Chapter 313: Nightmare

"Huo La! Huo La! It's bad, it's bad!"

Xiao Zhao's voice trembled with panic as she shouted, rushed to the bedside, shook the sleeping Huo La, and her tone was so urgent it seemed about to overflow.

Huo La was shaken awake, his eyes blurry; he rubbed them, his voice hoarse and a bit impatient, and asked, half a beat late, "What are you shouting about this late night? What trouble has arisen?"

Xiao Zhao stomped in anxiety, unable to hide her panic: "It's the Mischievous Rockets! They seem to have gone berserk again; I just heard several explosions outside!"

At those words, the drowsiness vanished from Huo La's face; he sat up abruptly, his once‑hazy eyes suddenly sharp, and urgently asked, "What's happening? Could it be that the Space-time Rift in the sky has dropped more Abnormal Energy onto them again?"

Xiao Zhao shook her head quickly, her eyes full of bewilderment and urgency: "No, no, Huo La, come with me right now and take a look!"

"Hold on, let me wipe my face!"

Huo La replied at lightning speed, and without waiting for Xiao Zhao to prod him further, he flipped off the bed, stumbled once on his feet then steadied himself, snatched the towel on the table, and slapped it across his face haphazardly.

He then grabbed the coat draped over the chair back, threw it over himself without even buttoning it, and followed Xiao Zhao, rushing out the door.

The deep‑night forest was shrouded in mist, the ink‑black sky pressed low, only a few specks of faint light managed to pierce the clouds and fell on the distant undulating mountain shadows.

But the Valley where the Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs reside was entirely different at this moment.

Electric Light crackled wildly across the sky, crackling currents interwove into a luminous net, bathing the whole Valley in an eerie golden hue, while the air was tinged with a faint burnt smell and a tingling sting of electricity.

"Hm? Huo La, you finally made it," Mu Chun paced anxiously at the edge of the Valley; Mu Xia and Ming Yao, seeing Huo La rush in behind Xiao Zhao, also showed a flash of eager hope on their faces.

Huo La's gaze passed Mu Chun, fixed on the lower Valley; his brows knit into a knot, and in a solemn tone he asked, "Field Master Mu Chun, what exactly happened? Why did they suddenly become like this?"

Below the Valley, the Mischievous Rockets were enveloped in restless electric currents, sporadically emitting violent explosions; some battered rocks wildly, others curled on the ground convulsing, and several Thunderballs ran amok, scorching the vegetation to black.

Even more heartbreaking, not far away lay several knocked‑out Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs, still covered with the smoke residue from their self‑detonations.

Mu Chun shook his head helplessly, his eyes full of burning frustration and confusion, and said wearily, "I don't know. They were fine during the day, but in the latter half of the night they suddenly turned berserk. I tried to soothe them, but it was useless; a few have already self‑detonated and passed out. If this continues, more casualties are inevitable."

Huo La looked up at TianQiong; the massive Space-time Rift still hovered mid‑air, its dark‑purple edges constantly leaking fine strands of energy that drifted slowly into the air, yet none ever fell to touch any of the Mischievous Rockets or Thunderballs in the Valley.

He was silent for a moment, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes, then activated the system within his body, and an invisible Probe Light swept across the entire Valley.

The next second, the information on the system panel made his heart sink:

In the status bars of all Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs, two characters were clearly displayed — "Nightmare"; even the largest, most composed Mischievous Rocket King kept his eyes shut, his body thrumming with electric currents, his status likewise "Nightmare", without a single exception.

"Nightmare..." Huo La stared at the panel, his lips moving slightly, murmuring low to himself, his gaze full of doubt and contemplation.

Then he slowly turned his gaze, cautiously scanning the surrounding forest, the sky, even the ground beneath his feet, but no matter how he probed, he detected no trace of any abnormal aura.

"What?" Mu Chun didn't catch his muttering, stepped forward quickly, leaned in, and asked urgently, "Huo La, what did you say? Did you discover something?"

Huo La withdrew his gaze, looked at the eager Mu Chun, and said with a hint of uncertainty, "I suspect it's a Nightmare afflicting them — the Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs are likely trapped in a Nightmare now, unable to break free, which is why they're so berserk."

"Nightmare? How could that be?"

Mu Chun was still digesting this shocking conclusion when beside him Mu Xia could no longer hold back and spoke first, her voice filled with incredulous shock.

Her eyes widened, fixed on Huo La: "We've never heard of that! Neither I nor Field Master Mu Chun have raised Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs for so long; they've never had nightmares, let alone become this berserk because of a dream!"

Huo La shook his head slightly, his gaze still on the agitated Pokemon below, his tone calm yet undeniably certain: "Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Pokemon, like humans, are sentient beings with emotions. It's normal for sentient beings to dream. However—"

He paused, his brows tightening again, his tone growing even more solemn: "The current state of the Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs is clearly not a normal dream. A normal dream wouldn't trap them all simultaneously; even the Mischievous Rocket King couldn't escape."

Ming Yao's complexion darkened, instantly grasping Huo La's deeper meaning, and he asked sharply, "Are you saying this wasn't an accident, that someone is pulling strings behind the scenes!?"

Huo La turned his head, met Ming Yao's gaze without hesitation: "No, not a person. Only a Pokemon could silently cause all the Mischievous Rockets and Thunderballs to fall into a bizarre Nightmare at once, leaving no trace of abnormal energy."

When his words faded, everyone present was stunned.

Mu Xia's shock deepened, Mu Chun furrowed his brows in thought, and Ming Yao also composed himself, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

If Huo La is right, then this Valley still hides a powerful Pokemon they have never detected?