Team Pleiades: a gathering of new stars. Rampage had specifically selected middle schoolers for her roster. While some of the applicants had been talented enough to debut almost immediately, they had been snatched up by other trainers. Some had questioned why Rampage would pass on "immediate assets," but her philosophy was clear: she wanted to take her time, molding these girls from the ground up.
"Air-Air, I want you to focus on reading the lines and finding the perfect moment to overtake. Suzuka, Sunny—keep holding that front position. Stay... well, just blow past everyone whenever you feel like it."
Team Pleiades was officially in motion. As their leader, Rampage immediately dove into their training. Since the team was brand new, the atmosphere was charged with motivation—though calling it "harmonious" would be a bit of a stretch.
"Stay Gold! Run with some actual discipline, you delinquent!"
"Shut it... Rampage said I could blow past whenever I felt like it, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do."
"You will address her as Rampage-san, you impudent girl!"
Since joining the team, Stay Gold had actually been following the workouts, which was a victory in itself. Rampage was content as long as she put in the effort, regardless of her attitude. However, the ultra-serious Air Groove did not share that sentiment. Air Groove practically worshipped Rampage, making her compatibility with the rebellious Stay Gold catastrophic. It was a headache in the making, and Rampage knew she'd have to be the one to bridge the gap.
"It's so lively here! Practice is much more fun with a big team, yes?!" Taiki Shuttle chirped.
"I'm not sure 'lively' is the word I'd use..." Mejiro Dober muttered, watching the chaos with a weary expression.
It was certainly noisy. Having spent so much time with the perpetually rowdy Team Canopus, Rampage actually found this frantic energy somewhat comforting.
"Speaking of which, Taiki, your friend Pearl didn't show up for the Selection Race, did she?"
"Oh, Pearl? I invited her, but—" Taiki struck a pose, imitating her friend's dramatic flair.
『To decide my path so easily would be to shrink my own potential! If I focus only on what I like now, my horizons will stay narrow... No, I shall become "Bigger" first, and only then will I knock on the gates of this team!』
"...That's what she told me!" Taiki finished with a grin.
"I see. That's a very 'Pearl' way of looking at things," Rampage chuckled.
Seeking the Pearl was always looking for ways to polish her own brilliance. While she could have sharpened that light under Rampage immediately, she had chosen to see the world with her own eyes first. Rampage looked forward to the day that girl finally decided to knock on Pleiades' door.
"I won't… let anyone past!" Suzuka gasped, her eyes fixed forward.
"Ngh… Me neither!" Sunny Brian—or just "Sunny"—gritted her teeth, shadowed right behind her.
Historically, Sunny Brian was a horse of iron will. He was rarely the favorite; in his Satsuki-sho win, he was the 11th choice and started from the furthest outside gate, completely ignored by the pundits. They called his victory a fluke. Even in the Derby, the Satsuki-sho winner was only the 6th favorite. His jockey, Onishi, famously said, "I don't need to be the favorite. I just want to be first." He went on to suppress the legendary Silence Suzuka and claim the two-crown glory before injury forced an early retirement. He was a champion who proved the world wrong.
(Maybe I should teach her the 'Phantom Lead'...) Rampage mused.
Sunny's greatest strength was her impeccable sense of pace. Despite being a front-runner, she knew how to conserve energy, leaving enough in the tank for a final kick that defied logic for her position. It might be time for Rampage to pass on one of her own signature techniques.
"If you're going to talk that big, you'd better have the legs to back it up, you fool!" Air Groove shouted from behind.
"Hah... don't you go choking on your own words, Empress!" Stay Gold snapped.
Something in Air Groove's condescension ignited a fuse in Stay Gold. Her pace didn't just pick up; it exploded. Despite being a year younger than Air Groove, she began closing the gap with a terrifying burst of late-stage speed.
"If you could run like that, why didn't you do it from the start?!"
"Who knows?! Go complain to Rampage if it bothers you!"
"I am complaining about your attitude!"
"This is my attitude!"
The two of them were basically having a shouting match while sprinting. Whether fueled by rage or raw talent, they surged past Suzuka and Sunny, taking the lead and tearing down the straightaway.
"Whoa... they're fast..." Sunny muttered, stunned.
"—I won't lose. I won't give up the view from the front!" Suzuka's eyes flashed. She accelerated, refused to be left behind, and a lagging Sunny scrambled to follow.
"This has become incredible!" Taiki cheered.
"Air Groove-senpai is literally fighting while she runs..." Dober whispered, wide-eyed.
"Talk about oil and water," Rampage remarked.
Air Groove and Stay Gold crossed the finish line neck-and-neck, still bickering. Suzuka and Sunny finished shortly after. It was just a practice heat, but the intensity had been championship-level.
"Hah! See that? I took it by a nose," Stay Gold smirked.
"That is not the point! You are disrespectful to Rampage-san and you refuse to take training seriously! Are you trying to drag the name of Pleiades through the mud?!"
"Can't drag a name through the mud when the team doesn't even have a trophy yet. Besides, Rampage told me to blow past when I felt like it. I followed orders. I'm innocent."
"Don't you dare use logic to justify your laziness!"
"Alright, alright, that's enough, you two," Rampage stepped in.
The disciplined perfectionist and the chaotic wildcard were a terrible match on paper—but in practice, they acted as the perfect catalysts for one another. Stay Gold had been provoked into showing her true potential, and Air Groove had pushed herself to the limit to match her.
"Good run, Stay. You did exactly what I asked. Staying true to yourself is your greatest weapon."
"Heh. You get it. Guess the 'Tyrant' title isn't just for show," Stay Gold grinned.
"You—!" Air Groove started, but Rampage held up a hand.
"And you too, Air-Air. You're handling the transition from Canopus's style beautifully. We'll start mixing in some advanced techniques soon."
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!"
"Suzuka, Sunny—you both did well. How would the two of you feel about becoming my official successors?"
""S-Successors...!!"" Both girls gasped, their eyes shining with a mix of awe and pressure.
Rampage continued to stoke their fires, tailoring her words to keep each girl's motivation at a fever pitch. They were still just a "young star cluster"—a group of scattered lights that needed to learn how to shine as one.
"Which brings me to my next point—this summer, we're going to training camp."
"WOW! A camp! Special training!" Taiki shouted.
"Wait, already?!" Dober squeaked. "Aren't we supposed to ease into it?!"
"The camp is exactly for that—it's so you all can get to know each other. And don't worry," Rampage grinned, a predatory glint in her eyes, "we'll be getting plenty of 'real' work done, too."
Team Pleiades was just beginning. The fruits of their labor wouldn't be seen by the world for years... but when that day finally came, the brilliance of these gathered stars would leave the racing world blinded.
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