"...sixth favorite—No.3, Tamamo–!"
It was quiet here. The announcers' words were reduced to a ringing echo as they travelled down the athlete's tunnel. The roaring cheers of the crowds could barely be heard. The trumpets that sounded in celebration for the upcoming race were completely lost.
Blossom Star stood there, her eyes closed. She was dressed in her G1 outfit for the first time in five months, and yet it'd fit onto her like an old glove. There was no discomfort, no time needed to recalibrate herself—the moment she slipped on this heroic outfit, it felt as if she'd never taken it off in the first place.
"...our fifth favorite! No.9, Dicta Stri–!"
She wasn't alone.
Oguri Cap stood next to her, staring straight at the light at the end of the tunnel. Her G1 outfit looked as pristine as ever; the months it'd spent in storage having done nothing to mar the brilliant white of her shirt. And had someone else been there, they would've sworn they could see the star at the center of her chest pulsing with faint gold.
Neither of them spoke. Neither of them needed to.
"...the fourth favorite—No.12, Sunday–!"
A strange sense of calm had filled Star the moment she came here. Even though she knew what was at stake, even though in just a few minutes she'd be out there delivering her speech for the entire world to watch, she felt neither fear nor worry.
In a way, this was what she was reborn for. From the very first moment her soul was brought into this wondrous world, she was entrusted a Mission
"...third favorite—No.4, Obey Your–!"
Slowly, Star opened her eyes.
"Looks like I'm next." She said, smiling softly as she turned to Oguri. "No more backing down now."
Oguri nodded. "Nn." She returned a small smile of her own. "Go, Star."
"And now, the White Comet of Kasamatsu! One of the three Generals of the Demon King! The umamusume who reminded the world of the thrill of a Great Escape!"
"Star."
"Mm?" She turned to Oguri. "What is it?"
Oguri was quiet for a moment, her eyes lost in thought, before she shook her head and smiled. "I'm going to win." She said, eyes blazing with determination.
And though those words weren't anything too special, I couldn't help but stare for a moment. Because at that moment, I realized that I haven't heard Oguri actively pursuing victory for who knows how long. The threat of losing had never appeared in her mind—not from arrogance, but from simply knowing that there wasn't anyone who could match her strength.
Star's lips parted for a moment, before she grinned. "I won't make it easy." She said instead, her eyes shining with an eerie blue glow. "Today's the day your Winning Streak falls."
"Last year, she took third place after a great struggle, and did so in a brilliant show of grit and determination! Can she take home the crown this time around!?"
And leaning forward, Oguri gently pressed her lips into Star's. Star's eyes widened for a moment, before she relaxed into the kiss. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away; all that existed was Star and Oguri—and everything was right in the world.
Then they separated, and Oguri smiled softly as she patted her back. "Go."
Star nodded, and then paused. But a playful smirk then came onto her lips as she extended a fist towards Oguri. She stared at Star's fist for a moment, before she smiled and bumped it with her own fist.
"I'm going."
And then, with a flourish of her cape, she began walking towards the end of the athlete's tunnel. The surroundings began turning brighter and brighter as she approached the sunlight, and the cheers of the crowd grew into a cascading roar, accompanied by a symphony of trumpets. The whole experience felt almost biblical, in a way.
Star smiled as she stepped into the light.
…
"Here she comes…!"
"Our 2nd favorite—No.7, BLOSSOM STAR!"
The crowd's roar became almost deafening as Star stepped out onto the Tokyo Racecourse. She gave the audience no mind as she walked forward, but the determined frown on Star's face had only spurred the crowd's excitement to new heights.
It was no surprise. After all, though Star had occasionally appeared in the news throughout the past several months, she had never done so while wearing her G1 outfit. Now, Star truly looked like a Hero.
Dicta Striker grinned as she saw the confidence in her gait. "Damn, been a while since I last saw that." She whispered, feeling a little nostalgic.
Obey Your Master smiled fondly. "Let us dance again, Hero." She chuckled softly, before she shook her head and headed for her own gate.
Inari One's eyes shone with admiration. "S-Star-aneue…!" She gulped, and her lips curled into a fox-like grin as small embers came to life around her calves. "I won't lose this time!"
Tamamo Cross breathed softly as she saw Star walk towards the small podium just outside the track, giving no mind to the dozens of curious stares being sent her way. She just huffed as she entered her own gate.
Super Creek smiled softly, before she shook her head. And though she could not see where her trainer was, she turned towards the audience and bowed. "I'm going, trainer-san." She said before she entered her gate.
The curious stares doubled when they saw Star stand on the podium, but seeing the microphone stand she stood before, some began realizing what Star was about to do.
But before that could happen, there was still one more umamusume left.
"Finally, I have the honor of calling for the Grey Monster! She stunned the world even from the very first moment she stepped into Central! The Monster who rules over Monsters!"
"The victor of last year's [Japan Cup], with an unbreakable streak of Victories! Her strength is unquestionable, her skill unparalleled, her grit encroaching on the divine!"
"Will this year's [Japan Cup] become another crown for the Grey Monster, or will today be the day when her Winning Streak ends!?"
"No one knows, and so now we call for her…!"
"Our favorite to win—No.10, OGURI CAP!!"
Oguri stepped out onto the track, and the crowd roared. Their cheers were so loud that even the trumpet that followed was completely silenced. It was almost as if a bomb had gone off, and even the gates on the track trembled slightly from the sheer loudness of the sound.
Oguri paid no attention to it. Instead, she headed straight for her gate, and the moment she did, she turned her eyes towards the podium Star was standing on.
Oguri wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to understand what was about to follow. The crowd began quieting down as thousands of eyes turned towards Blossom Star, curious as to what she was about to say.
Star's lips twitched slightly at all the attention, but her expression remained unchanged. She wasn't unused to this; she'd had interviews with hundreds of people watching her, this was just that but multiplied by thousands.
She took a deep breath, and after a moment of silence, she grabbed the microphone and began her speaking.
"First of all, I would like to thank Director Akikawa for granting me this chance." She said, letting her eyes roam across the sea of people sitting in the audience. "It is my pleasure to stand here at this very moment—to let my words be heard by the entire world."
"I would also like to thank everyone who has taken time out of your lives to come here and watch us. Perhaps it might seem inconsequential, but the fact that so many of our fans have come here to watch us race is still a wondrous miracle that we're fortunate to have."
She smiled playfully. "Now, I'd like to spill my whole backstory here to give some context, but I think I'll keep it short. No one here wants me to talk their ears off, right?" A small bout of laughter followed, and Star's smile deepened. "Yeah, didn't think so." She huffed. "So I'll keep it brief."
Suddenly, her smile vanished, and in its place was a determined frown. "I began running to inspire others to do the same. To show that our humble beginnings will not determine our futures." She shook her head. "But in doing so, I understand that we have cast a shadow that might seem too wide to fill. There is undeniable fear of being incapable of matching the legacy we have left behind." Her ears drooped in regret. "Such is the nature of competition."
"So I say this,"
"It is not the expert who critiques; not the announcer who points out how the strong one stumbles, or where the racer could have done them better."
"The credit belongs to the umamusume who is actually on the track, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and tears; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again."
She let herself pause for a moment. To let the audience to digest the words she'd spoken. She had said that she would be brief, but these were words that had to be said. That needed to be understood.
Competition was a great thing, but it too could shatter the hearts of others. She was not blind; she knew that for as many fans she had inspired, she had crushed the spirits of just as many. She had scared many, so much so that they didn't even dare to try.
And that was perhaps the greatest sin she had committed. And it was a sin she would likely spend her entire life trying to correct.
"Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends themselves in a worthy cause."
"Glory is crowned to those who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fails while daring to dream, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
She smiled. "So run. Run not for victory or defeat. Run not for the simple admiration of the crowd."
"Run, because you are blessed to do so."
"Because every umamusume was born to run."
She spoke no more words after that. She returned the microphone back onto the stand it was placed on, and she stood upon the podium and waited. She let her eyes roam across the audience, stopping whenever she caught sight of an umamusume, almost as if she was saying these words to them directly.
The whole stadium was silent. Perhaps because of how suddenly the atmosphere had changed. Perhaps because of the words she'd said. Perhaps both.
Then, it began with one person.
One person began clapping, then another followed, then another dozen, then more. And suddenly the entire audience was clapping, with many having stood up from their chairs as they clapped and cheered. Star took a small breath, and with a small smile she performed a theatrical bow before she stepped off the podium.
Their claps and cheers followed her the whole way as I entered my gates.
"After that rousing speech from Blossom Star, and with all umamusume in their gates, there is no better time for the [Japan Cup] to begin!"
"Who will be the one to take home the crown!?"
For once, the crowd's cheers had only gotten louder as the race was about to begin. All the 14 racers who'd stepped into their gates readied themselves, prepared to lunge forward the very moment their gates opened. No more words were exchanged between them. No words were needed.
The seconds ticked by.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five–
BANG!
"The gates have opened–!"
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.
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AN: Apologies for the late upload. I decided to rewrite this entire chapter, so things got a little delayed. Regardless, here's the chapter. The usual 2 chapters for today should be coming out on time.