Acerola carefully led Marcus and Elizabeth to the lower levels of the Aether Foundation, where her Pokémon awaited to be rescued. While it was true Acerola was kidnapped by Rainbow Rocket, the one guiding the two trainers was not, in fact, the real one. It was Petrel disguised as her, for the sole purpose of leading them into a trap. Once the elevator came to a stop, Acerola poked her head out to look around. "I think the coast is clear…"

"I guess they wouldn't have too many people down here I the Labs…" Marcus murmured while leading the way out of the elevator. "Where are your Pokémon? We'll get them out quick."

"This way…" Acerola said, leading the way through the lower labs. There was a sinister grin on her lips as they drew closer and closer to the trap. Once they neared the corner, Acerola sprinted ahead around it.

"Hey, wait…!" Elizabeth extended her hand, attempting to stop Acerola but it was too late. "Ugh, I know she's worried, but these kids really have to slow down."

"Right?" Marcus groaned while rushing around the corner where…they saw absolutely no one. "Uh…where'd she go? Acerola?"

"Kid…?" Elizabeth glanced around. Luxray and Zangoose did as well. "Where did she…!?"

"Aha!" Acerola appeared in front of them once again, swaying back and forth. "Did I worry you all? Sorry about that. But now…you're in the perfect spot."

"The…perfect spot?" Marcus narrowed his eyes.

"That's right. You truly are good people. That's what makes this so much easier." Acerola snickered before twirling around. In a puff of smoke, Petrel revealed himself. "So it's easy to lure in people like you into my trap!"

"What the heck!?" Elizabeth took a step back. "A Rainbow Rocket dude!? How did he pull that disguise off!?"

"I am Petrel, Admin of Rainbow Rocket and a master of disguise! And you two are complete fools!" Petrel said with a widening grin.

"Where's Acerola!?" Marcus demanded to know. He wasn't about to play this clown or his antics.

"She's safe…I wasn't lying about the story." Petrel snickered.

"Yeah, well…you are a pretty bad liar." Marcus said with a growing smirk. "I can't be too surprised when I knew you were a fake from the start."

"What!? How! My disguise was perfect!" Petrel refused to believe anyone could have noticed him that easily.

"You would've gotten away with it if you didn't call me a stranger. Unfortunately for you, Acerola and I have met before. So I knew you were fishy from the very start! Zangoose, take him out!" Marcus commanded. Zangoose sprinted forward, preparing its claws to slash at Petrel.

"Tch….! Well it doesn't matter because you still fell right into my perfectly laid trap! Rainbow Rocket, ATTACK!" Petrel pointed forward. He had plenty of grunts lying in wait for this very moment and it was the time to strike!

"…!" Marcus and Elizabeth looked around, their Pokémon on guard in case they were going to be attacked. But nothing happened, much to everyone's surprise.

"…Perfectly laid trap?" Elizabeth crossed her arms, just staring at Petrel with an unimpressed look. "Where?"

"This can't be right!? Where are my grunts!?" Petrel frantically looked around.

"When you ask, 'where are my grunts', the answer is quite clear, and you'll soon find out…"

"Noble answers are what we're all about!" A blue rose flew by Petrel, landing off to the left. Jessie and James appeared shortly after.

"Donning the white robes of the true Rocket, this crimson beauty takes off in a flash! Jessie!"

"Still, the nobly heroic man of our times fights back against this cruel and heartless world; James!"

"And the combat cat is ready to back up the fight! It's Meowth!"

"Team Rocket, let's fight!" Jessie and James said in unison.

"That's right!" Meowth said, with the real Acerola appearing beside him.

"Wobbefett!"

"Team Rocket!?" Marcus and Elizabeth exclaimed at the same time.

"What!?" Petrel was taken aback by this. The Team Rocket of this world was already here!? And they freed the prisoner too!?

"You're a jerk!" Acerola stuck her tongue out at Petrel. "Kidnapping a cute innocent lady like myself to keep Uncle Nanu away. Well now you're gonna pay for it!" Acerola threw a Pokeball out into the air, calling out her Gengar. There was also the ghost of a Mimikyu floating around her, but it couldn't interact with anything.

"The real Team Rocket had to take care of these fakers loitering about in our world." James said smugly. "We also took the liberty of freeing any captive employees…because if anyone is going to do that, it's the real Team Rocket!" It was a weird justification for helping people, but Jessie and James were also good people when it came down to it.

"It was the perfect sneak attack. And now the one who laid down the trap is now trapped himself! How do you like that?" Jessie snickered before pointing at Elizabeth and Marcus. "If you're intending to stand in our way, then we'll have no choice but to get rid of you twerps too!" As serious as Jessie was trying to be, the moment she pointed forward, Mimikyu had half a mind to just walk away.

"Trust me; I think we're on the same side here." Marcus said. But it was funny; Petrel intended to surround them, only to be surrounded himself, "So, wanna give up now? We're not giving you Moon."

"Gh…I guess I'll have to do this myself then." Petrel threw up six Pokeballs, every single one of them releasing a Weezing. He really came to battle with six Weezings! "I am still an executive of Rainbow Rocket! So it would do you well not to underestimate me!"

"What in the hell…!?" Elizabeth was legitimately shocked she witnessed a man use six Weezings.

Petrel put on a gas mask before exclaiming his first and only needed command. "Weezing! Poison Gas!" This was directed to all of the Weezing present. Without wasting any time, they all expelled noxious fumes from their bodies, rapidly filling the lower labs with poisonous gas that was dangerous for anyone to breathe.

"Fire Blast!" Marcus commanded quickly. Zangoose released a gigantic burst of flame out to create a chain reaction with the Poison Gas. A large explosion shook the labs, filling it with smoke as everyone was blown down from the intensity of it all.

"What's da big idea, Twerp!?" Meowth waved his paw around angrily.

"That's a lot of poison gas! Even if our Pokémon are immune to it, if we breathe in that much we're out!" Marcus shouted from within the smoke. "Find some suits or something! I've seen the employees wear them so I know they're down here!"

"I hate that he's right…!" Jessie grumbled. But Marcus did have a point. Weezing was notorious for releasing potent gas. With six of them present in a confined space, they were going to have to approach this tactically and carefully, otherwise this Rainbow Rocket executive really would get the best of them. Their only option at the moment were to either find suits or some way to keep the ventilation system open.

"You can't run from me!" Petrel said with a wide grin. His six Weezings spread out to find their prey. Though his initial trap did flop poorly, he was able to turn the situation around incredibly quickly.

At the same time, Ein and Dakim were lingering around the lower labs, searching for particular blueprints. They were out of sight since the area was so large, but they were acutely aware of the situation unfolding near them. "It seems our foes are wrapped up in something…we can use this to our advantage."

"I can just crush them." Dakim suggested.

"Only if spotted." Ein said. "We're not trying to draw attention to ourselves like Venus already has. Furthermore…XD-002's arrival onto the scene could prove to our benefit. But in order for this last ditch plan to truly work out in our favor, I must activate that machine in the President's office…and I believe the key to doing so is within these labs." Which was currently occupied by Lusamine, Giovanni, and of course, Mewtwo…

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RR Giovanni was keeping a watchful eye over the conflict unfolding within the Aether Foundation. He was admittedly intrigued to see that Archer and Proton were down already. "Hm…I see they're putting up much more of a resistance than I originally surmised. Children and their friends are something else."

"You shouldn't underestimate them." Lusamine said.

"…I find it difficult to take that statement seriously." RR Giovanni said casually. "I've never had a child stand up to me before. I simply assumed they all knew better, knowing the scope of my growing Empire. So when that girl stood in front of me, planning to stop me, I was surprised. But ultimately unfazed. No child can stop me as I am now. It's only a matter of time until I get what I desire." As he said this, his form started to flicker a bit.

"…?" Lusamine narrowed her eyes. "What was that…?"

"…It seems my time here is shorter than I anticipated." RR Giovanni said casually. He and his current Rainbow Rocket entourage were on borrowed time, forcing their way into this Alola from Moon's. Because the way of transport wasn't wholly legitimate, it was only a matter of time until they were kicked out, which is precisely why Giovanni wanted Moon to get here within that time frame. Unfortunately for him, because of Drapion's rampage, several cameras were knocked out, so he didn't actually know where Moon was right now.

"It's a bit ironic…that you need a child to help you achieve your goal." Lusamine quipped. RR Giovanni was attempting to phrase it as if Moon was an inconvenience, but it seemed to be more than that. "And that same child is also stopping you."

"I suggest you silence yourself." RR Giovanni didn't turn to face Lusamine, but his tone made his intent clear. "I'm under no obligation to leave you unharmed before they arrive. Remember that."

"…" That made Lusamine shut up. The last thing she wanted Lillie or Gladion to see was her hurt when she could avoid it.

"Good. Remember your place in this situation. Your life is within my grasp. You and those two children are the only ones who are capable of ensuring that you do not lose it." Giovanni's threat lingered heavily in the air. He had to remind her of her position.

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"Is everyone all right?" Mallow asked. She, Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles were barely able to defeat Archer. It took an effort from all of their Pokémon to topple a single Houndoom.

"Yeah, everyone's okay!" Lana said with a great big smile. "You were really cool, Mallow! Leading the charge like that!"

"Oh…it wasn't much…." Mallow let out a sheepish giggle as the others began to praise her for stepping up the way she did. "I was just…doing what I thought Ash or you guys would do. I wasn't able to do much in the League until Lana showed me how hard my Pokémon really want to fight for me…"

"I think you did more than a good job there. We couldn't have done it without you, Shaymin, or Tsareena." Kiawe said with a confident grin. "Your determination burned even hotter than Wela Volcano!"

"Aww…" Mallow felt like she was about to tear up. Hearing something like that from Kiawe was essentially the highest of praise.

"We've taken care of a lot of Rainbow Rocket outside. Now we have to go help the others inside!" Sophocles said. Their Pokémon were all healed up thanks to the supplies Clefairy prepared for them, so it was time to continue the fight. However, before they could get inside, the damaged Team Rocket airship had a bumpy landing nearby. "Or not…"

"More of them…?" Lana was ready to fight again. It had been a little while since they fought Archer, which meant their Z-moves were finally recharged now. It was always a few minute cooldown between actual battles; Archer just happened to catch them before that time was over.

Matori and a few Rocket grunts stumbled out of their damaged craft. "That was an unpleasant and unexpected experience." Adjusting her glasses, she set her eyes on the four Ultra Guardians. "Oh…more of you."

"That's our line!" Lana exclaimed.

Luckily, Grace, Kasumi, Takeba, and Scott landed at last, bolstering the numbers in their favor. Dealing with Ardos, Proton, and Matori slowed them down considerably. But this was their chance to at least corner Team Rocket! "Sorry, did you think you guys were getting away?" Grace told Matori.

"You guys are okay!" Takeba clasped her hands together.

"Of course! You guys look well too." Kiawe nodded.

"It was…a bumpy ride." Grace admitted while hopping off Salamance.

"But we're here for support. It feels as if we won't be getting inside that building anytime soon…" Scott remarked. Rainbow Rocket had an impressive force inside the building, but Team Rocket was keeping them from getting in.

"You got Kasumi too…?" Mallow pointed to the blonde who hopped off her Dragonite.

"This is a temporary alliance." Kasumi said while dusting herself off. "Rainbow Rocket attacked my sis, so they wanted war with Team Skull. I don't…know anything else about this Cipher or whatever that showed up, but they can catch this work too."

"Her memory is still distorted, I see…" Scott muttered. There wasn't a lot they could do about that but wait.

"It's weird, but I'm just glad she's fighting with us." Grace said with a slight smile. "But more importantly…we're not done with Team Rocket!"

"I see you have every intention of fighting us even now." Matori let out a quiet sigh. She still had numbers on her side, the downed ship was just an inconvenience at this point. "That's fine. We will crush you, take your Pokémon, then simply storm the Foundation and finish everything off. It works out rather well for us."

"We can't stay out here long." Scott warned the others. "They're going to need our help inside."

"So what you're saying is to make this quick?" Takeba held a smug grin while calling out Blastoise. "Say less! I've been itching to use a Z-move for a while! Just make an opening and I'll finish it off!"

"I feel like I've heard something like that before…" Kasumi said with a sweat drop. "And it didn't end well…"

This made Takeba sweat. "Why does she remember the bad parts…"

Matori had no time for this foolish back and forth. She simply pointed her hand forward. "As Giovanni's secretary, I will see his ambition done. For that to happen, children like you need to understand their place."

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.

Moon and Lillie ended up encountering the Shadow Drapion that attacked them once before. It was under care in the Foundation and Rainbow Rocket's attack only broke it out of the Preserve. Because of that, the two of them now had to deal with this rampaging beast before it could cause any more damage to people, pokemon, or itself. "We'll draw its attention! You follow up!" Moon told Lillie, who nodded in agreement. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu jumped from Moon's shoulder and darted down the corridor, making a beeline towards Drapion.

"RAAAAH!" The Drapion cried out while pointing its stingers towards Pikachu. It fired off a Pin Missile, numerous pins shooting towards Pikachu to strike it before it could get close. Pikachu was able to easily evade the Pin Missile, slipping through the bombardment to slam its head into Drapion's face, causing it to slide back.

"We're stronger than we were before!" Moon said smugly.

"Snowy, Ice Beam!" After the Quick Attack, Snowy moved in, firing off an Ice Beam at Drapion's feet. This was perfectly timed since it tried to retaliate against Pikachu for attacking it. The moment it attempted to move, it found itself stuck and unable to do so.

"Iron Tail!" Pikachu wasted no time in swinging its tail down on Drapion's skull, scoring a direct hit on it. Moon and Lillie were far more in sync now than when this Pokémon first attacked them. At this rate, she felt confident they would win. But it was far too easy to think about victory or anything of the sort, because Drapion only got angry. Its stingers extended, grabbing Pikachu and Snowy with tinted hues. It was Poison Jab, and its crushing grip was used on the two of them. "Ah!"

"Snowy!" Lillie gasped. But she didn't fret, because there was a way out of this. "Powder Snow!" Snowy exhaled a cold frost onto the stinger that held it. Naturally this caused Drapion to let go, but not before forcefully knocking Snowy away.

"Thunder!" Pikachu gathered as much electricity within its body before releasing the potent shock out, causing Drapion to recoil violently.

"Now, use Hail!" It was a bit of a risky move in a sense, seeing as how Snowy was the only one that would benefit from its effects. But Lillie had a plan in mind and trusted Moon to follow through.

Drapion broke free from the ice and let out a mighty roar. Shadow power gathered around its body and it started to rush forward violently. It was using Shadow Rush, intending to use its crushing strength to annihilate the two smaller Pokémon before it. "Pikachu…Volt Tackle!" Pikachu started to rush forward, a yellow aura of electricity flaring around its body as it made use of this high stakes move. It was going to meet Drapion head on and collide with it.

"Snowy…now! Use Aurora Veil!" Just before Pikachu and Drapion clashed, Snowy made use of Aurora Veil. Within the hail this move increased the defenses of all allied Pokémon greatly. Just what Pikachu would need to endure the blowback of its own recoil along with Shadow Rush. The two Pokémon clashed an explosion took place, the gust of wind bursting out causing the girls to hold their ground.

"Are we okay?!" Moon asked. Pikachu flew out from the smoke, landing on its feet just fine. Aurora Veil really saved its hide. "Thanks, Lillie!"

Lillie didn't have the chance to reply, since Drapion lunged from the smoke with fire blasting around its own maw. It appeared in front of Snowy, prepared to bite down on it. "AH!"

"Iron Tail!" Moon hastily commanded. Pikachu was quick to dive in front of Snowy, using its tail to serve as a defense against Fire Fang. Pikachu was able to hold back Drapion for a little bit before the Shadow Pokémon bit down, whipped its head around, and threw Pikachu into a wall forcefully. "Pikachu…"

"Ice Beam!" Snowy was still in point blank range. So it released an Ice Bema up close to freeze Drapion's face over. This caused the Shadow Pokémon to stagger back, before using Fire Fang again to defrost itself. It was only getting angrier the more these two girls fought back against it. "I don't think we're tiring it out…!"

"I know…we don't have time to deal with this…but I don't want to leave it like this either." Moon resolved to do something. She started walking towards Drapion.

"Moon, wait!" Lillie didn't like what she knew Moon was going to try.

Drapion narrowed its eyes and lunged to attack Moon. She held her hands up and instinctively cringed. "You're scared, I know!" She exclaimed. Drapion stopped just in front of her, but that only made Lillie, Pikachu, and Snowy's anxiety rise. Moon was really going to try and talk it down. "Your heart's not in the right place, you don't know where you are, your emotions are everywhere…you don't know what's going on. I get it, I do…"

"…" Drapion snarled. It was listening to Moon, but its very nature as a Shadow Pokémon was to attack. Words would only do so much.

"I've been thinking about you since you first attacked us. At first, I had no idea what was going on, but when I heard what happened to you, I felt really bad. I was thinking of a way to help you, but at the time I wasn't very strong. I couldn't protect myself let alone Lillie at the time…" Moon continued, staring Drapion in the eyes as she spoke. She needed to convey her message as best she could. "I've been lost in this world for a really long time and I…" Drapion then lashed out and stuck her, causing her to hit the nearest wall. "Oof…!"

"MOON!" Lillie rushed to Moon's side to help her up. "Are you…!?"

"I-I'm okay…" Moon was holding onto her arm. That hurt, but she shook it off and kept talking to Drapion. She stepped forward again, keeping a soft smile on her face. "I was lost for a long time too. To tell the truth, I don't really know my place here still…but I know that I want to protect Lillie and what's important to her. There's a really evil man threatening my friends and their lives…and I failed to stop him in my world. I have to at least stop him here, since it was my problem from the start. I know exactly how you feel, Drapion. I wasn't alone to figure this out and you don't have to be either! So I'm asking you to help us!"

"Huh…?" Lillie was surprised. Moon wanted that Drapion to help? Asking a Shadow Pokémon for help…she only knew what she was informed of by Lovrina, but was that even possible?

"Grrr…" Drapion snarled. It didn't believe Moon for a second. No doubt those at Cipher said the same thing before converting it into a Shadow Pokémon. Those foul memories lingered in its head.

"I get it. You don't trust me…" Moon nodded. "I was mistrusting too…and from what I remember hearing, your heart's been locked up, hasn't it? But if you can get angry about what you feel, that means your heart isn't entirely gone either. You can still feel! And when this is all over, I'll make sure you're not a Shadow Pokémon anymore either!" Moon then pulled out a simple Pokeball, holding it out. "I mean everything I say, Drapion. So…if you feel you can't trust me, hit me. If not, I'm going to gently tap this to your forehead…"

"Moon, that's…!" Lillie was very concerned.

"Trust me." Moon spoke to both Lillie and Drapion, holding a smile on her face. This was in line with how Moon was. No matter the risk to her, she always found herself going the extra distance to help a person or Pokémon in any way she could. Everyone waited with bated breath for Drapion's decision…Drapion leaned closer, eyes narrowed as…it bopped its head onto the Pokeball. The capsule opened up and Drapion was drawn inside with a red light. "Ah…!"

"It went in on its own…" Lillie was honestly shocked.

The ball wiggled around for a few seconds before it completely stopped. Drapion had been captured. This caused Moon to let out a heavy sigh of relief. "…Whew! That was scary…I didn't think that would work…"

Now Lillie puffed her cheeks out. "Can you not admit something like that in the middle of a crisis? I was worried sick!" Honestly, this girl was so reckless. Lillie was starting to get used to it, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried either. But that was one thing she was growing to like about Moon…no matter how tough the situation, she was confident enough to act so recklessly…

Moon found it in herself to giggle fondly. She smiled at Lillie and the Pokeball that contained Drapion. "It trusted me enough to want to help…now I have to follow through." In a way, this steeled Moon's resolve to battle Giovanni. She now had another reason to keep fighting, for the sake of this wild, Shadow Drapion that entrusted itself to her. "Thanks for trusting me. I won't let you down. I promise."

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Next Time: Right or Wrong.