Alright, here's chapter 3.

Disclaimer: My ownership of Pokémon is equivalent to the chances of a level 5 magikarp beating a level 100 Arceus.

Chapter 3

*Outside Of Pallet Town, One Week Earlier*

A young woman arrived a little outside the entrance to the small town of Pallet on the back of a large, dark blue, dragon type pokemon, not usually found in the Kanto Region. She dismounted her pokemon with practiced ease and landed gracefully on the ground. The girl smiled, exposing her perfect, white teeth to the world. Her silvery-gray eyes swept over the area, taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the town.

"So this is Pallet Town, huh Garchomp?" she said to the dragon type. "I wonder which house is Ash's?"

"Gar-Garchomp?" suggested Garchomp.

"Good idea, guess I'll ask around," replied the woman as she returned Garchomp to her pokeball in a flash of red light. She walked into town and soon spotted a young boy with spiky reddish-brown hair that looked about her age. She started running towards him to ask for directions.

"Excuse me," she said as she came closer. "Can you help me with something?"

The boy turned around and noticed a girl he didn't recognize running towards him. His eyes widened as he took her in. There was no denying that this girl was extraordinarily beautiful. She was well-endowed and had a curvy figure that any man would drool over. She was about 5 foot 10 with flowing blonde hair that reached down to her knees and shone in the sunlight. She was wearing a low-cut, strapless black dress that went down to her thighs, and left little to the imagination. He redirected his gaze up towards her face and saw that she wore no makeup. Not that she needed it. He stared into her dark gray eyes and for a moment he was completely mesmerised. Then he noticed two black dangles with a yellow stripe around them on each side of her face, entwined in her hair. The dangles reminded him of his Umbreon.

He smirked. Time for him to turn up the charm.

"My my, aren't you a beautiful young lady? Tell me, how can I help you, cutie?" he asked.

The girl frowned and crossed her arms. She did not like him hitting on her at all. "I'm looking for Ash Ketchum. Do you know where he lives?" she asked, businesslike.

A flash of shock appeared on the boy's face. "Ash Ketchum? Yeah I know where he lives," he said hesitantly. His voice didn't sound so flirty anymore.

"Could you please tell me how to get to his house?" she asked more politely, noticing the change in his tone.

"Why? Are you a friend of Ashy-boy's?" he inquired.

The girl smirked at the nickname. That was one for the blackmail files. "Yes, we're very close," she replied.

A thought crossed the boy's mind. This girl- was she? No, she couldn't be. Ash would never.

"Are you his girlfriend or something?"

"G-g-girlfriend?" she squeaked. "N-no, I'm not his g-g-girlfriend. We're just friends, honestly!" She started waving her hands in front of her in denial, blushing slightly.

"If you're his friend, then you should know he left to train for a while, just him and his pokemon. So why are you here?" the boy asked skeptically.

"W-well, um, s-someone told me he'd be back home soon so I uh, I thought I'd surprise him when he gets here," she said, studying her nails and staring at the floor.

"Uh-huh, and you really aren't his girlfriend?"

"N-no! I already told you, we aren't like that!" she exclaimed. "We're just friends," she muttered before frowning slightly.

The boy noticed the girl's frown but decided to ignore it; he'd heard something much more important after all. "Did you say Ashy-boy is coming back to Pallet Town? Does that mean he's going to compete in the Kanto Championship Tournament?" asked the boy.

"Yes, he- wait a minute, how do you even know about that?" asked the girl suspiciously. "The tournament hasn't even been officially announced yet."

The boy smirked. "Well when you're the grandson of Professor Oak, you hear a lot of interesting things," he said arrogantly.

"Professor Oak's grandson? Wait a minute, you're Gary Oak, aren't you?" asked the girl.

The boy flicked his nose with his thumb. "I see my reputation precedes me," he said smugly.

The girl shrugged. "Not really, I just know your name because Ash told me about you. He also told me you had a huge ego problem, and now that I've met you I see what he means." She smiled at him.

Gary slumped. "Way to kill a guy's mojo," he grumbled.

"Sorry, Gare-bear," said Cynthia brightly.

Gary looked horrified. He turned his head right and left to make sure nobody was listening. "How do you know about that name?" he whispered, terrified.

"Ash," she answered simply. Gary looked furious. "Is there a problem?" she asked, as Gary began to plot Ash's murder.

He gave her the biggest fake smile he could. "Oh no, not at all. And just what would your name be, not-Ash's-girlfriend?" he asked, smirked.

The girl growled at him before answering the question. "I'm Cynthia, Cynthia Shirone."

Gary's jaw dropped. "Cynthia Shirone? The Cynthia Shirone?! The Sinnoh Region Champion Cynthia Shirone?" he asked incredulously.

"That's me," said Cynthia.

"How in the name of Arceus did Ashy-boy get himself the Sinnoh Champion as a girlfriend?!" shouted Gary.

"I already told you, we aren't like that!"

"But you want to be, right?" he teased.

"S-shut up! Just tell me where his house is!" Cynthia shouted.

"You know I'm right."

"I swear, one more word and I'll sick my Garchomp on you." Cynthia glared at him.

Gary gulped. She did not look like she was joking around anymore. He'd heard a lot of rumors about that Garchomp of hers; it was not something he wanted to face.

He sobered up and said, "It's just past that hill over there. There should be a mini-garden on the side and a Mr. Mime sweeping the porch; you can't miss it." He pointed in the right direction.

Cynthia stopped glowering at him and smiled, which for some reason scared Gary even more. "Thank you," she said, already starting to run up the hill.

"You're welcome!" Gary called at her retreating figure. "Have a good day, Miss Champion!"

"Just call me Cynthia, 'Miss Champion' makes me feel old!" she called back, not even bothering to turn around.

'Almost there,' thought Cynthia as she ran up the hill. She thought about how surprised Ash would be when he got some and saw her, and from there her thoughts shifted to Gary's comments about her being Ash's girlfriend. She frowned. 'I freaked out again. Why do I always freak out whenever someone calls me Ash's girlfriend? I've been called other people's girlfriends by mistake before. The media does it all the time. But the only time I ever get like that is when I get called Ash's girlfriend. Ugh, it doesn't make any sense!'

Cynthia's made it to the top of the hill and saw a house with a garden on the side and a Mr. Mime sweeping the porch. 'This must be the place. It fits Gary's description perfectly,' she thought. She walked up the path to the front door and rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" called a voice from inside the house. A moment later Cynthia heard some muffled footsteps and the door opened up, revealing a smiling, middle-aged woman. "How can I help you, dear?" she asked kindly.

"Hi, my name is Cynthia Shirone, I'm a friend of Ash Ketchum's. Is this his house?" asked Cynthia politely.

The woman smiled. "A friend of Ash? I'm his mother, Delia Ketchum. It's nice to meet you Cynthia."

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Ketchum," said Cynthia. "Likewise."

"So what can I do for you, dear?" asked Delia, still smiling.

Cynthia shuffled her feet awkwardly, suddenly getting nervous. "Um, well I heard that Ash will be home in a few days to get ready to compete in the Kanto Championship Tournament, so I was wondering if, you know, if it's ok with you, if I could umm, maybe stay here for a while and surprise him when he gets home?" asked Cynthia, speaking quickly.

"Ah yes, I heard about the tournament from Scott. So Ash decided to compete in it after all?" inquired Delia.

"Yes ma'am," said Cynthia, nodding her head.

"Well you're welcome to stay if you'd like dear. Are you Ash's girlfriend?" asked Delia, still smiling.

"N-no, I'm not his girlfriend yet or anything like that," said Cynthia, blushing

"Yet?" asked Delia. "So you'd like to be his girlfriend?"

"W-w-what?! N-n-no, I didn't mean that!" stammered Cynthia, shaking her head and waving her arms in front of her in denial. "I'm not in love with Ash or anything!"

"Oh? But I didn't say anything about being in love with him," Delia pointed out in an innocent tone.

"Um-um-I-I-I just-I um-" sputtered Cynthia. She suddenly became very interested in her nails again.

'She's so cute,' thought Delia. "Anyways, you're welcome to stay and surprise Ash when he comes home. Come inside, I just made dinner. Would you like some?" Delia asked, gesturing into the house with her arm.

"Y-yes please. Thank you,' answered Cynthia, as she stepped inside, relieved that Delia had seemingly dropped the topic of Ash.

*Present Day*

It was a beautiful winter morning in Pallet Town. A little warm, but there were no clouds out and the Pidgeys could be seen flying around. A teenage boy riding a large Charizard landed nearby. He was about six foot two with clean, jet-black hair that looked as if it had just been cut. A Pikachu was perched on his shoulder. His wore a pair of black, fingerless gloves, brown combat boots, dark blue jeans, and a maroon hoodie. His clothes made him look slightly intimidating, despite the kind twinkle that shone in his black eyes.

"Thanks for the lift, big guy," he said as he jumped off Charizard's back. He returned Charizard to his pokeball in a flash of red light and smiled as he started making his way down the road. "Wow, it sure feels great to be back, huh buddy? Feels like forever since we've been home." he said to Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder.

"Pi-pikachu!" cried Pikachu in agreement.

"It's been two years. I wonder how mom is? I hope she isn't too mad at me." He rubbed the back of his neck and continued up the hill for a bit. At last he reached the top, revealing a medium sized house. He saw it hadn't changed much; the garden was still there and Mr. Mime was still sweeping the porch. 'Home,' thought Ash. A giddy feeling washed over him and he excitedly ran to the front door. He took the spare key from under the mat, opened the door, and walked inside.

"Mom, I'm home!" he called out. Only silence answered him. "Huh, I guess she must be out," he said to Pikachu. He looked around the house trying to see if anything had changed. 'It's smaller than I remember,' he thought. Pikachu climbed down from Ash's shoulder and immediately collapsed on the couch. 'Poor guy must be exhausted,' thought Ash. 'He hasn't slept on a comfortable bed in three months. I'll let him sleep while I check out my room.' Ash walked to the stairs, stopping every now and then to look at all the awards and medals his mother had put on display that he'd won over the past few years as a trainer. 'She even polished my trophy for winning the Orange Island League! Mom, you're awesome!'

Ash walked up the stairs to his room and a sense of nostalgia overtook him. "Man, it's been so long since I've seen my room. I hope mom's been keeping it ready for me like she promised." He chuckled as he opened the door to his room, but what awaited him inside was definitely not what he had expected to see. Lying down, fast asleep in his bed and wearing a black nightgown, was a young blonde girl that Ash didn't recognize. His bag slid off of his shoulder and hit the floor with a loud thump. "What the hell?!" he screamed. A million thoughts started racing through his mind. 'Who is this girl? Why is she lying down on my bed? Do I know her? How did she get into my house?!'

Meanwhile, the girl in question was roused from her sleep at the sound of Ash's scream. She sat up and sleepily rubbed her eyes. "Mrs. Ketchum is that you?" she asked. She let out a huge yawn. "Good morning, sorry I overslept again." It was then that she looked up at the person that woke her up; her eyes widened in shock when she realized who it really was. "Ash, you're back." she said simply, before she jumped up and tackled him into a giant bear hug. "You're back," she repeated, her face buried in his chest as she clutched the back of his hoodie. A few moments later, she released him and sat back down on the bed. She started happily kicking her feet back and forth, observing him with a huge smile on her face.

Seeing her smile, something clicked in Ash's brain. He realized he did know this girl, but he still couldn't understand why she was in his house, and more importantly, why she had just been sleeping on his bed. "Cynthia! Is that you?!" he shouted.

"Ow! Not so loud Ash, that hurt. Yes, it's me," said Cynthia. She gave him another quick hug. "It's so great to see you again."

If Ash's mind was racing before, it was nothing compared to now. He tried to ask her why she'd been asleep on his bed, but the words got jumbled on the way to his mouth and what came out instead was, "Why are you here?"

Cynthia's smile faltered a little. "What? You aren't happy to see me, Ash? That's so mean!" Cynthia puffed up her cheeks and made a mock pouty face.

Ash realized that his question had come out wrong and he nervously tried to correct himself. "Er- no, that's not what I meant! It's just-" He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Why are you in my room, Cynth? And sleeping on my bed?"

"Oh, that's easy, I've been-"

"Cynthia, I'm back!" interrupted a voice.

"Oh! That must be your mother," said Cynthia cheerfully as she sprung out of bed. "We'll talk later, ok?"

"Okay?" said Ash, not sure what was going on.

"Great!" She grabbed Ash's hand and started leading him down the stairs. "Hey Mrs. Ketchum! Guess who's back?" she called out.

"Ash?!" cried Delia. Cynthia made it down the stairs with Ash, still holding his hand, and went over to Mrs. Ketchum. She let go of his hand just before his mother tackled him in a giant bear hug. "You're finally home!" she exclaimed, half-laughing, half-crying, out of joy.

"Mom," said Ash. "Sorry I had you worrying so much." He gave his mother a kiss on her forehead. He didn't show it much, but he was ecstatic to see her again.

Delia gave her head a slight shake. "No it's fine Ash, I'm alright, really. Besides, you were on your journey so it's only natural you'd be gone for so long. And it hasn't been all that bad lately. Cynthia here's been keeping me company for the past few days," she said, giving the blonde an appreciative smile. Cynthia's cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled back.

"Yeah, that's something I've been meaning to ask. Why is the Sinnoh Champion in my house? And why was she sleeping on my bed?" asked Ash, as he turned around to face Cynthia.

"Oh, she's been waiting for you to come home. She says she has something important to talk to you about, but she won't tell me what it is," said Delia suggestively. Cynthia's face immediately turned bright red.

"Mom, knock it off, quit teasing Cynthia. That's my job after all," said Ash, smirking as he wrapped one arm around Cynthia's waist and drew her in close to his chest, causing her face grew to grow even redder.

"Oh, I see," said Delia, grinning mischievously at her son. "My apologies Ash, take your time." Ash smiled back at his mother.

"Huh? What?" asked Cynthia, confused.

Ash stared into her eyes. "So you had something you wanted to talk to me about, Cynth?" he asked with a smile.

That managed to snap Cynthia out of her funk. She pushed her confusion aside, removed herself from Ash's embrace, and coughed to clear her throat. "Um, yes, there is actually."

"And what would that be?" inquired Ash.

"Ash, you're planning on competing in the Kanto Champion Tournament, correct?" asked Cynthia.

"Of course. How could I pass up a chance like that?" replied Ash with his trademark goofy smile.

"That's what I thought." Cynthia shuffled her feet awkwardly. "CanItravelwithyou?" she asked quickly.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

She took a deep breath. "Can I travel with you?" she repeated. "You need to collect the Kanto badges a second time in order to compete, right? So why don't I go with you and help you train? It'll be like old times again. I want to help you and I want to see how much stronger you've become these past three months. So what do you say, Ash?"

Ash smiled at her, then held out his hand and took a bow. "Of course you can, I would be honored to have the Sinnoh Champion as my traveling companion."

Cynthia's face started getting red again. "No need to be so formal, Ash. We're friends after all." They smiled at each other.

"Not that I mind you two flirting, but if you're going to be traveling together, shouldn't you start packing?" interrupted Delia.

"We aren't flirting!" exclaimed Cynthia indignantly.

"There is one thing we have to do first, though," said Ash.

"What's that?" asked Cynthia.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her outside.

"Ash! What are you doing?" she cried.

Ash let go of her hand and took a pokeball from his belt. "Let your Garchomp out."

"OK," said Cynthia, still a little confused. She threw a pokeball into the air, releasing her Garchomp in a flash of white light. "What's this all about?" she asked, as Ash gave the dragon a hug.

"It's great to see you again Garchomp." He backed away, leaving enough space between them for a makeshift battlefield. "It's pretty simple actually; a friend of mine just wants a rematch. Gabite, I choose you," he cried, as he threw a pokeball into the air, releasing Gabite in another flash of white light.

"Ash, what's going on?" asked Gabite before he saw the pokemon in front of him. His eyes widened in shock.

"What's wrong Gabite? Weren't you the one who said you wanted a rematch? You said you wanted to prove to her just how powerful you've become, didn't you? Well, now's your chance. Show her your strength, and your will to fight!"

"Are you sure about this?" asked Gabite, apprehensive.

Ash nodded. "It's time."

Gabite nodded in affirmative, his face turning serious. He turned to face Cynthia's Garchomp and pointed his right claw at her. "Gia, I challenge you to a battle!" (A/N: Gia is Cynthia's Garchomp's special species name, used only by other members of her species to tell each other apart)

"Ash, are you going to tell me what's going on or not?" asked Cynthia hotly.

"You haven't figured it out yet? I thought it was pretty obvious, but oh well. Cynthia Shirone, I challenge you to a battle!"

Cynthia looked shocked for a moment, before grinning at the challenge. "You hear that, Garchomp? Our old students are challenging us to a battle. What do you say girl? Should we teach them a lesson for old time's' sake?"

"Gar!" said Garchomp.

Cynthia smiled. "You're on, Ash."

Ash smirked. "Perfect, this will be a three on three match. Switch pokemon after every round. Mom, can you referee for us?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Delia said with a smile. She took her position on the field. "This will be an unofficial 3 on 3 battle between the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia Shirone from Celestic Town and the challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," announced Delia. "Good luck sweetie!"

"Thanks mom," said Ash before turning back to Cynthia. "Ready Cynth?

"You bet Ash," answered Cynthia. "Garchomp, Battle Dance!" Her Garchomp jumped on to the battlefield and let out a mighty roar, scaring several Pidgey out of the nearby trees.

Ash smirked. "You ready for this, Gabite?"

"Oh yeah!" shouted Gabite as he jumped onto the field. "It's evolving time!" he said, as he ripped the gray stone off the string dangling on his neck and tossed it aside. He was immediately surrounded by a blinding white light. When the light died down, in the place where Gabite had stood, was a Garchomp who bared his fangs and let out a mighty roar.

Epic battle coming up next chapter. For now though, leave a review. Flames will be rated on a scale from 1-10 on how clever and/or funny I find them.