Clap. Clap.
"Hao! Now let's get that knuckles bandaged."
'Hao?' Ippo thought for a minute before asking. "Bandaged why?"
"Hmm, Look at your fist."
Ippo then looked at his fist, his eyes widening in shock at it's bleeding form.
"Wha-what?!" Then he hissed in pain.
"Here, take a sit at the bench while I take some bandage."
after sitting for a while, Ippo started thinking. 'I didn't expect that punching will hurt me too.'
Ying then came back with a roll of gauze in his hand.
"The hands always hurt if you're not careful and not using proper gear." Ying said
Ying took Ippo's wrist and turned his fist slightly. The skin on the knuckles was split, red and raw.
"You punched wrong." Ying said plainly. "You used too much force and have no control, of course this'll happen."
Ying wrapped the bandage around the knuckles, firm but careful.
Ippo winced. "I didn't even feel it earlier."
"It's adrenaline, It masks the pain." Ying replied.
Finished, Ying let go and stepped back.
"Don't punch anything else today."
Ippo flexed his fingers slowly. It still hurt but only a bit.
"…Thank you." he said. "For helping me with the bullies. I didn't get to say it earlier."
Ying nodded. "Mou man tai! Always stand up for yourself kid, this world is filled with violence and you'll need violence to counter it."
Ying sat across him. "So what do you think, want to join my gym?"
Ippo looked down and think for a bit.
"Can I get back to you on that, I want to join but I had to ask my parent. I wouldn't want to worry her."
"Mou man tai! you can take your time." Ying patted his shoulders. "If you need anything else, talk with the people coming in later."
With that said, Ying turned and started walking away, like the whole thing was nothing special.
Ippo stayed on the bench, staring at his wrapped hand, feeling the pain settle in properly now.
"Hey boya! new here?" Time passes enough that people started coming in the gym. Flustered, Ippo comes to greet them.
Meanwhile, inside the office of the gym.
Ying took a sit and leaned back, his hands interlocking with each other while lost in thought.
'Ippo Makunouchi, protagonist of a boxing genre. How much potential will he have in this world I wonder.
The question is do I push him for more or just pure boxing.' Ying put his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling, the chair tilting back.
Mockingly so, instead of falling he balances the chair with only the two legs at the back.
'Best to stick with one for now, boxing is his protagonistic area and I want to see if I could push him enough to defeat the strongest boxers of this world.
Yuri Chakovsky, Ricardo Martinez, Sendo Takeshi, J, and Gaolang Wongsawat. The list just kept on growing.
If Ippo stuck with boxing, how far could he really go? Would this world destroy him and his spirit or would he somehow carve his way through it?'
I let the thought hang as I stared at the ceiling of my office.
Outside, the gym was starting to fill up. The dull thuds of heavy bags, the clank of weights, sharp exhales, laughter mixed with sweat. Noise, movement and life.
A knock snapped me out of it.
"Come in."
The door creaked open. Ippo peeked inside, looking a little less like a kicked puppy than earlier. The bandage on his hand was still fresh with blood seeped on it.
"Uh... Zheng-san?"
I straightened up and waved him in.
"Just call me Ying. What's up?"
He was gripping his bag as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"I... I thought about it. About the gym membership." He swallowed. "I want to join."
I nodded.
"Good. What about your mom?"
He scratched the back of his neck.
"I called her and told her about the bullies and... about you." He hesitated. "She said if it's to get stronger and protect myself, she's okay with it. As long as I don't get hurt too badly."
I smirked. "Too bad. That part's unavoidable."
He looked down for a second, then nodded. "I know. But... I want to try."
I leaned forward, elbows on the desk.
"Alright. You're in, the details will be given later. Now listen carefully, my gym is all about pure fighting. It has no beginner-friendly programs and no hand-holding either."
I paused to let that sink in.
"If you want to box seriously, you need a foundation. Muscle, strength, endurance. All those kind of stuff."
Ippo nodded slowly.
"I'm not a boxer." I continued. "I can teach you footwork for your balance and movement. Capoeira-style. It'll make you hard to pin down. But boxing punches, ring work, real boxing technique? That's not my lane."
His eyes widened. "Then...?"
"I know someone." I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.
"A guy who owes me a favor. Name's Takamura a pro boxer from the heavyweight division. A pain in the ass sometimes." I glanced up. "He'll be here in three days."
Ippo stiffened. "A pro?"
"Until then." I said. "You'll do basics only. Shadowboxing, footwork drills, and hitting the bag properly this time."
He nodded fast, to show his determination.
"Yes! Thank you, Zheng-san, I mean, Ying."
I waved him off.
"Go talk to the people outside. Not all of them are amazing fighters but they know how things work around here." I tossed him a roll of gauze. "And learn how to wrap your own hands next time."
He caught it, gripping it carefully.
"I will."
He bowed slightly and slipped out, closing the door behind him.
I leaned back in my chair.
'Makunouchi Ippo. The underdog of his story.
In a world crawling with absurd monsters, how would he turn out? Would he stay in the ring or would the chaos of this world drag him somewhere worse?
Either way, it'd be interesting.
I picked up my phone and dialed.
It rang twice.
"Yeah?"
"Takamura. It's Ying."
There was a pause.
"...So it's my time? Who the hell do you want me to kill?"
I paused, stunned at the words he spoke. "Kill? what drugs are you on?"
"HUH?! Aren't you the one that keeps saying 'Blood will flow' whenever I talk about repaying you for the-the uh help!" He then exhaled loudly. "Then what the hell do you want? You saved my ass that time, yeah, but I ain't your errand boy forever."
I leaned back in my chair, feet up on the desk.
"I've got a kid here. Name's Ippo Makunouchi. He's got a crazy potential for boxing with raw strength from hauling fish or whatever. But he's green and he needs a real boxer to teach him the ropes. How to punch, the ring work, all that."
Takamura laughed loudly and mocked. "A kid? You called me for a babysitting gig? The hell, Ying? I owe you for pulling me out of that mess with the yakuza back then, but training some runt? I'm a heavyweight champ, not a coach."
I smirked, even though he couldn't see it. "Champ? Last I heard, you were still climbing. And this 'runt' just punched a heavy bag so hard it flew, with no proper form at all. Imagine what he'd do with your help."
A pause.
Takamura grumbled. "Tch. Fine. But if he's trash, I'm out and we're even after this."
"Deal. Be here in my gym three days tops. Don't be late."
He cursed under his breath. "Three days? Shit, I've got fights lined up."
"Push them. You owe me."
Another pause. "Yeah, yeah. 'Blood will flow' my ass. I'll be there."
Click.
I tossed the phone onto the desk.
Takamura Mamoru. The Hawk of Kamogawa Gym. Arrogant as hell, but strong. He'd push Ippo to the limit like in the original and if Ippo survived, he'd be one step closer to facing real monsters.
I stood up and stretched.
Outside, the gym buzzed with laughter and grunts. The sound of bodies hitting the mats. Regulars mixed with new faces, all drawn in by the Sentory hype.
I stepped out of the office.
Ippo was in the corner, talking with a couple of guys.
One was big and bald with a tattoo running down his arm. The other was skinny, glasses slipping down his nose. Both were laughing at something Ippo said.
"Hey, newbie!" The bald one said, clapping Ippo on the back, careful to avoid the bandaged hand. "Heard you made the bag fly. Not bad for your first punch."
Ippo rubbed the back of his neck, flustered. "Uh, yeah. But I messed up my hand."
The skinny one chuckled. "Happens to everyone, my name's Kenji and that's Big Taro. We come here 'cause Ying's gym doesn't bullshit. No fancy machines. Just real work."
Big Taro nodded. "Yeah and the boss is blindfolded all the time. Crazy I know, but he sees everything so don't slack."
Ippo nodded fast. "I won't."
I walked over. "Kenji, Taro. Show the kid the ropes. How to do the footwork drills and how to shadowbox. No punching bags until his hand heals."
They nodded. "On it, boss."
Ippo looked at me. "Thanks again, Ying."
I patted his shoulder. "Don't thank me yet. Your training starts tomorrow, it's early morning so sleep early."
He swallowed. "Right."
I turned away.
'Time to see what the protagonist are made of.'
===========
AN: Alright I had my plans now, I think I can do things good now, It's just time at college holding me back now. 9-8 crazy sched ngl.
I had to rewatch some stuffs too so I can properly understand their personalities and plot. It makes me want to just throw MC at fights immediately but that'll be boring.
Leave your suggestions and Criticisms here, Even opinions matter. Have a nice day.
Word Count: 1,665