"Yo."
"Don't you 'Yo' me. Do you have any idea how high-profile you are? You can't just go popping in and out of places like this. Actually, never mind—I'm the idiot for asking. You know exactly what you're doing, don't you, Su-chan?"
"Fufufu… You always did understand me best, Lan-chan."
Rampage had been spending more and more time in the old Team Canopus room. Perhaps the familiar walls made her paperwork go faster. Her visitor was none other than Speed Symboli—or "Su-chan" to her peers. While most would wonder if a pillar of the Symboli family should be wandering around so freely, there was no point in questioning her. Speed Symboli embodied a brand of freedom that surpassed even Mr. C.B.
Rampage set about brewing a fresh pot of coffee.
"So, what brings you here? You don't usually visit without a reason."
"I just came to see the face of my darling granddaughter. Is that not reason enough?"
"It's a lovely reason. But you should probably say that to your actual granddaughters."
"Oh, I already have. Lu-chan and Shi-chan both turned beet red with joy. They're simply precious!" Su-chan beamed.
Rampage handed her a cup of coffee and, as an accompaniment, a slice of yokan (sweet bean jelly).
"My, yokan? I usually associate that with green tea."
"Trust me, it's a killer combo. Give it a try."
"If it's your recommendation, Lan-chan, then I certainly shall."
Su-chan took a bite. The dense, rich sweetness of the beans spread across her palate. When she followed it with a sip of the coffee, the bold bitterness and the aromatic acidity of the brew cut through the sugar, creating a sophisticated harmony where each flavor elevated the other. It was an unexpected, yet masterful pairing.
"It matches perfectly. I'm genuinely surprised."
"Unexpected, right?"
It was one of Rampage's personal favorites. She hadn't recommended it to anyone before, but she was glad the Grand Dame approved.
"So, where is your team?" Su-chan asked.
"Still in class. They won't be here for a while. Is that why you're really here?"
"It's your team, after all. As a trainer who stood on the world stage beside you, I can't help but be curious."
As expected, her "granddaughter" excuse was likely just a convenient cover to check in on the progress of Team Pleiades.
"So, what is your vision for them? That is usually the first thing a team founder agonizes over."
"Vision? Honestly, I haven't really thought about it in those terms."
"Oh dear."
To put it bluntly, Rampage didn't have a rigid blueprint for what she wanted the team to be. If anything, she simply wanted to raise Umamusume who could chase their own dreams. She wanted to pass her "Whole-Body Running" technique to Silence Suzuka and teach Sunny Brian the secrets of the "Phantom Lead." Both were front-runners; both were her natural successors.
"I have visions for them as individuals," Rampage explained, leaning back. "But I have no intention of forcing a mold on them. I don't want them coming to me to ask what their personality should be. I want them to have autonomy. That's why I told them the team doesn't have a unified goal—they have to decide their own."
Su-chan took a slow sip of her coffee, her expression turning maternal. It was exactly as she had feared. Rampage was a world-class athlete, but as a trainer, she was still green. There were lessons only a veteran could teach.
"Listen to me, Lan-chan. The girls who come to Tracen Academy are all blessed with undeniable talent. They are serious, passionate, and driven. Because of that, when you give them a specific task—a challenge to overcome—they flourish. Autonomy is precious, yes, but a Trainer's job is to provide the 'Problem' for them to solve. It might be fine for now, but by the time Air Groove-chan is ready to debut, 'decide for yourself' won't be enough. They will get lost. They will overthink, try to do everything alone, and eventually, they will break."
Rampage listened in silence. The realization hit her like a thunderclap: a task wasn't just a source of pressure; it was a source of security. Thinking back to her own rookie days, she remembered how much easier it was when she had a clear objective. When she had too much freedom, she had spent her time worrying if she was doing enough, or if people thought she was slacking off.
"A task, huh…"
"For example," Su-chan continued, "for Suzuka-chan, it's mastering your Whole-Body style. For Sunny-chan, it's the Phantom Lead. You've already thought of these things, haven't you?"
"You saw right through me."
"Fufufu… I didn't spend all those years overseas with you for nothing."
I guess this is the difference in life experience, Rampage thought.
"The job of a team trainer," Su-chan said, her voice growing firm, "is to define 'Righteousness.' Showing them a 'joyful race' is one way to be right. Showing them a 'winning race' is another."
"Righteousness… so my personal values become the team's entire world? That sounds like a dictatorship."
"Exactly. It suits you perfectly."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a Tyrant and a Dictator… pipe down, you. Here, have another slice of Forest Yokan."
A team trainer as a dictator—the one who defines the culture and values of the collective. It was a harsh way to put it, but it made perfect sense. Team Rigil stood for absolute management; Spica for individuality; Canopus for the fundamentals. Each team reflected the soul of its leader.
"I'll give it some thought," Rampage said. "Not just the 'values' part, but the specific challenges for each of them."
"Think on it well. You have time, and you are still a very young trainer. This current roster isn't the end-all-be-all of your career. Things will change, and new girls will come. Don't rush, don't panic. Just take it slow. Now then, thank you for the coffee and the jelly."
"Wait, you're leaving already? I thought we were gonna flirt a bit more."
"Oh, I'd love to! But I have business to attend to. Goodbye, Lan-chan. I'll come by to play again soon. Chu!"
With a blown kiss, Su-chan vanished. Rampage sat in the quiet room, nursing her coffee and ruminating on the veteran's words. Vision. Tasks. Values. These were the tools of a true leader. It wasn't enough to just be fast or good at writing training menus.
"I'm here because I want to do this," Rampage muttered to the empty room. "And if I'm going to do it, I have to be worthy of them. Alright… let's do this! I'm the 'Tyrant' Mejiro Rampage. There isn't a challenge I can't break. I'll make it work!"
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