After the gym had cleared out and most of the members had gone home, Takamura found Kamogawa in his office, making notes about the day's training.
"So, Coach," Takamura said with a huge grin, "what do you think of my boy now?"
Kamogawa looked up from his paperwork. "The kid showed potential. I'll give you that."
"Potential? Coach, he went five rounds with Miyata! He was beating him for the first three rounds!" Takamura's excitement was barely contained. "I told you he had something special. You shoulda believed in me from the start!"
Kamogawa set his pen down. The truth was, he'd been thinking about the fight all evening. What he'd witnessed defied everything he knew about boxing.
"The boy has power," he admitted. "More than I've seen in years. And that technique... where did he learn to fight like that?"
"So you'll train him?"
There was a long pause before Kamogawa nodded. "I'll make a real boxer out of that kid. Tell him to be here tomorrow morning."
---
The next morning, Ippo arrived at the gym early, his stomach churning with nervous excitement. As he approached the entrance, he spotted two familiar figures.
"Oh! Look what we have here!" called out Aoki with a mischievous grin. "If it isn't yesterday's punching bag!"
Kimura elbowed his friend. "Don't be mean, Aoki. The kid did pretty well for a beginner."
"Pretty well? He got knocked out!" Aoki laughed, but it wasn't cruel. "Though I gotta admit, you lasted way longer than most people would against Miyata."
Ippo bowed politely. "Good morning, Aoki-san, Kimura-san."
"So formal!" Aoki reached behind Ippo and poked him with his finger. "Relax a little! Here, this is how boxers release tension!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Kimura demanded.
"It's a traditional boxer's relaxation technique!" Aoki insisted. "All the champions do it!"
"That's completely made up!"
Ippo just smiled awkwardly as the two continued their banter.
Inside the gym, Yagi looked up from organizing equipment as the three of them entered.
"Ah, Makunouchi-kun!" Yagi greeted warmly. "Back for more, I see. How are you feeling after yesterday?"
"I'm fine, thank you, Yagi-san," Ippo replied with another bow.
"Such good manners," Yagi commented approvingly.
"Hey, hey!" Aoki interrupted, throwing an arm around Ippo's shoulders. "We've decided we're gonna teach this kid the basics of boxing!"
"That's right," Kimura added. "Can't have him embarrassing the gym with sloppy technique."
"Wait, what?" Yagi looked confused.
Before anyone could explain further, Takamura's voice boomed from across the gym.
"What are you idiots doing to my protégé?"
Takamura strode over, already changed into his training gear. "If anyone's gonna train this kid, it's gonna be me. I'm the one who brought him here."
"Your protégé?" Aoki scoffed. "We saw him first today!"
"Yeah!" Kimura agreed. "Finders keepers!"
"That's not how it works!" Takamura shot back.
As the three of them began arguing, their voices getting louder and more heated, another voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"What the hell is all this racket?"
Everyone froze. Kamogawa stood at the top of the stairs, his stern gaze sweeping over the group.
"Uh, Coach," Takamura said sheepishly, "we were just discussing who should train—"
"I heard you idiots arguing from upstairs," Kamogawa interrupted. "If you have energy to waste on stupid arguments, you have energy to train. All of you, go do road work. Now."
"But Coach—" Aoki started.
"Move!"
The three veterans immediately headed for the door, but Yagi's voice stopped them.
"And take the new kid with you. Show him the route."
"Actually, Coach," Takamura called back, "I think Ippo should stay and—"
"The boy stays," Kamogawa said firmly, his eyes fixed on Ippo. "I'll be training him myself."
The gym fell silent. Everyone knew what that meant. Kamogawa rarely took on personal students.
"You heard the man," Takamura said with a grin. "Congratulations, kid. You just got the best coach in Japan."
After the others had left for their road work, Kamogawa approached Ippo. The old coach studied him carefully, taking in his posture, his expression, the way he carried himself.
"So," Kamogawa said finally, "you came back."
"Yes, sir."
"Why? You got knocked out yesterday. Most people would take that as a sign to find a safer hobby."
Ippo thought about his answer carefully. "Because for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Even getting knocked out felt better than being weak and helpless."
Kamogawa nodded slowly. "Good answer. In that case, I'm your coach now. What that means is simple—you follow my instructions without question. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"We'll start with mitt work," Kamogawa said, walking over to a wall where boxing mitts hung. "I want to get a close look at those hands of yours."
He picked up a pair of mitts—but these weren't the padded training mitts most gyms used. These were thin, harder mitts that would produce a sharper sound when hit.
"These mitts will give you better feedback," Kamogawa explained as he slipped them on. "You'll hear and feel the difference when you throw a proper punch versus a sloppy one."
Ippo got into his stance, the same natural position that had felt so right during his sparring session.
"Now," Kamogawa said, raising the mitts, "I want you to throw some combinations. Don't think about it—just let your body move naturally."
Ippo began throwing punches, and immediately Kamogawa understood what had impressed everyone so much. The sound of leather hitting the mitts was sharp and clean, each punch landing with tremendous force and perfect precision.
PAP! PAP! PAP!
"Incredible," Kamogawa muttered, feeling the impact travel up his arms. "The power is there, the angle is perfect..."
He adjusted the position of the mitts, angling them to help guide Ippo's punches into even more effective trajectories.
"You see how I'm positioning these mitts?" Kamogawa asked. "I'm not just giving you a target—I'm teaching your body the proper angles for maximum impact."
Ippo continued throwing combinations, each one feeling more natural than the last.
"That's enough for now," Kamogawa said finally, lowering the mitts. "That was about one round's worth of punching. Let's go another round."
For the next three minutes, they repeated the exercise, with Kamogawa making small adjustments to help refine Ippo's already impressive technique.
When they finished, Kamogawa removed the mitts and studied Ippo's face.
"Kid," he said slowly, "I've been training fighters for forty years. I've never felt power like that from someone your age. And that technique... it's like you've been boxing for years."
"I don't understand it either," Ippo admitted. "It just feels natural."
"Throw me an uppercut," Kamogawa said suddenly, putting the mitts back on. "A right uppercut."
Ippo got back into position and threw the punch. The sound was like a gunshot.
PAP!
Kamogawa's eyes widened as the force of the punch traveled up his arm. "Incredible. That uppercut... it's perfect. The angle, the power, the form—it's like watching a master at work."
He removed the mitts again, shaking his hands to restore circulation.
"We're going to work on developing that uppercut of yours," Kamogawa continued. "With power like that and proper technique, it could become a devastating weapon."
Ippo nodded eagerly. "Yes, sir!"
Kamogawa looked Ippo directly in the eyes.
"Your brute force is incredible. With proper training and conditioning, that raw power can overwhelm any technique, no matter how polished. But power without control is just violence. Real boxing is about channeling that force with precision."
"I'll do whatever it takes to learn," Ippo said firmly.
"Good. Because I'm going to push you harder than you've ever been pushed before." Kamogawa's expression grew serious. "And when you're ready—really ready—we're going to arrange a proper match with Miyata."
Ippo's eyes lit up with excitement and nervousness. "A real match?"
"That's right. Yesterday was just sparring. But if you're serious about becoming a boxer, you'll need to prove yourself in an actual bout. Miyata's agreed to it, assuming you can show me you're worth the time and effort."
The weight of those words settled on Ippo's shoulders. A real match with Miyata—not just gym sparring, but an official bout where everything would be on the line.
"I won't let you down, Coach," Ippo said with determination.
"We'll see," Kamogawa replied. "Real training starts tomorrow. Be here at six AM sharp. We've got a lot of work to do if you want to be ready to face Miyata properly."
As Ippo prepared to leave, Kamogawa called out once more.
"And kid? That uppercut of yours... it's special. We're going to make it your signature punch. Welcome to boxing. Hope you're ready for what comes next."