Dicta Striker clicked her tongue as she looked at the stopwatch her trainer held. "Still not good enough, huh…?"
Her trainer, bless her heart, was quick to comfort her. "But you still did good, Strike-chan!" She smiled. "It's a new record!"
"Doesn't matter. It still ain't fast enough." Dicta said, still discouraged.
How could she not be? She'd been training day in and day out for months by this point. She needed to be even stronger, even faster—so that she could have a chance to snatch victory away from Oguri Cap during the [Kikuka Sho].
And yeah, she was pretty damn fast! She was the Yellow Bullet, after all! She could blow past every other umamusume with her late kick!
But that wasn't enough. She'd seen first-hand how terrifying Oguri's power was. She'd set a new record for both the [Satsuki Sho] and the [Japanese Derby].
Oguri Cap was a miracle in every way possible. Incredible speed, terrifying power, jaw-dropping resilience—she had every single blessing from the heavens infused into her being. Dicta would need a miracle of her own if she wanted to match something like that.
Yet, what made it all the more aggravating was that she almost did. Every time she ran, she came across that impenetrable Wall. The forsaken barrier that she just couldn't cross, no matter how much she tried. And as long as that thing remained there,her legs couldn't run any faster.
This was the end point of her meager talent.
Or at least, it should've been.
She refused to believe that was the case. She could run faster. She needed to. She was both lucky and unlucky to have started racing in the same era as actual monsters. This era was the perfect crucible that would push her beyond her limits.
And she would break that Wall, even if it meant she could run no more.
"Strike-chan? Are you okay?" Her trainer frowned in worry as she placed her palm on her forehead. "You look a little scary. Are you sick?"
Dicta scoffed. "I'm fine." She scowled as she forced those foolish thoughts into the back of her mind. "So, got any updates?"
At that, her usually-ditzy trainer became somewhat serious. "A few things." She frowned slightly. "Half of the participants have dropped out. They're probably afraid of Oguri Cap."
Dicta whistled. "Wow, that's damn impressive."
She nodded. "However, Super Creek is still running." Her eyes narrowed. "Her records aren't impressive, but her trainer is Nase-senpai, so she has to be extraordinary as well."
Dicta rolled her eyes. "Come on, that's old news, trainer."
Her trainer blinked. "Eh? It is?"
Dicta smirked. "Didn't I tell ya? I haven't run with her yet, but I know she's strong too." Her smirk widened. "She might hide it behind that gentle demeanour, but it's clear for me to see. She's a monster as well."
"Eeh!? Was I the only one that didn't know!?"
"You're just ignorant, trainer." Dicta mercilessly said back.
"Auuu…" Her trainer drooped like a wilting flower. Dicta could almost imagine the thunderclouds that suddenly appeared over her head.
"Alright, alright. Enough wallowing." She smirked as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Come on, I'm gonna do another lap!" Saying that, she walked back to the track, giving her shoulders a roll as she prepared to run.
Her trainer quickly cheered up. "Okay~!" She held up her stopwatch. "On the count of three! One, two…"
"Three!"
The ground shuddered as Dicta Striker raced forward.
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"Time." Nase Fumino said evenly as she clicked her stopwatch.
Super Creek sighed softly as she slowed to a stop. "How did I do, trainer-san?"
"Steady, as always." She hummed. "Your performance is impeccable as always. You ran across 3000 meters without slowing down in the sightest." A small smile came onto her face. "Good job, Creek."
Many would've missed it, but Super Creek saw that small smile her trainer had. That alone was enough for her to know just how proud her trainer was. "Thank you, trainer-san." She returned a soft smile. "It's because of you that I could improve this much, trainer-san."
The compliment caused her to shiver slightly, but she swiftly maintained her composure. "I promised you, after all."
Creek giggled. Her trainer was just too cute!
Fumino's expression returned to neutral as she looked at her stopwatch. "Creek, how do you feel?" She turned to her. "Do you think you can match Oguri Cap?"
Creek went silent. "I don't know." She said truthfully, her smile somewhat bitter as she remembered what she'd seen in the [Japanese Derby]. "Oguri-san is just so strong. I don't know if I can ever match her."
Fumino nodded slowly, not disagreeing. "But we'll try anyway." She said confidently.
Creek's smile turned fond. "Mhm. We'll try anyway."
That was the consensus they'd reached in the end. Oguri Cap's strength was undeniable, but that didn't mean they had to give up. Even if they would face an uphill; struggle, even if this was a confrontation she couldn't win—as long as victory remained a possibility, no matter how unlikely, she would reach for it.
Even if it meant exhausting herself completely. Even if it meant she would be gambling her own future.
After all, this was the only way she could compete with the Hero of this era.
"How about Blossom Star?" Her trainer suddenly asked.
"Eh? Blossom-san?"
Fumino nodded lightly. "How about her? Have you considered running against her as well?"
Creek's expression became complex. "Of course I have. But," She sighed regretfully. "Right now, she's the one I have no chance to beat."
And that was true. Blossom Star was much like herself, and so a race between the two of them would almost always end with her defeat. Even if she began with a Great Escape from the very beginning, Star would still outrun her. And that wasn't even considering the powerful acceleration she could display during the final straight.
"But you'll try?" Fumino asked, her tone almost teasing.
Creek smiled. "Of course. I want to run against her someday too."
Fumino nodded. "Then the best race you could run in would be next year's [Spring Tenno Sho]." She narrowed her eyes. "It is the most fitting race for both of you."
"I know." Creek whispered.
In truth, she had been considering the [Spring Tenno Sho] from the very start. It was the one race her trainer considered she'd do the best in. And while she didn't know if Blossom Star would also run in that race, considering her current record, there's a high likelihood that she would.
And there she would meet the second Hero of this era. The Star to Oguri's all-consuming Darkness.
She smiled slightly.
She truly was blessed to be able to race against them both.
But enough of that. "Trainer, let's run another lap." She suggested.
Fumino nodded, and together they returned to the track. Her finger hovered over the stopwatch as Creek stood behind the starting line. "On my mark," Fumino took a deep breath, and pressed down on her stopwatch. "Go!"
Creek's eyes sharpened, and the winds around her seemed to pulse as she charged forward.
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AN: One chapter today. Very busy today unfortunately, so I couldn't spare too much time.
P.S. Also, CM is kicking me in the shin. S!Maruzensky be everywhere.