During the day, the floating island of Skyloft is a pretty and peaceful place. However, once night falls, the horrors of Skyloft awaken. The precious little Remlits grow into horrifying little gremlins while other monsters begin to spawn. But nothing is as truly terrifying as the demon that lives below Skyloft’s graveyard.
In a dark lair resides a demon with long red horns and imposing yellow wings. His large amber eyes glare down at Link, resting above two long fangs perfect for eating the residents of Skyloft. But as Link raises his sword to fell such a horrifying monster, the creature cowers in fear behind a little girl.
The fearsome demon of Skyloft is also its sweetest resident: Batreaux.
We first meet Batreaux in a rather unpleasant situation. Kukiel, Wryna’s young daughter, has gone missing, leaving the entirety of Skyloft on high alert, with some even theorizing she was captured by a monster. Of course, this was just a misunderstanding since Kukiel was never in any harm while in the company of Batreaux. She just lost track of time while hanging out with her “Uncle Bats.”
Batreaux then tells Link his story of how he never wanted to hurt the residents of Skyloft, and actually wanted to be their friend instead. However, his demonic appearance scares off any Skyloftian before he could even introduce himself. Kukiel is the only person who actually saw Batreaux for his kind and loving personality.
Link can help Batreaux befriend the people of Skyloft and that is by collecting Gratitude Crystals. It is said that when two humans help each other out, their gratitude solidifies into a beautiful crystal and that by being exposed to these crystals, monsters are able to turn human.
So Link helps out the people of Skyloft, collecting tons of Gratitude Crystals in the process. One by one, Link makes the lives of the citizens just a touch better (or worse if you are a jerk and flush Cawlin’s love letter down the toilet). Each bundle of Gratitude Crystals helps Batreaux grow into a human, and he shows his gratitude by giving Link some hefty rewards.
Once 80 crystals have been collected in total, the power of gratitude is able to turn Batreaux into a human like he always wanted. Like Ariel, he can finally be where the people are. In addition, his demonic aura also dissipates, allowing Remlits to stay cute and fluffy no matter the time of day and removing the less-important monster threat as well.
I think Batreaux’s story is one worth telling because he shows the ripple effect of good deeds and gratitude. While collecting Gratitude Crystals feels like a long and kind of annoying sidequest chain, Link is genuinely helping out people around him. Batreaux’s desire to see real gratitude inspires Link to actively try to make his friends happier. Sometimes it is helping someone gain more confidence while working out, or other times it’s helping people find lost items. Regardless of how Link helps out, the people he assists genuinely appreciate him so much, even if his deeds feel minor.
Gratitude is a powerful force in this world. It can turn even monsters into kind and gracious people. And that gratitude can spread, making the world a better place one person, or Remlit, at a time.
