Standing there within the arena, Tony and Delia were a bit slack jawed at what Giovanni had told them. To think that he was the Viridian Gym Leader was beyond them.

"When I win, Delia comes with me. We will also take your Pokemon as well, starting with your uniquely colored Bayleef."

"In your dreams." Tony was the first to recover.

"Wait a minute. It's my life you're talking about. Don't I get a say in it?" Delia sputtered in indignation.

"No." Giovanni said flat out.

"Well, yes. You do, but I don't think Giovanni's going to listen." Tony said before gritting his teeth. "This battle will be just you and me. If any of your goons interfere, I'll have Bayleef flood the whole building with Poison Powder and damn the consequences. It'll be like getting two Pidgey with one stone. When I win, I get your badge and I want you to stay out of our lives. Got that?"

"Do you believe this guy? Making demands of the boss as if he were in charge." a few Rocket Grunts muttered to each other.

"Silence!" Giovanni commanded with a cold stare. The Grunts immediately obeyed. "Some rather interesting demands you have there. Very well. So be it. Three Pokemon each. Winner takes all."

"Bayleef, let's go! Magical Leaf, now!"

"Bay-bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as it sent the grass type attack flying at Giovanni's Graveler.

Upon contact, the attack did some damage to the rock-type Pokemon, but Graveler reacted as if nothing happened.

"Double-Edge." Giovanni commanded.

"Watch for it!" Tony called out to his Pokemon. When Graveler was within three yards distance, Tony gave the next command. "Dodge and use Grass Knot."

Graveler's forward momentum and speed, not to mention the fact that it was, by all means, a heavy weight Pokemon, made Bayleef's attack all the more super effective. With an earth shaking crash, Graveler was out cold. An angry growl escaped from Giovanni's throat as he returned Graveler to its pokeball and released his next Pokemon.

"A Rhyhorn, hmm?" Tony muttered, before calling out to Bayleef. "Let's whip this Pokemon into shape with your Vine Whip, now!"

"You better accomplish what your predecessor could not." Giovanni growled at his second Pokemon. "Horn Drill."

Just as Bayleef's vines got a firm grip on the ground-type Pokemon's horn, Rhyhorn's attack kicked in and sent Bayleef flying into one of the separator walls that surrounded the arena.

"Bayleef!" Tony cried out as he saw his plant Pokemon try to get up. The blunt force of slamming into the wall proved to be too much, however, and Bayleef fainted right where it collapsed. Tony recalled it into its pokeball. Tony's mind was riddled with uncertainty. If he brought out Charizard, then the battle would be tough since ground type Pokemon had a certain resistance to both fire and flying type Pokemon. Yet there was no appropriate place for Seaking to land upon release. Something in his mind suddenly clicked into place. "Seaking, come on out and show them how well you can Surf."

Seaking came out of its pokeball and immediately surged forward on a wave of water.

"Fissure, now!" Giovanni's words were short and to the point.

Rhyhorn's left foreleg glowed with a bright white light as it was pulled back. A split second later, Rhyhorn released a powerful punch into the floor. Most of the water within Seaking's attack sloshed into the jagged chasm that had cracked open in the ground, however it didn't stop the attack from connecting with Rhyhorn.

"Hah!" Tony exclaimed triumphantly as he saw Rhyhorn go down. "Two down, one to go."

"It's not over yet." Giovanni retorted as he recalled Rhyhorn into its pokeball with a look of total disgust on his face. His third Pokemon was then released. "Let's go, Meowth."

"Me-OWTH!" The scratch cat Pokemon flexed its claws and scowled at its opponent for good measure.

"Show them how we Payback all of our transgressions."

Meowth started to stalk around Seaking as if it were hunting pray as it prepared for the right moment to attack.

"Seaking, use Water Pulse!" Tony called out.

"King, Seaking!" The water Pokemon sent out a corkscrew jet of water that made contact with Meowth.

Upon contact, Meowth released its Payback attack. Unfortunately for Meowth, Seaking's Water Pulse caused the scratch cat Pokemon to become confused. Instead of making contact with Seaking, Meowth's now double powered attack rebound upon itself and caused Meowth to faint.

"Unbelievable..." a few of the Grunts muttered after several moments of stunned silence. They'd just seen their boss lose.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you have won this battle. The Earth Badge is yours." Giovanni scowled as he indicated to one of his Grunts to hand over the Earth Badge as he recalled Meowth into its pokeball. Not liking the fact that he had too many witnesses, he turned his back towards Delia and Tony. He didn't want his insubordinates to get the idea that he'd flounder out of a deal. "Now get out of my sight. I have more pressing things to deal with."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the Pokemon Center, Tony fidgeted with Charizard's Pokeball as he waited for the return of Seaking and Bayleef from Nurse Joy's care. Parts of the day's events kept popping into his mind. He had no reason to doubt that Delia had told him anything but the truth, so why did it still feel like he was blindly led around like a fool?

"Tony, you're not purposely ignoring me, now are you?"

Tony's head jerked up. Looking over at Delia, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that we should stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning."

"The sooner, the better." Tony replied as he clenched Charizard's pokeball tightly.

"Yes, but first it won't be of any use if you don't eat something, maybe take a shower and definitely get some rest."

"Are you saying that I stink?" Tony replied with a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

"Oh, is that why it smells like a Muk just strolled by?" Delia chuckled lightly. "But seriously. The shower will help you relax some. We've had a long day."

"The understatement of the year." Tony sighed.

After picking at the simplistic dinner of tuna salad sandwiches, Delia was to first to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked in a curious manner.

"I'm going to take a bath. Why? Do you want to join me?" Delia said, straight-faced.

Tony's face turned a few shades of beet red as a number of images flashed through his mind.

"Uh..." Tony was at a loss for words and could almost feel a nosebleed coming on.

"I'm joking!" Delia said lightly. "Besides, they would probably kick us out for a stint like that."

That night, after Tony had retrieved Bayleef and Seaking from Nurse Joy, Tony and Delia talked for a solid hour to gain some closure from the day's events. The next morning, they ate a light breakfast in silence at the Pokemon Center's cafeteria before heading for Viridian City's borders.

"Come on. The sooner we get going, the better." Tony exclaimed as he began to pick up speed upon leaving Viridian City.

"Slow down, will you? There's still time and quite a bit of distance between here and the Pokemon League. It's not like the League's going anywhere." Delia replied as she attempted to keep up with him.

"True..." Tony admitted as he slowed his pace a bit. "It's just that I'd feel better with more distance between me and Viridian City."

"I don't blame you, but running like a frightened Ratata is just the sort of thing that Giovanni likes to see."

"What did you just say?" Tony stopped and gritted his teeth so hard that he was on the verge of getting a stress headache.

"Look, I don't like Giovanni any more than you do." Delia said as she waited for him to turn and face her. "But above anything else, something that a certain Pokemon trainer once told me, is to never give people like him what they want."

For several long moments, time seemed to stand perfectly still as Tony just stood there and stared at Delia. Letting out a pent up breath of air, Tony walked back to where she stood before he allowed a wan smile spread on his face.

"How do you do it?" he asked, echoing the very question that he had asked once before near the beginning of their journey.

"Do what?" Delia replied as Tony got even closer.

"You've somehow managed to make me realize how close to succumbing to someone else's scheme I was and give me a dose of my own medicine." Tony said a moment before he kissed her full on the lips.

"It just happens, I suppose." Delia responded breathlessly as soon as they parted from the kiss.

"Wait here." Tony uttered as the proverbial light went on within his mind.

Not waiting to see if she would stay or not, Tony dashed back towards Viridian City as if it was going to disappear forever if he didn't get there at anything slower than warp speed. He arrived at a jewelers shop just as it opened for business for the day.

"Can I help you?" The clerk asked as she smiled at Tony.

"Yes. I'm looking for something special for a very important girl in my life."