"It's finally here, huh…"
"What are you spacing out for? I'm the runner here!"
The day of the Satsuki Sho has arrived—a 2000-meter G1 race hosted at Nakayama Racecourse. More importantly, it's the first leg of the Triple Crown. It doesn't matter if you won the other races, if you didn't win this one, then you won't be this year's Triple Crown.
Team Minaz is surrounding their representative for today's race and the candidate for the future Triple Crown, Mejiro McQuuen. She is draped in her racewear garments, and more importantly, the custom shoes that the young man ordered.
"How do the shoes feel, McQueen?"
"Perfect. It's even better than the one I bought. How much did you pay for this?"
"Enough. That's the only answer I'm giving. You should be focused on the race instead of anything else."
"Custom shoes? You bought her one, trainer?"
"I'll buy you one next year, Teio. The experimental PEBA-based midsoles on McQueen's shoes have a drawback, where they practically become useless after two hundred kilometers as opposed to two hundred and fifty kilometers on most PEBA-based midsoles."
"I see…"
"And another thing, make sure you lift your feet if you're walking on anything but soft ground. The patterns and teeth on the umashoes might get dull if you drag them around."
"I get it!"
"Tachyon, what's today's weather and track condition?"
"Sunny and firm. You couldn't hope for a better condition, boss."
"Alright. Everything now is on you, McQueen."
"Yeah…"
"If you're hoping for a confident building pep talk, then you still don't know me."
"No. I expected a stupid joke from you."
"I don't need to when there is a stupid person who is also a joke named Goldship with us."
"Ouch! That hurt!"
The room broke out into laughter from the banter.
"By the way, Goldship, where's your hat?"
"My hat? Back in the dorm. Kinda want to feel how it is without the hat."
"I see…"
It is an understatement just how alien Goldship looks without that hat. That stupid hat has become a symbol of Goldship, so seeing Goldship without feel as if they're seeing a brand new person—a beautiful and elegant person, as long as she keeps her mouth shut.
For the girls, the sight is alien, but not for the young man. He knew that in Goldship's vein ran Mejiro blood. It became a meme as to how the hat is a suppressor for Goldship's Mejiro genes.
"What's wrong, trainer? Falling in love with me."
"A gag would help you with that."
"What does that supposed to mean?!"
"Let that simmer in your mind. As for you, McQueen. This is the best I can give you as your trainer. I had thought of teaching you about what I did during my little football skirmishes with the StuCo, but that would just be a waste of time. You need a rooted confidence. That is something you get from experience. Something that you have little of, while I have plenty of."
"..."
"Experience on how I gained those skills, experience on how my body moves because of those skills, and experience on how those skills perform on the field. My confidence is built mainly from my mentality, but there is also a firm foundation beneath me."
"Firm foundation, huh…"
"The name of Mejiro isn't a foundation to you. A foundation is beneath, not above. You're trying to justify your birth, which is why I'm confident in saying that the name of Mejiro is a goal, not a foundation to you. You do not possess a foundation as firm as I do, so don't push yourself. Do as you please on the race course and win. That's your only concern for now."
"Fuuuuh… Yeah! Don't worry! I will return with the trophy!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Haaaaaah… Ffuuuuuhhh…"
McQueen is walking down the underground tunnel that connects the preparation rooms and the racecourse. She takes long, deep breaths, holding them in for a few seconds before blowing them out. She placed her palm on her forehead, checking the temperature and making sure it's not too hot.
"Haaaaaaah… Fuuuuuuh…"
McQueen takes in a single long breath before closing her eyes.
"Okay… Here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed."
The image of Uma Musume running at incredulous speed flashed inside the young Mejiro's mind. Among them was Mejiro McQueen.
"One winner, and all the losers. I eat losers for breakfast."
The scene transitions to her navigating between the Uma Musumes as she picks up her pace and moves toward the front.
"Haaaaah… Speed. I'm faster than fast. Quicker than quick. Haaah… I am lightning!!"
When McQueen opens her eyes back up, she is already at the edge of the turf. Her ears finally register the cheers and the excitement in the air. The smell of the fresh air reminds her of what she is standing on. The turf she would be running on.
"Alright! Keep your eyes on me, Trainer."
While the teenage light purple-haired Uma is walking on the turf to the starting gate, the rest of her team is watching on the sidelines. They all have their assorted snacks and drinks on their lap and their eyes glued to their teammate.
"Trainer, can I get your honest opinion? How do you think McQueen will fare in today's race?"
"Stats-wise, she's in the top half of all the racers. It all depends on how she regulates her stamina. It is a medium-length race, but she might come last if she runs out of stamina early on. On the other hand, if she manages to keep her wits until the very end, she might win with some seconds to spare. As a front-runner, you should understand how important stamina is, Suzuka."
"I guess so."
"Teio, make sure to learn as much as you can from here. Next year, the one running on that turf will be you."
"Yes! I will!"
"By the way, Urara, why are you here? I heard from Mama Halo that you did poorly on your last test. You're supposed to be studying."
"Hehehehe~~ I sneak out with the help of Sei!"
"I'm going to burn Seiun Sky at stake."