10th place.
Tamamo Cross humphed as she lifted the barbell over her shoulders. Her fingers ached slightly from the sudden weight, but it wasn't a feeling she was unfamiliar with. She took a deep breath as she bent down, and with a small frown, she began lifting the weights.
10th place.
The ache grew with more repetitions, but she didn't slow down. She maintained her current pace, lifting the barbell over her shoulders again and again. Beads of sweat began forming on her forehead, and even though she'd changed to the most breathable sportswear she had, it still felt like she'd stepped into the sauna.
Tamamo Cross—10th place.
She stopped for a moment, holding the barbell up as she took a moment to just breathe.
10th place; that was the position she was in when she crossed the finish line. It was the worst result she'd ever received—and it was made even worse when she realized that she'd taken the lowest position amongst the 7 Japanese representatives. And sure, Creek had only won over her by a Neck, but a loss was still a loss.
She didn't have the power to continue on. After whatever that was, she'd lost practically all her strength, and she'd been slow to react when her strength returned. Her Domain had taken a painfully long time to bring back, so much so that she'd fallen behind both Thiefcrow and Eve Binti by the time she managed to do so.
She just couldn't keep up. Not with Dicta Striker and her explosive final charge. Not with Inari and Obey, who kept running even under the suppression of that Eclipse. Not with Eve and Thiefcrow, who managed to cut their way forward even without their own Domains. And definitely not with Star and Oguri, whose power was as unfathomable as that Eclipse they brought forth.
It was an unmistakable conclusion;
Tamamo Cross was far past her prime.
She took another deep breath, and narrowing her eyes, she began lifting the barbell once more.
She didn't feel much about it. Of course she was regretful, but the most prevalent feeling was relief. This year overall had been stressful beyond belief, and for a moment it almost felt like she was back in her younger years, when her family was still in poverty and everyone still worried whether her ailing father would be able to bring food to the table that evening.
To finally see that her prime had indeed passed felt like absolution, almost as if the Three Goddesses themselves were telling her it was time to step down.
And besides, she was more than satisfied with how her career had gone.
She'd been there to watch the beginning of this miraculous era. She'd been there for the 15th [Junior Crown] to watch the first time when the Grey Monster's strength was revealed. She'd been there to see Team Kitahara tear through their hometown, racking win after win like balls in a pachinko parlour. And she'd been there when Team Kitahara officially entered Central.
She'd been there to witness the peak of this generation; had served as the goalpost for many, even. She was there when the Generation of Miracles was first announced. She'd been there for last year's [Japan Cup]. She'd won last year's [Arima Kinen] as a promise to the two umamusume who couldn't run in it themselves.
And now, she would be there to watch it end. Team Kitahara was heading to America. Mejiro Ardan and Dicta Striker were heading to China. And she herself was about to retire. The Generation of Miracles was breaking apart, and there was no telling what the future had in store.
She was there to watch its birth, experience its glory, and now she would be there to mourn its passing.
What an amazing career it had been.
…
So why?
Why couldn't she stop crying? Why couldn't she stop herself from gritting her teeth as tears streaked down her cheeks?
Why? Why?
WHY!?
"AAAHHH!!" She screamed as she threw the barbell to the floor. The floor beneath cracked from the force of the impact, before another explosion of bright blue followed, filling the room with dust and the lingering scent of ozone. "WHY!?" She screamed as she clutched her head, trying desperately to halt the tears from her eyes.
Suddenly, the door to the indoor gym slammed open, and a terrified Komiyama Masami rushed in to see her trainee kneeling on the floor, surrounded by plumes of dust and an utterly ruined gym. But Masami's eyes lowered with sadness as she saw Tamamo sobbing openly. "Tama-chan…" She whispered, her own eyes growing misty.
Slowly, she walked through the rubble until she made it to her trainee, and uncaring of the dust that now clung to her clothes, she knelt down and swept Tamamo into a hug. And the moment she did, Tamamo wept and held her tight, almost as if she was afraid that she'd disappear if she didn't.
Masami took a shuddering breath as she slowly ran a comforting hand along Tamamo's back. "It's okay, Tama-chan." She whispered, forcing back her own tears. "It's okay. You don't need to pretend anymore."
Tamamo didn't answer. She only held her tighter as she sobbed.
Yet, Tamamo's grip didn't hurt. And that only made Masami angrier.
She knew Tamamo had been getting weaker; all umamusume experienced the same once their True Blooming ended. That was just how things worked in this world. For how magical and amazing umamusume were, there were rules that not even they could escape from.
But, for once, Masami wished she could find whoever had made that rule and punch them in the face. She knew it was illogical—she was just a trainer who'd gotten lucky to be partnered with such an amazing umamusume, but the feeling only grew stronger as she held her crying trainee.
Because if she had to fight the Three Goddesses themselves to make Tamamo happy, then she would.
Slowly, eventually, Tamamo's crying grew quiet. She laid against Masami with dull eyes, feeling both wrung out and painfully stuffy. "S'rr'." She mumbled, her voice soft and tired.
Masami silently clenched her fists. "It's fine." She said, forcing her voice to remain calm. "It's fine, Tama-chan. You don't need to apologize."
"Mm." Tamamo rested her head onto her trainer's chest.
Masami's eyes darkened slightly, but she took a small breath to calm herself down. Then, she wrapped her hands around Tamamo and lifted her up into her arms. "Let's go." She said, placing a small smile on her face. "I'll bring you back to your room."
Tamamo said nothing else. Her eyes remained dull, slightly red from her dried tears.
Masami sighed softly as she turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. She couldn't help but look around the ruined indoor gym, and she raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the floor.
She could've almost believed that Tamamo had wrecked the gym out of frustration—she wouldn't be too surprised considering how Tamamo usually was, but the black marks that ran across the cracked floors suggested otherwise. It almost looked as if something insanely hot had momentarily scorched the floor. And considering the scent of ozone that lingered throughout the entire room–
"Lightning…?" She whispered, glancing down at the still Tamamo in her arms.
But-, that was impossible. Sure, Tamamo was the White Lightning, but that was only a title. And all the lightning she shot out only happened whenever she raced—assuming it was lightning at all. After all, it wasn't like the lightning had ever injured anyone, even though many umamusume had been 'zapped' by Tamamo's Domain.
Masami stared at Tamamo for a moment, before she shook her head. Yeah, she was probably just wrong. And besides, this wasn't the time.
She sighed, before she turned and headed out of the ruined indoor gym, locking the door behind her to make sure no one else could stumble onto the mess they left behind.