Hey guys! This is Sleepy. My first attempt at writing a story on Webnovel, and of course, it's an Umamusume story. I'm hopelessly addicted to the game, so I'll update this where I can.
Any feedback regarding the timeline would be helpful, as I'm going to be experimenting here. Following the anime timeline, with horses from all different eras, can be a bit headache-inducing, and I'm going to try to recreate these horse races as accurately as possible in terms of the lineup. A bit difficult for older races because I can't seem to find WHO is in these races, but I digress.
Also RIP/o7 to Grass Wonder. An amazing Umamusume, and a legendary racehorse of the Golden Generation. Rest well.
Credit to the Cover was found here. https://www.wallpaperflare.com/uma-musume-pretty-derby-maruzensky-anime-anime-girls-bangs-wallpaper-ybnqj
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Chapter 1 - The Arima Kinen
"Welcome, everyone, to the Arima Kinen! The final G1 race of the year is set to kick off here at the Nakayama Racecourse. My name is Misato Akasaka! With me here today is Yutaka Take." The voice of Misato Akasaka, an up-and-coming G1 commentator, played clearly through the TV's speakers. The bright screen of the TV projected across the dark room, showing the features of a teenager in a white dress shirt and black slacks eating a cup of instant ramen, chicken flavor(The best flavor). The teen possessed short straight brown hair, tired brown eyes covered by thick-framed glasses, and a vertically challenged height.
"Hmm… I wonder if Tosho Boy can bounce back today." The teen muttered to himself, pausing to slurp some more of his dinner.
"Here comes our first runner! With a record of 11 races and 3 wins, it's Two Inches of Love! She is the 8th favorite in this race!" Misato exclaimed as the first Uma walked out of the tunnel. Bright pinkish red hair was braided into pig tails trailing down her back. She wore an asymmetrical dress, colored in red, white, and black, with long black platform boots.
"8th favorite with a record like that? Impressive, she has that much fan vote after her recent string of losses in the G2 circuit." The teen muttered to himself, snorting lightly at the runner's name.
Fan vote played a small part in how these racers get here, but could also be misleading in their capabilities in his eyes. The name of this Uma alone probably garnered a decent following just for the memes.
"I figured you'd be watching the race at this time. Has it started yet? Also, why do you always have the lights off, Riku?" An aged voice called from behind the now known Riku, startling the teen.
"Oi, at least knock or announce yourself before you pop up behind me, grandpa." He bit back in reply, glaring down as he slurped his rapidly depleting noodles. His grandpa has a habit of spooking him when he can, something about paying him back for years of doing the same. Not his fault, he tries not to make too much noise as he walks around and ends up gaining a reputation for scaring people.
"Hmm. But where's the fun in that?" The older member of the duo chuckled, ruffling his grandson's hair, much to the boy's chagrin. He leaned forward, groaning as his knees protested against the movement, grabbing a handful of rice crackers from the small table in front of them.
"For such a distinguished individual, you can be quite childish. Chairman." Riku deadpanned in reply. The man in question, his grandfather, is the current chairman of the URA. Masayoshi Yoshida, an unambitious and fun-loving man, who'd become the lead pillar of the URA. The very association that regulates and runs the very race he's watching on the TV. Of course, he knows him better as a joke-loving old man who also loves to pawn his paperwork off on his assistant.
Such thoughts sent Riku back, remembering his first meeting with his grandfather. Ironically, his first meeting with him came at a very interesting time. The moment Riku Yoshida, formerly James Cameron of Earth, as a baby, gained awareness as a being, his grandfather was there. The man left a big impression on him, gossiping about his work with Umamusume. That hit the point of just what kind of world he now found himself in.
Riku thought fondly back to those days, growing up as a child in the peaceful world of Umamusume, which truly was a different experience. Horse girls are a real thing and are a big factor in all aspects of life in this world. He originally intended to become a trainer, coaching up Umas to be the best they can be. His knowledge was pretty limited, though, entirely based on the game and vague recollections from the anime. No concept of a timeline or when the Umas he remembered would be around.
"Ah, I was determined to make Haru Urara the best horse there ever was. Then good ol' nepotism kicked in, and now I'm a wageslave assistant working for my grandpa." Riku thought to himself, recalling the abrupt change in career path. Not like it made him any less determined to see Haru Urara go for the Triple Crown. Not his favorite honse, but the most deserving of a different path in his mind.
"Making her way out now, with a record 10 races and 6 wins, is the Young Youth of the Falling Star, Ten Point!" The announcer called out, dragging Riku's attention back to the TV screen. An Uma strutted out of the tunnel, wearing her auburn brown hair in a bun on her head. Her pink dress, covered in yellow hexagon patterns, trailed down to mid-thigh. Pure white stockings trailed down into bright yellow heeled shoes.
"Ah! I missed the other runners!" Riku blinked, his eyes wide at missing essentially everyone else racing due to his zoning out.
"Hahahaha. Missing a chance to see more Umas? Surprising from you." Masayoshi remarked, his eyebrows raised at his grandson's blunder. The boy is well known for remembering and favoring any Uma he meets. He smiled, remembering how much of a fanboy he can be about them.
Riku would refrain from replying, knowing arguing would be pointless. He's not wrong about that after all. Riku is a big Uma fanboy.
"With a total of 9 races in her classic year and 6 wins, she's the favorite to win! The Heavenly Uma, Tosho Boy!!" Misato thundered out. Walking out of the tunnel was a tall Umamusume, dressed androgynously in a slacks + dress shirt/vest combo. Her clothes possessed varying colors of purple and pink, dominated by a red/yellow diamond design. Positioned by her right ear was a Japanese ball-shaped charm, colored red and blue.
"Tosho Boy, huh?" Riku mused aloud. Two members of the fabled TTG were here. Ten Point, Tosho Boy, and Green Grass. From what he gathered, these three were the supposed stars of this generation of Japanese Umas. Green Grass, being the upcoming rookie, Tosho Boy, and Ten Point are in their classic years. Ten Point at this moment, being a perennial 2nd place finisher. While Tosho Boy was on the rise in recent races. Tosho Boy had recently claimed victory in a series of G2 races, while winning one of the three Triple Crown races, the Satsuki Sho. She did suffer a loss in the Kikuka Sho just before this race, taking a 3rd place finish.
"She looks good. I don't see anyone else beating her in this race." His grandfather chimed in, looking at Tosho Boy as well. Something Riku firmly agreed with, the rest of the racers in this bunch weren't bad, but well below the level of the top two contending today. Who knows, though, maybe Ten Point or someone else could do something really interesting in this race.
"How have the viewership numbers been recently, grandpa?" Riku asked his grandfather, slurping down the broth of his ramen.
"Not good. We're still down a few % again this year." Masayoshi stated, a rare frown appearing on his face. Umamusume races were still something that drew the awe and admiration of many, but in Japan recently, people hadn't been tuning in as much as they used to. Less memorable names racing the course, fewer runners, people felt less connected or interested in Japanese racing.
"Mhm." Riku nodded along. It was jarring to witness, having seen from the Umamusume games and anime, that interest in it was at an all-time high then. At this point, there was no Symboli Rudolf, Maruzenky, Mr. C B, Tokai Teio, Special Week, Silence Suzuka, and many other memorable Umas who would shape the generations to come. Riku honestly had no clue which of these legends would appear first.
Part of it could be attributed to his spotty memory carrying over, but he's not sure who is going to show up first. He's aware that Symboli Rudolf was the 7 crown champion, The Emperor. But was she the first to pop up? If not, who will appear first to usher in the new age of Umamusume in Japan?
"The runners are taking their positions. Once again, the 3rd favorite is Mejiro Hiryu! She's poised to make a comeback. 2nd is Ten Point, looking for a well-deserved first-place finish! Lastly is the favorite, Tosho Boy! Looking to bounce back and finish the year strong." Misato announced, being the final prelude to the race itself.
"I hope all the Umamusume race well today." The voice of Yutaka Take chimes in, being the color commentator in this case.
Both Riku and Masayoshi leaned forward, excited for the race to begin. A quiet hush seemed to permeate through the TV, as everything went silent. Only to be broken by a silent bang of the runner's doors opening.
"And they're off! All runners sprint cleanly out of the gate! Ten Point quickly surges to the front of the pack! Her lead is 2 lengths and slowly growing!" Misato's commentary kicks off, highlighting the race as Ten Point begins her front-running ahead of the pack.
"She might be pushing herself too hard. I don't know if she can sustain that pace." Riku analyzed calmly. Ten Point is a frontrunner, and a damn good one. But this race is a whole 2500 meters.
"Mmm." Masayoshi hummed to himself. "Normally, I'd agree. But she looks like she might have a plan for doing this."
Riku raised an eyebrow upon hearing that statement and looked at the TV again. Noticing that Ten Point's lead had plateaued at 3 lengths. However, she was holding that lead without serious signs of fatigue.
"Seriously.. has she changed this much since the Satsuki Sho?" Riku was in disbelief. He had followed the careers of these Umas diligently. Ten Point was a Front Runner/Pace Chaser that had problems with maintaining her leads as a front runner, so she usually opted to Pace Chase instead.
"We've passed the halfway point! Ten Point is maintaining her lead in the front! Following close behind her is Two Inches of Love! Followed by…" Misato rattled off the commentary. However, Riku knew her eyes, like everyone else's, were fixated on the person currently in 10th place. "In 10th place is Tosho Boy! She's hovering outside the edge of the pack now! When will she make her move!?"
Tosho Boy is a Late Surger, and probably the best one in the G1 circuit. Notorious for her ability to surge to the front of the pack around the last 300 meters. This race would be decided in that distance coming up.
Sure enough, when those last few meters crept up.
"Here she comes! It's Tosho Boy! Tosho Boy is surging towards the front of the pack!" The commentator yelled out. Tosho Boy began her surge from 10th to 3rd in an instant. This drew a glance from the visibly straining Ten Point, who increased her lead to 4.5 lengths over the 2nd place runner.
"Will Ten Point have enough in the tank?" His grandfather asked, tapping his leg excitedly as he leaned forward in anticipation.
"Tosho Boy is surging! But Ten Point is refusing to give up! She is holding onto her lead! 150 meters left! Ten Point leads by 2 lengths!" Misato rattled off quickly. Her excitement radiated through the screen as Ten Point tried desperately to hold onto her lead. The TV's perspective showed the two Uma sprinting down the final leg of the race. Ten Point's face showed desperation, while Tosho Boy showed determination with her gritted teeth.
"Come on, you can do it," Riku muttered to himself. Finding himself hoping that Ten Point can hold against the surging Tosho Boy.
"Tosho Boy! It's Tosho Boy! Tosho Boy passes Ten Point with 50 meters remaining! 25! 10! It's over!! Tosho Boy wins the Arima Kinen by half a length!" The commentary called out. The TV also picked up the cheering from the crowd, not quite deafening, but noticeable.
"Haaah. I thought Ten Point might've been able to hold on there at the end." Riku muttered, slumping into the couch.
"Haha! I thought you were already writing this off as a Tosho Boy win. Ten Point made you believe, huh?" Masayoshi wryly remarked, glancing down at his grandson.
"Yeah. She's the favorite and the stronger contender currently. Ten Point surprised me this race, though. She showed growth and might be able to challenge Tosho Boy from now on." Riku nodded along.
The TV played the victory theme for Tosho Boy. Her fist raised in the air as the rest of the racers panted and looked despondent. Displayed on the screen was also Ten Point, with a look of determination locked onto Tosho Boy. Something did occur to Riku at this moment, though.
"Grandpa. Aren't you supposed to be there to congratulate the winner? It is the final race of the G1 circuit this year." Riku asked, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his grandfather. As the chairman of the URA, it's not required, but expected that the chairman would be there as the award was presented.
"Haha! Normally yes. But I got Reiko to do it for me this year." His grandfather beamed. Smug and satisfied that he delegated another important task.
The TV would show the Umas in the top three standing on the podium. With Mejiro Hiryu surprisingly losing out on 3rd place to Two Inches of Love. The camera showed an attractive blonde woman, in her late twenties, congratulating the runners with a smile. Although if one looked close enough, they'd be able to notice how fake her smile was, and her eyebrows showed clear signs of irritation. Reiko is one of the two who helps shoulder a lot of the chairman's work, alongside him.
Riku merely huffed before standing up. Preparing to clean up before unwinding before he has to work the next day. His next day promised to be busy in the aftermath of the race.
"Oh yeah, Riku?" His grandfather questioned as Riku put his utensils in the sink and washed them.
"Yeah?" Riku called over his shoulder, focused on cleaning the rest of the dishes in front of him.
"Have you been watching the G3/G2 race circuit this year?" Masayoshi asked.
"G2/G3? I haven't had the time like usual because of someone." Riku glared over his shoulder at his grandfather. "Why?" He questioned. Riku typically watched races of all levels, including lower-level races when he could. Sadly, his workload this year had made it almost impossible.
"There's an Uma that's picking up some infamy down there. She's only raced 4 times this year, but won all 4 by long margins. Between 7-10 lengths." Masayoshi replied, taking a sip of his tea.
"7-10 lengths? Seriously? That's pretty damn impressive." Riku kept his cleaning, but this news was surprising to hear. Even if it's only in G3/G2, that's a staggering margin to win by. On the inside, though, Riku felt a premonition. As if this information was supposed to click in his brain and feel familiar.
"Yeah! There are even reports that racers in her last two races were pulling out because they didn't want to face her. Can you believe it?" Masayoshi chuckled, patting his belly as he laughed.
"Huh?" Riku muttered. Winning by large margins. Racers avoiding her just due to her dominance? Wait.
"Gramps," Riku called out suddenly. "What's her name?" Riku turned with wide eyes as the dots connected in his mind.
"M.. something. Mar…Ah! Maruzensky! That's her name!" Masayoshi exclaimed, quickly standing up and pointing at his grandson.
Maruzensky? THE MARUZENSKY? HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?
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