Sudden Battle! Alex vs. Scarface!

Moments before Scarface struck, as Aoi and Crawson were locked in their senseless war of words, Alex felt something primal stirring within him. It was a wild, ferocious energy, like the call of an alpha predator, thrashing about in his mind and soul, threatening to overtake his senses. He tried to push it down, knowing he had to control the situation around the leaders to prevent a fight from breaking out.

But with each passing second, the feeling grew more assertive. His body heated up, his skin tensed, and his mind was consumed by a rising sense of anxiety and an overwhelming need to protect himself. He could feel his pulse quicken, each beat pounding like a drum in his ears.

Alex didn't know what was about to happen until Scarface screamed and leapt into the air, his axe raised high, striking down with deadly intent.

As Alex saw Scarface high in the air, a familiar feeling rose within him, a sensation he'd experienced before—the time at the lab when he tried to escape from Sarah and James. The world around him slowed to a crawl, but this time, he could feel the faintest movements, especially the impending down strike from Scarface.

His first instinct was to dodge, to move out of the strike zone of Scarface's axe. But then he realised something: the axe was aimed directly at Aoi. If he stepped aside, Aoi would take the hit. In that frozen moment, he saw Aoi still distracted, her reflexes unlikely to save her from the deadly strike.

Alex felt a surge of protectiveness despite having met her only minutes ago. He knew that if she got injured, it would inevitably lead to a larger-scale conflict. With the axe mere moments away from Aoi, Alex's mind raced for a solution. The only option that surfaced terrified him—standing in the way of the blow himself.

Time continued its relentless march, and Alex saw Aoi's eyes widen in horror as she noticed the axe. As he saw her frightened expression, it triggered a memory of himself on the operating table in the lab, wishing someone would save him from all the impending knives and pain.

In that instant, Alex discarded all hesitation. He made a split-second decision to shapeshift his arm, enlarging it enough to catch the axe. As he did so, time resumed its normal pace. He felt the sharp, ragged edge cut into his palm, the impact sending a shockwave around them. Dust erupted into a cloud, throwing Alex off balance, but he caught himself and tightened his grip on the axe, preventing it from cutting further into his hand. The pain was surprisingly bearable, but Alex was not surprised, as he remembers experiencing even more pain during his time in the lab.

As the dust began to settle, time returned to normal, revealing the scene before everyone.

Looking up into Scarface's eyes and his maniacal grin, Alex felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his veins. His body roared at him to prepare for a fight while his mind wrestled with conflicting desires. He wanted to stop the conflict, wishing to be the only one injured, but it was clear this wasn't his day.

Scarface suddenly cackled with excitement. "HAHAHA! Fresh meat's got some guts! Let's see how long that lasts!" Alex saw Scarface's other hand reaching for a knife on his waist belt as he spoke. Time seemed to slow again, and Alex could see the trajectories of Scarface's movements. The knife was coming straight for his face.

Instinctively, Alex tried to dodge, but his enlarged hand was still gripping Scarface's axe. As if turning his body's autopilot on, Alex's body started to make decisions on its own while his mind began to blank out, only mildly aware of his body's actions and movements. His free hand shot out, grabbing Scarface's wrist as it swung the knife towards him. The clash of their strength sent a jolt through Alex, and he tightened his grip, feeling the raw power of Scarface straining against him.

Scarface roared, twisting his wrist to break free, but Alex's grip was ironclad. The two struggled, their bodies locked in a deadly dance. Scarface swung his axe free from Alex's hand and tried to swing down on Alex, but using his enhanced strength, Alex managed to evade the blow with his enlarged hand, smacking the axe away. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, creating a small crater beneath their feet, causing both combatants to lose their balance slightly.

With a growl and an unnatural agility, Scarface managed to lunge his body forward to rebalance himself and, simultaneously, use his weight to push Alex back. Alex continued to stumble backwards, but he quickly regained his footing and twisted his body to dodge another slash from the knife. He countered with a powerful punch, his fist connecting with Scarface's jaw with a resounding crack. Scarface staggered but retaliated with a vicious headbutt, causing stars to explode in Alex's vision.

Reeling from the blow, Alex dropped to one knee but quickly rolled to the side to avoid another axe strike. Scarface was relentless, his movements a blur of fury and precision. Alex could barely keep up, his senses racing to anticipate the next attack. A wild swing came, and Alex ducked under it, then jumped back to avoid another low sweep of the axe.

The primal feeling surged in Alex once more, and with a fighter's instinct, he summoned all his strength, hurled his body forward, and slammed his shoulder into Scarface's chest. The force sent Scarface stumbling back, but he quickly recovered, his eyes blazing with rage. He hurled the knife at Alex, who barely managed to deflect it with his enlarged hand. The blade spun away towards the nearby audience, who scrambled away before it embedded itself in a nearby wall.

Seeing an opening, Alex closed the distance by diving into Scarface, grappling with him in a desperate struggle for dominance. They crashed into the ground, rolling and fighting for control. Scarface's knee drove into Alex's ribs, eliciting a grunt of pain, but Alex retaliated by smashing his elbow into Scarface's face. After a few more blows of equal brutality exchanged between them, Scarface got the upper hand and managed to roll on top of Alex, and he raised his axe, fully primed for a final killing strike into Alex's skull.

Breathing heavily, Alex felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, and he knew in his mind that he had to end this with one last move. If not, it meant the end for him. As Scarface swung the axe down, Alex summoned every ounce of strength and willpower in his body and shot his enlarged hand up, grabbing the axe once more. With an uncharacteristic primal roar, he twisted the weapon out of Scarface's grasp and hurled it aside.

Disarmed and momentarily stunned, Scarface glared at Alex with a mixture of shock and fury. Seizing the moment, Alex delivered a powerful uppercut with his free arm, sending Scarface flying through the air and crashing to the ground. Before Scarface could even attempt to rise, Alex was already on his feet, his boot slamming down onto Scarface's chest, pinning him firmly to the ground. The message was unmistakable: Alex was the victor.

As the dust settled, the scene took on a surreal clarity. Alex stood over Scarface, his chest heaving with each breath. His muscles quivered from the exertion, and his mind was still blank, hardly aware of his surroundings and actions. His enlarged hand slowly began to shrink back to its original size, and its magnificent form faded back to normalcy.

The crowd stood in stunned silence, unable to process the intense battle they had just witnessed. The timid newcomer had bested the fearsome leader of the Psychos. The unexpected outcome left them bewildered, their eyes fixed on Alex, the unlikely champion.

"Alex!" Lydia's voice cut through the silence. She sprinted towards him, her face a mixture of concern and relief. Jeb and the others around her were caught off guard, too slow to react.

The sound of her voice snapped Alex back to reality. He looked down at Scarface, and panic started to set in as he realised the gravity of his actions.

"O-Oh, my god! I-I'm so sorry! A-Are you alright, Mr Scarface?!" Alex stammered, quickly lifting his foot away from his chest and extending a hand to help Scarface up.

Scarface raised his head, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at Alex's extended hand. A slow grin spread across his face, and he let out a low, satisfied laugh, laying his head back down on the ground. The sudden change in Alex's demeanour was almost too much to believe, adding another layer of disbelief to the stunned crowd.

The scene before everyone in the audience solidified as a display of contrasts: the defeated leader, the unexpected victor, and the crowd caught between shock and admiration. The echoes of the battle lingered in the air, a reminder of the raw power and unpredictability both combatants displayed.