IPPO : The Ultimate Counter

The group arrived early in the morning at a huge beach. The sun had barely risen, and the sea was sparkling in a golden light.

Takamura got out of the truck, a predatory grin on his face.

Takamura: (clapping his hands) "Welcome to paradise, you bunch of maggots! Today, you're going to taste Takmura hell."

Kimura: (looking around) "What the hell is this? Why did you drag us here? We can work out at the gym."

Aoki: (grumbling) "I bet this is just an excuse to sunbathe and flirt."

Takamura: (smirking) "Oh, you'll get a tan, but only after crawling in the sand for hours. And who knows, maybe some pretty girls will come and admire your mollusk bodies."

Ryuu, hands in his pockets, calmly observed the sea.

Ryuu: (with a mischievous smile) "That's not bad, Takamura-san. But you know, I'm sure I'll end up looking like a Greek god after this training..."

Takamura: (groaning) "Say that again, angel face?!"

Ippo: (trying to calm the situation) "Takamura-san, what are we going to do today?"

Takamura: (smiling evilly) "Ah, you're asking the right question, Ippo. Running in soft sand, fighting in the water, and finally, a little tree trunk carrying test. Easy, right ?"

Aoki: (discouraged) "Easy? We're going to die!"

Ryuu: (with a mocking laugh) "Speak for yourself, Aoki. I'm already ready to crush your records."

Kimura: "pretentious"

----

The group started by running through the soft sand. Kimura and Aoki were behind followed by Ippo who despite his endurance was struggling a little to keep up and in front was Ryuu still with a calm face.

All this was happening under Takamura's merciless gaze.

Takamura: (screaming) "Move, Ippo! Imagine that your next opponent is right in front of you!"

Kimura: (panting) "And me, I imagine that my life is over..."

Ryuu running at an astonishing speed decided to add to it.

Ryuu: (laughing) "Do you want a hand? I can carry you on my shoulders!"

Aoki: (groaning) "You're just a pretentious bastard, Ryuu! "

Ryuu: (teasing) "And you, you're slow as a turtle."

Later, they moved on to water fights. Ippo and Ryuu were fighting under Takamura's amused gaze.

Takamura: (watching) "Not bad, Ippo! But Ryuu, you're not supposed to go all out!"

Ryuu: (smiling, hair dripping) "Sorry, it's my instinct."

----

The sun was beating down, and the group had just finished a grueling training session. As they were relaxing on the beach, Takamura spotted a group of bikini-clad girls not far from them. He smiled mischievously.

Takamura: (overly serious) "Guys, I have an important mission for us."

Ippo: (confused) "A mission? What is it?"

Aoki: (enthusiastic) "If it's eating, I'm in."

Takamura: (patting Aoki on the shoulder) "Not eating, idiot. Seducing those beautiful creatures lounging around over there."

Ippo blushed instantly as he glanced at the girls who were laughing among themselves. Ryuu, who was lying on a towel with his arms behind his head, opened one eye and flashed his typical mocking and confident smile.

Ryuu: (calmly) "Takamura-san, with your face, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you might scare them."

Takamura: (annoyed) "Say that again, you dirty angel face!"

Kimura: (laughing) "He's not wrong, Takamura. With your smile, they'll think a shark washed up on the beach."

Takamura: (with a mischievous smile) "Alright, you want to play this? Then it's a contest. Whoever gets the most numbers wins."

Aoki: (enthusiastic) "Challenge accepted!"

Kimura: (reassured) "This will be easy. As long as Ippo and Takamura participate, I'm sure I won't finish last."

Ippo: (panicked) "Why me?! I've never done this!"

Ryuu: (standing up, stretching) "Okay, okay. If you insist, I'll participate. But be prepared to lose. After all, who can resist that?"

He ran a hand through his hair, flashing his bright smile, worthy of a toothpaste commercial. The others groaned in annoyance.

----

Takamura approaches the girls with his usual confidence, but he is immediately rebuffed.

Girl 1: (looking down on him) "Uh, no thanks. We're not interested."

Takamura: (shocked) "What?! You don't know what you're missing!"

Girl 2: (laughing) "We prefer guys with a little more class."

Aoki tries his luck by trying to appear mysterious, but trips over a towel and falls face down on the sand. The girls burst out laughing.

Aoki: (straightening up, embarrassed) "That was... that was planned. A memorable entrance, right?"

Kimura, meanwhile, tries to be nice and sincere, but ends up talking about a fight he won, which makes the girls run away, completely lost.

Kimura: (disappointed) "I thought talking about boxing would impress them..."

Ryuu sauntered forward, his hair shining in the sun. He greeted the girls with a charming smile.

Ryuu: (in a gentle tone) "Ladies, sorry about my friends. They're a bit... special. I hope they didn't bother you too much."

The girls blushed immediately, charmed by his natural charisma.

Girl 1: (shyly) "No, not at all. You're... different from them."

Ryuu: (laughing softly) "Oh, I'm doing my best. But hey, if you need company, I'm here to protect this beach from questionable individuals like Takamura-san."

Takamura, who was watching the scene from afar, turned red with rage.

Takamura: (screaming) "Ryuu, you cheater! You're using your angel face to win!"

Ryuu: (turning, smiling) "Takamura-san, that's called natural talent. Sorry, it's not something you can learn."

Ryuu came back with several phone numbers written on a piece of paper, while Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura looked at him with obvious jealousy.

Kimura: (whispering) "That guy is insufferable."

Aoki: (groaning) "How does he do it?!"

Takamura: (pointing an accusing finger) "I knew it. Ryuu, you're not human."

Ryuu: (smiling innocently) "Oh, come on, guys. Maybe I'll teach you some stuff someday. But in the meantime, I'm going to go swimming. See you later!"

He walked away, leaving the rest of the group dejected. Ippo, however, remained seated, trying to make himself inconspicuous.

Takamura: (turning to Ippo) "And you, Ippo, you didn't even try!"

Ippo: (embarrassed) "I... I'd rather focus on my training."

Aoki: (snickering) "Yeah, sure. You're just too uptight to talk to a girl."

Takamura (with a mocking voice): "Or maybe he's thinking about little Kumi-Chan."

As the group continued to tease each other, Ryuu, swimming in the distance, waved at them with a bright smile. The others sighed in exasperation.

Takamura: (mumbling) "I swear this guy is going to drive me crazy."

----

Night had fallen. After an exhausting day, the group settled around a campfire. The flames danced while the sound of the waves created a soothing atmosphere. Ryuu sat cross-legged, looking at the stars.

Takamura: (holding a fish skewer) "Okay, guys, it's time for a little philosophical moment. Everyone's going to share their dream."

Kimura: (sighing) "Takamura, what's been drinking? It's not your style to talk about serious stuff."

Takamura: (laughing) "Shut up and start. What's your dream, Kimura? "

Kimura: (smiling) "Honestly, to become a national champion and after that, maybe open a nice bar."

Aoki: (dreamy) "I want to become a national champion, of course! And then, find a girl who loves me for who I am."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Ryuu: (teasing) "Good luck with that, Aoki."

Aoki: (annoyed) "What?! You got a problem?!"

Takamura: (intervening) "Ryuu, over. What's your dream, Mr. Perfect?"

Ryuu: (calmly) "My dream... I'm not really one... I just want to meet opponents who can push me to my limits and push me to give it my all and see how far I can go"

Takamura: (with a smile) "That's like you Ryuu. But I'll always be ahead"

Ryuu (with a defiant look): "For now"

the two looked at each other for a moment.

Kimura : "Your turn Ippo"

Ippo: (timidly) "My dream is to become stronger, to prove that I deserve to be here. And maybe... maybe become world champion one day."

Everyone looked at him seriously.

Takamura: "You've got what it takes, Ippo. Just stop being so shy."

They continued to talk, sharing laughter and memories, until the flames of the campfire began to die down.

The group stood up, ready to return to the gym the next day. Before leaving, Ryuu looked at Ippo and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Ryuu: (smiling) "Never forget, Ippo. It doesn't matter if you're fighting a genius, a monster, or anyone else. As long as you believe in yourself, you can reach any height."

Ippo nodded, motivated by these words. As they walked away from the beach, the stars continued to shine, silent witnesses to their shared dreams.

[To be continued...]