Chapter Text
“Why is it so freaking hooooottt?!”
Cynthia sat in her hotel room, fanning herself intensely. The American south was hot in the summer, but she never imagined it’d be this bad. The AC was cranked and yet she was still roasting. Humidity didn’t help, New Orleans was on the ocean and surrounded by bayous. In much simpler terms, she was practically in a rice cooker.
Cynthia was helping with preparations for North American International Championships, the last major qualifier before the World Championships began in the fall. She was supposed to be going over Trainer profiles to help with her guest analysis for the tournament. But the heat was so bad, she could barely focus.
“Sorry Miss… ‘Aurora Torena’… I just can’t right now…”
She sunk back into the couch and just stared. She’d hit a brick wall on this and on her Terastal research. Being a world champion was great and all… but it had drawbacks. She didn’t even get to sneak off to go to that thing at Tracen Academy, Fan Fest was it? Nope, interviews and appearances abound. At least she could still talk to her friend via call and text. Although Serenade had been a little more… quiet as of late. Cynthia couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was definitely up.
“Not much to do about it now, I suppose,” Cynthia sighed. “Maybe I should just numb my brain a bit with some videos or something…”
Thankfully her hotel suite had a SmartTV in-house, equipped with UmaTube and every streaming platform known. Cynthia wasted no time bringing the UmaTube app itself up. Maybe some contest highlights or old myth videos would do the trick. However… something caught her eye before that. A video from the Umamusume Racing Association.
“FULL REPLAY: Junior Make Debut Hanshin - Race and Winning Live”
Cynthia almost scrolled past. But a familiar head of blonde hair caught her eye. Without hesitation, she clicked the video.
Hanshin Race Course, Earlier That Day
Holy shit. Holyshitholyshitholyshit! HOLYSHITTHISISREALLYHAPPENING!!!!
“Serenade, breathe.”
I look up and see Hana Toujou looking at me with some mild concern.
“Sorry trainer this is just… nerve-wracking!”
Toujou sighed. “I understand you're anxious. But you’re more ready than most of those girls. You’re race prep has been splendid, you’ll do well I’m sure.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about the race itself, trainer,” I replied, “It’s just… everything! I mean, this my debut! My first real race! I can't help being at least a little freaked out.”
Toujou shook her head. “You’ll be just fine, Serenade. You have put in all the work that’s been asked of you and then some. You’re ready. Now you just have to apply it all on the track.”
She’s right, I know she’s right. But that’s not helping my nerves AT ALL. My tail’s a flapping, twitching mess! God damn the URA and their no Pokemon rules. Delphox being in here with me would make me feel so much better.
“Now, if you’re ready, we need to go over your strategy. I know you’re running as a late this time around but there are a few things I want to go over before you go out to the tunnel.” I take a deep breath before turning to her and nodding. “Good. There are nine runners today so you being assigned gate seven is a blessing. You’ll be able to hang onto the outside for most of the race and make good judgment calls from there. Most of those girls are running their first debuts too, but they don’t have the experience you do.”
“And… that’s my edge, right?”
Toujou nods. “Exactly. However there are a couple of things we need to go over, specifically with other runners. My main concern is Aristance. She’s a late surger like you and excels at longer distances. Which means that this race distance is right in her wheelhouse. That said, she’s in gate one so she’ll have a hard time getting into position unlike you.
“Then there’s Quartet Accord in gate nine. She’s a pace chaser but scouting reports seem to indicate she bit twitchy mid-race. Word is she moves rather abruptly. I think it’d behoove you to take extra care when around her. She could trip you up without even meaning to.”
“Wouldn’t she get penalized for that?”
Toujou nods again. “She would but it’s not like they’d give you a hypothetical position of where you should have finished. She’d just end up finishing behind you.” Yeah… she’s not wrong. “Okay, is there anything that you want to go over before you head to the paddock?”
"No… I don’t think so… just gotta get the job done now.” Toujou began to respond, but-
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
A knock and a voice at the door stopped her.
“Serenade-san? They’re beginning staging for the paddock! Please head to the tunnel immediately!”
“O-Okay! Thank you!” Once I was sure they were gone, I exhaled completely. Here we go I guess.
Toujou began to make her way to the door. “Time for me to make my exit as well, Serenade. I’ll be trackside near the gates with the rest of the team. I’m sure they have some words they’d like to say before you head to the gates. Make sure you stop by.”
“I will, thank you trainer!” I bow to Toujou. Toujou nodded and, with a bow and a smile, left the room. I followed close behind, heading the other direction through the tunnel towards the paddock.
With slow pace, I began my trek through the labyrinthine halls of the tunnel. My cleats click against the solid floor. This is it… this is where it all comes together. I can’t help but still feel some nerves. After all, I’m the last of those around me to debut. Taiki. Aruve. Still. They all won their debuts. Now it’s my turn. This is my time, now! It’s time to show this crowd who Twilight Serenade is!
“Up next: starting from Bracket Seven, Gate Seven. She’s the number one favorite to win today! Hailing from Odaiba, Twilight Serenade!”
I walk through the curtain, eyes forward. Man there’s a LOT of people here! I mean it’s likely just because it’s a race but… I didn’t think it’d be this many! I slowly stroll toward the front of the paddock stage, stopping on my marks. I look around for a moment, taking it all in. All these people, here to watch our debuts. And sadly that means… they’ll have to watch eight other girls eat my dust! I grab my jersey jacket and pull it off my shoulders before tossing it into the air! Sorry Leon, I’m gonna borrow something real quick!
fwoomf
As my jacket leaves my hand, I hit Leon’s trademark three-fingered pose! After all, this debut’s gonna be-
“⌈A real champion time!⌋”
My jacket lands behind me as I nail Leon’s pose! There’s a little bit of applause. Honestly… I’ll take it. At least I didn’t totally embarrass myself. And as long as I don’t do that on the track, we’re good. I make my way off stage and start my walk to the staging area where the gates are located. A couple of the girls that went before me on stage are stretching, steeling their nerves before the gates open. Man… thank the Goddesses we ran gate drills. Those things are loud and I’m not ashamed to admit, I nearly peed my pants the first time one opened.
I get out to the turf and just… take it all in. The crowd is really starting to file in now. I look up to the suites, wondering what they’re thinking. Mom, Ella, Lulu and of course… Delphox.
“Cheer me on, partner. I know you’re gonna be out here with me in spirit, after all.”
“SERENADE!”
My attention snaps to just a few dozen meters before the gates. It’s none other than Team Rigil, and they’re currently hailing me to join them trackside.
“Hey guys! Thanks for coming!”
“You serious?! We wouldn’t miss this!” Ama laughs, making me blush a little.
“Indeed! It is time for your true radiance to be put on full display! The very skies will part and bathe you with the brilliant light of the Goddesses themselves! A chorus of clouds will call to you in jubilation! Hurrah, Serenade! Hurrah!”
I… still… have NO clue what any of that even means! “Thanks Opera O!” While most of Rigil is present for my debut, there are some notable exceptions. Mainly Prez and the VP’s. Apparently some urgent work came up last minute and they needed to stay behind. Which means Brian’s skived off somewhere on campus and Rudolf and Groove are dealing with… whatever. Still though, that left all the other older girls. All of whom were here now. The only missing other members at this moment are Grass, El and-
“SERENAAAAAAADE!”
Taiki, my cousin. Who’s… currently charging the railing at mach three with El and Grass in tow. Oh shit! I think she’s going to-
“Shuttle stop! Going onto the racecourse is expressly prohibited in non-emergency situations!”
Taiki screeches to a halt just before the railing. “R-Really?! That’s a rule?!”
“I’m afraid so, a very strict one at that! You and Serenade could BOTH face substantial penalties.”
Taiki’s ears and tail wilted. “[Sorry] trainer. I just really wanted to give my cousin a hug before her debut.”
Toujou pinched her nose, I giggled. “Tell ya what, Taiki. When this is all said and done, you can give me as many hugs as you want.”
“[YEEHAAAAW]!” That perked her back up. I really hope I don’t regret that. Then again, Taiki wanted to cook a whole barbecue for her debut win! So… a potential hug-pocalypse isn’t the craziest idea.
Trumpet blaring
The opening fanfare. Okay… here we go. Time to make the world know my name! With a nod to my friends, I walk toward the gates. Overhead, I can hear the commentators starting to discuss the race ahead.
“Blue skies and a beaming sun shine upon Hanshin today. The track is firm and wind is light.”
“A beautiful day for a race, I’d say!”
I’m loaded into my gate, slowly but surely psyching myself up. Hopping in place and letting the little breeze fly into my stall, ruffling my hair. My ears flick with anticipation as I stand ready. I take a deep breath and hold… before exhaling. I crouch down into a ready position and lock my vision on the gates. Two-thousand meters, anti-clockwise. I can do this.
kerchak
And away we go! As soon as I hear the springs release, I push off! Good start, better than a few others. Judging by current position, I’m sitting in fifth. A small climb uphill and I start to really set my pace. I’m holding position as a few of the other runners start to maneuver all around the track. I start to move a bit further to the outside. It’s not something that’s conventional, and as we enter the corner I see why.
I’m starting to lose some ground as we start to go through the shorter of the four corners. No big deal though, I may be in an awkward spot for this shorter corner. But by the time we get to the bigger corner on the other end, I should be ready to pounce! Some of the front runners are dueling up ahead but the pace chasers are starting put themselves into position. I see Quartet Accord moving to my inside, overtaking me as we start to exit the corner. With her being inside of me now, I shouldn’t have to deal with her moving abruptly in front of me. Still though, keep an eye on her, Serenade.
We exit the second corner and begin to make our way down the back straight. I see a bunch of the girls in front of me moving all around. Quartet Accord is moving about again, and I think I get the smallest glimpse of Aristance in the corner of my eye. Trainer said she was stuck on the inside so she’s probably trying to use up a bit more of her stamina to get herself into position for her spurt. I look ahead to see a couple of the front runners starting to be reeled in by the pace chasers. We start to enter the third corner, and it’s all still relatively calm.
This is normally where I’d make my move to start my spurt. Just before the corner entry, same as the scrimmages. But not this time, I hold off. Because no one else has gone for theirs yet. If I go now, I could start a chain reaction and end up on the backfoot. Luckily I don’t have to wait very long. One after another, as we start to enter the fourth turn, the other runners start to lock in and start their spurts. I see Aristance to my inside really start to push, as soon as she’s completely in my view-
“HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!”
I roar and put all the power I have into my legs! And it’s a lot of power, I’ve managed my stamina well. As we roll through the fourth corner, I start to make pass after pass. A gap opens toward the inside, right against the guardrail as we start to enter the final straight and I charge! I’m now on the very inside of the course, up against the rail. I put all the power into my legs and push as hard as I can. I push past Quartet Accord and make a move toward the leader as we run down the final straight! I use the momentum of the small downhill to give myself a little boost as I run!
We start to climb uphill again the leader is really starting to come into range now. She must be losing the last of her steam. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the video board, showing the battle taking form. I’m so close… so close… so close! And just as we push up and onto the flat part of the track once more-
I pass her. I’m in the lead.
There isn’t much race left but I still do my best to pull away. I hear her footsteps start to fade just as I’m nearly at the line! My body races past the big structure that serves as the finish line. And like that…my debut race comes to an end. The pulsing in my ears and the adrenaline coarsing through me is diluting the moment. However, as I start to slow down toward the club corner; it all comes into focus. The roar of the crowd is finally becoming clearer and clearer in my ears. As does the excitement of the commentators.
“Twilight Serenade! Twilight Serenade! She gave us a thrilling finish! Flying past the post, it’s Twilight Serenade! What an outstanding debut!”
I did it… I really did it. I… I won my debut… I WON MY DEBUT!!!
“ALRIGHT!!!!” I tearfully throw my fist into the air in triumph, giving the crowd the biggest smile I could manage! This is it… this is the dream I’ve wanted for so… fucking long! I’m a real racer! And now… I just won my debut! I’m officially a member of the Twinkle Series!
“Serenade-san!”
I turn back toward the course to see Aristance and Gefrieren, the girl I passed for the lead, approaching me.
I bowed as the duo got to me. “That was a great race you guys!”
“Right back at ya! I dunno how I left that gap ‘ere, but you sure as shit didn’t waste any time usin’ it,” laughed Gefrieren.
“Not to mention her late spurt, talk about impressive,” added Aristance.
I blush, tail wagging. “You guys are too kind. You were both incredible, too!”
Gefrieren holds a hand out her hand with a grin, palm open. “You were pretty darn good. But don’t think ahm takin’ this loss sittin’ down, Serenade! Once I win a debut, I’m comin’ after ya!”
I smile brightly back and shake her hand. “Don’t keep me waiting too long! I definitely wanna race you guys again!”
Gefrieren nods with a satisfied grin. “Alright, alright. Save the bravado for after the Winning Live you two, hm?” We look at an entertained Aristance with confusion before both laughing.
“Yeah, guess we should probably go get ready for that, huh?”
“True ‘nuff! See ya on stage, Serenade!”
I nod and we break our handshake. As we start walking toward the tunnel, I turn back to look at the video board. I get a glimpse at the finishing order.
7
2 1/2
3
1 1/2
9
5
4
NK
1
I only beat Gefrieren by two and a half lengths. It isn’t much, but it’s a win. Just means I need work even harder to make my dreams in the Twinkle Series a reality… whatever those end up being. I make my way down into the tunnel and through the enclosed labyrinth to where my green room is. There, I’m met with the sight of Hana Toujou waiting for me.
“That was an excellent race, Serenade. Congratulations.”
I gave her a deep bow. “Thank you, trainer. Thank you for all your hard work in helping me get this far.” Yeah that’s it… hold it together Serenade… hold it together.
Toujou nods as I rise to face her. “Of course, Serenade. You don’t need to thank me for that. It’s my life’s work to make dreams such as yours a reality. If you continue to work as hard as you have these last several months, I have no doubt you’ll accomplish great things. After all, this is just your debut. There’s a long way to go from here.”
“I’ll do my best trainer, you have my word on that!”
“And you have my word I’ll do the same,” she replies with a smile. “Now, you did just run a race. Take some time for yourself before the concert. Oh and… have fun! Many people come just to see the Winning Lives.”
Gee, that’s not gonna make me nervous or anything. Whatever, I know it comes from a good place so… can’t be mad I suppose. “Will do trainer, I’ll see you after the concert!”
Toujou nods and heads back down out of the tunnel. I enter my green room and, when the door latches behind me, fall to my knees. And the dam breaks.
“I… I really did it…”
My tears fall and splash off of my knees. I’m just… just so happy right now. I won my debut. I got to really race as an umamusume… and I won! The joy that’s in my heart is incredible. To think that nine months ago, I was an amnesiac who survived some kind of brush with an unknown fate. And now… now I’m an umamusume that just won her debut race! Not only that but… my friends and family, not to mention my freaking partner Pokemon! They all got to see my dream come true!
bzzt bzzt
That’s my phone. No doubt someone, or a group of someones, is blowing it up. I wipe my tears and stand up, dusting myself off before walking over to where my bag was. I pulled my phone out and- VAULTIN’ VELUZAS! There’s so many messages. And it’s from just just about everyone! My teammates, my friends from school! Even Mejiro Bright sent me a message! And that’s not even mentioning my family! Mom, Ella, Lulu, Taiki and-
“DAD?!”
Dad stayed up to watch?! It’s like two in the morning where he is in the US!
Dad: “Incredible win dear. Seeing you doing your best makes me more overjoyed than I can say.”
“Dad… come on. I just got done crying…”
I wipe my eyes again before I start scrolling through some of the other messages. Emotes and all caps from the likes of Scarlet and Vodka. Special Week offering to celebrate with snacks. Oh shit! Prez and Senpai even sent me messages.
Prez: “Serenade. It makes me more proud than I can truly describe to see you out on the turf today. Savor this moment, and let it be the very thing that propels you forward. I look forward to seeing you back at the academy where we can discuss further. But until then, congratulations. Oh and good luck on stage. I’m sure you’ll do well to serenade us into the twilight.”
“PREEEEEEEEEZZZZ!” Oh well… guess I can deal with a pun after what I just went through. I scroll through more and more incredibly sweet messages until I get to mom’s. But… hers isn’t a message. I mean it is but it’s not like an actual message. It’s a video. I rotate my phone sideways and hit the play button.
“Delphox?!”
Sure enough, it’s a video of Delphox. Someone recorded her up in the box suites, seemingly toward the end of the race. She’s got her whole body pressed right up against the window, tail flying. I can hear the race commentary in the background but it’s faint over… Ballad screaming like a maniac all the while. But my eyes remained fixed on Delphox. The only movement coming from her is her tail, wagging like crazy. Then… I hear the commentary.
“Twilight Serenade! It’s Twilight Serenade! She wins the Hanshin Make Debut!”
“Fa fa, de FA!!”
Delphox cries out with pride! Seriously, I can hear her even over mom and Ella! She pulls her twig from her tail and-
“Delphox, no! Do not, DO NO-”
Mom’s voice interjects as the video cuts off. I really hope that Delphox didn’t light anything on fire. Because I have the faintest feeling if she did, I’m paying for it. But… to know she was up there watching me, cheering me on. Even if she couldn’t be trackside, it felt good. Our bond… it’s as strong as ever.
I back out of mom’s LANE message and start scrolling again. However as I scroll, one name hasn’t popped up in the new messages.
Where’s Cynthia?
She’s in the States right now, same as dad. I mean I know it’s late but I figure she’d tough it out. After a few quick scrolls I find our message chain. Sure enough, no notifications. I click and see that the last message was her complaining how hot and muggy New Orleans was this time of year. To which I replied that she was in a swamp in the summer, that’s gonna happen. It’s weird though. No mentions of luck or asking me how I’m feeling going into the race. Not even so much as a feeling of excitement. It’s so strange, it’s almost like she didn’t even know my debut was today.
I continue scrolling. Up and up and up and up until, finally, I find the selfie we took back in January when she visited Tracen. The first message she sent me after I gave her my new contact info…
“HOLY SHIT I DIDN’T TELL HER MY DEBUT WAS TODAY!”
Oh nice fumble, dumbass! Cynthia didn’t say anything about my debut because she didn’t know about my debut! Uuuuuuuugh! Well… should probably shoot her a text at some point. Actually, still got some time. No time like the-
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Serenade-san? It’s almost time for the Winning Live! We need to get you fitted for your stage outfit!”
FUCK! Okay… guess that’ll have to wait then. “Oh uh… coming!” I stick my phone back into my bag and head for the door, greeting the production assistant that was outside my room pleasantly. They offered their congratulations and led me to a big dressing room with a makeup station. They quickly had me out of the non-G1 standard racewear and my numbered bib and were soon getting me into the stage costume. The same stage costume I saw Taiki wear after her debut.
It seems like the outfit used for debut Winning Lives is the exact same. It’s a red corset with red shorts, a cream and purple jacket with gold accents with matching boots and skirt, purple socks held up by purple garters and a purple bow that sits right above my tail. I guess the people in charge call this thing Starting Future… whatever that means. After the outfit is on, they take me over to a makeup station where a bit of stage makeup is applied. As soon as I sat down, the ladies in charge of doing the makeup spent like… at least five minutes complimenting me on how naturally pretty my face was. As one can imagine, that lit my face up and made my tail whip around like crazy.
Once I finish up, I’m ushered to my starting position and mic’d. Joining me as expected, are Gefrieren and Aristance. I could hear the crowd from back here and holy crap they were going wild. I think this might even be more nerve-wreacking than the race! But… just like I was ready for the race, I’m ready for this. I inhale for another deep breath. The lights go down and we enter the stage. The intro fanfare blares. I exhale and draw in another big breath just as the fanfare ends…
Hibike fanfaare!
Todoke gooru made!
Kagayaku mirai o, kimi to mitai kara!
Whoa! Listen to those cheers! They’re all calling out to us, this is awesome!
Kakedashitara, kitto hajimaru story.
Itsudemo, chikaku ni arukara.
And I’m nailing all the moves too! And Aristance and Gefrieren are doing awesome as well! They’re absoluely nailing their parts!
Shouri no megami mo muchuu ni saseru yo!
Yeah! The Goddessses better be smiling! After all… this is all thanks to them! Oh! Here comes the lead-in for the chorus!
Make Debut!
Hibike fanfaare!
Todoke gooru made.
Kagayaku mirai o, kimi to mitai kara!
Kakenukete yukou.
Kimi dake no michi o.
Motto! Hayaku!
I believe!
Yume no saki made!
Hibike fanfaare!
Todoke gooru made.
Kagayaku mirai o, kimi to mitai kara!
Kakenukete yukou.
Kimi dake no michi o.
Motto! Hayaku!
Hashire! Hashire! Dare yori hayaku!
Itsuka, waraeru!
Sa-i-kou dake mezashite! Yuko-ou!
I believe!
Yume no saki made!
As “Make Debut” came to a beautful end, the blonde umamusume leading the concert gave a defiant point toward the camera that had zoomed in on her. On the other side of said camera, watching from a hotel in New Orleans, sat Cynthia. Tears streamed from her eyes as she clutched the pillow. The video continued on with several interviews and analysis from experts but… to Cynthia? None of that mattered.
“You did it… you really did it, Senpai…”
Her race, her concert. All of it. Cynthia had gotten to watch Twilight Serenade, her best friend and someone who believed in her more than anyone else, achieve her dream. HER dream, not one given to her by anyone else. It was hard not to be emotional in a scenario like that.
“Gabu?”
Cynthia turned to see her beloved Garchomp. When did she get here? She must’ve popped out of her Ball while Cynthia wasn’t looking. It approached her with a mix of curiosity and concern, seeing its Trainer in such a state.
“I’m okay, Garchomp. I promise. It’s just… seeing her living her dream just got me really emotional.”
Garchomp nodded and nuzzled up to Cynthia, receiving a soothing rub on her horns in return. Cynthia smiled at her partner, wiping a few last renegade tears from her eyes. She kept watching as the video finally reached its end, sitting there on recommended suggestions. She leaned back, holding Garchomp with her hand and just smiled.
“She’s really something, Garchomp. I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do now.”
Cynthia sat for a moment before suddenly sitting up again.
“I wonder…”
She quickly pulled her phone back out, closing the conversation between herself and Serenade. She navigated to her phone app and wasted no time calling someone in her contacts. For a few moments, all she heard was dial tone.
“Come on… come on… COME ON…”
Then, a click.
“Hello? Yes, it’s me! Is that offer still on the table?” Silence as the other caller spoke. “No not for me. Though I think I may know someone even better for the job.” The other person spoke. “She has my full recommendation sir. I can assure you she’s got what it takes!” Garchomp looked on, not understanding any of it. “Okay then, sounds wonderful. You’ll be coming to New Orleans, yes? Bring her with you and I’ll take her to my friend!” “Yes! See you then, bye bye!”
Cynthia hung up before turning back toward the screen. “Senpai… this’ll be a victory present for the ages!”