The summer sunlight beat down on the beach, heating the countless tiny grains of sand until they grew scorching. The waves rolled them back into the sea.
Qing Wu slowly opened his eyes. As he stared at the blazing sun, his entire body felt as though it had been smashed apart.
Qing Wu looked at the dried blood crusted over his hand. Even the slightest movement sent fiery pain shooting through his back. He struggled to crawl up from the beach. His clothes had soaked up seawater, and some white grains had even fallen onto his hair and clothes—sea salt left behind after the water evaporated.
Qing Wu reached for the Poké Balls hanging from his waist, only to grasp empty air. All his Poké Balls were gone. It seemed Lugia's attack had been so powerful that it had knocked them all loose.
Qing Wu staggered to his feet and looked out at the glittering sea. The white salt caked over his body made him extremely uncomfortable. At a glance, he spotted Wartortle's shell lying on the beach, with several Poké Balls scattered nearby.
Fortunately, Qing Wu had woken up early. If he had been any later, the rising tide would have swept the Poké Balls into the sea, and he would never have seen his Pokémon again.
Qing Wu staggered over and picked up the Poké Balls scattered across the beach. Just as he was about to open them, he discovered that the switches on all of them had been damaged. In other words, he had no way to release his Pokémon directly.
He had to return to a city before there was any chance of repairing his Poké Balls and releasing the Pokémon inside them.
Qing Wu felt light-headed. There was probably a wound somewhere on his back,