"They've suffered critical injuries. The Banette's on the brink of death."

"And the bird?"

"Not as close, but not safe from its clutches either."

"Well, wake them up."

Something cold and wet cut off Kasper's air. He jolted upright, coughing and trying to get the putrid taste of some bitter berry out if his mouth.

"I didn't mean drown him, idiot."

"Shut up and let me do my job."

Kasper couldn't see a thing. Either the room was completely dark or he was just blindfolded.

"Ok, I know you're awake. When I take off the blindfold, you'll see a lot of gore. Don't be alarmed."

The blindfold was ripped off and Kasper was blinded by the harsh light. As his eyes adjusted, he gaped at the utter mess.

He was in a small cabin. It was pretty standard, barring the bookshelves. They were lined with jars. They were filled with some type of body part. This ranged from eyes to hearts.

"Yeeeah, we didn't want you to scream bloody murder as soon as you got here," a disembodied male voice said.

"He was unconscious, Jay." This voice was feminine.

"Shut up, Bella."

"Ugh, fine. Just give him the damn injection already."

This statement made Kasper freeze. He felt someone grasp onto his arms. Their grip was cold and tight.

"Alright, easy now. You're going to cut off his circulation."

The grip got a bit looser, though still tight.

"Good. Now, make sure he holds still. Otherwise, this will be messy. And super painful."

Those words didn't reassure Kasper. An Excadrill emerged from the shadows, a long syringe in his right hand. This also failed to reassure the ghost.

The Excadrill grabbed Kasper's right arm and rolled up his hood's sleeve. The scars glowed a small green. The Excadrill's eyes gleamed.

"As I thought," he muttered. He took the syringe, which was empty, and forcefully jabbed it into Kasper's arm, right below the scar. Despite having no blood, the syringe was filled with a crimson liquid. The Excadrill waited until it was full, then pulled it out. He walked away and returned a moment mater with another syringe. This time, it was filled with a translucent liquid. Anyone else would've mistaken it as empty, but Kasper could see the small particles that drifted in the liquid. The Excadrill walked over and gave a nod. Kasper felt an unseeable force envelop him. His hood was forced off of the ghost, much to his chargain. The Excadrill walked up to the Banette, stone-faced.

"Try not to flinch," was the only words he said before he took the syringe and slowly injected it into the ghost's neck. The pain, from the injection or the liquid, he wasn't sure, was excruciating. The Excadrill left the needle in his neck, waiting for the liquid to completely drain from it. Kasper had to fight the urge to take out the syringe with Psychic.

After what seemed like forever, the Excadrill returned and removed the needle. Kasper's arms were released as the Excadrill walked away.

"And we're done," the Excadrill declared. He stood before Kasper. A Delphox joined him.

"The pain might last for a while," she said, eyeing Kasper as the Banette began to put his hood back on. "Nothing personal. Just business."

"We did the same to your friend," the Excadrill said, gesturing to Gloria. The Murkrow was lying on a cot, fast asleep. "Granted, she only got the injection."

Kasper sighed and let himself fall back down onto his own cot. He had no idea what time of day it was, nor did he really care at the moment. His mind was solely focused on sleep.

The Delphox, Bella, smiled as she watched the Banette drift into the temporary coma-like state. "It appears our guests are energy-deprived."

The Excadrill, Jay, nodded from his small corner. On his desk sat lots of paperwork he had yet to complete. However, Jay was occupied as he bagged the syringe he had used on the Banette.

Bella came up behind him. "I thought Ghost-types didn't have blood?"

"They don't," Jay said, "However, those who bear the Mark have a blood-like liquid, no matter what species."

The Delphox flipped through a small book. "Actually, most Ghost-types have ectoplasm." She turned the book so Jay could see it. "It's basically ghost blood. Usually neon green, or some shade close to it."

"Hm. That would explain the green tint then," Jay mused, holding up the bagged syringe. Bella peered at it. She could make out small green particles floating around.

"What do we do with them?" she asked, looking back at the cots.

Jay thought for a moment. "Well, we have a choice. We could let them go, or we could force them to be lab rats. We do have plenty of more experiments to test and no one to test them on."

"I don't think we have a choice," Bella said, grabbing a paper off Jay's desk. She turned it to him. "Look here."

Jay peered at the paper. It was a Wanted flyer. Apparently, Scizor's ace assassins were running around and causing mayhem. The Excadrill hadn't cared at the time, but something caught his attention.

Three Pokemon were listed on the flyer, all categorized as "Extremely Dangerous!" Two of the three Pokemon looked very familiar.

Jay's eyes widened. He looked between the flyer and the cots. "Oh my god," he whispered.

Bella nodded. "Kasper and Gloria. We have two of the most wanted and dangerous Pokemon here, with us, unconscious, and severely injured."

Jay approached the two sleeping Pokemon. Now that he was close, he could see their features up close.

"The Banette's not as old as claimed," Jay said. "Judging from looks, I'd say he's about 10 or 11 cycles old."

"Cycles?" Bella asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, right. You used seasons to tell age if I remember correctly. Well, up here, we use cycles. There are two types- moon and season. We tend to use season more than moon. One session of summer, fall, winter, and spring each is considered a cycle." He tentatively lifted Kasper's hood. "10 cycles since birth."

Bella looked intrigued. "Fascinating."

"Indeed, it is."

A thought came to the Delphox. "Aren't you a retired assassin?"

Jay chuckled. "No. I was merely a messenger."

Bella was about to say something else when Kasper began to stir. She and Jay backed away from the Banette as his blue eyes opened. Bella was unsure how she didn't recognize the Banette at first glance. If his attire wasn't a dead giveaway, the eyes were.

"A Ditto, eh? Classic," Jay said, gaining Kasper's attention. "She almost had you two."

"I know." Kasper's voice was quiet.

"You're lucky Bella here was able to save you both."

Kasper looked at the Delphox. "Thank you."

Bella nodded. She never thought she'd be thanked by an ace assassin. She smiled. "That was selfless, you know. If things had been different, you would've taken the impact. We've done the math. Your friend would've survived." She sighed dreamily. "I detect the start of a romantic relationship."

Kasper looked flustered at this. "N-no. Absolutely not."

"Ok, stop scaring him, Bella." Jay rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "We have a few questions and I want some answers. We saved your lives. You owe us."

Before he could start, his mouth was covered by his companion. She signaled him to be quiet.

A loud knocking made Kasper jump. Bella and Jay, however, were completely fine. They were used to this.

"Oi! Open up! We know you're in there!" a gruff voice demanded.

"Do you have a warrant?" Bella called out mockingly.

"We have a warrant for your guests' arrest! We know your housing two wanted Pokemon! Now open up before we do it for you!"

Jay turned to the cots to find them both empty. Kasper had hauled himself to his feet and was collecting his sachet, Gloria in his arms.

"Thank you for your hospitality, it's appreciated." The Banette's words were rushed. "We really must be on our way now."

"Before you go, take this." Jay tossed a small vial at him. "I know what you have. This will help suppress it."

Kasper's eyes narrowed. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But Bella is like you. She's still alive and healthy and she takes that medication."

Whoever was outside had resorted to busting the door down. Bella was in the midst of hiding everything that could be considered suspicious. Jay shooed the two assassins away.

"Go! When Scizor takes over, tell him to spare us."

Kasper nodded and jumped into the rafters. He gave one final nod to the two Pokemon below before flying out through the skylight of the cabin. As he did, the door was knocked down. A Breloom rushed in, a Pangoro and Gothitelle behind him.

"You were saying?" Jay asked, a smug smirk on his face.

"Search everywhere!" the Breloom ordered.

Above, Kasper watched from the safety of a tree. His free hand was clutched onto the vial. He put it in his sachet and began to slink away from the cabin, never looking back for an instant.

It had been two days since Gloria and Kasper had disappeared. At least, that's what Jade considered them. M.I.A.

Harley had almost given up any hope he had left. Two days of searching and they had nothing. No leads, no clues, no signs. He hated to admit it, but he feared the worse.

Jade was becoming more and more erratic as the days passed. Harley hadn't expected her to know such colorful language, much less use it.

The pair were in the midst of walking across a barren plain. It was open, yes, but no one would attack them. The plain itself would've been a jaw-dropping sight had it not been for the fires. There was at least one going every second. Most were caused by the relentless sun. Summer in this region was no picnic.

Harley was exhausted but he took another step. He hadn't stopped to rest since they had started searching. The Meowstic refused to rest. Not now.

Jade had called him out on it, saying it was "sweet how he cared about his friends". Harley hadn't disagreed. He knew it was true.

He just hoped they felt the same.

Of all the weather to fear, snowstorms were definitely the most feared. Unless you were an Ice-type, it was almost required. As a child, Gloria never understood that logic.

It was safe to say that had changed.

Gloria was freezing. It was as if there was an eternal winter and it would never end. The Murkrow wasn't even the one doing the walking. However, Kasper's hood did its job.

Kasper himself looked like he wanted to pass out. Gloria could practically see the beginning stages of frostbite coming for him. The Murkrow, as much as she wanted to, said nothing about shelter. She didn't want to falsely raise any hopes.

At this point, even Kasper's hood couldn't fully protect the two from the cold. The original plan was to bear the blizzard, but it was obvious that was a death sentence. Gloria, seeing a potential shelter, wordlessly notified her companion.

The shelter was nothing more than a small cave, but neither of them cared. It was out of the snowstorm. That was all that mattered.

Gloria thanked whatever God there was for Will-o-Wisp. Not only was the flame super hot, but it was plentiful.

Kasper had left Gloria in front of the small fire he had made. The Banette was currently exploring the deeper part of the cave. He had left his hood behind, though it took some convincing. He had also taken the time to make a torch, though he had to go back out into the storm to grab materials.

It had been about a half-hour since Kasper had left. The Banette took another step, the only noise being the crackling of the flame. There was a musky odor in the air. Something about it made the ghost assassin worry.

"Excuse me, mister, but have you seen our mom?"

Kasper froze at the voice. It sounded extremely young. There was a small sniffle immediately after. From lowering the torch, the voice's owner came into view.

Three Cubchoo cubs stared up at him, sniffling back their frozen snot.

The oldest and tallest one spoke. "Is she with you?"

The sight of the bears reminded Kasper of the three Teddiursa cubs and their Ursaring mom he had a run-in with all those years ago. He had killed the latter in self-defense. He had single-handedly made the cubs orphans.

Kasper mustered up a half-hearted smile. "Sorry, but I haven't seen her."

Only the eldest understood. "She's been gone for days now. We have no food."

At the mention of food, the two other cubs began to cry. Their sobbing made Kasper sigh. He was never good with young Pokemon, but this was due to the fact that he was a well-known assassin. Children would scream bloody murder on sight.

"Are you lost?" the oldest cub asked. "We've never seen a Pokemon like you before."

"Well, that may be because we're not common Pokemon," Kasper said, his voice level. He didn't want to reveal any vital info to these cubs.

"Are you an Ice-type like us?"

"Absolutely not." Kasper was practically freezing. Turns out the cave got colder the farther in it went. It explained the ice on the walls and floors.

"Yeah, duh. He's got a torch," one of the cubs said, smacking her brother with a paw.

Kasper took the escalating argument as a chance to slowly back away. As he did so, he bumped into something behind him. The thing rumbled. Kasper turned and paled.

The mother Beartic snarled down at him. "Intruder!"

Kasper abandoned all thoughts that weren't focused on not dying. He dodged a swipe from the Beartic and snuffed out his torch. The area was engulfed in darkness. The Cubchoo and Beartic let out cries of alarm. Kasper made a half-blind run for the small light that was the fire he had set up. His night vision wasn't great, but it was better than the Beartic's.

Unfortunately for the ghost, her hearing was as good as his eyesight.

The Beartic was able to track down her target quickly. She took blind lashes out at Kasper. He was able to dodge most of them, but one found its mark, scoring across Kasper's right leg. The Beartic grabbed it and held Kasper upside down. Her maw dripped with saliva. This was a Pokemon willing to kill.

Kasper refused to let these moments be his last. He had left his sachet with Gloria. His only hope was his combat skills. Which weren't as good as the other aces'. Kasper was the least adept in combat due to his assassination method. It was discreet so his combat was as well.

Kasper didn't have any moves that would cripple the Beartic. He had Will-o-Wisp, but it wouldn't be much help.

Panic shot through the ghost as he realized he was helpless. The battle with his friends and the snowstorm had taken their toll on him. Gloria couldn't help with a broken wing. Kasper had never thought his death would occur in a stupid cave. The Beartic's open maw loomed beneath him, ready to finish the ghost with one single snap.

A green ball of energy suddenly came flying. It slammed into the Beartic and she staggered, dropping Kasper in the process. He had no time to recover, however, as the Beartic came to her senses and had her sights set on him once more.

The Beartic shot an ice ball at the cave ceiling. It turned into a vortex and icicles rained down on Kasper. The Banette flinched as one impaled his shoulder. The cave was illuminated a tiny amount as a neon green substance leaked from Kasper's wound.

The Beartic took this as her chance and began to pummel the Banette with her claws. Kasper, unable to move due to the icicle, could only take the hits. The Beartic grinned as she saw her opponent getting weaker.

Suddenly, she was thrown across the cave. Kasper stared as a figure stepped into the light. It was someone he hadn't seen in what felt like ages.

Harley brushed his hands off. "Tsk. She needs to learn better etiquette." He turned to Kasper. "Long time, no see, Kasper."

Kasper smiled despite the pain that racked his body. "Good to see you again, Harley."

Harley observed his friend. "Losing to an icicle, eh? How sad." Harley grabbed onto the icicle and forcefully pulled it out. The sharp piece of ice was coated in the same green liquid oozing from Kasper. "What's this stuff?"

"Ectoplasm," Kasper stated like it was obvious.

"And that is...?"

"Ghost blood."

"That really sums it up." Harley pulled Kasper to his feet and let the ghost use him as a support. "Jade's attending to Gloria now."

Said Gardevoir looked up as the pair grew closed. She was helping Gloria put her wing in a cast. "Welcome back."

"Let's go," Harley said shortly. "The blizzard has stopped for now. If we hurry, we can at least make it to the abandoned village nearby."

The four began to move. Jade carried Gloria, as Harley was busy making sure Kasper didn't die before they got to their destination. The snow proved to be trouble for all of them. Harley had a hard time supporting Kasper, who was tall for his age, and trudging through the snow at the same time.

It was a massive relief when the group arrived at their destination. Harley was on the brink of unconsciousness. Jade took notice and approached him.

"I'll help get these two to a bed. Rest," she told him kindly. Harley nodded in thanks and promptly fell asleep.

Jade sighed as she watched the Meowstic, debating whether she wanted to move him or not. After a moment, she walked away.

The village was totally destroyed. A lot of the houses were either totally obliterated or incredibly unstable if they were still standing. Jade tested each one, trying to find the safest one. It turned out to be one of the smallest, only having one charred room.

Jade began to work, making it seem more comfortable. After gathering some leaves, she lined the floor with them and set Gloria down. She walked outside and came back with Harley and Kasper. The latter wasn't unconscious yet, but he could barely manage two steps without falling. Jade had the Banette propped up against the wall. She needed to mend his shoulder wound before anything else.

Jade peered at the wound. She knew it was an Ice-type that had inflicted it due to the thin sheet of ice that was covering the opening. Jade sighed and teleported away. She returned a moment later with a piece of paper. In fancy handwriting, she wrote, "Gone to look for a friend. Will be back as soon as possible." The Gardevoir placed the note by the rickety door and left without hesitation.