Groudon opened its golden eyes. "They're tampering with my things." Its voice rumbled low, sending the energy particles in system space scattering and churning.
Kyogre rose from the depths of the crystal, its blue eyes fathomless. "Mine, too."
Both ancient Pokémon looked at Lin Hao at once, radiating immense pressure. Lin Hao remained calm. "Neither of you rush. Let's hear the details first."
He shifted his attention back to reality. May was already on the phone. Thirty seconds later, she hung up and said quietly:
"It's confirmed. There's an underground facility beneath the southern slopes of Mt. Pyre. Team Galactic has been operating it for at least two months."
"How big?"
"Three underground levels, with a footprint about the size of a small stadium."
Steven looked grave. "I've patrolled Mt. Pyre twice. There was nothing unusual on the southern slopes."
"Because the entrance isn't on the surface there." May pulled up the second message from her informant. "It's in an abandoned warehouse in Slateport City's harbor district, connected to the base of Mt. Pyre by an underground tunnel."
"Slateport's harbor district..." Steven murmured. "The location of the second Relay Node."
"Of the three nodes, the one northwest of Rustboro has been abandoned. The one in Slateport's harbor district connects to the real entrance. The one at the foot of Mt. Pyre is just a decoy."
Lin Hao pieced it together. "Pluto sealed off the summit to draw our attention, while the actual entrance to his base was at the other end."
"A diversion," May added. "He never intended to fight us at the summit."
"Then why plant mines up there?"
"To buy time," Steven answered. "He wants to keep us occupied at the summit while the facility on the southern slopes gets more time."
Lin Hao closed his eyes. In