Two weeks before Ryoma's fight night, Aramaki finally returns to the Gym. For Ryoma, it is a welcome opportunity, because Aramaki is the closest thing to Liam O'Connell in this gym.
The sparring is intense, with Aramaki not holding back in the slightest. Becoming a national champion seems to have changed something in him. There is more confidence behind every step, more certainty behind every punch.
Behind a tight peek-a-boo guard, he keeps pressing forward, taking away space and setting the rhythm with a steady mix of jabs, hooks, and body shots.
"Don't stay on the ropes," Nakahara calls from ringside.
Ryoma hears it but doesn't change much. Instead of matching Aramaki's aggression, he spends most of the session moving behind a conservative Soviet-style rhythm.
He gives ground when necessary, pivoting off angles, parrying, blocking, and slipping just enough to avoid clean damage. He throws occasionally, but never with real commitment.
