[The mental equivalent of a shuddering sigh, emotion barely held back, ripples across the connection, as he tries to think through the grief that's taken him to his knees (though Red can't see that), tries to order his thoughts into something understandable and helpful. It's a distraction, at least, providing a shield in its own right from his own emotions.]

That's not what I meant. Every being - every person, in fact - has their own unique perspective. Every species has its own point of view, that much is not in contest. But though I've seen little of Pokemon, I have seen them respond to complex commands that no animal in my world would be able to understand without being trained in the expected response beforehand. That requires a grasp of language that only a reasoning mind can have.

[It's bad science, actually, but what does he know of science? He's only an ancient man initiated into a few ideas ahead of his time, some by new knowledge of the world around him and some by his open-minded nature.

That very nature means, as neither are arguing the creature was supposed to die, he leaves that room for doubt:]

...Do you think Trip has only encountered those few who can innately understand? The Pokemon I speak of were his. Perhaps it's best one of us asks him.