Chapter 67: Monster From Beyond

Blade let an evil grin spread over his face. "There you are!" The Sneasel licked his lips in anticipation. "Not sleeping with the others, hey!"

He looked over at the large dinosaur-like pokemon who was laying under a nearby tree. Despite the darkness around them Blade could make out it's features. A thick heavy body, stubby legs, a long neck, all adorned with what looked to be leaves, and what looked like bananas protruding from its face.

"Seriously, what are we doing here," Hunter demanded. "Weren't we supposed to be looking for my parents."

"We are, we are," Blade made a motion telling Hunter to stay quiet. "This is all part of the plan…Now. You see this Pokémon here is a called a Tropius. It's a fruit Pokémon. There's a few of them here on the ranch. The humans pick and sell the berries that grow on their necks."

Hunter frowned. "You told me that you were following Lucario's scent. Is Lucario around here. What does this Pokémon have to do with anything?"

"Like I said, all part of the plan," Blade replied, trying to continue his plan. "Alright. I need you to use your focus blast attack on Tropius here!"

Hunter stared at him incredulously. "What! You've got to be kidding me!"

"Dead serious. On my mark!" Blade had the plan ready, he just needed Hunter to be a distraction.

Hunter folded his arms and raised his nose in the air. "No way!"

Blade sighed 'Guess it's the hard way then.' "Fine, be that way!" He then picked up a rock from the ground and threw it hard at Tropius. It hit the sleeping Pokémon in the side.

Tropius raised its head and clambered to its feet with a loud cry of "Trooooop!" The ground shook as the fruit Pokémon stood up. It's head whipped around looking to Hunter and Blade, and it glared at them. "Tropius!"

"It was him," Blade blurted out, pointing at Hunter.

Hunter gaped at him. "What! You…"

"He's after your fruit, better get him," Blade grinned before dashing away.

Hunter swallowed and looked up at Tropius. "Uhm hello Mr. Fruit Pokémon," He raised his paws to show he meant no harm. "I'll just be."

"TROPIUS…" Tropius rear, raising its two front feet in the air before shooting a barrage of spinning leaves at Hunter.

Blade circled around, keeping himself to the shadows and hidden, he needed Tropius to focus on Hunter for this plan to work. He slowly stalked around and behind the Tropius. Watching as the scene unfolded. It attacked with razor leaf, and Hunter jumped out of the way. As soon as the riolu landed, Tropius was rushing toward him, and Hunter turned tail, running for his life.

Hunter's escape was short lived however as Blade saw him trip and faceplant hard. He watched as Tropius prepared another attack, bringing leaves around it's head all of which began to glow green. Blade simply watched as Hunter struck first with force palm. Surprisingly Tropius was sent sliding back from the attack. As the riolu began another attack Tropius moved to counter, the two attacks collided in mid air and canceled each other out. Tropius continued with the momentum, charging at Hunter again, this time firing a barrage of seeds from its mouth. Hunter retaliated with a move Blade recognized as vacuum wave. The attack did it's job, Tropius reeled from the pain.

'Played your part well, now it's my turn!' Blade thought as he made his move. "SNEA…" He leapt from out of the darkness landing on Tropius' back. He slid along Tropius' neck and grabbed onto her head, putting his claws over her eyes. "Guess who…."

"Get off me, dick licker," Tropius squawked in a high-pitched voice.

"Hey Riolu," Blade shouted to Hunter. "Give them a taste of their own medicine."

"I said get off, you little fuck." Blade held on for dear life as Tropius thrashed in an attempt to throw him off.

When Hunter didn't do anything Blade shouted out, "USE COPYCAT."

"Right…Copy-Cat!" Hunter surrounded himself in a blue light, as he focused his mind's eye on the last move Tropius had used. He then lent forward, opened his maw, and fired from it a number of glowing green seeds.

They struck Tropius in the right flank where, from the moment they made contact with her body, they sprouted vines that wrapped around and ensnared Tropius. "Ahh fuck!"

Blade, seeing his plan working, let go of her and kicked off her head with both feet flipping backwards and landing a short distance away. "Phew that was close," he breathed, patting Hunter on the back. "Why'd you leave me hanging there."

"ME," cried Hunter. "What the fuck Blade! Why in the name of Reshiram's balls did you set HER on me." He gestured to Tropius, who was still struggling against Leech Seed, letting out a string of profanities as she did.

"Fuck you, you pair of little shits. You wait until Turtonator gets his claws on you. He'll fuck both of you up."

"It was a two-mon effort to bring her down," explained Blade. "I needed you to distract her, so I could grab her. I also needed you to copycat her Leech Seed attack." Blade was being honest, though he didn't have much experience with teamwork, despite being a sneasel. He used what he knew to take Tropius down.

Hunter looked at him quizzically. "Wait, you knew she had Leech Seed. Do you know this Pokémon? And that still doesn't explain WHY you attacked her in the first place."

"You'll see, you'll see" Blade flashed his cocky grin at Hunter again. "Nice battling by the way. You handled yourself far better than Ashachu would have. Even if I hadn't jumped in, you would've won that no question."

"I would have preferred not to have been attacked by an angry Tropius in the first place," grumbled Hunter.

"Let me out of these things you pair of cocksuckers," Tropius continued to scream. "I swear when I get free, I'm going to put a Solar Beam up your asses."

"Oh, shut up," Blade retorted. "Unless you want a fucking Ice Beam to keep you still."

"Wait! You knew Ice Beam this entire time," gasped Hunter. "Then why in the distortion world did you need me to Copycat Leech Seed!"

Blade didn't answer. He just continued addressing Tropius. "Now, Hunter and I need to get to the North side of the island. And you're going to take us there. Understand."

"Eat shit Raichu-ball," Tropius spat. "I hope you swallow a Drampa turd!"

Blade let out a long sigh. "I thought you might say something like that. So, I thought I'd give you some incentive." He took a step forward towards Tropius, tilted his head back and whispered something so that Hunter couldn't hear. "If you refuse to help, I'll tear your little danglers off right now, freeze your mouth shut, and tear out one of your eyes. Then, I'll make you watch, with your one good eye as I kill each and every single other Tropius in that ranch in the same way. Then I'll come back to you, and after you have watched your world crumble and your family ripped away. Then, you have my permission to die. Alternatively, you can help us, and that can all be avoided."

Tropius held eye contact with the Sneasel for a moment, almost trying to gauge if he was serious. Though he was smirking though the threat, there was something in Blade's eyes. A sadistic gleam and in what little light they had, his eyes seemed to turn a shade of cruel red. He meant every word, even if his face said otherwise.

A Tropius wouldn't normally be afraid of a single Sneasel, but something about the way Blade spoke and the expression he held, it was like he became a different person. Someone she felt she could, no someone she should fear.

After a moment Tropius gave a horrified expression. "You little brat. You wouldn't fucking dare."

"Oh, I would," said Blade that ever so annoying grin returning to his face. But that sadistic glint didn't leave his eyes. "Unless you co-operate. Now, as I said. Hunter and I need to get somewhere, and you are going to fly us there. And I don't want any funny business, understood…"

Tropius gritted her teeth, and looked over her shoulder, looking for a way out.

"Little too late to call for your humans to help you now," Blade taunted holding eye contact. "You know what I said."

"Alright fine," said Tropius huffily. "Where are you going."

"We'll tell you once we get in the air," Blade replied.

Tropius sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine! But don't think I'm just going to keep flying. I expect to be back here by sun-up."

"That's not a problem," said Blade. "We're not going to be leaving the island. Now don't move." Blade lifted his claws coating the blunted tips with ice.

"What are you?"

"SNEASEL." Blade slashed all over, tearing the vines away from Tropius. "Better," asked Blade, and when she didn't respond, "Alright then. Let's get going."

Without a word Tropius sank to her knees, permitting Blade to take a hold of her neck, and pulled himself up onto her back. He then extended his paw offering to help Hunter climb up. Hunter scanned his eyes over Tropius' body.

Hunter simply sank to his knees then launched himself into the air in one graceful leap. He landed on his feet in the middle of her back. "Olu," he barked triumphantly.

"Nice," said Blade looking over his shoulder and grinning at Hunter. "Now, let's go. YEH HAW." He pressed his foot claws into Tropius' flank.

Tropius stretched out the four giant leaves on her back and started to flap them. There was a jolt as she flapped the leaf like wings on her body until they rose into the air.

Blade saw the outlines of a building as they rose up, then a lit up city in the distance, and finally he saw the ocean in the distance.

"Blade. Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Hee hee. You'll see, you'll see… Alright Banana Butt, I need you to come in over the forest, nice and low and slow as you can go. Got it." Blade lent forward, tapping at the base of Tropius' neck with his claw and whispered to her.

Tropius responded with a grunt, but she did as Blade instructed. As Hunter watched, they looped around, flying back over the ranch and towards the dark sea of trees that was the lush jungle. The roof of the canopy came closer and closer, until they were gliding right over the treetops

"Alright then, keep your eyes open," shouted Blade, before whispering to Tropius, "We're looking for some human kid and a tall blue Pokémon. Shouldn't be had to find here."

"Hey, wait a minute," barked Hunter. "Are we up here to look for my parents. You told me you had Lucario's scent."

Blade glanced over his shoulder winking at Hunter. There was no shame in his smug grinning face. "Yeah, about that…I did have it. Then I lost it. But don't worry. Your trainer usually sends a flying Pokémon to come find you when you get lost. No reason we can't do the same."

Hunter folded his arms and scowled at him. "You never knew where they were at all did you. You're just making this up as you go along!"

Blade leaned back and patted Hunter on the side with his claw, he could tell the riolu was worried again. "I promise you; we'll find them. It's not a big island, they can't have gone far. We just needed the arial advantage. Admit it, if I'd told you my plan from the start, you would never have gone along with it."

Hunter let out a little indignant snort, which Blade took as affirmation of his statement.

'I hope we find them, at least for his sake.' Blade thought looking toward the ground for any sign of Cameron or Lucario. 'This was kinda my only plan, and I really don't think I can afford to get this wrong.'

Unfortunately for Blade, his plan was about to go wrong, as they glided over a small pond in the canopy opening, a loud roar was heard from behind them.

Or perhaps roar wasn't the best description, it was a constant sound, like flames acting as a propellant for a rocket.

"What the," Blade felt uneasy all of a sudden. "Humans don't fly planes this low, do they!"

"That doesn't sound like any plane I've ever heard," Hunter replied, though his words were lost as the sound grew louder and louder, until with a loud whooshing sound, it went by.

Whatever it was, it went over them, and left a trail of golden flames behind it. The speed alone resulted in a shockwave that nearly knocked Tropius out of the sky. She struggled to stay airborne. Hunter, feeling Tropius suddenly shaking, reached forth grabbing Blade. Blade feeling it to jerked forward grabbing Tropius as well.

"Holy Shit!" The Sneasel cried. "What the fuck is that?"

After a short struggle Tropius managed to regain her balance. Finally, Blade managed to right himself and catch a glimpse of whatever just went by. It looked like a rocket, a wide base, from which the flames spewed, and a long triangular shape ending with a pointed nose cone. It turned in a wide arch coming back toward them. 'Oh fuck!' Blade thought. "Oh SHIT," Blade cried again. "Tropius get us out of here!"

Tropius was not fast enough to react, and within seconds, the creature was upon them. Before any collision could happen the rocket came to a stop, before righting itself up before them.

Whatever this thing was, it wasn't a Pokémon. It couldn't possibly be any living creature. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, but that was the end of the resemblance. It has a small, white head with a tiny mouth and a skinny neck with three segments. On top of its head is a grey structure resembling a hat with long, flowing hair underneath.

The hair reaches midway down its body and is rimmed with bright blue. The "hat" has two small blue dots and four white spikes arranged in an X-shape. These spikes resemble decorative hair sticks. On the very top of its hat is a long grey horn similar to a drill bit. It has large, disembodied grey arms that resemble bamboo stalks.

At the end of each arm was a ring of bright blue, fin-like projections, and a collection of eight smaller, black bamboo chutes. Each smaller stalk has a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk. Its main body is conical and resembles a dress with four overlapping layers.

The shortest and outermost layer is the shortest and appears metallic, while the inner layers are each a lighter shade of green, progressively longer, and seem to be cloth or plant material. Underneath all the layers is a white body with a light grey crisscross pattern covering it and a bright blue ring along the base.

Below the dress is what appears to be a collection of eight black bamboo stalks. On the bottom of each stalk is a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk.

"What in the distortion world is that!" cried Blade, raising his claw in disbelief. "Looks like beanstalk fucked the space shuttle." His voice was scornful and sarcastic, but it was masking how terrified the Sneasel really was trembling from fear. Everything about it looked like some terrifying combination of life and machine.

"Come on then," Blade continued to shout. "Who are you, you ugly fucker."

"Uhm…Blade I'm not sure antagonizing it is a good idea."

"Ha." Blade let out a breathless laugh. "Hunty, I don't think it can understa…"

He was cut off as the thing opened its tiny mouth and uttered a single word… "St-Stargate!"

"W-what," yipped Hunter.

Blade frowned. 'Did you say."

"Celesteela fly here because Celesteela senses here was stargate. Yet Celesteela come here and find you furry ones. Your furry ones have aura like stargate! Celesteela is curious."

"The fuck," growled Blade incuriously. "Hunty, fruity. Either of you got any idea what's going on here."

"W-who are you," said Hunter

"Celesteela. This is Celesteela."

It slowly dawned on Hunter what it meant by Celesteela! "Wait. Is Celesteela your name? Is that what you're called? Are you one of the Ultra Beasts?"

"Furry one speaks truth, this is Celesteela," the creature replied.

Blade felt his fur starting to stand on end, as much as it could given it's short length. He was uneasy with this thing here.

"W-where do you come from? What's a Stargate?"

"Celesteela come from world far away, but Celesteela's world is dying. The blinding one has stolen the light. Celesteela flee here, falling through stargate. Celesteela must find Blinding one."

The more Celesteela spoke, the more apprehensive Blade became, his instincts telling him to run, and fight at the same time.

"What?" Hunter seemed somewhat familiar with a few things Celesteela had said, but not familiar enough for Blade to ask.

"Celesteela requires nourishment. Been long time since Celesteela has ingested nutrition. Celesteela can feed on the furry ones. Celesteela shall drink furry one's blood!"

Blade's eyes went wide as he fought off panic.

It opened its tiny maw as widely as it could, until it formed a small O in the middle of its, otherwise featureless, face. As Blade, Hunter and Tropius watched, particles of energy started to gather forming a small orb. It was going to attack.

"Oh FUCK," Shouted Blade.

"Blade!" cried Hunter, squeezing him a little tighter.

"TROPIUS, Fly…Giddy-up!" Blade shouted in a near panicked state

Tropius flapped the leaves hard, to pull away from Celesteela. She turned and flew upwards trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and the Celesteela as she could. But she wasn't fast enough…

There was a whooshing sound from behind as Celesteela fired, whatever attack it was using at them. The attack only just grazed Tropius' wing and right flank, but that was enough to cause her to lose her balance.

Blade and Hunter were both thrown off Tropius flying off into the distance like Team Rocket.