"Nhuuuuu…"
Breathe in.
The air got sucked into my mouth and travelled down my throat, filling my lungs.
Breathe out.
"Fuuuuuh…"
This was the ritual I did when I changed into my silk. I inhale deeply to remove any distraction from my thoughts. I exhale to deplete the oxygen from my lungs, and by the next inhale, I have expanded my lungs to the limit. Good, my body is in perfect condition. I exhale and proceed to breathe normally.
Putting on the epaulette on my left shoulder, I can feel the red cape flowing down and touching the back of my knees. I can feel myself slowly becoming more methodical, colder, and more dominant. My gaze must've looked colder to the outsider.
And finally, the badges. I put them on my chest. Today, I will win this race and prove to everyone that I can run and win on a 2200m track. From the mile to long-distance races, everything is mine to conquer- Phew… Not right now, Rudolf. It's not the right time to unleash my true self.
Only after Arima Kinen… When I win.
I fasten my boots and ensure that my cleats fit correctly.
"Let's go." She spoke to herself, both as a reminder and as a mantra, as she stepped out of the changing room and approached the runner's tunnel. She can hear each step echoing out as she walks toward the exit. Out there, crowds are gathering, commentators are introducing the race, and the runners who previously exited the tunnel are being discussed in detail for those listening to the radio.
And the moment she steps out of the tunnel, she moves with such elegance that is typically seen in the military. Her back is straight, her eyes gazed onward as if there is no distraction capable of attracting her attention- well, except for one girl. Luckily, that girl is watching from the spectator seats.
"And the crowd's number 1 favourite, Symboli Rudolf, is exiting the tunnel. Look at her demeanour! She is acting as if she owns this track, but will her opponents let her?"
Stepping out, she can spot Onward Cameroun, Suzu Mach, and Gold Way. They are staring at her with a firm determination to win. Suzu Parade isn't participating because she doesn't suit long-distance races.
"Good luck." She said with a slight smile, and politely, she wasn't wishing them good luck to win the race; the meaning behind her words was explicitly telling them, "Good Luck, you can try beating me all you want, but you can't win."
The red cape behind her started fluttering away as they proceeded to continue stretching around the paddock, even though the race was only G2, the number of people that filled the seats almost reached G1 equivalent. That's how popular Symboli Rudolf is, the one who has won the last two G1 races.
"-2200m long, and the weather is sunny today." The commentators started hyping up the race, "Number 3rd Suzu Mach is making her way to the gate."
"Number 7th Onward Cameroun is making her way to the gate."
"Number 2nd Gold Way is making her way…"
"..."
"..."
"The crowd favourite number 1, Symboli Rudolf, is making her way to the gate."
Thud.
Thud.
Thump.
The moment everyone entered the gates, the crowds went silent. The tension in the air can be cut with a knife. Everyone in the gates can hear each other's breathing.
Their heart thumping as they regulate their breathing to calm down, all but Symboli Rudolf. Unlike the other runners, she doesn't shift around, she doesn't adjust her running position, she's just stood there, almost like a statue. That was her unique trait before each race started; currently, not all runners are capable of establishing the same feat, all but that one girl.
"Echo Eclipse, Oh my god! It's really you! Can I shake your hand?" Echo stared in surprise before grinning widely.
"Of course you can! What's your name?" She spoke excitedly as she interacted with her fans.
"Ah! I am-"
"Sorry, but can you respect Echo Eclipse's personal space? You can talk to her all you want after the race, but currently, we are spectating, and we are not in a fan meeting." Kazuo, being the reliable and experienced trainer he is, swiftly and easily stopped the interactions before pulling Echo back to their seats.
There was an unwritten rule among the fans that they shouldn't disturb any runners while they are watching a race, but the fan that Echo met was just 8 years old, a child. So she doesn't mind much.
"That kid was cute."
"Aah… I know that you love interacting with fans, Echo. But the race is just about to start, we're almost late because you got lost."
"Hehe~" She rubbed the back of her neck as she stuck out her tongue apologetically.
"1" The commentator echoes, and the gates opened at the same time. "GO!"
"Ah! We almost missed it!" She said excitedly before sitting down, where Suzu Parade is also watching the race.
"Come on, Mach…" She mumbled under her breath as she clenched her fists, cheering her little sister on.
"Symboli Rudolf is currently in the lead, Suzu Mach is hanging around at 7th place and duelling Haruki for 6th place."
The runners have reached the first corner, and none of them has tried to take Symboli Rudolf's position just yet; they are only at the beginning of the race. Wasting your stamina won't lead to good results for you.
The cheers were loud from their fans, and you can clearly hear chants of their names. And hearing Symboli Rudolf being cheered for made her proud and puffed up her chest, even though she didn't do anything. She is just happy that her friends are being cheered, too.
"Symboli Rudolf is still in the lead, half a length behind is Neon Bizu, and she is speeding up! Is she trying to take the lead?"
Neon Bizu isn't trying to get 1st place; she wants to exhaust the stamina of those behind her. Unfortunately for her, her opponents had experienced running in G1 before, especially against Symboli Rudolf.
At the 50-second mark, they passed the second corner.
"Onward Cameroun is speeding up! She's taken 5th place, Suzu Mach!"
"No harsh feeling, Mach," Cameroun said gently and softly while breathing heavily.
"Fuh." Suzu Mach can only let out a quick exhale before making her first spurts.
"Suzu Mach and Onward Cameroun are duelling for 5th place! Gold Way has overtaken Neon Bizu's position through the gap from the inside! They are 1600m in! Will they be able to stop the unstoppable win streak of Symboli Rudolf, or will this become part of her unstoppable win streak?"
1 minute and 29 seconds in, they are now approaching the last portion of the racecourse, approaching 1700m.
"Haruki is speeding up. Bright Sunday is defending her position! Symboli Rudolf is still in the lead! They are now approaching the final corner! Folks! Will Symboli Rudolf win once again, or will somebody snatch her lead!" The commentator shouted in excitement as he leaned over the table, holding the microphone in his hand.
"Onward Cameroun, and Suzu Mach has started their spurt! Gold Way, in 2nd place, has also started her boost."
"Oh! Oh! Neon Bizu is making her comeback!"
Neon Bizu leaned forward and stomped strongly on the ground, kicking herself away and surpassing Suzu Mach, landing herself in 4th place. Suzu Mach in 5th place.
"Symboli Rudolf is now increasing the gap between each stride she makes! Yet Neon Bizu and Gold Way still have gas in their steps! Will they reach Symboli Rudolf or fall!"
At 1 minute and 51 seconds in, they reached the last straight. 2000m in.
"Symboli Rudolf is ahead of Gold Way by 1 length, Gold Way is ahead of Onward Cameroun by a quarter of a length. Suzu Mach and Neon Bizu are currently duelling for 4th plac- Wait Wait!"
"Onward Cameroun is making her spurt once again! How high is her stamina!"
Cameroun ran by Gold Way, as Gold Way was already on the edge of exhaustion. Onward Cameroun took first place and continues making her way toward Symboli Rudolf, whose position hasn't been shaken once in this race.
Gold Way looked at the back of Onward Cameroun with a wry smile; she thought that this would happen. It was either Onward Cameroun and Suzu Mach; however looked like Suzu Mach made a mistake, such as getting trapped and continuously wasting her stamina in duelling for a position.
"100m left! Will Onward Cameroun take the spot! She's the underdog of the race! When we all thought that she wasted her stamina by spurting twice, she spurted once again!"
"Gold Way is currently keeping her position and defending against Neon Bizu and Suzu Mach!"
"We're almost at the end, folks! Will Onward Cameroun take the lead, or will Symboli Rudolf continue dominating this race!"
2 minutes and 9 seconds in, they are steadily approaching. Symboli Rudolf has finally given her first spurt out of the entire race, a risky move when her stamina was already depleted, and she feels tired from the long nature of the race.
Onward Cameroun is approaching.
1 length. Half a length. Quarter a length. Head. neck. Then, by the nose, before a suffocating, domineering atmosphere pushes down on every single runner. Rudolf sped ahead and crossed the finish line.
"Folks! Folks! Symboli Rudolf once again defended her win streak!"
"She set a new record! 2 minutes, 13 seconds, and 400 microseconds!"
"Onward Cameroun has passed the line by 2 minutes, 14 seconds, and 100 microseconds!"
"Gold Way follows at 3rd place by 2 minutes 14 seconds, and 800 microseconds."
"Neon Bizu arrived by 2 minutes, 15 seconds, and 200 microseconds. Suzu Mach arrived just after, just defeated by 100 microseconds."
"Symboli Rudolf has proven that she can run long-distance races! Will she continue being unstoppable? Will this be the birth of the future triple crown champion?"
While the commentators continue speaking, Symboli Rudolf continues panting as she stares ahead, sweat dripping down her skis as a sneaky smirk of an echo winked at her before dispersing away like the wind.
"Did… Echo Eclipse already surpassed me?" She mumbled in slight awe; the echo of Echo Eclipse had quite literally crossed the finish line before she did.
"I need to be faster…" She shook her head and chuckled. "I'm going mad."
She knows full well of Echo Eclipse's capacity currently, and she knows that the echo that crossed the finish line before her had long hair. Almost like a future version of Echo Eclipse.
"Huff…"
She turned her head toward the crowd and did her signature winning pose; countless roars of cheers escaped from the audience and at her.
"Symboli Rudolf! Symboli Rudolf! Symboli Rudolf!"
"Symboli Rudolf! Symboli Rudolf! Symboli Rudolf!"
"Symboli Rudolf! Symboli Rudolf! Symb…"
"Symboli Rudolf! Sy…"
"Symbo…"
…
..
.