"The power sealed away from me is being released."
Groudon's deep voice left Lin Hao's eardrums buzzing. A crimson pillar of light rising from the southern horizon dyed half the night sky red, robbing even the moon high above of its original color.
Lin Hao pressed a hand against the giant beast's scorching shell as the rushing wind poured down his collar. "What seal?"
"There is another me inside Mt. Pyre. It is the power I sealed away after a great battle tens of millions of years ago. No one can release it without my companion's energy signature."
Groudon's voice rumbled like rolling thunder, the distant red light reflected in its golden eyes.
Steven stared at the pillar piercing the clouds, a rare hint of panic in his expression. "You never mentioned this before."
"Without Kyogre's energy signature as a key, no one can break that seal."
Arceus spoke up from the system space, unusually grave.
Lin Hao finally understood Pluto's plan. The email and the attack had only been bait. His real aim was to force Kyogre to go berserk, using its escaping energy to resonate with the volcano's seal.
Groudon's thick claws dug deep into the ground, leaving web-like cracks in the hard stone paving. "He used my companion to break my seal!"
"If that power falls into Team Galactic's hands, they'll be even harder to deal with." Steven gripped his Poké Ball, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Lin Hao watched the red glow intensify on the horizon as the earth trembled ever more violently. "How long until the seal breaks completely?"
"At the current rate, forty minutes." Arceus gave him a precise countdown.
Lin Hao turned to Steven. "How long would it take to drive from here to Mt. Pyre?"
"An hour and a