VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA - Chapter 408: The Most Painful Victory

Chapter 408: The Most Painful Victory

The noise hasn’t fully settled when the ring announcer finally steps through the ropes, microphone in hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he begins, voice steady and formal. “The winner of the Super Lightweight Class-A Final, by technical knockout… at two minutes and twenty-one seconds of round eight… Ryohei Yamada!”

The arena surges again. Ryohei exhales sharply, lifting his gloves, still trying to catch up to the moment.

“With this victory,” the announcer continues, “The winner has earned the right to challenge for the Japanese Super Lightweight Championship.”

An official steps in with a small trophy, polished and modest, fitting the occasion. Another follows with a placard displaying the prize: ¥3,000,000, along with confirmation of a one-year exclusive sponsorship contract.

Ryohei accepts them all with careful hands, fingers tightening briefly around the weight of the trophy and the placard.

He bows slightly, an instinctive gesture of respect, head lowered, overwhelmed by the moment, the storm still settling in his chest.

“And now,” the announcer says, raising his voice, “we move on to tonight’s special awards.”

Ryohei hesitates, and then moves toward the ropes, seeming to take his leave. But an official rests a hand lightly at his shoulder, the smile polite but insistent.

Murmurs ripple through the crowd as he turns back toward center ring, confusion flickering across his face for a heartbeat before he schools it away.

“First, the Fighting Spirit Award,” the announcer continues, turning toward the aisle, “goes to Super Featherweight finalist… Leonardo Serrano!”

After a brief pause, Serrano jogs down the aisle in short bouncing steps, arms raised as he waves to the crowd.

He steps into the ring to warm applause, meeting Ryohei near center. They stand side by side beneath the lights, trophies raised, the night finally finding its shape.

An official approaches Serrano first, handing him a modest plaque. Fighting Spirit Award is etched across it, the figure beneath clear: ¥500,000.

Serrano lifts it with a tired grin, bowing once toward the crowd, applause swelling again for the man who refused to go quietly.

“Next, Outstanding Performance Award…” the announcer continues. “And Best Bout of the Night, both go to… Ryohei Yamada!”

The crowd answers for Ryohei before he can react. The arena erupts, cheers crashing together as his name is shouted back from every corner.

Ryohei blinks, stunned. For a second he just stands there, then glances toward his team. Nakahara gives him a small nod. Sera breaks into a grin, shaking his head in disbelief. Ryoma just gives him a light smile with a nod.

“Are you kidding me?” one commentator laughs. “Outstanding Performance and Fight of the Night… both to Ryohei Yamada.”

“He earned every bit of it,” the other adds. “This was the moment of the tournament.”

An official steps in, pressing another placard into Ryohei’s arms, then another. His hands fill quickly; trophies, prize boards, bold numbers staring back at him.

– ¥1,000,000 for Outstanding Performance.

– And another, smaller board, ¥300,000, Best Bout of the Night.

He shifts them awkwardly, trying not to drop anything, a breathless laugh escaping before he can stop it.

Cameras crowd in. Flashes pop in rapid bursts, freezing his uncertain smile, the disbelief still clear on his face.

For one night, the spotlight belongs entirely to him.

***

Moments later…

The blue corner locker room erupts the moment the door swings open. Shouts bounce off the concrete walls.

Aramaki is already there, clapping hard, Kenta whooping as he grabs Ryohei by the shoulders and drags him inside like a trophy that learned to walk.

“You actually did it!” Aramaki barks, voice hoarse with excitement. “That counter… we were so surprised you actually pulled it off.”

Kenta grabs his head, grinning wide. “You’re a monster, man. A quiet one… but still a monster!”

Ryohei barely has time to breathe. His head gets rubbed, pushed down, pulled into half-hugs he doesn’t fully register. He’s smiling, dazed, nodding at words that blur together. The win still feels unreal, like it belongs to someone else.

Then he sees Okabe, standing a little apart, near the back wall.

Okabe’s smile is still there, but thin, stretched too tight. His eyes are red, glassy. He claps once, twice, and then stops, hands falling awkwardly to his sides.

Something in Ryohei settles as he swallows hard. The noise fades, just a little.

Okabe steps forward first, forcing the cheer into his voice. “Hey… don’t look at me like that,” he says, waving a hand. “Your win’s a win for the whole gym. Seriously. You don’t need to…”

Then his voice cracks, just a hairline fracture, but it’s there. He looks down, shoulders tensing, sobbing.

“I’m happy,” he insists. “I am. Really. I just…”

He laughs, short and broken, rubbing at his face.

“Damn it. I shouldn’t be crying now.”

But the tears come anyway, and he can’t simply hold or hide them.

“I’m happy you won,” Okabe says again, forcing a grin despite his own sorrow. “I really am.”

Ryohei doesn’t say anything. He just steps in and pulls him close, forehead resting against Okabe’s temple, holding him there while the room slowly learns to breathe again.

It isn’t about losing a fight. It’s about having a win taken from you.

A man can accept defeat. He can bow his head, learn, and move on. But to fight through every disadvantage, to turn the bout on its head with sheer will, and still be denied victory…

That kind of loss doesn’t fade. It lodges deep, heavy, and cruel. It’s painful enough to break someone like Okabe.

The team closes in around him at once. Aramaki moves to his side, close enough to share the space without touching. Kenta steps in from the other angle, blocking the rest of the room without meaning to.

Sera positions himself just behind, steady and silent. Nakahara remains a half step back, watching, bearing it with them.

***

Around the room, fighters from other gyms avert their eyes. No one laughs, no one sneers, because they know what happened out there.

A crying boxer isn’t weakness. It’s a proof he gave everything. Still, the air grows uncomfortable, heavy with something no one wants to sit inside for long.

Ayano watches from across the room, irritation simmering in his chest. His own victory still burns bright in his mind, yet the absence of any award needles him. Annoyance flickers across his face before he turns away, unwilling to look any longer.

One by one, people begin to leave, until the locker room belongs to Nakahara’s team alone.

Just before the last one shuts the door, Logan appears in the doorway, hands already clapping, smile light.

“Good night for your gym, Coach Nakahara,” he says casually. “Congratulations.”

Nakahara and Sera turn toward him, but no words come, and there’s no hiding the weight sitting on their faces.

Ryoma, standing closest to the door, steps toward the door and pauses there, studying Logan in silence for a long cold moment. Without offering a smile or any gesture of welcome, he simply closes the door.

Behind the closed door, Logan only lifts his brows, gives a faint shrug, and turns away. A quiet chuckle slips out as he walks down the corridor, head shaking just slightly.

“Let see how long you can survive in this sport… Ryoma Takeda.”