It would have taken a miracle to get me out of my bad mood today.

None of it was my fault, of course. Just the universe deciding I needed to be screwed over, time and time again. If there was a God, he certainly hated me. 

For instance, I had gotten up an hour earlier than I needed to get ready for this job interview. It was important; like, really important. I didn't exactly have a glowing resume and rent would be due in two weeks. Since this was the only place that had called me back, I decided to give it my all. Yet despite my best efforts, the power went out in my apartment. 

No biggie, I'm adaptable, I told myself as I attempted to put on makeup with my phone flashlight. I made sure everything was together and left my house. I made sure to arrive early to the bus stop, not even allowing myself to pet the cute stray cat so I didn't get cat hair on my clothes. 

But somehow, it's the one day the bus gets into an accident! A big truck hit the side of the bus. Thank god everyone was okay, but by the time the situation was taken care of, I was definitely late. why didn't you call and let them know you'd be late, you ask? I had used all my phone battery using it as a light this morning getting ready!

Maybe my future employers would be understanding? 

My wishful thinking was useless, though, because when I got there, forty five minutes late and sweaty from walking the last mile and a half, the secretary told me with a polite but pitying smile that they had already filled the position and I could go home.

I took the bus home, no accidents this time, forlornly staring out the window as rain began to pitter patter down on the sidewalk outside. Since the bus didn't actually go by my apartment, I would have to walk the last ten minutes home in the rain...great. A crap cherry on top of my poop sundae of a day.

Why was everything always so hard? I was a good worker, I made sure to get my work done. But it seemed bosses expected you to give your life to the company, regardless of where you worked. And now, I couldn't even get a job. I'd probably be kicked out, have to move back in with my dad...

With a screech of brakes, the bus stopped and I clambered off, tucking my resume under my jacket to keep it dry. Not that it mattered, I thought glumly to myself. The stray cat was nowhere to be seen, taking shelter from the weather. 

Lost in thought, I unlock my door and kick off my wet shoes, now soggy and dripping. I try the light switch before remembering that I had no power. Right, I'd have to call the landlord...later.

Quickly changing into dry clothes, my favorite sweatpants and a slightly big T-shirt, I dig around in the fridge. There's not in here, and for once it's a good thing; nothing to go bad while the power is out. Instead I grab a packet of ramen noodles, sprinkling the seasoning packet on top before taking a bite of uncooked noodle. 

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I just couldn't be bothered today. Not after everything. I had tried to hard, for what? Was it worth working hard if I was always going to be kicked to the bottom anyways? If I'd had any money left in my account, I would have splurged on a pizza. But the four dollar balance kept me from even that. 

With a sigh, I sat heavily on the couch. On awful days like this, back when I was a kid and had less worries and responsibilities, I would drown my worries with video games. I wasn't very good at them, so I picked ones with less competition or single player ones. My favorite had been Pokémon, though I hadn't played for years. I still had my old Nintendo DS sitting around somewhere...

Maybe today was the day to get it out. After all, I didn't have Playstation Plus anymore, so no online games. I had broken my laptop about six months ago, after accidentally sitting on it when it was under a blanket. I did have other DS games, but the one in the cartridge was my nostalgic favorite; Pokémon Explorers of Time. It was one of the few where you got to play as a Pokémon, a style I enjoyed more than being a trainer and battling with them. 

I didn't have high expectations when I found it; it would most likely be dead, and with my luck the charger will have gone missing, too. But when I pressed the button to turn it on, the screen lit up with a familiar glow.

"Thank the Pokegods," I say out loud, curling up with the device on the couch once more. I'd finished the game all the way through more than once, but it had been so long that I didn't remember the whole thing. I decided to start the game from the beginning, deleting the previous saves when it asks.

Already I'm starting to feel better. Maybe the whole world was against me, maybe I was destined to live a miserable life, but I could always count on my little Pokémon buddies to help me lift my spirits. 

The screen glitched oddly and I groaned. What now? Was it broken? Or maybe the battery was dead, only keeping the game running long enough to give me false hope. But after a moment it corrected, the beginning music beginning to play. The screen asks me my character name and I put in my name. Next is the character selection.

For these games, it has a pseudo-personality test that it goes through, asking the player questions about themselves. Then, it asks the player to press their finger to the screen, supposedly 'reading the aura of the player'. And then it assigns a Pokémon for you based on the results. You could also just skip it and pick your Pokémon, but where's the fun in that?

As I answer the questions, I wonder how much my answers have changed since I was a kid. The last time I played this was when I was 13, and now I'm 22. Nine years changes a lot. 

It prompts me to press my finger on the screen and I do, the screen slightly warm to the touch. A rainbow of colors cascades across the screen, from brilliant orange to cerulean blue. The colors are particularly vibrant, more than I remember them being...

The controller begins to heat up and even though it isn't hot enough to burn, I instinctively go to drop it. Except that I can't let go. It's like my hand is frozen, paralyzed, clutching the device. I start to panic, my breath quickening, before I notice the colors again.

The colors have begun to come out of the Nintendo DS, creeping like a magical smoke into the real world. I wonder if I'm hallucinating or dreaming; only briefly, before the colors begin to coalesce around me. There's a strange feeling, as though I'm falling, and all I see is a cacophony of colors as I lose consciousness.