VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

But the silence lasts only a few seconds before Phantom Cabello bursts into laughter. He laughs so hard that he nearly doubles over against the top rope.

”Jesus Christ...” He struggles to breathe. ”I almost believed it myself. An Indonesian health minister? That poor woman has no idea she just became the main character in your conspiracy theory.”

Ryoma sighs. ”At least it worked.”

”Well, congratulations.” Cabello spreads his arms theatrically. ”You won the argument by convincing the other guy you’re completely insane.”

”Enough already,” Ryoma mutters.

”Alright, alright. Back to work. Now... where were we?

The phantom figure finally manages to suppress his laughter, though the grin refuses to leave his face.

”Right. You were about to spar the greatest Cuban fighter to ever embarrass you. So, are you ready?”

Still wearing an annoyed expression, Ryoma walks toward the center of the ring. He rolls his shoulders, lifts both hands into position, then immediately clicks his tongue.

”…Damn. I forgot my gloves.”

Cabello laughs under his breath. ”You don’t have to. This is just a simulation. And I’m nothing more than the system’s projection.”

Ryoma hesitates. He raises his hands once more, staring at his empty fists for a second before shaking his head.

”…Still feels wrong.”

Cabello shrugs.

”Fine.”

The moment the word leaves his mouth, faint blue light begins gathering around both of Ryoma’s hands. The glow thickens, wrapping itself around his fists layer after layer until it solidifies into a familiar pair of boxing gloves.

Ryoma instinctively clenches both fists. The weight, the padding, even the pressure around his wrists, everything feels exactly the same.

”…How?”

”Same principle as when you spar with me,” Cabello replies casually. ”The system feeds your brain every sensation you’d normally associate with real gloves. The weight, the balance, the resistance... your mind fills in the rest.”

Ryoma slowly opens and closes his fists again.

”…It feels real.”

”Your brain doesn’t know the difference.” Cabello smirks. ”But don’t get any bright ideas. Those gloves only exist inside the simulation between you and me. Try punching the ring post or the canvas, and your fist will go straight through the illusion.”

His grin widens. ”So... don’t blame me if you end up looking like an idiot.”

Ryoma can’t help feeling impressed by how practical the feature is. But almost immediately, another thought creeps into his mind.

”Damn… what if Kurogane is right?”

”If the system keeps feeding my brain sensations that feel completely real, how long before I stop noticing the difference?”

”Isn’t that exactly how schizophrenia works?”

For the first time, Ryoma can’t completely dismiss the possibility that maybe Kurogane isn’t entirely wrong about him needing to see a psychiatrist.

***

While Ryoma forces himself back into training while carrying a lingering doubt about his own sanity, the battle for Tokyo Dome quietly shiftS to another front.

NSN officially opens ticket registration under its newly adopted Chūsen lottery system. By the end of the very first day alone, 143,826 valid applications have already been submitted, giving everyone inside NSN the unmistakable feeling that the market’s appetite has only grown stronger.

Seven days later, when the first lottery phase officially comes to an end, a total of 612,487 valid applications have been submitted for just 18,000 available seats, producing an oversubscription ratio of 34:1.

The announcement immediately sends social media into chaos. Timelines are flooded with thousands of disappointed fans comparing just how many accounts they had sacrificed for a single chance to enter Tokyo Dome.

@BoxingJunkie: I registered 10 accounts... not a single one got selected.

@RinFightClub: Only 10? I went with 27 accounts and still got absolutely destroyed.

@UppercutLife: 30 accounts. 30 losses. At this point I think Ryoma personally blocked me.

@Sora_97: 34 applicants fighting for 1 seat... and somehow I still convinced myself I’d win.

@Kaito_88: My wife won. My brother won. My cousin won. I registered 18 accounts and somehow I’m the only one who got NOTHING.

@ShinPunch: 612,487 applications?? That’s not a boxing event anymore. That’s a national crisis.

@HarutoMMA: The people who won better actually show up. I’d sell my kidney for that ticket.

@Kenta_89: Forget the fight. Surviving the lottery was the real championship.

And of course, that overwhelming response quietly changes NovaLink’s position. Only days earlier, Ando wanted to wait until after Tokyo Dome before committing to a long-term partnership. But 612,487 lottery applications prove more convincing than any presentation Ryoma could have made.

They eventually move forward with the plan, approving both the boxing program and its broadcasting agreement with Ronin through February 2022.

As NSN officially opens the second phase of its Chūsen lottery, public attention is suddenly divided by another announcement. Ryoma unexpectedly appears across online media, social platforms, and NovaLink’s official website as the company unveils its long-term partnership with Ronin.

”NovaLink is pleased to announce a strategic broadcasting partnership with Ronin Fight Management through February 2022. As the first step of this collaboration, NovaLink subscribers will have access to Ronin Fight Management’s upcoming Tokyo Dome event, one of the most anticipated boxing events in recent Japanese history.

For those who have yet to experience NovaLink’s service, we invite you to subscribe today and witness the beginning of a new era in professional boxing.”

Within the following days, NovaLink begins its promotional campaign. Advertisements appear across television broadcasts, online platforms, and large digital billboards in major cities, turning the upcoming Tokyo Dome event into the centerpiece of their new boxing program.

On one of those massive public screens, a highlight reel from Ronin’s previous Yoyogi event plays before thousands of passing pedestrians. The footage captures the intensity of the fights, the roar of the crowd, and Ryoma’s unforgettable presence inside the ring.

As the final sequence fades, the screen shifts to Ryoma standing beneath the lights, looking directly into the camera.

”Don’t miss the next chapter of professional boxing. Subscribe to NovaLink today, and get access to boxing events every day.”

The Ronin Fight Management logo appears beside the NovaLink logo, followed by the date of the Tokyo Dome event.

***

Everything that has happened over the past several days should have been enough to let Ryoma return his full attention to boxing.

That has been the plan all along. Once the NovaLink deal was settled, he would leave for Nagano and rejoin the others at the training camp.

Instead, another problem appears. The Chūsen lottery system introduced by NSN unexpectedly throws the Cruel King Army into disarray.

Already dressed to leave, Ryoma is now forced to abandon his suitcase lying open on the bed and rushes out of the apartment with his phone still in his hand.

”Alright. I’ll be there soon. Stay where you are.”

He heads straight for his mother’s barbershop. But even before he reaches the shop, he spots Kenji Matsuda waiting on the curb.

”Kenji-san,” Ryoma calls without slowing his pace.

”I got a message from Ueda just now,” Kenji says impatiently. ”New people are still showing up at his place asking to join. I think it has something to do with the Chūsen system NSN introduced.”

”Chūsen?” Ryoma repeats.

”You didn’t know?” Kenji asks. ”Their ticketing system crashed on the first day because too many people tried to buy at once. They shut it down and switched to the Chūsen lottery instead. The first phase just finished with only 18,000 seats available, but hundreds of thousands of people applied.”

”If that’s how the tickets are being distributed,” Ryoma murmurs, ”there’s a good chance our members won’t be sitting together.”

”So far,” Kenji says, ”fewer than 300 of our members have won tickets. Even then, their seats are scattered all over the stadium instead of being in the same section.”

He pauses before continuing. ”And what’s even worse... the Cruel King Army has already grown to nearly 10,000 members.”

Ryoma blinks. ”You’re kidding. Since when?”

”The explosion happened only recently.” Kenji lets out a helpless sigh. ”Around 2,000 people joined in just the last two days. I think a lot of them are people who failed to get tickets through the lottery and assumed joining the Cruel King Army would guarantee them one instead.”