Training to Catch and Throw a Ball

"Come on, Iruma! You gotta stand your ground and keep your eyes OPEN for the ball!" Bachiko yelled, coaching Iruma for this training.

"I'm trying, but it's really hard to do that when my body just keeps moving." Iruma exclaimed and dodge another extreme fast ball from Opera.

"Now Master Iruma, try to pay more attention to the ball even when someone is talking to you as well." Opera said as they picked up another ball and threw it strong at Iruma as he dodges it again.

It has been four days since Iruma's training for the rank exam has begun as Bachiko and Opera have been trying to get Iruma to catch the ball since he's already so good with dodging, but it has been very difficult with how he keeps suddenly dodge the ball.

It is now nighttime, and they had just finished dinner as Bachiko wants to give Iruma some late-night training to get him into training at any available time before the Execution Cannonball rank up exam.

"Okay, let's stop for a moment." Bachiko ordered as she walks up to Iruma.

"Iruma, you know you can't always keep dodging every trouble you come across. What if there is something faster than you and your dodging won't be enough?" Bachiko asked.

"I don't know, I never been in that kind of situation before." Iruma admitted.

"Well, now you'll have to think about it." Bachiko yelled a bit.

"There are times you'll need to keep your feet firm on the ground and face the danger head on," Bachiko pointed out as she walks around her son.

"It's about you demon up and show danger you're not gonna run away anymore." Bachiko stated.

"But danger is scary and could kill me!" Iruma worried.

"Life is always danger even when things may seem peaceful, which is why you gotta stand up for yourself." Bachiko grabbed his cheeks with his hands.

"There's gotta be something we can do to make you face the danger." Bachiko tried to think of something.

"Well, all that training is making me a little hungry." Iruma commented as he rubs his belly.

Bachiko groans a bit from how her son is thinking about food right now when he should be focus on getting himself ready for the exam, his very life is on the line which is mostly is because he will get very hurt from the Execution Cannonball.

But suddenly the idea just came into her mind.

"(I'm not really sure if that will really work, but this is Iruma we're talking about, so it's our best shot.)" Bachiko thought decided to go with it.

"Alright Iruma, I think I know a way for you to start catching the ball." Bachiko said.

"You like food, and you always been the one to savior them." Bachiko pointed out.

"Of course, I made sure to savior every bite and not leave a spec behind." Iruma nodded.

"And you don't like food to be wasted like say an unfinished meal being thrown away in the trash, right?" Bachiko asked.

"Oh no, that's the worse thing you can do toward food and very rude, who would even do something like that?" Iruma asked.

"Well then, try pretending the ball is food that is about to be thrown away in a trashcan and you want to stop that from happening. That way, you'll be able to catch the ball, and make sure your eyes are open too." Bachiko instructed as she pushes Iruma back into position.

"Okay, I'll try." Iruma said.

Bachiko looks over at Opera giving him a nod which they responded with a nod of their own and look over at Iruma seeing that he is ready, aside from the legs shaking up and all, and didn't hesitate to throw the fast ball again.

Iruma dodge the ball again though he quickly remembers what his demon mom said about pretending the ball is food and he has to save that food to not let it go to waste.

"(Come on, Iruma, you can do this. You can't let her down, let anyone down!)" Iruma thought determined to get through this training.

Iruma got himself back up and face Opera once more, but this time with a slightly more determined look on himself which surprises them a bit almost like something change in him just a tiny bit.

Opera threw the ball again waiting to see if something will change this time, and it has because Iruma was able to move himself toward the ball instead of dodging it but could not catch it though his finger was able to make a contact on it for an instant.

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere." Bachiko smirked.

"Impressive, you didn't dodge this time." Opera commented.

"Yeah, I just did what mom told me and imagine the ball to be food that was about to be wasted then try to catch it." Iruma explained.

"But I couldn't catch it." Iruma sighed.

"You may not have been able to catch it right now, but that doesn't mean you won't with some more training, and you'll be able to eve catch a speeding arrow." Bachiko believed.

"That is if he doesn't get impale by one first." Opera stated which made Iruma flinch in fear of the thought.

"Now, let's going until bedtime." Bachiko ordered.

"Yes, mom!" Iruma saluted.

And so, the training continues with Iruma trying to catch the ball during the night and through the next day which appears to be going better than Bachiko had hope coming up with that mind training method for Iruma.

"You almost got it!" Bachiko called out.

"Go! Go! Go, Iruma-kin!" Clara cheered with pompoms.

"I have to say, Iruma currently looks like he's been through a fight with several demon thugs." Alice commented, seeing how exhausted Iruma looks and his hands look very rough too.

"Yeah, it may seem like that, but as the old saying goes "no pain, no gain" and Iruma must learn that sometimes, feeling pain means you're alive." Bachiko stated.

"Such wise words, I bet you try saying that to all the demons you bested in combat." Alice amazed with the words.

"Not really, it just came to me somehow." Bachiko shrugged.

"Here comes the next one, Master Iruma. Be ready!" Opera called out with one hand in their hand.

"Oh, I bet Azz-Azz's shoes that Iruma catches this one!" Clara made a bet with an exciting smile.

"Why do you keep betting for my shoes and what would you even do with them anyway?" Alice asked in anger and frustration of this girl.

Opera threw the ball with his normal crazy arm strength again and Iruma has his eyes fixed on the ball not wanting to take his eyes off it, and he jumps for the ball with every strength in his legs and every ounce of speed he could muster with the determination to catch this ball while thinking of everyone who supported him like his demonic family and friends.

"(I have to…)" Iruma thought watched his hands getting closer to the ball.

"(Watch and catch the ball)!" Iruma thought felt more determined than ever before.

And then it happen, after all the five and a half days of training to get Iruma to catch the ball instead of dodging it has finally bear its fruit when the blue-haired boy finally caught the ball right into his hands.

"YES!" Iruma shouted in victory.

"Master Iruma did it!" Alice smiled I pure joy for Iruma.

"Hooray! Iruma caught the ball! That means Azz-Azz's shoes are now mine!" Clara cheered both for Iruma and wanting Alice shoes.

"I never even agree to such a stupid bet?!" Alice snapped.

"(Well done, kid. Looks like you're finally growing out of your shell.)" Bachiko thought smiled proudly for her adopted son.

Alice and Clara went over to cheer Iruma for a job well done on catching the ball as the human in secret himself is feeling really happy.

"Mom, I really caught the ball!" Iruma said holding the ball above his head.

"Yeah, I saw. But don't celebrate too soon, we still got two days left until the cannonball exam that we need to get you start throwing." Bachiko stated.

"But I'm a terrible thrower." Iruma reminded her of his weak demonstration of a weak.

"Duh, I know that, and we're going to make you a better thrower if it's the last thing we do!" Bachiko determined with a strong and scary look on her face while being surrounded by an intense pink aura.

"Wow! Your mom is being so bright and pretty!" Clara commented.

"Clara, I don't think you should be saying that to her right now." Iruma worried.

"For the rest of the day, we're going to continue your catching and tomorrow is the throwing training. Got it?" Bachiko asked.

"Yes, mom." Iruma nodded.

(The Next Day)

Iruma goes for throwing the ball again only to end up in the exact same distance just like before with no improvements through the past three hours since breakfast.

"You need to twist your hips a bit to the side from the arm you're going to throw the ball, and extend your arm forward some more then fling your waist for the throw." Bachiko ordered.

"Okay, I'll try." Iruma nodded.

Iruma got himself into position and perform the ball throwing once more and this time with the advice his mom gave him, and it seems the ball has gotten further than before.

"Congratulation, you were able to go one foot longer." Opera announced.

"I have, really?" Iruma amazed.

"Still not good enough, you need to throw farther than that. Time to do some arm workouts like pushups and weightlifting." Bachiko stated.

And so, the physical training for Iruma to throw better have started with the boy struggling with some of the basics to get some body strength into his arms with only one day left until the exam and Iruma is still not entirely ready.

"Come on, you gotta position yourself to make the ball go further than that. Pretend it's like you're pulling an arrow back onto the bow and concentrate on the aim, and when you're ready to shoot then release the hold!" Bachiko instructed while getting Iruma in position.

"But I've never used a bow and arrow." Iruma mentioned.

But Iruma is enjoying the time with his demonic adopted mother with all this training to make him ready for the exam and feels like she is trying to teach him a thing or two about archery.

"Come on, Iruma-kin! Make yourself go up!" Clara cheered while sitting on Iruma's back for the pushup exercise.

"You're fortune that Lady Bachiko permitted you to sit on Iruma's back otherwise I would have roasted you!" Alice glared.

"(Huh, but I wanted to be the weight to help Master Iruma grow stronger!)" Alice thought winced in his inner thoughts.

Bachiko is having some tea and sweets serve by Opera, and then there is one thing that Bachiko thought about that might help with her son.

"Hey Iruma, come over here for a second." Bachiko said.

"Coming!" Iruma came over to his mom.

"Do you remember the first time you set foot in Babyls, when you fought Alice?" Bachiko asked, bringing up the first step of how Iruma's life became a bit more complicated with that fight.

"Oh yeah, Azz was really angry with me for stealing the spot for the first-year student speech and he tried to burn me alive." Iruma recalled those moments.

"Really? You tried to make Iruma a BBQ lunch?" Clara asked Alice as she overheard this conversation.

"No, it wasn't about food, you idiot?!" Alice growled.

"It was back when I only thought about myself and wanting to uphold my family's name, and then I challenged Master Iruma to a duel that showed me how outclass I was when it comes to his mighty strength that he even knocked me unconscious with just one move!" Alice explained.

"It was in that very moment I realize my destiny to follow Iruma for he is the one will bring all demons in the Netherrealm to their knees, and Iruma would be at the very top!" Alice bragged with tears of joy streaming down from his face.

"Please don't make it a big deal!" Iruma begged, but Alice wasn't listening.

"Right… Anyway, the reason I'm bringing this up is because of how you counter Alice's charge before the suplex move. Do you remember that?" Bachiko asked.

"Oh, you mean the flaming sword Alice made? Yeah, I was really scared back then with my body avoiding the danger though I almost let Eiko get hurt in the process." Iruma remembered that moment.

"But wait, why do you even want to know about that?" Iruma was confused by this conversation.

"I just thought of a way for you to do a great throw, a counterattack." Bachiko smirked.

"A counterattack?" Iruma wondered what this counterattack his mom could be thinking about.

Nighttime has come and now Iruma is resting on his rest while Bachiko, Sullivan, and Opera watch the sleeping as they carefully close the door.

"He's clearly worked hard again, hasn't he?" Sullivan said.

"Yeah, he's working very hard, probably more than he ever had to back in his former life. But I say Iruma is gonna be just fine." Bachiko believed.

"You maybe right, but it also looked like he was having the most fun." Opera believed.

"That's good to hear, then that means he's ready as he could possibly be." Sullivan nodded.

"You got that right. The rest is all on him." Bachiko hoped Iruma doesn't screw this up.

(Next Day, Execution Cannonball Promotion Exam Day)

The day of the Execution Cannonball Promtion Exam has arrived.

Iruma is now sitting at the dining table eating his big breakfast course along with Bachiko and Sullivan watching him with a smile.

"The day is finally here! How are you doing? You feel pretty good about your chances?" Sullivan asked.

"I do, or that's what I'm telling myself, at least." Iruma said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, any younglings like yourself would feel pretty nervous when it comes to a promotion exam like this. Even making you feel frighten." Bachiko stated.

"If that's the case, here's one last piece of advice." Opera said before drinking a cup of tea.

"Isn't that my tea?" Sullivan asked, a little hurt from his servant drinking his tea.

"You can consider this a life hack for future use." Opera said, completely ignoring Sullivan exclaiming for his tea.

"A life hack?" Iruma wondered what this could be.

"It's an old Netherrealm technique to get ourselves through predicaments. Fear brings utter humiliation for demons. In regard to survival, the competitive society like the Netherrealm fearing your enemies basically get you defeated sooner than expected." Opera explained.

"Yeah, it can get pretty intense if you don't bold yourself up when being scared." Bachiko said.

"I'm not sure if I follow." Iruma said.

"What she means if the more scared you are, the bolder you must be. Transform your fears into excitement." Opera said before drinking Sullivan's tea again.

"Don't worry about understanding it now, you'll come to it in the exam." Bachiko grinned.

Then Iruma heard Clara calling out loud and Alice announced they have come to pick him up, he thanks Opera for the food and tied his hair into a ponytail.

"(That's it, I just have to be prepared and step up.)" Iruma thought felt he is ready now.

(Babyls, Underground Gym)

The entire Misfit Class are within the underground gym getting ready for the promotion exam to start as some are trying to claim that one is gonna win like Sabro though some just want to get this over with like Shaxx who wants to play his game.

"Iruma, sir. Let's show them what all of your training have let up to!" Alice said.

"Yeah." Iruma nodded while Clara shouted happily and threw her feet up.

"Silence, you clowns! Pay attention as we go over the rules." Kalego said, then he snapped his fingers to summon the silly heart character explanation guide which he still does not like.

"Execution Cannonball! It's super easy, check it! 1. Each team should have one person station outside of the field. 2. Everyone else stands within the field. 3. If the ball hits you, you're off the field. It's okay to attack from out of bounds, but please note that even if you hit someone, you cannot return to the field. 4. You may only use magic on the ball, direct attacks on your opponents are forbidden. Now let's all pla" Kalego slammed the cutie explaining guide down on the ground and crushing it under his foot.

Yep, he still hates it.


KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!

The promotion rank exam is about to start with the students about to do the extreme test to prove themselves if one will deserve a rank, and now we're going to see how Iruma's training is going to pay off to take the first step to make his own ambition.

KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!