"I'm fine now!" Fang Yuan patted his chest, urging impatiently, eager to quickly validate his own ideas.
Although concerned about Fang Yuan's health, Dragonite simply couldn't resist Fang Yuan's insistence and had to entrust Eevee and the others to look after itself and Fang Yuan before it entered Nightmare Mode.
Whispers of breeze entwined around Dragonite, as if its wing membranes merged with the wind.
Moments later, the airflow tinted with a trace of black, forming a dark aura filled with evil intent.
Awakened Power·Evil, the Rest move, and the airflow fused perfectly. Now, enshrouded in the dark aura, Dragonite exuded a terrifying presence. If it had been before, at this point Dragonite would have started to wreak havoc without distinguishing friend from foe.
"Power of the Heart, activate!"
On the other side, as Fang Yuan shouted lowly, mysterious blue ripples surged through his body once again, trying to use the Power of the Heart to communicate with Dragonite's inner self.
Eevee, Self-detonating Magnetic Monster, Monferno, Glutton, Milotic, and other Pokémon all watched Dragonite, ready to suppress it at the first sign of a rampage.
However, this time, Dragonite did not go berserk.
Although the blue ripples resonating with Fang Yuan's Power of the Heart were quickly overwhelmed by the dark aura, Dragonite was in a state that couldn't be clearly described.
While resting, Dragonite basically lost its full consciousness, but through the dark view, it seemed to see the fluctuation of all things, sensed Fang Yuan's location, and felt the presence of other Pokémon, its heart exceptionally calm without any desire for destruction.
"Fly, then wake." Fang Yuan gave an instruction through mind induction. Dragonite responded immediately, flapping its wings to fly, then slowly dissipated the dark aura in midair and opened its eyes in confusion...
The experiment... was a success! Nightmare Mode, mastered!
Seeing this scene, Fang Yuan showed an excited expression, but the next second, he collapsed again. This time, the Pokémon were prepared and did not let Fang Yuan fall.
"It was probably because I used the Power of the Heart to enhance six Pokémon at the same time just now, which led to a particularly quick collapse this time; I couldn't even last a minute..."
"If my physical strength is sufficient and I enhance a single Pokémon alone, I should be able to maintain a high-intensity battle without problems. Additionally, as I get more skilled with the Power of the Heart, the duration and effect might be even longer and stronger."
In just a short moment, Fang Yuan made an analysis.
It's enough now... In a way, did Darkrai indirectly help Dragonite master Nightmare Mode?
Moreover, with the mastery of the Power of the Heart, perhaps I could go even further in the World Sprite Alliance tournament...
............
"Let's not bother Darkrai for now." Fang Yuan said after recovering again.
Easily dragging them into "Dreamland," this level of strength definitely exceeded Luo Kuo by a lot. It is very possible that it's a Top Level Fourth Phase, or even on the level of a Guardian God.
However, possessing such overwhelming power, Darkrai left on its own accord without any intention to attack. It might be, as Fang Yuan guessed, simply adverse to being disturbed, and not harboring any malice toward others.
Although... the recent nightmare wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was exactly because of the soul-striking nightmare caused by Darkrai that the bond between Fang Yuan and his Pokémon deepened a bit more.
Meanwhile, this also confirmed for Fang Yuan the method to help Dragonite master Nightmare Mode.
"Are you leaving, Rotom..." Rotom said.
"Yes, let's leave. Darkrai lives here, probably because it doesn't want to be disturbed," Fang Yuan said.
Having made his decision, Fang Yuan reflected again, "However, from what I understand, Darkrai causing nightmare fluctuations isn't intentional, but rather, its abilities are too powerful. Perhaps there's another possibility. It may have chosen to reside in such a desolate place because it didn't want its powers to affect others."
"Just like Absol, which is thought to bring disaster and is despised and driven into the mountains, in reality, Absol only appears to warn people of impending disasters. Dark Type Spirits are too often misunderstood," Fang Yuan continued.
"It was wrong of us to come here rashly this time... Now that we've found a way to help Dragonite master Nightmare Mode, there's no need to stay any longer. Right, let's pretend we never saw Darkrai this time, if we made it public, there would surely be many more who'd come looking."
Fang Yuan looked at Dragonite, who would probably understand this the best, as it had also felt guilty about not wanting its powers to disturb other Pokémon.
As Fang Yuan finished, Dragonite nodded in silence, and the other Pokémon also nodded in understanding. Although they had experienced a nightmare, they weren't too displeased; instead, it made them cherish and be grateful for the present. Most importantly, even if they wanted to blame Darkrai, they couldn't defeat it... so they accepted it wholeheartedly.
Fang Yuan had no prejudices against Dark Type Pokémon, and his feelings about Darkrai, the Nightmare God, were quite different, due to the original story setting... Now that his goal was achieved, in order not to disturb Darkrai further, Fang Yuan was prepared to leave with his Pokémon.
However...
Not long after Fang Yuan made this decision, Darkrai, who had remained in the shadows and observed them, fell silent after hearing Fang Yuan's words.
With bright blue eyes, Darkrai watched from the void, looking at Fang Yuan, the human who spoke those words.
Darkrai's gaze fell upon each of Fang Yuan's Pokémon, and as time passed, just as they were about to leave, Darkrai reappeared, floating out from the shadows on the ground. Initially not wanting to interact with humans, it was moved by Fang Yuan's words, perhaps also because Fang Yuan and his Pokémon had freed themselves from the Nightmare World. Darkrai gained respect for Fang Yuan and considered this human Trainer different from others it had encountered.
In other words, Darkrai acknowledged Fang Yuan, willing to reveal itself in front of Fang Yuan and his companions, letting them know of its presence.
As Darkrai reappeared, Luo Kuo was the first to become defensive, and the other Pokémon became alert as well, wary that the Nightmare God might suddenly attack. However, Fang Yuan noticed that Darkrai still seemed to bear no malice.
Calmly appearing before Fang Yuan and the others, Darkrai slowly raised its arm and spoke in a murky, deep voice, extending an invitation to Fang Yuan and his party. At this moment, Fang Yuan looked puzzled.
On the other hand, Eevee had an epiphany, looking at Fang Yuan with admiration. It was a stratagem of feigned retreat! Darkrai must have heard their conversation, which led to it revealing itself! Truly impressive, Fang Yuan, master of Pokémon emotions!
"???" Fang Yuan looked at Eevee, What is with that look? I'm not, I didn't, don't wrong me! I was speaking from the heart!! There were definitely no tricks.
However, faced with Darkrai's invitation, Fang Yuan still instinctively confirmed, "Darkrai, do you wish to invite us to another place?"
The usually silent Darkrai nodded, indicating that this place was only the surface of Nightmare Island, and it wanted to take Fang Yuan and the others to the true core area of Nightmare Island.
"Rotom... Rotom!!" Beside, faced with Darkrai's invitation, Rotom was shocked internally. They seemed to have stumbled upon another significant event!
At this moment, Luo Kuo also lowered its guard, and upon confirming that Darkrai indeed bore no hostility, looked at Fang Yuan unexpectedly, knowing that he was the one recognized by Darkrai. To gain acknowledgment from Darkrai, the Nightmare God, whose power far surpassed the Awe-Inspiring Old Lady, Fang Yuan was indeed extraordinary...
Elsewhere, having conveyed its message, Darkrai didn't wait for Fang Yuan's response and turned to slowly fly deeper into the island.
Fang Yuan and the Pokémon looked at each other, sought each other's opinions, nodded in agreement, and then quickly followed. The invitation from Darkrai sounded very intriguing.