「And she's done it! Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves another winner of the [Santa Anita Handicap]!」
The announcer's words continued to crackle through the television's speakers, before it was drowned out by the explosive cheers that followed. The footage being played blurred for a moment as it turned towards Blossom Star. The umamusume stared into empty space for a moment, before she finally turned towards the audience. And with a daring grin, she pointed her finger right at them, the angle making it look as if Star was pointing right at the viewers.
Despite the race now being over, the room remained plunged in silence. None of those who'd gathered could utter a single word, still awestruck by what they'd just seen.
Eventually, someone let out a shaky sigh, before an umamusume collapsed back into her chair, sighing softly as she messaged her forehead.
"Holy shit." Dicta Striker said, still grappling over the fact that the footage she'd watched had been played live. She smiled grimly as the footage zoomed in, giving her a better view of Star's bright blue eyes. "She decimated them." She eventually said, and her trainer—who'd been sitting next to her—nodded slowly, similarly shocked.
And there really was no better way to describe how she felt. In a way, Star's victory wasn't that strange, nor was the way she completely dominated despite this being her first run in America. Star did start from Kasamatsu, where the tracks were mainly Dirt. It made sense that her skills translated so well despite the new environment.
But it was the fact that this was Star's first race after her injury back in the [Japan Cup]. She didn't know the full details of Star's condition, but considering how grim everyone looked back then, it didn't seem to be some light injury Star should've been able to easily recover from—much less recover in just a few months.
For the Goddess' sakes; it didn't seem like she'd regressed at all! Normally an injury meant getting weaker, and even with rehabilitation, it'd still take way longer for them to pass their limits from before their injury. And yet for Star, it didn't seem like her injury had slowed her down at all.
Unless Star continued training even while she was injured.
Dicta frowned deeply. It didn't fit with Team Kitahara's whole motto about keeping themselves safe, but she couldn't think of any other way Star could've improved so much despite being recently injured.
"Language." Mejiro Ardan eventually reminded, though she'd mostly said it by instinct. Her own eyes remained fixed on the television screen, unable to stop thinking about the insane gap Star had built.
She silently pursed her lips. It was impossible not to feel threatened after seeing something that incredible. After four months of being away from the tracks, Star had made an explosive debut. A showing that injuring her legs was far from enough to stop her from soaring further.
Star was already an overwhelming figure to try and race against, but now the sheer idea of going against Star weighed her down with a crushing despair. Her own legs were already fragile enough—would trying to match Star's pace break her entirely?
Could she…ever compare to that?
…
「An absolute crushing victory by Blossom Star, with a staggering lead of just over 19 lengths!」
Yaeno Muteki smiled as the announcer continued to drone on. "She's gotten stronger." She said softly.
Her grandfather hummed deeply in agreement as he nodded. "Her continued training has paid off." He frowned momentarily in displeasure, before he shook his head. "Her injury has not stopped her."
Muteki's smile twitched for a moment. She understood that her grandfather was less than happy when they all found out that Blossom Star had still been training even while she was injured. She admitted that she felt similarly, though she could at least understand that she'd been careful about it. And even if she felt so, there was little she could do about it.
After all, what could she say against Secretariat of all people?
Regardless of their feelings however, the end result was undeniable; Blossom Star had become even more powerful in the months she had been gone from the racing world.
She couldn't wait for the [Spring Tenno Sho] to finally arrive.
She sighed softly. It really was a shame that she couldn't participate in the [Spring Tenno Sho]. Not because she couldn't register or whatnot, but rather because she knew that 3200 meters was far too long a distance for her to cross during a high-stakes race. She could barely run that distance during her normal training—she would certainly collapse half-way through the track if she ever tried that in an actual race.
And since the [Spring Tenno Sho] wasn't a race she could run, it meant that the earliest race she could run with her became the [Takarazuka Kinen].
To say that such a thought terrified her would be an understatement—because it would be an all-out brawl against everyone. Oguri Cap, Blossom Star, and Belno Light were guaranteed to participate. Since they were participating, it wouldn't be a surprise if Dicta Striker and Mejiro Ardan ran as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if Super Creek and Sakura Chiyono O would also be there.
The entire Generation of Miracles would be there. And even past that, who was to say that other heavy-hitters like Tamamo Cross wouldn't jump in as well?
Put simply, it'd be chaos.
…But even if that was the case, she wasn't one to run away.
Her grandfather glanced at her after her continued silence, and he hummed in thought. "You've made your mind?" He asked simply, never one for long speeches.
She was the same.
"I have." She said, standing up from the small pillow she'd been sitting on. "I will return to the dojo now." She said as she turned to leave the homely dining room settled a few rooms away from the main dojo.
Her grandfather nodded quietly as she walked past him, and he took a small sip from his cup of green tea as the television continued to play. And now with his granddaughter away, he could afford to let his eyes narrow in slight grief.
He recalled those words Ginjirou had told him months ago—just days before he and his team left for overseas. "I'm getting too damn old." Was all he said, but they'd been friends for long enough; he understood the words that man had left unsaid.
He quietly drank his green tea as the television played on.
…
「And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! Blossom Star has secured a victory in her first race here in the United States, and what a statement it is!」
Sitting on her mother's lap, Taiki Shuttle's eyes shone with admiration as she saw Blossom Star point straight at the camera, almost as if she was pointing straight at Taiki herself.「Wow~! Look, Mama! It's the pretty big sis from back then, and she won!」
Her mother stared with wide eyes for a few moments, before she shakily took a breath.「T-That she sure did, baby.」
Taiki shook with excitement as the footage soon transitioned to the following Winning Live, and she began cheering along with the audience as Blossom Star stepped onto the makeshift stage, with the 2nd and 3rd place winners coming up with her as backup singers.
And what followed after that was a performance Taiki wouldn't forget for a long time. As per custom, Star sang a punk-rock song, her voice shifting between a serenade and a booming bass depending on the song. But more than that, Star would sing in both English and Japanese, using the two contrasting languages to deliver a performance unlike any other Winning Live Taiki had ever witnessed.
In a way, that performance was the first thing that ignited Taiki's interest in her big sister's home country, and what would eventually lead to her decision to begin her career overseas.
But that was a story for another day.
Meanwhile, Taiki's mother watched the Winning Live in silence, still deeply shocked by the incredible dominance Star had displayed. Not only was this the first race Star had done in America, but it was also her first G1—and she'd shown that she was not a force that could be ignored.
Though perhaps that was no surprise. Blossom Star was the 3rd place winner from last year's incredible [Japan Cup], losing to Obey Your Master by only a neck. It was only natural that she was leagues above many others, considering she'd managed to secure her spot at the podium despite lacking that Domain thing or whatever it was called.
She smiled slightly as she recalled what happened a few days back. Her heart still jumped whenever she thought about how her homey little restaurant had been visited by the Big Red. It was an absolute honor to have her idol appear in her town, and even more so to hear that it was apparently because of a recommendation from Man O' War herself! She very nearly collapsed when she heard that!
But besides that, her first meeting with Star had given her quite the good impression. The girl seemed a little tense back then, and her speech was a little too polite, but perhaps that was the whole Japanese being polite thing she'd been hearing about. Regardless, she was happy to see that little Taiki had become such good friends with her.
But as she was thinking about them, a thought appeared in her mind. It was an idea that refused to die away no matter what she tried, and the more she thought of it, the wider her eyes became.
See, if there was one thing that confused her, it was the connection between Secretariat and Blossom Star. Why was their country's Hero together with someone from Japan? And why did Star speak such fluent English, despite the rest of her friends being unable to?
And now, seeing the domination Star showed on the track, she had a suspicion.
Was it…because Secretariat had finally chosen her Apprentice? Much like how Man O' War had chosen Secretariat to carry on the title of the Big Red.
Was it time for the 3rd generation of that title to appear?
She didn't know. But watching as Star's Winning Live came to an end, she couldn't help but anticipate what was to come.
On the other hand, Taiki couldn't care less about the legacy or whatever. All she focused on was Star's singing during her Winning Live, and her eyes hadn't stopped shining as she bid the cheering audience farewell in both English and Japanese.
With a wide smile, Taiki finally decided what she wanted to do!