The Pleiades training camp concluded without a hitch. Toward the end, Maruzensky had joined the group, elevating the intensity to a fever pitch. The camp had culminated in a spectacular showdown between Maruzensky and a selection of top-tier international Uma Musume—an event that left everyone electrified. Even after returning to the academy, the team remained possessed by a newfound drive to reach even greater heights.
Among them was Stay Gold.
"Trainer! Let me use the Shinzan Irons too!"
"Don't get cocky, brat. You're not ready for those—or at least, that's what I should say," Rampage countered, a smirk playing on his lips. "Tell you what: if you can clear the current hurdles with those ankle weights, I'll consider doubling the load."
"You'd better keep your word! Don't you dare forget it!"
Tussling with El Condor Pasa and the others during the camp had given Stay Gold a visceral taste of the "world-class wall." Now, she didn't just want to climb it—she wanted to smash it to pieces. Driven by that hunger, she saw Rampage's specialized "Shinzan Iron" training as her golden ticket. Even Air Groove was taken aback by the sheer ferocity of Stay Gold's training sessions, though her delinquent attitude and constant bickering with her trainer remained unchanged.
"Yo, Palmer. Congrats on the Goodwood Cup. Must be nice, being all lovey-dovey with your trainer. I'm jealous."
"P-Please... stop..."
Meeting Mejiro Palmer again after her stint abroad, she seemed... sturdier. Harder to shake. Upon her return to Japan, Palmer had initially intended to head straight to the Mejiro estate, but news of the press swarm waiting there had forced a change of plans. Instead, she had taken refuge at Rampage's home.
"Oh, come on. Why the shy act now after that passionate embrace in front of the world? What was it you said? 'Everywhere and anywhere with him,' right?"
"Uuuugh... have some mercy..." Palmer groaned, burying her face into a sofa cushion as her cheeks turned a shade of crimson that rivaled a sunset.
At the time, she'd been riding the high of her first G1 victory. She had acted on impulse, doing things she'd normally never dream of. The realization that the entire world had seen her clinging to her trainer—and seen him with his arm around her waist—was a memory she desperately wanted to strike from the record.
"It just shows how strong your bond is," Rampage said, his voice softening slightly. "It really is something to be envied."
"B-But Rampage, you have Minamisaka-san, don't you?"
"Nah, Minami-chan and I are more like brothers-in-arms. It's not the same 'vibe' as you two..."
But Palmer and Trainer Yamada were different. They held a profound, mutual respect that anchored them. Their bond was pure, forged from a shared journey through the dark. To Rampage, it was clear that their respect for each other's strength was the very thing that made their connection so unbreakable.
"That 'anywhere and everywhere' line... you weren't lying, were you?"
"...No," Palmer whispered into the cushion.
"Then stick to your guns. Stay true to yourself."
Palmer lifted her head slightly, her face still flushed, but she gave a firm, resolute nod.
"Have you decided on your next race? The Tenno Sho (Autumn), maybe?"
"The Melbourne Cup."
"Wait—for real?" Rampage asked, genuinely stunned.
The Melbourne Cup. It was Australia's most prestigious race, the equivalent of Japan's Arima Kinen. It was "the race that stops a nation," a public holiday in Melbourne where the entire country ground to a halt to watch. It was one of the absolute pinnacles of long-distance G1 racing.
"I've made up my mind," Palmer said, her voice now steady and full of conviction. "I am a Mejiro, and I'm proud of that name, but I don't want to be shackled by it. I want to run free. I want to see how far the Trainer and I can go together. That's why I'm going for another Explosive Escape on the world stage."
There was no hesitation in her eyes. She had claimed her pride as Mejiro Palmer, yet she had no intention of letting that legacy define her limits. For a moment, Rampage wondered if she might eventually leave Japan behind entirely—but if she did, perhaps that was exactly where she belonged.
"I see. Then go. Go as far as you can, in the most 'Palmer' way possible."
"I will. I'll just keep doing what I do best... the Explosive Escape."
The face she lifted from the cushion was no longer that of a girl hiding from the world. She had found her confidence as a Mejiro; now, she was moving forward as simply Palmer—her trainer's partner. Rampage couldn't help but grin.
"Oh, by the way, I have a message from the Matriarch."
"Wait, from Grandma Asama!?"
"She said: 'I wish you and your trainer much happiness.'"
"Wh-!? Hah!? No, no, no! Grandma has the wrong idea! The Trainer and I aren't in that kind of relationship...!"
"Hard to sell that 'just friends' angle when you're both smiling for the cameras with your arms around each other," Rampage teased.
Palmer tried to deny it frantically, but the internet was already a whirlwind of celebration for the "Power of Love" victory. In some circles, they were already being treated as a confirmed couple. News reports were introducing Yamada as "the man who never gave up on the misfit of the Mejiro Four," painting a picture of a romantic underdog story. In many ways, they had already crossed the point of no return.
"So, what? You're saying you don't feel anything for him?" Rampage asked playfully. "Because a trainer who has an overseas G1 under his belt is a hot commodity. Other girls are going to start lining up to request him as their lead trainer soon."
"No! They can't! He's my trainer!"
"See? There's the honesty I was looking for."
Palmer slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Rampage gave a theatrical smirk and slid the door open. Standing there, looking incredibly awkward with a deep flush on his face, was Trainer Yamada.
Palmer's face reached a new level of thermal intensity. "Ra-Ra-Ra-Rampage!?"
"My bad."
"That doesn't fix this! At all!"
"Well, I'm heading out to do some grocery shopping. I'll probably be back in, oh, let's say four hours? I'll leave you two youngsters to it!"
True to her "Escape" nature, Palmer's host bolted out the door, hopped into his Impreza, and peeled out of the driveway. He glanced at the passenger sitting beside him as he pulled onto the main road.
"Was that okay? Felt a bit blunt, didn't it?"
"It was perfect," Lady Asama replied with a serene smile. "I don't want Palmer—or any of them—to live their lives carrying the weight of the Mejiro name as a burden. To see her find a partner she trusts that deeply... it brings me more joy than any trophy. Now, Sue is waiting for us. To the Symboli estate, if you please."
"As you wish, My Lady."
Asama laughed softly to herself. "Hehe. It seems our family tree is about to grow another branch."
"A cause for celebration, indeed," Rampage agreed.
Back at the house, the silence was heavy enough to sink a ship.
"Wh-Wh-What do we do, Trainer? What do we do...?"
"...Want to... turn on the TV?"
They turned it on. By pure coincidence, a sports program was airing a retrospective on their victory interview. As they watched themselves on screen, both turned bright red—yet, without realizing it, they found themselves leaning against one another, shoulder to shoulder, simply enjoying the quiet moment together.
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