> "MOMMY THERE'S A SCARY SHADOW"

"Hmph. Don't try to distract me!" Your mind games won't work on her, young Jedi-- er, Pokemon Trainer.

> "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO I WASN'T THREATENING YOU" Recall

You recall your Pokemon just in time to avoid the Hyper Beam, which leaves a large scar in the ground, demonstrating what may have happened to your Pokemon.

Your mother let out another cackle, but was suddenly silenced as a breeze began to pick up. She tried to guard herself, and seemed relieved with the breeze stopped. During the breeze, you could see the shadow behind her more clearly. Then she was back at her game, staring you down. You could tell she was contemplating attacking you, but at the same time didn't want to.

> Bring out all your current Pokemon.

"Go! Strahm, Jacqued, and Amelia!!!"

Jacqued and Amelia are still quite weak, but they should be able to hold their own for a bit.. Maybe.. Strahm is still almost-fresh, though.

"Are you threatening your poor mother? FINE! Gyarados, Hyper Beam!!!"

You swear you saw that thing behind your mother again. It seemed like.. a shadow? But that was the least of your worries as the Gyarados let out a roar before charging up the Hyper Beam and unleashing it towards your Pokemon.

> "You're insane!"

(Quiet you, i'm doing the best with what i've come up with so far)

"MUHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA-- Er, I mean.. No.. I'm not insane. How could you call your poor mother insane?!" ;-; She puts on the most convincing crying face you've ever seen. Then.. "IF I AM INSANE, ITS FROM YEARS OF RAISING A BRAT LIKE YOU!!" Woah. Bi-polar much? As she flips her lid, though, you swear you see something hovering behind her.... er, other than the giant red Gyarados.

> "What horrible truth?"

"Right to the point, aren't you? Well..."

What you got from the story that she then told was basically that she use to be a member of a criminal organization back in the day, and now she's been recruited again. You weren't exactly sure why, just that there were some "experiments needing to be done."

> Run in circles, scream and shout

Shout
Shout
Let it all out
These are the things I could do without
So come on


You decide the most obvious course of action right now is to.. well.. Run in circles, frantically flailing your arms while screaming bloody murder. Your mom watches you, still grinning like the Joker.. However, after about five minutes, the grin fades as she realizes you aren't going to stop any time soon.

"Son.."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

"Son..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"LOGAN!"

"Wha?"

You stop in your tracks, looking at your mom, who has the only annoyed look on her face you've ever seen her with. She quickly regains her composure and takes a deep breath.

"Now..... I told you there was a surprise today.. However it seems I was unable to return to the Professor's lab in time to fully set up the surprise, so this is what you are stuck with.. The horrible truth about your mommy!"

"You're actually my daddy?!"

"NO, YOU NITWIT! Geeze.. You get stupid under pressure, don't you?"

"Just a little bit.."

".... Well. Let's do it this way.. You ask the questions, I'll answer them."

> "Hi, Mom!"

You wave and say, "Hi mom!" in the most enthusiastically happy way possible.

However, the woman you correctly assume to be your mother just stands there...

You try again, "Hi mom!"

...

"Hi mom!"

...

"....Hi.. mom?"

...

Your mom slowly begins to turn around and when you see her face, she is giving what could most accurately be described as a Slasher Smile.

> Recall everybody and go to the lake.

( Shit happens http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Railroading besides, i figured you'd like the plot better than a battle. haha)

You recall everyone and quickly head off to the lake, ignoring any other wild Pokemon. Once there, you see someone standing at the edge of the lake.. Wait, I'm jumping ahead of myself. That's only the second thing you notice. The first thing you notice is a huge fucking Red Gyarados sitting in the water, glaring at you as you approach.

Then your attention draws to the person standing at the edge of the lake.. A woman who looks oddly familiar.....

> Too much stuff to type

You decide to take the time to nickname your new Starly "Amelia." Awesome, now to the battle at hand.

Except, the battle is suddenly ended as an unfamiliar Pokemon roar echoes out from nearby, causing the rest of the wild Starly to scatter.

(Piplup learns Bubble)
(Bidoof learns Defense Curl)

Even Strahm and Jacqued seem a bit shaken by the roar. It sounds like it may be coming from the Lake.

> Pokeball n Growl

(Sorry for the delay, I have a splitting headache)

You chuck a Pokeball at the downed Starly. Skipping past the dramatic tension, you've caught a female Starly!

"Starly, the Starling Pokemon. While weak alone, Starly are formidable when travelling in a pack, as they often do. Though they are small, they can flap their wings with great power. Current moves: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack."

Meanwhile, Strahm and Jacqued do what 'dey do and growl 'dem mofo's. The Starly don't seem to be able to get any weaker now. They swoop in for a few blows, but Strahm and Jacqued manage to hold it together.

> Pound n' Growl

Strahm rushes forth to pound the first Starly that Jacqued attacked. Not expecting a second attacked, the Starly is hit.

Jacqued growls again, further weakening the small flock. The four other Starly move in to attack with a tackle.

> Jacqued & Strahm: Growl for all you're worth.

I wish I could say the growls were menacing, I wish I could say they would paralyze anyone in their tracks. I wish I could. But in all actuality, all you get out of Strahm and Jacqued are a cute little "PipLUUUUUP!" and a cute little "B'DOOOOOF!" However the Growl attacks seemed to have done their jobs, as the Starly all suddenly seem a bit physically weaker, and shouldn't hit so hard now.

> Jacqued: Act as if you didn't do anything. Slink into the shadows and wait patiently for the Starly to go back to eating. Then, Tackle it again!

Jacqued makes a hasty retreat into a nearby bush and it hides down low, it's eyes trained on the birdy. He noticed that the birdy was a female.. not that he cared. Jacqued was too badass to care about gender!!

Starly looked about her, not seeing the attacker now. After a few minutes of waiting, she let out a quick call and went back to eating. Jacqued ran out from his hiding place, heading straight for a tackle. However, Starly saw it coming and suddenly disappeared for a moment before appearing at Jacqued's side and ramming into it with a Quick Attack. It then let out another call, causing four other Starly's to appear from the trees and come to the aid of the first Starly. Starlies travelled in flocks, after all.

> Logan: Cuddle with Strahm , Jacqued: Attack a Starly

You suddenly find Strahm so irresistibly huggable that you can't help but sit down and begin cuddling with the little blue penguin. Ahh, the feel of those feathers against your face.. heavenly.

Meanwhile, Jacqued emerges from his Pokeball and decides to attack a Starly as it feeds on a worm from the ground. The Tackle is successful.

> Nickname the fug out of it. Nickname it "Jacqued". And check its moves.

You proudly name your new companion "Jacqued" as you celebrate your first caught Pokemon. You decide to see what moves it currently has, so you pull out the Pokedex and point it at the Pokeball Jacqued resides in.

"Bidoof, the Plump Mouse Pokemon. It has nerves of steel and is a lot more agile and active than it appears. It's teeth grow at the same rate as a Rattata's and it chews on trees and rocks to whittle it's teeth down smaller. It's current moves are: Tackle, Growl."

Jacqued seems to be around the same strength as Strahm, currently.

> Chuck a Pokeball at the Bidoof

You take this opportunity to retrieve a Pokeball and toss it at the Bidoof.

"Go! Pokeball!"

The Pokeball hits it's mark and the Bidoof is dragged inside.

*wiggle*

..

*wiggle*

..

*wiggle*

..
...
.... *ding!*

Bidoof was caught!

> Sneak up on a Bidoof from behind and Pound it.

You see a Bidoof and decide to... either battle or capture it. You aren't quite sure yet.. But either way, the Bidoof seems distracted by chewing on some food. You decide to take advantage of this and have Strahm sneak up on Bidoof for an attack. Strahm sneaks forward through the grass, trying to be as quiet as it can.. Sneaky like a ninja! Strahm inches closer and closer and- oops, it fell. The Bidoof is alerted to the presence of an attacker and it quickly takes up a battle stance.

Strahm, not wanting to let you down, gets up and runs quickly over to Bidoof. It stops and points off behind Bidoof, playing 'Whats that?!'. Bidoof falls for it and as soon as it isn't looking, Strahm pounds it. Critical!

> Head towards the lake. Keep an eye out for wild Pokemon.

You and Strahm head cautiously through the wild grass, heading in the direction of Lake Verity. Slendy would feel right at home out here.. Big leafy grass.. You see a couple of Pokemon you could catch if you wanted. Route 201 holds such wonderful Pokemon as Starly.. Bidoof.. Kricketot..... That's it, really. There's the occasional very rare Pokemon from the Kanto region, but those are, again, very rare.

> Logan: Follow the Footprints. Strahm: Peck Barry on the shin.

You decide you're going to follow the footprints to see where they lead. As you begin to do so, you hear Barry let out a yelp as Strahm gives him a sharp peck on the shin.

"Yow!! Fine, fine! I'll just go on ahead, Logan! Ten million money if you're late!!"

With that, Barry was gone. Impatient bastard. You and Strahm push on ahead, leaving town.... You take a moment to look back. "Well, Slendy, Strahm.. Seems this is the start of our Journey. Don't worry, mom.. Hikaru.. Rowan..... All you other less-important people.. We'll find out what happened! Let's go!"

You and Strahm head out, following the footprints. It isn't long before you lose them in the tall grass, though.. You hear there are wild Pokemon in dem dere grass.

> Travel towards the source of his voice at haste.

When did you ever care enough about Barry to run to him?... Run -into- him, however.... Yeah, give him a taste of his own medicine! You take off at high-speed towards Barry's voice. As soon as you see him, you rush right for him, only for him to side-step you. You quickly skid to a stop, just narrowly avoiding hitting the wall. You swear your short life flashed before your eyes.

You take a moment to compose yourself before asking Barry what he found.

"I found out that there is -no one here-!!!"

All that to tell you what you already suspected? Woohoo.

"But, I also found footprints leading out of the town! Weird, right?!"

> Strahm: Sniff out Barry's trail.

Strahm sniffs about, but.. doesn't really smell anything.. Penguins aren't known for their tracking abilities. However, too proud to give up, Strahm sets off in the general direction that Barry went, though it falls down a few times.

You watch it quickly waddle away, and you decide to keep up with it. It is your Pokemon after all, you can't just abandon it..

After about ten minutes, you hear Barry calling out to you from a nearby home.

"Logan! Logan! I found out something!"

> Rejoice enthusiastically, then exit the lab and tell Barry to sniff out where everyone went like the losing dog he is.

You celebrate your victory with Strahm, very enthusiastically! You hug each other and you pet him and tell him "You did a good job, Strahm!" As you head to the lab exit, you inform Barry that as the losing dog that he is, he must go sniff out clues and find where everyone is.

But you aren't sure that Barry really got the insult since he darted off while you were telling him what to do. Either way, you're outside now in the eerily silent town...

> Serpentine formation until you get close enough to pound the fug out of Turtwig.

Strahm rushes in, zig-zagging left and right. Turtwig, who is trying for another tackle, isn't able to keep up with it's body structure the way it is and Strahm connects! Critical!

Turtwig staggers for a moment before dropping, out for the count.

"No way! That was awesome!"

Barry is a bit enthusiastic about losing... loser.

Barry recalls Turtwig. "Good job, Turtwig! And congrats, Logan!"

> Nother Pound

Strahm goes on the offensive with another Pound, but Barry sees it coming this time and commands Turtwig to dodge it. Turtwig jumps to the side of Strahm's flipper and rams him directly, knocking him down. Luckily, Strahm recovers quickly, still ready to battle.

"Piplup!"

> Pound

You command Strahm to use Pound at the same time as Barry tells Turtwig to tackle. The two Pokemon charge at each other. Strahm pounds Turtwig directly on it's head, causing both Pokemon to be damaged by the other's attack.

Strahm hurt his (yes, it's a boy) arm a little, but is otherwise okay. Turtwig charges in for another tackle!

> Battle

Fine, you'll battle him, but only because you know he would keep persisting if you don't.

"Fine then, Barry!"

"Ha! Prepare to lose! GO! TURTWIG!"

The little green turtle Turtwig emerges from it's Pokeball. For good measure, you decide to gather the Pokedex entries on both Piplup and Turtwig.

"Piplup, the Penguin Pokemon. Piplup is a very proud Pokemon. It is a poor walker, but even when it falls, it puffs out it's chest in pride. It is a very strong swimmer and can dive underwater for over 10 minutes." The Pokedex also included information on it's type, footprints, and cry.

"Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokemon. The shell on it's back is made of soil, and hardens when it drinks water. A healthy Turtwig's shell should feel moist. Turtwig can undergo Photosynthesis in the sunlight and create oxygen."

Alright, now that that was out of the way.. Let's battle!

[ Pound ] - [ Growl ] - [ ---- ] - [ ---- ]

> Nickname the Piplup "Strahm"

You proudly proclaim the new name of Piplup is now "Strahm!" Strahm smiles wide and claps its ha--.. flippers. It obviously likes it's new name. Strahm makes an excellent first addition into your party! You proudly parade Strahm around the lab for a moment before getting back to the task at hand. Where -is- everyone? Why is--

"HEY!"

Barry....

"Now that you have a Pokemon, we should battle!"

This seemed like kind of an inappropriate time to battle, but..

> Open the Pokeball that has a Pokemon inside. Also, take everything else.

You pocket all the items, placing them in their necessary places. However you keep out the Pokeball with your Starter.. You take a deep breath and toss it to the ground.

"Go! Pokemon!"

.....

....

*pisheww*

"It's... It's...."

"PIPLUP!," says the tiny blue penguin, who is more than happy to be out of that Pokeball.

> Rip it open. Like a baws.

Suddenly feeling like a "baws" again, you begin to pull and tug at the bag, attempting to tear it open very manly-like!!.. However that doesn't work, so you just untie it and empty it of it's contents.

There are 6 Pokeballs, one of which seems to have a Pokemon inside, a Pokedex, 500 moneys, and a Potion. This must be your Starter Kit.

"Mine came just the same way!," Barry says behind you.

> Examine bag.

You walk past all the fancy machinery, your eyes locked on the bag. Once close enough, you see that the bag is a small carrying sack of sorts that's been tied closed. Your name has been written on the side.

> Lead the way to Professor Rowan's victoriously

Deciding to go check out what's going on, you lead the way to Professor Rowan's lab!!!!!!! But Barry, being the rusher that he is, gets there first. At least he didn't knock you over this time.

You both get to the lab and the doors open. You both step inside and.. There's nothing. Or at least no one. There didn't seem to be any sign of a struggle, nothing broken.. It was just as if everyone up and left.

"See, See, I told you, there's no one here! It's weird!"

Yeah.. Not even your mom is here.. However, you do notice that on a table just ahead is a small bag with some writing on it.

> "So you were on your way there?"

"I just came from there, that's why I was rushing!"

Sure, -thats- why.. What's his excuse for every other time?

"There's, like, no one there! Not even Professor Rowan! It's totally weird! Maybe something is up! In some good news, though, my Pokemon was there. There was one Pokeball left when I left there, I bet it was for you!"

Sure, just -assume- that you haven't gotten your Pokemon yet. How dare he.. Okay, you -haven't- gotten it yet, but that's beside the point.

Either way, no one at the Professor's Lab? Might be worth checking out while getting your Pokemon.

> Grab blurred face by the face and spit in it. "Yes."

Now in a sour mood, combined with your stomach beginning to hurt, you grab for the blurry face. You miss, but you did poke them in the eyes, and you now hear them hopping around madly and screaming. Not what you intended to do, but it works.

"I am now."

You rise to your feet and shake the blurries from your eyes, and you see, hopping around still and rubbing his eyes...

"Barry..."

Barry calms the eff down finally and looks at you.

"Oh! Logan! I see you aren't hurt this time, good! Now you have to pay me a fine of one million!"

"Oh, gee, Barry, but I still owe you five trillion from the other ten times you've hit me." /sarcasm

"Oh! I nearly forgot! Something weird is going on at Professor Rowan's!"

Professor Rowan's.. isn't that where your mom said she would be?

> Shift into horse stance as you learned in tae-kwon-do class to resist impact and stay standing. Then slap the attacker across the face.

You would love to, but you only took tae-kwon-do class for three days before you got your ass kicked by a feckin' Meditite. Turns out the class was mostly made to help both Pokemon and their trainers fight better together.. and.. well, you don't have Pokemon yet.

However, there is good news. Your do remember the Horse Stance. Placing both fists at your side and spreading your legs apart, you brace for impact........

And are promptly sent flying backwards, landing hard on your back.

You are dazed for a few moments as a blurred face leans over you, asking if you are okay.

> Exit house and examine town. If any childhood friends/rivals can be seen, greet them.

Deciding you've dilly-dallied enough, you make sure your backpack is tight on your back and you wander out of the house. You emerge in Twinleaf town, a small, quite place of peace. There strangely aren't many people around.. They're probably off celebrating the other jerk's trainer journey. You rue the day that you ever met that two-faced bastard-ass little punk of a rival!

Okay, Barry isn't -so- bad. But anyone who'd ever been put into the hospital three times because someone was too hurried to look where he was going would probably hold a grudge too. One day you shall avenge your rib, shin, and hand bones!!!

Anyways, it's kind of odd that not many people are around.. Maybe they had.. work or school or.... Oh, hey there's someone.. Coming.. right.. this.. way.. VERY.. FAAAAAST AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

> Search fridge for provisions

You search the feed for anything you can take with you on the trip. There's a 1-litre of purified water, unopened, which you take with you.. There's some cheese and lunchmeat, but you think those would go bad in your backpack. Plus, Slendy hates the cold. Totally honestly, there's not much in here that won't spoil in your backpack.... Oh! Wait! You just found a few bento lunch boxes your mom packed for you. This'll support you for a few days if you eat only one a day. The lunch boxes consist of sushi, steak, pork-fried rice, and raw broccoli. Some of your favorites. The insulation in the special lunch boxes should keep the food preserved as long as you need them to.

You bag the items.

While you're at it, you put the rest of the bacon away.

> Eat raw bacon

For some reason, you think it would be "baws" to eat the bacon raw.........
......
......
....
...
..
.

Well, you -are- hungry. You manage to down a few raw strips of Spoink bacon before you decide you've had enough. You're also pretty sure this will bite you in the ass later. But for now, your hunger is semi-satiated.

> Look at the note

You take notice of the note on the fridge and read it over.... It all looks like gibberish... How are you-- oooh, you see. It's upside down. You flip it rightside up and read it.

"Logan, I went out to prepare a surprise for you. Meet me at Professor Rowan's lab. Love, Mommy."

Okay, that answers that, but brings up two questions. What is this surprise, and what are you suppose to do about breakfast? :(

> Ignore note, there is bacon to be had

Damn right there's bacon to be had. You waddle over to the fridge and open it, looking around for the bacon.. Ah! A fresh pack of bacon from the Spoink farms. You take out the packet and stare at it for a moment before you realize... You don't know how to cook. Mom always did the cooking, but since she apparently isn't here to cook............................... Now what?

> Search for food

Your stomach suddenly reminds you that it's food time. Breakfast is important before you go out to be a Pokemon Trainer. You open your bedroom door and in flies the family Chatot. You watch as he knocks over the alarm clock, effectively shutting it up as it smashes onto the floor... Well.... You never liked the thing anyways. And at least it's quiet now.

Chatot squawks a "Good morning!" to you, as it has for years now. You return the greeting before heading downstairs. Usually you're greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs, but this time you aren't. You're greeted by.... nothing. Your mom actually doesn't seem to be around.. Odd, she seemed so excited yesterday and even promised a big celebratory breakfast. You step into the kitchen... You notice something attached to the fridge.

> Logan ; Grab Slendy

"Logan." Awesome, you now have a name! You put on your hat and pull off a few manly poses that are too embarrassing for anyone else to see.

Now that that is done, you decide to grab Slendy and bring him along for the ride. Slendy's like your best friend. All you gotta do is put him in your fashionable backpack, which you do. You're sure he'll be safe in there. Oh! Hidden under where Slendy sat is your saved-up allowance from the last month. You pocket the 1500 moneys. You're so glad that Slendy kept it safe all this time. <3

> Rename plant ; Get dressed

You loudly proclaim over the pecking at the door and the alarm clock that you have grown bored of the name Robbie and the plant is now named Slendy. Yes, that was an appropriate name for a.............. Well, you weren't sure what kind of plant it is.. It.. had leaves and... it....

Anyways, you decide to go to your closet, which you open and step inside. A moment late you walk out, dressed in the attire you specifically bought for this day.

Shit's about to get real, son.

As you're putting your hat on, you see the little tag inside of it where your name is suppose to go. You figure you should write your name down.... what's your name again?

> Get out of bed, Examine the game system

But.. You don't have a game system. Mom said video games would rot your brain and that you should spend more time on your school work, to make sure you were ready for this big day. Now, all of your -friends- have game systems, but that's because their moms love them.

However, you do have a bed to get out of, so you promptly do that, trying not to freeze as your feet touch the cold hardwood floor. The Chatot alarm clock is still telling you to wake up, and so is the -real- Chatot, which you now hear pecking at the outside of your bedroom door.

You also decide to go ahead and take a quick look around the room, to make sure it's still the same as it was yesterday. Never know when Rattata or something would break in... You see your television still there on the east wall, sitting on it's little... tv-holder.. You couldn't really call it an entertainment center yet.. Next to the tv on the wall was the door leading into your closet. Next to your bed on the west wall is the nightstand with the Chatot alarm clock. On the south wall is a window leading outside. It's closed, currently. On the north wall is your bedroom door, and next to that is a small table with a potted plant sitting on it. You called the plant Robbie.

---
STATS
---

Clothing: Underwear
Key Items: None
Items: None
Pokemon: None
Money: 0

> Wake up!

Deciding not to waste any precious time, you suddenly find your eyes opening to look at a white ceiling above your bed. You are laying in said bed, which is outfitted with white sheets and a blue Piplup comforter. It's comfy as shizzle and you almost don't want to get out of bed. Next to the bed, you hear your alarm clock going off. It's actually a pretty cute clock and the alarm is a little plastic Chatot yelling "Wake up, today's the big day! Wake up, today's the big day!"

Ah, you remember the day you found out you could customize the alarm, which you did just for today, because today was the big day! The day you became a Pokemon Trainer!!!!! Now if only you could make yourself get up and get ready. Slowpoke.

> Water

You tell him you like to swim, so... water, you suppose.

One final checkmark and Professor Oak puts away the clipboard. "Very well, then. You better wake up soon, you have to go see Professor Rowan bright and early! Today begins the first step of your very own Pokemon journey!"

And with that, he's gone. In the distance you hear something that sounds like a clock alarm. You can either wake up now or do whatever you want. It -is- your dream, after all.

> Sinnoh

You tell Professor Oak that you live in the Sinnoh Region. Duh.

"Mhm, mhm." Another checkmark on the clipboard. "That means you live in Twinleaf Town."

You're about to object, but Professor Oak cuts you off.

"You do now. We can't just have every trainer start off right next to the 8th gym! That wouldn't be fair! Now, final question. Fire, Water, or Grass?"

You wonder about this question until you remember that the starters are Fire, Water, or Grass! You better choose carefully...

> I'm a Boy

Last time you checked in your underwear, which was sometime before you fell asleep, you had something growing there, so you're -pretty sure- you're a boy, and you tell Professor Oak as such.

He checks something off on his clipboard before continuing.

"Okay, what Region do you currently live in?"

The Pokemon CYOA Game!

(Here's how it'll work. This game will be text-based and be based in the Pokemon World. The readers will be able to choose the actions and decisions of the main character, and they will be chosen by either popular vote or by whoever is first, dependent on how many people are playing.)

You're standing in.. well... nothing, really. No matter where you look, there is nothing, just white space. Your first instinct is to freak out, but before that happens, an old man in a long white lab coat appears before you. You recognize him as Professor Oak. He begins to give this long speech about the Pokemon world and blah blah blah, but you can't be bothered to listen to it.

You kind of zone out for a bit until Professor Oak catches your attention.

"Hey, are you listening to me?!"

You nod emphatically.. For some reason you can't seem to speak. Perhaps it's because of the sheer awesomeness of Professor Oak.. Or it's because you can't be arsed to say anything in this dream. Professor Oak pulls out a clipboard from behind his back.

"Now, before you wake up and go on your journey..."

Wake up? Ah, it all makes sense now. You're in a dream! Wait, you knew that already.

"... I have a few questions I must ask you.. Now.. Are you a boy or a girl?"