Training with snakes

[Mount Miwa, Nara Prefecture]

"Owwwww…," the tail end of Alex's howl trailed off into a whimper while he gripped his leg in pain, as his eyes caught the sight of Yata jumping aside before landing another blow.

Yata palmed his cheek in dismay. Perhaps he went too hard on the human soul.

"I know you can't fight but seriously dude, try to dodge," Ōmononushi called out, comfortable in his seat, from the second level of the small fighting arena deep within Mount Miwa.

The glow in Yata's hand vanished as he leaned forward to offer a wincing Alex his hand, who slapped it away in exasperation.

Easier said than done. Yata's agility is beyond Alex's belief. Even in his human form, Yata could manoeuvre like a quick jumping spider, avoiding the smack from a rolled up newspaper.

One jump upwards and Alex couldn't reach him. The moment Alex blinked, like a typical spider, he lunged forward too fast to dodge, like a predator eager to catch a prey.

"Heh, what's going on?" Shamoji peeped through the gaping door into the plain arena and stepped in.

"He can't dodge fast enough," Ōmononushi pointed at Alex.

"You pit him against a 500-year-old spider who is used to avoiding real danger in his past life," Shamoji called out, looking upwards at Ōmononushi. "This one is a modern couch potato of a human. What'd you expect?"

Couch potato - so that's what Shamoji thought of him. Alex fumed in frustration while lying on the ground in silent protest, only to sit up.

Alex only knew how to throw a punch. He isn't Karate Kid kid and his past life didn't involve martial arts. Just a nerd who preferred the books and digging up ancient sites to research ancient humans.

All his knowledge went up in smoke upon death and the afterlife made the situation worse since the existence of the supernatural before him, thrown his beliefs to the pits.

"I'd expect better of someone going to seek a weapon from Kanayago." Ōmononushi got up and swept his hands on his kariginu.

Kanayago again. Tengu again.

If Alex heard one more mention of the two, he may scream his lungs out.

Alex clenched his fist tightly, wondering why a never-ending nightmare was happening to him, like some computer game trying to force him on a quest to pass a certain level, even though He never wanted, or had a clue about a weapon from Kanayago.

Heck, he wouldn't even know what to do with it, except swing it cluelessly.

The practice fight is just practice, but no, Yata had to go all out with a 101 percent, kicking his arse to the curb after attacking him with a series of endless rapid kicks and punches.

Handicap? What damn handicap? Yata isn't the one thrown sitting on the ground like an idiot. Alex bit his lips hard at the humiliation.

The truth hurts - Alex knew he sucked at fighting. He remembered bullies pummeled him with a rain of fists in his childhood, but couldn't he just throw fireballs or something in the afterlife, since his hidden powers originate from elemental fire?

Pointless, he can't control that ability.

The goddamn spider didn't suffer a handicap by his shape-shifted form of a human at all, no matter what Ōmononushi said. Five centuries of Yata's practice appeared unfair to a very sore Alex, still sitting on the ground.

"He is only less than a month in," Shamoji replied. "Takes time and training. Baby steps."

While appreciative of Shamoji's defense, his honest words failed to lessen the feelings of hopelessness welling within Alex.

"Then he needs to be beaten until he knows how to dodge blows." Ōmononushi jumped over the railing and landed on his feet gracefully.

"Oh boy, tough love," Shamoji covered his eyes, peeking at a silent Alex before turning his attention to Ōmononushi who pulled out a string to tie the sleeves up.

Shamoji nudged Alex's bum with his foot and gestured his head at Ōmononushi, "You better learn how to dodge lightning fast. His blows are heavy."

Yata looked at Alex with sympathy but kept his mouth shut and slowly moved away from the death glare Alex threw at him.

"Spider! where are you going?" Ōmononushi asked.

"Well, if you are training him…" Yata pointed to the side of the ring.

"Him? He can't even dodge you."

"Eh?"

"I am training YOU. Those half arsed moves are still terrible." Ōmononushi cracked his knuckles and stretched. "In order to improve, you need to spar with someone better."

Yata cringed at the thought of the violent trashing awaiting him. 'Better' is the understatement of the year. The term of overpowered suited Ōmononushi more.

"Me? What about HIM?" Yata pointed to Alex adamantly.

"He can't even beat you." Ōmononushi shrugged. "What's the point?"

"Then what will he do?"

"Shamoji can train him, but you are with me," Ōmononushi curled his finger at Yata, who groaned loudly.

"Wait, why am I training him?" Shamoji exclaimed in surprise while looking at Alex from head to toe.

"Because I said so. Take him to the other spare halls or wherever on the mountain. Teach him however you want to because you will shield him from the Tengu if he ever gets around to Kanayago," Ōmononushi instructed as Shamoji slapped his face in disbelief at the new task thrown his way, but bowed to the elder Mishakuji.

Big 'if' - Alex didn't hold up much hope and neither should the rest of them. Orochi's words struck a cord. The thought of being the burden to the group was soul-sucking. Who likes to be a parasite?

"Got it," Shamoji grumbled and swung his arms around a sore looking Alex who just picked himself off the floor.

"Let me guess, you will trash me?" Alex sighed loudly.

Shamoji's eyes lit up with his pupils narrowing into its reptilian slits, locking onto a dejected looking Alex with his lips curling into a wide grin. "No, my friend. Think of going to a gym session."

The answer caught Alex off-guard. Still, he was pretty damn sure that whatever gym session Shamoji called it will result in a highly unpleasant torture session.

Shamoji patted his back with a playful wink, leading Alex out of the arena into the labyrinth of passageways under the mountain.

Alex turned his head to glance back at a now grimacing Yata, trembling in a defensive stance against a calm looking Ōmononushi warming up with his stretches.

"We'll have some fun," Shamoji said as both of them made a right turn into yet another long twisting corridor and walked down the dank passage for a while until Alex could hear some melodic bass wafting out.

Fun, Alex surrendered himself to fate silently. So be it.

"Now, this is the place to train you," Shamoji grinned mischievously, making Alex cringe.

"Prepare! Here we go!" An irritatingly cutesy girlish voice echoed amidst the cheering voices of a far away crowd from a lighted area around the bend, bouncing off the walls.

Alex heard that shrill voice before but couldn't recall where until music started with its quick tempo and the childish chorus of a girl band mixed with the sounds of coins smashing vibrating the surrounding walls, followed by happy cries and claps.

"I'm a twinkle little mermaid girl… Oh I'm in a heavenly world… De-dup-i-dip-i sing a song. Love me take me there!"

"10 combos!" The same recognisable voice called out in the midst of the singing, taking Alex by surprise.

"20 combos!"

"30 combos!"

This has to be a fucking joke, Alex thought. He recognised the damn game, Dance Evolution Arcade - so popular in the Japanese arcades a few years ago that it ended up as a Xbox game.

Bad enough that the majority of Mishakuji had a KFC obsession. If they had a Xbox gaming obsession… wait, no… think positive, Alex thought. At least, the sounds didn't fit what he would expect of a torture dungeon.

And he knew how to play Dance Evolution Arcade, which made him wonder what they were doing with the game.

He turned to Shamoji with his eyes snapped wide opened, incredulous and confused by what he suspected was a house party filled with other Mishakuji - a lot of them cheering judging from the commotion he heard.

"What?"

"You guys play Xbox Kinect? I know that game!" Alex exclaimed.

Shamoji stifled a laugh and beckoned him to follow. "We have something better than a Xbox Kinect. Far better."