Monochrome- A CYOA Story

[Peaceful Giraffe]

(A story set in Unova. Make the character do things by commenting /send action. Have fun! I'm just doing this to practice writing. The story exists on BMGf and PXR, and suggestions from both forums will be used in updates.)

Your eyes shoot open and you topple out of your bed with a gasp. What's happened? You're not quite sure, but you feel sick and you can't remember what happened to you before falling asleep. You find yourself staring at your reflection in a mirror. Is that you? You seem so much older then... how old are you again?

You wander around the room, looking at everything. Alarmingly, a thin layer of dust seems to coat every surface. How long were you asleep, and what's happened since then? Your green hair is a mess. You brush some of it out of your eyes.

There's a dusty Poke Ball sitting on the table. Underneath it are a collection of books, but you can't make out the titles. One is substantially thicker than the others. Your room seems to have a completely black and white color scheme. You don't remember this happening. There's a window set in the wall, but it seems to be covered by thick, dark curtains.

Your bag contains:
Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1

What do you do?

 

[Heroic Sociopath]

Take the curtain off the window and wear it like a cape.

 

[Isaac Gates]

Draw the curtains, look outside and scream for your mum.

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

Take the curtain off the window and wear it like a cape.

You decide the first thing to do is to look substantially cooler than you do right now. The second thing you want to do is figure out what the heck the world looks like outside that window. Clearly the best compromise is to rip the curtain off of the window and wear it like a cape.

Sunlight, not as much as you expected, filters in through the window as you tear the curtain free. You tie the curtain around your neck and strike several awesome poses before looking out at the rest of the world.

Draw the curtains, look outside and scream for your mum.

You're scared of what might be out there. You know it. But you're going to have to know if you're going to get to the bottom of what you are beginning to realize is a massive mystery unraveling around you. You look out the window.

And you scream.

Nothing looks right. The sky is choked by black-grey clouds and like your room, the once-colorful houses are just a patchwork of black and white. Smoke snakes up into the sky in the distance. It's like looking over a gigantic chessboard.

The people are moving slowly, apathetic, like they've got no place to go. When you were younger, kids were always happily dashing through the streets of Castelia City, running to or from school, playing with friends or setting off on a grand adventure with only their Pokémon to help them.

Where are the kids? And where are the Pokémon?
Your bag contains:
Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1
Curtain Cape x1

What do you do?

 

[Infinity Storm]

Examine the books

 

[Isaac Gates]

Look for any evidence in your room that can help you, such as books, a calendar the time. Then exit your room, armed with your curtain cape to cover anyone with, and go downstairs...

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

>Retrieve arms

Well, you're not quite sure how to react to that, really. Last time you checked your arms were firmly attached to your body, so there's no reason to retrieve them. Unless it means arms as in weapons? There aren't any weapons in the room, so that's out. You may have to explore the rest of the house.

>Examine the books

You put the dusty Poke Ball in your bag and examine the books.

You have obtained one Mysterious Poke Ball! You placed the Mysterious Poke Ball in the Balls Pocket!

You pull the first book off of the stack. It's title is The Care and Keeping of Eggs. It seems like its not going to be very helpful unless you find an egg anywhere, which seems unlikely.

The next book is actually a magazine. It's labeled Thyme Magazine. You flip through it quickly but see only recipes. Nonetheless, you tuck it into your bag in case later on you require some urgent cooking advice.

The thickest book appears to be a photo album. The word Memories is stamped on the cover in faded gold lettering. You flip open the album and realize quickly that it's full of photographs of you at different points in your life.

Fifth birthday party!

Aww, you look cute in that picture.

There is a letter tucked between the back two pages of the album. You swallow hard looking at it. The handwriting seems very familiar.

You have obtained one Photo Album! You put the Photo Slbum in the Painful Memories pocket!

You have obtained one Strange Letter! You put the Strange Letter in the Mail pocket!

>I'm a firm believer in throwing the table at the window.

After taking the books and Mysterious Poke Ball, you decide that the now-empty table, helpful as it has been so far, can serve no further purpose. The most logical course of action is to dispose of it by throwing it out the window. Unfortunately, your muscles have atrophied from your long sleep and your attempts to lift and carry a heavy table look rather pathetic.

You end up dragging the table towards the window, only to find unhappily that it's far too wide to fit. You have to turn it on its side to shove it through, and as you do one of the legs is knocked loose.

You have obtained one Broken Table Leg! You placed the Broken Table Leg in the Pieces of Wood pocket!

There's an echoing crash as the table hits the sidewalk. You find yourself wondering how necessary that really was.

>Look for any evidence in your room that can help you, such as books, a calendar the time. Then exit your room, armed with your curtain cape to cover anyone with, and go downstairs...

Well, you already pocketed the books, and there's really no point in looking at them again so soon. There's a clock hanging on the wall, but it looks cracked and broken. You can't see any calendars, which sort of makes sense. If you were really asleep for a long time and no one knew you were here, they'd hardly be updating the calendar annually.

You draw your curtain cape tightly around yourself and slide the door open. The oppressive silence is eerie and you jump at the shriek that the rusty hinges make. Apparently the door hasn't been opened in a long time.

You walk down the stairs cautiously, flinching every time they squeak under your weight. Finally, you reach the main floor. It seems that there's no one here.

There's a kitchen containing several cabinets and a refrigerator.

There's a bathroom, containing typical bathroom things.

There are two closed doors.

There is some sort of chest.

There is a door to the outside, which is slightly open.

Your bag contains:

Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1
Curtain Cape x1
Mysterious Poke Ball x1
The Care and Keeping of Eggs x1
Thyme Magazine x1
Photo Album x1
Strange Letter x1
Broken Table Leg x1

What do you do?

 

[Isaac Gates]

Open the strange letter, try open the chest, look through the two doors (for clues) and go outside

 

[Infinity Storm]

Search the bathroom and kitchen for anything useful, then check the chest and other two doors for clues.

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

>Examine Fridge

You wander over to the fridge and pull it open. Lucky the power stayed on, or most of your food would have rotted away. That's assuming you were asleep for a long time, and you see no reason not to. The world changed while you were out, after all.

You obtained twelve Eggs! You placed the Eggs in the Food pocket.
You obtained one Moomoo Milk! You placed the Moomoo Milk in the Medicine pocket.
You obtained three Rare Candies! You placed the Rare Candies in the Candy pocket.
You obtained one Chocolate Bar! You placed the Chocolate Bar in the Candy pocket.
You obtained two Beef Jerky Sticks! You placed the Beef Jerky Sticks in the Survival Rations pocket.

Some of those items are for Pokémon, which makes you wonder if you used to have Pokémon. Probably. You wonder where they are now. Were they struck by whatever bleaching effect seemed to have seized the rest of the world? You find yourself hoping not.

>Look for useful adventuring items in the chest!
>Open the strange letter, try open the chest, look through the two doors (for clues) and go outside

You take out the Strange Letter. It opens very easily, as though it's been weakened by age, reinforcing your theory that you've been asleep for a really, really, really long time. It flops open in your hands. It's got a very soft quality.

You opened the Strange Letter!

The Strange Letter reads as follows.

My dear trainer,

I don't think we will win this battle. The ghosts are gaining ground, and we've yet to find a way to destroy them. I know that you will be angry with me when you awake, but I am going to use my psychic abilities to make you sleep for a long, long time. I hope that when you wake up, the danger will have passed. I'm writing this down so you know what happened and why I did it, because I don't think I will live long enough to come back for you.

I am so sorry. Good luck.
-Gardevoir

You tuck the letter away again, your mind spinning with unanswerable questions. What battle? What ghosts? You were a Pokémon trainer? What happened to your Pokémon, especially the Gardevoir that you apparently had?

Your head hurts. You decide wisely to agonize over this later.

You flip open the chest instead and look through the contents.

You found one Lantern! You placed the Lantern in the Adventuring pocket.
You found two Lantern Oils! You placed the Lantern Oils in the Adventuring pocket.
You found one Escape Rope! You placed the Escape Rope in the Adventuring pocket.

All useful things. You wonder if you put them there. Apparently you did, if this is your house. Maybe you really liked adventuring or something.

>Search the bathroom and kitchen for anything useful, then check the chest and other two doors for clues.

It seems there's nothing in the kitchen cabinets, and you already looted the refrigerator, so there's no point in looking in the kitchen. You go the the bathroom.

You found one Gross Toothbrush! You placed the Gross Toothbrush in the Sanitation Pocket.

There's not much else here except OH MY GOD THERES A DEAD BODY IN THE BATHTUB.

You dash out of the bathroom and slam the door behind you, your heart racing. The body probably can't chase after you... probably... but it's good to make sure.

After the Body-In-The-Bathtub experience, you elect not to explore the remaining rooms alone. Not that you're scared or anything. You're just interested and highly invested in remaining alive a bit longer and you worry that maybe that won't happen should you enter those doors. Alone. With no light.

>Get out for some fresh air, after breakfast that is.

You need some food, is what you need. You crack two of the Eggs and fry them up. You wonder briefly if Eggs can go bad. You've heard of Bad Eggs, after all, but you're pretty sure that was referring to something else. You dig into the eggs happily. They're delicious.

You ate two Fried Eggs! You are now Pleasantly Full!

Breakfast makes you feel a quite bit braver, and you decide to go out for some fresh air. At least there are other people out there. You wander out onto the streets.

You briefly consider that you are having weird mood swings.

There is a horde of Creepy People here.
There are other houses here.
There is a Mailbox here.

Your bag contains:

Spoiler

Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1
Curtain Cape x1
Mysterious Poke Ball x1
The Care and Keeping of Eggs x1
Thyme Magazine x1
Photo Album x1
Strange Letter x1
Broken Table Leg x1
Eggs x10
Moomoo Milk x1
Rare Candy x3
Chocolate Bar x1
Beef Jerky Sticks x2
Gross Toothbrush x1
Lantern x1
Lantern Oil x2
Escape Rope x1

What do you do?

 

[Isaac Gates]

Arm yourself with the broken leg (just in case you get attacked) and go outside and check your mailbox, without being seen. Then try knocking on other people's houses - see if they recognise you or if they know the date or time so you know how long your Gardevoir put you to sleep or basically any good information. Try see what the creepy people are doing - looks aren't appealing but you might as well try!

If feeling less spooked, go back inside your house and examine the remaining doors (because you are armed) and try figure out the dead body - it could be your Gardevoir - if a murder really came into your house, then how come it didn't go for you?

 

[Flaze]

Break into other people's houses and take their stuff.

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

@theacegamer; From now on, could you please send shorter actions? They are much easier to write and combine with other people's sends.

 

[Isaac Gates]

Sorry about that! I should've thought about that! (Is this better?)

Check your mailbox. Knock on people's doors to find information about you and the date.

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

>Wield the Escape Rope as a whip

Well, it's obvious that you're out of place and possibly a target in this new world, so you're going to want some sort of protection. Since you don't have any Pokémon yet, you're going to have to resort to manual weaponry. You fish the Escape Rope out of your bag and wind into a whip shape. It actually works very well as a whip, and makes a satisfying crack when you snap it in the air.

You crafted one Makeshift Whip! You placed the Makeshift Whip in your hand.

>Try opening the mysterious Pokeball for protection!

Oh, right, the Mysterious Poke Ball, the one that the Author drew attention to at the very beginning but that you are just now opening for some reason. What could be inside?

You carefully brush the dust off of the top of the Poke Ball and push the button, wondering if maybe it won't work anymore because it's gone unused for so long. It coughs and shudders in your hand, but ultimately spits out a beam of brilliant white light like it's meant to do.

The light forms into an Eevee, which doesn't seem very phased about its long stay in the ball. It seems plenty happy to bounce around your feet and yip like a puppy, which makes all of the Creepy People look at you creepily. In unison. Wow, that is creepy. You back away a little bit and they don't advance... just stare... ugh.

> Open the mailbox!
>Check your mailbox. Knock on people's doors to find information about you and the date.

As you back past your mailbox, you decide to flip it open to gather your mail. Assuming people were still sending you mail while you were in a coma. To your surprise, the mailbox is packed.

You obtained five Letters! You placed the Letters in the Mail pocket.
You obtained three Credit Card Bills! You placed the Credit Card Bills in the Junk Mail pocket.
You obtained one Subpoena! You placed the Subpoena in the Junk Mail pocket.

You knock on the door of the next house, feeling an intense need to get to shelter but not really wanting to go back into your house, because of dead body related reasons. A woman who's pale as death answers the door.

"What." Her voice is flat and dry, like sandpaper.

"Do you know what day it is by any chance? And possibly the year?"

She stares at you like you are wasting her very precious time. "January 4. 2050. Anything else?"

Your mind takes a brief break to bury its face in a pillow and scream incoherently. When it returns, you are capable of saying, "Just one more thing. Do you recognize me?"

She shakes her head without speaking and slams the door in your face.

>Break into other people's houses and take their stuff.

Well, that would just be rude, since you just talked to one. Besides, now you know the houses aren't abandoned so you'd totally get caught.

There is a Horde of Creepy People here.
There is a Prancing Eevee here.
There is a Garden here.
There are Two Other Houses here.

Your bag contains:

Spoiler

Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1
Curtain Cape x1
The Care and Keeping of Eggs x1
Thyme Magazine x1
Photo Album x1
Strange Letter x1
Broken Table Leg x1
Eggs x10
Moomoo Milk x1
Rare Candy x3
Chocolate Bar x1
Beef Jerky Sticks x2
Gross Toothbrush x1
Lantern x1
Lantern Oil x2
Makeshift Whip x1
Letters x5
Credit Card Bills x3
Subpoena x1

Your Pokémon Team:

Spoiler

Eevee, Female
Adaptability
Level 10
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift

What do you do?

 

[Seppe]

Ask one of the creepy people exactly why they are acting so freakin' creepy.

 

[Isaac Gates]

Check your 5 letters and credit card bills and play with your eevee

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

(Sorry for late update. My sadistic teachers decided to load me with extra homework and I was pretty busy over the weekend. On with the show!)

>Read Subpoena. You're needed in court! Justice must be served!

You flip open the subpoena. The postmark says it comes from the desk of a judge named Raymond Littles, not that you care. The author just sort of wanted to elaborate on something so this wouldn't be an obnoxiously short paragraph.

The first thing you notice is that large sections of information appear to have been censored.

Dear [CENSORED], the court is displeased by your failure to attend the arraignment last week. You were asked multiple times if there were any schedule conflicts, to which you replied negatively. I'm sure I do not have to remind you that this trial is a matter of utmost importance, as the [CENSORED] government and court system is eager to try and convict the man we are sure you know was responsible for the ghost outbreak, [CENSORED]. Your testimony will be indispensable during the trial, so you are officially being ordered to appear in court as a witness on the date of [CENSORED]. Failure to comply can and will result in legal action.

-Yours truly, [CENSORED].

You were supposed to be a witness? In a court case? Huh. If only the names weren't blocked out (and who had done that?) you would have been able to shed a bit more light on the conspiracy you seem to be all tangled up in.

You obtained one Censored Subpoena! You placed the Censored Subpoena in the Legal Matters pocket.

>Check your 5 letters and credit card bills and play with your eevee

You open your Credit Card Bills and quickly discover that they don't say anything very important except that you owe quite a lot of money to some bank or another. Or multiple banks. You have a sick feeling that it doesn't matter much any more because the people that were billing you are now dead.

One of the letters falls apart in your hands.

You obtained one Paper Dust! You placed the Paper Dust in the Lint pocket!

Two others seem to be from your mother. You eagerly read them. Like every other artifact from your past you have found thus far, it appears very old. The first one reads:

Son, I'm worried about you. I've seen some awful things on the news, and it seems the war is turning against us. You should come home. You'll be safer here in Accumula. Castelia is a target, I've seen it. It's the biggest city we've got. They're saying outright to avoid big cities!

Please, please come home. I love you.

~Mom

Wondering with mounting dread exactly what sort of war is being discussed, you open the second letter. Why didn't you listen to your mom? Why did you stay in... this must be Castelia, then. Why? It seems you keep finding more questions then answers.

Darling! Where are you? I need you home with me. I heard about the raid on Castelia... I hope you're safe, darling. I understand if you can't leave the city now- it must be very dangerous- but you need to get out of there.

~Mom

You obtained two Mom's Letters! You placed the Mom's Letters in the Mail pocket!

The next letter is from someone named Bianca.

I admire your stubbornness, but are you okay? I know losing Cheren hit you pretty hard- he was my friend too- but you shouldn't obsess like this. Revenge won't bring anyone back. I'm just worried about you, you know? Don't make me lose both of you.

~Bianca

You obtained one Bianca's Letter! You placed the Bianca's Letter in the Mail Pocket!

And finally, from... It looks like it's from someone named N, although that might just be an initial. Cause seriously, who names their kid N?

I'm sorry. I can't believe how wrong I was. Those ghosts were locked up and screaming... so loud... I thought if I released them from their prison, they would simply fade into the afterlife. I never expected this. Of course that is no excuse for the madness they have brought onto the world. I see you will be testifying at my trial. I look forward to it.

~N

Oh, so was that the trial you were going to testify at? It would make sense. The guy who unleashed ghosts. What ghosts, though? You don't see any ghosts. Maybe you won the war? You consider the monochrome setting again and shake your head. Not a possibility. This place had the dull feel of a conquered society.

You obtained one N's Letter! You placed N's Letter in the Mail pocket!

Having gained all of that sudden heavy knowledge and not feeling particularly great about it, you sit down and start playing with your Eevee. You notice that it is an extremely playful little thing and seems overjoyed that you are playing with it.

>Find out Eevee's moves and stuff; we'll need the combat knowledge.

Considering the creepy, post-apocalyptic world you seem to be trapped in, you realize that you may need to engage in a Pokémon battle with someone. Possibly the Creepy People, who seem to have forgotten about you and are now flowing away from your position in eerily coordinated movements.

You check Eevee's moves with your Pokedex. Wait, you have a Pokedex?

You obtained one Pokedex! You placed the Pokedex in the Invaluable Gadgets pocket.

Huh. Seems like the author is being merciful to you for once. The Pokedex powers up in your hands and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Eevee. Evolution Pokémon. Ability: Adaptability. Level 10. Female. Moves Learned: Tackle, Tail Whip, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift.

Well, that could be worse.

>Ask one of the creepy people exactly why they are acting so freakin' creepy.

This is one of the best ideas you have gotten all day. Why let fear fester in your mind and cloud your judgement when you could just be brave and ask, dispelling (or confirming) any doubts you may have had. You walk up to one of the creepy people, a man with white-blonde hair and blank eyes, and tap him on the shoulder. He quickly snaps around and stares at you.

"Hello," you manage under his stare. Seriously, that's the best you could do? Weak.

"Why are you disturbing other citizens?" he asks in a robotic voice similar to that of your unfriendly next-door neighbor.

"Why are you acting so creepy?" you shoot back, deciding to ignore his question because the reply would definitely qualify you as insane. You probably are anyways, but... just so you know.

He stares at you for a moment before saying, "My behavior is perfectly acceptable within the current parameters. Yours, however, is not. Harassing a fellow civilian is not allowed."

You stare back, computing that, before repeating yourself. "I'm not harassing you. I'm asking you a question. Why are you being creepy?"

"Please cease your harassment or I will call for the authorities."

You decide he is serious and bolt back into your house, forgetting about the dead body until you're already inside, at which point you notice something odd.

There is a girl standing at the counter making tea.

There is a Random Lady here.
There are Two Closed Doors here.
There is a stairway to the Upstairs here.
There is an Empty Chest here.
There is a Stove here.

Your bag contains:

Spoiler

Potion x2
Poke Ball x5
Great Ball x1
Poison Heal x1
Paralyze Heal x1
Awakening x1
Curtain Cape x1
The Care and Keeping of Eggs x1
Thyme Magazine x1
Photo Album x1
Strange Letter x1
Broken Table Leg x1
Eggs x10
Moomoo Milk x1
Rare Candy x3
Chocolate Bar x1
Beef Jerky Sticks x2
Gross Toothbrush x1
Lantern x1
Lantern Oil x2
Makeshift Whip x1
Letters x2
Mom's Letters x2
Paper Dust x1
Bianca's Letter x1
N's Letter x1
Unpaid Credit Card Bills x3
Censored Subpoena x1
Pokedex x1

Your Pokémon Team:

Spoiler

Eevee, Female
Adaptability
Level 10
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift

You are currently wearing:

Spoiler

Curtain Cape
Shirt
Pants
Shoes
Makeshift Whip

What do you do?

 

[Isaac Gates]

Ask the girl what on earth is she doing making tea in your house.

 

[Flaze]

Have Eevee use Tackle against the girl to get her attention.