It had to be some other reason, maybe he didn't want his target to escape or get hurt.
Scenes from earlier flickered through Beyond's mind, and the pieces started to fit together. He quickly turned to look at Shaymin, who was perched on Larry's shoulder.
If his guess was right, the tree man's real target was probably the grass hedgehog Larry had just revealed. Just then, the ground trembled again, signaling the tree man was making his move.
The little creatures stayed perfectly still, and a flicker of satisfaction appeared in the tree man's eyes. His desire grew stronger, once he caught that one, he could toy with the other "little bugs" however he wanted.
Slowly, the tree man bent down, and a massive wooden hand stretched down from above. The palm alone was as large as a building, capable of grabbing huge chunks of land with ease.
Deep grooves crisscrossed its surface, resembling tree bark with wide furrows, an unmistakable sign of its nature. This branch was unlike any other, it was a massive arm wrapped in wisps of black mist.
The mist swirled in the wind, giving off a foul stench that felt like the very essence of death. No living creature would dare come near it; the mist itself radiated a sickening aura.
"Snap!"
Larry's lips curled into a faint smile as he casually snapped his fingers. Instantly, the atmosphere shifted.
A flash of white light streaked across the sky, and a powerful figure appeared out of nowhere. Almost immediately, an overwhelming aura radiated from it, spreading in all directions.
This presence carried a divine weight, the pressure of Tudiyun, the God of Harvest! Every creature caught within that aura trembled before Tudiyun, instinctively bowing in reverence.
As a legendary Pokemon, even at second-tier god status, Tudiyun was a legendary beast of immense power. Ging's eyes widened in shock.
Under this aura, he felt as though countless terrifying monsters were staring right at him. The scene was all too familiar, during his battle with the Ant King, Larry had revealed two equally powerful beasts.
Seeing this new orange figure, one he had never encountered before, left Ging speechless. *How well does this old man know Larry?* he wondered. Larry's collection of beasts seemed endless, and he had never once revealed his true strength.
Ging thought he had grown accustomed to it, but every time Larry summoned a new powerful beast, Ging was caught off guard. Just how many beasts did Larry have?
What was the limit of his power? These questions remained a mystery no one could answer.
But one thing was clear to Ging: Larry was a total freak. Suddenly, the tree man moved, and a wave of crushing despair washed over it.
The heavy, earth-like presence felt like an unscalable mountain, filling it with fear. Even the black mist clinging to its body froze, and the mist that had restricted everyone's movements vanished.
The nen beast's intimidating landorus aura overwhelmed the mist, stripping it of its power. In that moment, all the greed in the tree man's heart vanished, replaced by a single desperate thought, escape at all costs!
The landorus hovered in the sky, taking the shape of a nen beast. Unlike Shaymin, it didn't struggle much to shift forms; it only needed to focus a bit of its mind.
Its head didn't change much, but its eyes grew noticeably larger. The cloud that had been around its lower body moved to its four legs, and its beard shifted slightly to cover its mouth.
The spikes on its head grew longer, and a beige gem appeared in the pink pattern on its navel. While the landorus's incarnation form looked majestic, its nen beast form radiated a powerful, commanding presence.
"Tu Lu Lu Lu Lu!"
The landorus hovered in the air, all four limbs stepping lightly on the void. Suddenly, its tiger-like eyes flashed fiercely, and it let out a mighty roar!
The tree man, who had only planned to run away, was terrified by the roar and immediately started to prepare for escape. But being so large, it was slow and couldn't get away in time.
Seeing the tree man still hesitating to flee, the landorus's expression grew serious. It stomped hard on the void with all four limbs.
Countless earth-yellow aura bursts forth, brightening the surroundings. The rich scent of the earth filled the air, and the damaged land below, upset by the tree man's presence, was suddenly nourished with abundant nutrients.
This was the breath of the God of Harvest! Whenever the landorus roamed proudly in its nen beast form, the land it passed over would come alive with vitality and nourishment, promising a bountiful harvest.
Then, grains of yellow sand appeared out of nowhere, swirling around in gusts of scorching wind. The hot breeze, filled with the powerful sand, whipped into a tornado and headed straight for the tree man.
This was the ground skill: Sandsear Storm! Alarm bells rang loudly in the tree man's heart, and its deadwood eyes reflected pure fear, something almost human in its expression.
The black fog swirling around his body suddenly became restless, and the roots beneath his feet shot out at an incredible speed, far faster than usual.
"Bang!
Bang! Bang!"
In an instant, massive branches burst from the ground, twisting and weaving together in the air. These dark branches had become countless times harder than steel, forming an incredibly solid wall of wood.
This was the tree man's desperate way of protecting himself against the raging sandstorm. The enormous tree wall rose swiftly from the ground, with the branches linking seamlessly to create a sturdy barrier.
However, after completing this move, the black fog surrounding him noticeably diminished, showing just how much aura it had cost him.
"Boom!!"
Under everyone's tense watch, the furious sandstorm slammed into the tree wall, producing a deafening crash. It didn't sound like wind hitting wood, it resembled the impact of a massive hammer striking a solid surface, the force and noise overwhelming.
The fierce wind and swirling yellow sand relentlessly battered the so-called "indestructible" tree wall. The ground beneath trembled constantly, as if a giant beast was stomping nearby.
Dust and pebbles bounced along with the waves of the storm. Inside the tree man, a growing sense of dread gnawed at him, he regretted his choice to chase after money.
If only he hadn't been blinded by greed, he wouldn't be trapped in such a dangerous situation now. But regret wouldn't fix anything.
He pressed his hands firmly against the tree wall, continuously channeling black fog into it, hoping it could hold against the overwhelming force bearing down on it. Yet, things didn't go as he hoped.
With a deafening "Bang!", the sandstorm, charged with searing heat, tore through the tree wall without mercy. It surged forward, aiming straight for the tree man, whose face twisted with terror.
The storm's grip tightened around him, and leaves and branches rained down all around.