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mateo martinez

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He hangs toward the back of the group, self conscious and not completely willing to even involve himself in the first place. There's better people to assist in the valiant act of saving the little Delibird, much better equipped than he. Besides, what is he even doing here? It's not like he even knows these people... He just happened to be in the right (possibly wrong) place at the right time.[break][break]

An invitation is thrown to the whole lot of them, the idea slightly intimidating if he really thinks about it. This man is strong, clearly, and him, tagging along? It'd be like a tiny mouse scurrying after a lion. Despite this, he merely nods, shuffling toward the front of the masses to meekly smile at the man.[break][break]

"Yeah," he murmurs, soft and quiet, almost shrinking into himself. What exactly is he signing up for? The mention of noise almost deters him but he stays firm in the notion of joining, instead looking down at the somewhat disgruntled Delibird. "Little guy needs some protection, right?" He'd do his best, even if it might not be half as much as the rest. Some effort is better than none, perhaps?

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mateo martinez

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And they're off, the Delibird leading the troops toward whatever destination it has in mind. They follow like sheep, majority of the group chatting among themselves. He keeps quiet, contemplating if he should call out one of his own Pokemon. There's a few in their ranks, but would it be odd to just randomly summon one of his dragons out? Maybe Gible would be best? Ugh, maybe not. Little guy has a habit of biting everything...[break][break]

He doesn't notice the man speaking to him at first, passing it off as him trying to chat with one of the other group members. It takes a few seconds before he startles, understanding crossing his features. "Oh, yeah," he mumbles. It isn't every day that someone of this guy's bravado willingly seeks a conversation with him. He's kind of a loner? Well, a self appointed one. Being shy and nervous isn't exactly alluring to most. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come across like one of them," the way he says them, he almost sounds disgusted. Poaching is certainly frowned upon but something about it just really rubs him the wrong way. Maybe it's the strong preying on the weak that is unsettling. "Your punches probably hurt," he attempts to joke, the laughter that follows sounding awkward.[break][break]

The man faces him as he talks, curiosity seeping through his words. Funny, he hadn't really thought anyone would ask him that before. His actions aren't cause for curiosity, at least not to him. Maybe he's just being polite? Ronan humors him, looking a little sheepish as he responds. "I got a little lost," he sighs. "I wanted to find a new Pokemon or two and apparently I can't tell where anything is." Honestly, his sense of direction might be worse than his ability to not cry. "Do you save Delibird in your spare time?" His tone is serious, the question genuine but with the tone and his stoic face, he just sounds odd.[break][break]

Make a fool out of yourself in front of someone who wanted to punch you? Check!

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mateo martinez

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He simply stares at the man, confusion writing itself onto his face. Is he... Is he being serious? The Delibird's bag is simply its tail? Huh, the more you know apparently.[break][break]

The man continues on in his story, laughter puncturing his words until he dissolves into full hysterics, Ronan staying silent for the finish of the story. "Huh," he offers meekly. Does he tell him he had no idea it was the tail and not just a simple bag? Honesty is the best policy, right? Oh, but this guy is currently losing it just by talking about someone being stupid enough to rip the tail of a Delibird... He'd definitely laugh right to his face. Better to say nothing.[break][break]

"Dragon master?" He chooses to pick the part that is least likely to get him made fun of, focusing on the dragon bit instead. "You're also a dragon trainer? Or, er, master," He knows that other people enjoy dragons, the typing being one of the more difficult types to train but dragon master? Jealousy pricks at his mind and he tries to ignore it, moving to finally summon one of his Pokemon with a small smile. His Gible comes with a growl, teeth gnashing together at the action of being scooped up into previously idle arms. "Is it hard?" He questions curiously, before the notion that the man probably has no idea what he's referring to and so he speaks again. "Mastering dragon training or something, I mean..." It was hard for him, at least. A crybaby like him, taming a dragon? He got laughed out of Blackthorn by just showing his lack of tenacity, let alone trying to show his abilities. Maybe he could actually learn something from stumbling upon this man...[break][break]

Or, on the other hand, he could get mocked? At least he didn't mention the lack of knowledge about Delibird... That's a small win, maybe?

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mateo martinez

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The Gible in his arms continues to gnaw, settling for chewing on a stray piece of long hair, as Ronan grows a bit flustered. The man's excitement upon seeing his Gible is to be expected, he supposes. He is a dragon master, after all, but... The mousy boy isn't used to the reaction. He merely nods, keeping quiet as the man begins to explain.[break][break]

The explanation sounds simple enough, at least as straightforward as he could understand. He glances at the Dragonite at the front of the group as the man continues. A strong Pokemon, raised by a strong trainer, bonded together through years of friendship and companionship. Could his Gible become that strong too? He glances down at the little dragon, earning a growl from the beast. Eh... It'll take a lot of work and probably dozens of bandages but they'll get there! "Your Dragonite is really impressive," he offers a small smile, quiet against the chatter around them. "Was it difficult to train him at first?" He sighs, then, with another glance down at Gible. "This little guy just won't listen to anything and all he does is bite me," Ronan tries to not show embarrassment but it filters through his words, the feeling of failure quick to flood his system.[break][break]

"Oh, so you should focus on the journey with one dragon-type before capturing more?" It sounds like good advice, something he almost wishes he had known before. Sure, his other two dragons aren't as... vicious as Gible. Well, Salamence is, but that's... Okay, that's basically the same thing. Ugh, he's definitely a failure. "No, Gible's the newest member to my team. I have a Salamence and Dragonair as well but..." He trails off, uncertain of if he should make it known that he can't really tame any of them effectively. "They're all a bit unruly? Or, well, their personalities are difficult to tame." That sounds kinda accurate, right? "Dragonair is more indifferent, but between Salamence and this little guy, I can't seem to get them to not bite everything," his tone falls flat as his face drops into something akin to sadness. "Does that mean I'm a bad trainer?" The question comes out soft, almost inaudible against the chatter, a thought that's been weighing on him for far too long.[break][break]

Everyone had said a crybaby couldn't tame a dragon. Maybe they're right? Ugh.

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mateo martinez

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His head bobs as he hums out an agreement. To him, it doesn't feel like an accomplishment to have both dragons in his company. He just feels... inadequate, unable to raise them to their full potential. Perhaps if they were to be trained under this man, they would turn out better... Self-consciousness picks away at him as it always does, swirling beneath the surface and clawing at his mind with sharp nails.[break][break]

His eyes follow the Dragonite as the man speaks. He seems playful, energy bursting from the seams. A fond smile even rises to the young man's features as the large dragon shoves himself on top of an unsuspecting snowman. It's a cute sight, truthfully. To see a big, ferocious dragon like Dragonite acting like a small child is something Ronan thought he'd never see. Pokemon come in all personalities, however, and he supposes he shouldn't be as surprised as he feels. It's not the most unusual thing, right?[break][break]

His eyes drift toward his Gible while Mateo continues to explain his Dragonite's origins. The wildest of Dratini's, huh? Maybe his Gible will turn out alright, then? If this Dragonite is any indication, the personality can definitely change. Maybe? Oh, he hopes so... He'd have no idea what to do if his little Gible continued to be just as vicious when he finally grows up to become a Garchomp. "How did you end up raising him?" He murmurs. Next, he blinks and then sighs before continuing to speak, soft and shy. "I mean, he seems like a really nice Pokemon. Strong, too." It's not a secret that this man has something about him, something about his Pokemon even. It's as though they exude strength. It practically rolls off them in waves and well, Ronan has no hope of ever becoming something like that. It isn't even fathomable.[break][break]

"Maybe he'll be shy, then?" He questions before dissolving into small chuckles. The notion that his Gible, snippy and rude little Gible, could become anything like him seems a little far-fetched. It's funny, really. As if sensing his amusement, the small dragon moves to gnaw at one of the hands wrapped around his body. Fortunately, Ronan is used to the action and merely provides a few fingers for Gible's enjoyment. The dragon is content for the time being, more than happy to chomp mindlessly at his flesh. It's fine, everything's fine! "I kind of hope he'll mellow out a bit," Ronan sighs out. "It's not that I'm not happy with the way he is now," he adds after a moment. "It's just difficult to get him to listen to anything I say when he just wants to chew on everything."[break][break]

The man's next sentence causes him to pause, eyes widening slightly. Scary scent? He's nothing more than a mouse, a crybaby who's probably in over his head. There's nothing scary about him. "What do you mean by scary?" He almost wants to laugh, to deny the statement as quickly as possible. Instead, he mumbles, almost inaudible among the chatter around them. "I'm far from scary, sir." In his arms, Gible shifts slightly to get closer to the hand he's nibbling at. The man continues and Ronan feels the heat of a flush rising to his cheeks. He moves one arm away from his Gible, balancing the weight of the small dragon into the other arm while his newly freed hand rises to nervously rub at the back of his neck. Strands of hair shuffle to make room for the appendage and while Gible coos, happy to have one hand all to himself, Ronan sheepishly smiles. "You might be putting too much faith in us," he says. It's a lot to take in, truthfully. To believe that his Gible will become a really strong Garchomp? Well, it's something he's dreamed of since taking the dragon in but he always thought it was just a silly fantasy. "I want to be able to raise them to be strong but I don't think I can do it," his voice is soft, vulnerable. "I feel like I'm just going to fail them..."[break][break]

"You," he pauses. "You really think I have hidden potential?" Now he really might be putting too much faith in them. Ronan feels like a failure, like he's a disgrace to dragon tamers. It's not like he's strong or anything, not even intimidating. How could he raise his dragons to be strong when he isn't? It sounds like a recipe for disaster... "I'll try to be a trainer you'll be proud of," he mumbles, gaze falling to his feet as he speaks. If one person could be proud of him and what he accomplishes, that would be enough for him.

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