[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

The boy's distinct lack of enthusiasm for their (to him) noble and just accomplishment deflates Terra's own sense of visceral satisfaction  over it, causing him to frown worriedly at them for a few seconds, before slowly nodding his head.

"....If you say so. *Shakes his head* No, you did. Takes.....bravery.....passion, and good spirit to fight [i]demons [/i]like those Sableye. Helped Bridge and his men too, so be proud and happy of what you did. *Looks away* …Couldn't do what you did. Would have.....ran away, instead of fighting......them, *Shudders*…"

His reaction to the news of Nathan's Ditto and its abnormalities was initially meet with great curiosity and interest on the mountain of a man's part. The metamorphic Pokémon was notoriously rare and useful the world over, and in his travels across Hoen he'd encounter several of them himself (by complete accident, mostly), so he was well and aware of their existence. Hearing that Cheshire's subspecies unique trait served to cement in his mind that the Pokémon in Cheshire were more strange and/or special than not, and made it all the more appealing!

When they brought up it could Transform into a near perfect Sableye, though, Terra became greatly subdued. He lost almost all his fascination in the pink gooball, with it replaced with anxiety, nervousness, and a frown as he leaned back in his chair. The unpolished Sablenite being present....well, it only intensified his reactions. ( I would say he'd be familiar with Mega Evolution, if only because he's fought Trainers that used it before and did some study on it himself after seeing it for himself [A rare thing for him!])

".....Oh. Uh....."

That's all he managed to say, before he shut his trap, gulped, and remained still and silent as a rock, his gaze anywhere but on the clever trainer right now.

If that ain't a negative response for the stoic, then what is?

"...as I said, it's a seemingly random occurence.  And most of its behavior when it is a Sableye is focused on the gemstones from what I can tell.  Not really a mischievous troublemaker, thankfully.  Don't even have an actual Sableye, so it's not like this Sablenite is worth very much to me unless I go and catch one and take the time to bond with it.  Partially keeping it to help satisfy that gemstone craving for Ditto if it ever turns into a Sableye again, I guess.  Little guy can't stop nibbling on it when it's like that, and it doesn't even have a scratch on it to show for it."

...

"...though, on the note of wild ones...Mt. Sentry has its fair share of wild Sableye in it ever since Captain Bridge's brigade was waylaid by those gemlins from the Ruins.  Most of them hang around the Gem Mines for obvious reasons, if I remember correctly.  They're frequently considered pests, and the Cress City Gym Leader is usually the one who has to deal with them when they appear in larger numbers.  They're not really malicious, thankfully...same with the Sableye that are occasionally seen in Earthstar Forest, for that matter.  Just nuisances and nothing more, usually.  It's the ones from the Skull Ruins that typically warrant extra careful caution..."

...Nathan's not really sure what else to say.

...so Gallade, who's been standing in a corner, arms crossed and monitoring the conversation, pushes off from the wall and heads over to Terra.  Puts a reassuring hand on the big guy's shoulder.

It'll be fine.  Sableye are actually fairly tame as far as most Ghost types go.

As long as they don't originate from the Skull Ruins, that is.

If Terra needs extra reassurance, Gallade makes a show of showcasing his Night Slash.  Any that dare pick on the weak and take advantage of long standing fears won't be standing very long on his watch.  And if any Sableye do end up joining a member of the group on their travels, they'll be watched carefully until they can be trusted to be Loyal allies.

It's a little complex, but Gallade doesn't mind taking the time to make sure Terra understands that there's plenty of help to go around and there's not much reason to worry.  And Nathan's there to interpret as well if Terra asks.