@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Previously, on "Pokemon Moonlight Silver"...

"Tell us what is going on here, and what you guys are going to do with the red Gyarados!" Ash demanded as he struggled to get free from a grunt's grip.

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you lot." Archer smiled. "This mission is simply codenamed Project R, short for Project Reverse. You know well that some Pokemon shine with a different color, and that these shining Pokemon have been revered since time immemorial as gods and divine messengers."

He went on "It turns out that Gyarados also has another, different gene that can turn it red--what I like to call a 'reversed' Pokemon. When a Pokemon is reversed, they lose all sense, decency and reason, and go into pure unbridled fury. Pokemon that have been reversed may also appear shiny, but they're not. In the event they don't or can't turn 'shiny', they gain a red aura."

As Proton led the group away, Archer concluded "The aim of Project R is to force Pokémon into evolving or try to achieve the "reversed" state. This way, Team Rocket would achieve an army of evolved and above-average Pokémon at our disposal, and we could rule the world unopposed!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ash defiantly screamed as Proton dragged him into a cabin that had been turned into an improvised jail.

Archer just smiled at the thoroughly charred Jessie, James, and Meowth as they stumbled on the shore. "Well done, you three---thank you for your work, but it seems the boss has other plans for you."

Inside the holding cell, Ash watched helplessly as a truck holding the Gyarados disappeared down a road. "It's hopeless...we've failed the world, we've failed our friends, and we've failed ourselves...."

"Come in, Blue Angel, this is Holy Dragon and Silverlight." Lance called on a radio as he and Lyra drove back to the Lake of Rage.

"This is Blue Angel..." Officer Jenny's voice crackled back over the car radio. "What's your progress on stopping Project R from going into motion?"

"Admin Archer and his cohorts have gone back to Mahogany Town to continue their studies on the Gyarados, over." Lyra explained.

"They have taken PokeMaster01, LadyCascade, and PewterSong prisoner, and are holding them in a cabin not far from the lake." Lance went on, using Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's preferred online screennames as codenames for them to avoid detection. "I'm sending Silverlight there to rescue them."

"10-4, Holy Dragon." Officer Jenny replied. "We have traced the Rocket hideout to an abandoned Pokemart in Mahogany Town--I have troops assembled in preparation for storming the base. Right now, we believe the Gyarados has been taken there--how they managed to fit it down there, we don't know, but we do know they are planning to experiment on it in hopes of perfecting their Evolution Inducement Ray."

"We can't have reversed Pokemon roaming free, and Ash, Misty, and Brock are critical to our stopping the Rockets." Lyra added. "Ash and Brock both know the Swanna Song, and who knows what would happen if the Rockets forced them to sing it?"

"I'll rendezvous with the troops as soon as I drop Silverlight off." Lance concluded the transmission. "Don't move in until I can get there with Bahamut and Tiamat."

"Roger, Holy Dragon--wilco." Officer Jenny replied. "Blue Angel out."

Lance turned to Lyra as the car arrived near the path leading to the cabin. "I'm going on to Mahogany Town to give the police their instructions for storming the Rocket hideout. While I'm away, I want you to rescue Ash, Misty, and Brock--lead them to that clearing near the Cheri tree, and I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Got it!" Lyra replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car. "Thanks for the ride!"

"Anytime." Lance smiled. "Try to keep Ash from doing anything dangerous."

With that, the car started back down the path to the main road. After waving goodbye to Lance, Lyra hurried inside the cabin. I hope they're still in here!

---------

"Who are you?" Ethan demanded as he spotted a young man with neatly slicked back purple hair in a Rocket uniform trying to bind and gag Buena. "Let Buena go, now!"

The man looked up at Ethan. "I knew there was an intruder in the tower...I am Petrel, and if you're looking for the brains behind all this, you found him!"

He heaved a Poke Ball skyward. "Vampyr, let's go!"

Ethan smiled as a Zubat materialized in the room. "Dundee, use Ice Fang!"

[HAH!} Dundee leaped onto the Zubat and delivered an icy cold bite, sending it fluttering to the floor. "What?" Petrel gasped.

He grimaced. "I'll deal with you later..." he growled as he recalled his fainted Zubat and hurried out of the room.

Ethan, meanwhile, hurried to Buena's side and undid her bindings. "Are you okay?"

"I think so..." Buena replied as Ethan helped her up. "Thanks for saving me!"

"Officer Jenny already knows what's going on." Ethan assured Buena. "She's set up a safe area for any innocents in the square--I'm just doing my part to save as many innocents as I can, and kick the Rockets out of here!"

"Okay, good luck!" Buena smiled. "If you want an easy way to tell an innocent you're a friend, the password is 'help'!"

---------

"Let us out!" Ash screamed as he banged against the cell for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I'm surprised that didn't wake the Rockets up..." Brock smiled as he noticed Jessie and James dozing against the hallway leading into the holding area that served as their prison, with Meowth purring on Jessie's lap.

"Seems they've fallen asleep on the job." Misty agreed. "If we're gonna get out of here, now's our chance!"

[What's this about getting out?] Tintri asked as he woke up with a yawn. [Has someone come to save us?]

"Well, I was wondering if you could break down the door with a Thundershock..." Ash suggested.

He winced as Tintri's spark barely reached the cell door. "Still too weak to do any damage..."

"Hey..." he heard a familiar voice call. "Did someone ask for a rescuer?"

"Lyra!" Ash smiled as Lyra unlocked the door and started giving back the group's bags and gear. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Lance told me to come rescue you." Lyra explained as she undid the chains binding Ash's hands. "If the Rockets happen to wake up, I have my team to help."

"Nobody's rescuing ANYONE!" Jessie's voice made Lyra jump.

Ash grabbed the first Poke Ball he could find as Jessie and James summoned Arbok and Weezing to chase them. "Cyndy, use Smokescreen to distract the Rockets!"

[HAH!] Cyndy eagerly fired a large plume of white smoke at the Rockets, buying the group and Lyra time to escape into the grassy underbrush.

"Thanks, Cyndy!" Misty smiled at the Cyndaquil before jumping to avoid a Poison Sting from Arbok.

"Arbok, wrap up the twerps!" Ash heard Jessie call as Lyra led them to the meetup point at the Cheri tree.

"Bahamut, use Thunder Wave!" he heard Lance call as Lyra dove into the clearing.

Once sure the group was safe, Lyra summoned Hana. "Hana, use Razor Leaf!"

Ash heaved a relieved sigh as Hana's attack sent the Rockets flying. "Which one's Bahamut, and which one's Tiamat?" he asked as Lance arrived with a slightly larger Dragonite.

"Tiamat is slightly smaller." Lance replied. "Female Dragonites, like most dragon Pokemon, are smaller than the males.

"Where is Tiamat?" Misty asked.

"She's helping Officer Jenny and the force raid the Rocket hideout--we need to meet them back there." Lance explained as he led the group and Lyra back to the car parked on the road by the tree. "We have to destroy the Evolution Inducement Ray before the Rockets can use it to reverse the world's Pokemon!"

He pointed at a strange satellite device far off in the distance. "Bahamut, use Hyper Beam to destroy the Evolution Inducement Ray once and for all!"

"Not so mighty now, are you, Rockets?" Lyra smiled as the sparkling orange beam destroyed the satellite device with a massive explosion.

"Let's head to Mahogany Town and help with the raid." Lance suggested as the group climbed in the car...

---------

Back at Team Rocket headquarters, a red haired lady in a glittering white executive's uniform answered the phone at her desk. "Hello?"

"Ariana, we have trouble at the base!" James frantically explained over the chaos as the police force moved in to the Mahogany Town hideout, supported by Lance's female Dragonite, Tiamat. "The Evolution Inducement Ray was blown to smithereens!"

"We need a 50-man backup, and--!" was as far as Jessie got before Ariana hung up the phone in frustration and disgust.

"They ask for a 50 man backup...they can't even properly command five grunts." Ariana muttered as she got her office in order and started for the heliport on the headquarters' third floor. "If you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself..."

---------

Lance panicked as the Evolution Inducement Ray wore off on the Gyarados, causing it to thrash around and making the helicopters carrying it crash into the water. "I dread to know what an angry Gyarados would do to a land vehicle...." he mused as he found a safe place to pull over. "It's too dangerous to drive any more--the Gyarados could damage the road!" he warned as he shut the car off. "Let's continue following it on foot."

"Got it!" Lyra called as she followed Lance down the road with the others not far behind.

"Stay together!" came Lance's next instruction over the rumble of more Rocket helicopters and vehicles arriving.

Misty swallowed hard as she watched the Gyarados start to charge a familiar blue watery beam. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"WAUGH!" Ash yelped as he jumped to avoid the Gyarados' Hydro Pump.

"Ash..." Lance began. "A reversed Pokemon won't listen to reason, no matter how impassioned your pleas are. The only way to break Team Rocket's control over them--even only for a few moments--is the Swanna's song."

Brock balked at this. "You know the Swanna Song too?"

Lance nodded. "It awakened for me because of my deep bond with my dragons--although this is the first time I've ever had to sing it."

"So, if Brock knows it thanks to his strong bond, I know it thanks to my bond with Tintri and meeting Legendaries, and you know it thanks to your bond...why don't we try singing it together?" Ash suggested.

A smile formed on Lance's face. "An excellent idea, if a little risky--the power drain may actually be worse due to more people singing it. But as no one knows for sure what happens when multiple people sing the song, it's a risk I'm willing to take to save the town and millions of innocent lives."

He motioned for Ash and Brock to form a circle and join hands. "Okay...I hope to Arceus this works." Lance began.

With that, the three performers began. Gatrandis favel, secret, edena...
Emusto rozen fine el balaziis...
Katoradis favel siicletu edena... As this line, a rainbow aura formed around Lance, Ash, and Brock, racing through their joined hands and creating a ring of light.
Emusto koron zen fine, si...

Ariana, meanwhile, watched in awe as the rainbow ring expanded over Mahogany Town, protecting it from the Gyarados' own Hyper Beam. "Okay! Everyone follow the Gyarados!" she commanded the hundreds of Rockets following her. "I'll deal with the rogues who've messed up our grand plan myself!"

"We have to save the Gyarados!" Ash called as he motioned for Misty and Brock to follow him down the road in hopes of overtaking the Rocket brigade. Even though he and Brock were tired from their earlier performance, their desire to save the world had given them a new burst of strength.

"Are you sure...you want...to do that?" Lance asked, wheezing from exhaustion at singing the Swanna Song. "After...you've sang...the Swanna Song?"

"How convenient..." a familiar voice sneered, startling Lance. "Maybe now that the mighty dragon tamer has sung his last song, he'll be more easily destroyed!"

"Archer!" Misty gasped as Archer and Ariana cornered Lance in the grass.

Lance grimaced as he watched Archer summon his Fearow, and Ariana summon a Vileplume. "I won't...be beaten...so easily!" he wheezed as Bahamut and Tiamat landed beside him.

He looked over at his Dragonites. "Bahamut, Tiamat, use Ice Beam!"

Brock watched from the brush as both Dragonites fired a familiar blue-white beam, immediately defeating both Rocket Pokemon. "Good choice of move, there..." he smiled.

"Good riddance..." Misty agreed as she watched Officer Jenny arrive to read Archer and Ariana their rights...

---------

"Ellie, Tackle the Raticate!" Ethan commanded. He had been locked in battle with Petrel inside the Radio Tower's master control room for more than an hour, but thanks to his Phanpy, he had gained the upper hand.

[HAH!] Ellie's attack sent both Petrel and his Raticate flying into a pile of boxes, raining reels and tapes on top of them.

Once sure Petrel nor his Raticate were going to be getting up, Ethan located the Rocket transmitter and heaved another Poke Ball skyward, revealing a Beedrill. "Sting, break the transmitter!"

As the transmitter broke in half with a shower of sparks, Officer Jenny arrived in the room. "Well done, Ethan--you were very brave to take on a Rocket admin." she smiled as her partner read Petrel his rights.

"I was just doing what I had to do to keep the region and its right to free expression safe." Ethan grinned, enamored in Dundee's victory dance as he did his best to clean up the damage the battle had caused.

"Well, now that three of the four admins are in custody, I'll go with you to assure any remaining innocents that the Tower is secure, and all is well." Officer Jenny offered.

---------

"We have to do something!" Misty yelped as she dove to avoid a volley of Hyper Beams, which left craters on the road leading to Mahogany Town.

"The Gyarados is heading straight for the center of town, so if you want to do something, do it now!" Brock agreed before rolling to dodge another Hyper Beam.

Gatrandis favel, secret--! Ash started to sing, but was forced to jump out of the way of another Hyper Beam.

"What good will singing the Swanna Song again do?" Misty demanded as the group collected themselves in the brush. "That will only tire you out even more!"

"I wouldn't rule it out completely..." Lyra cautioned. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Ilsa, use Ice Beam!" The group watched as an older man summoned a beautiful white seal Pokemon, who fired a blue-white beam that froze the Gyarados in its tracks. "Pokémon and humans are not meant to be friends, and it's putting you all in danger." he muttered to the group as he departed back into the town.

"But that's not true..." Lyra sighed.

"Is it over?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

The sound of ice cracking startled the group, but Brock noticed the Gyarados was going in the opposite direction! "We have a shot at calming it!" he called as he watched Bahamut and Tiamat fly to engage the angry Gyarados.

Misty motioned for Ash to come closer. "Ash...this is gonna sound nuts coming from me, but think you can try to get off a second Swanna Song?"

"I think so..." Ash replied. "I've recovered a little from my performance with Lance and Brock."

"When I give the signal, I want you to jump in the air, and sing the song--you should be within firing range of the Gyarados." Misty instructed.

She watched as Tiamat paralyzed the Gyarados with a Thunder Wave. "Now!"

Ash nodded, and made a flying leap towards the water. Gatrandis favel, secret, edena...
Emusto rozen fine el balaziis...
Katoradis favel siicletu edena... As this line, rainbow thunderbolts began forming in Ash's hands, giving the lake an otherworldly glow.
Emusto koron zen fine, si...

With that, a wave of rainbow thunderbolts went flying at the Gyarados, defeating it once and for all as Ash fell into Misty's arms, exhausted...

---------

"I have to admit, Ash, using your Swanna Song a second time was a very brave move." Lance smiled as he climbed aboard Bahamut. "I want to thank you all for saving Johto...and the world."

"It was an honor to help, Lance." Lyra smiled as the townsfolk cheered for the heroes that had saved their town, the region, and the world.

"Yeah..." Ash smiled. "I'd do it all again if the world's ever in trouble!"

"What's next, we get our own TV show?" Misty smiled, making the crowd laugh as she gently nudged Ash.

Even Lance laughed at Misty's joke. "I'd definitely watch it...I have to return to the League, and inform the other Elites what has happened here."

"Bye, Lance!" Ash waved goodbye as Lance, Bahamut, and Tiamat took off to thunderous cheers. "Fly safe!"

Just then, Lyra's PokeNav buzzed. "Hello?"

"Hi, Lyra--Ethan here." Ethan began. "The Radio Tower is safe again....everything clear on your end?"

"Yeah!" Lyra smiled. "You missed Ash raining rainbow thunderbolts on an angry Gyarados!..."

To Be Continued...