The air buzzed with excitement at Tokyo hippodrome, as it was an official race; there were many more people than in her debut race. Some people used umbrellas, but most were okay with the light rain pattering the 1600-meter turf track, softening the ground under a cloudy sky. The flat course stretched ahead, welcoming the challengers seeking to fulfill their dreams, and by the end, a green ribbon awaited the eight umas in this event.
"Welcome, everyone, racing fans, friends! To the Tokyo Rising Star Stakes!" Kokoro's cheerful voice rang out. "It's a damb but thrilling afternoon here at Tokyo, eight young fillies tackle 1600 meters of turf seeking glory! Which one will rise as the conqueror!?"
"The clockwise direction might sound standard, but they must use all their might or their wit to triumph here," Satoshi added to the narration. "The rain is not heavy, but it can make the terrain slippery; but some among them have experience running in the rain, don't they?"
"That's right! Last time Happy Meek won in her debut was on a rainy day, will she repeat the scene!?" Kokoro, the ever enthusiastic, was hyping the race, "That's why she is the second favourite for this race! The odds slightly balance for Choco Choco; she had a sudden surge of fans after some lovely concerts!"
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"Nervous?" Flashy teasing me as I made the final preparations.
I looked at her while I stretched.
"Of course not. Why? Are you worried I will win too much and end your winning streak?"
"Hoooo~" For some reason, Flashy had a wolvish smile for a moment as if I had said the words she was hoping to hear, "I like that!"
I chuckled, bending down to tie my boots, the lighter ones without those forgotten horseshoes. My fingers worked the laces, securing them tightly as raindrops speckled the leather. Reaching for the number 5, the number of my gate. My tail moved from one side to another, nervous and expectant, but of course, I wouldn't admit it; I wanted to go out and run already!
Flashy leaned closer, her chestnut ponytail bouncing. "Oh, I'm counting on it, Meek. A tie last time? Let's see if you can turn that into gold. I'll be watching from the stands, don't disappoint!"
For a moment, we looked at each other and then, after a loud high five, I began to move toward the exit. And then... I was caught by something unexpected.
"Choco~ Choco~ Choco~"
The public was cheering her name. I was surprised, but it was so silly, it felt right in a way; it seems people loved her.
'That's right, the world won't stop because I'm not doing something, my rivals too fight for their dreams.'
The girl in question smiled, quite petite, with slightly brownish skin and chocolate colour hair. She was pretty, she waved to her fans, and they exploded in cheers and screams. It was a strange, yet refreshing sight. Some of the other girls tried to ignore it, others smiled, and some seemed a bit jealous.
'It's okay,' I thought, 'There are people who placed their faith in me too, I must run not to disappoint them'
Among the stands, I could notice Aoi, Flashy, and Golshi, who had come to see me race again. I waved and felt my heart warm, even if the light rain coated my skin. Aoi nodded enouraginly, Flashy grinned and Golshi waved her Rubik's Cube.
But now it was time.
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As soon as I got inside the cage number five, I was able to feel the pressure; it wasn't the race or the competition, it was the expectations stored upon me. I could do it, I got this. The battle is in my mind; that quote rang once again in my mind as I took a deep breath. The gate opened and the show began, and for the first time, I wasn't late. For a brief moment, the eight umas were all running together until each took the planned position. Of course, I was alone at the back.
"And here we go!" Kokoro announced happily, "Choco Choco fights for the first spot with Luna Riot!"
"With determination, our racers fight for the gold," Satoshi laughed. "Such is the power of the youth."
"Can the favourite Choco Choco live up to the expectations?" Questioned Kokoro with mischief.
It was a beautiful scenery seeing the other umas ahead running, now I understand, the privilege I have for being able to view this, to be part of this. Four girls were ahead of me in a cluster blocking me for now, meanwhile, three fought for the first place ahead... I can't get the distance correctly, I lack experience for that. But even so, I remained calm.
"Oh, the second favourite, Happy Meek, it's lagging behind once again, will she surprise us again this time?"
"The uma musume are passing through the first corner and are heading to the second!"
One of the girls ahead slipped slightly because of a muddy patch and almost fell, but it caused her to lose her balance and lag behind. When I passed her, I could hear her curse and try to recover. For a moment, my focus faltered, but that's how this is; even if I feel bad for her, I have to keep going.
"Luna Riot makes her move, she starts to get a decent distance against the favourite Choco Choco!"
"It might be a little early to make a move, but the first three spots are starting to get deffined as they fall into a line" Satoshi calmly analized, "Regenta falls to eight place as Happy Meek passes her and now sits on seventh place, the mud can be a challenge, specially when it's not raining heavily, since it can be treacherous and hard to detect on time"
The skill savvy indicated me it wasn't the time to make a move, the three girls in front of me were hard blocking me, it seemed as if they were spitful, as if they told me 'if we ain't winning neither will you!'
"Half of the race! 800 meters to go!"
And there I saw my chance, these girls are the biggest obstacle to the race, if I pass them, I can win, I can see a path to victory.
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"We are past the half! Why she isn't fighting back!" Flashy began to panic.
Aoi was doing her best to keep watching, she wasn't a fan of the end closer style, in a long time none in her family had trained umas who liked to gamble that much, and for a good reason, it had come as a surprise, but then she noticed something... it was sightly but Happy Meek had begun to accelerate and was closing the gap with the three girls ahead of her.
"She got this!" Gold Ship said excitedly, clenching her hand tightly.
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"Happy Meek is making her move!"
"Regenta loses more ground and gets stuck in eighth position, meanwhile, Cure Flower, Tiramisu, and Not Again are closing ranks to impede the pass to Happy Meek."
As I got closer to them, I could clearly see it now. I just had to wait as Gold Ship told me, the moment they closed ranks, they left a gap on the inside. I remembered my training, increasing my speed as I passed the cones.
"I am not losing to you!!" Screamed one of the girls.
But it was too late, I passed them, almost sliding in the mud.
"Bye bye!" I said, almost laughing, overcoming their little trick.
"Happy Meek!!" One of them called my name, but I did not look back.
"Happy Meek recovers ground!" Kokoro proclaimed.
"300 meters left," Said Satoshi, looking at the marks.
As I charged to victory, I saw Mambo on the multitude, and a couple of umas I recognized, but I couldn't remember the name or simply didn't know it. The people urged Choco Choco, who was dueling for the first place, not to lose, but...
"Here she comes! Surging from the back as a beast, Happy Meek is in third position! She moved to the outside!!!"
"150 meters left, are we going to contemplate another close victory? Or the challenger, Happy Meek, won't be able to make it?"
At this point, the effort was taking hold of my body; my legs felt heavy, but I had run longer distances than this; I could do it; I just needed to hold on and press ahead.
"There is no way I'm going to lose!!!"
I screamed, making my resolve and fighting against the urge to close my eyes, I could see I passed one... then... I passed Choco Choco, who was doing her best to try to retake her first place. For a moment, I stopped hearing the locutors and just kept running as if my life depended on it.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
"Happy Meek!" Kokoro announced, "Happy Meek passes the leaders with less than a hundred meters remaining!! She is ahead by a nose! Choco Choco press on! Happy Meek! Choco Choco! They fight for the number one spot!!!"
The crowd cheered.
"It's neck-and-neck...!!! Happy Meek's end-closer gamble is paying off! Choco Choco digs deep, but Meek's momentum is unstoppable!"
My vision tunneled, rain blurring the finish line. 'The battle's in my mind!' I pushed, tail flicking, and lunged forward as the line loomed.
"And it's over!" Kokoro screamed. "Happy Meek takes the win by a head! Choco Choco finishes second! What a race, my beloved friends and uma racing enthusiasts! Happy Meek proving she has what it takes to keep the people at the edge of their seats!"
The crowd erupted as I staggered to a stop, panting, mud-caked. First place! Aoi's gentle smile shone, Flashy leapt up with a competitive cheer, and Goldshi waved wildly, grinning. I did a peace sign towards them and then bowed to the multitude.
"Meek-san," I heard Choco speak behind me. I turned around and she caught my hand, shaking it. "That was... a good race," She said, recovering her breath.
"Yeah... it was." Then I raised her hand as Blue Rose did for me on the last race, and the crowd, who were crying for her beloved Choco, cheered for the gesture.
(Congratulations!)
(You earned 100 uma coins for the race)
(Secondary mission started, Gold Ship legacy).
'Eh?' I wondered before the other umas reached us and began to congratulate both me and Choco.