DISCLAIMER: The following person does not own either Pokémon or Warcraft: me. They belong to Nintendo and Blizzard Entertainment respectively. Everything written here is to be used for entertainment only and not profit. AUTHOR’S NOTES: Now our story “really’ begins. If you play World of Warcraft, you’re probably going to be very familiar with these settings. As mentioned in the prologue, knowledge about the Warcraft lore is not necessary, but helps a ton. This is a Pokémon story nonetheless because the main plot revolves around Pokémon characters and I am presuming that anyone who reads this understands the basics of the Pokémon “realm.” As always, feedback of any kind is greatly welcomed, including flames. ----------------------------------------------------- Through Azeroth – Chapter 1 Written by daBOSS “Mmm, now this is a vacation,” Misty exhaled, propping up their umbrella before making herself comfortable upon her husband’s lap. “Yeah, I’m glad we decided to come back to Pommelo Island for this,” Ash responded. “So much has changed since I was here to compete for the Orange League crown.” The newlywed couple wasted no time finding comfort upon the sandy Pommelo beach. After checking into their hotel room, they quickly dropped their belongings, changed into their swimwear, rented a beach chair and umbrella, and staked a land claim along the densely populated shores. Ash squeezed a dose of sun protection lotion onto his hands and massaged it onto Misty’s back, receiving a small moan of appreciation in reply. “I don’t ever remember Pommelo being such a popular tourist attraction,” he said while working his hands around her shoulders and down her arms. “Me neither,” Misty answered. “When we were here all those years ago, this place was strictly about Pokémon training. Now it’s become a bigger tourist trap than Cinnabar.” Ash chuckled at his wife’s comparison. “Yeah, Drake feels the same way. At the last League meeting, all he could talk about was how frustrating it had become to find decent Pokémon trainers wandering Pommelo anymore.” He squeezed another dose of lotion and gently rubbed it upon her legs. Misty turned around and gave her husband a joking grin. “And knowing why we’re here, I don’t think we’re helping to ease his frustration either.” “Hah, he doesn’t even know we’re here!” Ash laughed, finishing his work on her and handing her the plastic bottle. “But let’s not worry about that stuff. I mean, we’re here for our honeymoon, Mist.” “Of course silly,” Misty replied, squeezing the lotion from the bottle. “This next month will be about nothing other than you and me.” Ash sat up from the chair, allowing Misty to reach her hands around him and apply the lotion to his back. Taking advantage of the position, he leaned forward and placed his lips upon hers, eagerly showing her his affection. She returned the kiss with just as much fervor, sliding her hands along his back in a manner that started driving him insane. They broke the kiss as she moved her hands to his chest, a soft moan escaping from their lips almost simultaneously. He leaned back into his chair while she acquired and applied more lotion, having to restrain herself from losing control while her hands traced along the stiff texture of his chest and abdomen. She smiled, realizing that if they were not in a public area, she would not hesitate to unleash herself upon him without limits. Misty finished her lotion work on his arms and legs and leaned down to steal another kiss before lying herself upon her husband, resting her head against his neckline. “I can’t believe we’re married,” she whispered, closing her eyes and taking in the comfort of the setting. Ash smiled wholeheartedly, bringing his right arm from her waist and caressed her cheek. “Yeah, it’s still just sinking in,” he answered, brushing away a few strands of her stray hair and relocating them to a spot behind her ear. “And tonight, we’ll finally take that last step we’ve been waiting for,” she added. He nodded, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Upon becoming a couple, they had almost immediately agreed not to rush their relationship to a level they were not fully prepared for. They discussed the topic seriously for some time, deciding that it would be best to wait until after marriage so their first time would be much more special. He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze and gave her a small kiss. “I’m so glad we decided to wait,” he said. “It’ll make tonight a night we won’t ever forget.” “I love you so much Ash.” “I love you too Mist.” Their lips locked once more as they simply embraced the rush of passion emanating from the closeness of each other. The surge of emotions would have continued to build had Ash not interrupted it with a small laugh. “What’s so funny all of a sudden?” Misty pondered, puzzled at her husband’s minor unexpected outburst. Ash gave a warm smile in return. “I’m just thinking back to that day when we first told each other how we felt.” “Oh, that,” Misty smirked. “Yeah, we definitely weren’t able to hold back any longer.” * * * * * * * * * * Ash stood atop the artificial island at the center of the pool, eyes frozen on the figure before him. Her face was brimming with a tenderness he had been yearning to nurture for ages. Her cerulean blue eyes sparkled brightly under the stage lights. He was completely lost in them, scanning her retinas, desperate to search her soul. She looked as if she was concealing an infinite number of emotions within and wanted to unload them all at once. His hands trembled while holding hers. He had just “rescued” this beautiful mermaid from two “evil villains,” and he was now supposed to speak to her. Yet upon locking eyes with her from such a close proximity, all the words he had been scripted to say flew from his memory. He could only stare blankly, knowing that this mermaid was the same girl who had been giving him butterflies ever since he started on his Pokémon journey. Seconds were passing as the audience was waiting for the next part of the act, but at that moment, those seconds and that audience in Ash’s mind were far beyond the horizon. All he could concentrate on was how beautiful she looked, and all he wanted to do was sweep her off her tail and into his arms. Misty had the same thoughts racing through her mind. The boy she faced was dressed as a prince, but Misty was paying no attention to his clothing or his role. Her focus was on his eyes, his handsome face, and how he had the same blank look as her. She couldn’t move. She didn’t even want to move. She had never felt her heart beat at such a rapid pace before as she stood on her mermaid tail glued to his expression. He had taken her hands into his own from below, and she found herself squeezing them as if her very existence depended on such a tight grip. Neither Ash nor Misty could believe what Misty’s sisters had done. Ash, already a world famous Pokémon master but still seeking the number one ranking, was taking a weeklong break from training to visit Misty in Cerulean City. Upon hearing the news, Misty’s sisters immediately cast him as the prince in their never-ending mermaid play without notifying him. Even before he had arrived in Cerulean, flyers and banners had been hung across the city notifying its residents that Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum would be starring as the prince for performances during the week he would be in town. Ticket sales had gone through the roof, and every show of that week became overbooked. The three elder Sensational Sisters cried in joy almost daily, while Misty and Ash remained dumbfounded after their discovery. The Sensational Sisters were merely exploiting their opportunities. Both Ash and Misty expressed frustration at their quick scheme, and both walked into their first performance simply eager to get it over with and not disappoint the audience. They were now toward the end of that performance, at a part where the mermaid was supposed to thank the prince for her rescue and walk away with a heavy heart while the prince was to declare that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever witnessed and ask if he would ever see her again. However, their emotions had other plans, and the closeness of each other coupled with years of withheld desire made neither of them realize that they were deviating from the script. It felt as though he was no longer in control of his own body movement. Ash slid his right hand up her bare arm, nervously absorbing the tenderness of her baby- soft skin. He ran his hand along her shoulder before it came to rest upon her cheek, never once taking his eyes away from hers. Part of him expected her to resist or at least say her line and snap him out of his trance, but she did neither; instead, her eyes told him that she was openly welcoming his touch. He found his face leaning forward while his hand began bringing her cheek back. Neither he nor her were trying to stop themselves from what was about to happen. Both of them had wanted this for years, and both were now finally able to unearth enough courage to close any existing distance, both figuratively and literally, between them. Their lips met for the first time, creating an emotional rush of adrenaline that surged through their bodies. Gradually, he let go of her other hand and moved both of his to her waist, pulling her close so that their bodies came in contact. Her arms snaked around his neck, clinging to him tightly while adding to the intensity of the kiss. All the feelings that had been embedded within them since childhood, all the passion from their hearts that they had harbored for each other were released into their first kiss. The kiss died slowly and they broke apart, continuing to lose themselves in each others’ eyes. There were no hints of worry, regret, or even astonishment. The two only smiled lovingly at each other, having conquered their own internal fears to reach this plateau. “I love you,” he whispered softly. “I love you too,” she answered. A huge roar from the audience brought both of them out of their own world and, for a moment, back to reality. Embarrassed, both released their grips on each other and looked toward the crowd. Yet they were received with nothing but cheers, whistles, and intense applause. The audience was on their feet, believing that this was the end of the play and giving the actors a standing ovation. Misty looked to Daisy, who was sitting front-row-center, and got a nod in response followed by applause and cheers from her as well. Turning back to Ash, she gave him another kiss, much to the delight of everyone in the building. They stood there and took their bows and did not move until the crowd left the gym. Ash looked at Misty and grinned. “I guess it wasn’t such a bad idea for your sisters to cast me in this play after all,” he remarked. “Yeah,” she replied, beaming. “They did something right for once.” * * * * * * * * * * Evening had descended upon Pommelo Island. Ash and Misty dined at a fancy restaurant in the hotel lobby and decided to take a stroll along the moonlit beach before returning to their room. They had changed their attire back to the casual, tropical clothes they wore when they arrived earlier that day. “It’s such a beautiful night out tonight,” Misty proclaimed, leaning her head against her husband’s shoulder. “Clear skies, full moon, infinite bright stars…” “It’s so romantic,” Ash teased, imitating her voice, to which he was rewarded with a playful slap against his chest and a small chuckle. “Admit it Honey, that’s where you were going.” “I don’t sound like that Ketchum,” she retorted, giving him a small jab in the upper arm. “Now come on, let’s walk somewhere less crowded.” The two strolled on, passing through the tourist areas before reaching a place where the land began to rise into a seaside cliff. They continued along the edges until reaching its peak, where a crystal clear view of the scenic horizon combined with absolutely zero tourists enthralled the young couple’s sight. Ash sat down atop a giant rock and Misty sat upon his lap, leaning herself backward and making herself comfortable against his chest. Ash wrapped his arms around her waist and nudged her hair aside, then covered her neck with kisses to drive her wild. Misty tilted her head slightly to meet his lips with her own, and before long the two found themselves in a make-out war. The air around them was crisp and cool, but the burning passion emulating from the young lovers was heating up the atmosphere surrounding the cliff. They could feel the desire for each other rise, and they knew they were ready. A sudden jolt from both the air above and the ground below broke the moment of passion. “What the hell was that?” Ash asked. It felt like an earthquake, but the air was quaking as well. “We should probably get out of here,” Misty suggested. “If there really is an earthquake, this cliff could collapse.” Ash however, did not even have time to agree with her. A second jolt hit them just as unexpectedly as the first, and without warning, a large circle of light appeared out of nowhere right in front of the young couple. The energy of the light began pulling its surroundings in with so much force that the rock the two had been sitting on was uprooted and absorbed in an instant. Before they could even think about the unexplained of events, Ash and Misty found themselves spiraling through a twisting portal of both blinding light and darkness. * * * * * * * * * * The young couple landed with a crashing thud a few meters apart from each other. Both got up quickly and observed their surroundings. The sandy beach of Pommelo Island was nowhere to be seen. The crystal clear night sky littered with stars had been seemingly destroyed. They were now in a dark and desolate barren wasteland with no sign of vegetation. The sky was cloudy and lightning storms were striking off in the distance. Several giant, red boulders dotted the landscape, limiting room for maneuverability. The large portal that they had come through was at least forty meters behind them. “Are you okay Honey?” Misty asked, helping her husband to his feet. “Yeah,” he assured her. “Don’t worry, I’m not hurt. Are you okay?” “I’m good,” she said, dusting herself off. “What happened?” “I don’t know, but frankly, I don’t want to know,” he answered. “Let’s just get out of here fast.” She nodded at him and they ran for the portal, realizing it was how they arrived and hoping that it would be their ticket home. Yet they hadn’t even made it halfway through when a sudden bolt of dark energy crashed into Ash full force, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling at least ten meters. “Ash!” Misty shrieked, rushing to her husband’s side. Now he was hurt and she could see the scrapes and cuts from the fall. Ash coughed away the dust from the impact and looked up to see his wife’s face. “I’m okay,” he said, “just bleeding a little. Don’t worry; I’ll patch myself up when we get back home.” “Do not presume you are headed anywhere!” a voice roared. Ash and Misty stood up and held onto each other tightly, peeking over in the direction of the voice. Out of the shadows stepped two gigantic demonic figures lavender-gray in color. Both towered above the young couple, well over twice the height of Ash. Each had two horns curled upward extending out of their foreheads and a pair of wings that spanned three times the width of their bodies, and both of their faces were of pure evil. “Puny mortals!” one of them called, pointing at Ash and Misty. “The Burning Legion will have fun crushing you.” Instinct took over the Pokémon trainers, each reaching toward their belts and removing a Pokéball. “Go Snorlax!” “Go Gyrados!” In a flash, the giant Pokémon appeared, ready to defend their masters. The demons looked at the two new creatures joining the conflict and let out an evil laugh. Instantly, they both waved their palms, sending the Pokémon to the ground crying in agony. “Gyrados/Snorlax!” the trainers exclaimed. They were about to approach their injured Pokémon when the demons stepped in between. “Your pathetic creatures are no match for the Legion’s powers!” one of them bellowed. “Now it’s your turn to taste in our might!” Another bolt of dark energy was launched at Ash, hitting him straight in the chest and sending him tumbling once more. Misty ran toward her husband, helping him sit up. He was conscious, but badly injured. The demons cackled fiercely at the weakness of the young couple and approached them again, ready to land the killing blow. Misty looked up into their faces, faces that sought nothing but death and destruction, fighting back her fears and standing in front to shield the man she loved. Yet in the back of her mind, she knew it was useless. These demons had knocked their Pokémon out without even landing a finger on them, and if they wanted to finish off both her and Ash, they needed very little effort to do it. The demons glared at her and began charging up one final attack together to end the confrontation. Misty braced herself for the fate about to come. ----------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR’S NOTES: Wow, this chapter went longer than I expected! I think I just had too much fun writing this, even though I did it throughout the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. Chapter 2 will be up shortly. Please send any feedback you may have to da_boss1@bluebottle.com. Thanks for reading!