The man was lying on his back, gazing at the stalactites clinging to the ceiling of the cave. He was sucking in deep breaths of air, trying to get the water out of his lungs. His vision was blurry; it was only a few minutes he had regained his senses. He could feel the cold water caressing his feet, while drops were touching his skin, as they were falling from the ceiling. By the time he realized he was still with the living, the man put a serious effort to get up. His clothes had absorbed a good amount of water and his head was still spinning. Brushing his red hair away from his face, he saw his partner, a Mantine, swimming nervously inside a small lake of water, which was probably an underwater entrance to the cave. The man's eyes opened wide when he noticed the large box. He ran as fast as he could towards it, ignoring the pebbles that were digging painfully his bare feet. When he opened it with his shaking hands, he felt his heart grow large in his chest and he sighed in relief. He fell on the ground laughing, putting his arm in front of his black eyes. Then he looked at the kite Pokémon.

"My friend, from now on we are free. We won't have that arrogant bastard ordering us around. Maxie do this and Maxie do that… I couldn't stand it anymore…"

The Mantine smiled, happily wagging its tail.

"If we get away from the police, that's it…"

After telling his partner to stay there, the man took the box and walked away, until he was lost inside the unbroken black gloom.

Maxie was an honest man, always trying to do his best at everything. Being a seaman was his job; the sea had been his home ever since he was born. He was working on a ship carrying goods from Mosdeep to Slateport, one of the largest port cities of Hoenn. The money he was earning was barely enough to put food on the table but he wasn't complaining. Jobs were scarce for seamen, so he was considered to be quite lucky. That was, until a few days ago. Then the captain told him that this would be his last trip, because he decided to replace the crew. So, the night that the ship arrived at Pacifidlog, Maxie, succumbing to his despair and anger, stole one of the captain's trophies and left the ship. That was why the police was after him. He managed to pass through the town without being caught, but his luck stopped there. Once he arrived at the route 134 the strong currents carried him away. His partner did the best it could, but eventually it succumbed to the power of the sea. Maxie thought he was done for, but when he opened his eyes he found himself inside this underwater cave.

The cave had many paths, reminding him of those mazes he had been used to solve when he was little. Torches were tied firmly on the walls, cleaving the darkness and illuminating the strange symbols that were skillfully carved on the stones. The man walked slowly, while grasping firmly the box with his hand. He was looking in awe those mystical drawings and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of secrets they were hiding. Of course, the idea to leave this place as soon as possible crossed his mind many times, but gradually his curiosity overcame this fear. After a while, he heard noises not far away from where he was. He jumped back, with his heart pounding like drum. Without wasting any time, Maxie hid behind the nearest wall, pulling a gun out of his pocket. He was more than sure that the gun was not working, but he could not do otherwise. He was going to be found sooner or later, so his only option was to bluff.

"Put your hands up! I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!"

In front of him there was a little boy. He was wearing white rags, which were green on the edges due to the mold and his bare skinny feet were covered with wounds. When he saw the man, he tossed away the three clay dolls he was holding and ran immediately towards him. His sunken gray eyes were shining with joy and a wide smile shaped on his gaunt face. The gun fell off Maxie's hands. Only the sight of that kid froze him up. He was looking at the child, motionless, as he could feel the boy's skinny hands touching him gently. The kid was watching his arms and clothes, as if he was seeing a person for the first time in his life. When he finally satisfied his curiosity, the boy grabbed the man's right hand.

"Big bro, let's play!"

After picking up the three clay dolls he had thrown, the kid came back stumbling, as his feet were tangled up in his rags and his long scarlet hair were covering his face.

"He-Here, big bro! Choose whatever you like!"

Maxie looked at the dolls the child was holding tightly into his arms. Three imposing figures, their appearance frightening and eerie, like they were created by some kind of sick fantasy. They had neither face nor head, with seven dots in their body replacing their eyes. Their bodies were deformed and asymmetrical, with enormous hands and almost nonexistent legs. One of them did not even have fingers only, some kind of round palms. Just by looking at them he felt a tingle race up his spine and wondered why a small child was calling toys these obscure idols.

"Kid, are there other people here, except you?"

"Yes."

The man's face became as pale as white marble. He was looking at the kid with his eyes wide open, while the boy was showing him one of his scary dolls.

"And… where are they now?"

The boy leaned over and touched with his wounded hand the ground.

"They are here."

Maxie could imagine what had happened. Apparently he wasn't the only one who was carried away by the strong currents. The sea had brought other people here as well, and this kid was probably the only survivor. Closing his eyes, he saw the boy experiencing the loss of his family. He imagined him crying alone over the frozen body of his mother, while yelling out her name in a futile attempt to wake her up. The man hugged tightly the small creature that was in front of him, but the kid looked at him confused.

"Big bro, what happened?"

The man smiled.

"Kid what's your name?"

The boy blinked a couple of times, while brushing a mop away of his forehead.

"Name? What's that?"

The man cocked his head and his eyes opened wide. The child was suffering from amnesia. People who were lost in the sea for a long period of time often had symptoms like these. Maxie then grabbed the child's skinny hand.

"Come, kid. Let's get out of here!"

The boy lowered his eyes and sat on the ground.

"I can't… The sea will kill me…"

Maxie stroked the boy's hair. He could understand how the little kid was feeling.

"Kid, staying here will kill you."

Smiling, the boy shook his head.

"No, big bro. Earth doesn't kill. Earth just welcomes back those whose time has come to return."

Maxie was gazing in amazement the little boy, as the child was drawing lines on the ground with his little fingers.

"Return?"

"Yes… All things come from earth and all things end up becoming earth."

The man shook his head.

"Kid, our only hope lies with the sea. If we stay inside this cave for too long we are going to die!"

"Sea never gives away hope. She only gives away lies."

They sank into silence. The fire of the torches continued burning, illuminating the kid's pale face, as he was still playing with the dirt.

"The sea," said Maxie, breaking the silence, "unites worlds."

The boy hugged his knees. He looked at the man and smiled.

"The sea also separates people."

Maxie edged over the wall, keeping his eyes on the boy's scarlet hair. Even though in front of him was a kid not older than six, it was more like he was talking with one of those old men who the years blessed with knowledge and wisdom. He was stunned, unable to believe that a mere kid managed to come up with an answer to his argument so fast.

"What about food then? Fish don't sprout on earth kid. Neither does salt."

The boy shrugged his shoulders and once again answered quickly.

"That's true. But the sea is unpredictable. She changes faces without warning and brings people to her mercy without asking. If you are lucky, she will return you to the land where you belong. If not, she will turn you into food for the fish you were supposed to eat. Thankfully, big bro was a lucky one."

The discussion continued for a long time. Maxie could feel his blood boiling, as the child answered all of his arguments with such ease, as if he knew in advance how to respond. He had already forgotten the reason he started this conversation. Now the only thing he cared for was to shut this child's mouth once and for all. One moment he became so enraged that he exploded and his voice was heard throughout the cave.

"And what do you know? You are nothing more than a brat! I have been living in the sea for as long as I can remember! So far, the sea is the one that gave me everything I have, not a damned piece of land! If you want to rot here, be my guest! I don't even care anymore!"

After grabbing one of the torches, he walked away quickly, not even glancing at the skinny boy who was sitting on the ground.

"And what did she give you, big bro?"

Suddenly, the man stopped walking. He looked at the box he was holding and sighed heavily, lowering his shoulders. He tossed away both the box and the torch, hiding his face in his hands, as though frightened at something. It was then that he felt the boy's pale hand touching his back. Sighing once again, he looked at the boy and answered with a sad voice.

"Tell me about the soil, kid…"

The boy nodded.

"Pokémon, people… All life depends upon soil. There is no soil without life and there is no life without soil. The soil is calm and shows its intentions from the very beginning. Soil lets people live on it. If people take care of the soil, it will repay them by offering food and shelter."

A faint smile appeared on Maxie's face.

"So earth is that great…I could never guess…"

"Yes. That's why I can't understand why people are trying to tame something as wild as the sea, when on earth they can find everything they want. Maybe that's the reason why they imprisoned him…"

"Him?"

The boy then grabbed the hand of the man and brought him in front of a wall. He stared in awe at the stone, on which was engraved the image of a faceless giant with moss sprouted on his shoulders and legs. For some reason this picture reminded him of the idols the child was holding.

"Big bro, have you ever heard the story of Regigigas?"

Maxie didn't answer. He was still looking speechless at the image of the colossus, running his hands over the engraved lines and the dents on the wall.

"Regigigas," the kid continued," is a Pokémon that his legend was lost over the centuries. He has the power of making dolls of inanimate objects and bringing them to life. It is him who showed people how to utilize the earth's gifts, by creating three golems using ice from a special mountain, rocks and metals. Humans then praised him like a god and built temples in his name. But suddenly they sealed him in the bowels of the earth. The three golems," he said, looking at his dolls, "had the same fate."

"How do you know all these things, kid?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"I was used to hearing that story in the past."

The man laughed out loud and fondled the boy's hair.

"You had weird parents, kid."

The boy's gray sunken eyes opened wide. He put his finger to his chapped lips and cocked his head.

"Big bro knows some strange words…"

"To me, it is you who is strange, kid."

The boy didn't answer. He had his head turned to the ceiling, watching the drops that were falling with force on the ground. The man edged over the wall, holding his head with his hand. His eyes were closing and he was yawning frequently. The boy looked at him worried.

"Big bro, your eyes are red."

"I'm just a little tired."

"Then why don't you rest a bit? Maybe the currents will be calmer when you wake up."

Maxie then laid on the cold ground and smiled widely.

"Okay, but when I wake up, we are going to leave. And this time I won't take no for an answer."

The boy just smiled. A few minutes later the man was fast asleep. The child then went back to where the picture of Regigigas was and put in front of it the three clay dolls he was holding carefully into his arms. He fell to his knees and touched with his skinny hands the giant's feet, his eyes shining with happiness. His hair began to fall out of his head and his legs started to dissolve, becoming grains of sand.

"I am happy father! I was able to guide this lost soul! Thank you for the final hours you gave me! Now, I am ready to go back to earth."

After a while, in front of the wall with the giant there was a small pile of soil next to some white rags with a little mold at the edges. Beside the rags stood three dolls, while a few meters away a man sleeping soundly next to a big box.

Maxie abruptly opened his eyes, when he felt the cold water touching his body. He stood up, putting his arm in front of his eyes and taking a few steps backwards. Beside him was the box with the stolen trophy, while a little further his Mantine was swimming nervously. He called for the boy several times but nobody answered. His face became white like milk, and his hands were trembling, as if they were leaves blown away by the wind. He sat down on the wet sand swallowing several times in an attempt to moisten his dry throat. He had no idea what to believe and what not. He didn't know if the cave and the boy were real or games his mind was playing on him, while he was lying unconscious on that reef on route 134. In the end he decided that it didn't matter, anyway. Reality or not, Maxie had already made his decision. After reverently kissing the sand he was stepping, he headed towards Pacifidlog. He was going to return what he had stolen and after his punishment was over, he was going to start a new life on land this time. He belonged to the earth, anyway.

…

Note: This is my first time doing a oneshot and I don't know if it turned out well. So please tell me your opinion! Constructive criticism and advice will be really appreciated. Big thanks to XStrawberryDuckFeathersX for her help.