[He's not used to being the bottom of the strength totem pole. But now it's about his Pokémon's strength, not his. How... uncomfortable.]

I'll keep that in mind.

[It's an uncanny echo of what he told Sasuke so recently -- once you get strong enough, come find me -- but at the same time it's so... well. Trivial, at least from what he's seen. Fighting via animal proxy?

Still, the most jarring thing is Tenten's insistence on being his comrade. If he can't dissuade her...]