'"Raining?"' Ange paused in surprise upon hearing Volcanion's words, his cooking motion coming to a halt. '"I distinctly remember the weather forecast predicting clear skies for the next several days!"'
'"Dukidu~"' Lila nodded in agreement across from Ange, confirming that his memory was accurate.
'"Come on, let's go take a look!"' Ange said as he headed toward the exit.
Exiting the culinary training room, Ange walked out onto the third-floor balcony.
Volcanion had already closed the doors and windows of the third-floor balcony. Through the glass, Ange could clearly see the howling gales and torrential rain raging outside.
'"The rain is this heavy?"' Ange gasped in shock.
Driven by the fierce winds, the rain lashed furiously against the doors and windows of Ange's home.
Fortunately, the doors and windows were built sturdily enough, otherwise they would have been rattling noisily by now.
Munchlax and Pawmo joined hands, walked over to the glass, pressed their faces against it, and cried out in unison:
'"Munch~"' What a huge rainstorm!
'"Paw paw~"' What a huge rainstorm!
'"This rain is truly abnormally heavy!"' Diancie said with a deep frown.
Although the Nebel Plateau received abundant rainfall, it rarely reached the point of flooding.
'"Indeed, why on earth did it suddenly start pouring like this out of nowhere?"' A trace of worry inevitably surfaced on Ange's face.
No sooner had his voice trailed off than everyone heard the doorbell ringing downstairs.
'"It's Komala pressing the doorbell. Did something happen?"' Ange muttered as he headed downstairs.
A doorbell was installed next to Komala's small house, specifically intended for it to ring and notify Ange whenever something came up.
'"Munch~"'
'"Paw paw~"'
Munchlax and Pawmo immediately followed right behind Ange at the sight.
Diancie, Lila, Volcanion, Gengar, Inteleon, Passimian, and Aegislash hurriedly followed along as well.
Though Hitmontop initially preferred not to go, seeing everyone else leave and realizing staying behind alone would be boring, it decided to tag along too.
Upon reaching the downstairs entrance, Ange spotted Goodra standing soaking wet at the doorway.
'"Goo goo~ Goo goo~"' Goodra cried out excitedly upon seeing Ange.
Ange was stunned after hearing Goodra out. '"Are you saying Lake Sibel has flooded?"'
As it turned out, everything Absol had said was true!
'"Goo goo~ Goo goo~"' Goodra nodded anxiously.
Originally, Goodra and the two Sliggoo were resting in the water basin on the fifth floor of the secret fortress when suddenly Whiscash swam back to the fortress and frantically urged Goodra to fetch Ange, reporting that Lake Sibel was overflowing and asking Ange to think of a solution.
Unlike other Water-type Pokémon, Whiscash and Barboach preferred to inhabit muddy bottoms. Consequently, even at night, they rarely rested in the secret fortress, choosing to live directly in the pond instead.
Since Ange's pond was connected directly to Lake Sibel, any changes in the lake would instantly affect the pond.
The prospect of Lake Sibel flooding seemed completely unfathomable to Ange. That was Lake Sibel, connected at both ends by the ceaselessly flowing Nebel River; how could it possibly experience a flood?
It seemed this rainstorm was far larger than he had imagined!
True enough, Absol was completely right, a flood disaster had erupted across the Nebel Plateau!
Meanwhile, inside the guest room of Ange's house, Absol stood by the window gazing out at the heavy, sweeping sheets of rain.
It paused in deep thought for a brief second, then took a running leap out the window, vanishing into the watery veil of rain in the blink of an eye.
Munchlax had shown it the kindness of a meal, so it intended to help the Nebel Plateau track down the source of the disaster.
Unaware that Absol had already departed from his home, Ange donned his raincoat immediately after listening to Goodra, intending to inspect the situation at the pond behind the house.
'"Munch~"'
'"Paw paw~"'
Munchlax and Pawmo instantly insisted on coming along with him.
Ange smiled and dissuaded them, saying, '"You two stay safe and wait for me at home, I'll be right back and check things out."'
Covered in fur, Munchlax and Pawmo would undoubtedly suffer if they got drenched by the icy rain.
'"Munch~"'
'"Paw paw~"'
Hearing this, the two Pokémon could only nod obediently.
Lila, Diancie, and the others subsequently offered to accompany Ange, but he declined their offers one by one, leaving only Inteleon, Gengar, and Volcanion to trail behind him.
Rushing out into the storm and feeling the torrential rain lash against his body, Ange felt as though the heavens were tipping a colossal ocean downward rather than merely raining.
Arriving at the edge of the pond, he indeed saw that the pond water had overflowed its banks, tossing the lotuses and lily pads wildly back and forth in a thoroughly wretched display.
Whiscash, Barboach, and a pair of Wooper were rapidly shoveling mud out of the pond.
'"What are you all doing?!"' Ange shouted at the top of his lungs.
With the rain falling so heavily, shouting was the only way to make his voice audible over the roar of the storm.
'"Wooper~ Wooper~"' At that moment, a Wooper poked its head out of the water and cried out loudly toward Ange.
As it turned out, they were attempting to dig the pond deeper to prevent the water from overflowing outward.
Hearing their reasoning, Ange felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, prompting him to shout back urgently, '"Stop right now, it's useless!"'
The pond was directly linked to Lake Sibel, meaning its water level would always match the lake's surface level; no matter how much the Wooper dug, it would remain entirely futile.
How could a tiny backyard pond possibly influence such a massive lake, especially when the lake itself connected to the Nebel River?
Persuaded by Ange, Whiscash, Barboach, and the two Wooper abandoned their excavation efforts and retreated into the secret fortress to escape the rain.
In a storm of this magnitude accompanied by gale-force winds, even Water-type Pokémon faced danger outdoors.
The Wooper were far too fragile to withstand such severe wind and rain.
Just as Ange prepared to head toward Lake Sibel, Feraligatr and Politoed arrived to find him one after another.
Feraligatr came because the pigpen had collapsed, frightening the entire herd of pigs into fleeing out into the rain where they were now nowhere to be found.
Politoed came because Lake Sibel was overflowing, causing a massive escape of fish from the fishery.
Hearing the reports from both Pokémon, Ange felt a throbbing headache. It truly never rains, but it pours.
His pigs, and his fish!
Left with no choice, Ange split up with his Pokémon to handle the crisis.
Inteleon went to inspect the conditions of the pigpens, sheepfolds, cattle sheds, and chicken coops, while Gengar went to assist in tracking down the escaped pigs.
Ange himself took Volcanion and headed off to inspect the fishery.
With the tasks delegated, everyone scattered to carry out their duties.
Before heading to Lake Sibel, Ange first checked on the shelters of Combee, Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank.
Fortunately, the living quarters for these Pokémon had been meticulously crafted by Ange himself, making them exceptionally sturdy as they stood tall and unshaken amidst the heavy downpour.
The two Combee had simply been badly startled by the sudden storm and were trembling inside their hive.
This torrential downpour reminded them of the great disaster in the Allearth Forest.
Upon Ange's arrival, they looked at him as if he were their savior, hurling themselves straight into his arms one after another.
To spare the two Combee from further fright, Ange carried them back into the house first, leaving them in Diancie's care.
Only after settling the Combee did Ange proceed to visit the Gogoat and Miltank enclosures.
Gogoat and Miltank remained entirely unfazed, as their large numbers allowed them to comfort one another, granting them solace even against a raging deluge outside.
Upon learning that the pigs had bolted out into the rain, the Gogoat and Miltank voluntarily requested to join the search party. Unable to dissuade them, Ange could only agree with a resigned sigh, urging them to stay safe.
He strictly forbade the young Skiddo from leaving the enclosures, however.
Once the Gogoat and several Miltank ventured out into the storm to search for the pigs, Ange headed down to the shores of Lake Sibel accompanied by Volcanion, Politoed, and Goodra.
Much like the pond, the lily pads and lotuses on Lake Sibel had been battered into a disarray by the rain.
Rainwater poured endlessly into the lake, combining with the surface runoff funneled from all across the plateau to cause Lake Sibel's water level to surge violently.
The fishing nets Ange had set up in the fishery were long since submerged by the rising waters, allowing large quantities of fish, shrimp, and crabs to escape from the enclosures.
Fortunately, Politoed had discovered the breach in time and mobilized Poliwrath, Poliwhirl, and Azumarill to take immediate countermeasures, halting the ongoing escape of aquatic life.
However, rounding up the specimens that had already slipped away would be no easy feat.
When Ange arrived, the Azumarill and Lapras were darting back and forth through the churning lake waters, capturing the escaped fish, shrimp, and crabs before carrying them back to the fishery in their mouths.
Watching the large fish darting chaotically through the water pursued by Azumarill and Lapras, Ange felt a pang of heartache. If so many fish escaped and could not be recovered, his financial losses would be immense!
With no time to dwell on it, Ange immediately climbed onto Volcanion's back and waded into the lake to help herd the fish back toward the fishery.
Before long, Seaking, Magikarp, Feebas, and Veluza learned of the situation and swam out of the secret fortress to lend a hand.
These were all combat-tested Pokémon capable of riding the waves and moving freely even amidst a severe downpour.
With their assistance, the workload for Ange and the Poliwrath grew considerably lighter.
While herding the fish proved manageable, rounding up the scattered shrimp and crabs was far more difficult.
As Ange and his companions toiled away, Absol relied on its atmospheric sensing talent to finally pinpoint the true culprit responsible for the disaster striking the Nebel Plateau.
Absol stood upon the riverbank of the upper Nebel River, watching as a gigantic fish-like Pokémon thrashed continuously back and forth in the churning river current not far away.
Had Ange been present, he would have instantly recognized this legendary Pokémon as the Sea God, Kyogre!
Why was Kyogre here?
Ever since the monumental battle in Rota, after Hoopa summoned various legendary deities, it had failed to send them back, leaving the divine beings to return on their own accord.
Although Kyogre possessed the ability to fly, its flight speed was relatively slow because it relied on manipulating ambient moisture to glide through the air rather than functioning as a true Flying-type Pokémon.
Moreover, having no urgent rush to return to the Hoenn region, it traveled at a leisurely pace, eventually drifting casually past the vicinity of the Nebel Plateau.
Its arrival triggered drastic atmospheric changes, which Absol sensed, ultimately leading to Absol's journey to the Nebel Plateau to deliver the warning.
As a Water-type Pokémon, Kyogre felt its body growing dry from prolonged flight through the open air. Spotting the Nebel River below, it had decided to descend for a playful frolic to replenish its moisture.
Though it merely considered itself to be playing in the water, the natural shifts it produced flooded the neighboring Nebel Plateau with massive volumes of water vapor, triggering the torrential rain.
'"Sol sol~ Sol sol~~"'
Absol cried out sharply toward the splashing Kyogre, attempting to drive it away.
Yet Kyogre merely glanced dismissively at Absol before resuming its aquatic play, completely ignoring the Pokémon on the bank.
'"Sol sol~ Sol sol~"'
Absol continued calling out, highly infuriated by Kyogre's nonchalance.
How could such an odious Pokémon exist? Did it have any idea how much trouble it was causing others? Absol thought bitterly.
Unfortunately, no matter how angry Absol grew, Kyogre paid it no heed.
Ignored repeatedly, Absol finally snapped and unleashed a dark ring of energy straight toward Kyogre.
It was Dark Pulse.
Although Absol specialized in physical attacks, Kyogre was in the water, and most physical moves required close quarters, meaning its physical attacks could not reach Kyogre and forced it to rely on its less proficient special attacks.
Even though it knew a Pokémon capable of inducing such massive natural shifts must be extraordinary, and that it stood virtually no chance of winning as an opponent, as a Pokémon possessing a righteous heart, it refused to stand by and let the stranger run amok.
Boom!!!
The Dark Pulse detonated against Kyogre's body, but the gap in power between Absol and Kyogre was simply too vast to inflict even the slightest scratch.
However, Kyogre's splashing motion came to a halt under the impact. It turned around to face Absol, then swept its forefin upward to unleash a towering wall of water surging straight toward the land.
Although Kyogre merely employed the basic move Water Pulse, the resulting phenomenon was far more terrifying than an ordinary Water-type Pokémon's Surf, resembling a devastating tsunami.
Furthermore, the move was boosted by the rainy weather.
Watching the horrifying spectacle unfold, Absol immediately dropped to all four paws and bolted into a desperate sprint, trying to escape the impending blow.
Yet no matter how fast it ran, how could it possibly outpace a tsunami?
Seeing the overwhelming wall of water bearing down to engulf and crush it into dust, Absol instinctively halted its steps and closed its eyes.
At that critical juncture, a dark wave of energy materialized out of thin air, instantly shattering the oncoming tsunami.
Having closed its eyes, Absol waited a long time without feeling the impact of the water, prompting it to open them. It then noticed a colossal dark bird materializing overhead.
Although it was nighttime and pouring rain, blending the giant bird seamlessly into the darkness, Absol could still clearly make out its form.
Majestic and terrifying!
The sight of the bird filled Absol with an overwhelming urge to drop to its knees in worship.
The bird lightly flapped its wings, locking eyes in a tense standoff against Kyogre.
Absol could plainly see that the arrival of this giant bird had caused Kyogre's previously casual attitude to vanish entirely.
Who else could that bird be if not the God of Destruction, Yveltal?
When the downpour first began, Yveltal had sensed something was amiss. Lacking Absol's innate disaster-sensing talent, however, it had arrived a step late.
Seeing Yveltal suddenly appear, Kyogre looked momentarily startled.
It's you!
It recognized Yveltal instantly.
And Yveltal did the same.