Pokémon Rising Sun

1. Upside Down

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

I did not mean to have as big of a reaction as I did, thank Arceus I was the only human present.

I could swear, my hair was black last time I checked, not gray with pink tips. And this hair coloration was the least I couldn't remember myself having, because my hands looked completely different! I now had large, light green four-fingered "hands," not unlike my new partner Pokémon's. (How did I not notice that earlier?) Not to mention that I now had large ears and a tail, both of which were mainly gray, the latter with a light green tip.

"Naoshan, p-please stop panicking," Chilan advised.
I whipped my head to her. She was scared, as was I. I tried to calm my breathing, which had picked up considerably.

"How in Giratina's wings am I supposed to stay calm when I have been turned into a furry?!" I asked, a little loudly, pointing to the mirror.

"Okay, you might have the right to be a bit panicked given that," Chilan admitted. "But panicking won't change the fact that it's happened."

I was about to argue, but she did have a point. Instead I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my heart pounding in my chest. On the fourth, I sighed. "Alright, fine, I'm still a halfway decent Trainer even if I have the tail of a species of Pokémon I didn't even know existed a month or so ago." Chilan muttered something under her breath after I said this. "What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," Chilan said. "Let's go."

"But where?" I asked. "I don't think a girl with gray fox ears will be gladly accepted most places."

"Call it a cosplay, I doubt people will notice," Chilan offered. I had no idea how this brilliant idea didn't come to mind before I opened my mouth, so I simply closed it and pointed ahead as I walked out of the bathroom.

The first place I stopped was the Pokémon Center. It wasn't far from the park, and besides, it should have the Pokémon I obtained when I went to Galar. At least, the ones they let me keep. Chilan hid in an alley, as she seemed to be able to do best.

However, when I arrived, the computer had a sign on it. It read, "The computer system is down right now - a possible hack may have gotten through security. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

I was not gonna accept this as an answer. I asked the lady behind the counter if she would kindly plug in the computer so that I could transfer my Pokémon.

"The computer isn't connected to the network right now, so it wouldn't matter. Why do you need to do that so badly?" the nurse asked.

"Because I moved back from Galar a month ago and just now have a reason to get my Pokémon out," I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh...Well, the immigration servers were the ones that were hacked, according to this note I received when they started the work...I think those Pokémon are as good as lost."

I stormed out of the Center, figurative fire in my eyes.

I decided the next best place to go would be my house. My parents would probably be worried sick, since I apparently slept in a park for two days.

However, when I arrived, the house was dark. It was late afternoon, so I could understand my father not being there, but Mom would still be home under normal circumstances.

"Th-this doesn't look g-good..." Chilan stammered. She was reflecting my own mood. I silently checked the front door. It was open.

Inside the house, it was rather dark. I turned on the light in the living room so that I could see. Tired of dealing with this day, I slumped onto the couch with a sigh.