Just as Morel and his team thought the danger was almost over, a new threat appeared. "Buzz buzz..." From the gray mist, a massive swarm of cicadas emerged. These cicadas were unlike any ordinary ones, they were huge, each about the size of a basketball, and covered in a pitch-black armor that radiated a chilling aura, as if wrapped in a cloak of death itself.
The swarm was so dense it made the scalp tingle, and anyone with trypophobia would be terrified at the sight. Their strange, terrifying appearance sent waves of fear deep into everyone's hearts.
Amid this, Larry's interest was piqued, he use his ablity.
***
Name: Devil Cicada
Strength Rating: B+
Origin: A rare and hostile species of cicada originating from the Demonic Realm, a region steeped in corrupted aura.
Traits: Known for its razor-sharp wings, piercing shriek, and violently territorial nature
***
After being affected by Dark Sonata, the cicada became much stronger but also turned into an unconscious puppet. It possessed a unique ability, which allows it to shed its outer body after taking a fatal blow, escaping unharmed. However, this ability can only be used once in its lifetime.
'So, is this devil cicada a native creature here?'
It seems that after being influenced by Dark Sonata, it transformed into what it is now. Despite feeling a bit sorry, Larry realized these devil cicadas were about to attack him, so naturally, he had to deal with them.
Larry brought his hands together in front of him and then opened his palms in a movement resembling a wave. Instantly, he unleashed all the aura stored within him.
The cicadas' movements froze as the powerful aura surged upward like a rising tide. Their already tough bodies were so startled that they lost their balance and fell from the air.
The majestic aura radiating from Larry made him look like a shining sun in the dim surroundings. The strong gust caused his hair to lift and the edges of his clothes to flutter.
The gray fog around him was pushed aside, creating a clear space that drew everyone's attention. They all knew, Larry was about to make his move.
Watching this, Morel couldn't help but think, "Is Larry really planning to fight on his own?"
This was the first time Morel had seen Larry take direct action without summoning the nen beast. In the past, Larry always let the nen beast do the fighting. He wondered what it would be like to witness Larry's true power firsthand.
There was no doubt about Larry's strength, after all, he was one of the five auras that day, at least on par with the other nen beasts. Morel was curious about how Larry would handle the swarm of cicadas.
The answer came quickly. Countless thoughts converged in Larry's palm like a river rushing into the sea, and suddenly, a fiery red energy ball appeared.
The blazing flames it held caused the temperature around them to rise sharply, and everyone felt a wave of heat wash over them. The aura ball grew rapidly, shifting shapes in midair, until it finally took the form of a large red character.
A blazing figure, carrying an intense and frightening energy, swiftly flew toward the group of cicadas. The whole attack was smooth and completed in an instant, a fire technique known as the Fire Blast.
When facing a swarm of cicadas, it made sense to use fire skills. With a loud "boom," flames shot high into the sky, engulfing the cicadas in a fiery blaze.
The crackling fire mixed with the harsh chirps of countless cicadas as burnt insects fell like dumplings raining down wildly from above. Soon, a pile of charred bodies accumulated on the ground.
Although the golden cicadas were easy targets, the explosion didn't vanish after just one strike; residual flames continued to burn, leaving many cicadas dead. The air was thick with strange, acrid smells, burning and something like coke, that made everyone wrinkle their noses.
Just as Larry was admiring the spectacular scene and debating whether to finish the job, a new Pokémon hatched. When he saw its information clearly, Larry couldn't hide his shock, it was hard to believe what he was seeing.
He had witnessed the hatching of powerful Pokémon like Dragonite, or Ditto before, but nothing compared to this.
The new Pokémon was a Ghost Cicada! Not just any Ghost Cicada, but a sturdy one, a creature that had only existed in legends and imaginations, almost like a mythical bug.
This Pokémon's name was Shedinja. It was unique in many ways, from how it's obtained to its strange, unsettling characteristics.
The only way to get Shedinja is through evolution: when Nincada reaches level 20 or higher, it evolves into Ninjask. If the trainer's bag contains a spare Poké Ball and there's an empty slot in the party at that moment, the trainer will receive both Ninjask and Shedinja simultaneously. Shedinja silently appears inside the Poké Ball without warning.
It can fly without flapping its wings, has a completely hollow body, and doesn't breathe. Though it still resembles a cicada, it floats in eerie silence with a glowing halo above its head, giving it an angelic, almost legendary appearance.
They say a soul once slipped into the empty husk left behind by a Nincada, giving rise to what's now called Shedinja, also known as Shedinja due to its ethereal nature.
Larry had a rough idea why its strength couldn't be pinned down. The power it displayed was only a rough estimate, on paper, it shouldn't be this dangerous.
Thanks to the cicada's unnatural toughness, it was essentially unkillable, at least by the standards of the Hunter x Hunter world. That was what made its strength so hard to define: the usual metrics didn't apply. Its health was fixed at a single point.
Normally, that would mean even the slightest scratch could knock it out. But what seemed like a glaring weakness turned out to be its greatest advantage.
Shedinja's special ability, Wonder Guard, acted like an unbreakable defense. As long as it was at full health, it wouldn't enter a dying state, even if hit by a fatal blow. It would survive with exactly one drop of blood remaining.
Even techniques that would instantly kill most targets couldn't bring it down, unless they were the kind of self-sacrificing, suicidal abilities that bypass conventional defense altogether. This created a kind of "health lock", where Shedinja remained unkillable no matter how strong the attack, so long as it wasn't super-effective or bypassed aura-based endurance entirely.
Strangely, Shedinja itself wasn't even considered a strong species under normal circumstances. That's what puzzled Larry.
Why would a Pokémon without overwhelming traits be bred here? He suspected it had something to do with this realm, perhaps Pokémon raised in this secret domain had been super-evolved or mutated beyond their usual limits.
Just to be safe, Larry placed multiple Nen-based constraints and binding oaths on Shedinja, not willing to take any chances.
***
Species: Shedinja
Type: Bug, Ghost
Ability: Wonder Guard
Strength Rank: Undefined
Known Moves: Shadow Sneak, Phantom Force, Toxic, Protect...
Description:
Shedinja is a hollow shell animated by an unknown spirit, immune to all but super-effective attacks thanks to its enigmatic ability, Wonder Guard. It silently floats behind enemies, undetectable to those lacking aura sensitivity.
Despite its fragile body, its eerie presence and unnatural resistance make it a deadly counter to unprepared foes. Some say looking into the crack on its back drains the soul, a fact that makes even seasoned Hunters wary of its approach.
***
As expected, its strength remains undefined.