A/N: Thanks as always to my friend qazse for reaction ideas and thanks to my brother, Sai Kunai Blade for the script and making the video in the first place! Remember to subscribe to him if you haven't so he'll stop being depressed. Seriously, I almost can't talk to him without him complaining how he's not getting subs.
Sai stood in front of a muscular elderly man with a mane of wild, unkempt hair. "So, Admiral. Everything is all set up for my Handler's birthday party tomorrow, right?" He asked the older man, clapping in excitement.
The now-named Admiral chuckled at this. "Just about. It's definitely gonna be one heck of a party. Only one thing we happen to be short on: balloons. You know that girl can't get enough of those things. Probably because they're as air-headed as she is." The muscular man laughed.
"Ooh, a party. Those are always fun." Velvet said, clapping along with Sai.
Some of the crew gasped at the man's insult, though. "But who is that guy, anyway? That was a pretty rude remark. Especially pointed at the birthday girl." Blake said in annoyance.
The less mature ones, however, gave a small laugh to the burn. "Oh, come on, Blake! He's just joking around. What's the harm in that?" Nora questioned, before Blake glared at her, along with the other Faunus formerly of the White Fang. "Oh... right..."
Hazel looked over the man, however, impressed by the shape he was in. "He seems pretty tough. I'd almost call him a kindred spirit. I wonder if he'd be a good sparring partner?" He wondered.
"He's got a nice macho look going on, that's for sure." Coco said, Yang and Neo nodding in agreement.
"People have compared him to a Rajang before, so he's doing something right." Tekko said.
"Well, to get back on track and answer your question, Blake, that is The Admiral. He's TECHNICALLY the guy in charge of the ENTIRE Commission, but he just dumps all the work on the Commander and wanders off, usually just screwing with Nergigante all day." Razara informed them.
"Then he's as much of an oaf as he looks like. It's a good thing then that he handed control to the Admiral, because someone who abandons everything to chase after a monster that isn't even that big of a threat to humans clearly isn't suited for leadership." Glynda criticized.
Sai was quick to defend his partner, however. "That's a bit rude to say about the soon-to-be birthday girl. But don't worry, I think I know exactly how to get a couple more balloons before the party." He assured the taller man, an idea clearly already in his mind on how to acquire the balloons.
The Admiral appeared to be pleased with this answer. "Man with a plan, eh? I like that. Still, it will take us a while to get those set up once you bring them back, so you'd better get your Aptonoth-sized butt in gear." The Commission leader declared with a laugh.
Cue another gasp from the crew. "Completely unacceptable! No leader of any organization should say such things about his loyal compatriots! That's incredibly insensitive!" Winter snapped.
"That seemed... weirdly personal." Qrow said.
"A soldier made a comment about my rear end being- and I quote- 'Dummy Thicc'. I broke his arm and we were both forced to take sensitivity training." She explained.
"She isn't wrong, though. It's very rude for an authority figure to say such things. Especially since I highly doubt Sai can snap back at him without being fired. Not to mention it's unprofessional for a man in charge of this entire commission to be so childish. How can he hope to command respect and loyalty if he doesn't first show it to them." Ironwood agreed with his Specialist.
Once again, Sai was clearly annoyed at this. "You're gonna have to knock that out, too. People don't like being told that. You've said it to me before, that kinda hurt my feelings. You've said it to my handler and my girlfriend before and made them cry. You've said it to Aiden and his handler, they weren't too thrilled about being called that. You're going to get a visit from HR sooner rather than later, I'm just saying." He warned the older man, before walking away.
"As well he should." Winter said.
"Still, Sai handled that quite well. I'm sure some of us here wouldn't be as willing to let that comment slide." Ozpin said, looking at the more temperamental students, Yang having to look away with a blush.
In the Coral Highlands, Sai was seen peacefully walking alongside a blue and purple raptor. "Sometimes nature can be deceiving, with some creatures that look like they could destroy you in an instant being completely harmless, like the Basking shark: one of the biggest sharks in the ocean, but with only half-inch teeth that feeds on plankton. Then there are creatures that look like they couldn't harm a fly, but are more than willing to do you harm any chance they get, like swans: the symbol of peace and tranquility, but AT LEAST one has been confirmed to have drowned a man." Sai pointed out as he continued to walk alongside the raptor.
"Whaaat? No way! He's joking, right? There's no way a swan has ever killed anyone." Jaune said.
"Yeah, he's just making stuff up now! How would a swan even be ABLE to drown anybody?" Yang agreed.
"It has happened before, Yang. Those things are evil." Blake said as if she was reliving a haunting memory.
"Yeah, seriously. People like to joke about how geese are the most mean, evil birds out there, but swans put geese to shame. They have chased people out of ponds and water sources before and even capsized kayakers." Emerald said.
"Indeed. Among the most problematic are Mute Swans, which are the kind people normally think of when they think swans. In Vale, they are considered problematic for competing with native waterfowl, destroying native plants, spreading disease, and colliding with aircraft. They are also considered a nuisance in some areas due to their abundant fecal droppings and aggressiveness towards people." Penny informed the group.
"That would explain why all those servants tending to my mother's menagerie quit and why she got rid of her swans." Weiss pondered.
The host was then seen looking around the Highlands, clearly in search of something. "And this is the category where our topic of discussion for today falls into. It is absolutely adorable, but that cuteness is completely and utterly eclipsed by its savagery. The furry fiend of the Coral Highlands. The Paolumu." Sai declared as he finally spotted his target: a creature with an inflatable balloon for a neck, floating high up in the air, with a mouse-like head that looked down at the hunter before it.
The group finally saw the creature in all its glory, many of them quickly gaining stars in their eyes. "AAAAAAAAHH! IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!" Ruby screamed, many of the other females reacting similarly.
"It's so adorable! Bats have always been cute, but this one's little pink face is so sweet and innocent-looking." Pyrrha cooed, not noticing the giggles from Katana's daughters.
"That sweet little baby looks like the softest pillow ever! I just want to hug and snuggle it all day long!" Summer said, hearts in her eyes instead of stars.
"I want one! No, I NEED one! If we get those on Remnant, I WILL make one mine!" Neo vowed.
"I... Suppose it's cute enough..." Cinder said, struggling not to become an obsessed, cooing, baby-talking nut like the other girls.
"Monsters to add to the pet trade: Paolumu..." Roman added the creature to his list.
Time seemed to slow down as the hunter and the creature stared each other down. "It's... It's... IT'S SO CUTE!" A high-pitched, but gruff male voice cried out in excitement.
Suddenly, the monster opened its mouth and narrowed its eyes at Sai in a menacing snarl. At which point, an animation of a black-haired man apparently operating on some kind of alien was shown. "Kill it with fire!" The man cried out in fear, pointing shakily into the air.
"I will end you if you even THINK about hurting it!" Ilia snapped.
"Well, it DOES look like it's aggressive, based on the snarl it gave him. It's likely dangerous, so putting it down may be the safest option." Ren began.
"Ren..." Pyrrha said, eyes closed with a smile, but the menacing energy radiating off her made everyone in the room, even the adults and Cinder, who knew she was able to defeat and kill Pyrrha in the future, all fear the Nikos girl. "Please never suggest violence against this adorable creature again." She said sweetly, but the dark undertone behind it was understood by everyone. They heard what she said, but knew what she meant was "if you even SUGGEST harming this little cutie, I will rip the iron from your body".
And finally, Adam was the one to break the silence. "W-we all saw that it seemed to have some kind of balloon around its head, right? I'm just curious to see what that is all about. Let's continue, shall we?" He asked, everyone sans Pyrrha frantically nodding in agreement.
Sai was then seen crouched down and wearing a ghillie mantle, stealthily following the creature as it made its way through the Coral Highlands. "One of the many oddities of the New World, Paolumu is yet another monster that appears to be an amalgamation of other creatures, albeit slightly simpler than something like Tobi-Kadachi or Pukei-Pukei. With the standard posture of a Flying Wyvern, covered in very insulating white fur, but with a few spots that are bare, which reveal rough and bumpy scales, mostly on its back and its quite beaver-like tail. And these scales are incredibly durable, which makes Paolumu's tail a devastating weapon, but we'll get to that later. Known as the Floating Sky Wyvern, it is very much bat-like, it seems to be much more mammalian than reptilian, to the point myself and a number of other hunters believe it should fall into a new category labeled 'Flying Beasts', but the Guild LITERALLY dropped my proposal in the trash right in front of me when I brought it before them." He explained as he continued to follow the creature.
The crew had to admit, they felt bad for Sai here. "That was mean. These Guild Guys sound like jerks." Ruby said with a pout.
"Well, they are making sure monsters don't destroy the world." Razara pointed out.
"Still, they clearly need a more effective system. They have several monsters that are completely unclassified, monsters that barely fit their category- if at all, the Elder Dragon class is just a complete mess and they've denied at least two new types of classification that would make organizing monsters simpler. I cannot think of a less efficient system." Ironwood criticized.
"I think less organized would be better. Considering they've dealt with threats like Fatalis, they clearly must know what they're doing, but it seems they lack the time for smaller things like classifications. Still, you would think they'd have a specific branch singularly dedicated to this." Glynda noted.
Paolumu was then seen flying around, eating a number of small pink spheres floating in the air as the host watched on. "Now, Paolumu is a rare type of foodie known as a corallivore, often spotted feeding on the coral eggs seen floating through the air in the lower areas of the highlands." Sai explained, before he was seen evading the bat-like creature's attacks. "But that does not mean you're out of trouble if you run into one of these things. You see, due living in a place where it's constantly tossed around like a ragdoll by the reigning tyrant of the Highlands, Legiana, as well as the occasional wandering Odogaron, Paolumu basically thinks anything and everything is out to get him and so it always chooses violence. I guess they have some zebra in their DNA, too, in that case." The host informed them as clips of Paolumu being attacked by Legiana and Odogaron were shown.
"Animals becoming more hostile to adapt to a hostile environment. It makes sense, the same type of behavior has been noted in things like anteaters and, like he said, the zebra." Winter pointed out.
"Poor Paolumu! Find something else to eat, you monsters! Aren't there those flying small flying creatures around everywhere? I remember seeing Legiana hunts them!" Velvet said, surprisingly angry.
"Raphinos? Yes, but in nature, you have to take what you can get. And Raphinos are pretty fast: a Legiana may snatch one when they don't see it coming, but afterward, it's gonna have a tough time getting another one and they're pretty small, so just one isn't a great meal, compared to the bigger and much slower Paolumu." Tekko explained.
"Hey, I'm just giving him props that he's willing to fight two different apex monsters." Qrow praised the puffy bat.
After this, Sai was finally shown fighting back against the creature. "So, what exactly are we dealing with when fighting a Paolumu? Well, actually, it's not that much different than dealing with a Pukei-Pukei: they both have the flail-y chicken jumping kick scratches and the the 180 spins to knock you back with its tail. However, it also takes a few notes from Rathian and tries to straight up charge down hunters. However, this can backfire, as it tends to skip leg day, so they aren't as strong or coordinated as the rest of it and it often falls on its face. However, Paolumu is quite an ace at aerial combat. It often likes to stay in the air, just out of a hunters reach and smack them with its slightly prehensile beaver tail, which- again, is covered in very tough scales. Like, I can easily cut off a Rathalos' tail, but the best I'm ever gonna do to a Paolumu's tail is lightly fray the edges." Sai explained as he did, indeed, cut off a Rathalos' tail, but only slightly damaged a Paolumu's tail.
There were a few whistles when they saw the different levels of damage the two tails took. "Dang, that's one tough tail. I bet I could bust up those scales, though." Yang boasted.
"After all the hits it just took from those blades and the tail's only a little chipped, I kind of doubt it." Blake said.
"But how is that possible?! I understand the scales must be stronger, but Rathalos is so much larger and more powerful, so its tail should be much thicker and harder to cut through! Plus, they made its plate armor sound almost invincible! How can Paolumu's tail be so much harder to cut?!" Weiss cried out.
"It must be like you said, Weiss, its scales must just be that strong, or it has more muscles connected to its tail than Rathalos to protect it from being cleaved off." Pyrrha theorized.
The Paolumu was then seen struggling on the floor as Sai attacked it, before finally managing to get onto its feet. "However, Paolumu has a few more tricks up its sleeves. Or rather- not so much sleeves as... Well, just look at this." Sai explained as the bat-like creature suddenly inhaled a large amount of air, to the point its neck inflated to look like a giant balloon with the Flying Wyvern's head sticking out of the top. "Yes, Paolumu can inflate a specialized air sac in its neck to be able to inflate into a giant balloon and float around out of a hunter's reach. I mean- it could already fly with its wings, much more effectively, I might add, because this balloon form affords it far less control and agility that its natural state. It seems like more of a detriment than anything. I don't know, maybe I just don't get it. Kronk, what do you think?" Sai called to someone else while avoiding the monster's attacks once again.
Many laughed or aww'd when they saw the balloon form. "Oh, my gosh! That is so amazing! It's even more adorable now! I didn't think that was possible!" Nora cried out.
"Aww, it's like a little hot air balloon! I wonder if it could hold a chair with its feet to carry someone around?" Summer wondered, daydreaming like her daughter about being carried around by the balloon bat.
"I'd definitely be first in line to try that." Coco said eagerly.
"Man, this thing is just a gold mine for money-making ideas." Roman said, writing down the hot air balloon idea.
Suddenly, a very muscular man with long hair and a strange hat was shown. "Well, you got me. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense." The man admitted after pulling down a chart with some kind of map on it.
"I'm with the musclehead. How could inflating to make yourself a bigger target possibly be a good idea?" Cinder said. She may think the creature was cute, but she'd still call out a dumb idea when she sees one.
"Exactly. And as he said, it was clearly a detriment. We all saw how much slower it was against Legiana and Odogaron, plus it just gave them more flesh to grab onto and throw it around." Hazel criticized.
"Maybe it does it for intimidation? To look bigger? Especially when it's floating." Ilia theorized.
"It DOES seem rather unorthodox, but it gives the creature a sense of charm. And, if nothing else, it likely allows its wings to be able to rest as it floats around on air currents, expending less energy." Ozpin theorized.
"Indeed. And as Sai explained, it keeps it out of a hunter's reach, which is important, as even with those scales, Paolumu must be very light in order for it to displace enough air be lifted up by its neck balloon, meaning even with its sturdy scales, it should be fairly frail and easy to damage." Penny noted.
"Whatever the reason, balloon mode is awesome and I love it! That's all that matters!" Neo insisted, several other students (and Summer) nodding resolutely.
Sai was then seen dodging slamming tail attacks from the creature. "Alright, on a serious note, this does allow Paolumu to utilize its tail for two powerful slamming attacks: one where it bounces back off the ground after slamming down for a quick hit and equally quick escape from danger, then a second one with much more force behind it, even shattering some of the ground around it. So, you could see that being detrimental to you if you get hit, but at the same time, it also leaves it open for a counterattack. And as one more minor detail, it stores all the air its inhaled in its inflated neck, but it can also eject it at great speeds in small blasts of wind, similar to the mighty Kushala Daora, albeit on an INFINITELY smaller scale. Still, these wind blasts can send a hunter flying if they are hit and, if they don't make contact with a hunter, they leave a miniature tornado behind that can also trip up the Floating Sky Wyvern's enemies." Sai explained as the flying beast did indeed shoot small wind bullets at him.
"That's so cool! It can shoot tornadoes from its mouth!" Ruby said in amazement.
Ozymandias scoffed at this. (It's nothing compared to what I am capable of.) He declared.
"Yeah, but Paolumu's not an Elder Dragon, which makes the fact it can do things you can that much more impressive." Emerald told the Kushala Daora.
"Leaving traps to limit the enemy's movements. That's pretty clever. Now I'm intrigued." Adam admitted.
Sai continued to fight the creature as it attempted to stay out of his reach. "So, you might be thinking Paolumu sounds like a tall order to take down and maybe be wondering what to do in such a situation. Well, worry not, for I shall now tell you. First off, despite being quite aggressive, Paolumu's attacks really don't deal that much damage, The really only difficult part is keeping track of it as it floats and flies all over the place. But thankfully, there's a few ways to put a stop to that, either with flash bombs to blind it and surprising it, making it fall to the ground, or using either thorn or piercing pods to pierce into its neck and make it deflate and crash to the ground. But still, just keep a solid eye on it and it's not much of a problem. As for it's weaknesses, all you have to do is-" Sai began, before being interrupted suddenly.
"Well, at least it doesn't hit too hard. That's something." Jaune said, sighing in relief.
"I'm more curious as to how its neck can inflate again if it is pierced by the ammo Sai mentioned." Ren wondered.
Ruby shuddered. "deflating its neck sounds cruel and violent, though. I really don't want to see that." She said.
"That does seem a bit extreme. Especially if it debilitates the monster, which would surely doom it in the wild." Glynda agreed.
The clip of the man operating on the alien was shown again. "Kill it with fire!" He screamed, still pointing to the thing off-screen.
"No fire!" Velvet shouted.
"Exactly! Nothing that cute and fuzzy should be set on fire." Ruby agreed.
"It's completely unnecessary. Just keep your distance from it and stay out of sight and I'm sure there will be no conflict." Pyrrha said.
Sai had the Paolumu back on the ground and was landing attacks once again. "...Yes, thank you, Mark. Paolumu's lovely, soft fur is a great insulator against the chilly temperatures of the Highlands and protects from Legiana's ice, but this also means it doesn't do so hot in the heat, so fire is your friend here. Thunder is also a decent option, with Ice and Dragon being AN option, but not really the ones you should go for and water being completely ineffective." He finished as he managed to capture the Flying Wyvern.
"You know, that makes me wonder, why would water be effective on anything besides a Fire monster... or maybe Thunder monsters because water and electricity." Yang wondered.
"Well, for Poison monsters, it's possible water could dilute the poison. Or it could weaken the explosions of Blast monsters." Penny theorized.
"Either way, a weakness is a weakness. We should just be happy we have Dust that can channel those weaknesses." Winter said.
Everyone sighed in relief when Sai captured the Paolumu. "Thank goodness. The cutie survives." Summer said.
After this, Sai and his Handler were seen on an airship, flying through the Highlands. "However, Paolumu is indirectly a hero of the Commission, as through a study of the creatures and their air sacs, we were able to make similar materials in order to create giant balloons similar to hot air balloons that we were able to attach to a number of ships to convert them into airships, allowing us to fly throughout the New World in great fleets to combat new dangers like Shara Ishvalda. So, yeah... Paolumu kind of saved the New World. I'm just glad those balloons aren't made of Paolumu materials, or the species would've been wiped out making all of them." He explained as the fleet of airships was shown. Sai was then shown again wearing some other kind of mantle. "Oh, they also helped us figure out how to make the Glider Mantles, allowing us to stay in the air and mount monsters easier. Or just glide around through the air. That's fun." He added as he leapt off a ledge and glided through the air.
"Well, that's nice. Learning from nature to innovate new ways of travel is really cool." Ilia admitted.
Then they saw the airships in question. "What the!?" Everyone, especially the Atlesians cried out.
"The airship are ACTUAL ships?! Are these people insane!?" Winter cried out.
"They already have boats that sail across sand, they have to have flying boats, too!?" Ironwood questioned.
"That's so cool! Imagine having a flying boat like that. Especially if it was a pirate ship!" Nora said excitedly.
Yang smirked. "That'd be a great way to plunder some booty." She said, bouncing her eyebrows, earning a smirk from Neo.
As always, Sai was once again following the Paolumu one last time as it went about its day. "And so, that is the standard variety of Paolumu. Generational trauma caused it to look at everything as an enemy and act accordingly, but when it is viewed from a safe distance, it is a fascinating and, of course, very cute creature, as well as the inspiration needed to allow the New World Commission to spread our own wings take to the skies." He stated as he stopped and let the bat-like creature wander off into the distance.
"Yes! We still have more to go!" Ruby cheered.
"I wouldn't mind seeing another one with some different colors. Maybe something in black." Blake said hopefully.
"Did you take Nora's prediction powers somehow?" Tekko asked.
"I just hope it's another cute one. The pet trade would be selling like hot cakes!" Roman said eagerly.
Sai was then shown to be walking through the Wildspire Wastes. "However, we're not quite done with our bat balloon just yet. Much like with Coral Pukei-Pukei, a new version of Paolumu was discovered as Shara Ishvalda disrupted the New World, shaking this new species of Paolumu from hiding. I suppose at some point in time, a group of Paolumu decided that they were tired of fighting for their lives against Legiana and Odogaron, so they looked at the Coral Highlands and they went-" He began, before a short, mustached man in a red sweater and blue overalls suddenly threw up a sideways peace sign close to his chest, before vanishing into thing air.
They were all confused by the man disappearing like that. "Um... What?" Emerald asked.
"I... GUESS that means they left the Highlands?" Ilia said uncertainly.
"That would make sense. I certainly hope wherever they find is safer for them than the Highlands." Winter said.
"From what we've seen, I'm not sure that ANYWHERE is safer than the Highlands. Other than Legiana, Paolumu seemed like the only dangerous thing, as long as Odogaron's not around. Every other place had AT LEAST 2 monsters that are looking to mess people up." Qrow pointed out.
The host then stumbled upon a nest of wingdrakes that then began to panic and fly off, before a blue mist shot out from all over, engulfing the Wingdrakes and causing them to collapse to the ground, unconscious. "And so, they flew to greener pastures and adapted accordingly, becoming the currently only known subspecies of our bat beastie... The Nightshade Paolumu." Sai explained as the mist also began to make him groggy. But he still managed to get a quick view of a lavender skinned Paolumu with black fur, its neck inflated to reveal a pair of red and green eye-like markings on it, before passing out as well.
"Whoa. Those are some nice colors it's got. I like those eye spots, too." Neo said.
"Indeed. It reminds me of mother's peacocks in her menagerie." Winter noted.
"Are you guys not noticing those Wingdrake things dropping like flies? And even Sai went down! What the heck did it just do to them?!" Ilia cried out in a mild panic.
"You'll have to wait and see." Tekko teased.
"Hopefully whatever it is works just as well on the Grimm." Ozpin said.
This new Paolumu confidently walked through the Wildspire with Sai following closely, this time with no Ghillie Mantle. "And, yeah, I have to say: this change of venue worked for Paolumu in all the right ways. First of all, an absolutely gorgeous palette swap: the beautiful pale, yet slightly lavender skin, the stunning black fur and the mesmerizing eye spots on its inflated neck, reminiscent of a peacock, relegated down to a still vivid and beautiful teal streak along its neck, it is just an all around incredible sight to behold." He explained as he peacefully followed the creature.
Coco whistled. "Gotta say, you wouldn't think all those colors would go together, but it TOTALLY works.
"Yeah, the white and pink were a bit bright for my liking, but this... I think it works." Blake agreed.
"It's so pretty..." Ruby said in awe, loving how the black contrasts the purplish skin.
"Oh, look, Winter. Even Sai pointed out the eyes are like a peacock." Penny noted.
"I'm digging the blue neck streak, myself. And I'm not even that into blue." Roman said admiringly.
"Somewhere a raptor is crying." Katana said.
The two of them continued to walk calmly and happily throughout the desert area. "And moving to a SLIGHTLY less hostile environments, those being the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Wastes, has made this new Paolumu equally less hostile, now perfectly fine with hunter's peacefully walking alongside it. I mean, it will get a little annoyed and roar at you if it catches you littering, but hey, that's a good thing. This new Paolumu cares for the Earth and I think we should all strive to follow its example." Sai admitted as he fired his slinger into the ground, earning an annoyed roar from the darker Paolumu, but it still simply went about its day and didn't attack the host.
"Yes. Another non-aggressive version! Thank goodness! We don't have to hunt this one!" Velvet said in relief.
"Even better, we can probably snuggle with one!" Ruby cheered.
"I also like how it disapproves of littering. This Paolumu just sounds all-around lovely. I hope they'll be widespread across Remnant." Pyrrha said hopefully.
"So, what do they eat in those places? I doubt they have those coral eggs." Qrow asked.
"They suck up bugs from anthills and termite mounds." Razara explained.
Monster and hunter were then seen engaged in combat once again. "So, as I said before, Nightshade Paolumu adapted to the new environments it entered, but you may be wondering HOW exactly it adapted. After all, the Apexes of those maps, Rathalos and Diablos, are just as vicious and terrifying as Legiana, so how is this Paolumu so much less threatened than the original? Well, to be honest: the explanation may put you to sleep... No, like literally. This Paolumu has developed an organ known as a Torpor Sac, which produces a powerful sleep-inducing gas that, once expelled and inhaled, can render even the likes of a Deviljho unconscious in seconds. And, it retains its inflating neck and impressive control of air. This can be used in conjunction with its sleep gas, shooting air bullets at the gas clouds to disperse it into multiple directions, or inhaling more air and pulling in the sleep gas when an enemy gets too close. And I don't have to tell you a sleeping enemy is a vulnerable one, ready to be crushed under its tail." Sai explained as the gas managed to incapacitate a Glavenus.
"Sleep gas, huh? Not exactly what I was expecting. But it makes sense, since Deadly Nightshade is what many believed was used on the princess in White Frost and the Seven Elves." Adam said.
"But still, it's clearly effective. Look how quick that Glavenus went down. And Deviljho are just as big, if not more so. For it to put down huge beasts like that in under a minute, it has to be insanely potent. It could maybe even work on Salem." Hazel noted.
"A study of this organ could allow us to reproduce that gas and be able to replicate its affects. It could be good for use against both Grimm or other criminals, such as that Anti-Faunus group, the Red Sons, or the mob beyond Torchwick." Ironwood theorized. [1]
"Sir, with all due respect, if you even suggest using this creature and harvesting its organs for tests again, I will create a mutiny when I return to Atlas." Winter threatened, several cheers of "Yeah!" from the female students.
However, Sai eventually managed to knock the Nightshade Paolumu to its side. "Luckily, the Nightshade Paolumu is not without its weaknesses. While not as vulnerable as the standard variety Paolumu, Nightshade is still decently damaged by fire, thunder being much less effective, alongside ice, with Dragon being completely ineffective. Yet, strangely, Water is actually the most effective element against this new Paolumu. For whatever reason, I can only guess, but as long as it works, ready up your super soakers and water balloons. As for combating the sleeping gas, don't worry. If you get a whiff of the exhausting aerosol, just pop a quick Energy Drink before the claws of Dream World can fully take hold of you. So, yeah, if you're going after a Nightshade Paolumu, make sure you brought at least one pack of Monster. Pick your poison, I don't know..." Sai explained as he managed to drink the energizing liquid and not pass out from the sleep gas.
"Is he advertising in the middle of the video? That's pretty distasteful." Ren criticized.
"So uncle Sai finally sold out." Razara said.
"I think it's just meant to be a joke. Hunting monsters, so drink the drink called Monster. Sai doesn't even like Monster energy, so I doubt he'd be advertising it." Katana explained. "Not like he can until he gets a thousand subs, anyway." She added quietly.
"Oh, I get it! Ha! Clever and funny! A one-two combo!" Yang laughed.
"Still, at least we know how to counter the effects of the Sleep gas. That's vital knowledge." Ironwood said.
"I just hope we can give our troops or Huntsmen and Huntresses something healthier than those brand energy drinks or a soda." Winter pondered.
"In that case, some Espresso's the only thing I can think of. That stuff is the god of curing hangovers." Qrow said.
And, for the final time, Sai was walking alongside Nightshade Paolumu. "And that pretty much covers Nightshade Paolumu, proof that sometimes the best thing for someone is to get out of a bad situation and you will be better for it. It doesn't really have as big of an impact as the original Paolumu did, but even with its sleep gas making it quite a bit more annoying to fight, the majority of the hunter community seems to prefer it to the standard variety and I am one of them. A striking new image on top of a complete change-up to the creature's standard way of fighting, it's hard to ask for anything more, but we got it in the form of a rare sleep-inducing monster. And in a way, it's a perfect fit: Nightshade Paolumu looks like something that stepped out of a dream, but if you disturb it, you best be ready for a nightmare." Sai finished as he stopped and let the Paolumu walk off into the distance.
"A poetic conclusion as always. Very nice." Ozpin praised.
"Well, this thing definitely goes in my top 5. Adorable, with a cute balloon move, unique and useful abilities and a tough, defensive hide. What more could you ask for? Best monster EVER!" Summer said, causing Amaryllis to snort in indignance. "Second best?" She asked, which the Alatreon accepted.
"I think it's also cool that we're seeing monsters besides a bunch of dragons or flying lizards. I mean, they're still cool, but I like variety." Ilia said.
"Definitely a winner in my book. Maybe I can get one to use its wind to mess up Mercury's hair after he takes a half-hour to style it." Emerald said mischievously, high-fiving Neo.
"So, you guys know what to do. Tell me your thoughts." Katana said.
"SO ADORABLE!" All the females in the audience cried out at once.
"Why don't you say it again? We didn't hear you the first twelve times." Adam scoffed.
He'd come to regret that as Blake and Ilia were soon on either side of them, their mouths a mere couple inches from his ears. "IT'S SO FREAKING CUTE!" They shouted directly into his ears.
"It's fur looks so soft and its balloon mode is so puffy! It's too cute!" Summer declared.
"And it's a bat! They're in like the top 10 cutest animals there are!" Yang added.
Ruby was quickly on her hands and knees, clutching the front of Katana's dress. "Oh, PLEASE, Katana! Please bring both Paolumu's to Remnant! I get regular Paolumu might be too aggressive, but Nightshade Paolumu will be perfect! We NEED these on Remnant! I won't be able to live without them! Oh, please!" She cried out.
"Okay, okay! Chill out, Rubes! Both Paolumu's are coming to Remnant!" Katana tried to reassure the girl.
"Yes! That's gonna be amazing!" Ruby said, before daydreaming about doing the hot air balloon chair thing her mother talked about, then imagining herself laying down with the creature as it had its air sack inflated as they napped under the shade of a tree.
"Not to mention Nightshade Paolumu would also be great for people that can't get enough sleep. I know I've had a few restless nights I wish WEREN'T so restless. That and its colors are just awesome." Qrow suggested.
"So, what's next? Anything else that might make a good pet?" Roman said, before Neo smacked him in the back of the head.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but no. Now that Sai has shown off all the new monsters that have them, it's time for more Kinship Attacks!" Katana declared.
"Yeah! I wanna see what kind of destruction I could cause with a Tobi-Kadachi!" Nora cheered.
"Or what a cutie like Paolumu is capable of." Velvet added.
"Come on, Katana! Show us! Show us!" Ruby insisted.
"Alright, alright. Here we go." She said, playing the next video.
[1] Taken from DragonKingDragneel25's The God of Destruction Comes to Remnant.