[...Oh. Oh, wow does this man remind her of the dark, surly, master swordsman she lived with prior to coming here. Something in the way he holds himself, and how he speaks is so similar to Mihawk that Perona's mouth hangs open for a moment. In fact, Perona has to shake her head a bit to focus on what he said before. Damn, she's starting to kind of miss that old man. ...A little.]

I-- [Ahem, focus.] I had thought the same thing about my, eh...pokemon. They look weak and small, but these creatures are quite strong in their own regard. I've only come here some two weeks ago, and already my cute Bearsy has grown stronger through battle. Don't underestimate their strength - they're quite determined to please us, so they try rather hard to succeed as well. And if you've come to the same place I had been in when I first arrived, the wild beasts around shouldn't be too much stronger than yours. And these animals do gain strength and skill through battle.

You may be surprised by yours' potential if you commit to raising it properly.