Chapter 9

He tried to sleep on it. But his mind kept drifting back to his former glory days. Biting Snake Fist Snek, skills that were second to none. His strength and speed was the envy of many, his prowess a marvel. Yet he kept thinking back of himself in his human form. He didn't quite realize it until now, but he truly missed his former self. He missed how easily and fast he could strike, the poses he could make before attacking… he missed his legs. He remembered how fast they allowed him to be, how strong they made his strikes how perfectly balanced he was as a hero.

Yet, as he thought of this life, his head would remind him, that was the past. He is no longer able to call himself an A Class hero, not anymore. He couldn't even accept the idea of being an M Class Dragon! How could he? He's no dragon threat! He's nothing like Max who can summon great power, he isn't as fast or strong as Suiryu. He was like that to begin with! Now those skills and power have doubled or even tripled at the very least.

What does Snek have? A serpent body! A damn monster body that would give him limited mobility, he can't move around as well as he use to or go where he wants. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the others. What was he now? The thoughts plagued him constantly. He wasn't anything. Snek is nothing more than a serpent man that eats monsters!

He didn't sleep that well that night. He couldn't help but feel he made the greatest mistake of his life. Everything he had fought for and earned was now gone in an instant, all because he refused to go another direction for a possible cure. Yet, why did he do it? His rank met everything to him. Sure, he was one of the lowest ranked heroes in Class A, but still, just getting there was a testament of his training, discipline and promise to protect the people. Now, what does he have to show for it? He lay in his room for the time being, on the bright side there will be remodeling. The room was getting snug for him, despite the fact it offered ample space when he first arrived.

"Am I getting bigger again or something?" he muttered to himself. He knew he had shed a few times, and a little weight has been put on. But he didn't think he was getting that much bigger or longer from his pervious state. It didn't matter anymore. Not like anything does from this point on. He tried to rest his eyes, until he heard Melee.

"I can't find them!"

"What do you mean you can't find them? They are only kids!"

"Garou, be serious, I can't find the twins!"

Snek opened one of his eyes after hearing Melee panic. The twins were missing huh? He snickered at the thought. "And he calls himself the hero hunter, can't even find his own kids!" He was about to try and fall back asleep when he felt it. He felt not just one heart beat, but two very close by to him… in fact he felt them on his back! Snek fully woke as he turned and found the twin lying on him. Sound asleep! "When the hell did they get here?"

He tried to move, but every time he did, it disrupted them. They made little sour faces each time he tried to slither. They braced him a little tighter and snuggled themselves back in. He sighed aloud, he wasn't moving any time soon. "Why are they even here? Why are they sleeping on me? Do I look like a comfortable bed or something?"

There came a gentle knock on the door. Peering in was Garou, he must have heard him through the door. "I take it you have roommates?" he said with a smirk on his face.

"Ha ha, want to take them off of me? I would like to get some coffee!"

Garou stepped into the room, he looked about realizing how small it has become. "We need you out of the room anyway. The drones are coming to build out the house," he turned to the kids. "Okay you two, let's go and get you into your own bed… better still…"

Snek looked away as Garou enveloped them into his body. "There, now I know where they are. Sneaky little bastards, they can't talk yet and somehow they can crawl and find their way into another's room! Figures."

Snek slowly rose as he slithered out. "Found them, they were with Snek!" Garou called.

Melee was relieved. "I swear they are doing this on purpose!"

"Probably." Snickered Garou.

Melee put on the coffee for Snek who began to sulk at the table. "I may have made a big mistake." He said aloud.

It brought the couple to a pause. "Oh? Is this about being a lab rat for the sake of your rank?" said Garou. "You know it is too."

"But… I earned that rank," he said. "I worked hard to be in the A Class! It's nearly impossible to get into now. Yet… I know I made the best choice for myself. But why am I regretting it?"

Melee sighed. "It's because as you said, you earned it." She explained. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, she passed it along to Snek to fix himself. "You know what it took to get into the A class, you worked hard and perfected your skill to do so. Then it gets taken away for something you didn't do."

He nodded as he took a sip. He then noticed a look on Garou's face, he wasn't the least bit impressed. "The M Class rank, you think was just handed to you. Out of pity, don't you? You think I felt sorry for you?" asked Garou. "One, because I don't. Second, I already told you, we don't throw pity parties here. You have skills; I have seen them and I will help you improve upon them. You will earn your rank here."

Snek snorted. "Yeah, right. Me, Mr. Last in the A Class ranking earn title of the M Class Dragon, that would be the day."

Before Snek could take another sip, his glass suddenly cut clean in half! Hot coffee spilt over the table, shocking him. Garou stood with his hand poised. Did… did he just cut a coffee mug with his bare hand? "Get outside… NOW"

"I didn't mean it…"

"NOW!" Garou roared.

He took the kids out from his side and passed them to Melee. "Garou…" she said protesting. But it was too late, he was already out the door. She sighed and turned to Snek. "You are about to earn your rank." She warned. "Give it your all, or don't bother coming back in the house."

Snek gulped his pride as he slowly backed away from the table. "NOW SNEK!"

He was quick to slither out of the house, however, he couldn't find Garou anywhere. "Look, I'm just in a mood of sort, kid…" suddenly, Snek paused. He felt it in the ground, an unsettling vibration. He arched back, just as Garou came out of nowhere and attempted to strike him down! He felt his side grazed by the blow. He was hurt, yet not as much as he could have been!

Snek bled slightly, yet he wasn't going to say anything about it. Garou stood a small distance from him, his hand dripped with blood. He turned his head just far enough to project his voice. "The old Snek would have been hit by that," he said.

"What the hell!…"

Suddenly, Garou vanished once more. He moved too fast to see! Yet, Snek felt as if he could sense him somehow. His tongue began to pick up different scents in the air, but he was also registering heat.

Deciding it would be best to get into the woods, Snek slithered in and tried to find some sort of vantage point. He has to keep ahead of Garou… despite the fact that the hero hunter was already two step ahead of him. Garou must know the woods like the back of his hand, Snek, doesn't. Checking his side, he found the wound already healed over! But he couldn't marvel at that now. He has to keep going! Deeper he went into the forest, yet he could feel it once more, the tremors in the ground. This person wasn't using the ground to keep on the move, something or someone was within the trees.

"Are you going to come down from there or not!" Snek yelled.

"Ah, you knew I was up here? How did you know that?" came the voice of Garou.

"You vibrate the tree, which vibrates the damn ground! I can feel those you know!"

"Could you have felt those warning signals before?"

Before he could answer, Garou struck him hard! He was thrown through the woods, tore through many trees only to be stopped by a rock! Snek was down, but he wasn't out, not just yet. Slowly, he picked himself back up again. "What the hell!" he roared.

Garou began to linger in the darkness. "That move took out Puri-Puri Prisoner when I was awakened Garou. Same strength and all with what I just hit you with now. He didn't get up again after that. This would have killed you, if you were human." He said.

Snek wasn't amused. "Look, I get it. I'm stronger than I was, hell I am the strongest I have ever been! Quite beating the hell out of me!"

His head tilted oddly to the side, Garou's smile only grew. "Oh no, not yet." He said in an eerily calm voice. "What I am doing to you now, is nothing compared to what you will be going through. You see, I am going to make it my PERSONAL mission to toughen you up Snek. I am going to put you through a hell that will make you the strongest you have ever been or ever will feel."

Snek glared at him. "And why would you do that? Huh? Why have me get stronger? I know what I am, I know what I can do…"

"No… you don't." Garou said. "You are merely using the easy options for yourself, the simple attacks. You can do far more than merely strangle your opponents to death. You just can't see it."

"Again, why train me if I am going to be cured?" he demanded. "Why have me work so hard damn at this knowing that I will be human again?"

Garou merely shrugged his shoulders to it all. "It's something to do. Besides, it's not every day I get different sparring partners. You have been the most miserable out of the three on this. I find that is weakness. I don't tolerate weakness, Snek."

Snek slowly picked himself off the ground. "So what now?" he demanded. "What do you want me to learn?"

Garou paused but then smiled. "Know when you are hungry for one. You haven't eaten in a few weeks, not since that level demon elephant creature."

"Gah, don't remind me on that."

"You also fail to see that every time you eat bigger prey, you grow bigger. You can take down larger forms of prey, your body also strengths from your meals. But, you've been too depressed to see it."

"I know I'm getting bigger!" Snek snapped back. "My room was getting cramped! I don't want to get bigger, Garou!"

"You are a snake like creature now Snek, snakes grow, get use to it. Still, you fail to see the benefit of growth. Now, do we continue? Do you want me to show you more as to why I accepted you in the M Class Dragons? Or do you want your coffee?"

Snek sighed. "Coffee," he muttered.

"Fine, but don't you dare speak of this as being a handout again!"