Potential Was Like Water in a Turtle's Shell-Give It a Shake, and There Was Always Some Left

"Meow... (I knew it. You can still fight.)"

"Squirtle... (Actually, this turtle is already exhausted. What you're seeing is just an illusion. Once this last burst of determination fades, I'll be unable to battle.)"

Squirtle began spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face. Nobody could say for sure how much was left in a stamina bar. Reality wasn't like a game with numbers on display.

Still, it wasn't entirely impossible to measure.

For instance, right now, sensing the paw Meownei had placed on his head, Squirtle suddenly felt a looming threat.

"Squ... Squirtle! (What are you going to do? I'm not exactly brimming with stamina right now. If you hurt me, you'll have a real headache afterward.)"

"Meow~ (Relax, you won't get hurt. You're a Water-type, so you might have forgotten something. Grass-types have a move called Giga Drain that can drain other Pokémon's stamina.

Once they've been drained dry, there's nothing more to take. What do you think? Could I use that move to find out how much stamina you have left?)"

In the cold wind, Squirtle's body seemed to stiffen a little, because Meownei wasn't bluffing.

Pokémon indeed couldn't measure exactly what condition another Pokémon was in, but just as Meownei had said, once she made her move, Squirtle would have nowhere to hide.

"Squirtle. (Hmm, you have a keen eye. This is actually the reserve hidden energy that Turtle Pokémon prepare for the winter.

We don't use it unless we're fighting for our lives.

When I said I didn't have much left, I meant my regular supply was almost gone. This turtle wasn't tricking anyone. We just define the same thing differently.)"

"Meow... (You really do have an excuse for everything...)"

Squirtle excelled at making excuses. Although they often bordered on nonsense, being able to spout nonsense