"SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS! Tune into Channel 7 to watch the Hoenn Pokeathlon liv-", the advertisement blared, before Thomas shut off the radio. "These channels suck.", Thomas muttered to himself, before just turning on his own music. From there, the flight to Lavaridge was a relaxing one.

Eventually, Thomas would land where Josh told him to land, arriving on the Ranch on the back of his familiar Hydreigon. Upon getting close enough to the ground, Thomas hopped off the dragon's behind, petting the beast affectionately, before recalling him back to his Pokeball. Thomas would greet the man, before heading to the sparring arena.

"Always.", Thomas told the blonde with a grin, sending out his Pangoro and Alakazam. Brutus, the Pangoro, was a familiar face, being Thomas' oldest Pokemon, and among those Thomas had with him in Unova. Meanwhile, Freke, the Alakazam, was a fresh face, having been caught in Hoenn.

---

tags: Josh Dragomir
notes: SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS!!!

Josh grinned as Thomas indicated he was good to go. It had been some time since he had been in a good old fashioned Trainer battle, sparring session or not. It would be a good chance to get the kinks out of his game. Even if it was just a simple training exercise, it would do them all good. As Thomas sent out his two, Josh threw his Pokeballs into the air as well.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOBUFEEEET!"

While Thomas had sent out intimidating-looking Pokemon in Pangoro and Alakazam, Josh had... Not done as such. His first Pokemon? Was Wob. The Wobbuffet saluted as Josh then brought out his second, a Swampert. He took a deep breath, appreciating the warm Lavaridge air for a moment... Before that smirk crossed his face as his eyes took that familiar determination and fierceness to them.

"Mud Bomb!"

The Swampert, Dunamus, quickly launched two Mud Bombs to start the battle. One at each Pokemon.

As Thomas looked at the two Pokemon, he knew the goofy looking Wobbuffet was going to be the most troublesome element of the match up. It wasn't to discredit the Swampert, not in the slightest. The Gym Leader was very familiar with the blue blob, and not only what a unit it was, but just how deadly it was at redirecting attacks. But then, if this were a real fight, as opposed to a spar, he would've had his Hydreigon cut the thing down.

Freke would respond by Teleporting out of the way of the Mud Bomb. Meanwhile, Brutus would take the attack, wincing in annoyance as the mud splashed onto him. Freke would emerge safely out of the way of the attack. "Brutus, Taunt the Wobbuffet." Thomas ordered. The Pangoro let out a grunt, and a taunting gesture at the Wobbuffet, attempting to infuriate it into a state of aggression. "Freke, Calm Mind.", Thomas called out to the Alakazam, who took a moment to collect his focus, and build up his mental strength and fortitude.

---

tags: Josh Dragomir
notes: Alakazam dodged Mud Bomb. Pangoro took Mud Bomb. Pangoro used Taunt on Wobbuffet. Alakazam used Calm Mind (+1 SpA/+1 SpD)

Wobbufett was the Patient Pokemon. Which made it utterly useless in an offensive fight. Josh knew this, he knew this well considering how many years he had trained Wob the Wynaut before his evolution into his line’s more famous form a good while back. So keeping its calm nature was incredibly important. Josh cocked his head, and the Swampert seemed to understand as it stood in the path of Wob, obscuring its vision from the taunt. The Swampert instead let out a roar, indicating it would be taking an offensive stance going forward. Something that suited Josh just fine.

While Thomas went for setup, Josh decided to keep the offense coming. Quickly he commanded his Swampert to use Muddy Water, as the large wave came in... He quietly motioned for Dunamus to surge forward through the wave. As the wave crashed down, Dunamus would suddenly emerge from it with Hammer Arm prepped to strike at the Pangoro...

Thomas smirked as the Swampert stepped in to protect the Wobbuffet. No doubt to protect it while it ran interference, until it was attacked by either the Pangoro or the Alakazam. Indeed, the Swampert went on the offensive, washing the field over with a wave of Muddy Water. While it was no Hydro Pump, it was still a dangerous attack. All the two could do was brace themselves while it washed over them. While Freke could've Teleported to safety, he instead chose to endure the attack for the time being.

As the Swampert charged at him, Brutus would feel him coming, thanks to the sprig leaf between his teeth, and managed to quickly step out of the way of the oncoming attack. In retaliation, the Pangoro would attempt to strike the Swampert with a Drain Punch, intent on regaining some of his lost vitality. Meanwhile, Freke would fire a Psychic burst towards the Swampert.

---

tags: Josh Dragomir
notes: Alakazam and Pangoro took the Muddy Water. Pangoro dodged Hammer Arm. Pangoro used Drain Punch (Iron Fist boosted). Alakazam used Psychic (+1 SpA/+1 SpD)

Also Hydro Pump

He smiled.

As the water fell and disappeared, something became visible -- a dark blue that steadily began to get its lighter blue color back after their being wet had darkened their complexion and allowed them to blend into the Muddy Water. A blue blob nestled in the free arm of the Swampert that it then launched towards the Pangoro when it attempted the Drain Punch...

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!"

The screaming Wob used Counter from close range as the Drain Punch connected... Meanwhile, the Swampert had been forced to take the Psychic, but with it now being one on one, would attack with Rock Slide at Josh's command to attempt to deal some damage and break free from the attack.

Much to the shock of the Pangoro, he would instead punch into the big, blue blob, who somehow managed to rush in under the cover of the Muddy Water. Thomas watched, smirking to himself. "Well played", he muttered. But before he got caught staring, he quickly turned his focus to the battle in general. At the very least, Freke managed to score a hit on the Swampert.

The Wobbuffet managed to slam into the Pangoro, causing him to fall to the ground, grunting in pain. Despite this, thanks to the Drain Punch, and the fact that his Fighting-type move was resisted, he managed to get back up. Seeing his opportunity, he would attempt to Taunt the Wobbuffet again, sending an offensive gesture its way.

Meanwhile, Freke saw the Rock Slide coming. Quickly, he Teleported away from the attack, breaking the hold he had on the Swampert in the process. When he'd reemerge, he'd attempt to fire another Psychic blast at the Swampert, attempting to pile on the damage.

---

tags: Josh Dragomir
notes: Pangoro took the Counter. Pangoro used Taunt, targeting Wobbuffet. Alakazam used Teleport to dodge the Rock Slide. Alakazam used Psychic.

Also Caught Staring

Thomas had been smart to try and use Taunt to prevent any further attack-backs, but there was one thing that neither Thomas, or even Josh, could plan around. The fact that Wob was too easily distracted. When the Taunt had been fired, the Wobbuffet had already tried to make a run towards its partner, the sparkly effects of Teleport having made it "ooh" and "ahh".

Josh facepalmed, and before any other attacks could be thrown, he held up a hand. "I think that's enough" Josh admitted with a laugh. He held out both Pokeballs and returned his Pokemon.

"Your skills haven't slowed down, any."

Thomas watched as the Wobbuffet managed to save itself from the taunt by its short attention span. The Gym Leader couldn't help but be amused by what he saw. As Josh threw up a hand, Freke held off from attacking the Swampert any further. The battle was over, prompting Thomas to signal to the two to relax.

For the time being, their Pokemon were done dancing the night away.

"Thanks, you did well yourself.", he told the blonde. It helped that he had been spending his time in Hoenn fighting, and continued to use his Ranch to keep his skills sharp, even in times of peace. "Next time you're over, I could show you my training setup.", he offered.

---

tags: Josh Dragomir
notes: Dancing the night away

The short attention span of Wob was annoying, but it was something that he had begun to get used to, unfortunately. Even as a Wynaut, it had always been rather absentminded. But he knew that he needed to help train Wob out of it for when the situation became serious, or worse, became dire. Josh understood that while this trait was endearing, it did need to be knocked out during battle. It was too unpredictable. It could be a blessing… Or a curse. And that was too big a gamble to take.

“I’d like that” he brought up with a small smile as he thought about it before letting the two out of their Pokeballs. Watching them wander off, he turned to Thomas.

“We’re still kind of setting up here, despite the fact we’ve been here awhile now. Hopefully we'll have a more in-depth training facility eventually, like we used to."