Going to Sea

Setting Out to Sea

That evening, as soon as Uncle Kam returned, Zeno told him about Carvanha, and Uncle Kam was very pleased. Zeno seized the moment to ask if he could tag along on the next voyage, and after a brief hesitation, Uncle Kam agreed.

The mere thought of heading out to sea with them in three days left Zeno too excited to sleep.

For the past two days, right after class, Zeno had been training alongside Xiao Hai while getting a feel for coordinating with Carvanha.

Xiao Hai had been puzzled by quite a few things during his previous battle with Zeno, and only after asking Teacher Zhihe at school did he begin to understand. The teacher had simply explained that, owing to special moves and Carvanha's ability, those subjects were beyond what they could learn at present.

Xiao Hai had originally held little interest in going out to sea, but seeing how excited Zeno was, he decided to go along and keep him company.

Thanks to Carvanha, Uncle Kam had built a large fish tank in Zeno's room so it could swim around freely.

Zeno lay in bed, his mind fixed on tomorrow's voyage.

Carvanha, have you ever been to the ocean?

Liya~ Liya!

You said that even though you haven't been, you heard about it from your mother, right?

Li-li!

Tomorrow, you'll finally be able to swim freely in the sea.

Li~ liya!

Carvanha was full of anticipation as well, and human and Pokémon chatted for a long time before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Knowing this was Zeno's first time at sea, Kam felt a bit uneasy, so he brought along all three of his Pokémon: Mantine, Octillery, and Cloyster.

To accompany Zeno, Xiao Hai had also boarded the village chief's boat. A large part of the reason he used to dislike going out to sea was how decrepit his old man's boat was; by comparison, the chief's vessel looked far more imposing.

"Since we have two kids on board today, we won't head out to the deep sea. I recall that some Clamperl and Alomomola live near the shallows. Both of these Pokémon are quite gentle and pose no major danger. We can look around while we're at it—with any luck, we might find some pearls and Heart Scales," Kam said to the assembled villagers.

"Whatever you say, Chief."

"No worries. Our last haul was plenty bountiful anyway, so let's just treat today as an eye-opener for the two boys."

"I remember the chief fished out his big pearl right around there last time. Who knows, if our luck holds, we might just find one too!"

None of the villagers had any objections. Kam held immense prestige in Big Shell Village; under his leadership over the years, life in the village had improved significantly. His experience was vast, guiding the villagers past numerous hazards. He was also the strongest fighter in Big Shell Village, and because he had acquaintances in Lilycove City, the goods he sold were never subjected to price gouging.

On his account, the villagers were exceptionally friendly toward Zeno. Whenever Zeno played in the village as a little boy, uncles would constantly shove tasty treats into his pockets, and aunties frequently made spare clothes for him. Everyone in the village remembered Kam's kindness.

Because they were heading for the shallows, the boat moved at a very slow pace. Mantine, Octillery, and Cloyster, alongside Carvanha, Tentacool, and Magikarp, swam in circles around Kam's vessel.

"Once we reach the spot, you can dive down and test your luck to see if you find anything."

Kam looked at Zeno's excited little face and said with a smile. He knew all too well what Zeno's swimming skills were like—they surpassed those of quite a few adults in the village. If Kam hadn't kept him on a tight leash all these years, the boy would have run off into the ocean by himself long ago.

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Seeing him so happy, Kam chuckled along with him. He had always insisted that Zeno call him Uncle because, after all, the boy wasn't his biological son; he did this to spare Zeno any awkwardness should he ever encounter his real father in the future. Even so, he had always raised Zeno as if he were his own flesh and blood.

"Chief, can I dive down to look for pearls too?"

Xiao Hai looked at him with gleaming eyes.

"As for that... you'll have to ask your father. I can't say yes on his behalf."

The moment he heard that, Xiao Hai instantly wilted.

Soon, the boat reached its destination. The villagers jumped into the water one after another, and Kam, with Zeno in tow, dove down beneath the surface. Seeing this, Xiao Hai stole a glance at his father and, noticing the man wasn't paying attention to him, leaped in after them.

The moment Zeno entered the water, he was struck dumb by the breathtaking underwater world. Ocean plants he had never seen before took on myriad shapes, looking utterly magnificent. Schools of Magikarp and Tentacool swam by in droves, accompanied every so often by a few passing Alomomola. Clamperl sat atop reefs, occasionally parting their shells to release a string of bubbles. Zeno even spotted a few Pyukumuku hiding themselves away with great stealth.

Seeing Zeno lost in the beauty of the benthic world, Kam chose not to disturb him and, holding his breath, began searching rapidly along the seabed.

Aside from searching for valuable Pokémon items, their primary goal was to gather materials for making Pokémon food, though they always made a point to leave some behind for the wild Pokémon.

At first, Zeno simply wandered about aimlessly without searching carefully, and before long, his stamina gave out, forcing him to kick toward the surface.

By then, quite a few people were already resting on the wooden boats at the surface. Everyone had managed some manner of harvest, though most of it was fairly ordinary.

After a short while, the village chief swam slowly up as well. His haul was somewhat better than the rest; alongside Pokémon ingredients, he had found some Stardust. This substance was generally used to craft exquisite handicrafts and could fetch a decent price.

"You're still the best, Chief."

Xiao Hai's father gave the chief a thumbs-up upon catching sight of his bag.

"Truth be told, it's not really my doing. Octillery likes these shiny things, and it found every last bit of this."

"Octillery~ Octillery!"

Hearing his master praise him, Octillery immediately puffed up its chest with a proud look.

The group chatted idly for a bit, and once the resting villagers had recovered their strength, they dove back into the sea one after another.

Looking over at Zeno, who lay resting on the boat, Kam asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

"I'm all right. I'll feel better after a short rest."

"Making a living in the sea like we do is still mighty hard work. With no special trade to rely on, we have to make do with sheer physical labor. That's why you need to study hard and learn more."

"Mm, I know. When I make a big pile of money in the future, I'll definitely buy you a massive boat. That way, Uncle Kam won't have to work this hard."

"Haha, wonderful! Then I'll be waiting for your big boat."

Kam was delighted by this grand ambition. While the goal was still a long way off, a person always needed something to strive for.

"Uncle Kam, why can't we ever find anything? Is there some kind of trick to it?" Hearing Zeno's question, a completely exhausted Xiao Hai slowly crawled over.

"There aren't really any tricks to it. Just be a bit more attentive and focused, and keep your eyes open. No need to feel discouraged—this sort of thing takes experience."

"Mm, I understand."

"Well, I'm heading back down first. If you feel up to it, you can dive a bit longer."

Zeno thought it over. He truly didn't want to make this trip for nothing; returning empty-handed would be far too frustrating. He glanced at Xiao Hai and, seeing that the boy had already fallen asleep, dove back down all by himself.

This time, Zeno didn't wander around blindly as he had before. He searched with single-minded dedication—even if he couldn't find Pokémon items, managing to gather some ingredients would still be worthwhile.