A fierce wind would surround Andrea Vaneau , and one she might be familiar with. It came with the distinct sound of wings pounding the air and churning said wind. Only one dragon-type was capable of such a feat, that being a Flygon. If she were to glance toward the source, she would see a distinct saddle and bridle on the insect-like Pokémon. Sitting upon it was Josh, though he would not be dressed in his Sygna Suit; he would instead be wearing casual attire with striking yellows and purples, his hair standing on end. Anyone's would after Flygon vibration coursed through them!

As Josh slid down from his dragon, a second landed near the duo: a scowling, competitive-looking Dragonite whose wings fluttered like a small bird's: fast enough to be a blur, but not quite so fast to make noise. "My purpose isn't to collect Badges. One of the responsibilities of a Champion is to help evaluate and improve the existing Gyms of Hoenn. That was my purpose behind challenging your Gym," he clarified with a sly smile on his face. "How's it been? Think it's something you'd like to do full-time?"

Seeing Andrea's two Pokémon as they had agreed, Josh was happy she had held up her half of the bargain. He didn't. "I would have brought Kokusho and Yosei to match your Pokémon, but my Salamence is still lethargic after the whole Aleph thing. I did tell you about my Type: Null, right?"

The first Pokémon of Lam's that Josh's eyes shifted toward was Mallow, the Altaria he had used to challenge Squall and other dragons of his to a dizzying contest of speed at Mauville Gym's LOOP CROSS. "Hey there, Mallow! Long time!" he would greet the Altaria, gently bopping his snout if he allowed it.

"Against two of the finest dragon trainers in Hoenn? This will be over faster than you can say Thunderbolt!" the enthusiastic Gym Leader taunted. Josh wasn't so much a dragon trainer as he loved Pokémon that were fast. Dragons just happened to be high on the list, only flying, fire, and electric-types having higher median top speed.

Without going into too many details that would drag down Andrea's morale, Josh would offer a simple answer. "Yosei was one of the eighteen Pokémon used to create Aleph. He's still not fully well after that. I can tell you more after. For now, let's focus on the match."

Josh was used to the cold from having lived most of his life away from the tropics. "Goldenrod gets snow three months out of the year," he answered Andrea before turning back to Lam. "Besides, Tiamat and Verte here... might shatter some windows if they went all out at the indoor arena." As to demonstrate, the Dragonite's wings hummed briefly, as though she were about to disappear into Extreme Speed.

True to his name, Josh wanted to get the battle going. He was familiar with Mallow's capabilities, having raced against Lam fiercely with Squall. That race was more of a case of the course winning, the Altaria barely having the strength to fly upside down for so long. Battle could well be different.

"Giving me the speed advantage could be a mistake, Lam," he taunted, pointing for Tiamat to be the first to enter the Lilycove Leader's open-air battle court. Her wings flapping at the speeds a small bird could get to, the orange dragon covered for her partner's Pokémon, trying to keep the aquatic lizard occupied by diving into it in a fierce BODY SLAM.

"You got it!"

The amphibian was tough, as expected. What Lam may not have been aware of is that Feraligatr, if trained to fight on all fours, were incredibly fast. It was a reason Josh wanted one; they were both good swimmers and good runners. Even so, the water-type's strength and toughness were not to be trifled with.

Seeing Pepper wind up for an ICE PUNCH, Josh reached for his TERA ORB. At the same time the cold fists connected, a pyramid of chrome-colored crystals shielded Tiamat from being instantly knocked out. Even so, the CRITICAL HIT formed a lot of frost on the Dragonite's now-metallic body.

With how dangerous Lam's Pokémon was in melee, the Gym Leader felt it prudent to attain some distance from her. With powerful wing vibration that even Andrea Vaneau may have been able to feel, Tiamat disappeared into an EXTREME SPEED charge, looking to slash across the foe's tough skin. Hit or no, Tiamat's primary goal was to gain that all-important distance.

The muscular water-type's strength was an amazing sight to behold, Pepper's claws and muscles holding. Desperate to escape the Feraligatr's clutches, Tiamat continued to loudly fan her wings, sounding more like an enormous insect than a dragon as her entire body shook madly in an effort to wriggle free. It was all for naught, Lam's Pokémon flinging Tiamat to the ground with her SUPERPOWER. Another CRITICAL HIT instantly cracked her Terastal body and reopened the horrible wound she had suffered months ago. It was one Josh was certain had completely healed, but not so! "Tiamat, I'm so sorry!!" he exclaimed before turning toward Andrea Vaneau . "If we lose this, Andrea, I'm taking full responsibility. I thought Tiamat had healed from that fully, and I was wrong."

Behind the eight ball already, Josh hurled his second Poké Ball toward the Feraligatr. If Lam thought Tiamat's wings were loud, the Flygon that replaced her would sound like a Teravolt concert cranked up to eleven. Verte's wings roared like a vehicle engine pushed to its limits, loosing a horrific BUG BUZZ that might rupture an eardrum or two.