Isekai in Hajime no Ippo with Gaolang’s Template

Alex and Ippo arrived at the Kamogawa Gym, their breathing steady as they finished their morning jog. The crisp morning air still clung to their skin as they stepped inside, wiping the sweat from their brows. The moment they entered, their eyes were immediately drawn to a massive poster hanging on the gym wall.

It was an announcement for Takamura Mamoru's upcoming title defense.

Ippo's eyes gleamed with admiration as he stared at the image of Takamura, standing tall with his Japanese Middleweight Championship belt slung over his shoulder.

"He's finally getting another big fight," Ippo muttered.

Alex smirked. "Yeah, I feel bad for the guy he's fighting. Takamura's been more intense than usual lately."

As they moved further inside, they noticed a massive crowd of men gathered in the gym. It was unusual—Kamogawa Gym had its fair share of visitors, but this was something else entirely.

Alex and Ippo exchanged confused glances before making their way toward Yagi, who was standing near the office, looking overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.

Alex approached him. "What's going on, Yagi-san?"

Yagi sighed, adjusting his glasses. "These guys all want to apply to the gym. Ever since you and Ippo won your big matches, we've been getting a flood of newcomers."

Before Alex could even react, a group of young men suddenly turned toward him.

"ALEX! Can I get your signature?!" one of them shouted.

"Alex, can we take a picture?!" another added, holding up a small camera.

Alex raised his hands. "Calm down, guys. I'm here to train."

The eager fans hesitated for a moment before backing away, giving Alex and Ippo some space. The two of them quickly got to work, heading toward the training area and starting with some shadowboxing for warm-up.

As soon as they began moving, the murmurs from the crowd grew louder.

"Whoa… look at their speed!" someone whispered.

"I can't even see their punches!" another added in amazement.

A young man in the crowd, who seemed to be a bit overweight, watched Ippo intensely. "I admire Ippo because of his Rookie King fight. That match was insane!"

A thinner man next to him nodded. "Yeah, but I admire Alex more. He's untouchable!"

The fat man scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Takamura is way stronger than both of them."

The thin man rolled his eyes. "Idiot, they're in different weight classes. You can't compare them!"

Their debate was cut short as the gym door swung open.

Everyone turned their heads as three familiar figures entered.

Aoki, Kimura, and… Takamura.

The murmuring exploded into full-on excitement.

"No way… is that Aoki?! Japan's number 6 lightweight!" one person gasped.

"And Kimura! He's ranked 5th in junior lightweight!" another pointed.

Then, all heads tilted upward, eyes widening in awe.

"T-Takamura…!"

The towering Middleweight Champion stepped inside, his sheer presence alone enough to make the crowd instinctively step back. He was massive—his broad shoulders, thick arms, and intimidating scowl made him seem like a beast compared to the others.

"He's so big…" someone muttered.

"He looks even stronger in person!" another added.

Amid the murmurs, Alex grinned and waved.

"Yo, Takamura."

Takamura gave a small nod before heading straight for the heavy bag. Without saying a word, he slipped on his gloves, took his stance, and then—

BOOM!

With one devastating punch, the sandbag swung violently, nearly lifting off its chain.

The gym fell silent for a moment.

Then—

"OH!"

"Did you see that?!"

"That power is unreal!"

But Takamura's face twitched in irritation.

He suddenly turned to face the crowd, his eyes narrowing in frustration.

"Oi! STOP SAYING 'OH' AND 'AH' LIKE A DAMN BUNCH OF IDIOTS! SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The entire gym froze.

The excited crowd flinched in fear, their enthusiasm instantly replaced with pure terror. Some even took a step back.

Aoki and Kimura, who had seen this side of Takamura far too many times, quickly stepped in, holding onto his arms to calm him down.

Alex, watching the whole scene unfold, couldn't help but chuckle.

With a smirk, he turned to the nervous fans and waved them back.

"Don't get too close to him. He's on a diet."

As Takamura stood with his back to the crowd, his broad shoulders casting an imposing shadow, he spoke in a gruff voice.

"Go home. Autographs or whatever—none of that matters. You can't become a pro with just arrogance."

The words hung heavy in the air, but one well-built man clenched his fists and stepped forward.

"B-But I'm serious! And I'm pretty confident too!"

A skinnier guy chimed in, puffing out his chest. "Same here! I won't lose in stamina!"

A third young man, with a middle-cut hairstyle, scoffed and smirked at the skinny one. "Then let's see if you can keep up. Let's fight later."

Alex, standing nearby with his arms crossed, let out a small chuckle before speaking up. "Give them a chance, Takamura."

Ippo, Aoki, and Kimura nodded in agreement, showing their support.

Takamura scoffed and turned around, looking over the crowd with a sharp gaze. "Hmph. Fine. You wanna test your mettle? Let's see if you guys can even handle the basics."

The hopefuls straightened up, eyes burning with determination.

"A simple test," Takamura continued. "We'll see if you can keep up with the roadwork we do every day."

The crowd erupted in murmurs, excitement flashing across their faces.

"It's the same as the champions! We have to do this!" one of them whispered.

Ippo tilted his head slightly and smiled. "This should be interesting."

Alex smirked before turning toward the gym doors. "Alright, come on then."

Yagi leaned toward Coach Kamogawa, a slight look of concern in his eyes. "Coach, is it okay to do this all of a sudden?"

Kamogawa folded his arms and watched the eager new applicants. "It's good for them to taste the harshness of being a pro. Only the ones who truly want it will stay."

With that, the Kamogawa squad led the run, with Alex and Ippo at the front, followed closely by Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura. The gym hopefuls rushed after them, eager to prove themselves.

Halfway through, Aoki looked back and chuckled. "Hah, they're keeping up pretty well so far!"

Kimura smirked. "Guess they've got confidence, at least."

As the run dragged on, the true difficulty began to show. Many of the new faces started gasping for breath, their strides slowing. Some even stopped altogether, bending over and placing their hands on their knees.

Ippo turned his head slightly and caught sight of one particular figure—the chubby man who had declared his admiration for Alex. His face was drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged, but his legs kept moving.

Ippo jogged closer and gave him a reassuring smile. "Are you alright?"

The fat man clenched his teeth and kept running, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as sweat poured down his face. He didn't answer—he just kept going.

Seeing that determination, Ippo adjusted his pace slightly to match the struggling man, silently running beside him.

By the time they all made it back to the gym, Ippo wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the entrance. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? No new faces?" he muttered.

Alex raised an eyebrow and looked toward Ippo. Then his gaze shifted to the exhausted chubby man.

"Wow. Who's that fat one?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Takamura cracked his neck and gave a nod of approval. "This guy's got some determination."

Ippo patted the man on the back. "Good work."

The fat man turned toward Ippo, gave a weak smile—then suddenly lurched forward and vomited.

The rest of the gym fell into stunned silence.

Alex exhaled through his nose and shook his head with an amused grin. "Guess that's one way to finish strong."