Standing calmly, holding his breath, Netero focused deeply. The aura around his body expanded outward in a spatial wave, twelve meters, ten meters, down to one meter. In an instant, the "En" reached Larry's side. At that moment, Netero still didn't realize how serious the situation had become.
When Netero's En briefly touched Marshadow, something terrifying happened. Suddenly, Netero's pupils shrank rapidly, his entire body tensed up instantly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, back, and other areas.
He became completely rigid, unable to even twitch, as if he were a lifeless corpse. His mind was flooded with a horrifying image.
At the same time, his En quickly pulled back like a retreating tide. Although the contact lasted only a moment, the impact left Netero shaken for a long time afterward.
Through the perception of the En, he caught a vague figure, but even that blurry image filled him with immense dread. The true horror wasn't just the picture itself, it was the overwhelming aura it radiated. That chilling presence, which felt like plunging into an ice-cold cellar, was the key.
Netero had encountered many people and strange creatures throughout his life, even journeying to the Dark Continent and witnessing terrifying beings beyond imagination. Yet, none of those creatures' auras came close to the one he felt just now.
From this moment on, marshadow would become the most terrifying creature Netero had ever encountered, a presence etched deeply into his heart, impossible to forget until his dying day. This fear penetrated him to his very bones.
In the original story, Netero was still able to hold his ground against the Ant King, but against Marshadow, he struggled. It wasn't because his fighting spirit was weak, but because when faced with a creature so far beyond his own limits, there was no room left for combat in his heart, only pure fear. This was an incredibly powerful beast.
On the surface, Netero seemed calm and unaffected, if you ignored his contracted pupils and the sweat soaking his back. But inside, his heart was in turmoil, shocked, horrified, and flooded with countless emotions that crashed over him like waves.
His earlier suspicions were confirmed: Larry's strength was far greater than it appeared. The nen beasts Larry had revealed before were just the weaker ones. He had even stronger nen beasts at his disposal, though how many remained a mystery to everyone.
All Netero knew was that Larry's strength was enough to roam freely across the Dark Continent. Traveling through the six continents was even less of a challenge for him.
Just one breath from Larry had left Netero frozen, unable to move. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if the nen beast went on the attack, it would probably be capable of devastating huge areas with ease.
"Put it away," Larry said softly to Marshadow. His orange-red eyes, which had seemed unreadable moments before, closed briefly and then reopened.
When they did, Netero felt his body relax as the tension and stiffness vanished. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.
Seeing Netero finally regain his composure, Larry's expression turned serious. The shock Netero had just shown triggered a sudden thought in Larry's mind.
In the movie, Marshadow had controlled a large group of Pokemon to surround Ash and the others. So, Marshadow must have the ability to control other creatures, right? Could it use that power to control many creatures as its own pawns?
When Larry shared this idea, Marshadow first shook his head, then nodded, an action that left Larry confused. Was it a yes or a no?
After Marshadow explained, Larry understood the meaning behind the gesture. Marshadow did have control abilities, but they were limited to Pokemon only; humans and other creatures were beyond its influence.
That's why, in the movie, Marshadow didn't directly control Ash and the others but instead used Pokemon to surround them. Larry wasn't too disappointed by this. Having Marshadow itself was already a huge advantage, even without the ability to control others.
Besides, this limitation might only be temporary. Who could say for sure that Marshadow wouldn't develop the power to control other creatures in the future? After all, anything was possible.
As expected, Marshadow leapt into Larry's shadow. The dark surface, like a still lake, rippled briefly where Marshadow landed, but the disturbance quickly faded.
However, the Gengar inside the shadow was anything but calm. Suddenly, it had a new roommate.
"Oh?" Marshadow looked Gengar up and down, then raised its little right hand in greeting to its new partner.
Gengar quickly responded with a sincere "Geng...ngar" Despite knowing he was just a companion, Gengar couldn't help but feel a bit nervous around Marshadow, the messenger of the Ho-Oh.
Luckily, Marshadow's friendly greeting eased his tension significantly. It seemed this new partner was easy to get along with.
Feeling reassured, Gengar patted his belly and gave a smile that might look scary to outsiders but was actually quite endearing. Having a companion to stay in the shadows was a relief, he wouldn't be alone like before. They could play and chat together unseen.
On the surface, Larry's shadow appeared completely ordinary, with no hints of anything unusual. No one would suspect that within it hid two incredibly powerful fighters, an S-level and an SS-level!
Without Larry's permission, no one could get close to him. Anyone wanting to make a move would have to get past both Gengar and Marshadow first.
"Wow, that's really... scary," Netero said slowly as he approached Larry, his expression still showing signs of unease. He glanced at the shadow without making a sound, then paused thoughtfully before speaking with deep emotion.
"I had a feeling about this before… I thought with your strength you'd be capable of exploring the Dark Continent." He shook his head.
"But now I realize I was wrong. Your power isn't just enough for the Dark Continent, you might surpass even that. I don't think anyone can fully comprehend your true strength." Stroking his beard and brushing off some dust, Netero's words hung heavy in the air.
At that moment, Larry's mind raced with thoughts of Legendary Pokémon, Kyogre, the mighty sea leviathan; Groudon, the powerful land titan; Rayquaza, the majestic sky dragon; and Xerneas, the life-giving forest deity. He hadn't been very confident before, but seeing Marshadow standing before him changed everything.
He hadn't even set foot on the Dark Continent yet; how could he be so sure it wouldn't let him find those creatures?
Maybe someday he would catch them, and then his strength would have no limits. The only thing holding back his future power would be the size and level of the Dark Continent itself.
After a few moments, Larry shook his head and fell silent, letting Netero's sigh fill the space between them.
Seeing this, Netero's eyes flickered with a hint of regret, but he understood, after all, no one openly reveals their true strength. He interpreted Larry's shaking head as a sign that he didn't want to expose his full power.