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Chapter 9- Pokemon League, begin!

"Wow, the Pokemon League is finally beginning, huh?" said Ash cheerfully. Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder like always, and he was flanked by Rahl and Clemont on one end, and Serena and Korrina on the other. Bonnie trailed behind him.

"Yeah," agreed Rahl. "Look," he added, "we can see Lumiose already."

And true enough, Prism Tower loomed up in front of them, and soon after that the whole city came into view. Clemont and Bonnie uttered cries of joy at seeing their home again while Serena and Korrina smiled indulgently at them.

Rahl watched them with an unreadable expression on his face. The white haired trainer had instantly noticed Ash and Serena's love for each other, and had tried to play Cupid, to get them together. But, they weren't little kids. They could handle themselves, and could confess their love to one another without his help. So why was he acting like some sort of matchmaker and doing it for them?

'You know very well why, Rahl Feranos,' he chided himself. 'It's because you don't want them to end up like...like some people who didn't have the guts to do so and ended up with others, others who they didn't really love. But why do you care so much? Because they're your friends.'

"Rahl?" asked Bonnie, flapping her arms wildly. "Jeez, come out of your thoughts!"

"What? Oh, oh sorry, Bonnie," said Rahl, a bit alarmed. "It's in my nature to think a lot, so..."

"Probably because you traveled alone for so long," commented Korrina.

"Yes," agreed Rahl. "Anyway, what did you want, Bonnie?"

"How did your Gym Battle with Clembot go?" asked Bonnie excitedly. "You have the Voltage Badge, you should've beaten it!"

"Please tell us!" added Serena. Clemont and Korrina nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I remember," recalled Rahl. "I used a team of Espeon, Venusaur and Infernape against it. It's Magnemite was taken out by Espeon pretty easily, and it's next Pokemon, Magneton, was also taken out by Venusaur. However, it became paralyzed and was taken out by Clembot's Heliolisk."

Clemont puffed up with pride while Korrina just snorted at him.

"Espeon, however, set up Trick Room and slowed Heliolisk down. Then I recalled it and sent out Infernape, which defeated Heliolisk with Mach Punch."

"Super effective," agreed Ash.

"Pika pika chu."

The six entered Lumiose City amidst great happiness and pleasantness, mostly from the two siblings, but also from Ash and Serena. Korrina wanted to rest at Prism Tower for a while before signing up for the Pokemon League, but Clemont talked her out of it.

"Ash and Rahl have worked hard and earned their eight badges after many months," the blond inventor stated. "It would be unfair of us to make a detour and put off the signing up process."

"Oh okay, then," sighed Korrina, rubbing her eyes.

"Tell you what," suggested Rahl, "Clemont can go with Korrina, Serena and Bonnie to Prism Tower, they look like they're about to collapse. Me and Ash shall sign up on our own."

"What?" cried Bonnie. "No, no, it wouldn't be fair to you!"

"The League won't start for a few hours," reassured Ash. "It's okay, you can go!"

"Are you sure, Ash?" asked Serena concernedly.

"Yes."

"Then it's settled," said Rahl, clapping his hands. "Off you go."

After a few quick goodbyes, the two trainers went to the central area of Lumiose on their own. Rahl checked out everything with interest, since he had not had the time to do it when he came here for his Gym Battle, and Ash just walked beside him happily.

"Hey Ash," began Rahl, after a short silence.

"Mmm-hmm?"

"You like Serena, don't you?" Rahl's blunt statement made Ash's eyes nearly pop out from shock.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-where's this c-c-coming from?" stuttered the raven haired trainer. He obviously hadn't been expecting this to come from Rahl's mouth.

"One of you will have to make a move, sooner or later," continued Rahl as if there had been no interruption.

"Pika, chu pika pi," agreed a certain yellow mouse.

"Wait!" stated an aggrieved Ash. "I-I didn't even say I liked her..."

"You never said you didn't like her either," countered Rahl. "Go on and tell her you like her," he added when Ash didn't reply, "or she will move on."

"Move on?" asked Ash blankly. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"Move on from you," explained Rahl, giving no apology for his directness. "Move on from loving you, find someone else, and forget you. Do you want that to happen?"

"N-No..." conceded Ash reluctantly.

"Then," said Rahl, "can I expect to see a couple by the end of the Pokemon League?"

"Yeah, yeah you can," answered Ash, new heart filling him. "But you won't be seeing one couple, you'll see two!" he added, laughing light-heartedly.

"Pi kaa~!"

Rahl blinked in confusion, before understanding what he meant and giving a small smile.

"HEY, ASH!" screamed multiple voices behind the two trainers and Pokemon, shocking them so much that they instantly whirled around and clicked out Pokeballs. Pikachu growled as well, but relaxed instantly on seeing who it was.

"Um, Ash?" said Rahl, looking at his fellow trainer, who seemed to be in shock as to who were standing behind them. He scrutinized the group, which wasn't easy since it consisted of a large amount of people.

A brunet boy who looked about Ash's age, wearing a black shirt and a large grin.

A dark skinned girl who had a ridiculously large amount of fluffy purple hair, and...was that an Axew nestled in it?

A rather attractive young woman with pale brown hair and a red shirt, and a shorter black haired boy with spectacles, and a green shirt. Her brother maybe?

A bluenette girl with a white cap, wearing a rather colorful dress and pink boots.

A man with what looked like a butler's outfit and light green hair.

And lastly, a tall man with spiky black hair and a redhead with a very weird ponytail...'wait, don't I know those two?' thought Rahl. 'Of course, they're Brock and Misty! The Pewter and Cerulean City Gym Leaders!'

"Guys!" said Ash, so exuberantly and happily that Rahl stared at him. "I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

The brunette chuckled. "We've come to cheer you on, Ashy-boy, so you better not lose!" he announced.

Rahl couldn't help but let out a small snort at that. 'Ashy-boy...I'm never letting that nickname go.'

"I won't, Gary, count on that," replied Ash, grinning.

'Aha,' thought Rahl triumphantly. 'These guys must be Ash's travelling companions from before, like he told me about when we were going along to Lumiose. Yeah, that guy's Gary, and that one's Iris, and May and her little brother Max, and...oh yeah, Dawn and Cilan."

Then he realized everyone was staring at him.

"Hey Ash, who that next to you?" said the spectacled little kid, Max, pointing at Rahl.

"He looks scary," shivered Dawn, which annoyed the white haired trainer. But then again, when he wasn't smiling (which was quite often), his dark gray eyes, his white hair, and black nails did make him look like some sort of emo.

"The company you keep, Ash," said the other girl, the one with the Axew, Iris, shaking her head. "God, you're such a kid."

"Is he part of Team Flare?" asked Cilan suspiciously.

This made Rahl quite angry, but he reined in his temper. He couldn't stop the redness along his neck though, and he turned his face away. "I'll sign up for you, Ash," he muttered curtly, ignoring his friend's frantic hissing that they didn't mean it, that they could be a bit stupid at times. "Go catch up with your friends, I'll join you guys later."

He walked briskly ahead, not acknowledging the others, and sped up into a slow jog. At his less than slow pace, he reached the hall, went up to the signing booth in about a few minutes and spoke with the man behind it. After some briefing, the man said, "I'll need proof that your friend has all the eight badges."

"Here," said Rahl shortly, passing a photo of Ash holding up his badge case and grinning. The man observed it, then nodded at the younger boy, satisfied. "Off you go then, sonny," he said, winking and passing him two forms for him to sign up.

Rahl nodded, then wrote in the forms:

Ash Ketchum.

Pallet Town, Kanto.

Aged 15 years

Bug Badge

Cliff Badge

Rumble Badge

Plant Badge

Voltage Badge

Fairy Badge

Psychic Badge

Iceberg Badge

He scrutinized it carefully, then went on to the next one.

Rahl Feranos.

Ifrit Town, Kalos.

Aged 14 years

Bug Badge

Cliff Badge

Simple Badge

Scale Badge

Voltage Badge

Fairy Badge

Psychic Badge

Iceberg Badge

"That's done it," said Rahl simply.

"Okay then, whippersnapper!" said the man cheerfully. Rahl just nodded and went out of the hall to reflect on what Iris and Cilan had said. Come on, he might've looked different, but that didn't make him dangerous or plain evil!

But he had white hair, and to be honest, there weren't many fourteen-year-olds with it.

'That doesn't give them the right to judge me,' he thought grumpily.

He "tch"ed. If they were Ash's friends, couldn't they be different like Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont?

Now I REALLY think you guys thought I forgot about you.

-Nirgends101