The time had finally arrived. By tomorrow, her overseas expedition would reach its culmination. One year of preparation, one year of racing across the world. The realization that the curtain was about to fall on two years spent on the international stage left her speechless. Rampage inhaled the night air, then sullied it with the purple smoke of a herb cigarette as she gazed out at the cityscape. Enjoying what was, in a sense, the ultimate indulgence, she slowly turned her eyes to the sky.
"It's a beautiful night."
She exhaled the purple smoke again, fouling the atmosphere. Beneath this very sky, tomorrow she would face her greatest rivals: A.P. Indy, President Turf, Strike Goldion, Grande Nova—juggernauts who, like her, had conquered international G1 races. They were joined by Ris Fleuve, Arm Drinks, and Stahl Armecoa, who had fiercely competed in the Dubai World Cup… and then her two greatest dirt rivals, Lady Saber and Amazing Dyna. Including herself, the final count was eleven—a decisive battle with the same number of competitors as the Dubai World Cup.
"I hear the BC Classic will be run with eleven horses."
"Huh? Weren't there more entries?"
"They apparently scratched."
Originally, the field had been much larger, but the presence of Rampage, Lady, and Dyna led to many withdrawals. Conversely, other Breeders' Cup races, like the Turf and the Mile, saw a concentration of Umamusume who wanted to avoid them. This was a clear sign of how formidable she was perceived to be. However, it also meant that those who did declare their entry were undeniable elites—opponents who allowed for zero complacency.
"I had to look for you; I should have known you'd be here, Mejiro Rampage."
She turned to see an Umamusume draped in a white, fur-trimmed coat over black lingerie. This was the first time they were speaking; they had only crossed paths at the BC Classic pre-race press conference. Fifty Magna, the eleventh Umamusume to enter the BC Classic.
"I thought a tyrant like you would be so used to this stage that you wouldn't feel an ounce of tension?" "I'm not tense. Don't disrespect the experience of meeting the President, the FBI Director, and the CIA Director."
She was merely feeling sentimental, so suggesting she was nervous was completely missing the point.
"So, what can I do for you?" "I came to declare war! Tomorrow, I will defeat you. And I will monopolize the cheers and applause from around the world! That's why I came here!"
Fifty Magna struck a triumphant pose, clearly saying, 'How do you like that!?' Rampage was momentarily stunned, but then she burst out laughing.
"W-why are you laughing!? I didn't say anything funny! Stop laughing!"
"No, no, my apologies… I'm just happy. I absolutely love comments that are full of motivation and challenge like that."
"Really!? High praise, coming from Rampage!?"
"Extremely high."
"Yes!!"
She'd had similar moments of feeling slightly down before, but this time was different. When faced with such an energetic challenger, she had to meet that fighting spirit with her own ferocity.
"I look forward to tomorrow."
"Good! I'll beat you and become the strongest in the world!" "Hah! Why not go big and declare yourself the fastest?"
She blew out a puff of smoke as she watched Fifty Magna's retreating figure. The strongest in the world. She recalled the slogan used during her race against Unbridled in the Champions Cup: The World's Strongest vs. The World's Fastest. If she won tomorrow, would she claim both titles? Honestly, that didn't matter. She wasn't interested; if someone wanted the title, she might give it away. But she wasn't kind or merciful enough to just hand it over—she was selfish.
"There you are, Ran-chan."
Just as she put away her herb cigarette, Su-chan (her trainer, Minamizaka) arrived. She looked slightly anxious, but upon seeing Rampage's face, she broke into a relieved smile, realizing her worry was unfounded, and hugged her tight.
"I was prepared to cheer you up if you were down, but it seems I worried for nothing."
"I'm not that delicate of an Umamusume, you know."
As she spoke lightly, Rampage realized Su-chan, who was embracing her, was trembling slightly. It was the trainer who was nervous, the one feeling the anxiety. If Rampage suffered a major defeat here, the responsibility would fall on Su-chan. While it might not be the sole cause of the trembling, after such a long overseas campaign—and the Breeder's Cup coming right after the Arc—even Su-chan couldn't completely hide her apprehension, though it wasn't as intense as what a trainer like Sirius's might feel.
"Su-chan, I'm sorry for being so selfish."
"What are you talking about? It's fine for a child to be selfish like a child. Since Ru-chan and Shi-chan are so well-behaved, your selfishness is actually fun for me."
"I'm grateful to you, Su-chan… I really am." "Hehehe, what brought this on all of a sudden?"
Su-chan smiled at the sudden expression of gratitude, and Rampage noticed the trembling had stopped with the smile. Perhaps seeing her unchanged demeanor had calmed her.
"Su-chan, there's something I want to do when we get back to Japan."
"Oh? And what might that be? A stream?"
"I do that all the time!… Well, I suppose that works. Maybe I'll do a huge stream when we get back."
"That sounds great! How about we invite every guest you've ever had on?" "Let's try to invite as many as we can."
To an outsider, the conversation might have sounded utterly absurd, but the atmosphere between the two was extremely lighthearted and joyful.
"Su-chan, can I sleep with you tonight?" "Oh my, my, my, my, my! Of course! I've always wanted to sleep with my grandchild! Ru-chan and Shi-chan are too shy to do it anymore." "Well, sleeping together at this age is a little… unusual."
Even so, Rampage squeezed Su-chan's hand a little tighter. Su-chan squeezed back in response, and the two headed toward the hotel room, eventually sharing a bed. Rampage later said she slept inexplicably well that night. And then—the moment finally arrived.
"Alright, off you go. Go confront the world, and come back victorious!"
"You bet! I'm going to conquer the Tyrant's Flower Path!"
Author's Note: I received Fifty Magna from Isle-sama. Thank you very much!!
And next time—The BC Opens!!
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