There was a theory called bucket theory, which held that the shortest stave was the deciding factor. If that weakness could not be remedied, the water would leak out no matter how long the other staves were.
But that was because there was no truly long stave-in other words, no strength of one's own.
As long as there was an advantage, and it was great enough, that strength could offset the weakness.
Teammates could help make up for shortcomings. That was the difference between Pokémon that lived alongside humans and wild Pokémon.
Pokémon living in the wild mostly banded together with their own kind and could not overcome their species' innate weaknesses. Corviknight, for instance, could do little against Tinkaton. If they did not fly high enough, a single hammer blow could knock them out of the sky.
Against fast Pokémon such as Fearow, Corviknight could not catch up even though they could fly.
But teaming up with Lucario made up for that disadvantage.
Forcing a slow Pokémon to focus on speed would ultimately leave them unable to run fast or take a hit, turning them into a sitting duck the moment they entered battle.
Ash's Torterra was a clear example. Before evolving, he had a decent battle record; afterward, he kept taking losses.
Almost every Pokémon in Ash's hands eventually had to consider a fast-offense approach. Even Snorlax was essentially a nimble fat guy.
Of course, Torracat was merely somewhat lacking in agility. His speed was not low, and his strength was excellent.
Meownei simply wanted to make it clear that Litten should not blindly imitate others, especially Squirtle.
If that turtle had been a little less talented and had a shorter lifespan, who knew what he would be like by now?
The next day, Xin Mu brought Meownei