The Oka-sho—the very G1 race where the legend of Mejiro Rampage began—was won by Dragoon Lance. She was a girl who looked up to Rampage as a mentor and had even helped him with his media broadcasts, making the victory personal. But the win carried a heavier significance for the public: it marked the third consecutive G1 victory for Team Canopus.
When the press cornered Minamisaka, the trainer of Canopus, about this historic streak, his response was characteristically stoic.
"Now that you mention it, I suppose that is the case. However, I haven't given it much thought. It wasn't I who won; it was Dragoon Lance. The praise belongs entirely to her hard work. Furthermore, Hishi Amazon finished third, which is just as important to me. As a trainer, if we lose, it is my duty to ensure we win next time. If we win, it is my duty to ensure we keep winning. That is all."
He delivered this with a perfectly straight face during the victory interview. The public reaction was immediate: "As expected of the 'Dictator's' partner."
But Minamisaka had no time to bask in the glow of the Sakura Tiara. The Satsuki-sho was looming, and Canopus was sending Sakura Laurel into the fray. Her opponent? Team Rigil's Narita Brian.
"Sorry to pull you away again. I know you're busy with your own team," Tojo remarked.
"It's good experience for me to see how the top brass operates," Rampage replied, leaning against the railing. "I can't let myself get rusty while everyone else is out here getting results."
"My, aren't we being humble?"
"The fewer people who call me 'cute' or 'humble,' the better. I've never seen myself that way, not even for a second."
Tojo watched him, noting how he still wore that distinctive outfit that blurred the line between a casual suit and a racing uniform. She had asked him to act as a training partner for Brian's final adjustments. While she could have pulled someone from Rigil's own deep roster, she knew that if she wanted the absolute best for Brian, she had to bring in the best in the business.
"I hear Canopus calls on you quite a bit, too," Tojo said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Laurel is in peak condition. Brian can't afford to be complacent."
"...So you heard about that, too?"
"It's harder to say no to them than it is to say no to Rigil."
Rampage laughed, admitting he had a bit of a soft spot for the Canopus crew. Tojo felt a fresh wave of respect—and wariness—for Minamisaka. The man was unshakeable, never fell into the trap of arrogance, and never hesitated to use every connection at his disposal. He would bow his head to anyone if it meant helping his students. That kind of devotion was hard to beat.
"So, how's Brian looking?" Rampage asked.
"In top form."
Tojo said it with absolute certainty. Brian was currently acting as the lead-up partner for her sister, Biwa Hayahide, who was preparing for the Spring Tenno Sho. While Hayahide still held the edge, Brian's potential was so immense it felt like she was chasing the ghost of a legend. Tojo dared to dream that Brian might even surpass Symboli Rudolf.
"At this rate, an undefeated Triple Crown is well within reach," Rampage noted.
"Yes. She might be the one to finally eclipse the Emperor."
And you want me to crush that dream, Rampage thought. You want me to show her there's always a higher peak so she doesn't get comfortable. It reminded him of how he'd been pushed by the likes of Ramonu, Maruzensky, and CB. Tojo's coaching style was starting to look a lot like Minamisaka's.
Just then, Narita Brian returned from the track.
"Yo, Brian. Ready to take that Triple Crown?"
"Yeah," Brian answered curtly. "But there is one major obstacle remaining."
"Coming from you, that's saying something. Who is it?"
"Laurel."
Rampage blinked, surprised. He hadn't realized Brian held Laurel in such high regard. Brian had beaten her in the Asahi Hai, but it seemed she wasn't taking that victory for granted.
"You're that wary of her?" Biwa Hayahide asked, stepping over and nodding to Rampage. "Is Sakura Laurel really that dangerous?"
Brian looked at her sister and began to explain.
"It's not just her physical ability. She has been studying me. Researching me. She's watched every one of my races, analyzed every stride, and calculated exactly when I'll move and how I'll react to different tactics."
"That much?"
"I saw her notebook once—by accident. She told me it was fine to look because it was 'the old her' and didn't apply to her current self… but she had perfectly simulated every strategy I've ever used. She knew exactly what I would do before I did it."
Rampage knew this was true. Laurel had asked him for data on Brian more than once. That research had evolved into something that could genuinely threaten the "Shadow Roll Monster."
"I got lucky at the Asahi Hai," Brian continued. "The other girls got caught up in the pace, and it threw off her timing. But…"
"You think next time will be different," Tojo interjected.
"If my gut is right… she's going to treat the Satsuki-sho as a sacrificial stone."
Tojo and Hayahide fell silent. The Satsuki-sho was the first leg of the Triple Crown—a race you only get to run once in a lifetime. To suggest someone would use it as a mere "stepping stone" was unthinkable.
"Surely not?!" Hayahide exclaimed. "In a trial race, maybe, but a Classic?!"
"No, I'm certain of it," Brian said, her eyes burning. "That's why I have to grow faster than her predictions can track. Senior, I need you to run with me. Your strength is the only thing that can push me where I need to go. I'm going to change into my G1 gear. Wait for me."
As Brian walked away to change, Tojo and Hayahide watched her with disbelief. Only Rampage stood there with a faint, knowing smirk.
"...Rampage," Tojo whispered. "From your perspective, is there any chance Laurel would actually do that?"
"Who knows? Only Laurel and Minami-chan have the answer to that. And I doubt Minami-chan is going to leak his strategy. Personally? I think it takes a hell of a lot of courage to treat a once-in-a-lifetime stage like a practice run."
"I suppose… I hope Brian's intuition is wrong."
"I agree," Hayahide added.
Rampage scratched his cheek. He knew those two well enough to know they would make that choice. It took courage, yes—but Laurel had plenty of that. Because Sakura Laurel wasn't just aiming for the Triple Crown. She was looking at the Arc de Triomphe. To her, the Classics were just growth opportunities on the way to the world stage.
(I've seen this before,) Rampage thought. (I know someone else who sacrificed the Classics for a greater ambition.)
Mejiro McQueen. She had treated the Kikuka Sho—a long-distance race at Kyoto—as nothing more than a dress rehearsal for her true goal: the Spring Tenno Sho.
But what likely terrified Brian the most wasn't Laurel's research. It was the realization that Laurel didn't see winning the Satsuki-sho as a necessity.
(To Laurel, Brian isn't a wall to be climbed—she's just the 'experience points' needed to reach the world. And she'll spare no effort to claim them.)
That was the true horror. Brian realized she was being used as a training partner for someone else's global dream. The Triple Crown path was going to be a lot more painful than anyone had anticipated.
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