March 20, 1991 - Kamogawa Boxing GymThe crisp morning air filled the streets as Alex and Ippo jogged side by side toward the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. Their strides were steady, their breaths rhythmic, and the atmosphere was calm—until a certain loudmouth would inevitably shake things up.
Upon reaching the gym, they pushed open the doors, the familiar scent of sweat and leather greeting them. Inside, the usual faces were already present—Naomichi, Aoki, Kimura, and Takamura. The moment Alex stepped inside, Aoki turned toward him with a smirk.
"Yo, you're back, huh?" Aoki greeted.
Kimura grinned knowingly. "Had a lot of fun over there, huh?" He threw in a wink.
Takamura folded his arms and studied Alex for a moment before smirking. "Judging by that grin on your face, I'd say you had more than just a goodtime."
Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I did. More than a good time."
That was all it took. Aoki and Kimura immediately exchanged perverted grins, while Takamura let out a deep laugh.
Ippo, still adjusting his gloves, changed the subject. "I saw the news this morning. It said Marcus successfully defended his title."
Alex nodded. "Yeah, he did. First-round knockout."
Naomichi, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head in curiosity. "Who's Marcus?"
Takamura scoffed and gestured toward Naomichi. "Hey, Geromichi, that's Alex's future opponent. Try to keep up, will ya?"
Naomichi flinched at the nickname but nodded. "Oh... I see."
Aoki suddenly perked up. "Wait, speaking of that, I just got the latest boxing magazine this morning! You guys wanna see the new pound-for-poundrankings?"
"Where is it?" Alex asked.
Aoki eagerly ran to his gym bag, rummaged through it before pulling out a magazine. He flipped it open and spread it out on the table, revealing the bold title:
"1991 Pound-for-Pound Rankings"
Alex, Ippo, Kimura, Takamura, and even Naomichi gathered around as Aoki read the list aloud.
Julio César ChávezMarcus RosarioRicardo MartínezDavid EagleEvander HolyfieldMeldrick TaylorBryan HawkMike ElliottArnie GregoryJames ToneyRight below the rankings, another article caught their attention:
"Who can stop Julio César Chávez? With an astonishing 75-0 record and 70 knockouts, he remains the most dominant force in boxing. This marks his 11th title defense, and he shows no signs of slowing down."
Another headline read:
"Marcus Rosario successfully defends his WBC Lightweight Title—his 5th title defense. Is he the next big thing?"
Naomichi's eyes widened. "Whoa... Marcus is ranked number two in the world?"
Aoki nodded. "Yeah, he's great. But look at this—" He pointed at a picture of Chávez holding his WBC Jr. Welterweight title high. "This guy... this is a monster. Seventy-five wins with seventy knockouts?! How the hell do you even beat someone like that?"
Takamura let out a low whistle. "Yeah... he looks unbeatable."
The group collectively nodded, except for Alex, who simply folded his arms.
"Yeah... but there's no use thinking about him now," Alex stated. "For me, my goal is Marcus. That's the fight I need to focus on first."
Takamura smirked. "Good. That's a great goal."
He glanced at Bryan Hawk's name on the list and frowned slightly before looking away.
After a few more discussions about the rankings, Alex made his way to the office where Yagi was sorting out paperwork.
"Yagi-san, I'm ready to take the Nike deal."
Yagi looked up and adjusted his glasses. "That's great news! Do you have a design in mind, or will we work on it with them?"
Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He handed it to Yagi, who unfolded it and examined the drawing. It was a high-cut black boxing shoe with sleek, modern laces—built for speed and precision.
Yagi's eyebrows raised in approval. "Wow, this looks nice. I'll send this to Nike right away and let you know if there are any follow-ups."
Alex nodded. "Thanks, Yagi-san."
As he walked out of the office, he exhaled slowly, a determined look in his eyes.
"One step closer to my goal."
With that thought in mind, he glanced at his system.
Gaolang Template: 60%
Alex Grins.
Note: this chapter is quite short, I've been busy this days.