Akasaka Misato took a shaky breath as she flipped through her notes once more, eyes scanning across the script she'd be reading out to the cheering audience. This wasn't the first time she'd gone back through her script with such fervor, and it wouldn't be the last.
Because this race would be the stage for the reappearance of this generation's star!
Her coworker, Igawa-san, sent her an amused smile before he focused on his own script. It was certainly unbefitting of her to be so panicked, but he didn't call her out. After all, if he was in her shoes, he too would be sweating buckets.
Misato took a deep breath, and wetting her lips, she brought herself close to the microphone and smiled. "And now, here comes our runners for today!"
She quickly flipped to the next page, smile growing.
"Now, our fifth favorite-!"
"She recently won the [Nakayama Kinen], and now she comes to face her rival once more! The opulent waves—the Miracle of the Mejiro-!"
"No.4, Mejiro Ardan!"
Down below, Ardan smiled politely at the cheering crowd as she stepped onto the track. Though her smile twitched as she noticed Sakura Chiyono O sitting at one of the stands, swinging around a bright blue lightstick as she cheered. All while Dicta Striker sat next to her, laughing at the confused stares the surrounding audience sent their way.
Ardan sighed. "That girl really is too naive." She said, resolving to punish Dicta in some way once this race was over with.
Putting them aside, she couldn't help but occasionally glance back at the athlete's tunnel, waiting for a certain figure to appear. "I'm here." She whispered, feeling her heart pound against her chest.
Her eyes shone.
"I won't lose this time, Belno-san."
"-not to be outdone, having won the [Kinko Sho]! And here she comes now—the Warrior that continues to fight-!"
"Our fourth favorite—No.7, Yaeno Muteki!"
Ardan blinked when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she then smiled when she realized who the hand belonged to. "Ah, Muteki-san."
Muteki raised an eyebrow. "It's unlike you to be so impatient, Ardan."
Ardan huffed. "Who could blame me? Friends we have not seen in months have finally returned. It would be a dishonor not to await them so fervently, no?"
Muteki smiled, but said nothing else. She didn't disagree, of course. Even though it'd only been mere months since they last saw Team Kitahara, it had felt like years had gone by. The new quiet that'd followed their disappearance certainly hadn't helped in that regard.
Alas, this would be the day that silence would shatter.
"And now, the one many of us have been waiting for!"
"Winning both the [Champions Cup] and the [Tokyo Daishoten] back to back, before disappearing like a phantom! The Divine General now returns to make her march against one she calls her ally-!"
"Our third favorite—No.10, Belno Light!"
The crowd's cheers echoed across the entire stadium as Belno Light stepped out onto the track dressed in her G1 outfit, her modified gakuran flapping in the light winds as she stepped fearlessly onto the turf.
And immediately, no one could ignore her. Every runner that'd already stepped onto the track found their eyes pulled towards her, as if she carried with her an undeniable gravity. But more than that, those that did turn to look at her found themselves shivering, their instincts screaming to them of an undeniable danger.
Even Ardan and Muteki weren't safe.
Ardan gulped as she watched Belno approach. From a glance, Belno looked like she remembered, but her presence wasn't anything but. Her steps carried power that was undeniable, and impossible as it was, it reminded Ardan of how she felt whenever she attempted a practice race together with Oguri.
Muteki tensed. "This is…" She whispered, eyes narrowing as Belno walked past them. The General hadn't spared them a glance as she walked by, but it still felt as if her deepest secrets had already been discerned. Unconsciously, a small smile stretched across her lips.
She gave Ardan's shoulder another tap. "Come." She said, already turning to leave. "Let's not dally any longer, Ardan."
Ardan blinked, before she quickly composed herself and nodded. "Right!"
"Placing 4th in the [Japan Cup], winning the [Arima Kinen], and most recently crushing the [Hanshin Daishoten]! Her appetite is endless, and now the White Lightning comes for Osaka's Crown-!"
"The 2nd favorite—Tamamo Cross!"
The crowd's cheers grew even louder, their excitement burning with fervor. And why wouldn't they? Right now, Tamamo Cross was undoubtedly one of the strongest umamusume of this generation, if not ever. Her win in the [Arima Kinen] had shown the world her strength, and her most recent victory at the [Hanshin Daishoten] had been so shocking that it was still talked about even today!
Yet, despite all the crowd's cheers, Tamamo Cross showed little to no reaction as she stepped onto the track. She silently walked towards her gate, seeming almost lifeless compared to the rest of the world. Ardan subtly glanced at her senior as she entered her gate, before she looked away in guilt. No-, in fact, most of the other runners couldn't manage to turn to Tamamo, whether out of fear or other feelings.
Only Belno did so, and she couldn't help but frown in confusion over the strange atmosphere that'd suddenly appeared.
But before she could fully question it-
"And now, here she comes-!"
"She remains undefeated to this day, and not even last year's [Japan Cup] was able to break her streak! Now she returns to the track, and once more will we witness that Grey Monster we've all missed-!"
"No.15, OGURI CAP!!"
A figure stepped out from the shadows, and the moment their feet stepped onto the turf, the ground itself almost seemed to tremble. The crowd exploded with excitement as a grey-haired umamusume walked forth, her blue eyes gleaming with bestial hunger. A weight surged across the entire track, its presence heavy and damning.
Ardan shakily breathed as she saw Oguri approach. "So there she is." She said, mostly to herself. She gulped as she pressed her hand onto her chest, doing her best to calm her rapidly beating her heart.
Muteki smiled deeply. "We meet again, Oguri-san." She opened her mouth for a moment before she looked down. She shook her head—she could greet Oguri after the race was over. This wasn't the time.
Belno smiled as she watched Oguri enter her gate, before she turned her focus back onto the track. She'd already made her intentions clear days before this race; all she had to do was focus.
Tamamo glanced at Oguri for a moment, before she ultimately looked away.
As for Oguri herself,
Returning back onto the track felt natural; in fact, she'd never felt better. It almost felt as if the track itself was welcoming her back after her hiatus. As if, no matter what happened or how much time had passed, these legs would still be welcome to run across the earth.
"Because we're born to run." She whispered, smiling slightly.
"All runners have entered their gates!"
"I know. I won't forget." Oguri suddenly said. A few runners turned to her in confusion, and even Tamamo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow despite her foul attitude. Only Belno smiled wryly, having gotten used to the way Oguri would sometimes speak to the air, as if she was speaking to a person no one else could see.
"It's time for the [Osaka Hai] to begin!"
The world grew quiet. Every runner who'd stepped onto the turf readied themselves as the silence wore on. A deep tension simmered as everyone waited for the gates to open.
And then-
BANG!
The gates slammed open, and 16 umamusume charged forward!
"And they're off!"
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AN: Sorry for the delayed upload for this chapter. I'd written this previously, but found it unsatisfactory and rewrote it. Today's chapter will be uploaded alongside this one.