Chapter 374: Glory Boxing Gym, Uehara Nana's Shock
After Courage departed with her document case, leaving a quiet stillness in her wake, Ren's gaze fell upon Cerberus. The hellhound was draped dramatically across the table, chin resting on her paws, the picture of absolute boredom.
A gentle smile touched Ren's lips. "Cerberus, we'll be heading out in a bit, too. Lucifer should be here soon."
Cerberus's three heads perked up in perfect unison. "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Has Kaolan already gotten there?"
Ren considered for a moment. "Under normal circumstances, he'd probably still be asleep. But after his run-in with Agito… I imagine he's been at the gym for hours. That loss hit him hard. He'll be training like a man possessed for a while."
Cerberus nodded sagely. "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! That Kanoh Agito is a monster!"
Ren chuckled, a dry, amused sound. "You know, Cerberus, it feels a little strange hearing you, a literal Hellhound, call someone else a monster."
"Hmm… But that 'Formless' thing… the look on his face wasn't human at all!" she insisted.
Ren's smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He gave a slow nod. "You're not wrong. He possesses the reason of a man and the instincts of a beast."
"But Master is the strongest!" Cerberus declared, her tails thumping against the table leg.
"Excellent flattery," Ren praised lightly. "Do you need to grab anything? If not, we're leaving."
"Nope! Nope! Nope!"
As Ren and Cerberus made their exit, a world away, Lucifer's hunt for rare Pokémon was abruptly cut short. A glance at the time sent a jolt through her. Without a word, she materialized a handful of gleaming gold coins from thin air and made a beeline for the nearest city. She wasn't coming back next time without a proper supply of Poké Balls.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The rhythmic, percussive impacts echoed through a spacious, no-frills boxing gym. A man with vacant, laser-focused eyes, his head still wrapped in clean white bandages, hammered a relentless series of jabs into a heavy sandbag. The leather groaned under the assault.
Beside him, a strikingly beautiful young woman with an athletic build stood with impeccable posture, a bamboo sword held loosely in one hand. She tapped it against her palm, her expression a mixture of stern approval and relentless demand.
"Kaolan! Faster!" she barked, her voice cutting through the din of the gym. "Your punches can be faster than that!"
Crack!
The sound of the bamboo sword slamming against the wooden platform silenced the surrounding chatter. The young woman's gaze swept over the other boxers, who had paused to watch Kaolan's machine-like training. Her fist clenched.
"Are you lot trying to slack off?!" she roared, her voice a whip crack of authority.
"Sorry, Big Sis!" a chorus of voices replied, the men immediately snapping back to their own routines.
"You bunch of scumbags!" she continued, her voice dripping with merciless fire. "I want to see sweat! I want to hear leather breaking! Picture your opponent's face on that bag and make it scream!"
"Yes, Big Sis!"
Kaolan spared her a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye before letting out a nearly inaudible sigh. Suddenly, his pupils contracted. His gaze shifted almost imperceptibly toward the gym's entrance. As if on cue, the young woman's attention snapped back to him.
"Kaolan! Where's your resolve?! Keep going, you bastard!"
A muscle in Kaolan's jaw twitched, but he simply redoubled the intensity of his assault on the bag. It was clear that in this gym, the fiery young woman held a position of absolute dominance.
"I suppose this is the place…"
The squeak of the gym door opening drew everyone's attention. Ren stood in the doorway, Cerberus at his side, taking in the scene. The young woman's head whipped around, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before her professional mask slammed back into place. She slammed the bamboo sword down again.
"You maggots, keep training!" she commanded, not missing a beat.
"Yes, Big Sis!"
Ren, who had been about to offer a greeting, was momentarily taken aback. Cerberus's ears twitched as she tilted her heads, regarding the woman with a bewildered expression. 'A fiery personality in a beautiful package,'Ren thought with a flicker of amusement.'Or perhaps a beautiful woman with the heart of a drill sergeant?'
The woman saw their stunned expressions, cleared her throat, and strode over, the fierce commander replaced by a welcoming professional. A polite smile graced her lips. "Are you two looking for someone?"
Ren shook his head, then nodded. "Yes, we are. But we're not just here to find someone. We'd also like to get a membership."
Her eyes, now analytical, scanned Ren's frame, a practiced assessment of his build. "Hmm? Your physique… is this your first time boxing?"
Ren offered a small, enigmatic chuckle. "In a way, yes."
The woman nodded, her professional demeanor firmly in place. "That's fine. You look a bit lean, but don't think we'll relax the requirements just because you're handsome or a beginner."
"I'm looking forward to it," Ren replied smoothly.
Her gaze shifted to Cerberus, who was curiously sniffing the air. "Is this your girlfriend? She's very cute. Does she want a membership too?"
"No, she's just accompanying me. I have a few more friends who will be joining later."
"I see. Well, right this way. Let's get you to fill out a form first," she said, leading him toward a small office area. "After that, we'll map out a plan for your muscle conditioning. Proper muscle groups generate power more effectively. You don't seem to have much muscle mass, so the initial training might be a bit tough."
"It's fine," Ren said, his tone unconcerned.
As Ren filled out the paperwork, the young woman found her eyes repeatedly drawn to the faint, pleasant smile on his face. It was certainly a refreshing change of pace to have such a handsome man in a gym filled with sweaty, grunting fighters. Not all women, she mused, were like those from the Soryuin family, obsessed with mountains of muscle. Most preferred a balanced, clean look… or, to put it simply, they weren't particularly fond of bodybuilders whose muscles seemed to have muscles of their own.
"I'm done. Can I pay by card?"
"Of course! The machine is right here," she said, gesturing. Her eyes caught the name on the form. "Eh? Ren… sounds a bit like a name from China. It's quite nice, though… and a little familiar. Oh, right, I should introduce myself. I'm Uehara Nana, the head coach and manager of this gym. You can call me Coach Uehara."
"Hmm. A pleasure, Miss Uehara."
Hearing the more formal, feminine address, Uehara Nana felt an unexpected flutter in her chest. Being called 'Big Sis' by a pack of rough-and-tumble boxers all day, she found she quite enjoyed a more refined compliment.
"Alright then, Mr. Ren, welcome to Glory Boxing Gym," she said, her smile a little warmer. "By the way, who were you looking for earlier? Are they here? You can have them show you around."
Ren's smile widened slightly. "Oh, he's here."
"And who might that be?"
"Kaolan Wongsawat."
Uehara Nana froze. Her professional smile faltered. What? This polite, smiling man in front of her knew that Kaolan? If that was the case, then this man was no simple beginner.
Just then, a quiet voice spoke from behind them. "Yo, Ren. You're here."
Kaolan had stopped his training and was approaching, wiping sweat from his brow with a towel.
Ren turned to him. "Hmm. Kaolan. Were you saving your strength for my arrival?"
"Sparring with you yields faster improvements," Kaolan stated, his voice flat and matter-of-fact.
"Oh? Aren't you afraid of getting injured again before your current wounds have even healed?"
"There is no training without injury," Kaolan replied, his eyes burning with intensity. "As long as I can grow stronger, I will accept any challenge."
"Then wait for me a moment," Ren said, turning back to the stunned coach. "Miss Uehara, where are the changing rooms?"
Uehara Nana's mouth twitched. She stared at Ren's gentle expression, then at the monstrously powerful fighter standing beside him, and pointed numbly down a hallway. "Uh… it's at the very end of that aisle, to the right. Your membership card is the key."
"Thank you."
Watching Ren walk away with his bag, Uehara Nana swallowed hard. The moment he was out of earshot, she spun around, her eyes blazing as she fixed Kaolan with a ferocious glare.
"Hey! Kaolan!" she hissed, her voice a low, demanding growl. "Right now! Give me that man's information! Tell me everything you know! How is it that I don't remember a single boxer in the world who can beat you, you brute?!"
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