Not long afterward, the Ocean Team executive Di fled in disgrace, soaked through by seawater. His thin figure staggered toward the deserted island's beach amid the rolling waves, every step feeling as though he were dragging an enormous burden. His legs were weak and limp, nearly giving out beneath him.
His sea-blue combat boots sank deep into the damp sand. Having finally reached the beach, he collapsed face-first like a puppet with its strings cut, gasping for air as his chest heaved violently.
Coarse grains of sand scraped against his cheeks, while the intense salty stench filled his nostrils—the scent the sea had left behind. He did not even know how long he had been in the water.
After a long while, Di recovered somewhat. Bracing himself with both hands, he laboriously sat up. He raised a hand to brush the sand from his face, only to find that the headscarf embroidered with the Ocean Team skull insignia had long since vanished.
He reached into his drenched clothes and pulled out the communicator from its waterproof pouch. Water droplets still clung to the pouch's surface. After lightly shaking it, he dialed his leader Wataru's number and methodically reported every twist and turn of the Orange Islands capture operation.
He first mentioned the attempt to drive away the cargo ship, then described the fierce clash with the League, his tone unconsciously growing heavier. When he spoke of the mysterious Spider force interfering, his brows drew tightly together, and his fingers clenched without his noticing.
When he reported the loss of a large number of submarine operatives, along with the submarine entrusted with capturing the Legendary Pokémon being destroyed in the Orange Islands, his voice suddenly dropped, and his head unconsciously lowered.
This was a crushing defeat—an unprecedented crushing defeat. Ocean Team