Merriment ensued as the city attended the large festival taking place. Pokémon everywhere wandered the various booths, consisting of games, shops, or food stands. Even the local orphanage came with the young children to play the games. There wasn't one unhappy face in the crowds.

"Come on Amanda, you can do it!" Jango cheered her as she was preparing to knock down a stack of bottles with a baseball.

Amanda narrowed her eyes as she winds up her pitch. She gives a mighty toss and makes contact with the bottles. However, the ball harmlessly bounced off without knocking them down. She pouted. "Dang it…"

The concession owner, an Arbok, laughed. "Heh, better luck next time, princess."

Jango narrows his eyes. He knew how these types of games worked, they were usually rigged to be impossible to win. Sadly for the owner, he never met Jango. He gave a sly smile. "I'll take a crack at it."

"Sure kid, knock yourself out." He takes his dollar and hands him a ball. "Remember, you only have one shot, so use it wise-WHOA!" The next thing he realized, his bottle were shattered along with a small portion of the wall.

Jango flashes a cheeky grin. "I'll take the stuffed dog." The Arbok, with a dumbfounded expression, hands it over to him. He presents it to Amanda. "For you, my dear."

"Aww, Jango." She takes it and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

He chuckles sheepishly. "Yeah, well…" He grabs her hand and they walked around the area. They come across Sphere and Flower, where the former was doing the 'Test your Strength' game. He managed to get up to ten before panting. "Hey guys!"

Flower waves at them. "Hello, friends." She sees Amanda's toy. "Ooh, did Jango win that for you?"

"He sure did." She happily nuzzled him, forming a blush onto his cheeks. "You guys enjoying the festival so far?" Flower nodded, though Sphere was too exhausted to.

"I've…been trying this thing…for the past half hour…I think it's rigged."

Jango walks up to it and punches the plate, sending the metal ball up and hitting the bell. "Seems fine to me."

"…show off." Sphere muttered.

Flower giggled. "Come on Sphere, let's check out the other stands before you wear yourself out." He could only grumble in agreement as they walked off, waving goodbye to their friends.

Jango and Amanda went over to a cotton candy stand and got two cones. "Mmm, delicious." Jango said as he ate a huge bite of it.

"You said it." Amanda was about to take another bite of hers, but she feels something grab her leg. "Huh?" She looks down and sees Katie looking up at them, wagging her tail. "Oh, hi Katie! How are you today?"

"Great! Cotton candy please!" She gave those adorable, puppy dog eyes as an added bonus to her sweet, innocent tone.

Jango rolled his eyes in amusement and tears a chuck off for her. "Here you go." Katie squealed happily and took it, nibbling on it.

"Katie!" They saw Altaria fly over to them. "You shouldn't run off like that."

Katie giggled. "Sorry!" She hugs her as an apology, which she returns gratefully.

"Oh, it's alright. Oh, hello Amanda and to you too, Jango."

"Hey Altaria. Didn't expect you to be here." She commented.

"Oh yes. The kids just love coming to the festival. They're excited about the lights in two weeks."

"So are we." Amanda responded, hugging Jango's arm affectionately.

Altaria was confused for a moment before smirking. "Oh my, has something happened since the last time I saw you two?"

Jango rubbed the back of his head and grinned with embarrassment. "Y-Yeah…I guess you can say we're in a relationship now."

"Aww, that's sweet. Have you two kissed yet?" She decided to tease.

They both ended up blushing. Amanda stutters, "Um, n-not exactly. J-J-Just on t-the c-cheek really…but, n-not a real k-k-kiss."

"You don't need to be so nervous, dearie. I'm just teasing." She grabs Katie's hand. "I'll leave you two alone. Come along, Katie."

"Bye-Bye!" Katie shouted as they left.

Jango and Amanda let out a sigh in relief. "Well, that was embarrassing." Jango muttered.

"Agreed." Amanda replied. They glanced at each other for a moment before looking away with blushes and shy smiles. "How about we just continue looking around?" Jango nodded and they walked around some more.

After awhile, everything seemed fine. That is, until Jango felt a sharp headache pass through him. "Ugh!"

Amanda looked at him in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a sudden migraine." He lied. "I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded as he walked behind a concession stand and sighed. Scourge, whatever this is about, I'm a little busy.

Oh, pardon me if I'm interrupting your date over the fact your life is at stake! He shouted sarcastically.

What are you talking about?

I sense a great evil closing in on the grounds. I think it's the assassins.

That's ridiculous. The chances of all of them getting through the Poketopia defenses is zero.

Jango, listen! Don't you remember what Inferno said? You had one month to complete your mission and you never did!

I quitted a long time ago.

Scourge could only sigh. Fine…but heed my warning, fool. What I speak is the truth…the truth that could decide the fate of you, Amanda, and the future for Poketopia. His voice faded.

Jango, despite being skeptical, couldn't help but look a little tense. He made his way back to Amanda. "Oh good, you're back." She narrowed her eyes in concern upon seeing the expression on Jango's face. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm…fine." Before she could ask another question, Jango cuts her off, "Hey, listen, how about we get some lunch? All this walking is making me hungry."

Amanda was a little upset he dismissed her question so quickly, but shrugged it off for now. "Alright." She grabbed his hand and they went to the food pavilion to get some lunch.

They both got hot dogs and milkshakes as they sat together. While Jango really wanted to enjoy himself, his nerves were getting the better of him. He kept scanning the area to see if there were any suspicious characters within the crowd, but he couldn't seem to find any. Perhaps Scourge really was messing around and lied about the assassins coming. Then again, ever since he quit, he couldn't help the feeling of anxiousness and fear. Lord Inferno was not someone you can escape so easily.

Jango was shook out of his thoughts when his girlfriend taps his shoulder. "Jango, are you alright?" She asked in concern. "You've been acting strange."

He wanted to lie to her again to drop the subject…but he couldn't stop himself from speaking. "I'll be honest with you…I'm feeling kind of scared about something."

Amanda smiled lightly and rubbed his arm. "Jango, you can tell me what's on your mind."

"Except I feel like, if I tell you, you might hate me."

She frowned. "It's about your past, the one you keep hiding from everyone, isn't it?" He nodded. "Jango, how many times do I need to keep telling you? I don't care what you've done that made you this nervous. No matter what, I will always be by your side."

Jango still wasn't convinced, but he did lighten up a bit. "I guess…but you don't know why I even came here in the first place. If you knew why…" He wiped his eyes as tears started to form, "You would see me in a whole new way, a way that I wouldn't want to witness."

She felt sorry for him, so she decided to scooch closer and snuggled against him. He felt a great warmth to the touch. "Jango, please stop thinking negatively. I know that you feel traumatized by what you may have done, but it's over now. You have your friends…you have me…" She brought her head up to look into his eyes.

Jango felt himself blushing, but he didn't look away. "T-Thanks Amanda…you always know what to say to make me feel better." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "I really…appreciate it."

She smiled coyly. "Well…I try my best."

They continued to stare at each other before their faces slowly started to gravitate closer to each other. They closed their eyes as they felt the racing of their hearts, pounding beneath their chests. Their lips were a mere few centimeters from each other.

Sadly, the moment was interrupted when a large tremor hit the festival, causing people to scream. Amanda grabbed Jango in fear. "Oh no! Are we having an earthquake?!"

Jango narrowed his eyes. He pulls away and drops to one knee, feeling the ground as a second wave hit the ground. "No…this feels pretty minor…yet, there's something off about it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like there are multiple small ones all over the area. That sounds unnatural, especially in this general area. It's definitely not an Earthquake attack, so what else could be…" His eyes widened when he saw the ground chipping below him. "Tactical Maneuver, Number 86." He mumbled.

"Wait, what?" Amanda asked in confusion.

"Get down!" He pushed Amanda away as the ground exploded, revealing a Seviper rising up from the ground. He wore red, snake armor with an 'I' on his helmet. "Oh no!"

The Seviper hissed intimidatingly. "Hello, princess." More areas started to erupt, revealing more Seviper with the same armor, along with other Pokémon clad in red armor started to climb out of the holes.

"The League of Assassins!" Jango grabbed Amanda and they ran away from the Seviper. "We need to get out of here, now!"

"Jango, how did you know it was them?!" She asked frantically.

"No time to explain! The Seviper Gang is one of the League of Assassins best infiltrators. They must have found somewhere that wasn't being patrolled and dug under the city."

"How?! You would have to have been studying every inch of the city to find that kind of pathway!"

Death Shadow…that's why he was here! "We'll worry about that later! We need to get you to safety before-" He jumps back with her from a Dark Pulse. They looked up and saw a flock of Honchkrow diving straight down. "Oh crud, the Honchkrow Brigade!"

The head Honchkrow squawked as they came closer towards them. Jango thought fast and unleashes a Flamethrower on them, setting them off course and slamming into the ground.

"Come on!" He grabs Amanda's hand and they ran through the catastrophe. Jango would punch and knock out any assassins that got too close to Amanda, but it was becoming a pain to accomplish with the growing numbers. "These guys just won't quit!"

A Throh jumped from above and stabs Jango in the arm, causing him to lose his grip on Amanda. "Haha, fool!" He grabs Amanda by the neck, slightly choking her. "Now to finish off the mission!" He pulls out another knife and brings it close to her neck.

"That ain't how you treat a lady, you bloody twit!" He was met with a flying kick to the face by Terry. He uses Shadow Claw and slices him unconscious.

Jango chuckled as he remove the knife in his arm, his wound slowly healing up. "Good timing, pal."

Terry smirks. "Thank you, I try." He helps Amanda up. "You alright, princess?"

"I'll live, thanks." She reassured.

"I past your dad on my way over here! Let's go!" He ran ahead. Jango picks Amanda up bridal style and follows Terry.

Back at a food booth, Ampharos was desperately trying to keep the assassins away from him. "Where's Jamison when you need him?!" He uses Power Gem and barrels through a row of assassins. A Croconaw jumps onto his back. "AAAHHH! Get off me!" He runs around in a panic as the assassin attempts to kill him.

"Flamethrower!" The assassin was blasted off his back, only leaving the king's back lightly singed. He turns and sees Jango, Amanda, and Terry running his way. "Are you okay, my king?"

"Yes…thanks to you." Jango sets Amanda down and she runs up to her dad to hug him. "It's okay, pumpkin, I'm alright."

Terry fires Hidden Power into a bunch of them. "They just keep coming! There's hundreds of them!"

Jango got into a fighting stance. "We're just gonna have to pick them off one by one." He smirks lightly. "I could use a good work out." He activates Thunder Punch and starts striking his way through a crowd of them. Terry followed in his example with Shadow Claw as Amanda and Ampharos followed them, firing a few attacks themselves.

More assassins came out of hiding to ambush them. Jango uses Flare Blitz and barrels through them with the others on his tail. He takes a breather the moment he stops, but finds himself in another tussle as two Grovyle attempted to stab him with hidden blades attached to their wrists. He grabs them and tosses them overhead with their momentum.

Terry growls as he knocks some others out with Hidden Power. "How much farther is the castle?!"

Jango punched one out. "Not much longer. We just need to-" He was interrupted by an Aura Sphere that nailed his face. He pushed himself up and glares. "You…"

Death Shadow stood in the middle of the chaos glaring down at them. "Yeah, me." He slowly walks towards them. "I haven't seen your pitiful mug since you attempted to kill me. You know, as that monster."

Jango clenched his fist. Of all the times to deal with Jackson, this is worst. "Look, you little twit, I'm not in the mood for kiddy games. So get out of our way or I'm going to break every single bone in your body."

"I'm afraid I can't let you escape." He gets into a fighting stance. "Besides, I deserve a rematch after our last encounter."

Before Jango could think of attacking him, Terry stepped in. "Sorry, you little bugger, but you're not fighting my pal without me." He winks at Jango. "Can't let you have all the fun."

He smirks at his friend and glares with determination. "Alright, let's do this."

Death Shadow merely shook his head. "Two on one seems highly unfair…" He smirks. "…not for a trained spy, however." He runs at them with two Force Palms charging.

Jango and Terry jumped over him and retaliated with Flamethrower and Blizzard. Death evaded using Dig and burrowed his way underground. Jango and Terry searched around for where he'll pop up. The ground between them exploded and they were met with Force Palms to the face. While Terry was knocked down, Jango regain his footing and sliced the spy across the torso with Dragon claw. He held his stomach in pain before dodging a second swipe and delivering a kick to the jaw.

Terry flipped back onto his feet and used Double Team, surrounding Death. He fires a storm of Hidden Powers in an attempt to confuse him. Sadly, the sneaky Riolu used his aura abilities to find the real one and knock him down with Aura Sphere. Terry groaned as the attack had a quadruple effect on him. He musters the strength to dodge a Force Palm heading his way.

Jango recovered from the blow to the jaw and charged in with Thunder Punch. Death blocks it with a Force Palm, resulting in a small shockwave. Death came swinging in with Reversal, but Jango leaned back to duck under the attack and launches his foot directly into his stomach before releasing a Flamethrower at blank point range.

Death Shadow flipped back and rubbed his face of ash in his eyes. "You're proving to be a real nuisance."

The Charmeleon helped his friend up. "You feeling alright, buddy?"

Terry smirks. "It's going to take more than that to keep me down, mate." He activates Shadow Claw. "I'm about to show this punk he's reaching too high for the sun." He swiftly runs at Death.

Death narrows his eye and crosses his arms as a barrage of Shadow Claws started to repeatedly nail him with no chance of it slowing up. He allowed it to hit him for a little while longer before using Reversal and smashing the ground, sending multiple debris everywhere. Terry jumped back to cover some ground, but that was his biggest mistake as Death Shadow drilled his way underground. The moment the Weavile landed, the ground below him exploded and was delivered a strike into the jaw. As he was momentarily stunned, Death used Reversal to smash his head against the ground, drops of blood becoming visible.

He attempted another smash, but was stopped by Jango, who grabbed his arm and ripped his grip off of Terry. He held him tight and blasted Flamethrower into his face while using Dragon Claw to inflict pain in the arms. The Riolu grunted lowly as he tried to break free of his grasp. But Jango had other plans the moment he ended the Flamethrower. He throws Death into the air and activates Flare Blitz before jumping up and slamming his body into him. Death yelled in pain as he was grabbed again and thrown straight into the concrete ground, again hit by the Flare Blitz which increased in damage from the free fall.

Jango panted as he started to feel the effects of the move. But, he shakes it off and focuses at the task at hand. He picks up Death and clutches his neck. "Alright, talk. What are you and these freaks planning?!"

Death Shadow kept a straight face as he was being interrogated. "I'm not speaking."

Jango looks back to make sure the others were out of earshot. Thankfully, they were busy tending to Terry. He then whispers, "Listen Jackson, I want to know right now what Lord Inferno is planning. He knows I quitted the League of Assassins. Are you here to finish what I started?"

He smirks lightly. "Yes…and no." Jango formed a confused look. "Yes, killing the princess is one of our top priorities. However, our lord has a much higher objective."

"And what would that be?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself?" Jango's face paled in color. He dropped Death Shadow in horror as he stared at the figure standing right in front of him, clad in armor. "Well, well, well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Jango couldn't find the courage to speak. He was too petrified in fear at his former boss' presence. He rarely comes on missions, so why was he here?! He could feel is heart beating erratically as he backed away from the calm, yet frightening man.

King Ampharos glared at the Blaziken. "Lord Inferno…"

Inferno smirked. "King Ampharos…I see you're acting braver than usual…well, almost." He took notice of the king's shaking knees, signaling his masked fear.

Amanda glared at the assassin. "What are you doing here?"

"My, quite a bold way to address the Lord of Assassins, princess." Inferno commented. "But, I'll cut to the chase. I'm here to take over your pitiful little kingdom."

"Why?!"

"Quite simple actually. Poketopia is one of the highest kingdoms in the world. With that kind of power, I can persuade neighboring kingdoms of different regions to join in my plans for world domination. Poketopia has gained a lot of respect for its Royal Guards after all."

King Ampharos glowered at him. "When they get here-"

"Don't waste your breath, they're all dead by now." The king gasped in shock. "A shame, really. They seemed well trained, too. But, they were simply no match for my level of skill."

Amanda clenched her fist in anger. "How dare you?! You have no right to come here and attack our people!"

Inferno chuckles, sending shivers up her back. "You're probably right. But I have other reasons for coming here. You see, a certain traitor of the League of Assassins is due for severe consequences for their transgressions."

This caused the Flaaffy to gasp. "W-What? A traitor in Poketopia?" She took notice of Jango's flickering tail flame after she said that.

"Quite right. Once I find him…well, I actually have plans for him when I do." He unsheathes a blade behind his back. "The time for talking is over. You're coming with me."

Terry growls and pushes himself up. "Not going to happen…" He tries to keep his balance, but he collapses to one knee.

"Terry, don't push yourself! You're injured!" Amanda scolded lightly.

Inferno slowly walked towards them, dragging the tip of his blade against the ground. Jango started to back away the closer he got. He wanted to run as far away as possible…but he couldn't leave Amanda and the others behind. It was his duty as her bodyguard to serve and protect her at all costs. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

He swallows his nerves and glares at Inferno. "I won't let you touch them!" He charges forward and throws a punch.

Sadly, Inferno easily blocked it with his sword. "My, you've certainly gotten fast." He pushes him back. "Too bad it's not enough to stop me."

Jango stands his ground. "We'll see about that!" He reveals a kunai in his hand, which he pickpocketed off of Inferno when he attacked. He charges again and clashes the blade against his. Jango used Thunder Punch, but Inferno jumps over the attack and kicks him from behind. Just when Jango tries to get up, he surge of pain went up his back as Inferno flew over him, the blade stained with his blood.

His healing factor kicks in, but it didn't help much since he was being punched and kicked at lightning fast speeds. He managed to block a few strikes, but the hits were taking their toll on him. He flips back and lifts a heavy barrel. He chucks it at the assassin, but he slices through it and continues walking towards him. Jango grabbed some darts off of a stand and throws them. Inferno tilts his head and lets them harmlessly pass by. He grips his sword tightly and slashes Jango across the face, blinding him.

"Jango!" Amanda screamed.

Jango stumbled around as he tried to open his eyes and rubbed the blood out. But all he could see was red and blurry images. "Where are you, Inferno?!"

"Right behind you." Jango was punched right in the face and fell flat on his back. He tries to push himself up, but Inferno steps on his torso and pushes him back down. "Stubborn as usual."

"Leave my boyfriend alone!" Amanda shouted angrily.

Inferno chuckles. "Ah, I see you've been busy, Jango."

Amanda picks up a stone. "I said get away from him, you jerk!" She throws it as hard as she could.

The assassin merely catches it. "I'm afraid I can't do that, princess. This little traitor has to pain for his misdeeds."

She blinks in confusion. "T…Traitor?"

Jango glared in anger and look at the blurry image that was Inferno. "Don't you dare-" Inferno shuts him up by stomping on his face.

King Ampharos glares, but was just as confused as his daughter. "What are you talking about?"

The Lord of Assassins found amusement in their obliviousness. "You can't be serious. After a month with him, you haven't even figured out who he truly is? For a high and mighty kingdom, you aren't good with getting background checks on your employees. But, I shouldn't be the one to break the news."

Inferno clutches Jango's head and forces him up. He was still unable to see anything, but he knew what everyone's expressions looked like after the next thing Inferno utters.

"Why don't you tell them who you really are…Draco the Assassin!"