Isekai in Hajime no Ippo with Gaolang’s Template

A week had passed since the unforgettable night at Yokohama Arena. Now, Alex and Ippo found themselves dressed sharply in formal attire, a rare sight compared to their usual training gear. As they drove toward school in Alex's car, the realization sank in—today was their graduation day.

The streets of their hometown looked the same as always, but to them, everything felt different. They were no longer just students. They were professional boxers with bright futures ahead, and this ceremony marked the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.

As they arrived at the school, the large assembly hall was filled with students, teachers, and proud parents. The principal stood at the center of the stage, microphone in hand. After a series of speeches, it was finally time to award the graduates their diplomas.

"I present you with your graduation award, same honor, 3rd-year Class B—Makunouchi Ippo."

A round of applause echoed through the hall as Ippo stepped onto the stage, bowing respectfully before receiving his diploma.

"Thank you very much," Ippo said, his voice filled with gratitude.

The principal then turned toward Alex.

"And now, I present you with your graduation award—Makunouchi Alex."

Unlike Ippo, Alex walked up with his usual confidence. When he received his diploma, the crowd erupted in even louder cheers. Among them were teachers murmuring amongst themselves, unable to contain their admiration.

"Both of them are incredibly popular," one teacher whispered.

"Well, one is the Rookie King, and the other is the reigning Japanese Lightweight Champion," another responded.

A teacher with glasses chuckled and added, "I'm a big fan of Alex, actually. I even bought a T-shirt with his face on it."

The others laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, their future in boxing is set. They're going to keep climbing."

One of the older teachers sighed. "Of course, they're earning millions already. Honestly, I envy them a little."

As the ceremony concluded, students poured out of the school, taking pictures and saying their farewells. Outside, a familiar group approached—none other than Ippo's former bullies, but their demeanor had completely changed. Instead of their usual smug expressions, they were smiling.

"Ippo!" the leader of the group called out. "Your followers want a picture with you."

"Huh? With me?" Ippo blinked, taken aback. "I'm not really good with photos…"

"Oh, come on!" the former bully nudged him. "They're your fans now!"

Ippo hesitated, but before he could refuse again, the entire gang suddenly bowed deeply.

"We watched your fight last week," one of them admitted. "It was… really touching."

Ippo's eyes widened in disbelief. These were the same guys who used to torment him, and now they were showing him genuine respect. Then, they shifted their gazes toward Alex, only to quickly stiffen. Even though Alex wasn't doing anything intimidating, the memory of him effortlessly dodging their punches months ago still haunted them.

Alex gave them a single nod, and they took that as permission to take a picture with both him and Ippo.

"Good luck with the championship, Ippo!"

Ippo smiled. "Thank you."

The gang then turned to Alex and bowed once again, this time with a mix of respect and fear.

"And… good luck with your future world challenge, Alex!"

Alex smirked. "Thanks."

Soon, the rest of the school followed suit, forming a long line to take pictures with the two boxing stars. The celebration continued until the crowd finally dispersed.

As Ippo and Alex walked down the school halls one last time, they ran into a familiar face—Miyata. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking as composed as ever.

"Ippo," Miyata said, catching his attention. "I'm going away from Japan for a while."

"Huh?" Ippo looked at him in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"I have fights lined up in Korea and Thailand," Miyata explained. "I'll be taking on tougher opponents there. When I come back, I'll be stronger."

Ippo's eyes shone with admiration. "Wow…"

Alex, however, smirked to himself and mumbled just loud enough for them to hear, "You two look gay as f***."

"Huh? What was that?" Ippo turned toward Alex with a confused expression.

Alex immediately straightened up and replied casually, "Nothing."

Miyata raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. Instead, he smirked slightly before walking past them.

As the school day ended, Alex and Ippo stepped out of the gates for the last time, ready to embrace the future. Their boxing journeys were far from over—in fact, they were just getting started.

Kamogawa Gym – Coach Kamogawa's POVInside the Kamogawa Gym, Coach Kamogawa sat in his office, carefully examining potential opponents for Alex's next fight. He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought, as the realization settled in—it had been nearly two years since those two boys, Ippo and Alex, first set foot in his gym.

He had watched them both grow, seen their dedication firsthand.

"I like Ippo a lot," Kamogawa mused to himself. "His style reminds me of myself in my younger days—a tough, relentless infighter with an iron will. But Alex..."

His eyes wandered to the wall, where a large poster hung proudly. It was a group photo, capturing a moment of camaraderie between Alex, Ippo, Takamura, Aoki, Kimura, himself, and Assistant Coach Yagi. Alex was at the center, grinning confidently, while Takamura stood beside him, looking as cocky as ever.

Kamogawa let out a quiet chuckle before his expression turned serious.

"I've never seen a talent like that," he admitted to himself. "I thought Takamura was a monster because of his potential… but Alex..."

He exhaled deeply, shaking his head in disbelief. "That kid has an inhuman talent."

Before he could continue his thoughts, a knock echoed through the room.

"Come in," Kamogawa called.

The door opened, and Assistant Coach Yagi stepped inside, holding a stack of papers.

"It's announced," Yagi said as he spread a newly printed event poster on the desk.

Kamogawa's eyes scanned the contents of the paper.

April 20, 1991 – Kamogawa Gym Fighters' Next Matches

Kōrakuen Hall

Main Event – Japanese Middleweight Championship

Takamura Mamoru (Champion) vs. Ponchai Chuwatana (Thailand, National Rank #2)

Co-Main Event – Lightweight Contender's Match

Aoki Masaru (Japanese Lightweight Rank #6) vs. Arman Garcia (Philippines, National Rank #5)

Junior Lightweight Division

Kimura Takuya (Japanese Jr. Lightweight Rank #5) vs. Kanzaki Shinji (National Rank #7, Japan)

Kamogawa nodded as he read through the matchups. "This is good news. Three of them have fights lined up."

Yagi smiled. "Yeah, and Aoki's been on a roll. He won his last fight, and now he's ranked number six in Japan."

Kamogawa stroked his chin, deep in thought. "That's great… but we have a problem."

Yagi raised an eyebrow. "A problem?"

Kamogawa leaned forward, tapping the desk with his finger. "Alex is the Japanese Lightweight Champion. If Aoki keeps winning and climbing the rankings… eventually, they're going to clash."

Yagi frowned, realizing the issue. "You're right. If Aoki reaches the top three in Japan, he'll be next in line for a title shot."

Kamogawa exhaled sharply. "Which means we need to get Alex a fight before that happens. He needs his second title defense, and then we push him into the world rankings."

Yagi nodded in agreement. "That's the only way. If Alex moves onto the world stage, he won't have to defend against Aoki."

Kamogawa's face hardened with determination. "Then that's what we'll do. I'll start looking for an opponent. Alex will defend his belt one more time… and then, we'll set him on the path to challenge the world."

Yagi grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

The two men sat in silence for a moment, both of them fully aware of the significance of what they were planning. Alex's rise had been meteoric, and now, they were setting the stage for his next evolution.

Note: New Rankings

JAPAN LIGHTWEIGHT RANKINGS

Updated: January 27th, 1991

Champion: 🏆 Alex Makunouchi

Record: 6-0-0, 6 KO

Top 10 Contenders

Rank 1: Shinobu Iga

Record: 10-2-0, 6 KO

Rank 2: Kenta Hoshino

Record: 11-2-1, 7 KO

Rank 3: Daichi Kuroda

Record: 12-4-0, 5 KO

Rank 4: Ryota Sakamoto

Record: 14-4-2, 9 KO

Rank 5: Riku Tanaka

Record: 8-4-0, 6 KO

Rank 6: Aoki Masaru

Record: 10-6-0, 6 KO

Rank 7: Hayato Shimizu

Record: 10-4-1, 6 KO

Rank 8: Tetsuya Miyamoto

Record: 9-5-1, 3 KO

Rank 9: Hiroshi Yamamoto

Record: 8-4-2, 4 KO

Rank 10: Koji Nakamura

Record: 6-4-0, 2 KO