At noon, the seawater was a little warmer than it had been in the morning. The sunlight gave the surface of the sea a warm, comfortable temperature.
Xinhai floated on the surface, feeling the lightness of the seawater holding up his body. Then he turned around to face forward and slipped the harness over his shoulders.
"Let's go." He took a deep breath, then plunged into the water.
His arms stretched forward, his hands came together to cut through the water, and his legs kicked powerfully beneath the surface.
The inflatable boat's bow gave a slight jolt before slowly beginning to move.
Eevee lay by the side of the boat, its big brown eyes watching the figure ahead through its sunglasses. Its fluffy tail swayed gently behind it.
Charmander and Axew were also lying at the side of the boat. The two little ones craned their heads out, watching Xinhai swim forward through the seawater with all his strength. They let out cries of "Char!" and "Axew!" as though cheering him on.
Quagsire swam back and forth near the inflatable boat, its body half-submerged, with only half its head and a pair of round little eyes showing. It vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
After resting for a while, Milotic moved ahead of Xinhai and continued clearing the way for him, easing his burden. Meanwhile, the others continued training on the three logs.
Time passed second by second.
The sun slowly moved westward from overhead. The golden glimmers on the sea gradually softened from their harsh noon brightness, turning into a warm golden-yellow expanse.
Xinhai had no idea how long he had been swimming. Maybe forty minutes, maybe an hour.
Just as he was preparing to swim one more stretch before resting, a small black dot appeared on the sea ahead.
The