Carried in Feraligatr's hands were two bird-like Pokémon. They resembled cormorants, featuring deep blue feathers covering their entire bodies, while the feathers on their chests were light blue.
Furthermore, their wings were much smaller than those of ordinary birds, giving them a rather clumsy and endearing appearance.
Weren't these none other than Cramorant, the Cramorant of the Ruin and one of the Disaster Pokémon? Ange thought with a strange expression.
Of course, Cramorant had nothing to do with the Disaster Pokémon, and it was merely an old meme from Ange's past life.
There were only four true Disaster Pokémon: Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu.
The Disaster Cramorant was just a playful nickname.
The utterly dispirited expressions of the two Cramorant made Ange look at Feraligatr in confusion as he asked, "Where did these two Cramorant come from?"
"Toto toto~" Feraligatr explained angrily to Ange.
Because the pigpen had not yet been repaired, Feraligatr needed to keep a constant eye on the herd.
Noticing that the pigs were thoroughly caked in mud from the heavy rain last night, Feraligatr had driven them down to the lake for a bath after lunch.
Once in the water, the pigs thoroughly enjoyed themselves and behaved much better than they did on land, prompting Feraligatr to feel considerably more relaxed.
Consequently, it lazily lay down to rest on the grassy bank beside the lake.
At that moment, it suddenly heard the sound of splashing water echoing at intervals. Out of curiosity, it followed the noise to investigate.
To its surprise, it witnessed two unfamiliar Pokémon foraging for fish and shrimp in the lake.
Those fish and shrimp were all Ange's property, having escaped straight from Ange's fishery.
To retrieve the stray fish and shrimp, Politoed had led Poliwag, Poliwrath, Marill, Azumarill, and Lapras into the lake to work after lunch, making the task remarkably exhausting.
Therefore, seeing those two Pokémon stealing Ange's fish made Feraligatr furious, and it decided to teach the two uninvited guests a harsh lesson.
Considering that the two Pokémon were birds and capable of flight, Feraligatr did not act recklessly.
It quietly slipped into the water, concealed itself beneath the surface without making a sound, and inched closer bit by bit.
When the two Pokémon plummeted from the sky like cannonballs and plunged headfirst into the water, it struck with lightning speed and captured one of them in a single move.
Even though the captured Pokémon struggled violently in its grip, how could its physical strength possibly rival Feraligatr's? Consequently, it was quickly exhausted in Feraligatr's grasp.
The other Pokémon proved clever; upon realizing something was amiss, it immediately burst out of the water and escaped into the air beyond Feraligatr's reach.
Feraligatr surfaced while holding the captured specimen and fired a Water Gun at the one in the sky.
Unfortunately, Feraligatr was not particularly skilled in special attacks, and its Water Gun accuracy was mediocre, meaning it consistently failed to hit the bird.
That Pokémon didn't run away either, especially since its companion had been captured by Feraligatr.
The two Pokémon relied on each other for survival, making it impossible for one to abandon the other and flee alone.
As a result, Feraligatr threatened it by holding its partner hostage, forcing the airborne Pokémon to surrender obediently.
In this manner, both Pokémon were captured by Feraligatr.
These two Pokémon were precisely the Cramorant Feraligatr was currently holding in its hands.
Upon hearing the explanation, Ange chuckled helplessly as he patted the top of Feraligatr's head. "Who on earth did you learn this from? You even know how to hold people hostage."
"Toto toto~" Feraligatr wore a silly smile, indicating that it had learned it all from television.
Because Ange had installed a television in the staff quarters and increased their exposure to human culture and ideas, the intelligence of Ange's Pokémon had grown steadily, bringing their thought processes closer and closer to those of humans.
Ange then told Feraligatr, "If the fish and shrimp get eaten, so be it. It's no big deal, so there's no need to make a fuss."
Ange raised plenty of fish and shrimp, more than his household could finish, and he had no intention of selling them outside. He only occasionally sent some to the royal palace so Lila and Edward could taste something fresh.
Ange truly felt a pang of heartache when they escaped for nothing, but he wouldn't mind quite as much if wild Pokémon ate them.
Nevertheless, despite not being angry, Ange still disapproved of thievery, so he looked at the two Cramorant and said, "Did you know that the fish and shrimp in the lake are all raised by me? Taking things without asking is stealing, so Feraligatr did nothing wrong by teaching you a lesson!"
"Cramp cramp~~" The two Cramorant lowered their heads dejectedly upon hearing this.
In truth, they had no idea that the fish and shrimp in Lake Nebel belonged to someone.
Seeing this, Ange remarked, "It seems you weren't aware. Since that's the case, I'll spare you this once."
"Cramp~ cramp~" The two Cramorant looked at Ange gratefully upon hearing his words.
Immediately afterward, at Ange's signal, Feraligatr released the two Cramorant.
Ange asked curiously, "Where did the two of you come from?"
Cramorant mostly inhabited the Galar region and were rarely seen in Kalos.
"Cramp~ cramp~~" One of the Cramorant waved its wing to point toward the distant mountains.
As it turned out, they were Pokémon inhabiting the upper reaches of the River Nebel. Their ancestors indeed hailed from the Galar region, having arrived in Kalos aboard a merchant ship long ago and settled down there.
Originally, they lived carefree lives along the riverbank, but the sudden torrential rain and gale-force winds from the previous night forced them to abandon their home.
Swept along by the violent storm, they inadvertently arrived at the Nebel Plateau.
They were so hungry that upon discovering abundant fish and shrimp in Lake Nebel, they eagerly began catching them.
Listening to the Cramorant's account, Ange thought to himself: This is all Kyogre's fault!
Looking at the two Cramorant, an idea struck Ange, and he promptly asked, "Are you two skilled at catching fish?"
"Cramp~ cramp~" Absolutely, our fishing is always 100 percent accurate!
One Cramorant puffed out its chest proudly.
Ange continued, "I have a job for you. If you handle it well, I can provide you with food and guarantee you'll eat your fill!"
The eyes of the two Cramorant instantly lit up as they looked at Ange.
"Cramp~ cramp~" What job? What job?
The two Cramorant silently swore in their hearts that they had to latch onto this powerful backer!
Ange replied, "Because of last night's heavy rain, many of the fish I raise escaped into the lake, making them very difficult to retrieve. If you can help me catch them back, rewards will definitely not be lacking for you!"
Hearing that Ange raised plenty of fish made the mouths of the two Cramorant water, cementing their belief that Ange was a major benefactor. They immediately patted their chests to signal that they would definitely accomplish the mission!
Just as they were eager to get to work, Ange smiled and said, "No rush. Fill your stomachs before you start working so you'll have the strength for it."
"Cramp~ cramp~" Are you going to give us food?
One Cramorant asked.
"That's right!" Ange nodded.
"Cramp~ cramp~"
"Cramp~ cramp~"
Hearing this, the figures of Ange in the eyes of the two Cramorant began to radiate golden light, growing taller and taller.
God! This was a god sent by the heavens to save them!
Consequently, amidst the worshipful and grateful gazes of the two Cramorant, Ange led them back home and used leftover rice from lunch to stir-fry two large bowls of fried rice for them.
The moment they tasted the fried rice, the two Cramorant looked at Ange with even more fervent adoration.
Delicious! So delicious!
Their judgment had not failed them; this person must be a god, or how else could he create such magnificent food?
They had never eaten anything so delectable; even their favorite fish tasted inferior to this creation called fried rice!
Once the two Cramorant finished eating their fill, Ange brought them to the banks of Lake Nebel.
At that moment, Water-type Pokémon were bustling back and forth through the lake, all eager to capture the fish before they escaped Lake Nebel entirely, minimizing Ange's losses as much as possible.
Unfortunately, too many fish had escaped, and catching them proved far from easy.
Pointing at the fish that occasionally leaped out of the water due to the pursuit of the Water-type Pokémon, Ange said to the two Cramorant, "Let me see what you can do!"
"Cramp~ cramp~" The two Cramorant let out a cry, then flapped their wings and flew toward the center of the lake, hovering midair.
At that instant, their previously dull gazes suddenly sharpened as they swept their sights continuously across the lake.
Staring at the lake surface for a moment, the two Cramorant suddenly plunged downward one after another, diving headfirst into the water.
A mere second later, Ange watched them burst back out of the water.
By then, both of them had a plump fish clamped firmly in their beaks.
In that brief instant, the two Cramorant had seamlessly executed two moves: Dive and Peck.
They used Dive to enter the water rapidly and Peck to catch fish cleanly.
This was a skill honed day after day through their daily lives, executed with master-level precision and effortless fluidity.
The fish thrashed their tails vigorously in an attempt to break free, but despite looking robust, they could not shake off the Cramorant no matter what.
For a moment, Poliwag, Poliwrath, Marill, Azumarill, and Lapras raised their heads in unison, gazing at the Cramorant in the air with looks of admiration.
Such superb fishing technique!
Sensing everyone's gazes, the two Cramorant couldn't help looking somewhat smug.
Prompted by Ange's command, the two Cramorant used Spit Up to accurately launch the fish from their mouths straight into the fishery.
Upon hitting the water, the fish flicked their tails and vanished into the depths in a panic.
Seeing this, Ange gave the two Cramorant a thumbs-up.
"Approved!"
Hearing this, the two Cramorant exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement.
They had successfully secured a powerful backer!
Immediately afterward, they set to work capturing fish, shrimp, and crabs with great enthusiasm.
Their work efficiency was several times higher than that of the other Water-type Pokémon.
While the other Water-type Pokémon had to chase a fish for a long time to catch it, the two Cramorant only needed to time their moment for a single strike.
Observing the fruits of the Cramorant's labor, Ange felt he truly possessed an eye for talent.
Noticing how driven the Cramorant were, Ange left the fishery to inspect other areas.
He had yet to fully grasp the damage Kyogre inflicted upon the Nebel Plateau, having only heard rough estimates from other Pokémon.
He first headed to the orchard nearby, and seeing Chesnaught, Victreebel, and Florges hard at work, he quietly turned away without disturbing them, heading toward the pigpen.
Robert 2 was urgently repairing the pigpen so the herd could return home sooner.
While Robert 2 worked at the pigpen, its true body, Metagross, was underground repairing the stone door.
When Ange went to check on Metagross, he was surprised to find that Metagross was actually remodeling the underground shrine and had already completed well over half of it.
The originally fragile underground shrine had been firmly reinforced, and metal walls covered every surface, giving it a futuristic, high-tech appearance.
No wonder the stone door still wasn't fixed; it turned out Metagross wasn't just repairing the mechanisms but had conveniently done some extra work on the side.
"Metagross, what are you trying to accomplish by remodeling this place?" Ange asked in confusion.
"Meta~ meta~" Metagross replied to Ange.
It turned out that it intended to convert this shrine into an underground laboratory for conducting experiments that were inconvenient to carry out in public.
"I see... Then keep it up!" Ange knew little about experiments and could only offer silent support to Metagross.
Realizing Metagross was too busy to entertain him, Ange simply left the underground shrine.
Next, he visited the vegetable plot, and after understanding the situation there, he went to check on the verdant grass fields cultivated by Gogoat and the others.
The storm had caused varying degrees of damage across all parts of the Nebel Plateau.
Strolling around in this manner, time slipped by unconsciously until evening arrived, and Ange returned once again to the fishery.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Water-type Pokémon, nearly half of the fish, shrimp, and crabs that escaped from the fishery had been recovered.
Don't think half is a small amount; in reality, Ange was extremely satisfied, as he had already mentally prepared himself to recover none at all.
"Everyone, let's head home for dinner!" Ange shouted at the top of his lungs toward the group.
Hearing Ange's call, the Water-type Pokémon looked up at the sinking sun and swam toward the shore in groups.
As for Lapras, Veluza, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas, they returned to the fifth floor of the Secret Fortress via the water channel.
Since they had difficulty moving on land, their dinners would be delivered to them by Ange or Diancie and the others.
The two Cramorant also flapped their wings and flew to Ange's side.
Ange smiled and told them, "You did a great job today. Eat as much as you want for dinner tonight, as much as there is!"
The two Cramorant spun around happily in the air.
This is just too blissful!
With that, Ange led the Pokémon in a grand procession back home.
As soon as they reached the doorway, they caught the scent of rich aromas drifting from the house. It turned out Munchlax, Inteleon, Lucario, and Doublade had already prepared the meal.
The Pokémon took their seats in an orderly fashion. The two Cramorant imitated the others, each perching on a wooden stool, and looked around at everyone with curious eyes.
It was their first time interacting with so many Pokémon, let alone dining together.
Watching everyone wait for dinner while chatting and laughing lively, the two Cramorant felt deeply envious.
How wonderful! Everyone looks so happy.
They exchanged glances, and a simultaneous thought flashed through their minds.
They wanted to join this big family and stay here forever!
Meanwhile, Kyogre, whose wounds had nearly healed, smelled the food fragrances diffusing through the air, and tears of regret streamed uncontrollably from the corners of its mouth.