Summary: Kagome finds herself lost in a world far different than her own, crossing paths with Steven within the eerie cave that led her there. To keep anything bad from befalling her, the Hoenn Champion takes her under his wing. Enrolled in Uva Academy, she's encouraged to learn more about this world. From making friends and going on her own Treasure Hunt, her journey has only just begun.

Pairing: Kagome/Arven.

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

Note:
Flashback/Past are written in bulk Italics.

Prologue

"This is impossible!" A whine of desperation laced with anxiousness left her mouth as she came to a halt. Her hands fell to rest on her hips as she glanced around her to find a viable route to get her out of this dark cave. A frown lingered on her face, and she jumped when she heard something scuttle along the ground behind her. When she turned, she saw nothing there and she was slow to turn her gaze away from the spot.

It felt like the further she went, the more lost she got! It'd been hours by now, at least!

She finally turned back to face forward, anxiously tapping the toe of her loafer on the ground. The light she once had seemed to have faded, leaving her in pitch blackness. The light from before had been practically abysmal, but still something she could work with in terms of navigation. She gingerly took her bulky yellow bag off to set it on the ground before her. She rummaged around blindly for a few minutes before she discovered what she'd been searching for.

"Aha!" Kagome exclaimed as she tugged out her flashlight. Her excitement was swift to fade when trying to turn it on did nothing. She tapped it against her palm, but it only flickered once before going dark again. "Oh, come on!" she huffed, snatching both arms back down to her side as she stood back up to her full height. "Talk about rotten luck!"

A few more tries to get the flashlight working proved to be unsuccessful, and she let out a mild groan.

She just wanted to get out of there and get back to the rest of her group before something really bad happened, but time certainly didn't seem to be on her side.

Kagome shoved the flashlight back into her bag with a glare on her face. She picked her bag back up and slung the straps over her shoulders. She stood in silence for a few seconds before sighing. She held one of her hands up as a faint pink glow surrounded it, casting an amaranth light through the otherwise shadowy space.

She hadn't wanted to use any of her spiritual energy on the off chance something could feel it and try and attack her, but at this rate that sounded better than wandering in pitch black and getting even more lost.

"This place is weird…" she mused softly, holding her hand up a bit higher so the light could stretch further around. "Now that I think about it…." she trailed off with a frown. "I can't sense anything here." That didn't make any sense, though. She knew there must've been animals living within the cave walls for shelter, at least. So, why wasn't she able to sense any of them? It was the first time something like this had happened to her.

She stood there, merely examining anything and everything she could observe from where she was. As she turned in a small circle, someone standing behind her took her by surprise. At once, the glow on her palm faded as she jumped.

"Aah!" A startled shriek left her, and she stumbled back at the abrupt appearance of the man. The ground next to her was a drop-off, and she lost her footing when she stepped too far to the side. Just before she could fall down the ledge, a hand gripped her wrist and she was tugged forward. Once she was back on her own two feet, the grip on her slowly lifted.

"Sorry about that," he said once letting her go.

Kagome lifted her head, light cerulean hues meeting a steely shade of blue. The flashlight in his hand was pointed at the ravine she'd almost fallen down. Out of reflex, she looked down it. Even with the bright stream of light, the end wasn't in view.

"I didn't mean to startle you like that," he continued, tearing the light away from the abyss below and back to an angle that cast a warm glow along their faces. "Are you okay?"

She was slow to nod, and she lifted her gaze back up to meet his own. As she did, she was quick to note how differently he was dressed compared to her companions in the past. His clothes were more modern, much like her own. That didn't make any sense to her, not when she was five hundred years in the past currently.

"I…-" An off feeling spread through her chest as she felt a dozen questions start to build up in her mind. "Yeah, I'm okay," she responded.

"What happened to your light?" he asked. "Did you drop it?"

"W-Well…" As badly as she wanted to lie to him, she could tell that wouldn't help her in the slightest. Her heart was already pounding in her ears as she weighed the possibilities.

Something was definitely off about this cave.

Not only that, but she also wasn't in the Feudal Era anymore.

She held her hand back up and let the glow form once more. He didn't seem as surprised as she assumed he would be. Instead, he nodded.

"I thought that's what you did," he stated, and she looked up, a little dumbfounded. "I saw you do it a moment ago," he clarified, "but I didn't want to push if you didn't want others to know."

"... and you're not weirded out by it?" she asked flatly. He laughed.

"Well, it's certainly a new one for me, but I can't say I am," he responded. "My name is Steven Stone," he introduced, holding a hand out. "What can I call you?"

Kagome placed her hand in his own. When she did, she could faintly feel a trace of his aura through the touch. Her frown deepened, not understanding the strange effect this place had on her senses. "I'm Kagome Higurashi," she responded. More and more questions kept building up, the weight doubling and tripling on her shoulders. "I don't think I'm in the same place I was before entering this cave," she stated as a matter of fact. It was a comment that caught his attention.

"What makes you think that?" Steven questioned. His tone was genuine curiosity, and she could feel his interest from where her hand still rested against his own.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I explained," Kagome sighed. She was well aware of how crazy she would sound to anyone not privy to her past hobbies. Steven smiled and shook his head.

"Now that only makes me even more curious," he responded. "Try me- I've seen my fair share of strange," he encouraged.

She spared him another glance before she sighed. Well, what exactly did she have to lose if he ended up not believing her?

"But why don't we get out of this cave before that?" Steven suggested.

Kagome gave a wry smile. "I've been trying to get out of here for hours," she stated. Steven chuckled.

"I know the way," he responded.

000

She sat on a fallen tree, hands twisting nervously in her lap as silence befell them. She'd just gotten done with her very lengthy explanation. Steven had listened patiently, not interrupting her to ask questions she knew he must have. Now that it was silent, however, she was wondering if she should've said anything in the first place…

'You're in quite the predicament then, aren't you?" Steven hummed, curling a finger beneath his chin in thought. When he finally spoke, she picked her head up and met his gaze. A moment passed, and she nodded. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed.

"That's one way to put it," she mused softly.

He came to join her where she sat.

"There's no telling the cause or reason why you were brought here," he continued.

He had confirmed to her that she was no longer in the right place, but it was far worse than she'd thought. He'd shed light on where she was as they left the cave, listing names that didn't even exist in her own time.

She wasn't in a different time. She was in a different world.

"And there's no way of knowing if there's a way for me to get back," she interjected. Her tone was heavy, her worry almost breaking through to the surface. Her nails dug into the bark of the tree's trunk as her vision blurred. It was too much. "What am I supposed to do now?" she bit out in a shaky whisper. "I don't know how to get home…" she trailed off as an even worse thought entered her brain. "Let alone if I can even go home in the first place…"

Steven nodded, understanding her concerns. "I'm relieved I came across you before any trouble came your way," he stated. She glanced at him. "Who knows what might've happened if you kept wandering about on your own." It was lucky enough that she didn't run into any hostile Pokemon within the cave.

Kagome nodded, having listened to his cautions about this world on their way to the cave's exit. "But…-" She frowned and wrung her hands together in her skirt. "What should I do now?" she asked him. "I don't know anyone, and the only things I know about this world are what you told me," she said. Going off her on her own here didn't exactly sound like the best of ideas to her…

"If you're worried about finding your way around, don't be," he said with a gentle smile on his face. "Frankly, I can't in good conscience just let you go off on your own as you are right now," he stated. Kagome tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Why don't you come with me?" he offered, and her eyes widened in surprise. "It can be a lot to get used to when you're thrown in as suddenly as you have been."

"But I…-" she trailed off as his smile widened. It sounded nice, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to take responsibility for her.

"If you don't want to stay long, then, at least just hang out for a little while to get used to the world around you," he suggested as a follow-up offer. "Once you get a little bit more accustomed to your new surroundings, then you can decide with better understanding."

It didn't sound all that bad to her, and she nodded slowly to accept his offer. He smiled and stood up.

"Great!" Steven exclaimed. "How about we head out of here?" he suggested then. "I can answer any questions you might have about this world, as well."

Kagome nodded and rose to her feet, falling into pace with him.

Her decision to stay for only a brief period seemed to drift far from her mind the more she became accustomed to the new world she was subjected to. She found herself sticking to his side far longer than she'd initially thought she would. She dedicated her time to learning more about the world she'd been haphazardly left in.

Three months into her stay with Steven, he approached her with a brochure in hand. The book she'd been going over was pushed aside as he joined her at the table. The lettering took her a moment to read.

Back when she first crossed paths with him she hadn't given it any thought about how they were able to communicate so seamlessly even though she was from a different world. A language barrier was nonexistent, yet when it came to reading things in the foreign script she was faced with multiple problems.

He didn't rush her as she put the lettering together in her mind. A few minutes passed before she realized what it said on the cover.

"... Uva Academy?"

The confusion she spoke with was easily picked up by Steven, and he sent her a warm smile. They'd recently gotten settled into a new home. She'd learned that he explored different areas despite his position in the Hoenn Pokemon League, and, as such, he had different abodes in different regions. This one, however, was new to both of them.

He slid the brochure closer to her, encouraging her to take it. She did after a moment, not hesitating to open it to observe the contents with her own eyes. He didn't miss the way her brow furrowed as she struggled to understand the writing.

"Exactly," Steven responded, leaning to tap at the paper. It pulled her attention toward a specific section on the page. "It's one of the best schools around," he remarked. "I'm sure here you'll learn all you could ever need to know about this world."

She blinked a few times before turning her attention up to him. "You moved all the way out here just for this…?" She questioned. Her deadpan tone made him laugh. Furthermore, she spared a look around the spacious home. "You're still the Hoenn Champion," she reminded him. "Wasn't there a school in Hoenn I could've gone to instead?" she suggested. "You didn't have to come out here for that."

He laughed again and nodded, wordlessly confirming her statement. "I can balance my time quite well, I'll have you know," he responded. "There's no need for you to be worried about my job," he added with a smile. He reached to gently pat her head- much to the annoyance of the teenage miko. She huffed as he let his hand fall. "Anyway, think of this as a fresh starting place," he said, tone soft.

"..."

"I thought things out well," he remarked as she sat in silence. "This school has a dorm system," he explained. "So when I can't be here, whether I'm off on League business or an expedition, you don't have to be on your own or drop everything to come with me," he said. "You can make friends while you learn. You already know a little from exploring with me, so you won't be entirely lost."

"..." Kagome thumbed through the brochure. A few words she could make out. She felt Steven watching her.

"What do you say?" he asked after giving her a moment to think about it. "You can say no if you don't want to, but I thought it'd be nice for you to at least try it. Adopt some routine."

She collapsed the brochure back to its default state before she nodded. "I don't see the harm in it," she eventually said. Steven's smile widened as he got up.

"Good," he beamed. "I'll get your paperwork all sorted and in order!"

The uniform was vastly different from the one she had to wear back in her original world, but it was far better. The shorts were more comfortable than the skirt she once had to run around in.

"... More practical, too," she mused to herself.

A knock on the door downstairs caught her attention, and she turned. She made it downstairs just in time to spot a new figure standing at the threshold. She recognized him from the images in the brochure- as well as the introductory video for the academy.

White hair brushed neatly, a deep violet blazer, and white pants. He turned to her, a smile on his face as she came to join the two men gathered.

"This young lady must be Miss Kagome," he stated as he took in her appearance. "Our esteemed academy's uniform certainly suits you well, I'd say," he complimented. "I am Clavell, the Director of Uva Academy."

"Oh," Kagome nodded. "Right! It's nice to meet you," she responded. He smiled.

"Why, I can say the same," Clavell responded. "Today marks your first day as a student of our academy," he continued. "As such, I have a very special gift to deliver."

Kagome tilted her head to the side, confusion settling on her face. "Gift…?"

He nodded, taking a step back to exit the building. "Though, perhaps it's something better to do outside…?" he mused. Out of reflex, Kagome followed him outside. Steven did as well, letting the door close behind him.

Once they were all outside, he tugged three capsules from his bag. A second later, the three creatures resting inside them came out in a flash of light. Kagome stumbled back out of surprise as the three unfamiliar creatures settled on the ground before her.

"It is a tradition to grant all of our new trainers a Pokemon companion of their own to grow alongside," Clavell explained. "You may make your selection of these three little ones."

Auroua-chan: This felt like a nice point to end this one for now.

Kagome's adjusting to the new world quite well, but she still doesn't have a Pokemon of her own due to not feeling ready. So the one she gets from Clavell will be her first. I'm not sure which one I want her to have, but I'm torn between Sprigattio and Fuecoco the most. Both suit her very well.

Suggestions for her team are welcome! She can have more than 6, but will carry the limit at any given time.

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 remember to REview&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~