This passionate man was Serena's whole world, and she wanted nothing more than to travel with her special someone just like he did.
But in the years since her father's passing, Serena's hopes of finding love and seeing the world began to fade away. She only makes enough money as a token fare conductor to make ends meet while living in her second-floor apartment. Her only friends are her co-worker, Shauna, who works in the same token booth as her, her boss, Iris, her landlord, Mr. Walken, and her Pokemon partner, Fennekin. Most of the time, when she's outside of her apartment, she kept her head down to shyly hide her face with her shoulder-length honey blonde hair whenever she saw an attractive guy. Whether it was one of the guys paying the fare at the station Serena works at or someone she saw passing by on the street, she would look down, feeling nervous to even look at a guy for longer than a couple of seconds.
But out of all of them, there was one man, in particular, that Serena had a special crush on. Every day this man in a fine business suit would be taking a train from her station, and he would always pay for the fare at her window. Serena had no idea who he was. All she knew was whenever she saw him tossing a token into the slot on her booth; she would have a moment to look into his dark blue eyes, his shiny black hair that reached to his shoulders just like hers, and a friendly smile on his well-formed face. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat, and she smiled back while her cheeks turned red as her crush got on the train. After she had that moment, her mind would be focused on him, daydreaming about who he is, what's his job, whether or not he has a Pokemon, and how amazing it would be if he was the one. At the very least, she wanted a chance to strike a conversation with him that would lead to learning his name.
That's what was on her mind on the morning of Christmas Eve when she was decorating her Christmas tree. She was hanging up ornaments and putting on lights with her Fennekin, both having a fun time together. Still, while she was hanging decorations, she imagined her crush decorating the tree with her and Fennekin, wearing a vermillion sweater and having a cute Pokemon of his own to help them like a Skitty, or a Vulpix, or better yet, an Eevee. The thought made Serena giggle with her mouth closed as Fennekin picked up the Christmas star with its mouth, and she lifted the fox Pokemon up so that it could place the star on top of the tree.
"Just look at it, Fennekin," Serena said as she took a few steps back to look at the tree. "It's the prettiest tree we've had yet."
"Fennekin," Fennekin said happily.
Serena smiled at her Pokemon before turning to a picture of a cheerful man hanging on the wall and said, "I wish you could see this, Daddy. We outdid ourselves this time."
The honey blonde woman's smile turned into a frown as she became lost in thought about her father. Fennekin noticed her sudden change in demeanor and licked one of her hands holding it to cheer her up. Serena looked down to give the fox Pokemon an appreciative smile before hugging it tightly. The two of them enjoy their moment of silence until they hear a beeping sound.
"The cookies are done," Serena said.
She walked to the kitchen, put Fennekin down on top of the dining table, and took out a tray of Christmas cookies from the oven. The two of them then began decorating the cookies with frosting and sprinkles before Serena put them in plastic bags. It was a quarter till nine when they were done, and Serena let out a sigh before turning to her Pokemon.
"Looks like I better get going if I want to drop off Mr. Walken's treats before heading to work," she said.
"Fen," Fennekin said with a nod.
Serena walked to her bedroom, where she put on her winter coat and hat and grabbed her purse before coming back to put the bags of cookies inside her purse. Then, she walked to the front door with Fennekin following her where she put on her snow boots before turning to her Pokemon.
"Alright, be a good girl while I'm gone, Fennekin," Serena said.
"Fennekin," Fennekin replied with a smile as Serena went out the door and closed it behind her.
Serena walked down the steps to the apartment building's bottom floor and turned to the door on the left side of the entryway. She knocked on the door and waited until the door opened to reveal a balding, chubby man in his late fifties standing in front of her with an Emolga on his shoulder.
"Ah, Serena," the man greeted with a smile that was hidden by his bushy mustache. "To what do I own the visit from my favorite person from the second-floor?"
Serena shook her head, amused with the compliment, before she opened her purse and took out one of the bags of cookies.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Walken," she said.
The Emolga's eyes widened before it excitedly hopped out of its partner's shoulders to snatch the bag off of Serena's hands and glide back to the landlord. Mr. Walken gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Aw, Serena, you didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I wanted to," Serena said, smiling. "Besides, Christmas is tomorrow, and I'm on my way to work anyway."
"Aw, bless your heart," Mr. Walken said. "Would you like to say hi to Tierno before you go?"
Serena winced, and her smile disappeared as she slowly backed away."
Oh, no, thank you," she answered while stepping back.. "I really should -"
"Hey, Pop," said a voice coming from inside Mr. Walken's apartment.
Serena groaned as a heavy-set guy around her age walked toward Mr. Walken with a headset on his head and a Squirtle walking beside him. The guy was air drumming as he listened to the music on his headset with a cheerful smile.
"Have you seen my tool belt anywhere?" He asked.
"Yes, Tierno. You left it under the dining table again," Mr. Walken answered.
Tierno gave his father a thumbs up before noticing Serena and gave her a smile that made her more uncomfortable.
"Wassup, Serena?" He said.
"Good morning, Tierno," Serena said politely. "Off to work on your dad's truck again?"
"Dontcha know it?" Tierno replied. "You're looking extra hot this morning."
Mr. Walken frowned and slapped Tierno upside the head.
"Tierno, that's no way to talk to a woman," he rebuked. "She's a person, not a cup of coffee."
"Aw, come on, Pop. It's true," Tierno said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Just grab your stuff and get to work," Mr. Walken commanded.
"Alright, alright. Sheesh," Tierno said. "Let's go, Squirtle."
"Squirt, Squirtle," Squirtle said.
Serena mentally thanked the Lord as Tierno walked away with his partner. Mr. Walken shook his head as he watched his son walk to the dining room at the end of the hall before turning to the honey blonde woman.
"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with him saying slang like that," he said.
Serena smiled at Mr. Walken, thankful that he had more sense than his son. The older man sighed before he scratched the back of his head and gave the Emolga on his shoulder a concerned look before turning back to Serena.
"Listen, Serena, I was wondering if you can do me a favor," he said. "I know Tierno's not the most charming boy in the neighborhood, but he means well. Maybe you could take him out to coffee or something?"
Serena frowned and looked past Mr. Walken's shoulder, where Tierno was bending down to pick up his tool belt, his shirt coming up to show more of his back than she ever wanted to see. She bit her lip to keep herself from showing disgust in front of her landlord and politely shook her head.
"Are you sure?" Mr. Walken asked. "I could lower your rent."
"Sorry, Mr. Walken, but I'm not interested," Serena said. "Besides, we both know you can't stand the idea of anyone not paying the full rent."
Mr. Walken opened his mouth to protest until he thought about it and shrugged, saying, "Yeah, you're right. I just want my boy to find somebody. Plus, y'know, you're a nice girl, and he's been crushing on you since you started living here."
"I know," Serena said. "Anyway, I better get going. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Serena," Mr. Walken said as Serena exited the building.
When she was finally outside, Serena ran until she was on the other side of the block. Then, she stopped and let out a sigh of relief, glad to not be around Tierno.
"Why is the one guy that is interested in me the last guy on Earth I want to be around?" She asked herself.
After a moment to groan over her predicament, Serena collected herself and started walking down the street. She looked up to look at the gray sky above Lumiose City, wondering if it's going to snow in time for Christmas. Serena rubbed her hands as she headed to her destination, wishing she thought of putting on gloves. Finally, she made her way to a bridge that led to the train station, where there was a churro stand on the other side. Wanting to grab breakfast before going to work, Serena waited in line for several minutes until she could place her order to the old man running the food stand with his Vanillite.
Before she could open her purse to pay for her breakfast, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder. and turned her head to see a skinny woman in her thirties whose head reached Serena's eyes. She had tan skin, brown eyes, and knee-length, puffy purple hair kept in a substantial loose ponytail. She was wearing a cream-colored coat and a pink winter hat, and an Axew was riding inside her hair. The woman gave Serena a proud smile as she took out a couple of dollars and handed it to the older man.
"Breakfast is on me today, Mickey," she said.
Serena and the man named Mickey looked at the woman as if she said random words. After a moment, Mickey took the money and handed a small tray of churros to Serena. The honey blonde woman thanked Mickey before turning to the tan woman with the Axew with a suspicious look.
"Good morning, Iris, Axew," she greeted before taking a bite of her breakfast.
"Axew," Axew replied.
"Good morning? That's it? No thank you for paying for your breakfast?" Iris asked appalled. "Is that any way to act in front of your loving boss?"
Serena rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you, Iris. Now, why did you pay for my food?"
Iris grinned and rolled up a newspaper she had on her other hand and said, "Oh, I just thought it would be a nice thing to do before making the announcement."
"Announcement? For what?" Serena asked.
Instead of a reply, Iris turned to Mickey, his Vanillite, and the people and Pokemon in line, and clapped her hands.
"Excuse me, could I have your attention, please?" She called out.
Everyone turned to Iris, Axew, and Serena, making the honey blonde woman blush and lower her head to hide her face with her hair. Iris cleared her throat and started tapping Serena's shoulders with his rolled-up newspaper as if she's knighting her.
"As this woman's employer, it gives me, Iris Joslyn Siskel, great pleasure to announce that I have recommended my employee, Serena Judith Yvonne, for Employee of the Month this Christmas," Iris declared proudly.
Everyone stared at the tan woman as though she was raving like a lunatic before they clapped awkwardly. Serena's blush grew, and she walked away, embarrassed with Iris following her and Axew holding on to her hair.
"Hey, hey, hey. Where are you going?" Iris asked.
Serena turned to her boss and asked, "What in the world was that? There's no Employee of the Month."
"Of course, there is. I even have the recommendation paper right here," Iris said as she took out a piece of paper from her coat pocket and cleared her throat again. "Supervisor Iris Siskel nominates Serena Yvonne for Employee of the Month."
Serena looked at her boss, befuddled that her boss was backing up her claim.
"Serena is never tardy, and she works on holidays," Iris read out loud. "Just because she worked on Thanksgiving, Serena is willing to work on Christmas too."
Iris gave Serena a pleading look as she read the last sentence. Serena frowned as it became obvious what her boss was up to. She turned to Axew, who shook its head, sharing her disapproval.
"I'm not working on Christmas, Iris," Serena said.
"Aw, come on," Iris said. "There are benefits to becoming Employee of the Month on Christmas. You'll get a nice plaque with Mayor Lysandre's stamp on it.."
"I didn't vote for him," Serena said.
"Er, well, neither did I, but you get to ride on a float on St. Patrick's Day parade," Iris said.
"I don't like parades," Serena said.
"Did I mention extra holiday pay?"
"I don't care."
Iris sighed and looked at Serena seriously as she said, "Look, Brooke is sick, Jeseray can't switch shifts because she's got a big family thing, and I promised Cilan that I would be home this year for when we give Maynor his Pokemon partner."
"Oh yeah? What did you get him?" Serena asked.
"A Dratini," Iris said. "We're thinking about letting him go on his Pokemon journey after New Year's."
Serena smiled, happy that Iris' son would become a Pokemon trainer, but her smile disappeared as she thought about how she's Iris' only option for who needs to work on Christmas. Iris and Axew looked at each other sadly before Iris sighed.
"Look, I know it isn't fair, and I can't make you do it," she said. "If you'd rather spend Christmas with your Fennekin, it's okay. It's just that you're the only one…"
"Who doesn't have a family," Serena finished.
Iris flinched, regretting that she brought the matter up. She scratched the back of her head and said, "Look, I'll figure something out. Maybe if you like I could -"
"No, no, it's fine," Serena interrupted. "I mean, Fennekin and I are mostly just going to make treats and watch holiday movies together, and that can wait until later tomorrow night."
"Are you sure?" Iris asked.
"Yeah, it's fine," Serena lied.
Iris gave the honey blonde girl a sad smile, which Serena returned before her eyes widened.
"Oh, speaking of treats, these are for you and the family," she said as she reached into her purse and took out one of her bags of Christmas cookies.
Iris smiled as she took the bag and said, "Thank you. I know we're going to love them."
"You always say that when I give you sweets for your family," Serena said.
"And it's always true," Iris said. "Cilan and Maynor can't get enough of your sweets. Isn't that right, Axew?"
"Axew," Axew said, nodding.
Serena smiled and said, "Well, I better get going and finish my breakfast before clocking in."
"Of course," Iris said. "Work hard, Serena."
Serena rolled her eyes as she walked away and called out, "I'm a token fare conductor, Iris. There's nothing hard about my job."
Shortly after finishing her breakfast, Serena clocked in for work and went into her collector booth, where Shauna was waiting for her. After giving Shauna her final bag of Christmas cookies, much to her friend's delight, the two of them quietly collected fare from people about to board the train with their Pokemon. Just like Serena said to Iris, there was nothing hard about their jobs as they just sat down and collected coins before letting the passengers in.
However, Serena and Shauna were overwhelmed by the number of customers they had to handle. Countless people went last-minute Christmas shopping with their Pokemon carrying a bunch of their shopping bags or holding them up in the air with their psychic powers. By one in the afternoon, the rush died down, so the women could take turns going on their lunch break, with Shauna going first.
Serena sighed in relief, happy to have a moment of peace while, at the same time, dreading how there would likely be another rush later that night. As she rested her head on her hand, a couple got off one of the trains. The man had a bald head and a short brown beard wearing glasses, while the woman had long, curly maroon hair. The woman was hugging the man's arm tightly and rested her head on his shoulder while the man had his hand on one of her arms as they walked. Serena watched the pair exit the platform sadly, wishing she could experience such affection with someone special. The poor honey-blonde woman was so lost in her daydream that she didn't notice someone sliding a token into her slot.
"Hi."
Serena turned her head, and her eyes widened at the sight of the handsome man in the business suit. Had she paid attention, she would have watched her crush walking toward her booth to make the most of his presence, but she was so unprepared that her heart jumped at the sight of him suddenly so close to her. Her mouth hung open as the man gave her a friendly smile.
"Merry Christmas," he said.
Serena tried to utter a response, but all she let out was a quiet, "Uh-uh-wait," as he entered the platform. The honey blonde woman groaned and hit her head with both hands.
"Two years, Serena," she said to herself. "Two years he's been taking the train, always inserting a token in your window. He finally speaks to you, and you don't say a word? There are so many things you could have said. 'Hi.' 'Nice coat.' 'Merry Christmas to you too.' 'You're beautiful.' 'Do you want to meet my Fennekin?' 'Will you marry me?' 'I love you.'"
Serena whined childishly and rested her head on her hand again as she watched the man wait for the train, ashamed of herself. But as she mentally beat herself up, a man wearing a long black coat and a hat that covered his face and a Weavile walked over to the man Serena crushed. The suspicious man placed his hand by her crush's shoulder and forced him to turn around while the Weavile pointed its sharp claws at him. Serena gasped as her crush realized that the man and his Pokemon were about to mug him. Before she could think of something to do, her crush kicked the Weavile and got ready to run while he had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, the other man put his arm around Serena's crush and pushed him back only for her crush to accidentally step so far back that he fell into the train tracks.
Serena gasped again loudly while the man and his Weavile ran away. She burst out of her booth and hurried to where she saw her crush fall. Luckily for him, his head missed the rails, but it did land on the hardwood floor between the rails, knocking him out cold. Serena looked around for help, but there wasn't a soul in sight. She hesitated before she carefully got down on the tracks and kneeled to her crush's side.
"Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Can you get up?" She asked, shaking his coat.
The man stayed motionless. Serena leaned into the man's face to check if he was still breathing. She felt a small amount of air from his mouth, and she sighed in relief. She then felt a whiff of the man's expensive cologne and smiled bashfully. For a moment, she forgot about the situation and stroked the man's face, wondering what he did for a living to be able to buy a cologne that made him smell so good, but then she heard a loud horn, and she looked up to see a train coming towards her and her crush.
"Oh, no!" She shouted as she started shaking her crush even more. "Mister! Mister, wake up! There's a train coming right towards us! Mister, you gotta wake up, please!"
No matter what Serena did, the man didn't move a muscle. Serena became terrified as the train grew closer to the station. Even if the train driver could see them, there was nothing he could do about it. The train wasn't going to stop until it was on the platform for passengers to get off. Left with no other choice, Serena pulled the man by the coat with all of her might, screaming until she lifted him up, causing them to roll off the tracks and into the spot under the edge of the platform just before the train hit them.
With both of them safe, Serena let out a sigh and rested her head on her crush's chest. She didn't mind her cheeks heating up from lying on top of the man of her dreams. There was little space to move while the train was trapping them, and the important thing was that he was alive. Serena heard a groan, and she lifted her head to see her crush's head moving. His eyes slowly opened to see her only inches apart from his face. Serena smiled as her ocean blue eyes stared into his dark blue ones, and she said the first thing she wanted to say to him from the moment she first saw him.
"Hi."
The man did nothing but look at her until he lost consciousness again.