"Hah… hah… hah…"
"You okay, Ran!?"
"Does this… look okay, Necha-Necha?"
"Nature!!"
Mid-January, Rampage collapsed after grueling hill training, barely holding herself up.
"Hill training's that tough? They said we'd start it after debut… I gotta brace myself."
"With Shinzan Iron? Be ready—it's brutal…"
"But aren't you used to—?"
"It's new."
Removing the Shinzan Iron from her shoes, it hit the ground with a heavy thud, stunning Nature. The sound alone hinted it was heavier than before.
"How heavy is that?"
"Old ones were four times regular horseshoes. These are five."
"Whoa…"
Even Rampage, accustomed to ultra-heavy irons, grimaced at the Shinzan hill training. Nature wavered between awe and concern that she could still run.
"All that effort…?"
"Better to lose giving everything than half-assing it. No regrets when you go all out."
"Makes sense, I guess?"
"Exactly. Do your best, leave the rest to fate."
Her gaze shifted to Ikuno, training with standard Shinzan Iron, struggling with deliberate steps, still adjusting.
"Even Ikuno's having a hard time. It was rough for me at first too."
"But she'll get stronger with it, right?"
Nature knew teammates became rivals in races, and Minamizaka encouraged these clashes. Canopus would keep colliding, and she'd face it too.
"Cool, right? Nami-chan said it's great to have rivals in teammates. We're aiming for Tresen's best—if we fear crushing each other, we'll never make it."
"Yeah, I get that…"
"Plus, racing with teammates means they see your run objectively. That's a huge advantage."
Nature paused. Races often revealed what practice hid. Teammates' feedback could fuel improvement, strengthening Canopus as a whole.
"Nice Nature, debuting this year—you've got the best rivals close by. No slacking."
"You mean Teio?"
"Yup, she's a monster."
Nature was stunned. Teio's prowess was the talk of their grade, but for Rampage—herself a beast—to call her a monster meant Teio's potential was immense.
"I saw Nami-chan watching a selection race. Teio's unreal. What even is that?"
That bad?"
"Yup. Probably an undefeated double crown, guaranteed."
"Ugh…"
Not just from history—Teio's runs radiated raw potential. Her signature Teio Step, powered by freakishly flexible joints, was a relief to avoid as a peer, though McQueen was a同期 rival.
"So I'm screwed?"
"Nah, you're a top-tier talent too. Train hard with me and Ikuno—you'll get strong."
"Haha, pass on that intensity—"
"Fine, I'll throw in Turbo."
"Why'd it get worse!?"
But Nature cherished this. Rampage, a G1 winner, and Ikuno, racking up results, were invaluable allies.
"If my teammates are going all out, I can't slack. Alright, let's do this!!"
"That's the spirit, Nature. Ready, Ikuno, Turbo? Mock race—join in!"
"Got it. Can I rest a bit?"
"Fifteen minutes enough?"
"Plenty."
Ikuno caught her breath, while Turbo, stopwatch in hand, zoomed over.
"Ran, listen, listen!! Yesterday's class 2000m—I took first, full escape!"
"No way! You said mils were fine, but mid-distances were tough."
"Yup!! Chasing you and Ikuno leveled me up for 2000!!"
Rampage ruffled Turbo's head as she beamed, craving praise. Knowing Turbo's drive to match her, hitting 2000m was a shock.
"Next, I'll escape long distances!!"
"Aiming for the Triple Crown too, Turbo?"
"Duh! I'll escape Chrysanthemum and Arima!"
Her earnest face showed no lies. Turbo thrived on leading to the finish. Rampage exhaled doubts, standing.
"Guess I gotta step up too, Nature. To match Teio, I need to be ready for a tough debut."
"Let's all run!! Machi-tan, time us~!?"
"You got it~!!"
Their dreams converged on one path: growing stronger together, as Canopus.
"Go!! On your mark, get set… GO!!!"
Turbo & Nature, powering up.
"Beat Teio!! Let's do this~!!"
"Turbo, you got it wrong. We're beating her."
"Huh, really!?"
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