Watching the waterspout draw closer, Hisoka's face actually grew calmer. He had done everything he could; now, all he could do was leave it to fate.
The marine tornado swept over the five of them, pulling them into the sky... At the moment he was swept up, Hisoka immediately curled his body and held his head tight with both hands. This was the instinct of experience; such a position offered the best protection for the human body against accidental injury.
The Gyarados' collective Dragon Rage came as quickly as it went. After lasting for about a dozen seconds, it finally dissipated into a downpour of rain. Hisoka and the others had vanished without a trace.
Seeing that the culprits who had harmed their brother had been "eliminated" by the Dragon Rage, the Gyarados calmed their fury. They surrounded their unconscious comrade and slowly swam back into the depths of the ocean.
...
Coconut trees lined the shore, and the sunlight reflecting off the sand created a crystalline shimmer. This was a deserted islandthe kind of place that littered the oceans of this world.
A Krabby was scuttling across the beach, lording over its territory, when a giant black shadow suddenly blocked its path. Could this little lord endure such an insult? Used to having its way on this beach, the Krabby didn't even consider going around. Instead, it squinted its eyes, opened its large pincers, and snapped at the shadow...
Hisoka felt a sharp sting at his waist, as if something were pinching his flesh. In his daze, he swung his right hand toward his side and felt his palm strike something hard. With a roll, Hisoka pinned the hard object beneath him.
Shaking his dizzy head, Hisoka gradually regained consciousness. The sunlight was a bit piercing... Looking around, he realized he had likely been washed up on some deserted island. Ash, Maggie, and the others were nowhere to be seen; it seemed everyone had been scattered.
"I hope they're all okay," Hisoka whispered.
Though he could be a bit mercenary, he wasn't a malicious person. Having gone through life-and-death situations together, they were at least half-friends now. With their fates unknown, Hisoka could only offer them a silent prayer in his heart.
A movement beneath his palm caught his attention. Looking down, he realized the hard object he was pinning was a Krabby. It wasn't very large, about 20 centimeters tall, yet it was still a bit bigger than an adult Alaskan King Crab from his previous life.
"So it was you, you little brat, who pinched me."
Hisoka laughed and cursed as he snatched the Krabby out of the sand. Ignoring its threatening, flailing claws, he threw the little creature into the air and followed up with a clean kick...
The Krabby traced a smooth arc through the sky before falling into the sea with a splash.
"Whew!" Hisoka stood with his left hand on his hip and his right hand shielding his eyes, watching where the Krabby landed. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Nice! What a beautiful curveball!"
Venting a bit of frustration made Hisoka feel much better. The sudden sinking of the S.S. Anne meant he hadn't made a single cent. He didn't know if the three conditions Kurama had promised would still be honored; that bastard probably assumed he was currently fish food at the bottom of the ocean.
He checked the three Poké Balls on his tactical belt. The clasps were secure, and the three balls were unharmed. Hisoka used high-quality Ultra Balls, which were yellow and white. Their quality was far superior to standard red-and-white balls; even if dropped from a ten-story building, they wouldn't show a single scratch.
Hisoka never cut corners when it came to the quality of his peripheral equipment; he always spent the big money to get the best. This was one of the reasons he could never save any money. When executing a mission alone, even a common tool could save your life at a critical moment.
Hisoka's military-grade space-folding backpack was waterproof. He opened it and took out the Pokémon Egg he had received as a championship reward.
With the double protection of the incubator and the folding backpack, it was perfectly safe. He looked through the tools in his bag, and after confirming nothing was damaged, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The navigator had no signal, confirming once again that the island Hisoka had landed on was an uncharted deserted islanda common sight in the vast, limitless ocean.
Hisoka had extensive wilderness survival experience, so being stranded alone didn't worry him too much. Besides, he had plenty of fresh water and food in his folding backpack, enough to last him and his three Pokémon for a month.
According to the direction on his watch, Hisoka determined he was on some deserted island in the southern waters. He didn't know if there were inhabited islands nearby; if there were, his chances of rescue would increase significantly.
Of course, Hisoka wouldn't pin all his hopes for survival on others. That wasn't his style. No matter when or where, remember: the only one who can truly save you is yourself.
"Wait, what is that?"
Hisoka's gaze was suddenly drawn to a massive pit not far ahead. He jogged over and took a closer look. This wasn't some naturally formed hollow; it looked much more like a footprint left by a biological creature.
Hisoka crouched down and used his palm to estimate the size. The footprint was about 64 centimeters long and 38 centimeters wide. By that calculation, the owner of the footprint had to be at least 4 meters tall.
"What kind of land beast can grow to be 4 meters tall?" Hisoka wondered, rubbing his chin.
Take Tyranitar, known as the Tyrant of the Desert, for example. Their race has an average height of about 2.5 meters. Exceptional individuals might reach 3 meters or even 3.2 meters.
Just as there are adult men who are 1.4 meters tall and giants who reach 2.2 meters, such variations exist, though rare. The same applied to Pokémon; the stronger individuals within a species often grew larger.
But even the Tyrant of the Desert, Tyranitar, couldn't possibly reach 4 meters! Hisoka couldn't understand it. In all his stored knowledge, he couldn't think of a single Pokémon that matched this footprint.
"Could it be a Pokémon humanity hasn't discovered yet?"
The possibility flashed through Hisoka's mind. This world was vast beyond measure, and the parts developed by humans were just the tip of the iceberg. Every year, researchers released files on newly discovered Pokémon, so his guess wasn't entirely without merit.
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