Tamaro was not one to rush into such a battle as this, even if Vulpix had been completely well. Clair was a powerful trainer, and he knew her by reputation even before meeting her today. She was a master of Dragons, and his knowledge of Dragon Pokémon was minimal. Tamaro made the exchange of some of his Pokémon, depositing some, and withdrawing others including his Dratini.

     Dratini had been "given" to him by an old man he met just outside of Ecruteak City. Tamaro had helped the old man out, and in return he received Dratini as thanks, and also because the man said he was too old to be training Pokémon anyway. Tamaro had taken very good care of Dratini, but had only used it once in battle. It wouldn't help in a battle against Clair, but if he used Dratini beforehand, it might help him to understand Dragon Pokémon better.

     After a quick check in on Vulpix, he headed to the Blackthorn Library for a look at some of the local literature concerning Dragon Pokémon. After he had absorbed enough information, he wandered around Blackthorn until he found just what he was looking for, a group of people all ages standing around watching a Pokémon match. Tamaro joined the crowd with interest. He needed an opponent to try Dratini against, but he found something even better. One of the two combatants was a hot-shot local trainer, and that meant he specialized in Dragon types.

     Apparently the match had just begun. The Dragon trainer, maybe about Tamaro's age or perhaps a tad older, was facing off against someone who looked about 20 years old. It was a spectacular match to watch, but in the end the 20-year-old had used up all 6 of his Pokémon and only knocked out 2 of the Dragon trainer's Pokémon. The loser recalled his final Pokémon and walked away with his head low. The Dragon trainer then stood on the field, apparently waiting for any other potential challengers. Tamaro walked slowly forward. He pulled out a Pokéball and stood facing his opponent.

     "You're not from around here. What's your name, trainer?" the Dragon trainer asked him.
     "The name's Tamaro, I come from Celadon City in Kanto." he replied.
     "You've done some travelling so I hope you're a worthy opponent. My name's Krael. I've only got 4 Pokémon left, but you can feel free to use 6," Krael said a little snobbily.
     "Very kind of you, but I don't think I'll need that many," Tamaro retorted, trying to irritate Krael a little if possible. He liked Krael's battle style, but not his attitude.

     Krael pulled out a Pokéball and both trainers tossed them at the same time. First Pokémon on the field were Tamaro's Beedrill VS Krael's Swablu. Tamaro had never seen a Swablu before, but common sense told him it was a Flying type and would have the advantage. Fortunately his Beedrill had been with him since very early on in his journey. Tamaro was confident it would come through, and thus began the match.

     Type advantage against long experience made for a close battle, all of which took place in the air. At last Tamaro ordered Beedrill to give the definitive blow. The Twin Needle went perfectly and Swablu was recalled just before it fell to the ground. Krael, obviously not happy, sent out a Dratini. Beedrill was plenty exhausted and so Tamaro instantly recalled it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He knew he would lose a Dratini VS Dratini battle against someone skilled at raising Dragons, but this was the perfect opportunity to learn.

     "Go Dratini!" he shouted a little more excitedly than he normally would have.
     "So you've got a Dragon Pokémon too, huh? Should be interesting," Krael said.