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Toby wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. One moment he was explaining his not so well developed or thought out plan to the others, the next he was launched back into the water for probably the fiftieth time in the past thirty minutes. Shooting his head out from the water he imitated Charles by spitting water into the air followed by a very cheery laughter. During the commotion Leila had somehow managed to latch herself onto the shark, Riley and Jasper were quick to provide backup. Toby swam towards the dog pile, giggling the whole way. "The tide of battle has turned, soldiers!" He shouted before grabbing onto the sharks tail once more, except this time with much more leverage thanks to the support of his comrades. 

"Man the cannons! Counter-attack! We've got the enemy on the run!" Toby tried his best to speak in a military like accent, but any chance of that was drowned out by his unceasing giggling and shouts of joy. Charles went from zooming all over the water attacking from all sides to being practically pinned down close to the shallow end of water. He probably could've escaped their grasp at any moment, but simply chose not too. It was hard to tell if Charles was smiling or not, what with his naturally vicious looking teeth, but the happiness radiating from the shark was almost palpable. 

It was time for the finishing move. Toby tightened his grip on the sharks tail and began to climb onto his back, gently though as to not hurt his new fish friend. Eventually he found himself on Charles back once more. Wrapping his arms around their friend he squeezed tightly. "Victory is ours!" he declared with a smile. The boy kissed the shark's fin and rubbed his face against his rubbery skin. 

For some reason, Ace stayed on shore rather than participating in the group hug. However after some protesting, especially from Toby, even she joined in on the fun. Everyone pretty much kept their positions in the group hug. Toby wasn't sure how long they had spent hugging Charles, all he knew was he enjoyed every second of it. His laughter and shouting died down eventually and he found himself lying on the shark rather than hugging it, his arms dangling off the sides, his eyes staring at the ocean blue water with a permanent smile on his face. He tried to recall something. When was the last time he had this much fun? Every moment he spent pondering the question only made him feel uncomfortable and broke his smile. 

"I think sharky here is giving up and tapping out." Ace remarked before hopping off Charles and heading towards the shore. "Ha!" Toby shouted before rolling off the shark and into the water. Ace claimed that she was satisfied with the water. Not good. The boy's face turned to an upset frown, it was only a matter of time before the others joined Ace and eventually they all decided to leave. "I don't wanna go," Toby mumbled under his breath before diving underwater and swimming deeper into the ocean. It was a strategy he had used years ago when his grandmother would take him to swim at a lake or pool. If he couldn't hear them say it was time to leave, he wouldn't have to leave. Simple as that. Toby poked his head halfway out from underwater, only his messy wet hair and eyes could be seen as he was now further away from the shore than before. 

[i]"I'm Charles,"[/i] 

His legs and arms swayed back and forth in the water keeping him afloat as he observed his friends from afar, practically stalking them in the water, avoiding the inevitable end to the fun they were having. Thoughts from earlier resurfaced as Toby tried once more to recall a moment much like this one where had just as much fun, if not more. [i]"Christmas?"[/i] Too far back. [i]"Halloween?"[/i] Too close, much too close. He swam in circles, pretending to be a shark as he contemplated the question. 

Eventually came to a conclusion. Toby poked the rest of his head out of the water before muttering "My birthday," and continued to swim in circles. "I don't wanna leave," he mumbled again. The water felt like it was at a perfect temperature, the sky was a perfect blue with just the right amount of clouds. 

He could swim for hours.