It's taking all of Colress's restraint not to immediately dump his findings on Nate; he never seems more animated than when he has someone to explain his research to, doubly so when that person is a direct participant in his attempts to quantify potential. And Nate... well, Nate is more than "a participant" by now. Just as Nate has become used to visiting Colress, Colress has gotten used to Nate's presence, his Pokémon, his feedback. He's almost a contributor to these experiments, more than a recurring research subject. "That's certainly true," he says approvingly, when his companion gives an answer. "Between battles, trust is built between Pokémon and their Trainers that lays the foundations for when we face each other. But..."
Colress's smile turns sly. He's given Nate this look before, a look that suggests Nate's hypothesis is good, but not the one he's looking for.
"...that's between battles. This number" — and he taps the paper again — "was recorded just after our match concluded, while you were talking with Samurott. Do you see the asterisks?
"What this means is: When you praised Samurott after the battle, it actually increased the levels of energy present in your Pokémon by nearly 10 percent! In other words, if the bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon is sufficient, the Pokémon can regain some of its energy losses, and continue past the limits of physical exhaustion, using positive reinforcement. This suggests that strength is not set in stone, but relative to the context or situation. If true, we're one step closer to understanding the potential of Pokémon! Do you think that matches up with what you've seen?"
no subject
Colress's smile turns sly. He's given Nate this look before, a look that suggests Nate's hypothesis is good, but not the one he's looking for.
"...that's between battles. This number" — and he taps the paper again — "was recorded just after our match concluded, while you were talking with Samurott. Do you see the asterisks?
"What this means is: When you praised Samurott after the battle, it actually increased the levels of energy present in your Pokémon by nearly 10 percent! In other words, if the bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon is sufficient, the Pokémon can regain some of its energy losses, and continue past the limits of physical exhaustion, using positive reinforcement. This suggests that strength is not set in stone, but relative to the context or situation. If true, we're one step closer to understanding the potential of Pokémon! Do you think that matches up with what you've seen?"