Weather the Storm

Pairings: Mainly PokéShipping; Ash/Misty, slight ContestShipping; Drew/May, slight RocketShipping; James/Jessie, slight SoulSilverShipping, OC/OC.

Rating: T for language, suggestive themes, and violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated in any way with the Pokémon franchise. This story is merely for entertainment. I, however, do own my OCs. I also don't own Back to the Future or anything else you could relate this storyline to.

A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers and my one-of-a-kind-most-fantastic-beta-ever C'sMelody!

Making Waves

Glory, hallelujah, praise almighty Arceus!

Ilse did her best to look surprised instead of giddy, but she did glance over to Brock so he could see the excitement radiating forth in her eyes.

Sure, they hadn't been waiting that long, but she had almost begun to lose hope. Maybe she had messed with the past so much that she should be worried that she had changed too much, but she could always count on her father to pull through for her. At the very least, she could always count on him to try to save the world.

After a long period of silence Misty finally said, "What? Ash, are you crazy?"

"No, I'm not," Ash replied in a calm reasonable tone, which surprised everyone. "If anyone can do it, we can."

"Hold on. What's with all this 'we' business?" Misty asked, arching her eyebrow.

Ash shrugged his shoulders and looked earnestly at Misty. "We're a team."

He said it honestly and straightforwardly so there was no room for argument. As though it weren't the very thing that they had been arguing about not twenty-four hours prior. Ash and Misty held each other's strong gaze steadily, almost daring the other to say something on the matter.

Misty finally opened her mouth but instead of arguing, she simply said, "Could you guys give us a moment, please?"

Ilse, Noah, and Brock all exchanged glances, shrugged their shoulders and left the kitchen without a word, abandoning ship before the storm came and it capsized.

Ilse was standing flat against the wall on the other side of the kitchen, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation going on in there. Noah and Brock had both started up the stairs, but Ilse halted as soon as she was out of sight of Misty and Ash. The two boys sat stooped on the stairs, Noah resting his chin in his hand and looking bored while Brock just sat stoically.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, a fight seemed to be going back and forth between Ash and Misty. However this one was much calmer than the one from the night before. Ilse decided to take this as a good thing, but it was also something she wasn't particularly appreciative of, as it made them very hard to hear. They had actually been silent for a good many minutes, so Ilse almost didn't even notice when they started talking. Fortunately, Misty's voice tended to get rather loud and shrill when arguing, so Ilse did manage to make out the occasional phrase or two.

Misty seemed to be trying to shoot down his plan before he even got a chance to come up with it. A part of Ilse was praying that Misty would get through to him and save her from having to go through with her own plan. But what would it mean for this world if Team Rocket continued its atrocities? She shuddered at the thought.

Ilse turned back to the conversation at hand, cupping her ear against the wall, so that maybe she would be able to make out more of what they were saying. Misty's voice too had disappeared, which Ilse knew wasn't good. Ilse had only ever heard her mother's voice be low and dangerous when she did something really bad—it was a voice she learned to fear.

Desperate to hear what had caused Misty's voice to go that low, Ilse fiddled with her PokéBelt, which she had on her even though it was first thing in the morning, and felt around for a certain 'Ball. Clutching it victoriously, Ilse enlarged it and aimed it up the stairs so that there was no chance that Ash and Misty would notice the sudden beam of energy. A round, blue, bipedal Pokémon with large, rabbit-like ears took shape. It opened its mouth to call its name, but Ilse hurriedly put her lips to her mouth and shushed it before it got a chance.

"Azumarill, come down the stairs, but be absolutely silent. I need to hear what's going on in the kitchen."

The Water Type hopped down the stairs, landing next to Ilse, pushing its long ears against the wall, twitching slightly at the voices it picked up. It quickly gained a confused look on its face and looked up questioningly at Ilse.

"Yes, it's my parents. Now just listen!"

Despite having called out the Pokémon, Ilse still wanted to hear everything she could for herself, so she continued to cup her ear against the wall.

"…just like before…can't have you risking…over."

"…Ritchie…Team Rocket…have to…need you…"

"…Fine."

Ilse strained her ears but couldn't hear any more voices. Suddenly Azumarill pulled away from the wall and started jumping around, a worried expression on its face. But she had told it not to talk, so it wasn't saying anything.

Then she heard what Azumarill heard. Footsteps.

Hurriedly, Ilse pulled out Azumarill's PokéBall again and recalled the Pokémon, praying that Ash and Misty wouldn't notice the bright flash of light.

As soon as Ilse pocketed the 'Ball, Ash and Misty rounded the corner, their faces exposing no emotion. Misty was the first to speak. "If you're in," she said looking at Brock, "we're going to take on Team Rocket." She finished with a triumphant smile on her face.

But she didn't sound happy about it.

What? What did that mean?

As much as she really, really, really wanted to be in the room with Ash, Misty, and Brock as they worked on a plan to disband Team Rocket, Ilse even more strongly wanted to hear what exactly she had missed in Ash and Misty's conversation.

She needed to figure it out.

She had quickly excused herself, leaving a confused Noah with the instructions to keep eavesdropping, and headed to her room.

She released Azumarill as soon as she closed the door. As Azumarill recounted verbatim everything that the two of them had said, horror filled her face. Ilse returned Azumarill as soon as it was done, feeling a thousand pounds heavier. She trudged towards Noah, who was still studiously eavesdropping, and stopped right next to him.

"They broke up."

Ash sat silently in the kitchen waiting for Misty to speak. After all, she had been the one to just kick out Brock, Alyssa, and Noah. He figured she had something she wanted to say. So he waited.

And waited.

He saw in her expression that she was fighting what she wanted to say. That whatever she wanted to tell him was hard for her. That was the only thing that kept him from breaking the silence himself.

"I know why you feel you need to do this, Ash," Misty started slowly. "But you don't always have to be the one to take on the world."

"But Misty," Ash pleaded, "they've been killing people for years now—they killed Ritchie! We've sat around long enough and let other people try to stop them. It's our turn now."

It went back and forth like that for a while. All of Misty's arguments were half-hearted. She told him he was crazy, she told him he was reckless, she told him he didn't know what he was up against. She was grasping at straws and knew that they wouldn't work. None of that had ever been known to stop him before. So finally she said what she really wanted to say.

"You promised," she finally whispered.

"What?" he asked, confused by her change in tone.

"You promised that you were done with the dangerous missions."

"But you'd be with me for this one," Ash argued, not understanding what she was so upset about. "Isn't that what you wanted? To be able to look out for me if I ever did anything like this again?"

Misty sighed. "Yeah, but it feels just like before. I can't have you risking your life when we're already breaking. Maybe this isn't the right time for us." She stopped, the words burning her as she said them. "If we go on this mission, it's over."

Ash's face was hard but his eyes looked hurt. "You know that you can't ask that of me. What about Ritchie? He was one of my best friends. And Team Rocket needs to be stopped! I have to finish this and I need you to help me."

Misty looked at the familiar fire and determination in his eyes. Despite herself, she did agree with everything he was saying. It just hurt so much because he was doing the same thing to her. The same thing she was afraid he would always do. Her biggest fear was that one day down the road they would be married, have a family, and then he would just disappear. She couldn't shake the feeling that that's how it would happen. But even still, she felt the word slip out of her mouth.

"Fine."

Misty kicked herself. She hated what she was doing to Ash, but she also hated what he was doing to her. It made her feel like she was sixteen all over again.

Back then she had promised herself that she would never stand in the way of Ash's dreams. But then he had gotten hurt. And so she had decided that the best way to not stand in the way of his dreams was to take herself out of them. If doing that would make him happier than just being with her, then that's what she wanted for him. No matter how much it broke her heart. She had to let him do what he wanted to do, even if it meant she wasn't with him.

That wasn't the same as standing in the way of his dream, was it?

She told herself over and over again that she was preserving his dream. That they had been good as friends, so what was the harm in going back to just being friends? And they had been fine. For almost two years they had been great at just being friends.

Then Alyssa had to come around and turn everything upside-down.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Ash. He had never paid any other girl besides her any mind. That's how she knew how much she mattered to him. And she knew that she shouldn't compare herself to other girls, but when you grew up in the shadow of the Sensational Sisters it was hard not to. That's why it made her feel so special that she was the only girl that Ash even looked at.

And she had to admit that she was feeling the slightest twinge of remorse for yelling at Alyssa like that. As much as the girl filled her with these feelings of rage she also filled Misty with something else. An emotion she couldn't place. She felt a connection with this girl that she could not shake. She had dubbed it familial instinct in her mind. She was family after all—they shared blood! Yet it was a different feeling than she felt with her sisters. She just couldn't place it…

But she didn't think about it too much because now that Alyssa was here her confidence with Ash was shaken. Ash had another girl that he loved being around, talking to, and looking at. She had been tempted right then and there to take herself out of the equation. Let her love be happy with the one he loved, even if it wasn't her. But he had been so adamant that that wasn't the case that she almost believed that he didn't see a single thing in her cousin.

Then Ritchie died.

She knew. She knew exactly what Ash was going to do the second the shock had begun to wear off. She knew him well enough to know that the first idea he would jump to was one that included him throwing himself in harm's way in order to possibly save the day. She also knew that there would be no talking him out of it.

In all honesty, she wasn't even sure that she wanted to. She wanted to beat the living daylights out of Team Rocket as much as he did. And it had been forever since she'd gone on an adventure. She was practically aching to go with them so that they could take down the bad guys, just like old times.

But that little sixteen-year-old girl in her kept on reminding her of last time. Ordinarily, Misty would just ignore her younger self. Or at least she'd try. But this time there was a little itch on the back of her neck that told her that this was bad. It could be the worst thing to ever happen. She didn't have any idea why she had that instinct, but she couldn't shake it no matter how much Ash argued that it was the right thing to do.

She couldn't get rid of it, but she could ignore it. Because as much as she didn't want Ash to go in there, she sure as hell wasn't going to let him go without her.

And besides—she wanted to go too.

So she, Ash, and Brock sat in the living room, talking through what needed to happen—what needed to happen before they left, who would be beneficial to bring with them, and so on.

The three of them were currently arguing over whether to add Gary to the group or not. Brock and Misty both thought it was a great idea, but Ash was hesitant at best. He currently had his arms crossed and was frowning like a little boy saying, "I don't wanna." He was practically pouting.

As Misty resisted the urge to laugh, she noticed Alyssa and Noah enter the room. Alyssa had an oddly unsettled look on her face, but Noah looked cool, as usual. Misty wondered for a second if Alyssa was upset about Ritchie's death, even though she didn't know him, before she pushed the thought out of her mind, telling herself that she didn't care.

"What are you guys doing here?" Her voice came out harsh. But if they noticed, they didn't show it.

"We want to go with you."

Misty arched an eyebrow. Even though Alyssa said it like she was asking, there was a firmness in her voice that told Misty that this girl wasn't going to take no for an answer. Still, she felt the need to give it a shot. "Why would you want to go—need I remind you, possibly to your deaths—with us?"

Alyssa looked square at Misty, the scare tactic not fazing her a bit. "Team Rocket is filled with evil scum that need to be destroyed," she said, her voice so cold it almost made Misty shiver. "We can help you do that. I'm a really strong Trainer—Ash can vouch for that. And Noah is an amazing Trainer too. We can only help your cause."

Misty was about to open her mouth to argue some more but Brock spoke up first.

"I think they should come."

Misty turned to him in shock. She didn't know what opinion she expected him to have, but she didn't expect him to jump on board so easily.

"I think so too. Alyssa is one of the strongest Trainers I know," Ash added.

She knew she was fighting a losing battle. But Misty did have one more concern that was not directly related to her personal dislike for Alyssa. "But if we have the two of them, the three of us, May and Drew, Jessie and James, and Gary—"

"Not Gary," Ash interjected.

"Maybe Gary," Misty amended, rolling her eyes. "Then that's ten people. Isn't that too much?"

"Not if some people stay on the outside," Alyssa piped up.

"Why would we need people on the outside?" Misty asked skeptically.

"Trust me, if we want to evacuate and save anyone, we're going to have to have people stay outside the base."

"See? We need them," Brock said over-enthusiastically.

This was just not her day. Once again, she found herself backed into a corner with no other word to say besides: "Fine."

Thank Mew for Uncle Brock coming to her rescue like always. Ilse sat down across from the others, letting out a breath of relief as she did so.

Ilse had recounted everything that Azumarill had told her to Noah. He had tried to get her to talk further about it but she didn't let him. Getting into the mission plan was more important. So she had him tell her everything that she missed while she was upstairs, which apparently wasn't much. At least nothing crucial. So before they got the chance to get to the vital stuff without her, she barged in, dragging an unsuspecting Noah along with her.

Yes, she was going in without a real plan as to what she could possibly say to convince everyone that she was needed on a mission that they thought she knew nothing about. But then she remembered that she had her Uncle Brock on her side and that she could count on him. Besides, she knew more than they did so she could always use her advantage, well, to her advantage.

Luckily her dad joined her side as well. When she was younger he would always tell her what a talented Trainer she was and it was always amazing to hear. But hearing it from a version of her father that wasn't really him—who wouldn't just be saying those things because he was her father—made her feel so happy.

Then they just had to convince her mom.

Her mom hated her. It pained Ilse to look into her mother's eyes and see the exact level of distain she felt for her burning in her eyes. But there was nothing she could do. She was doing this for her, she just didn't know it.

So what if her mother and father were broken up? Maybe her mother would see that she and Ash didn't have anything together and then she would come to her senses. Or maybe after they took down Team Rocket. Or would that be too late…?

She shook her head; she couldn't let herself dwell on it. She had to get on with the plan.

"So what have you guys figured out so far?" Ilse asked as though Noah hadn't told her a minute earlier.

"Well, we are going to have to tell Misty's sisters so that they can be in charge of the Gym and we'll have to talk to the League because of Ash," Brock supplied. "Then we were just discussing who exactly would be most beneficial to bring along with us. Which we hit a little roadblock on," Brock finished by throwing Ash a look.

"What kind of roadblock?"

This time, surprisingly enough, Misty answered. "Well, we think that Gary Oak should come. I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's Professor Oak's grandson. Because of that he's amazing with Pokémon and technology. He would be perfect to have with us if someone," she threw Ash a pointed look, "would get over his little childhood rivalry."

"Look, it's not like we're still enemies!" Ash cried out. "I just don't wanna ask him for help."

"Ah, how you have matured," Misty drawled sarcastically.

Ilse could sense a spat coming on so she quickly jumped in. "Well, unless you know anyone else who is a whiz with technology, I say that we should bring him."

"Alright, Ash," Brock said, a smug look on his face. "You are beyond outvoted now. Get off your high horse and agree that we should bring Gary."

Ash still held his arms crossed and, again, was pouting. But with everyone staring him down, he finally broke. "Fine, we can invite Gary. But I'm not calling him."

Then the team was set. It was just as it had happened in the past, plus Ilse and Noah. The team didn't seem to be a problem before, according to her Uncle Brock's story, so she hoped that those results would be the same this time.

"Anyway," Ash started once the bitterness of inviting his ex-rival wore off, "I have a rough idea for a plan."

And then he went on to describe a plan very much like the one in Brock's retelling. As he described his outline, Ilse could see all the scenes that she had imagined during Brock's story in her mind's eye. She had to consciously even out her breaths to keep from shuddering.

"That sounds like that might work," Misty said slowly as she continued to work the plan through in her mind.

Wrong answer, Mom. Ilse was about to interject when Noah snorted.

Misty turned to him sharply. "Do you have something to say, Noah?"

Ilse was also shooting Noah a particularly nasty look. He was the one who was always saying that they had to be tactful, and he wasn't off to a good start. Besides, she had decided that the only way to get back on her parents' sides was to be nice and sweet to them, especially Misty. He wasn't helping that image.

Noah pointedly ignored the look and instead turned to Ash. "This is a good plan Ash, don't get me wrong, but only in the short term."

Ash cocked his head in confusion. "How so?"

"Well," Noah continued, this time standing up to face the group, "I understand that you don't want to use any more violence than necessary, but how will that accomplish anything? These scumbags will be in jail for a few years and then released with the freedom to reunite and reorganize a new Team Rocket. Crimes for these individual Grunts can't be proven and so they can't be in jail for life. As for taking down the leader…That's definitely going in the right direction, but I think that he needs to be completely eliminated. If we leave any wiggle room in this plan, that's just going to leave a vengeful leader and a whole host of henchmen, all with guns aimed at you," he finished, pointing toward Ash.

Ash gulped. "Guns?" Apparently the idea never crossed his mind.

Noah shrugged offhandedly. "Well, we don't know. We don't even have the slightest clue as to what they're doing on the inside right now. For all we know, when we enter the compound the whole thing could disappear into thin air or explode on contact."

Everyone paused to consider the new information. Ilse had to hand it to Noah. He brought up points that she hadn't even thought of. She would have to thank him later, she thought reluctantly. He had always been good at getting people to agree with him. Namely her.

Finally, Brock said, "See, I told you it would be good to have these two with us." He then turned to Noah. "So what did you have in mind?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Misty interrupted. "What did you mean by 'eliminated'?" she asked, squinting her eyes at Noah. "You want us to kill him?"

"Yes," Ilse exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "This is war. And in war, there are casualties. All we need is the clearance to go on this mission and we can take this guy out before he can kill any more people that we're close to." She took a breath, interrupting her impassioned speech. "We can't let him do that."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Ash said, shuffling his feet on the ground.

Ilse's eyes were burning as she turned to look at Ash. "If anyone else has to die in this madness, it should be him."

Brock nodded. "If that's what it takes for this to end for good, then it's the only option."

"But—" Ash started.

"No buts, Ash." Misty cut him off. "If we're risking out lives to do this, then we have to make sure that this is really the end. She turned to look at Ilse. "What do we do?"

Ilse walked over to stand beside Noah. "This is what we were thinking."

A/N: Getting into the realness! I hope that you like this chapter and it's getting you excited for the action. Oh, and Ash and Misty broke up. Do you need tissues? Here are some virtual tissues. Tell me all about what you think!

Well, life is weird right now. I've been meeting people very unlike myself, been experiencing new things and hearing even newer/weirder (very, very weird) things. I'm in a weird place as I post this author's note. I'm going to go hug a pillow now. Thanks for reading.