Pokemon Mahogany
Rhys' hands shook as he fiddled with his ceremonial robes. It was his first-ever pair of ceremonial robes. Today was his tenth birthday, the day he would receive his first Pokemon just like every other member of his clan. In days past a clan member was expected to catch their own first Pokemon> It had eventually become a formal ceremony where the child would have their Pokemon pre-selected by their parents and the village's Pokemon breeders.
He had waited so long for this day and couldn't stop thinking of the possibilities. He could get a Swinub like his uncle, an Absol like his father, a Sneasel like his grandfather.
'Clair said Swinubs isn't cool, but she's dumb. I bet she's just jealous that my family's Ice types counter her family's Dragons!' The youngest Blackthorn had gotten her Horsea last year and had gloated ever since.
Rhys finally managed to put his robes on correctly, smiling to himself.
Only for a knock from the door and a gentle voice to bring him to attention
"Rhys dear, are you ready? It's almost time."
"Yes Mom, I'll be right out."
"It's mother, dear." She said. Her soft voice brought a smile to Rhys' face as he exited the room.
His mother looked down at him with a smile that didn't rise above her painted lips. She was dressed finely as well and carried herself with a grace she perfected over many years.
"Good, now come along, dear. Everyone's waiting."
With that said, she ushered him along, keeping a hand on his back. With every step he took a fluttering feeling ran through his body and demanded he run down the hall at full speed. Rhys resisted that urge, even as he took shaky steps.
As she saw him struggle, his mother sighed. One part was happy at the work he had put in to maintain his composure, another part was tired of raising such a rambunctious and troublesome child.
It was only a short walk, and the pair eventually arrived before the ceremony chamber. Outside, an older man and a Mamoswine waited for them. Each sat beside the great double door that served as the entrance to the ceremony chamber, the man on the left, and the mamoswine on the right.
"Rhys! How's my favorite nephew?" The man said, waiving to the two of them.
"Great!" The boy said, trying to hold himself together."It's so good to see you Uncle Pryce!"
"It's good to see you two Rhys, I trust you haven't been giving your mother any trouble."
The mamoswine rolled its eyes. Everybody there but Rhys knew the real answer to that question.
"Nope! I've been on my best behavior, you just see!"
His mother winced behind him at his explosion of emotion. She loved to see his shining face, but he was always a handful. She hoped some responsibility would mellow him out.
"Well, I wish you luck, and don't worry we chose the best Pokemon for you." There was a slight mischievous tinge to his uncle's smile, but only his mother saw it. Rhys' was far too blind to social cues to take notice.
Rhys nodded to his uncle and stood before the large double doors breathing shakily. His mother stood behind him and prayed for success.
"All right, open up. The boys' ready." His uncle called, slamming the flat of his hand against the door.
Then the doors opened, revealing the rest of his family. The room was barely illuminated with candlelight, turning half of the people in the room into shadows. That was fine for Rhys; the only person in that room who he wanted to see was his father. Beyond his immediate family, the shadowed forms of the Blackthorns sat. Lance grinned, Lance's father with an unreadable expression, and Clair looked down at him.
As the smell of incense hit him, Rhys walked forward, his mother following swiftly behind.
In the back of the dim candlelit room sat a raised platform like a stage and before it a single cushion large enough for Rhys to sit on. A pair of thin curtains sat in between them, blocking the view of the stage.
The only thing he could see on the other side of the curtain was an indistinct silhouette that made his heart race. Doubtless, it was his Pokemon, so close, the anticipation was killing him.
"Sit." His father said.
Without even thinking Rhys crossed the room and sat on the cushion placed in front of the stage. He shook as he lowered his head in reverence at the shadow of his future partner, heart beating all the while.
He heard the shuffling of his father's robes as the man raised a hand. At the sound of the gong, the veil was lifted revealing the silhouetted Pokemon.
She was a Sneasel; blueish-black fur, two sharp pointed ears with a short spiked feather gave away her gender, a pair of claws on each hand, and a petite body even for a Sneasel gave away her young age. An elegant, peaceful look graced her face as she held her eyes closed. On one side she was flanked by a male Weavile with an impressive plumage of feathers atop from his head.
Right before the Sneasel sat a black pokeball sat atop another cushion, shining in the candlelight.
Rhys was in awe. He had seen both Sneasles and Weaviles before, but to Rhys, at this moment she was the most beautiful Pokemon he had ever seen.
'This is my Sneasel, on my day, the start of my journey, the beginning of Clair and the clan recognizing me as a man, the-'
Rhy's thought process cut off as a black colored Pokeball impacted his face and set him flying onto his back and lying on the floor dazed.
The room was silent as they looked at Rhys knocked over and sprawled on the floor before all eyes were drawn to the assailant. She stood victorious over Rhys, raising a claw in the air as she released a victorious chirp. It took the Weavile standing behind her a second to blink and snap out of his shock, before he promptly rushed forward and slammed the blunt of his claws into the back of the younger Sneasel's head, knocking her out cold.
Behind them, himself, Pryce burst out into laughter as the furious Weavile began to chirp loudly at the Sneasel. Rhys mother put a foot forward as she went for her own Pokeball.
"No." Rhys' Father said, holding up a hand. "Let him get up on his own."
Rhys rubbed his face as he sat up from the floor, stunned as he realized what had happened. The angry chirps of the Weavile echoed in his mind. Beside him, he saw the Pokeball sitting listlessly on the floor. Rhys took the ball off the floor with a shaky hand and looked at his own reflection on its surface. He was red with embarrassment and shock, he could feel everybody's eyes on him, judging him, like worms burrowing underneath his skin. He fought the urge to snarl or frown as he took his eyes off his reflection and looked straight ahead at the Sneasel as it was berated by the Weavile.
Hate, furious hatred overtook him for a moment and he thought that he would throw the pokeball to the floor shattering it into a million pieces before he left the Sneasel to get screamed at. Instead, he was clutching the Pokeball tightly and tossed it towards the incapacitated Sneasel.
The ball bounced against the Sneasel's head with a hollow, wooden sound, before the Sneasel disappeared into it with a flash of red.
The Weavile's hands snapped shut as the Sneasel disappeared from in between them and turned into a trail of red light that was swallowed whole by the black Pokeball. The Weavile looked at Rhys and the two held each other's gaze as the pokeball fell to the floor.
The Pokeball wobbled once, a wavering sound echoing around the room.
Twice it wobbled and Rhys felt himself sweat under the gaze of the weavile and his family.
Finally the Pokeball righted itself with a ding and the Weavile retreated to the platform. Rhys heard the footsteps of his father's heavy wood sandals as they beat the floor and the man's shadow towered over him.
"Good." Rhys could hear the smile in his father's voice. "looks like you've caught your first Pokemon. Now you just have to train her."
Rhys already knew that Sneasels had a reputation for having bad attitudes, but as he swallowed his own spit and stood up, he realized how bad-natured they could really be.