Naomi watched as Makka and 'Tai trained, sparring with each other. She'd seen her fair share of pokemon combat, of a variety of skill levels, and even so it was clear to her that this was sparring. Training. They were going at each other with strength and purpose, but not at the pace that marked a real fight.<br/><br/>It reassured her enough that she settled back and observed.<br/><br/>Makka had anticipated the tail coming around like that, and easily sidestepped it, accepting 'Tai's tackle and countering with a swing of his fist. 'Tai tried to dodge the blow but got clipped anyway, and responded by trying to loop around Makka with his tail, again from his right.<br/>The fight went back and forth, until Makka spread out his hands and signaled a stop, pushing against the air. He slapped his side, miming being wrapped by the tail, and waited.<br/><br/>'Tai obliged her, curling firmly around Makka and squeezing until Makka let out a soft grunt and nodded in satisfaction. Then he pulled 'Tai to the ground, using the leverage of the Dratini's body against him. Even though his biceps had been caught by the tail and pinned against his body, he still drummed his fists into 'Tai's sides and propelled the dragon-type around against the hard-packed ground of the training ring until 'Tai let go with a squeak. 'Tai beat the tip of his tail against the ground and tried to slither free, which Makka allowed and stood up.<br/><br/>Makka mimed and grunted, clearly 'teaching' 'Tai, explaining with his hands and body language that immobilizing yourself around the opponent was a less than useful technique. The point taken, 'Tai nodded, stretching and undulating to loosen up, focused and ready.<br/><br/>Naomi couldn't help but notice how different 'Tai was now. Earlier in their travels, he'd been halfheartedly following her attempts to train him to do something with his abilities, but now, his focus and his eagerness had caught her attention. Perhaps she'd been going about it the wrong way, blinded by his ability to command the elements and not paying attention to his physical side, the compact and powerful coil of muscles. It brought home how little she really knew of her companion despite their years together.<br/><br/>She paid closer attention to the fight from then on, closing the schematics she'd been viewing and tucking the device away as the two resumed sparring.<br/><br/>It was like a dance, in many ways, patterns of movement emerging from the flow of attack, dodge, counterattack. She saw that 'Tai preferred to swing his tail from the right, consistently, and that the Machoke was always on guard from that direction. Time and again between their clashes, 'Tai would try to clock Makka with his tail and Makka would deftly sidestep, dodge, duck, or even hop over the swing.<br/><br/>She stood up, and bowed in the direction of the fight, taking a step forward, catching Makka's eye. And the next time 'Tai launched himself in a bid to hit Makka, she shouted, [color="36495ED"]"Left!"[/color]<br/><br/>Acting reflexively, 'Tai whipped his tail around to the left, and for the first time caught Makka squarely, bowling the more experienced fighter over. It was only a momentary advantage, as Makka immediately rolled to his feet clear of 'Tai's reach. He grunted, flashing 'Tai and Naomi a pleased look, hands held out in the signal to stop before he brought them together and bowed. 'Tai bowed back, head bobbing, and Makka came over to give him a congratulatory slap on the back.<br/><br/>The sparring session now over, Makka pointed at the various training devices scattered around the yard; the posts, the crudely stuffed bags, and signaled 'Tai to follow. He jumped up onto one of the posts, then another, challenging the Dratini to follow and leading him through the routine. 'Tai eagerly followed, and Naomi settled down to watch again.<br/><br/>Her attention may have been divided between planning the repairs of Eleyna's pokedex and recording her thoughts about her travels, but she could not help but notice 'Tai's sheer enthusiasm for the physically oriented training, and the thought that she'd been wrong to try to get him to use his powers instead of his body. That was something she'd have to correct in the future.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>