"Come on, Harley! We gotta move!" Kasper called down from his spot on the mountainside.

Harley glared at him. "I'm gonna murder you if you say that again."

"Well hurry up, then!"

Harley hissed as he pulled himself onto a rocky ledge.

"Remind me why you can't use telekinesis again," Gloria said, landing on a dead tree branch nearby.

"Telekinesis takes a lot of energy. Even if I were to use it, I would still have to stop and rest at some point."

"Kasper seems fine and he's floating."

"Yes, well, Kasper is a ghost. His abilities are different. For him, floating may require little or no energy."

"Actually, floating is harder than one would think," Kasper said, emerging from the mountainside. "As a ghost, I have to defy gravity, which is already hard enough. This combined with the fact that I also have to defy physics makes floating for me extremely tiring."

"Why do you know that off the top of your head?" Gloria asked.

"It was something my parents drilled into me about. I had to know what allowed ghosts to float as a child." The Banette shrugged. "Of course, I thought it was pointless at the time, but it's quite useful info now."

Harley sighed. "Thank you for the lesson. Now let's continue. The faster we get over this mountain, the faster we can complete this forsaken mission."

"Says the slowest of the group," Kasper muttered.

"Kasper, I will absolutely murder you."

Harley let out a groan as the top of the mountain came within reach. The Meowstic pulled himself up and immediately thanked Arceus for the cool air that ruffled his fur. Below, half of the region was visible. Harley could make out the thin blue sliver that was the ocean far out into the distance.

"Killer view," Gloria commented. "The air is a nice added bonus as well."

"No comment from the ghost?" Harley asked, looking at Kasper.

If the Banette heard him, he ignored it, his eyes carrying a dreamy touch as he looked at the region below.

"Guess we should start going down," Gloria said.

"Yeah, I'm not climbing down this time," Harley said.

"We could push you down instead," Gloria suggested. She looked around. "Where's Kasper?"

Harley tore his eyes away from the image below and looked around. The Banette was nowhere to be seen.

"I swear, he's like a ninja sometimes," Harley muttered. "Let's go find him."

"No need," Gloria said, flying above a ledge. "He's over here."

Harley walked over to the Murkrow and peered over the edge. Kasper was climbing down, his eyes fixed on something.

"Kasper, what are you doing?" Harley called down. When there was no response, the Meowstic sighed and unfurled his ears to follow his friend.

Harley joined Kasper's side. The Banette was standing in front of a cave entrance dangerously close to the edge. Gloria landed beside Harley.

"What are you doing?" Harley asked, annoyed.

Kasper didn't respond and stepped into the cave. Harley exchanged a glance with Gloria and followed him.

The two eventually caught up with Kasper. The Banette was standing in the center of the cave.

"What's up with you?" Harley asked. "You're acting weird."

"This cave... this is where my parents and I lived," Kasper told him softly. Harley looked at Gloria.

"What happened?" Gloria asked.

"I-it was so long ago. I don't remember everything, but I know I lived here with my two parents. They gave me this hood for my first birthday. I was still a Shuppet at the time, but I loved it. That night, someone broke in. No one knows what their goal was. They tried to kidnap me while I was sleeping, but my mother heard the screams and tried to fight for me. She lost and I was taken to the swamp where I grew up for a long time."

Harley stared at the Banette. Upon meeting, Kasper had told him about the swamp and how he got there, but he never went into detail.

"Harley knows the rest. I'm done here," Kasper said. He shot a small flame at one of the cave walls and walked out. In the soft glow the flame gave, Harley could make out a small stone. The Meowstic walked over and picked it up.

"Know what this is?" Harley asked Gloria.

The Murkrow peered at it for a moment and shook her head. "No clue."

Harley handed it to her. "Give it to Kasper. He can put it into his sachet. Now, let's get going."

It had been long since the assassins had climbed the mountain. Night was upon them and the shadows of Giratina's Woods were dominating over the land.

Mio scampered from branch to branch, nose twitching. His eyes didn't lie. He was determined to get revenge.

The Pikachu stopped as he spotted a familiar Meowstic. He hadn't seen the Meowstic in person, but he had spotted it traveling with a Murkrow and Banette. Mio did not want to aggravate it or the Murkrow. He knew the power a Meowstic's ears possessed and Murkrow were the rulers of nighttime.

Confusion filled the Pikachu. He knew both Murkrow and Banette were nocturnal, and yet, they were both sound asleep. He knew nothing of a Meowstic's sleep schedule.

Mio shook himself out of his thoughts. It didn't matter. He was here now and his target was in his sights. Mio scampered down from his current position.

Once on the ground, he took a few cautious steps towards the assassins' camp. The Banette was in a tree. Mio chuckled softly and scaled it quickly. He stopped when he was right above the Banette. Mio's cheeks began to spark.

The Murkrow above him began to stir. It opened its eyes and stared at Mio drowsily. He froze. The Murkrow fell back asleep a moment later. Mio sighed in relief and prepared his attack.

Below him, the Banette's eyes opened. His blue ones stared into Mio's black. After a moment, he scrambled to his feet with a shout of alarm.

Said shout of alarm roused the Murkrow. It immediately noticed the Pikachu and let out a caw before taking to the air, talons poised to strike.

"The hell's going on up there?" a voice called from below.

Mio dodged a swipe from the Murkrow and tried to run. He stopped as he looked down. The Meowstic was now also up. His green eyes widened as he spotted the Pikachu.

"Harley, it's one of the rebel army's leaders!" the Murkrow shouted.

"I realize that!"

"It doesn't matter who it is! Just kill him!" the Banette shouted as he disappeared into the ground.

All three assassins lunged for Mio. Mio let loose a thunderbolt. The Murkrow stopped her attack to dodge it. The Meowstic set up a blue barrier between himself and the attack.

Mio made a break for the forest, his eyes scanning the area. He glimpsed the Banette above him. Mio dodged a swipe from the ghost and rammed himself into the Banette. Both Pokemon were sent to the forest floor.

Mio immediately shocked the Banette. The ghost pushed the Pikachu off of him and began to turn intangible. Mio hissed to himself and lunged at the invisible Banette.

To his surprise, the Banette stabbed Mio with a needle. Mio let go of the ghost and fell to the forest floor.

"This is what happens when you sneak attack the assassins hunting you," the Meowstic said, standing over him, the Murkrow and now visible Banette by his side. "You get a nice dose of Kasper's poison."

Mio hissed through gritted teeth in pain as he glared at the assassins.

"Maybe now you'll learn," the Meowstic continued with a smirk Mio wanted to rip off his face. "Don't make our job easier. We like a good challenge."

Nio resisted the urge to scream as she watched the fight from the shadows. She knew Mio would be looking for the assassins. She had never expected him to actually find them, let alone get the jump on them.

Nio watched as the three assassins loomed over Mio. All had annoyed expressions. Nio sighed to herself. Yes, an amazing idea. Annoy the three most experienced assassins in Scizor's army while their sleeping. The Dedenne had to admit, it was a good plan to attack at night, but never alone.

Before her, the assassins seemed to be talking amongst themselves. Mio was on the ground in front of them. Nio braced herself and ran out to join her brother's side. As soon as she moved, the assassins' gazes went to her.

"How many more Pokemon will we have to deal with?!" the Murkrow shouted. "We need sleep, you know!"

"I'm sorry. I've only come to take my assistant back to our home," Nio said.

The Meowstic and Murkrow seemed to believe this lie. Nio felt chills going down her spine as the Banette kept his cold blue gaze on her. No doubt it was the same one she and Mio had encountered a few nights ago. She prayed to Arceus he wouldn't say anything to the other two assassins.

"Something wrong, Kasper?" the Meowstic asked the Banette. To Nio's surprise, he shook his head.

"Nothing. I'm going back to sleep," he replied. He floated into the trees.

"As for you two," the Meowstic began, "leave immediately. You get to live this one time. Next time, we won't hesitate to kill you both."

Nio nodded quickly and pulled her brother to his feet. She led him away, but not before she noticed the remaining two assassins staring daggers at her.