[Thankfully, Ian is completely correct and Souji doesn't move at all, aside from the occasional wavering of his sword from how much he's shaking. He watches Ian's movements, seeming to relax a bit if only from the very clear indications Ian is giving him that he's being careful and trying to sooth Souji's troubled mood without even being close to him. It was one of the things Souji had learned to appreciate about Ian early on.]
I'm not asking you to transform. We've fought against copies of ourselves before.
[... how could this even work? What would make things okay? Souji had no idea what he wanted to hear.]
... I'll prove myself to you first. Ask me anything.