"Hi Mom!"
"Hi honey! Hello Misty, Brock."
"Hi Mrs Ketchum." Misty smiled. Ash’s Mum nodded, and went inside, twerps following. They sat down, and Mrs Ketchum left the room.
"Um, Brock?"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh" The figure standing next to Mrs Ketchum smiled, and whacked Brock over the head. He promptly fell to the ground.
"Tanya! He’s a guest!"
"So am I. Oh, hi Ashy Boy. Admitted your true feelings to Misty yet?" Tanya smiled fakely, and watched as Ash went as red as ketchup. Tanya laughed, and took a seat at the table.
"Tanya. Your, your hair." Tanya’s hand went up to her long purple plait, and bit her lip,
"Is naturally purple. I only dyed it brown as a kid because my charming little brother, who is the reason I am here, would tease me. Of course, I gave him a good thrashing first."
"Charming little brother?"
"Ask Ash Misty. I’m sure he can tell you who my kid brother is. I think you know him. And," Tanya smirked,
"Brock wants to know his cheer-leaders."
"You’re Gary’s sister? I thought May was."
"She is. Doh. Gary’s got two sisters." Misty nodded slowly.
"Uh, can I have your number miss?" Tanya sighed dramatically,
"Do you never learn Brocko? Or did I not whack you over the head?" A mallet appeared and Brock earned a very sore head.

"Ash, honey." Ash opened his eyes, wondering what his Mum wanted.
"You like Misty, don’t . . ."
"Wa!! I do not!" Ash sat up suddenly.
"Don’t lie, Ash dear." Said Mrs Ketchum in a suger sweet voice,
"Why else would she follow you if she didn’t like you?" Ash muttered something, trying not to meet his mother’s eyes.
"Speak up dear. I can’t hear you if you mumble like that." Suddenly Ash wished he had a mallet.
"Ash, did you . . ."
"YES I STOLE HER BIKE!"
Tanya blinked, whispering,
"Oh my god . . ." Then she smirked, leaning against the door frame,
"You admit it!" Mrs Ketchum gasped. Ash glanced around the room, blushing.
"Pika."

The floor thumped. A figure moved through the room, and headed through the hall and down the stairs. As Tanya left the house, a small device, somewhat like a mobile phone, hit the ground. It let out a string of beeps Tanya was too far away to hear.
"Empty?" Tanya whispered. She had reached a campsite in the woods. She shivered, and checked her communicater to see she hadn’t missed a message. The communicater wasn’t there. Tanya swore and ran back, nearly missing the little beeping communicator. A message flashed across. QWK . . . 2 HQ
"Team Rocket Head Quarters. Okay then, GO PIDGEOTTO!"
"Pidgeo!"
"Fly me to Viridian City!"

"Pidgeotto return!"
"Who? Oh. It’s only Tanya."
"Jessie. James, Meowth. What happened?"

"What’s the photo, Mrs Ketchum?" Ash’s Mum blushed at Brock’s question.
"It’s Mi-sers Ket-chum’s bo-oyyfrie-nd!" Tanya smirked. Mrs Ketchum quickly left the room.
"So where’s Misty, Ashy Boy?"
"Misty’s off meeting her Mom."
"Ah. Janette Cerulea." Ash’s mouth dropped, and he sweatdropped,
"How d’you know her name?" Tanya grinned and continued,
"Left when Misty was 3, because she couldn’t bear those Cerulean Sisters. They were such brats, and she couldn’t stand it. And Misty’s Dad was really shocked, and wanted to commit suicide. He would’ve ‘cept for the other child." Tanya stopped, glancing at everyone.
"And?"
"The other child was Matt. He was only a year old when, when it happened. Misty’s Dad had shut himself in the Pool Room. He’d had a large rock, which he’d tied to his wrist. He went over to the pool, except for one thing. Matt. The rock hit Matt, and he fell into the pool. Misty’s Dad untied the rope, and dived in for his son. But Matt was dead." The others shut their mouths, and the room was still. Until Brock spoke accusingly,
"How do you know all this then Miss Tanya Oak?" She smiled,
"Go Goldeen! This pokemon of mine was there. I used to live in Cerulean, and Goldeen was my first pokemon. She’d been raised by Cerulean Gym trainers. And she was there when it happened." Brock was still sceptical about it.

"Ring ring! Ring ring!" Tanya sighed and picked up the phone.
"He-llo? Tanya here." The static from the screen faded and a fuzzy picture of Jessie appeared.
"Oh. It’s you guys." Jessie nodded,
"We – got – a Pokemon for the Boss. A Cubone." Jessie sighed,
"But he still wants something else." Tanya bit her lip and nodded,
"You wanna see if I can get you something?"
"No! I mean, yes, I mean..."
"You’d rather do it yourself. That’s okay. Try for an Eevee. I heard that there was one at the Celadon City Pokemon Center." Jessie, tight-lipped, nodded,
"Thanks. We’ll talk later." And she hung up. Tanya sighed,
"Jessie, one day you’ll have to accept somebody’s help."

"Now look Ash, I know it, Tanya knows it, Brock might even know it. The only people who might be clueless are you, and Misty."
"I am not in love with Misty!" Ash shouted, but the blush on his dirty cheeks gave him away,
"She only follows me for her bike."
"Ah, yes Ash honey. Why don’t I buy Misty a bike for you?"
"No!" he shouted,
"I mean, I have to give it to her, I mean..."
"Ash darling, admit it. You don’t want to give her a bike because you’re afraid she’ll leave. Right?" Ash didn’t answer. His head was under the pillow. Mrs Ketchum sighed. She could hear Misty singing quietly to herself,
"...I wanna tell you now but I’m afraid..."

Misty walked into the room and rubbed her eyes. She blinked, shocked, at what she saw.
"M – Mrs Ketchum!" The woman was desperatly trying to stop Ash from getting a photo. Misty saw she was ignored, and sat down next to Tanya.
"There isn’t much point," Tanya said,
"We all know Mrs Ketchum likes Prof Oak." Misty stared at her, mouth open. When she finally closed it, she shook her head,
"He’s way to old for her."
"He’s only 50 and Mrs Ketchum’s what, 40?"
"Ten years is a big time difference. It’s like, like Jessie falling for Ash!" Tanya stared at Misty,
"You wouldn’t want that. You don’t want anyone with Ash. Not that it would happen, but, you want Ashy Boy..."
"Shut up!" The room went quiet. All eyes were on the pair, Misty standing up with anger in her eyes, and her hand on her mallet, and Tanya sitting there, calm. She smiled at Misty, and ducked the blow.
"Brock, can you go get my Walkman." Brock nodded, silent, and left the room. When he got back, Tanya promptly turned on the tape.
"Out here in the quiet of the night
Beneath the stars
And the moon
We both know we’ve got something on our minds
We won’t admit it
But its true
You look at me
I look away-ey
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
But I don’t know how to start
I wanna tell you now but I’m afraid
That you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy ever
Be so hard to do
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
And say that
I love you
I practice all the things that I could say
Line by line
Every word
I tell myself
Today could be the day
But everytime
I lose my nerve
I look at you
You look away-ey
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
But I don’t know how to start
I wanna tell you now but I’m afraid
That you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy ever
Be so hard to do
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
And say that
I love you
Why?
Why do you turn away?
It must be
That your afraid like me
I try
But I can’t pretend that I
Don’t feel for you
The way I do
Can’t you see
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
But I don’t know how to start
I wanna tell you now but I’m afraid
That you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy ever
Be so hard to do
I wanna tell you what I’m feeling
And say that
I love you..."