The training camp hummed along with the precision of a well-oiled machine. Sunday Silence remained locked in a perpetual, high-decibel clash with Stay Gold, a rivalry that was paying dividends for the young Horse Girl's growth.
Rampage occasionally wondered if Sunday had truly forgotten about Special Week—the girl she had personally scouted and supposedly come here to mentor. Maybe she's doing it on purpose, Rampage thought. Sunday is smarter than she looks. She probably realized that leaving Spe to me for now is better for her development than subjecting her to a constant barrage of American-style profanity.
Meanwhile, Maruzensky's group—consisting of Suzuka, Sunny Brian, Mejiro Dober, and Taiki Shuttle—was flourishing. To be fair, Maruzensky wasn't exactly a natural-born teacher; she was an apex predator. Her style was less "let me explain the mechanics" and more "watch me do it and try not to blink."
However, Team Pleiades had fostered a culture of extreme autonomy. Instead of waiting for a lecture, the girls treated Maruzensky like a living textbook.
"I noticed something about Maruzensky-san's form," Suzuka said during a break, sketching lines in the sand with a stick. "Her center of gravity is different from Rampage-san's, but it's incredibly efficient."
"I see it too," Sunny Brian added, leaning in. "Rampage-san's style is built on overwhelming power—she forces the ground to obey her. But Maruzensky-san… she's all technique. It's like she's dancing with the turf."
"So, if we take that approach to the next corner..." Dober mused. "Wait, do we have enough data to compare?"
"No problem! I'll play the role of Rampage-san, si!" Taiki volunteered, striking a burly pose.
They didn't just run; they researched. They discussed physics, weight distribution, and momentum, then took those theories back to Maruzensky to see if they held water. Maruzensky, delighted by their initiative, began throwing increasingly difficult "problems" at them through her own performance.
"Feel the flow of the grass… judge the angle… and… accelerate!"
Suzuka's improvement was the most striking. She knew she couldn't replicate Rampage's "Grip Run" that dug into the subsoil, so she had been searching for a different path. Maruzensky's technique was the missing piece. By shifting her weight with surgical precision, Suzuka learned to stop fighting the turf and start using it. She began to take corners with zero wasted energy, carving a path through the bend like a hot knife through butter.
"Mmm, that was quite good!" Maruzensky called out, watching Suzuka's exit. "But your load transfer was still a bit sluggish. Your body isn't quite keeping up with the shift, which is causing your form to wobble at the peak. We need to focus on your core strength."
"Ah—yes, ma'am!"
"Suzuka! That was amazing!" Taiki yelled, tackling her teammate into the sand.
For a brief, flickering moment, Suzuka had actually closed the gap on Maruzensky. It was a victory for the whole group.
"You did it, Suzuka! That's a huge step for all of us!" Sunny cheered.
"It gives everything we're doing so much more meaning," Dober added, a rare, genuine smile on her face.
"YES~! Good job, Suzuka-chan!"
"I get it, Taiki… but please… let go…!"
"Ah, to be young~♪" Maruzensky hummed, watching the girls celebrate.
While the milers were finding their rhythm, the atmosphere in Tamamo Cross's camp—overseeing Mayano Top Gun and the newcomer Air Groove—was significantly more intense.
"You think you can beat me with that?" Tamamo's voice was like a whip. "Don't make me laugh!"
"Eeeeeeek!" Maya squeaked.
"And you—talking about the Triple Tiara?" Tamamo turned to Air Groove. "Don't talk in your sleep. Wake up and look at the track!"
"Ngh… what is this closing speed…?" Air Groove gasped, her lungs burning.
Tamamo hadn't wasted time with drills. She had assessed their current levels and immediately thrown them into a mock race. Even though Air Groove hadn't debuted yet and Maya was preparing for the 2000m Hopeful Stakes, Tamamo had crushed them both.
They were talented, yes. They were "geniuses" in their own right. but they were facing "The White Lightning"—a girl who had survived a war of attrition with Oguri Cap. They weren't just losing; they were being dismantled.
"Listen up," Tamamo said, her gaze piercing. "There's no limit to strength. There's always someone higher. Do you know why Rampage is so strong? Because she never stops looking up. Even now, as a trainer, she's climbing. She's hungry for more."
She stepped closer, her shadow looming over them.
"So what about you? If you're weak, what happens? Rampage will protect you, sure. She's that kind of person. But is that what you want? Are you satisfied being a burden? Have some damn pride! Grow strong enough to stand beside her, not behind her!"
"Protecting Rampage-san… not just being protected…" Maya whispered, her eyes widening.
"Am I… truly being that complacent?" Air Groove gritted her teeth, her regal composure shattering into raw determination. "Tamamo Cross-san! One more set, please!"
"Maya too! Maya's gonna be a star that makes her Trainer-chan proud!"
"Talk is cheap," Tamamo smirked. "Prove it with your legs!"
"GLADLY!" they roared in unison.
"You went a little overboard, Tama-san..." Rampage sighed that evening.
The legends were gathered for dinner, and Rampage was looking at Tamamo with a half-amused, half-reproachful "side-eye" after hearing the reports from the training ground. She wanted mental toughness, sure, but she hadn't expected Tamamo to go full drill sergeant.
"Ah, sorry about that," Tamamo said, sipping her tea. "I got a bit carried away."
"Oh, don't be like that," Maruzensky chimed in. "I think it was the right call. At the end of the day, a race is a battle with yourself. In Pleiades, they're teammates until the starting gate drops, right? Then they're enemies. They need that steel in their souls."
Tamamo nodded. "The hardest part for a girl who's been inseparable from her trainer is realizing that once the race starts, she's alone. That physical distance can snap the mental link if the girl isn't strong enough."
"I agree," Maruzensky said. "Realizing your partner can't reach out and help you when your legs are screaming is a heavy realization."
Rampage paused, the thought settling in. For her, solitude had always been a way of life; she had never felt "lonely" on the track because she was used to carrying the weight alone. The only time she'd ever felt that flicker of anxiety was right before her first big race in Europe, away from Minamisaka.
"I see... that's a perspective I might have missed," Rampage admitted. "Thank you. I appreciate the insight."
"Eh, don't sweat it," Tamamo waved it off. "It's a senior's job to help the juniors. Even if the world calls you the 'Strongest,' you're still a total rookie as a trainer."
"Only my second year," Rampage chuckled. "Go easy on me."
"Fufu, well, in that case," Maruzensky said, striking a playful pose, "your Big Sister will have to go the extra mile to help out!"
"Oho? A sexy 'Big Sister' putting in extra work? Sounds intense," Rampage teased.
"Stop it, you're making me blush! Iyan, Maitching!" Maruzensky squealed, using a slang term so old it practically had fossils on it.
"That is way too old!" Tamamo shouted. "How many decades has it been since anyone said that?!"
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