Isekai in Hajime no Ippo with Gaolang’s Template

November 7th, 1992 – 7:00 AM

Alex's eyes fluttered open as he lay on a massive bed, the soft mattress almost swallowing him whole. He stared at the ceiling, his mind still groggy.

"Is this the side effect of Crazy Mode… or am I just deeply exhausted from yesterday?"

He slowly sat up, feeling a dull ache all over his body. As he shifted his legs off the bed, he caught his reflection in the large mirror across the room.

He was dressed in a pajama set and a t-shirt.

"They probably put some clothes on me… The last thing I remember, I was only wearing my boxing shorts."

Shaking off his sluggishness, Alex stood up and stretched, his muscles protesting from the wear and tear of last night's battle. He made his way toward the door and stepped outside the bedroominto the penthouse's spacious living area.

It was silent. No one else seemed to be awake.

Just as he took a few steps forward, a door creaked open from another room.

Yagi, rubbing his eyes and yawning, stepped out. His hair was disheveled, and he looked like he hadn't fully woken up yet.

Upon seeing Alex, Yagi blinked. "Oh, you're awake."

Alex ran a hand through his messy hair. "What happened?"

Yagi looked puzzled for a second before realization hit. "Oh, you mean yesterday?"

Alex nodded.

Yagi sighed, still groggy as he recounted the events. "You passed out in the locker room from exhaustion. Coach Kamogawa called a doctor to check you up, but he said it was just extreme fatigue. Kimura put some clothes on you, and then Ippo and Takamura carried you to your room. You were out cold until just now."

Alex frowned. "How long did I sleep?"

Yagi shrugged. "I don't know… probably around six hours."

Alex sighed, rubbing his temples. "Damn… I've got a headache."

Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

"Wait—I have an interview today, don't I?"

Yagi's sleepy expression shifted into mild panic. "Oh, right! Hold on, let me check my notes."

He hurried back to his room. A few seconds later, he returned with a small notebook, flipping through the pages.

"Found it. Your ESPN interview is scheduled for 9 AM."

Yagi glanced at the time—it was already past 7 AM.

"I can call them to reschedule if you want," Yagi offered.

Alex shook his head. "No, I'll go. Where are my belts?"

Yagi pointed toward a furniture table near the couch, which had a blanket draped over it.

Alex walked over and pulled the blanket off, revealing his three championship belts—the WBA, WBC, and WBO Lightweight Titles.

The golden plates gleamed under the morning light, a solid reminder of his hard-fought victory.

He exhaled, a small smirk forming.

"I'll get dressed. We're heading to the ESPN studio."

Yagi nodded. "I'll leave a note so Kamogawa-san knows where we went."

Inside the ESPN studio, the set was fully prepared. Bright lights beamed down on a long table, where two well-known sports commentators sat—John and his co-host, Calvin.

The studio's background monitors displayed Alex's name in bold letters alongside his three championship belts.

Calvin, holding his mic, turned toward the camera.

"We're now live here at ESPN for a special interview with a very special guest."

John smiled. **"That's right, Calvin. He's the new face of the lightweight division—the holder of three world titles. Let's give a round of applause for the 'Super Champ'… the WBA, WBO, and WBC Lightweight Champion of the World—ALEX 'THE GREAT' MAKUNOUCHI!"

The camera focused on Alex as he walked onto the stage.

He was dressed sharply in a tailored suit, exuding confidence.

On his shoulders, the WBA and WBC belts rested proudly, while in his right hand, he carried his WBO belt.

The crowd in the studio clapped and cheered as Alex made his way to the center chair of the long table. He sat down and carefully placed his three belts on the table before flashing a small grin.

"I'm glad to be here."

Calvin and John took their seats on either side of him.

John extended his hand toward Alex, smiling. "I've heard a lot about you lately."

Calvin, sitting next to him, was visibly sweating.

Alex chuckled a hint of mischief in his eyes. "I hope it's all good things."

Calvin's nervous expression stiffened.

Alex laughed, waving it off. "Relax, I'm just joking."

The tension broke, and everyone, including the audience, laughed along.

John turned to the camera. "Alex is here with his manager and assistant coach, Haruhiko Yagi."

The camera shifted to the side of the stage, where the director of the ESPN show stood, discussing something with Yagi.

Noticing the camera, Yagi looked up and waved to the audience.

The cameras rolled as Alex Makunouchi sat in the studio, facing two well-known boxing analysts, John and Calvin. The air was light, but there was an underlying weight to the conversation.

John leaned forward, holding a microphone close to his mouth. "Now that you've unified three belts in your division, what's next for you, Alex?"

 Alex exhaled through his nose, adjusting the WBC, WBA, and WBO belts laid out on the table. "I'd like to do a rematch against Marcus Rosario. He defended his belt multiple times, and I believe he deserves a rematch against me."

Calvin nodded in approval. "That's fair. Would you fight him here again in Puerto Rico?"

Alex smirked. "No."

Laughter erupted in the studio—John, Calvin, the production staff, and even some off-camera personnel chuckled at his blunt response. Alex waited for the laughter to settle before continuing.

"I was the challenger leading up to the fight yesterday. I was always the underdog lately. But now that I'm the champion, I want to defend my titles in my hometown—Tokyo, Japan."

Calvin whistled. "That's good for you, and it'll be a fair match this time. Unlike yesterday, when they robbed you of your knockout win and made it seem like you barely scraped by. A split decision? Come on."

John leaned back, shaking his head. "Man, that's funny you mentioned it. I was so frustrated last night—I replayed the footage again and again in my hotel room." He pointed at Alex. "Your right uppercut landed at the same time as the clock hit zero. They didn't even count it."

Alex shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "It is what it is. Even though my perfect knockout streak is tainted, I still won the fight."

John and Calvin both nodded. They understood the business side of boxing. The politics, the controversies, the narratives that shaped the sport.

John cleared his throat. "Mind if I ask something personal?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but nothing too personal, like family stuff."

John panicked for a second. "No, no! Just about boxing!"

Alex chuckled. Calvin followed, shaking his head with a grin.

"I'm just messing with you," Alex said, flashing a rare, genuine smile.

John sighed in relief. "Alright, well—yesterday, while you were fighting Marcus, why did you change your strategy?"

Calvin nodded. "Yeah, usually when you fight, you control the distance, punish your opponents from the outside. But this time, you didn't."

Alex's expression changed. His eyes softened, but there was something distant in them. "Honestly?" He looked directly into the camera. "I was scared."

Both analysts sat up. "Scared?" Calvin repeated.

John furrowed his brow. "Can you elaborate?"

Alex exhaled slowly. "I never wanted to admit it. Because admitting fear can be seen as a weakness. But it's not."

Calvin asked cautiously, "What were you scared of? Marcus?"

Alex shook his head. "Not exactly. After I won the WBO belt against Tracy, things… weren't going well. I was drinking a lot on weekends, trying to distract myself from what happened." His gaze dropped to his hands as if seeing something invisible. "I almost killed Tracy. And I started fearing my power."

The studio fell silent. The camera zoomed in, capturing every shift in Alex's expression.

Alex continued, "Things weren't the same in the gym. Instead of focusing on the tactics my coach was telling me, I was too busy worrying about my strength. It messed with my mind leading up to the Marcus fight."

John sighed. "That's tough. You nearly ended someone's career, maybe even their life… and before you've had the chance to mentally heal, you're already facing another top champion."

Calvin rubbed his chin. "Sounds like PTSD. Like a soldier coming back from war."

Alex looked back into the camera, his voice steady. "I'm not ashamed to admit I was scared. Because there is no courage without fear."

The weight of his words hung in the air.

Alex leaned forward. "And when I made peace with that, everything changed. Admitting I was scared didn't make me weak—it made me strong. Because if I can talk about my fears openly, that means I'm not afraid of them anymore."

John blinked. "Wow. I've never heard a 19-year-old talk like that. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in your 50s."

Alex laughed, shaking his head. "Come on, man."

Calvin smiled. "I know your mindset leading up to the Marcus fight wasn't great. But can you explain it more? So the audience understands why they didn't see the Alex they were hoping to see yesterday?"

Then, realizing he had spoken as a fan, Calvin quickly pointed at the camera. "For your fans, I mean. They didn't see the usual you."

Alex leaned back and exhaled. "This was my mindset in the last round."

The room fell quiet again.

"It started when me and my team arrived here in San Juan. I was walking around and saw an old lady carrying groceries. I thought… she doesn't care if I win or lose against Marcus. She probably won't even hear about it."

John and Calvin exchanged glances, intrigued.

"Then I saw a guy in a suit walking into a bank, probably paying his mortgage or something. He doesn't care either. Nobody cares."

Calvin and John were wholly invested now.

Alex continued, "I was the only one putting pressure on myself. Nobody else gave a damn. But after the Tracy fight… I got so scared it might happen again. That was the scariest day of my career. And I was angry."

John frowned. "Why?"

Alex met his gaze. "Because I put too much pressure on myself. I got so paranoid, I didn't even want to go buy eggs at the grocery store. I thought people would look at me and whisper, 'That's the guy who almost killed Tracy. Will he kill Marcus next?'

He shook his head. "I thought everybody cared about me in San Juan. But the truth is, nobody cares. Only a tiny percentage of people even know who I am. And even if they do—so what? I made a mistake. I zigged when I should've zagged. So what? I didn't hold my power back. Everybody makes mistakes."

John nodded. "Is that why you suddenly got better in the last round? Why you didn't hold anything back?"

Calvin added, "That last round was the best thing I've ever seen in my career as a commentator. And you had that… creepy smile. What did that smile mean?"

Alex's eyes darkened slightly. He tilted his head and smirked.

"That smile meant I was ready to kill." 

Note: ive seen a lot of questions about alex system if is it nerfed or not (No) its not nerfed the ability is there the skills are still there this is about alex mentality he needed this so he could comeback stronger mentality wise, I don't want his mindset to become like adrien broner or conor McGregor both once was been considered as the best at some point,

and I need a rest i wrote 6k words yesterday thinking it was good for character growth and now i have a headache whats next, should i just write him as invincible type and no depth or continue my plan sigh i need to think clearly, because this is my first novel i wanted it to be great or atleast to be good.

And I won't dropped this novel so don't worry unless this novel barely got views and no one cares about it.