Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 2, Part 6 - Karma

Alpha cocked his head to the side as he stared the pair down with a self-assured grin. Rows of jagged, pointy teeth gnashed together as the imposing Gabite stormed towards the pair, his coarse skin bathed in a blanket of orange light.

Before long, the two other silhouettes stepped forwards to take Alpha's side, both of whom wore similarly crimson scarves around their respective necks. To the left stood a Gliscor covered in scars, her fanged mouth stretched into a wide grin as her yellow, ringed eyes rapidly flickered between the both Trevor and Aiden. To the right stood a bored- looking Dewott, his arms crossed while staring at the pair with deadpan eyes. A singular green band tightly constricting his left arm while two golden scalchops hanging from his waist. Disheveled, blue tufts of hair atop his head were bound together by a ribbon, forming a messy ponytail which flowed in the wind.

"What're you doing here?" Aiden demanded, her eyes narrowing in contempt. "Wasn't this mission too important for you?"

Alpha's smirk only grew wider at seeing the Scorbunny's hostility. "I've had a change of heart. Being the more experienced team, it's only natural that we come to retrieve the child."

Both Aiden and Trevor quickly moved in front of Sunny, shielding him with their arms. "You really think we'll trust you after the way you treated Cody?!" the former retorted, "We'll take him back ourselves!"

Alpha laughed condescendingly. "You really think you can stop me? Hilarious. Bronze ranks truly are as stupid as they are weak."

"Why'd you bring your buddies along then, huh?" Aiden retorted, "You too scared to take on a couple of weak bronze ranks on your own? So much for being the son of a legend."

Alpha's eyes widened in fury, his bulky arms becoming lined with visible black veins. "Don't think for a damn second that I'm even remotely scared of you nobodies. They're just here to witness what happens to any fool who tries crossing me."

"That's right, don't mess with Alpha!" the Gliscor chanted gleefully. The Dewott, by contrast, only offered a slight shrug.

Aiden remained defiant. "I'd love to see you try. If we were strong enough to take down that Skarmory, then we can definitely beat one measly Gabite! Right, Treph?"

"Uh...Yeah! W-we're not scared of you!" Trevor responded shakily. His strained attempts to remain confident were hampered by the sagging weight of his battered limbs. He also took note of Aiden's heavy, staggered breaths despite her attempts at appearing tough.

Alpha's manic grin widened as his body became enveloped in a pale, purple glow. Both Trevor and Aiden immediately felt their hairs standing up on end.

"You have no idea who you're messing with." Alpha muttered menacingly.

With blinding speed, the Gabite swiftly hunched down, then propelled himself forwards with enough force to crack the ground beneath him. Before the pair could react, Alpha's arm suddenly rammed into Aiden's chest with enough force to send her careening into the air. By the time Trevor managed to register Alpha's blindingly fast movement, Aiden was already crumpled on the ground, unconscious and coughing up blood.

Trevor was barely offered an opportunity to call out towards the injured Scorbunny when Alpha abruptly shifted his hateful gaze towards him. Despite being significantly smaller than the Skarmory from before, looking into his proud, hate-filled eyes was enough for the Meowth to freeze in absolute terror. By the time Trevor managed to break out of his fear-induced daze and tried reaching into his bag, Alpha had already rushed towards him, crushed his chest with his arm, and sent him hurtling upwards. A searing pain to coarse through the Meowth's entire body for an brief moment before he crashed into the floor, causing everything to turn black.