With the party concluded without further incident, Rampage returned to her primary duties as a trainer. Establishing a connection with a "Super VIP" like Uranus had proven to be an asset far beyond her expectations. When the media published the photos of the two of them together—especially once it leaked that they addressed each other as "Ran-chan" and "U-chan"—the public discourse reached a fever pitch.
"Where is she headed next?"
"The Tyrant Dictator: Is she finally making her move into politics?"
"From Tyrant in name to Tyrant in power?"
The headlines were sensational, to say the least. On the afternoon talk shows, pundits theorized that she had organized the URA Finals and the Legend Race specifically to build a power base and secure the authority needed to overthrow the current URA administration.
Rampage happened to be watching one of these programs. Later that day, during her own livestream, she cut through the noise with her trademark bluntness. She dismissed their claims as "baseless delusions masquerading as speculation," adding with a sharp flick of her wrist that she simply wasn't interested in that kind of boredom.
"Waaaaah! Senpai—!!"
"Gah! Oh, it's just you, Dra-Ran."
"You actually startled me..."
Rampage and her sub-trainer, Kamisurugi, were in the middle of a heated debate over training menus in the clubroom when their visitor burst in. It was Dragoon Lance—"Dra-Ran"—from Team Canopus.
"I'm just... I'm so frustrated! It's not fair!"
"What are you, a variety show comedian? That bit is decades old," Rampage sighed.
"This isn't a bit! I'm genuinely upset!"
Dra-Ran began to fume and stomp about, but Rampage was genuinely lost as to the source of her anger. She assumed Dra-Ran had lost a training heat or something similar, until Kamisurugi let out a knowing groan.
"We've been buried in party prep, Rampage. Think. The Hanshin Juvenile Fillies."
"—Crap. I completely forgot."
It wasn't intentional, but the memory had slipped entirely through the cracks of her mind. Her head had been so full of the sudden gala and the fallout that she'd overlooked the race. As a senior to the team, it was a lapse in judgment—even if the party had technically been the higher priority.
In the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, Dragoon Lance had finally put into practice the lessons Rampage had taught her during her time with Canopus: Heart like a furnace, head like ice.
She had executed a brilliant front-running strategy, maintaining a blistering pace that hovered on the edge of a pure breakaway. Leading the pack for almost the entire race, it looked as though she might actually seize the crown. But then, as they hit the final stretch, a shadow loomed from the back of the field.
"Alright, it's a showdown! A one-on-one battle! Let's go, Dra-Raaaaan!"
"If you think you can take me, then just try it!!"
It was Hishi Amazon. Amazon, who shared the same ambition for the Triple Tiara, had been biding her time at the very rear of the pack, waiting for the perfect moment. When the final straight opened up, she unleashed everything. Her powerful, ground-shaking gallop and massive stride overwhelmed the field. In a matter of seconds, she had carved through the pack.
"Less than 200 meters to go! Can Dragoon Lance hold on?! Hishi Amazon is charging hard—she's in third, no, she's closing on Dragoon Lance! Two lengths back! Under 100 meters! Dragoon Lance is digging deep, but Hishi Amazon is level! She pulls ahead! Hishi Amazon takes the lead and hits the wire!! Hishi Amazon wins the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies! Dragoon Lance takes second! Is the Tiara route destined to be dominated by this team?! Team Canopus is going to be a storm in next year's Classics!"
Amazon had surged past in the final thirty meters, claiming her first G1 victory by a neck. While Dra-Ran was currently roaring about "winning the next one," the sting of defeat was still sharp. Finding it hard to talk about her frustration with her own teammates in Canopus, she had sought out Rampage at Team Pleiades instead.
"Second in a G1 is a hell of an achievement, you know," Rampage said, trying to be reasonable. "Besides, you're already a graded stakes winner yourself."
"Trainer Mizuru-zoe might see it that way, but Amazon is a graded winner too," Dra-Ran countered. "I'm going to get my revenge at the Oka Sho, just you watch!"
"I admire the spirit."
With that over, the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes was next on the horizon. If Narita Brian was there, and with Laurel presumably on the Classic path, a collision of titans was inevitable. Rampage occasionally received requests from Team Rigil to act as a pacer—one such request was helping Hayahide prepare for the Kikuka Sho. The thought that she might soon find herself running alongside Narita Brian made her blood hum with excitement. Many claimed that at her peak, Brian surpassed even Rudolf or Deep Impact. The mere possibility was enough to make Rampage's heart race.
"Oh, that reminds me, Rampage-san," Dra-Ran said. "Is it true that the Tulip Sho is being renamed the 'Mejiro Rampage Memorial'?"
"Yeah, I heard something about that. Since my first official race as a Mejiro was the Oka Sho, people seem to think the Tulip Sho is the most fitting tie-in."
The debate over a race bearing her name was ongoing. The consensus was that there should be both a turf and a dirt memorial. While they had decided on a trial race for the newly established Dirt Triple Crown, arguments were still raging over the distance and the venue.
"Honestly, if they're going to do it, the Tulip Sho makes the most sense," Rampage noted. "I didn't become a 'Mejiro' until the Oka Sho, and 'Mejiro Rampage Memorial' is a bit of a mouthful anyway."
"You know, for someone receiving such a massive honor, you're incredibly dry about it. It's like you don't care at all."
"Because I don't."
"That is so you, Rampage-san."
In truth, she had zero interest in self-glorification. She understood the prestige, but to her, the Finals and the Legend Race she had built from the ground up were infinitely more important.
"Anyway, Dra-Ran, shouldn't you be getting back? Don't leave the Canopus crowd hanging."
"But it's awkward facing Ama-chan right now!"
"Not my problem. If I can deal with Ikuno, you can deal with her. Get going."
She shooed Dra-Ran out of the room. The Classic season was about to begin in earnest for those girls. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Team Pleiades' own Mayano Top Gun was preparing to make her mark in the Junior class. And chronologically speaking, she was eventually going to have to face "Maya."
"So, Minami-chan is the opponent," Rampage mused. "I knew it was coming, but it doesn't make it any less terrifying."
"We've got Rigil and Spica to worry about too," Kamisurugi added. "There's too much to think about."
"Well, that's the job. Adults suffer so the kids can run. Considering Maya-ya's running style, it's going to be a headache worth having. And besides..." Rampage grinned. "Going up against Minami-chan is going to be fun."
Kamisurugi looked at her, feeling a sincere sense of respect. Minamisaka—Rampage's "other half"—was a trainer whose name was known by everyone in the industry. He knew Rampage better than anyone, meaning he could likely read their strategies like an open book. Yet, Rampage showed no fear. That fearlessness, Kamisurugi realized, was exactly what made her so magnetic.
"I guess seeing this through is the sub-trainer's burden," Kamisurugi sighed. "I'm dreading it, but I'll do my part."
"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook," Rampage teased. "We're in this together now. We're a package deal."
"Yay. I'll do my best," Kamisurugi replied with a deadpan cheer.
[Postscript: Mejiro Rampage After Retirement]
Rampage was eventually provided with a private stall and a dedicated paddock, though this was effectively a form of isolation. The reason? Even by equine standards, Rampage was an extraordinary beauty. During her racing days, her singular focus on the track had masked it, but after retirement, she seemed to gain a certain "allure" that caused the stallions at the farm to become dangerously overexcited. To maintain order, she had to be kept in her own sovereign space.
Many jockeys visited her in retirement as well. Most of them left with the same wistful comment:
"God, I wish I could have felt what it was like to ride her."
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