Ever since Nakahara moved Ryohei up to super lightweight to make room for Ryoma, he has convinced himself that he is the one forced to sacrifice his own future.

The decision may have made perfect sense from management's perspective. But deep down, Ryohei still believes that, had he remained at lightweight, he would have achieved even greater success than Ryoma instead of being pushed aside to make room for the gym's golden boy.

The feeling only grows stronger after Ryoma rejects the unification bout he desperately wants and orders him to settle his unfinished business with Umemoto instead.

And the memories of their countless sparring sessions refuse to fade. Ryoma spends years provoking him, mocking him, calling him a coward whenever he retreats behind cautious footwork, believing that relentless pressure is the only way to force Ryohei out of his shell.

The method works. Even Ryohei has admitted as much. Yet every insult, every humiliation, every moment of being pushed beyond his pride remains etched into his memory.

Even now, Nakahara pairs them together for the afternoon's light sparring session, expecting nothing more than another routine round.

"Keep it clean, Ryohei!" Sera calls out. "Work behind your jab and give him different looks!"

For the first time in years, Ryoma remains unusually quiet. There are no provocations, no teasing, no attempts to agitate Ryohei into fighting outside his comfort zone.

He even finds himself struggling just to keep pace with Ryohei's aggression. The grueling hard-conditioning sessions since morning have already taken a massive toll on him.

"What's wrong with you today, kid?" Nakahara shouts from ringside. "Has all that office work made you forget how to box?"

Ryohei understands the difference between their current conditions better than anyone else. He knows exactly how much the morning conditioning has drained Ryoma. But instead of recognizing it as the obvious reason behind his struggles, he sees it as an opportunity to finally return everything he has endured.

He abandons the elegant footwork that usually defines his boxing and begins forcing Ryoma into a high-intensity exchange, constantly stepping forward and willingly trading whenever the chance appears.

When Ryoma flicks out a light jab to create just enough space, Ryohei deliberately eats the punch and drives forward with a heavy overhand right.

Ryoma pulls his head away, but the glove still crashes into his chest.

Bugh!

Before Ryoma can reset, Ryohei steps in again, using his momentum to shove him toward the ropes before trapping him there with relentless pressure.

"Gotten too comfortable being the boss, huh?"

Dug. Dug. Thud. Dug.

"Standing above everyone else…"

Dug. Dug. Dsh!

"Giving orders and deciding what's best for us."

Dug. Thud! Thud! Dug.

There is no attempt to refine technique or create meaningful exchanges. The way he fights makes it clear that he is no longer thinking about improving. He is more interested in proving something.

"What's wrong, prodigy boy? Already tired?"

He follows it with a series of light jabs, then suddenly drives a heavy right hand toward Ryoma's guard.

When Ryoma makes a subtle feint to create an opening and slip away, Ryohei catches his shoulder and forces him back into the ropes.

"Stop running away, coward!"

"Fight like someone who's actually worthy of being a world champion."

Ryoma tries to answer back. His defense remains sharp enough to avoid taking any truly damaging shots, allowing him to slip several punches and land clean shots to Ryohei's body.

But every successful hit is immediately answered with another exchange.

Dug. DSH! BAM!

Dug. Dug. Thud! Dsh BAM!

Knowing Ryoma's current condition and the lack of power behind his punches, Ryohei accepts every shot without hesitation as long as he can return one of his own.

"Why so quiet, brat?!"

"Can't you say something back?!"

By the final seconds of the first round, his approach has achieved exactly what he wanted. Ryoma cannot match the pace, and instead of engaging, he is forced to spend more and more time behind a tight guard, simply trying to survive the pressure.

"You loved playing the teacher, didn't you?"

"But now that the roles are reversed, you can't handle it."

When the bell rings, forcing the action to pause, Ryoma lowers his gloves with his back slightly hunched, his breathing heavier than usual.

Seeing the gap in their current condition, Ryohei casually pats the top of Ryoma's headgear, almost like he is mocking a child.

"Why do you look so obedient today?"

Ryoma's anger immediately flares. He shoves Ryohei away, but Ryohei only takes a single step back. He keeps his balance with one shoulder slightly tilted, then looks back with a widening grin.

"Look at you," Ryohei says. "Look what all that success has done to you."

"Enough, Ryohei!" Sera shouts from outside the ring. "This is just sparring. Leave your ego out of it."

Ryohei clicks his tongue and ignores Ryoma completely, turning toward his corner instead. But he speaks loudly enough for everyone around the ring to hear.

"Look at this. Look at how they protect you. For years, you were allowed to do whatever you wanted during sparring. You provoked me. Insulted me. Called me a coward."

His grin fades slightly. "But now that I'm doing the same thing, suddenly I'm the problem?"

Ryoma says nothing. He can only stare at Ryohei from across the ring, his patience already stretched to its limit. The anger burning in his eyes is unmistakable, but his body refuses to match it. His legs still feel heavy from the morning conditioning, his breathing not yet fully recovered.

Then the voice inside his head begins.

<< Remember. He was nothing but a washed-up fighter whose career was almost over, couldn't even find a place on someone else's undercard. >>

<< You gave him a stage. You helped him become stronger. >>

<< Now he's a Japanese champion, and he thinks he deserves the same privileges you earned. >>

Ryoma's brows twitch slightly. But instead of answering, he looks away and walks back toward his corner, forcing himself to calm his breathing and refocus on the purpose of the sparring session.

He knows his own condition. He has only just begun adapting to the extreme hard conditioning of the camp, and this session is supposed to be about getting his body accustomed to the routine again.

But the voice refuses to stop.

<< Are you going to just shut up? >>

<< Or maybe he's right. Maybe success really has made you weak. >>

"Shut up."

<< No. You tell him to shut up. >>

When Ryoma reaches his corner, he turns back and sees Ryohei still watching him with that same provoking stare.

Ryohei notices the look and smirks. "What's wrong? Need another minute?"

He taps his gloves together lightly. "Maybe Nakahara should pair me with someone else next time. At least I might actually get something useful out of sparring."

The comment makes the atmosphere around the ring grow noticeably quieter. Kenta and Aramaki exchange a brief glance, neither of them saying anything, but the concern on their faces is obvious.

Even Okabe, who usually enjoys watching their arguments, lets out a small sigh. "Hey, Ryohei. Save some of that energy for the actual fight, will you? You're starting to sound like the villain in your own story."

Kenta and Aramaki chuckle awkwardly, but Ryohei's expression doesn't change. For the first time in a long while, he finally finds himself standing above Ryoma, and the feeling goes straight to his head.

"But I'm just saying what everyone can see," Ryohei continues. "Wouldn't want our great CEO to waste everyone's time just because he forgot how to be a boxer."

Dr. Mizuno and his assistant exchange an uneasy look, clearly sensing that the tension between the two fighters has gone far beyond ordinary sparring.

"Is this normal here?" the assistant quietly asks.

Dr. Mizuno keeps his eyes on the ring. "I'm not sure. But if this continues, it could ruin the entire purpose of the training camp."

His gaze then shifts toward Nakahara and Sera, expecting one of them to step in. What he doesn't realize is that both of them have already tried to rein in Ryohei's unhealthy competitiveness. They simply failed to reach him and eventually gave up.