"A Palkia Clone." After those words, silence settled beside the rock for a full five seconds.
Steven was the first to speak. "Where did he get it from?"
"I don't know." Cynthia switched the Communicator to speakerphone. "Bertha only said they detected spatial energy fluctuations on the eastern side of Mt. Coronet. The frequency was a very close match for Palkia."
"Dialga, who controls time, and Palkia, who rules space." Lin Hao leaned against the rock face, his voice low. "Cyrus wants to summon both at once."
"Control both dragons of time and space at the same time?" May stood up. "Has he lost his mind?"
"He's never cared about the consequences." Cynthia turned off the Communicator. "The question is, where is the Palkia Clone?"
Arceus, Lin Hao called out in his mind.
"There is an artificial cavern twelve hundred meters beneath the eastern ridge," Arceus answered steadily. "The source of the spatial energy is there, but it is not a complete Palkia."
What do you mean?
"It is one of Palkia's scales. Super-ancient energy has catalyzed it, producing spatial resonance. Cyrus is using it to simulate a signal that will summon Palkia."
Can that summon the real Palkia?
"If the spatial rift continues to expand, it might."
Lin Hao relayed Arceus's words to everyone. After hearing them, Steven tapped his coffee can with a finger. "Then we need to change tomorrow's plan."
"How?" May asked.
"We split up." As he spoke, Lin Hao pulled a topographic map of Mt. Coronet from his backpack. May used her phone to give him some light.
"Cyrus's Force Field is here." Lin Hao traced a line on the map with his fingertip. "Palkia's scale is here, on the eastern side. And the entrance to Spear Pillar is here."
"Three targets in total." Cynthia