Isekai in Hajime no Ippo with Gaolang’s Template

As Aoki, Kimura, and Ippo walked back into the gym after the sparring session, Sendo grabbed his bag and made his way toward the door. "I'll head back home now," Sendo announced casually, pushing open the door and stepping outside.

Moments later, the door creaked open again, and Sendo's head popped back in. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you were leaving?" he asked, smirking.

Sendo scratched the back of his head, his expression sheepish. "I only brought enough money for a one-way trip…"

Alex stared at him in disbelief before letting out a laugh. "You're a funny one," he said, reaching into his pocket. He handed Sendo enough cash for his trip home.

"Thanks," Sendo said, bowing slightly before finally leaving for good.

Alex turned to Ippo. "Let's head home too."

"Sure," Ippo replied, grabbing his things.

"What about you two?" Alex asked, glancing at Aoki and Kimura.

"I gotta close the gym first," Kimura said, stretching.

"Me too," Aoki added with a yawn.

As Alex and Ippo walked home under the dim streetlights, the crisp air carrying the sounds of the city, Alex glanced at Ippo. "You look like you wanted to fight him," he said.

Ippo nodded. "Yes… Even though I didn't see your sparring, I was counting the seconds. He lasted about two minutes in the ring with you."

Alex smirked. "Yeah, he's a tough fighter. If you decide to fight him, it'll be good for you."

Ippo looked at him curiously. "Why's that?"

"Because he'll be your toughest opponent yet," Alex said without hesitation. "I think he's better than Mashiba."

Ippo's eyes widened slightly. "Better than Mashiba? But my hand isn't fully healed yet…"

"I know," Alex replied. "I'm just saying, in case you change your mind."

When they arrived home, Hiroko greeted them warmly. "Welcome back! Dinner's ready."

The three of them sat down at the table to eat. The aroma of fresh fish and warm rice filled the air as they dug into the meal.

Midway through dinner, Hiroko suddenly said, "Alex, when are you bringing home that girl you've been dating lately?"

Alex nearly choked on his food, coughing violently as Ippo tried—and failed—to stifle a laugh.

"Ippo, quit staring!" Alex barked, glaring at his cousin.

Ippo simply smirked, clearly enjoying Alex's discomfort.

"We're not at that stage yet!" Alex protested, turning back to Hiroko. "We're just dating! Not even in an official relationship yet."

Hiroko raised an eyebrow, her motherly tone unwavering. "I'm just saying you should introduce her to us when the time comes."

Ippo, sitting across the table, nodded enthusiastically, his mouth full of rice.

Alex sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine… I'll bring her home when we get to that stage."

The next morning, Alex was at the gym for an intense training session. Coach Kamogawa was behind the wheel of his Honda SUV, driving at a steady pace while Alex sprinted alongside it.

"Catch up with the car!" Kamogawa barked, his voice booming over the engine.

Alex pushed himself harder, his breaths coming in short bursts. After completing the sprint, he moved on to a skipping rope session, sweat dripping onto the mat beneath him.

"Faster! Keep going until you hit exhaustion!" Kamogawa yelled.

As Alex pushed himself to the limit, Assistant Coach Yagi approached Kamogawa, whispering something in his ear. Kamogawa nodded and turned to Alex. "You can rest for now. Ippo, come here!"

Ippo quickly stepped forward. "Yes, Coach?"

Kamogawa eyed him carefully. "Are your arms fully healed now?"

Ippo threw a few shadow punches, testing his range. "Quite a bit," he said confidently.

Kamogawa's tone turned firm. "Good, because today is the last day for card alignment."

Ippo's eyes lit up. "In that case, Coach, I want to fight Sendo!"

Kamogawa stared at him, his expression serious. Then, with a small nod, he said, "You look determined. I'll put your match on the undercard for Alex's title defense this February 17th."

Ippo beamed with excitement.

Kamogawa turned and shouted, "Takamura!"

From the far side of the gym, Takamura responded, "What is it, old man?"

Yagi chimed in, "We can't find an opponent for you in Japan."

Aoki leaned against the ropes, laughing. "You're too dominant, Takamura. Nobody wants to challenge you."

Kimura nodded in agreement, then glanced at Alex, who simply shrugged.

Kamogawa sighed. "We contacted every contender in the Japan Middleweight division, and none of them will fight you."

Takamura groaned. "So what, I don't get a fight?"

Kamogawa smirked. "Not exactly. Your next opponent is from Thailand."

Takamura's eyes lit up. "Finally! I'm fine with that. Let's challenge the world!"

Yagi raised his hand, smiling knowingly. "There's an order to things, Takamura."

After finishing his training at the gym, Alex decided to head home by sprinting. Despite the exhaustion from his rigorous workout, he maintained a steady pace, pushing his limits even further. Meanwhile, Ippo stayed back at the gym to take a shower and freshen up.

By the time Ippo emerged from the locker room, Alex had returned—this time in his sleek Porsche 911, the engine purring gently as it idled outside the gym. Ippo stepped into the passenger seat and immediately noticed Alex's disheveled appearance.

"You look sweaty," Ippo commented. "Are you sure you don't want to take a shower first?"

Alex shook his head, smirking. "Nah, I'll wait inside the car. Let's get going."

With that, Alex started driving toward their next destination. After a short ride, they pulled up to a modest building with a sign that read "Yamaguchi Bone Specialist." Alex parked the car by the curb and gestured for Ippo to go inside.

"Go on," Alex said. "I'll wait here."

Ippo nodded, holding a letter of recommendation from Miyazaki, a kind fisherman who often helped his mother. Approaching the door, he knocked lightly and called out, "Excuse me, is Yamaguchi-sensei here?"

The door opened, revealing a beautiful woman with short hair and a warm smile. She greeted him cheerfully. "Ah, welcome, Makunouchi-kun! I've been expecting you."

Ippo bowed politely. "Thank you."

"I've heard about your situation," she said. "Come on in."

Inside the clinic, Ippo took a seat as Yamaguchi-sensei began her examination. She placed both hands on his shoulders, gently massaging them as she assessed his condition.

"I heard you're really strong, so I thought you'd be kind of scary," she said playfully. "But you don't look like a boxer at all."

Ippo's cheeks flushed pink, and he stammered, "It's not my shoulder… I broke my fist, so I came to get that checked out."

Yamaguchi chuckled softly. "Well, breaking a fist after a match isn't surprising for someone with a lot of power like yours. But did your shoulder hurt too?"

Ippo tilted his head thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, my shoulder did hurt a bit after my last match."

Yamaguchi nodded, her hands still working skillfully to check for tension or abnormalities. "It's been a few weeks since your match, so your shoulder should be healing fine by now. But your right arm…" She paused, her expression turning more serious. "The muscles in your right arm are severely strained. That kind of damage doesn't usually happen unless you're hitting with extraordinary force."

Ippo looked down, a mix of concern and relief washing over him.

"Don't worry," Yamaguchi said with a reassuring smile. "If you take care of it and rest properly, you'll be fine. At most, you'll be back to normal in a week."

Relieved, Ippo bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Yamaguchi-sensei!"

As he left the clinic, he returned to Alex's car, climbing into the passenger seat. Alex glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "How'd it go?"

Ippo grinned. "Yamaguchi-sensei said it'll be okay in a week at most."

Alex leaned back in his seat, exhaling in relief. That's a much better outcome than I remember,he thought, recalling how in the anime, Ippo's doctor had warned of potential ligament damage that could have been career-ending.

"Good," Alex said, starting the engine. "Let's head home. You've got a lot of work to do once that hand is fully healed."

Note: JAPAN LIGHTWEIGHT RANKINGS

Champion:Alex Makunouchi (5-0-0, 5 KO)

 1.Shinobu Iga (10-2-0, 6 KO) 

2.Ryota Sakamoto (14-3-2, 9 KO)

3.Kenta Hoshino (11-2-1, 7 KO)

4.Daichi Kuroda (12-4-0, 5 KO)

5.Riku Tanaka (8-4-0, 6 KO)

6.Hayato Shimizu (10-4-1, 6 KO)

7.Tetsuya Miyamoto (9-5-1, 3 KO)

8.Hiroshi Yamamoto (8-4-2, 4 KO)

9.Koji Nakamura (6-4-0, 2 KO)

10.Masato Sugihara (7-5-1, 3 KO)

To be continued…