[ Monsters that one could work with? Ardbert can only attribute that to something like an amaro or a chocobo, though he doesn't think of them as monsters exactly. That's a matter of semantics, however. ]

Pokemon. [ He echoes the foreign word with a frown, but then his expression becomes much more fond as he continues on. ] One of my closest friends back home was a creature called an amaro, a sort of winged beast, though they're highly intelligent. Some of them even learn human speech if given enough time.

[ While he'd never been able to exchange words directly with Seto, there hadn't necessarily been the need for that sort of communication. There had been an instinctive understanding between them. ]

I fear we will not find such friendly creatures here. [ Almost as soon as he speaks the words, Ardbert hears movement from deeper into the brush. With the number of trees surrounding them, he can't instantly track the source of the sound, but there's no reason to hesitate. He draws his axe from his back, then gestures for Nanu to get behind him. ] I'll handle this — steer clear of it.