Summary: Steven found Kagome in a pond hidden in a strange cave, Mega Stones scattered throughout the water with her. He takes her in as his ward in order to protect and help her. Kagome just wants to find a way back home, but with the jewel denying her requests, it seems it has very different plans for her. Oh well, what's one more off the wall adventure for her?

Pairing: Alain/Kagome; Some minor side shipping, too.

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Note:
In the process of being redone.

Chapter One

The book in front of her was heavy and large, and she couldn't understand much of what was written on the pages, but she wasn't entirely lost as she peered over Steven's shoulder.

"The Tree of Ages," he said, reading off part of the page- it was some book detailing a few specific myths. At once, she perked up and zeroed in on his statement. The tiny creature she had at her feet perked up as well, always matching her aura so naturally.

"Huh?" she craned her head to the side. "Say that again!"

"The Tree of Ages?" Steven glanced at her, curiosity alight in steel-blue eyes at her rapt interest. "Here, take a look," he said, pushing the book back some so she could see the faded words and artwork on the page. At once, her eyes lit up and she scooped the book up with a bounce on her step.

"Oh, no way!" she exclaimed. Steven stood up as she was filled with a burst of energy, watching her with a mix of curiosity and spirited amusement.

"So I take it that sounds familiar to you?" he asked, and she nodded excitedly.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "The Tree of Ages was on my family's shrine!" she quickly added. She looked back at the page, and her brows furrowed when she struggled to read the unfamiliar language written. Steven noticed quickly, and he approached her to peer at the page alongside her. She was quick to notice the way his smile faded, and she looked at him, worry shining in her eyes. "Steven? … what does it say?" she asked, her excitement steadily fading the longer his smile stayed off his face.

"I don't think it'll be what you remember," he said, and Kagome's frown deepened.

"What do you mean?"

Steven looked at her before running his finger along a section written down. Automatically, she followed as he spoke, "the tree fell into ruin over three-thousand years ago. No life has been discovered around it since the calamity."

"... the calamity?" she repeated those words, and they felt so foreboding on her tongue. Steven nodded. "What happened? Does it say?" A complicated look swept across his features for a moment as he read over the page, only to shake his head after reading over the rest of the story.

"It doesn't say," he said after a moment. "All it mentions is the tree wilted and eventually withered away," he said, turning the page yet again, only to find the end of the section dedicated to the tree. He looked up from the book, eyes landing on the girl standing silently at his side. Her fingers had burrowed in the collar of her shirt, gripping tight to the jewel hidden away underneath it. Her jewel-like eyes were sparkling with the presence of unshed tears.

"That can't be," she said, shaking her head. "I-It has to be something else!" she denied seconds later. "Right. I'm not in my world, so it can't be the same tree I remember!"

Steven looked at her with a symapatheic light in his eyes. He closed the book and set it to the side, recalling why he'd gone through the trouble of locating the rare material. He didn't want to say it, but he felt like he had to.

"The jewel told you that you weren't there anymore," he said, and he noticed the way her shoulders stiffened up at the reminder. "It never outright stated that you were in a different world," he continued. "I think this might be too big of a coincidence to just forget any further research, Kagome."

"..."

He wasn't shocked or necessarily bothered by her silence, nor by the way she avoided meeting his stare anymore. He reached a hand out and gently rested it on her shoulder, not missing the way she leaned more into his touch without saying a word. He didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug, and, at once, she curled both arms around him and let her fingers sink into the back of his shirt as she rested her head on his chest. He held her like that for a moment, letting his fingers comb gently through her dark hair. "I know you don't want to face the possibility of this being the same Tree of Ages you're familiar with," he said softly, "but if we don't pursue our leads, we might not get anywhere, you know."

She nodded against him, and he eventually let her go when she started to pull away. Right away, her Riolu jumped for her attention, waving her paws around and calling out to her. Kagome glanced down at her, a small smile appearing on her face, and she bent to scoop her up into her arms. At once, she nuzzled against her. After a moment, Kagome returned her gaze back to Steven, and she nodded. Though the tears were still right beneath the surface, she ignored them and hid them with a light of determination.

"Right!" Kagome exclaimed. "We won't know if we never pursue the leads we get," she said. Steven nodded in agreement. "This is our first real lead, anyway," she said. "We can't afford to ignore it."

"Exactly," he said in return.

A long trip brought them to the ruins of the Tree of Ages. The world around it was quiet, but it was far from peaceful serenity. A suffocating weight fell across her shoulders, growing more and more with each step she took forward. The aura of the tree somehow still lingered after so many years. She hated how she could recognize it so well.

Still, she ignored the familiar sting in her eyes as she followed a few paces behind Steven. Miko, her Riolu was carried in her arms. She kept her eyes trained on her out of protective instinct.

Eventually they made it to the very top of the decaying stone staircase, and Kagome felt like the wind had gotten knocked from her lungs when the bleak ruins fully entered her line of sight. The tree, while still there in some capacity, no longer stood as gloriously as she recalled in all her fondest memories of her home. It'd fallen upon its side, crashing through what'd once surely been the shrine she'd called home. Trendil-like roots and branches twisted and curled along the ground- concrete splintered apart just so the roots underground could see the light of day. One part of the tree in particular remained the same as she always remembered- and her breath got caught in her throat.

Without thinking, she bypassed Steven, who glanced her her way curiously as she came to a halt in front of the tree. She hit the ground, ignoring the pain that rocked up her body as she collided harshly with the fragmented stone and chunks of concrete. She set Miko on the ground beside her as she reached and rested both hands on the rotting trunk of the tree. Her hands grazed the mark Kikyo's arrow had left so long ago.

There was no warning she could get or give before her tears started to fall. Large messy trails cascaded down her cheeks as she bowed her head. They fell with no sign of stopping, and Steven gently settled down on the ground beside her as she sobbed.

He couldn't help but be saddened by all this, too. He'd been hoping that it'd all been a coincidence- even if it set them back to no leads.

Steven wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her against his chest. She didn't hesitate before she curled into him and clung tightly to him as she cried into his chest.

Her home that'd she wanted to return to was in the long-gone, distant past.

000

The setting sun felt so somber as it spread across the ruins of the shrine grounds. She didn't want to, but she knew that they had to go. Steven was looking her way as she hovered by the ancient well. Vines, all dead, had overclaimed it and half of the well had crumbled in on itself already.

Heart heavy, Kagome tightened her grip on the decaying well. Her eyes and throat hurt from all the crying she'd done so far. No more tears could form, even as her throat tightened and her heart plummeted to her stomach.

"Please…" she knew, deep down, that this wouldn't do anything, but she knew she had to try at least. "Shikon no Tama, please take me home…"

She waited as the following seconds steadily turned into minutes. Nothing but silence answered her. Her hand tightened on the lip of the well, the wood splintering and cracking under the pressure of her grip.

It took all her strength to finally let go and step away. Each step she took away felt like a knife digging deeper and deeper into her chest. Eventually she made it back to where Steven had been patiently waiting. She didn't need to meet his stare to know just how worried he was.

"Kagome…"

"I'm okay," she said before he could ask. "After all, this wasn't a waste," she continued. "We now know more than we did before. I now know something really important…" she trailed off softly. Kagome shook her head. "I've defied time before," she said resolutely. "There might still be a way."

Steven nodded. Though she said that, he could still tell her dispirited mood. Offering her a small smile, he encouraged her to leave the place they stood behind. "Right," he said. "I believe we're on the right track."

"I'm ready," she said after a few more seconds, and, once those words left her mouth, they were leaving the way they came.

The cave was dark, and it was hard to see even with the lanterns they had. She could hear Steven's Aron digging for something, and he was doing the same in an outcropping in the stone walls. She knew what he was searching for, of course, but she didn't know how to help find it.

After their last lead, which turned out to be a big help, they had to swap focus to another subject if they wanted to have any hope of understanding anything about her situation. There was no history on what happened to the Tree of Ages so long ago, so, while it'd been such a major lead, it'd ultimately been a dead end- only confirming one thing for them to go forward with.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and thought back to the past few weeks- most of the days since had been spent out on digs.

"The Megalith…?" Kagome repeated the unfamiliar term as she looked up at Steven. In the same breath, he turned to meet her stare. "You think we'll find something else out if we manage to find it?" she asked.

They'd only arrived back at their home in Mossdeep City a few days ago, and she was surprised that he seemed to have a new lead already. It didn't bother her, but she was surprised nonetheless.

Steven met her at the kitchen table, placing a cup of tea down in front of her before finally sitting down on the opposite side of the table. As he did, he nodded. "The Megalith is believed to be connected to the roots of Mega Evolution," he said. Kagome perked up at the familiar statement.

"Mega Evolution? That's connected with Mega Stones, right?" she asked, and Steven nodded, smiling her way.

"Exactly," he said. "You woke up in the pond within that cave. In the water with you were various Mega Stones. Even stranger, the Shikon no Tama seems to cause an unusual reaction within the Mega Stones," Steven said, and he met her gaze, seeming to do so to be sure she understood what he was saying.

Kagome nodded before asking, "you mean the way it makes them glow?" They'd start to glow whenever there was a shared point of contact. Whether it be on the same table, in the same body of water, or even through her, for that matter. Distance didn't matter, either.

"Right," Steven said. "I wonder if there might be a chance that the Shikon no Tama bears any sort of connection to the Megalith," Steven added, and Kagome looked at him. She thought it over, curious about it all, as well.

"It's possible," she said, reaching out and pulling her cup of tea closer to her. "The Shikon no Tama has never reacted to anything the way it does to Mega Stones," she continued. "Not to mention I was in a literally collection of those things, and they're rare and hard to come by, usually. It's definitely a little strange."

They were back in the cave she'd been found in. Nothing seemed to stave off the darkness, and Kagome lifted a hand to grip at the Shikon no Tama out of reflex of thinking about it. Without meaning to, she snapped the string, and she let out a yelp as it clattered noisly to the ground.

"What happened?" Steven asked as he turned his focus to her upon hearing her yelp, and Kagome scrambled for the jewel, pawing at the ground almost blindly in the darkness.

"N-Nothing," she said. "The jewel's string broke and it fell."

Steven shone the light along the ground, lighting the way for her to find the troublesome jewel. As she collected it once more, she was suddenly aware of a jewel-like creature lurking back behind a large boulder. That one soon turned into many, and she stumbled back.

"U-Uh…! Steven, there's so many!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing the nervous tone in her voice, he lifted the light some to point it to the direction she was looking. As she backed up, he couldn't help the laugh that came from him when they bounced towards her, with no sign or intention of wanting to attack. "Those Carbink sure seem to like you!"

"It's not funny!" she huffed, glaring at him as the group of five Carbink started to bounce in a circle around her.

A flash of light filled the cave, and she turned to look at Steven with a glare on her face. He laughed again in the face of her ire, camera in hand.

"Diantha would love to see this!"

000

A year went by faster than she expected, but she didn't give up on her hope of going back to her proper home. Not even as she found herself settling into a life where she'd come to be. Her biggest relief was that this world was nothing like dealing with the Feudal Era. To her, the sudden lack of demons was a blessing she couldn't ignore.

A flock of Wingull flew overhead, squawking loudly at one another as they flew. Kagome glanced up at them, a slight smile on her face. The unique creatures of this world, while it took her some time to get used to, were a massive improvement compared to demons. She'd begun to and had nearly fully adapted to her entirely new environment, but that didn't mean she didn't miss her home.

She paused and glanced down at her bag. She knew she was making good time. The cafe was just down the street, and, even from where she stood, she could feel the faint pulse of her awaiting companion's aura. She was silent for a moment as she rummaged around in her bag, looking for a loose hair tie she could use to pull back her thigh-length raven locks. After a bit of searching, she found her white scrunchie, a large pink heart-shaped quartz fixed into the band. She combed her hair back into a messy ponytail, giving a sigh of relief when her hair finally stopped blowing in her face.

"Ah! Look over there! It's them!"

Kagome lowered her hands back at her side, momentarily started by the excited gasp and commotion stirred up from those words. She glanced towards the noise and spotted a crowd forming and looking her way.

"It's Kagome and Miko!" A woman squealed, holding her Skitty to her chest as she caught sight of the pair. "I'll never forget the time I saw you perform in person!"

With her words, the crowd closed in on her, much to her surprise. It wasn't the first time it'd happened, and she knew it wouldn't be the last, but that did nothing to suppress her surprise. Without skipping a beat, she glanced to her side, where her Lucario stood with a very similar expression on her own face.

"When's your next contest gonna be?" a man asked. "I want to make sure my schedule is wide open and free so I can come watch you live!"

"I heard Lisia is in town too. Are you two here together?"

"A-Ah… yes," Kagome said after taking a moment to collect herself after the sudden ambush of people now surrounding her on all sides. "I was just on my way to see her, and I'm running late as it is," she said, hoping her words would push the excited fans to let her get on her way. Of course, she still had plenty of time, but they didn't need to know that. She practically exhaled in relief when they seemed to back down at her response. They chattered to one another excitedly, and Kagome took the chance to excuse herself. "This was nice! Hope to see you all at my next contest," she exclaimed as she moved away from the crowd. She heard a chorus of positive remarks as she left and continued back down the path she'd been doing down before, her Lucario following close behind her.

She didn't have much time today at all, but she also couldn't bring herself to turn down Lisia's request of meeting up today. Later this afternoon she was supposed to set back out with Steven in search of the Megalith. She at least had a few hours, so she planned to use them the best she could.

"Kagomeee~!" The moment she stepped into sight, a familiar voice called out to her. A smile lifted her lips at the sight of the familiar teal-haired girl sitting at a patio table, arm raised to call attention to her. "Over here! C'mon, c'mon!" Lisia, Wallace's niece, called out to her.

Kagome went over to the table and sank down in the seat opposite of Lisia, and her Lucario sat down beside Lisia's Altaria. "It's been what? A month already?" she said as she sat down. "It feels so long."

Lisia nodded, crossing her legs under the table as she leaned her head into her palm. "It's only been a month? It feels like it's been ten!" she exclaimed. "Ahh… I get your busy and all, but it feels like I haven't seen you in literally forever," Lisia said with a sigh

Kagome laughed, "you're being dramatic."

Lisia pouted. "No! I'm not," she said. A second later, she paused and giggled into her palm. "Okay, maybe a little bit, but you get what I mean! You even said it yourself, Kagome. It feels so long."

She wasn't able to deny her words, and Kagome nodded her head slowly in silent agreement. "I can't stay for too long because I have to leave with Steven later today, but in the meantime, let's make the most of it!" Kagome said, her voice chipper and cheerful. The smile on her face was as sweet as sugar and infectious.

"Yes!" Lisia exclaimed in response, raising her hands excitedly into the air. "There's this little boutique with the cutest dresses. I just noticed it on my way here, and I thought of you right when I saw it! We're gonna go there next," she said, already having most of their time planned out.

Kagome nodded. "Sounds great to me!"

"Ooh what about this one?" Lisia plucked a pastel pink romper off the rack in front of her and held it out to the ravenette focused going through a different rack. When Kagome turned, Lisia held it up to her front to help envision the other girl dressed in it. The outer layer was sheer and billowed while the underlayer was a slightly deeper shade of pink. Along the outer layer was a heart-shaped print. "It was practically made to go with your scrunchie! Go! Go! Go try it on," she squealed and pushed her to the dressing room with a bounce in her step.

"Ah-!" Kagome put the dress she'd been holding back onto the rack as Lisia began pushing her forward. "I'm going, I'm going!" Kagome giggled as Lisia all but shoved her back into the dressing rooms.

She changed into the romper and fixed it up properly. The material was comfortable and easy to move in, to her relief. It reached a little further than her mid-thigh, with the loose outer layer trailing a bit lower down her legs. She eyed herself in the mirror, giving herself a chance to evaluate how she felt about it. She decided it wasn't a bad look, and she went out to give her companion a chance to see, as well.

"How's it look?" Kagome asked, turning some to give a full view as she modeled it for Lisia's judgment.

"It looks a-ma-zing!" Lisia squealed. "Eeek! You just look so cute in everything, and that pink totally goes with your necklace, too! Ahh, you have to get it!"

"You sure I should?" Kagome asked, and Lisia nodded excitedly.

"Yes! Of course!"

Kagome nodded. "Okay. I'll get it then," she said. The next second she returned to the dressing room and changed back into her clothing. When she came back out, Lisia shoved a similarly colored dress in her face.

"Now try this one! I cannot believe I never realized how cute pink is on you until today," she said, already heading back to the rack. "There's a whole lot more where that's from, so chop-chop! We gotta go through this before you have to leave!"

"W-wait, Lisia I-!"

"Oh! This is cute, too!" Lisia ignored whatever Kagome was gonna say, tossing a pink summer dress her way. "You need to try that on, too!"

Kagome eyed Lisia sorting through the clothing at record speed, gasping whenever she found something to add to her new "try-on" pile.

Suddenly she remembered why she never went clothes shopping with Lisia.

To her utter surprise, she made it back before she was supposed to. She went to drop her bags off, and, boy, did she have plenty of bags from that boutique.

Steven looked at her, eyes wide when he noticed the collection of bags she carried. "Busy day?" he asked, nearly chuckling before Kagome turned to him with eyes that practically shone with a warning not to.

"One of these days I'm gonna remember not to let Lisia take me shopping," Kagome huffed, dropping the bags on the floor at her feet. "I now have enough new clothes to entirely replace my current wardrobe but make it pink. Shorts, shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, shoes- even socks! You name it, I now have it all in pink."

Steven ended up laughing at her statement, much to her not-so-hidden ire. "It's a nice color on you!" he said, letting his laugh die when he felt the heat in her glare.

She liked pink, but there was no reason why anyone should have this much of one single color.

"I'm gonna go get ready," she deadpanned, and she heard him start chuckling again once she was out of the room. "I can hear you, you know!"

He only laughed louder in response.

000

She changed out of the sandals she'd worn out to see Lisia and tugged on a pair of more durable shoes- a pair of black boots. She decided to stick with the same clothing, however- a cobalt blue skirt and a pastel lilac button up.

She made her way back to where Steven waited. When she came back to the room, her Lucario once more joined her at her side. Kagome looked at Miko and grinned, reaching out and gently patting the top of her head, much to her obvious happiness.

Steven turned to her when he heard her approaching footsteps. He looked at her, grinning. "What? No pink? I'm curious about what you bought today."

Kagome looked at him, unamused. "I can and will judo flip you, Steven."

"I know," he said after a minute. "I've seen you do it to someone before." It was both fascinating and intimidating to watch her flip someone twice her size, which he'd seen her do with ease. It didn't help that her petite build made her look so fragile and delicate when she was the exact opposite.

"Are we ready to go?" Kagome asked.

"Yup," Steven nodded. "Let's get going!"

"Right!" Kagome exclaimed, and both she and Miko bounded off after the older man.

The way back to the dig-site was familiar. They'd been there not that long ago, after all. Kagome kept pace with Steven, Lucario at her side as they went along the trail in the middle of the large, sloped hill.

"What else did you do with Lisia today besides buy a new wardrobe?" Steven asked the girl at his side. At hearing him, she turned to look up at him. She rolled her eyes before answering.

"Outside of the cafe we went to, that's about it," Kagome said. As she said that, something Lisia said earlier returned to the front of her mind, and she perked up some. "Oh! Lisia also said that they want the two of us to host the opening ceremony for the Contest Spectacular in Lilycove." Kagome said. "The committee has been trying to get in contact with me, but I guess they didn't have much luck." Well, when she was often in places like this, it must've been on the harder side of things.

"Are you going to do it?" he asked, and Kagome shrugged.

"I dunno," she admitted. "I have to leave in three days for it to get everything prepared and all. Lisia's already doing it, so if I don't it'll all be fine." She glanced at Miko at her side, who rumbled happily when she noticed her trainer's attention on her. "I mean, it sounds fun, so I don't want to say I won't do it."

"I think you should do it," Steven encouraged her with a smile, and she looked back at him. "Diantha's also been wondering when you'd be on stage next," he added on.

At the mention of the Kalosian champion, a warm smile lifted Kagome's expression. "I'm still thinking about whether I want to or not. I'll decide later today or tomorrow, that way I have enough time to pack all I need and get there."

She'd taken a brief break from the spotlight when she shifted to focusing on everything else, and she was amazed the public hadn't moved onto someone else by now. It was with Lisia's insistence, and partially Wallace's once he'd been told, that she ever began performing in order to take her mind of things, and it became something she stuck with.

Now she was pushing nearly three months straight without taking part in a single contest, but her popularity hadn't faded. To say it was a surprise would be an understatement. She was glad, but still thoroughly surprised about it all.

"Anyway-!" She was abruptly cut off when she heard a voice in the distance. She looked at Steven, silently questioning if he'd heard it, too when she met his gaze.

"It came from over there," he said, and they both turned to look behind them.

"I'm stuck! Help!"

It came again, and they headed towards it. A hazy fog covered the area, but it didn't take long to find the source of the voice. At the base of the path they were on, a young girl was snagged and caught on a bare shrub trunk. She slowed a bit as she got closer. Steven stopped beside the shrub, holding a hand out as Kagome caught up to him. He gripped her flailing arm and carefully pulled her up some.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her free from what'd trapped her.

"Oh!" The girl, maroon-haired and dressed in a lot of green, seemed surprised by his sudden appearance, and she smiled up at him a second later as she was tugged out of the shrub and back up onto her feet. "Thank you!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm Mairin," she said, readily introducing herself to the new faces.

"I'm Steven," Steven said, returning the favor to the younger girl. He glanced over his shoulder to the ravenette behind him. "That's Kagome."

Mairin turned to the girl in question, and her eyes lit up a second later when her gaze landed on the pokemon at her side. "Oh wow! A Lucario!"

Kagome smiled, and Lucario grumbled happily at seeing Mairin's excitement. "Her name's Miko," she said. Kagome clasped her hands together behind her back, her smile fading into a slightly worried look. "Did you fall from up there?" she asked, and Mairin nodded instantly in response. "You're not hurt, are you?" she asked. It wasn't exactly a small drop to slide down.

"I'm fine," Mairin said. "Well, now that I'm free I am!" She looked up at both of them.

Kagome felt another aura from the level she'd falled from, and she let her worry swap to curiosity. "Are you traveling alone?"

Mairin shook her head and glanced up at the upper level. Not even a second later, another figure appeared, carefully sliding down the hillside to join where they'd gathered together. Mairin's eyes lit up as she motioned to the boy heading their way. "That's my travelmate, Alain! We came from Kalos." Along with him was a Chespin, who teetered over to Mairin's side instantly, gripping onto her shorts. "This is my partner, Chespie!"

Kagome crouched at the site of Chespie, and she held a hand out. Her Lucario mimicked her actions, and the smaller pokemon walked over to the two. She patted his head, faintly listening as Mairin relayed their names to her companion.

Alain looked between the new faces, and as he did, he spotted the Key Stone pinned to Steven's suit jacket. He paused, realizing the energy signature he'd been searching for had been here. Well, it explained one of them.

There'd been an unreadable sort of energy picked up on the radar he used. It'd been alongside the energy of the Key Stone, but there wasn't anything that seemed out of place here. It looked like they were the only ones around for miles.

Alain pushed that thought far from focus, letting his gaze land on Steven again. The man was watching Kagome as she petted Chespin's head, a fond smile on his face. "You have a Key Stone," he said. His words pulled Steven's focus to him, and he merely smiled as he glanced down at his wrist.

"Yes," Steven responded. "It seems you have one as well."

"I challenge you to a battle," Alain said. His words didn't seem to faze the other man any. They did, however, cause Kagome to perk her head up curiously.

"Oh!" Kagome stood back up to her full height, looking at Steven. "We can't really waste time right now. We should get going."

Steven glanced at her before looking back at Alain. A second later, he nodded in agreement with her words. "She's right. The two of us are in quite a hurry, so unfortunately we must be on our way now."

…

Or, so she thought they'd be on their way. She stood next to Mairin, watching the battle below preceding. It wasn't like she expected any differently, though. It also wasn't like she was bothered by it. No matter how many times she watched, she always found it fun to watch Steven battle.

She was enjoying herself watching his Metagross and Alain's Charizard battle, so when it was abruptly interrupted, she was a little disappointed. There was a pout on her face as she went to return to Steven's side.

A Pyroar had cut into the battle without any warning, and now it stood in the middle of each pokemon. It was unwilling to move, so the battle looked done for now.

Not long after the sudden appearance of the Pyroar, Kagome felt another aura approaching them. She turned curious eyes to watch the direction it came from. She didn't have to wait long before a figure appeared at the top of the hill.

"Sorry to interrupt," the new face said. "Could you put you battle on pause for a moment?"

The rest turned in the direction she was facing. Coming down the hill was a tall man dressed in a dark suit with faint red accents, a matching red cravat along with it. He seemed to mirror the Pyroar that'd appeared, his orange hair fading into a beard, the style very similar to its mane.

At his appearance, the Pyroar backed down. He rested a hand on its mane, petting it as it rumbled in response, before he turned towards Steven and Kagome.

"I'd like to apologize for the rudeness of my subordinate, Champion," he said, slowly approaching the pair.

That statement made Alain's eyes widen in surprise, and he turned to the man he'd been battling moments ago. "Wait, Champion?"

"Yes," the man said, motioning to Steven as he turned to Alain, a smile on his face. "This is Steven Stone. He's the current Champion of the Hoenn Region."

Gently, Steven pulled Kagome a bit so she was behind him, and he placed himself between her and the unfamiliar face as the tall man turned back to the pair. Whether the man took note of Steven's actions or not, she didn't know. If he did, he didn't show it. "You seem to know me, but I'm afraid I don't know you," Steven said.

"My apologies," he said in response. "I should've introduced myself sooner. My name is Lysandre. I'm the director and owner of Lysandre Labs in the Kalos Region." His attention fell on the girl slightly behind Steven. Her eyes caught his attention before anything else about her. It was like the color was plucked directly from gemstones themselves. "Oh? And who might you be?" he asked, bringing Kagome's attention to him.

"Oh!" Kagome jumped when she realized he was talking to her, and she stepped forward some so she was beside Steven. She gripped his arm and smiled up at Lysandre. "I'm Kagome Stone! Nice to meet you!" Her lively tone brought a smile to his face. Her chipper and cheerful tone seemed to flow out like an aura, infecting anyone who so much as heard her bright voice. "Miko here is my Lucario," she added on, nodding to the pokemon that stood dutifully at her side as if protecting her, even with her matching cheerful disposition.

"What brings you all out to such a remote place like Hoenn?" Steven asked. Kagome looked at him when she heard his voice.

"I'm having Alain here help me investigate Mega Evolution," Lysandre said. Kagome looked back at the new man, easily catching onto the similar interest between them. It wasn't lost on Steven, either. "At Lysandre Labs, we focus on the energy that is emitted by Pokemon when they are undergoing Mega Evolution and analyze the data we gather." He glanced at Alain, and the pair followed his gaze to the figure standing beside Mairin. "The Mega Ring he wears is able to collect the data during his battles." Lysandre turned back to them. "The energy emitted during the process of Mega Evolution is extensive and immense. It harbors a lot of power, and we're committed on performing research on if it'd be possible to harness that energy for peaceful purposes," Lysandre said.

Kagome let go of Steven's arm and approached Lysandre. She looked up at him, curiosity in her eyes. "... peaceful purposes?" she repeated the last words he'd said. She wanted to know what he meant by that.

"Yes," Lysandre nodded, a small smile on his face as he looked down at the small girl. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his holocaster. He looked at Steven as a hologram appeared from it. "Which brings me to this," he said, and Steven looked at what he'd held out. "Are you familiar with this?" he asked.

A familiar plank of wood with ancient carvings in it was visible in a faint blue glow. It looked like the one Steven and she had found, but when she got a better look at it, she realized the markings on it were different from the one she recognized.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, "that's-!"

Steven nodded when he heard her surprised gasp. "It looks like the other half of the wooden tablet."

Auroua-chan: Finally got the next part to this one finished!

The ruins of the shrine and the Tree of Ages have been discovered. They may or may not show back up in the near future of this story~!

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not, sorry!

Please remembered to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you~

Bye for now!