The last wave of assassins dashed into the woods, wielding their weapons and wearing armor. They've gotten intel that there were resisters taking out their allies. They were the last line of defense and the strongest of the group. They weren't going to lose to a bunch of ingrates who believe they can resist their mighty ruler, Lord Inferno.
They stopped at the edge of the forest. No one was there. Not even a defense force of some kind. There was…nothing. They looked around with their guard up. Something was horribly wrong here.
The head assassin, a Serperior, turned his attention to his men. "Something isn't right. What did the last wave report?"
A Bibarel stood at attention. "Sir, the assassins reported a small squad eliminating our numbers one by one. A Gallade, Zangoose, Weavile, Linoone…"
The head assassin narrowed his eyes. "They don't seem like threats."
"There's more, sir." He gulped a bit. "We also received word of…the princess and king, who managed to escape…with the assistance of Commander Death Shadow."
"WHAT?!" He coiled him up and brought a dagger to his neck. "Say that again! I don't think I heard you right!"
He shivered fearfully. "We didn't know of this betrayal, so we couldn't stop them!"
The head assassin looked at two Mightyena. "You two, sniff out the rebels. They're probably scheming against Lord Inferno." They obliged and ran into the forest, sniffing out any unusual scents.
The pack of assassins watched them disappear from sight. Nothing unusual has happened yet. They could tell something was wrong. Suddenly, they could hear the Mightyena howl in pain, shocking them. They briefly saw a flash of light, as if from a fresh blaze.
The head assassin narrowed his eyes angrily. "What the-" He heard crackling behind him.
They slowly turned around and saw members of the Royal Guard aiming fiery arrows in their direction. They fired the arrows into the sky. The assassins retreated back into the forest as the arrows rained down on them. Two of them were caught in the attack.
Jamison saw them coming within the trees and signaled two guards. They threw down smoke bombs, effectively blinding them.
The head assassin growled. "That does it! Split up and eliminate them!" They saluted and dispersed.
Jamison narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. "All according to plan." He pulled out a 2 way radio. "My king, they are spreading out, just as we planned."
"Good. This ends today," he responded. He looked back at his army, which was the men of Poketopia. They were armed with standard weaponry. "Listen up, the foes we are dealing with are highly trained and dangerous. Take them out when they are most vulnerable. We may not make it out alive. But we must defend our city by any means necessary.
"We must stand and fight to the end, no matter what." He unsheathed his sword and raised it high. "Today, we shall take back our city!"
"Yeah!" they cheered valiantly.
He nodded. "Then, attack!" They cheered once more before charging.
The assassins heard them coming and readied their arrows. Once they were in sight, they fired. The resisters took out their shields and deflected the arrows before pulling out their weapons. The assassins pulled out theirs and charged. Both sides collided and clashed with each other.
They pushed against each other, trying to gain the upper hand. The assassins had the advantage with their training, allowing them to push the resisters back. But this was planned for. In the trees behind the assassins, a group of resisters fired a volley of arrows. They staggered in pain from the attack, allowing the resisters to push ahead and take them down.
Ampharos clashed with a group, taking them out one by one. Two assassins tried to get the drop on him, but he swung his sword back and sliced them across the chest. He nailed one in the jaw with the hilt, knocking some teeth out. More came running at him. With a narrow eyed expression, he electrified his sword and swung it at them. The resulting hit stunned them, allowing for a swift knockout.
He smiled in satisfaction, but gasped when the head assassin came flying at him from the bushes. He blocked his sword, which he held in his teeth. "The King of Poketopia…" he muttered clearly, despite the sword in his mouth.
Ampharos glared. "And you must be Inferno's head assassin, Slayer?" Ever since Jackson joined them, he gave up some information on the assassins, especially their general.
"That is correct." He pushed against his sword. "I am most surprised, king. I've heard nothing about you, other than being a coward. And yet, here you are, fighting alongside your subjects. Why is that?"
He clenched his teeth. "I'd do anything to protect my people, even at the cost of my life!" He pushed him back and slashed, which was quickly blocked by Slayer.
Terry jumped from tree to tree, dropping down bombs on assassins. He jumped down and slashed two of them with Shadow Claw. More kept running down his way. With a smirk, he fired a Blizzard at the ground, causing them to slip.
"Rotten punk!" Terry turned just in time to see a sword coming at him. He ducked and watched it swing over his head.
He flipped back to gain some distance. "Watch where you're swinging that!"
The assassin dashed at him swiftly and slashed at him. Terry was able to dodge them, but he couldn't find and opportunity to attack.
The assassin reached for a bomb. "Eat this!" He chucked it at Terry.
Terry grabbed it and quickly threw it up in the air. The resulting explosion created a massive bright light, which temporarily blinded the assassin. Once his vision was restored, he saw Terry on the ground in pain.
The assassin chuckled and twirled his sword as he strolled over slowly. "Sorry kid, but you had this coming." He aimed the blade at him and stabbed him. At first, it looked like he killed him. That is, until Terry started flickering, surprising the assassin. "What?!"
Terry dropped from the sky and landed on his back. He took out some wire he snatched off of him and wrapped it around his neck. He pulled it tightly, choking the assassin. "You may think you have the upper hand with your training, but I've learned a thing or two about deceiving my opponents." The assassin was slowly turning purple. Eventually, he passed out and fell. Terry unwrapped the wire from around him and dashed off.
David ran through the forest being pursued by a Beedrill, who was armed with twin daggers, and a Vigoroth, who wielded a mace. He fired a Water Pulse to gain some distance, but it wasn't enough to slow them down.
"Man, these guys are fast!" He smirked as an idea popped into his head. "But not as fast as me." He jumped onto the base of a tree and bounced off.
The two assassins stopped as he jumped from tree to tree, increasing his speed as he went. "Poison Sting!" the Beedrill shouted as he fired the poison needle attack. They came close to hitting him a couple of times, but David was simply too fast for them to keep up.
Vigoroth growled. "Fire Blast!" He fired the attack to create a large splash radius.
David smirked and bounced off one last tree. He jumped into the air, away from the Fire Blast and above the assassins. "Hey losers!" He formed a Water Pulse, then electrified it with Thunderbolt. "Tidal Shock!" He threw it down, creating a large wave of electrified water.
The assassins screamed in pain and fell over unconscious. David landed on the Vigoroth and laughed.
Zangoose was taking on a large group and was enjoying every moment of it. He slammed four with his Crush Claw and nailed another one at blank point range with Shadow Ball.
"This is what you freaks deserve!" he shouted angrily.
He used Swords Dance a few times to boost his power. Once that was done, he turned towards the remainder of the group. "Keep your ground, men! He's just one Zangoose!"
Zangoose smirked. "Oh, you are so dead. Close Combat!" He trapped them all in a hurricane of punches and kicks. They couldn't get a chance to fire back. He was not letting up for a second.
Zangoose took out the last one with a severe headbutt. The assassin fell and groaned. "My head…"
"I think he broke my kidney…"
One assassin coughed up blood. "I don't think my lungs are supposed to make sloshing sounds…"
Zangoose dusted his hand off. "Serves you right." He saw another group and went to beat them to near death as well.
Ampharos jumped back from a sword swipe and clashed again with Slayer. They continuously swung their blades at one another, barely giving an inch. Though, due to his lack of practice, the king was already beginning to pant from exhaustion.
This didn't go unnoticed from Slayer. "What's the matter, king? Tuckered out already?" He pulled back and headbutted the king harshly, making him stagger back. "Figures coming from a weak, spineless fool such as yourself."
Ampharos felt his forehead to make sure he was alright. He glared at Slayer. "Your lord will not take this land from us. We shall stand and fight."
Slayer smirked and struck at him. He coiled around Ampharos' neck and strangled him harshly. "Look at your army real closely, king. Half your guard were slaughtered before the fight. Most of it is made up of untrained adults. And, the best part, is that you even allowed some children to fight." He squeezed his neck harder. "What part of this do you expect me to be afraid of?"
Ampharos felt his strength seeping away. He reached into a bag tied to his waste. "Looks…can be…deceiving…" He pulled out some powder and threw it in Slayer's eyes.
"AAAHHH!" He removed his hold on him as he tried to rub it out. Ampharos took this time to hide and come up with a tactical strategy.
As the fight went on, Amanda was hiding in the trees with Katie. With all the madness going on, they couldn't find anywhere to keep her out of harm's way. Poketopia has been completely evacuated. Three assassins walked below them, trying to find more resisters.
Amanda slung Katie over her shoulder and dropped down behind them. They turned around, just in time to see Amanda throw poisonous needles at their necks. They instantly became woozy and fell unconscious.
Katie giggled. "They look funny."
Amanda hid themselves in a bush. "Katie, this isn't the time to laugh. We need to get you to safety."
She shook her head. "No! I want stay and help!"
"Katie, sweetie, you're too little."
Again, she shook her head. "I want to be like Big Brother, Jangy!"
Amanda sighed. "I understand, but you're not exactly the fighting type."
"Yes I am!" She jumped off her and threw punches. "I make them go 'FLOP'!"
Amanda smiled and shook her head. Jango is rubbing off on her. She gasped when a Hyper Beam flew overhead. "Come on out, princess." She peeked out of the bush and saw two Magmortar glaring them down.
She stood up and reached for some poison needles. "Stand back or else!"
"Or else what?" the other one replied. They aimed their arm cannons at them. "You're trapped."
Katie ran out of the bush, much to Amanda's shock, and started hitting their legs. "Big meanies!"
In annoyance, he kicked her back over to Amanda. "Great, they're letting babies fight."
"They must be desperate." They laughed maliciously.
Amanda growled at them as she held Katie close. Katie looked back at them with sad, puppy eyes. "Plwease don't hurt us." She winked cutely, causing pink hearts to fly at them.
In surprise, the two brutes watched them swirl around, increasing in speed slowly. Then, they enclosed around them and glowed in a bright pink light. Their eyes turned into the shape of hearts and smiled dumbly at Katie. "Aww! Look at her!"
"She is so adorable!"
Amanda's jaw dropped with a weirded out expression. Katie tilted her head in confusion. "What happened?"
"Katie…you just used Attract on them." Oh, this is SO weird.
"What can we do for you, all glorious cute one?" they praised in unison.
Katie looked up in thought. "Well…I want an ice cream…a toy…a-"
"Uh, Katie?" Amanda interrupted. She whispered something in her ear.
Katie smiled. "Oh!" She pointed at them. "Those big meanies who work for big chicken meanie hurt me!"
This sent them in a rage. "What?! How dare they?!"
"We shall punish them at once!" With that, they ran off firing Flamethrowers and Hyper Beams at their comrades.
Katie clapped triumphantly. Amanda just stared at where they ran off with the same slack jawed expression. Well…that happened. She cringed when an explosion nearly nailed them. "We need to run, now!" She picked up Katie and ran through the forest.
Flower took an assassin down, one after another, with a relentless storm of Razor Leaf. "Come on, give me a challenge!" She gulped when the distinct sound of a sword swipe whoosh over her head. The tree that once stood behind her toppled to the ground. She slowly looked back, seeing a Golduck assassin wielding a sword. "I had to ask…" She ran away screaming as the Golduck chased her.
She fired Razor Leaf as she ran, but Golduck effortlessly sliced them. He fired an Ice Beam in retaliation. She jumped over it, just barely. She hid behind a tree and fired Sludge Bomb. Golduck dodged them, but his vision was shrouded by poisonous gas. Flower used this to her advantage and threw a Leech Seed at him. It latched on and grew vines around him, draining his energy. She took a moment to catch her breath as her energy started to be restored.
This moment of relief didn't last long as Golduck jumped over the gas and sliced down the tree she was behind. She screamed and jumped out of the way. She fired more Sludge Bombs, but the assassin kept dodging them. He paused shortly as his energy got sapped again.
Flower's knees shook uncontrollably. Oh man, what do I do?! I can't use Solar Beam with these stupid black clouds blocking the sun out! I won't have enough time!
She turned and tried to gain some distance from him. Much to her disappointment, the Golduck threw bolas at her, wrapping up her legs and tripping her.
She whimpered as Golduck slowly walked over to her. "I'm going to make you scream, brat."
Sphere knocked several assassins out with rapid succession Ice Balls. "Back off!" He heard Flower scream and looked toward the sound. "Flower?!"
Golduck placed the sword against her neck. "Any last words?" She breathed heavily with her eyes clenched shut.
"Leave her alone!" Golduck was caught by surprise when an Ice Ball clunked him in the head and knocked him back.
Flower looked in the direction of the attack and saw Sphere running over to her. She blushed with a shocked face. "Sphere!"
Golduck rubbed his head. "Lousy kid nearly gave me a concussion…" He growled and dashed at Sphere.
Sphere narrowed his eyes. "Rock Tomb!" He created the massive boulder and threw it on top of Golduck.
He pushed himself out of the rubble. "Okay…now I really have a concussion…" He picked himself up and started to swing his sword at Sphere.
Sphere rolled out of the way of the swift attacks. He fired Ice Beam on the ground to slip up Golduck. The assassin frantically tried to keep his balance, prepping Sphere enough time to charge up an Ice Ball. Golduck saw what he was planning and quickly adjusted himself to the ice.
"Ice Ball!" Sphere fired it.
"Nice try, kid! Psychic!" The Ice Ball stopped dead in its tracks. The assassin clenched his fist, reducing the attack to powder. He picked Sphere up with his Psychic. "I wonder what Spheal meat looks like." He slowly brought him over to him. Sphere struggled to get out of the psychic grip.
"Solar Beam!" Golduck's eyes widened when a bright light appeared behind him. He shouted in pain as the solar energy seared his back and blasted him head first into a tree, furthering his head injury.
"Yep…I'm in pain now…" He fell unconscious.
Sphere panted as he caught his breath. He blushed in surprise when Flower hugged him unexpectedly. "Are you alright?"
"Uh…y-yeah, don't worry," he replied.
Flower smiled and surprised him even further with a quick kiss. The quick display of affection left him utterly stunned. "Come on, we still need to help the others!" She ran off.
Sphere stood there for a few moments before finally exhaling. "…wooow…" He shook his head and ran after her.
Back with Ampharos, he was hiding from Slayer. He could hear the chaotic sounds around him, blood spraying from each sword slash. The sounds of bodies dropping. He gripped his blade tightly as he took some calming breaths.
"What's the matter, king?" Ampharos held his breath as he could hear Slayer slithering around. "Don't tell me you're chickening out already?" It took all his willpower not to yell at him in protest. "If you don't come out now, I might just consider going after your daughter." Ampharos' eyes widened.
"Yeah, you would just LOVE that, wouldn't you?" he taunted as he inched closer to his hiding spot. "What are you fighting for? Even if you defeat our army, you'll lose to our lord and master. He took out your toughest warrior without breaking a sweat. What chance do you have?!"
Ampharos could feel tears brimming from his eyes. His grip became unsteady, almost dropping his sword. "The same old coward who needs to rely on others to protect his family. Couldn't risk having your daughter being taken, so you limited her freedom and got her a bodyguard. And how could we forget that little event that nearly happened to you? You didn't know you were being played for a fool by your supposed loved one and you were nearly captured for it. Your reliance on others has made you soft, King Howlite! And for that, you will die!"
The king only had a second to react as a blade came into his field of vision and flew straight at him. He clenched his eyes shut.
He could hear the stabbing sound as it pierced through flesh. Blood splattered a bit across his face. He felt around his body, realizing it was left unharmed. He slowly opened his eyes, staring in disbelief.
"No one shall harm the king…" Jamison muttered, as Slayer's blade was impaled right through his stomach.
Saying the king was shocked would be an understatement. "Ja…Jamison…"
Slayer narrowed his eyes at his interference. "A valiant effort…but all in vain…" He removed his sword from him and flicked him into an adjacent tree with his tail.
Ampharos ran over and knelt down. "Jamison! What were you thinking?"
Jamison coughed up blood and gave him a weak smile. "I promised your father that I would protect you. Even if it meant my life." He coughed again, this time harshly. "Though, in retrospect, perhaps my injuries could have avoided if I took a different approach to the matter…" He chuckled softly, making him cringe.
Ampharos clenched his fists. "Jamison…please don't die…"
His butler merely sighed as he slipped into unconsciousness. "Lead you people to victory…my king…" His eyes slowly closed as he passed out from the blood loss.
Ampharos felt tears drip down his face. He laid him down so he would be in a more comfortable position. "I'm sorry…"
A bubble of anger expanded in him as Slayer laughed. "I doubt he'll survive out here. He's good as dead." His eyes shrank as he lunged at him. "And so will you!"
The king gripped his sword and swung it across Slayer's face. Blood sprayed across the ground from the single swipe. Slayer stood there, unable to process what has happened. He could feel his cold blood trickle down the side of his face. He looked directly at Ampharos. He glared at him, his face showing no emotion.
Slayer slowly formed a smirk. "So, I finally got on your bad side?" He reached into his bag with his tail and attacked a blade to it. It was jagged, almost like it was made out of barbed wire. "You still can't beat me."
Ampharos held his sword as he took a fighter's stance. "I'm not going to beat you…I'm going to make you suffer." He let out a war cry as he swung his blade madly, clashing with Slayer's.
Slayer skillfully blocked the attacks as he tried to rip him to shreds with his tail blade. Ampharos managed to dodge most of his strikes, but ended up getting struck in the arm. The blade tore off some skin, making him clench his teeth in pain. But he didn't let up for a second. It only encouraged him to strike harder than before. One swipe made Slayer duck his head as it made impact with the tree. He was surprised that he made such a deep cut in the tree. Not enough to take it down, but still.
Slayer had to jump back from the next few swipes. "Why do you continue to fight?! Your fates have been sealed!" He clashed his blade against the king's pushing him back substantially. "You can't beat Lord Inferno! It's hopeless!"
Ampharos charged at him and slammed his sword onto his. "Yes, we can't beat him!" He slammed it again, causing a crack in his opponent's blade. "But we're not the ones who will defeat him!" Clashes again. "Jango will beat him!" Clashes again. "He will save Poketopia!" Clashes again. "He will lead us to victory!"
"Oh shut up!" Slayer shouted. "In case you have forgotten, your 'savior' is your enemy!" He slammed his sword into Ampharos', but the blade snapped off upon impact. His eyes widened in distress.
Ampharos slammed the hilt of his sword into his teeth. "No…Draco the Assassin is my enemy!" He punched him right down on the head. "Jango Phoenix is the one who will save us!" He grabbed his head and slammed his jaw on his knee. "And that's how it shall end!"
Slayer slithered back. Most of his teeth was missing and his mouth was bloody. He panted heavily. His vision was distorted, unable to properly see. He raised his tail blade up high. "A fool who believes in a criminal…" He lunged at Ampharos, catching him off guard, and wrapped around his body, pinning his arms down. "You will not win!"
"Think again!" He looked up at the sudden voice and got a face full of foot. Amanda jumped off him and grabbed her father's sword. Ampharos ducked his head as she sliced right through Slayer's tail, cutting it clean off.
"AAAHHH!" He lost his grip and flailed in pain.
Amanda jumped on him and started kicking and punching him with no hesitation. "Never! Try and kill my father! Ever again!" While her attacks weren't that strong, his already injured body couldn't take the abuse any longer. He finally passed out. Amanda withheld her punches the moment he did. She sighed and fell on her back in exhaustion.
"Amanda!" He ran over to and hugged her.
She chuckled awkwardly. "D-Dad, I'm fine."
"I know, but…that was incredible." He pulled back. "Thank you…for saving my life."
She smiled. "Well, you are my dad. I'm not about to let anyone hurt you."
He looked around. "Where's Katie?"
"When I saw you were in trouble, I had Terry keep an eye on her." She looked past him and gasped. "Jamison!" She ran over and checked his pulse. She sighed with some relief. "He's breathing…barely…"
One of the Royal Guard ran over to them. "Your majesties, we're pushing back their forces. Their numbers are dwindling."
Ampharos nodded. "Good. Have all the able-bodied men take the injured to the hospital." He saluted and marched off.
As he picked up Jamison, Amanda stared down at the forest. "I hope Jango can beat him…"
"He is our last hope…I just hope he has what it takes to win…"
Inside the dark castle, several guards laid injured and unconscious as Jango and Jackson strolled down with determined expressions.
One guard came running down with a spear. Jango dodged it and grabbed him by the neck. He took his arm and forced it out of socket, making the guard wail. "Where's Inferno?" When he didn't get an immediate answer, he dislocated the other one. The guard was practically in tears. "Unless you want your neck snapped, talk!"
"D…Dining Hall…" he mumbled out weakly.
"Thank you." He bashed his head against the wall and threw him aside.
They walked up to the large double doors. Jackson clenched his fist. "I can sense his aura inside. It's calm…yet I can sense an overwhelming power coming from him."
"Yeah…same here," Jango replied. You ready, Scourge?
I've been ready for a while.
Then let's do this.
Jango and Jackson each raised their foot and kicked the door open. Inferno sat at the end of his long dinner table, enjoying a rather delicious looking meal. He wiped his face as he looked at them. "Draco…Death Shadow…what a surprise. Care for a bite?"
"Save the formalities, Inferno," Jango said coldly. He jumped onto the table and walked across it, stopping midway. "Your crimes against Poketopia will not go unpunished. This ends now."
Inferno clasped his hands together and leaned back in his seat. "So, one round of humiliation and defeat wasn't enough for you. You want to be beaten a second time?"
Jango glared under his mask and picked up three plates. "Things are different now." He threw the plates at them, with a menacing red aura around them.
Inferno, rather casually, tapped the first two with the tip of his claw and caught the last one. "Yes, they are." The two plates he tapped flashed red and turned into white dust. "My strength has increased tenfold." He threw the plate back at Jango, faster and with a thicker red aura.
Jango flicked it with his wrist, sending through the ceiling. It left a pretty big hole in the process. "So has mine."
The assassin lord smirked. He stood up with his eyes closed. "Well now…" He opened them, revealing they turned from blue to a sinister red. "This might be interesting." His wrists ignited in dark red, demonic flames. He jumped onto the table and took a fighting stance. "Master vs. apprentices…let's see who surpasses who."
Jackson stood by Jango's side. His aura blazed to life as his eyes glowed blue. Jango clenched his fists as his body became partially engulfed in demonic flames. Jango took off first, dashing at Inferno. Inferno ran at him as well, engulfing his fist in flames. The two came within reach of each other and collided punches, causing a massive shockwave of flames.