Fire blasted the sea upward, and a towering column of water erupted beside the main island's shore. Red's Charizard skimmed low overhead, sweeping his tail flame across the equipment on the ground. Several searchlights toppled with their stands into the billowing black smoke.
The undersea base's communications channels descended into chaos. Alarms reverberated along the metal walls, red lights flickered, and the corridors turned blood-red.
"Surface facilities under attack! Dock Two is on fire!"
"Did you get a clear look?"
"Red cap, with a Pikachu. It's the same person who broke into the Whirl Islands last time."
Lin Hao lay low on Suicune's back, using the chaos overhead to approach the base's outer wall. A blue-white shield held back the seawater, silently parting the current along its curved surface. "Greninja, make an opening."
Greninja sprang out of his Poké Ball, twisted with the current, and shaped his Water Shuriken into a thin blade that sliced diagonally through a drainage pipe joint.
The metal pipe wall split, and seawater surged into the base. Red warning lights lit up at the same time.
"Sector Three is flooding!"
"Send the maintenance team!"
"The maintenance team won't make it back. That cut came from a move. Someone punched through the pipe wall from outside."
Lin Hao climbed into the pipe while Suicune waited outside. The moment he landed, the water covered his shoes. Flickering red lights broke the passage into alternating fragments of light and darkness.
Two Team Galactic members rushed around the corner. Their hands had just reached their Poké Balls when they met Lin Hao's gaze, and the words died in their mouths.
One member barely managed the start of a shout before Lin Hao spoke. "Pikachu."
Pikachu leaped from his shoulder, electricity already spreading through the standing water. Before either member