"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today we have gathered her once more to witness a moment of Legend!"
"It is time for this year's [Arima Kinen]!"
To call the following cheer loud would be an understatement.
At that moment, a crowd that easily numbered over 100,000 cheered in excitement, their combined voice causing the railings near the track to shudder due to the sheer volume. And that wasn't even taking into account the many people who were watching the race live from their television. If that was considered, perhaps the total audience count could perhaps breach into the 500,000s.
"A Sunny day, a Firm Turf, all along 2500 meters in length-"
"On this very day, 12 brave umamusume shall run across the track!"
「12 runners, huh?」Secretariat hummed as she relaxed into her seat.「Only 4 dropped out? That's surprising.」
「It's a little special, this time.」I smiled.「The [Arima Kinen] isn't really something you can run away from. Participation is decided by votes from your fans, so deciding not to participate isn't that different from betraying your fans' expectations.」
「Wow, that sounds horrible.」She said, smiling sharply.
I shrugged.「That's just how it is.」
Naturally, we were in the VVIP room right now—both because of my injured legs and also because Secretariat was here. The rest of Team Kitahara was also seated in their own chairs, along with our parents who'd arrived two days prior.
Speaking of, my father had been staring at both Secretariat and I with undisguised shock for the last few minutes. Partially because of the fact that I was fluently speaking English despite never having spoken it at all for most of my life, and also because Secretariat practically towered over every single person in this room.
Oguri was sitting to my left, though since she didn't understand English, she was instead busying herself with a bag of chips I'd bought for her earlier.
"She recently showed a dominating victory in the [Stayers Stakes], winning with a lead of over 12 lengths! The race this time might be shorter, but she isn't backing down in the slightest!"
"The third favorite—No.5, Super Creek!"
Nase Fumino smiled slightly as she saw her trainee confidently walk onto the track, her strides long and powerful. At that moment, with the morning sun illuminating her from behind, Super Creek looked radiant.
She knew victory would be difficult. The race was far too short to fully make use of Creek's incredible stamina, and even if she ran a Great Escape from the very start, Dicta Striker would still defeat her in terms of speed.
But this time, Tamamo Cross would also be there, and the White Lightning was simply not an opponent the current Creek could defeat. She was too powerful, too dominating—and with her Domain now unlocked, she couldn't begin to fathom how far she could now go.
But even so, Creek would run, and Fumino would be there to aid her at every step. Even if they couldn't achieve victory, they would continue running together, towards that dream that began this journey of theirs in the first place.
Suddenly, she felt an odd tingling in the back of her neck, and she instinctively looked down to find Creek waving at her, her smile bright and kind. She couldn't quite hear what Creek was saying, but from the way her lips moved, Fumino could make a rough guess.
"Go, Creek." She whispered, and though her voice was soft, Creek somehow heard her words and nodded. And with those words said, Creek turned around and headed for her gate, ready for the upcoming race.
Fumino stood still for a moment, before her face went bright red. For her to accurately guess what Creek was saying just from watching her lips' movement…
…she was beginning to fear what she was becoming.
"Now, our 2nd favorite!"
"The Yellow Bullet herself! She recently won the [Copa Republica Argentina] with a terrifying acceleration, and now she heads forth to challenge the Strongest-!"
"No.8, Dicta Striker!"
Mejiro Ardan gently furrowed her brows as she watched Dicta Striker walk onto the track, her usual arrogant smirk stretching across her lips. "Dicta…" She whispered, her hands clasped together with worry.
Because though Dicta presented herself with confidence, Ardan knew better. Ardan was walking into this with no expectation of winning. She knew from the get-go that this was a race she would never win.
Tamamo Cross was just too strong. Not only was she a Senior, but her Domain was similarly overwhelming. Even back then, when she'd watched her awakening from the audience, she felt like her heart had stopped when she first saw that god of lightning that'd formed around Tamamo.
That was not something she could defeat.
That was not a force a mortal could dream to endure.
Yet Dicta walked tall; a prisoner walking towards their execution. A foolish dreamer chasing an impossible dream.
"Because that's what it means to run." She whispered, repeating the words Dicta had said back then, her smile gently lit by the setting sun. And like a spell, she felt some of her worry melt away, pooling into a gentle warmth as she gazed at the track. "Go, Dicta." She said, smiling brightly.
"Did you say something, Ardan-nee?" The umamusume sitting next to her asked, her ears twitching slightly.
Ardan blinked, and then blushed slightly when she realized she'd spoken out loud. "A-Ah, it's nothing, McQueen-chan."
McQueen tilted her head slightly, before she asked. "Who do you think will win, Ardan-nee?"
Ardan blinked, and then smiled. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" She asked, grinning slightly. "Dicta Striker will, of course." She said with pure confidence, and she didn't bother to explain further despite McQueen's growing confusion.
"And lastly, the one we've all been waiting for-!"
"She who shines with White Lightning, who holds the strength of Susanoo himself! Her strength cannot be questioned, and now she carries with her the promises of Japan's two greatest of this era-!"
At the announcer's words, every other umamusume on the track turned towards the athlete's tunnel. That person had yet to reveal themselves, but even from afar, they could feel the hairs on their arms standing up, as if the air had suddenly been filled by a well of electricity. A few of them, having never experienced a Domain before, felt their breaths turning shallow as a pressure pushed against their chest.
Then, a mane of grey appeared from the shadows, accompanied by bright blue eyes that stormed with white lightning.
"Our top favorite—No.11, TAMAMO CROSS!!"
Tamamo Cross walked forth, uncaring of the thundering cheers that followed her arrivals. Her eyes shone like flickering storms, and her loose jacket allowed glimpses at the powerful muscles hidden beneath her G1 outfit.
Many of the runners gulped, and those that were already struggling under Tamamo's pressure outright gasped as their legs began shaking. Even though Tamamo didn't look at them as she walked towards her gate, they could almost smell the overpowering scent of ozone filling the air, as if Tamamo herself was its source.
Not even Dicta and Creek was spared from the terrifying pressure Tamamo carried, though they showed no signs of it.
Dicta simply smirked as she felt the chill creeping up her spine. She'd known from the beginning that this wasn't a clash she could win. But accompanying that fear was also a burning excitement. She'd seen Tamamo's strength during the [Japan Cup]—how much more overwhelming had she become now?
Creek was a little different. She too knew this was a fool's endeavour, yet her heart burnt with the need to win. She wanted to show the world that her trainer's choice to believe in her wasn't false. She would show this world--
That even a fool like her had what it took to bring down a Hero.
"All umamusume have entered their gates!"
"The fateful moment is here. The [Arima Kinen] is about to begin…!"
"Tama, are you happy?"
"Ha? Whas' with da' question?" Tamamo asked, her grip on her phone loosening slightly in confusion.
Her father's warm chuckle echoed through the phone. "It's not that surprising, is it?" She heard some shuffling, likely him moving to make himself comfortable. "I'm your dad, after all."
Tamamo huffed. "Guess that ain't wrong." She paused for a moment, remembering the promise she made to Star and Oguri on live television. She then smiled softly. "But yea. I guess I'am." She pounded a fist onto her chest. "I've never felt happier."
"Then run, Tamamo." Her father softly said. "Run with pride."
"You seein' this, pops?" Tamamo whispered, glancing back at the audience. "Watc' me. I'll blow ev'ryone away." She clenched her fists, and a wide smirk grew across her lips as she stomped her foot down.
"LET'S DO THIS!"
BANG!
"And they're off!"
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AN: Apologies for only posting one chapter yesterday. This chapter was supposed to be the second one, but it didn't feel quite right, so I rewrote it and uploaded it today instead.