Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What is luck, really?
By definition, it's a phenomenon — success or failure determined by chance, not by one's own actions. Some believe luck stems from divine favor; others pin it on objects or even certain people.

But none of that seems to apply to me. It's like I was born on luck's bad side.

[NORTHFIELD TRAINER'S SCHOOL]

I never wanted to become a trainer — my parents didn't think the same. My grandpa, my dad and my sister all graduated from Northfield trainer's school, naturally, I was the next in line, so I didn't have that much of a choice. My sister Ash didn't succeed on being a trainer, so my parents were depositing all their hopes on me, especially dad, who trained many famous Uma Musume during his time.
School was busier than ever today. It was the day that they would announce the trainers that would go abroad to Japan to Tracen Academy, a prestigious UmaMusume Academy. Meanwhile, I was just trying to grab lunch... but of course the vending machine wasn't going to cooperate.

─ C'mon, you old piece of JUNK!

I tried everything — even gave the machine a good shove. I had lost my money and my lunch, and 20 minutes of my 30 minutes break. Ugh. I sat with my good friend Jim, my neighbor since we were kids.

─ What took you so long, Felix? What's with the grumpy face?

─ That old junk ate my money. Again.

─ That's old Felix for you.

I gave him a harsh look, not like he cared. We spent the last few minutes of the break talking about nothing useful, and when the bell rang, he started babbling about Japan and the Tracen Academy, if there was someone more excited about being chosen, that person was Jim.

─ Maaannn! I bet the Umas from Tracen are cuties. Did you see that picture of Maruzensky I sent you yesterday?

─ Unfortunately, yes. Since when you became such a pervert over them?

─ I-I ain't no pervert! I only think they're cute, that's all. Besides, aren't you excited to know who's going?

─ Not really, they never choose someone from our class.

Jim covered his ears during my last commentary, I shrugged off and headed inside our last class before the grand reveal, but of course things wouldn't go smoothly.
As soon as we sat down, we knew something was up. The class, eerily quiet, and that old Mr. Bell was nowhere to be seen, the other students started whispering to each other, because he was never late, a rumor quickly spread that this happened because someone from our class was chosen, and he was the first to know? Jim looked at me with glittery eyes..

─ Did you hear? They said we got chosen! That's why Mr Bell is late!

─ Yeah..sure. He probably just got his ponytail stuck somewhere.

─ C'mon, be more optimistic, will ya? Don't you want to go to Japan and see all those pretty Umas?

─ As if we were going there just to mess around! If you wanna go to the other side of the world to spend the next years working your butt off, don't drag me into this!!

As soon as I finished my sentence, Mr. Bell bursts into the room, panting and sweating heavily. The class immediately goes quiet, though he did look like a homeless hipster, Mr. Bell was very strict, he slowly walked up to his desk and buried his face in his hands. For a second, I thought that he might fall asleep right there.. Finally, a stroke of lu...

─ Pop essay, everyone. Write 30 lines of how to properly take care of a Uma Musume during career period.

Of course not.

[NORTHFIELD TRAINER'S SCHOOL GYMNASIUM]

Because of the essay, my class was the last one to arrive at the gymnasium, the whole school gave us a "I hope you don't get chosen" look, but it's not like we wanted to do a whole essay. After everyone sat down, the headmaster started talking:

─ Good afternoon, my dear students. Today, as you all may know, is the day that some of you will be chosen, to not only study abroad, but to better your skills as Uma Musume Trainers, by becoming a trainer on the most prestigied Uma Musume academies from all around the globe, the Japan Umamusume Training Center Academy, also known as the Tracen Academy. Throughout the year, your teachers and I observed every single one of you all, and came to a consensus on who will be the 3 representatives that will be sent to Tokyo...

After that, the headmaster started a long patriotic speech about american Umamusume racing or something, but when he said "3 representatives", everyone was shocked, and started looking at each other and whispering, even I was shocked, although I've put the effort to not be a "model student" throughout my years here, and this year wasn't different. Normally, the school sends one person to Japan to spend a career period there, but now with three, Jim was even more excited with the idea of being chosen.

─ Did you hear that? Three representatives! That means I have more chances of being chosen!!

─ If they choose at least one from our class, it'll be a miracle already.

─ I told you to be more optimistic, didn't I?

─ Whatever, man.

I shooed him off, and after his long speech, the headmaster finally decided to announce the unlucky people who would be sent to japan..

─ Alright, with all that said, let's start with the classes of the students that were chosen..

I could feel the tension on the air, I couldn't care less about who would go, because I knew I wasn't.

─ The class of the first representative is.. class 4-A! and the chosen one is.. Matthew Szyslak!

The whole school and specially his classmates started cheering for Matthew as soon his name was said. Matthew is one of those model students, never missed a day, stands up for bullies and stuff like that. I think he's a jerk, mostly because he's not what he appears to be when teachers aren't looking, but whatever. He was called to the stage, and stood there with his chin up, ugh.

─ Congratulations, Matthew! Now, for our next representative.. who's from class 6-B! and the chosen one is.. Heather Fletcher!

Again, the whole school clapped and cheered for Heather, but not her classmates, from what I could see. Heather is a gloomy girl, she doesn't have many friends, and prefers to be alone, people do say she's a genius when it comes to the technical part of training a Uma Musume. And then finally..

─ Nice job, Heather! And last, but not least.. the last representative is from class 3-C!

That was my class, as soon as the headmaster said the number, Jim immediately started going nuts.

─ HOLY SHIT! THEY CHOSE OUR CLASS! I CAN'T BELIEVE!!! JAPAN HERE I GOO!!

─ Chill out, dude! They're probably gonna..

─ And the chosen one is..

─ FELIX CHARMERS!!!

what.

─ ..what.

WHAT.

WHAT.

THEY CHOSE ME!?

Chapter Text

Murphy's law states: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

[NORTHFIELD TRAINER'S SCHOOL GYMNASIUM]

It was like everything went silent. As I reluctantly made my way to the stage, I could see the whole school clapping, but most of them had a defeated face - Jim was seething from his chair, shouting something.

For a moment I became lost on my own thoughts. Why me? I have my own dreams — none of them involve training UmaMusume. That’s three years of my life gone!

[HEADMASTER'S OFFICE]

When I took notice, I was in the Headmaster's office.

— Charmers?

— Gah! Sorry, I was just... thinking.

— Sure, sure. You know, since you got here, you had this awful look to your face. Is something the matter?

— Mr Burke, I really, REALLY, don't want to go through with this. My dream isn't to be a trainer! I don't even speak Japanese!!

Headmaster Burke had this strong aura — the kind that made you shut up fast. If I kept talking, I swear he’d smack my head off with the baseball bat behind his chair. Which, given the situation, I would’ve gladly accepted.

— Charmers, there's a specific reason on why you were chosen. This year's criteria was fairly simple. Of course, the best students would be sent there, the case for Matthew and Heather.

— So why I was I chosen?! I'm not the best student, by far.

— For the third representative, we decided to choose the WORST student overall!

— You gotta be joking me.

— We thought that, by having this experience, maybe you can become someone in life! Because with these grades i'll be honest, I don't think even a fast food joint would take you.

— . . .

I couldn't believe what I just heard. I was speechless, what kind of criteria is that? How can someone agree to that? Before I could say anything to appeal to that decision, Headmaster Burke handed me a folder, filled with papers and a plane ticket.

— You better come back as a top-tier trainer, Charmers, I won't accept less. By the way, the flight is in three days, so you should go buy a suitcase or something.

— WHAT?!

— See you at the top, Charmers!

His assistant dragged me out of the office while I tried to argue with Mr Burke, which showed no result. Screw you, Murphy's law!

[THREE DAYS LATER: EN ROUTE TO TRACEN ACADEMY]

After telling my parents the "great news", they got super excited and said they already had everything prepared, my sister even gave me a "Japanese for Idiots" book. They're probably the ones who premeditated all this...
The trip was fairly normal, aside from the fact that I barely slept due to the fact that Heather snores really loudly, and she was sitting right next to ME.

After leaving the plane, there I was: Tokyo, Japan. The land of the rising sun. I waited for my bags, but they didn't appear, that's when I saw a commotion happening not far from there, when I got closer, the airport employee was trying to contain the angry customers:

— Everyone! Please! Some of the baggages are still on the Airport back in the USA! The company will...

I looked back and saw Matthew and Heather grabbing their baggages, and of course, mine probably were one that was left away. Sigh.

I wasn't going to wait for them, so I just followed Matthew and Heather to the Taxi that was going to take us to Tracen. After seeing me with no baggage, of course, Matthew Smart-ass had to say something:

— Where's your stuff, jackass?

— Back in the US. They forgot mine.

— Heh, idiot.

I tried my hardest to not punch Matthew's stupid face, but I think spending three years in a UmaMusume academy couldn't be worse than spending three years in jail in a foreign land. We all hopped on the Taxi, and finally, was on our merry way to the Tracen Academy.

[JAPAN UMAMUSUME TRAINING CENTER ACADEMY]

When we arrived, it was already kind of late, but even at night, you could tell how big the place was. I was still sleepy, so I just wanted to get to my dorm, and get some sleep. But as soon I stepped down from the taxi and looked away for a mere second, Matthew and Heather were nowhere to be SEEN.
So there I was at Tracen Academy, in Tokyo, with no Japanese skills, only with my phone with no internet and a stupid book! How lucky is that?

Entering the place, it was just like Jim described. Huge outside paths, huge hallways, huge doors? This place isn't like Northfield - although that place was merely a school, so no one actually lived there.

I kept walking around the building, and for such a big place that accomodates so many UmaMusume, I didn't see a single one yet, not even another trainer, or them two. Was I dreaming or something? Still, I don't know where I am supposed to go, all the signs are in japanese for crying out loud! I was just about to start screaming for Matthew and Heather but then...

— OUCH!*

— OWW!!

I bumped into something, actually, someone. Honestly, this whole ordeal was starting to take a toll on my mental! When I was about to close my eyes the person started shaking me.

— H-hey! Are you okay? You fell pretty bad!*

— ...what..?

— Oh heavens, I just finished praying for some good fortune and now this happens...!*

I couldn't understand a word that person was saying. However, when I looked at them better, turns out, it's a UmaMusume! And now she's praying or something right next me!

— Hey! What are you doing? I ain't dead yet!

— Ohoo! My pray worked! Thank you Shiraoki-Sama!*

I got up quickly, and we exchanged glances for a second. That UmaMusume looked.. odd, to say the least. She used a four-leaf clover pin or something, and her eyes were.. I can't even explain her eyes!

— Are you a trainer or something? What are you doing here?*

"Trainer" was the only word I could make out of what she was saying.

— I am a trainer but I can't understand you!

— Eh? E-english?*

She said, while tilting her head to the left. I tried to gesticulate, but she still wasn't understanding what I was trying to say.

— Oh! I know! I'll get Taiki-San! Wait here, strange fella!*

As I almost pulling my phone to call someone, she ran away.. somewhere. These japanese folks speak way too fast, and the book wasn't of any help either, nothing I was trying to say looked like a real sentence, felt like I just throwing random words. While I was desperately flipping the book to see anything that could get me out of that situation, she reappeared, with another UmaMusume. This other UmaMusume was.. rather familiar, but when she said something in Japanese to the first UmaMusume, I could recognize that Kentucky accent from anywhere.

— P-please! Tell me you can speak english!!

— Yeah, Of course I can!

— OH THANK GOD! What a relief!!

— Fuku-chan told me you ran into her, and she couldn't understand a thing you were saying. Who're you?

— Felix! And I REALLY need to find Director Akikawa! Please tell me where they are!

— Her office is right behind that big door.

When I looked to where she pointed,  there was a sign written in English and Japanese: Director Akikawa's Office. The only thing I could feel at that point was my back that was killing me. I walked up to the door and when I tried to open.. locked.

— Well, she isn't in the office right now, dummy!

— You don't say.

While she said, the other UmaMusume kept looking weirdly at me, and she talked waayy too fast, faster than japanese folks already talk, but she kinda has this charismatic aura around her...

— Look, I'll just stay here. Thanks for the help uh.. what's you guys names again?

— I'm Taiki Shuttle! And she's Matikanefukukitaru-san!

— Wow. That's a mouthful.. Mati.. Machi...

Taiki started giggling while I tried to say the other Uma's name, while she kept looking at me and Taiki, trying to understand the situation.

— Hehehe, look Felix-san, we need to get going now, see you around then!

— Yeah.. bye.

While I sat down on a bench right next to Akikawa's office, I heard steps approaching me right before I closed my eyes, and it was Mati-something-something again.

— I want you to have this! It's a good luck charm!*

She said something while handing me one of these small lucky cats for me.

— Uh.. thanks, I guess?

All she did was wave with her head before making her way next to Taiki, before vanishing after turning a corner. I took a good look at the lucky cat... If only these things worked. I rested my head on the wall behind me and fell asleep.. but when I woke up...

I'm sure as hell I wasn't on the bench, nor was I alone.

Chapter Text

People tend to believe that, when stars align, good stuff happens to them. 

In my case...

[DIRECTOR AKIKAWA'S OFFICE]

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't on the hallway anymore. Around me, shelves filled with big trophies, medal boards and whatnot. But before me, behind the table filled with paperwork, stood a huge, red chair that kinda resembled the one on Mr Burke's office... however, before I could say anything, the person behind it spoke.

— What a way to introduce yourself, Felix-san. 

I fixed my posture the moment I heard it. The thought that someone dragged me inside of her office was terrifying honestly, at least, she could speak english, which was a huge relief.

— I don't know if you wanted to show punctuality, but sleeping right outside my office? Really?

— Ms Akikawa!? I couldn't find my dormitory and got a bit lost...

While I was explaning myself, she turned around to face me, and I was met with a orange-haired child with a cat on her hat, who looked way too small for that chair. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming and rubbed my eyes to see if I was really seeing what I was seeing...

— ...you were saying, Felix?

— Is this a joke, or something?

— I don't follow...

— Look kid, I was supposed to meet Director Akikawa... I don't have time for pranks...

I got up, feeling outraged by the situation, but before I could leave the room, I heard the sound of a fan opening.

— Listen up! I AM Director Akikawa, and I deserve some respect!

I was sat again. How can a kid have such a menacing aura that I could feel even though I wasn't even looking at her? Akikawa gave me a hard scolding and honestly, that's something I never thought I would say, appearantly, she hates being called a "kid". I kept looking at the clock and thinking... is this even legal? Eventually, she actually started saying something about how things would work...

— Anyways... this year, I decided the create a great event called The URA Finale! An event with never seen before scale! All distances and courses will be available so that ANY UmaMusume can compete! 

— That sounds... complex. 

— That's what everyone keeps saying... but I'm sure with the right trainers, this event will be the greatest thing Tracen Academy ever provided for the racing scene!

— Riiiiight... 

— But of course, a trainer is nothing without a trainee. Later today, a lot of Tryouts will be held all across the academy's racetracks, that's where you will meet future trainee!

— Sounds...simple eno...

— Of course, it isn't that simple. Not only you will be there, many other rookie and even veteran trainers will be there, scouting for a prodigy! 

Akikawa said interrupting me, while waving her fan, grinning. 

— I guess that covers it! Tazuna, could you show Felix here where his dormitory is located?

As she said it, a woman wearing a green uniform and a green hat, appeared from right behind Akikawa's chair! I had to admit that was a cool entrance. I stood up yawning, and Akikawa made one last remark.

— Oh, and please take a shower. You won't recruit anyone smelling this bad. 

— Right, right...

While I was leaving, I took another look at those shelves and boards, maybe that kid is being serious, somehow, that made me feel a bit more safe about all this.

[TRACEN ACADEMY'S HALLWAYS]

Now at broad daylight, the hallways were filled with trainers and UmaMusume, some of which had nervous faces and some looked way too confident, I saw there was a sort of tension in the air between trainers, most weren't even looking at each other. However, before we left the main building, I saw that Ma-chi-chi Uma again, and to break the ice between me and Tazuna, I decided to strike up a conversation to ask about her.

— Tazuna, right? Who's that Uma over there?

I said, pointing my finger to Machu Pichu or something like that.

— Ahh! Matikanefukukitaru-san! She's quite a odd uma!

— Jesus I'll never remember that name... 

— A mouthful that's for sure, hehe. 

— What's so odd about her, anyways? 

— Well, she's really, and I mean, REALLY into Fortune Telling. She's a luck fanatic!

That reminded me of the lucky cat she gave me yesterday that was still in my pocket, at least however dragged me inside of Akikawa's office didn't steal me. Even from afar, I could confirm what Tazuna said, she's still using the same four-leaf clover hairpin from yesterday, and I could hear her saying something, quite a loud speaker.  While Tazuna was speaking, Machi noticed me from afar, and started staring at me but I quickly looked away, only to find out that everyone was looking at me. 

— Felix-san, we should get going...

— Geez... fine..

We both left the main building, but while Umas and trainers kept whispering to each other while still looking at me, I could see her waving at me while I was leaving. That felt...weirdly nice. After walking for what felt like ages, we finally reached the trainer's dormitory building.

[TRACEN'S TRAINER DORMITORY BUILDING]

We arrived at the dormitory building, and I couldn't be happier. I would finally be able to take a real shower, and sleep on a actual bed, maybe a good night's sleep would fix my back pain, but before I could do anything, Tazuna gave me one last remark:

— Felix-san! In behalf of Director Akikawa, we welcome you to Tracen Academy! And please, don't forget about the tryouts later today! 

— Oh... uh, thanks! Yeah, i'll get ready for it ASAP. 

— Umazing! 

— ...what?

— I-I mean, I heard Matikanefukitaru-san will be participating on the tryouts! Why don't you try to recruit her?

— I'll see what I can do... What else can you tell me about her?

— Hm... Fuku-san never had that much physical capability, every running test she barely made it through!

— But she still made it, somehow.

— You could say that she's content to leave everything up to luck. Well, I must get going now...

Tazuna bowed but before she left, I stopped her.

— Say, Tazuna... what happens if I just don't recruit anyone? Will I just be sent back home?

— Of course not! If you happen to not find a trainee, we'll put you under a veteran trainee staff!

— Yeah... Couldn't be that easy...

I said silently while sitting down on my bed, kind of accepting reality. That was it, there was no way I would be able to escape from this, i'm spending the next few years here...

— Although, if your trainee fails to win her debut race, depending on the contract her family has you could be sent back to be traded by another trainer...

At that moment, my eyes sparkled, after so many days I cracked a smile, and I knew exactly who to pick to make this scenario come true...

— Oh... is that a fact, Tazuna?

Chapter Text

Probability is the likelihood something happening or being the case — it's the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes of an event.

I pictured my life going many ways, but this one? Not even in the top 100.

[TRACEN ACADEMY COURTYARD]

I was walking around the academy when I found myself on the courtyard. There wasn't many people there, so it was perfect for me to plan my getaway from Japan. Tazuna was clear: if I managed to fail making my trainee able to achieve a win on her debut, my contract would be cancelled, and I would be sent back to the US, and I knew exactly how.

I couldn't tell anyone about my real intentions, but I had no idea about the Umas that would race against Fukukitaru... that's when, while walking around, good luck finally struck... to some degree. I saw Heather Fletcher, the gloomy girl that came with us, sitting by herself reading a UmaMusume magazine of some sorts. Me and her never actually talked back in Northfield, from what I could see she was always sitting by herself and never attended school's events, but right now, she was the only one I could ask for help...

— Hey Heather... I really need your help.

— Oh... hey Felix. 

As she responded, she closed her magazine quickly and started to try to fix her messy hair, but all she did was make it look worse. Heather used these huge glasses and had a lot of hair accessories, which I couldn't identify what half of them are supposed to be...

— Say uh... have you.. decided who you're going to pick, or at least what you'll look for?

—  Oh... yes, of course, I spent all night reading about ALL the newbies that are going to be in the tryouts... I barely had any sleep after the flight...

—  Riiight... which of them you think it's the worst?

When I said, she just... started laughing. Like, frantically laughing, now I know why she didn't have any friends back home... but out of nowhere, she stopped and just pointed her finger on my face.

— Fool! There's no such thing as a BAD UMA MUSUME! There's just bad trainers! 

— Geez! Look I'm just-

Heather stopped for a moment, resting her hand on her chin... she looked just like this old picture of this guy that made theories. 

— There's no such Uma... but there's one that because of her beliefs, could lead to a complicated career...

— Really? Who is it?

— Her name is Matikanefukukitaru! She'll be on the Medium distance tryouts, together with my future trainee... Agnes Digital...

Bingo, more confirmation on what Tazuna said! She'll be my ticket out of here! As Heather mentioned Agnes Digital, she started mumbling about how great she was, and had this weird looking smile while she was... hugging the magazine. I left quickly as soon she started acting like a weirdo... kind of reminds me of Jim, hehe.

I tried searching the internet for more info on her, but apparently she's a total unknown, either that or typed her name wrong... but now that I had all the information I needed, all I had to do was to sit through a parade of Uma Musume to make it happen.

[TRYOUTS, TRACEN ACADEMY RACETRACKS STANDS]

When I arrived, the place was packed, like REALLY PACKED. Colored banners everywhere, Trainers, Uma Musume and race fans were scattered across the stands to see the tryouts for medium distance Umas, and of course, there wasn't anywhere to sit down. I looked at the gates, but I couldn't see Macarena Fukuyama, that's when someone touched my shoulder...

 — Hey Hey, Felix-san!

When I looked, it was Taiki Shuttle, the american Uma. 

— Hey Taiki, what's up?

— My race just finished! At least 4 different trainers wanted to train me! Total success!

— That's cool. I've come to see Fukuyaki race.

— Eh? You mean Fukukitaru-san, right?

— Yeah, yeah.

I'll never get that name right, it's too Japanese and i'm too american to pronunciate it right.

— What a coincidence, I've come to watch her too! Although her race is the last one...

— What?

— Yeah... my race was in the first round for the Sprint distance, I think she'll run on the last round of medium I think...

— That is...?

— The seventh one.

At least the races were relatively short... but I couldn't let that beat me, it was for a greater good. 

The races came and go, many Umas got straight up rejected, and some got way too many requests, even Matthew was there, after the 4th round, he chose this obnoxious Uma that kept striking "fabulous" poses, he didn't see that bothered with it, though. Me and Taiki chatted in between races, mostly stuff about good ol murica, but during the races, she would be completely quiet... finally, the last round of tryouts was going to start, and I could see Fukukeitaroo on gate 3.

— FUKUKITARU-SAN! YOU CAN DO IT!!*

Taiki shouted furiously in japanese, I didn't wanna get ahead of myself, so I just watched... Foo Fighters was the oddball there, doing some sort of ritual, she hopped exactly 7 times in place and started praying,  no one else really stood out besides her... after everyone was settle in their respective gates, everything got quiet and then, the race started!

As soon as it started, Fukushima did not take the lead, or stood in the middle of the pack, instead, she stood next to the end of the pack... definitely a Late Surger. Periodically, she would overtake someone, only to lose the position afterwards, although never going lower than the 16th position, a bit too low for a Late Surger, honestly I didn't know her strategy, but for me, that was perfect.

Then, the last spurt came, and everyone was trying to fight for positions, her included, however, 400 meters to the end, she got body blocked by other racers, and couldn't break out for nothing, she seemed fatigued and kept dropping positions until she crossed the finish line, dead last... she was devastated, but that was everything and more what Tazuna and Heather told me, perfect for the plan. 

When the race finished, the trainers that were still there started making their way next to the racetrack, and I followed suit, on the way, Taiki seemed really bummed about it.

— Aww, poor Fukukitaru-san, she said today was a lucky day, and was so hyped for it...

— I'm sure she did her best... although she didn't make the best decisions...

Taiki and I then went on the racetrack, to see Fuku.

[TRACEN ACADEMY RACETRACK, AFTER THE TRYOUTS]

The racetrack was filled with people, even though it was the last race of the day. Every trainer there wanted an trainee, some tried to bribe the umas, others straight begged to one of them, seeing this I thought that getting her to be my trainee would be difficult, but when Taiki found Fuku, she was all alone, staying straight, every time a trainer crossed her she would crack open a smile, only to be completely ignored. Fuku seemed to be on the verge of tears, and that made me feel weird... but I brushed it off, she was my ticket out of here, and I couldn't hesitate. Taiki and I approached her, and she again, cracked a huge smile and adjusted her posture.

— Aah! It's Felix-san! I'm happy you came to watch the race!*

I immediately looked at Taiki, because she spoke so quick I didn't understand anything.

— ...eh? Oh... right.. she said she's happy that you came to watch the race.

— Okay... tell her that she ran well, but could make some adjustments to her strategy.

Taiki repeated what I said to Funkyatari, who first gave a soft smile, followed by a defeated expression.

— I did my best... my omikuji said today I would been blessed with great fortune...*

As she said, tears started running down her face. Her eyes looked too bright with those tears, like they didn't belong on her face, and that really threw me off, Taiki didn't seem too happy, either. 

— Look... um... I actually came to recruit you!

— ...what?*

— Ehhh??

When I said it, Taiki had this sort of surprised and shocked face at the same time, while Fukutarou tilted her head, confused about the situation, looking at me and Taiki. Noticing Taiki was too stunned to talk, I tried to speak with the best japanese I could...

— Me want to train you very good desu!*

— . . .

— Uh... please? 

I grinned as I said, Fuku still didn't understand what I meant,  Taiki facepalmed and then translated what I said at first to her. Her expression immediately shifted, she grabbed my hand and started shaking it, violently.

— THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I knew Shiraoki-Sama never failed me! I was really blessed with great fortune!!*

After she almost broke my hand, she clasped her hands together, and now had this determined expression.

— Great fortune awaits us, Trainer-san!*

Chapter Text

In the case of uncertainty, expectation is what is considered the most likely to happen.

People love to say "expect the unexpected." Easy words, until the unexpected actually shows up and slaps you in the face.

[TRACEN ACADEMY COURTYARD]

After the tryouts, I was supposed to go to the gymnasium with Fuku to hear Akikawa speaking about... something. I figured it would be something similar we talked about earlier, so I told Taiki to take Fuku with her, and I went to the courtyard I talked with Heather earlier, to wait for her. It was night-time already, the sky looked pretty and there wasn't much commotion on the Academy as before, since most of the trainers and Umas were in the gymnasium or in their dorms. I could finally catch a break, although, I had to come up with another plan...

I already have a trainee, but if I just slack off and don't actually train her, it'll be too obvious and i'll probably be punished and only make matters worse, so I had to come up with a training regime that could make her lose the debut race, which is happening in a few days, actually, but how? While I was thinking, my phone started to ring...

— Hey kiddo!

It was my dad. Back then, he used to train Uma Musume, and was very good at it. His Umas won around 13 G1 races, which I guess it's impressive.

— So, how was the tryouts? Did you fetch a superstar? 

— Hey dad... yeah, I think I did. Her name is quite... complicated to pronunciate.

— Haha! That's my boy! And I get it, these japanese names sometimes are like tongue twisters. So, how does she do? 

— She's a late surger... her decision making is questionable, but I think I can make it work.

— Haha! You like a challenge, eh, boy? Late surgers always like to screw up at the last moment, but I know you can do it, you're my son, after all. 

Dad always made sure to say that whenever me and my sister did something, either it's his way to motivate us, or to inflate his ego. He then started to go on a huge sermon on how to train Uma Musume, mostly obvious stuff...

— So, you gotta make sure they don't overeat before a race, and remember to always make sure their uniform is clean before every race, don't be like Ash that made her Uma race in a dirty attire, both ends hate it!

When he mentioned my sister, an idea came up... when I was younger and she was still pursuing the trainer career, she would always recitate her strategy to me before the races, I still remember her scribbling furiously on that dumb notepad, like she was unlocking the secrets of the universe, when all it did was doom her races and well, given this, I bet it had some terrible strategies that wouldn't raise suspicion about what I wanted to do... 

 — Dad, now that you mentioned her, do you know where Ash's notepad is? Could you send some pics of the pages?

— That old thing? I think it's in her  room, I'll ask your mother to do it later, we just woke up.

As he said, I could hear someone approaching, when I looked, it was Matinee Futonkitaru, she was still using the same clothes she wore on the race, but she looked less beat up, and was holding a brown envelope. 

— Dad, gonna hang up, tell mom I said hi!

— Okay kiddo, and tell your UmaMusume I said "Konnichiwa"!

— ...no. Bye!

As I hung up, I waved to her and she quickly approached... 

— Ooohh! Trainer-san! I finally found you! Director Akikawa's lecture ended already, but I had to hand you this!*

— Uhh...

— Oh... right... um... Taiki-san already went to her dorm... so...*

We both stood there, looking at each other for a second, and I realized just how wide the gap between us really was, because we both didn't understand each other. It should've been awkward, but the way she fidgeted with her hair like she was nervous made it... strangely hard to look away, so I just pointed to the envelope she was holding while raising a brow, then she quickly handed it to me and the way her eyes lit up when handing almost made me forget we spoke different languages... 

Ugh, what am I saying? Anyways, the paper inside was at least in english, when I started to read, it was a contract. Basically, it stated that from now on i'll be responsible for her and her training yada yada... that she needs to respect curfew times, and that every money she wins will be going half to her, half to Tracen... that seemed reasonable, it's not like i'll be staying here, anyways. And below all, a place to sign, both me and Fuku.

I looked at her, and looked at the paper. Am I really gonna throw this Uma career down the drain, for my own good? 

Of course I am. She can make a living doing other stuff, like... carrying rickshaws, or something. So, I happily signed the paper and gave the envelope back to her, her signature was already there, neat and filled with hope, mine looked rushed, careless. But that's how it's supposed to be, and well, she didn't seem to mind.

— Thanks, Shiraoki-Sama! Felix-san really is the one! Now it's official, we're both gonna become the best in the whole wide world!!*

 — Yeah!!! I think...!

She had this huge grin as she grabbed the envelope, a far cry from the moody face she had after her race ended earlier, which was good, I think. 

— Anyways! Time to head back to my dorm! See you tomorrow, Trainer-san! Super Lucky Dash!!*

She said, as she quickly sprinted back towards the Dorms, a few seconds after she did I heard a loud thud and a yelp.

— Hehe, clumsy...

As I turned to head back to my own dorm, I tripped on a broken tile and fell face first on the cold ground... Karma you son of a...

[TRACEN'S TRAINER DORMITORY BUILDING]

As I got inside my dorm, there was a note on my bed. It had some rough caligraphy, like someone was seething while writing...

"To Felix: You better not break Fuku-chan's heart, because if you do, I will come after you, and it won't be pretty. I'm watching you."

That's... sinister, to say the LEAST. Gonna ask Akikawa to change my locks tomorrow... sheesh...

This is either Heather or some crazy family member of hers watching me...

Either way, I hope she actually doesn't put her whole heart on this...

Chapter Text

The practice of attempting to gain knowledge of hidden truths, particularly about the future or unexplainable events, is called Divination.

I don't think the world's greatest guru could tell me the events that would unfold.

[THE NEXT MORNING: TRACEN'S ACADEMY TRAINING TRACKS]

Dad is an amazing dude. As soon as I woke up, there it was, the worst strategies someone ever came up with, like seriously, who the hell writes 'if nervous, just run zig-zag, it confuses opponents'? I got dressed (same as clothes as yesterday, mind you), and with the pictures in hand, now it's time to put my plan in action. 

I arrived at the training tracks after a good time looking for it, seriously, why does this place need to be so big? So many signs and I can't understand half of them... I thought that, at this point, Machichi would be on the track already, but when I got there, there wasn't a single soul nearby... I remember leaving a message to her to meet me here at 7AM sharp, I thought the japanese were more punctual.

I sat down on the nearby stand to wait for her, waited a good 45 minutes until she finally appeared, running excitedly towards me. Fuku was wearing Tracen's tracksuit, her hair a bit messy, like she just went inside a tornado and only had time to fix it with her hands. She stopped in front of me, breathing heavily but, quickly recomposed and took a small orange booklet from her pockets.

— Hello! Trainer-san! Good Morning! 

She said, in broken english. At least, she was trying I guess...

— I am Matikanefukukitaru! Ma-ti-ka-ne-fu-ku-ki-ta-ru! Please, remember always!

— Okay okay... Matikaraoke.

— No, no! That's not how you say it!*

She stomped her foot as she said, appearantly not happy of how I just called her. I wasn't there to figure her name out anyway, so I just told her to warm-up, even though I said it in english, she complied... not really. First of all, she stood in the middle of the racetrack completely motionless, eyes closed, palms held together, and saying something faintly so I could barely hear... 

— C'mon, girl! We don't have all day! 

— Eko, eko, azure seal! Eko, eko, wall o' rust! Goddess of victory, COME TO ME!*

What in god's green earth is she doing? Tazuna and Heather did mention she was a bit problematic due to her "beliefs", but I didn't know she took it this seriously. Fuku kept plopping down on the ground, hopping on each foot, spinning around and she was even doing... pelvic thrusts? I usually don't get mad easily, but this was starting to piss me off, so I approached her while she was once again, lying in the ground.

— Warm-up! Warm-up!*

I said, in the best japanese accent I could speak, while motioning her to get up, but she didn't comply.

— No!! Luck ritual first!

— W-what? Luck ritual? 

A fricking luck ritual. Mind you, it was 8:15AM at this point, we both weren't understading each other, so I just sat down again on the stands with the face my dad used to make at my sister's races, arms crossed, waiting for her to finish. This is gonna be a long week, but it should pay off, cuz then it will be the last i'll see of Matikane-something. 

Finally, at 8:50, she finally finished, and started to actually warm-up, and it wasn't pretty, either. I approached to watch her try to stretch, first she bent down to touch her toes, but only managed to reach her ankles. Then she rotated her hips, creaking like a rusty door hinge. By the end, she let out this deep sigh, like she'd just finished a marathon... when in reality, that was just the warm-up. I don't know if I feel relieved she's also not in shape, or feel bad, cuz oh boy, she can be pretty all she wants, it won't take her far, not even for rickshaws.

Then, it was time for some actual exercise, and I knew exactly where to start. Told Fuku to come closer, and it was time to put my plan into action. 

The plan was simple, make her hold herself for the whole race. Instead of staying next to the end of the pack, I'll make her stay in the complete end of the pack, in other words, this Late Surger is gonna be a End Closer, saving stamina till the end but then, it'll be too late for a comeback, plus with the poor strategies on my sister's notepad, this will make sure she won't win the race,  gosh aren't I so smart? 

— Listen up, Makaraoke! We'll save as much stamina as we can and then, at the last spurt you'll come running passing everyone! Now, give me...5 laps around the track!

Every word I said, she kept looking at her booklet, looking at me and then at the booklet, in a sort of comical manner, but I could tell she was still mad at how I was saying her name. 

As I finished saying and she complied, going back to the racetrack and starting to run, people started to arrive and one of them, was Matthew, accompanied by his trainee. His trainee was rather odd, wearing a crown and speaking... loudly, louder than Fuku usually does. From afar, he gave me a stern look, the sort of look disappointed parents give to their children. I couldn't care less about that jack-ass, but when I took notice, her trainee was already on the track with Fakyu, lapping her without even trying, honestly, I didn't know if that gave me more relief about how things would turn out, or get mad at Matthew's stupid proud face.

Some hours passed, and Fuku was looking like she would plop down of fatigue at any moment, since it was almost lunch time I decided to call her back and end the day there.  As she approached, her hair was even messier, but now she was sweating like a goddamn. As she drank some water, I was trying real hard to not notice... how not bad she actually was. Anyways... as soon as we were about to leave, Matthew approached us, and that immediately ruined whatever I was feeling.

— That's the UmaMusume you're bringing to the Maiden race? 

— What about it, Szyslak?

— Just... didn't think you'd gamble your career on someone like her.

— You know I hate safe bets. 

— No, I don't really know. You're a idiot making bets while being so unlucky, but you do you. Let's go, Opera O. 

Matthew said as he left with her trainee. He really gets in my nerves, and it was visible.

— T-trainer-san, is everything okay?*

All I did was give her a thumbs up, not that I understood what she said, but she most likely said if everything was okay or something like this. 

[TRACEN ACADEMY'S CAFETERIA]

Fuku motioned she was going to the showers, so I made my way to the cafeteria by myself, only because I followed other trainers that were heading there too, because I would get lost again if I needed to follow signs. As I sat down, I could notice the abundance of carrots. Like seriously, I know Umas love a carrot, but does every food item in the menu needs to have carrot in some way? A while after, Fuku arrived and went to grab some grub, looking cleaner than before and now, her hair actually not messy. She waved at me from afar with half a carrot in her mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world as she approached, I looked away, trying not to laugh.

...Goddammit. This is gonna be harder than I thought.

Chapter Text

Luck isn't something you can chase, or bend, or even understand. It's like the tide — it comes and goes, carrying you whether you want it or not.

She seems to believe that bending the universe's fate to her will is actually possible, but should I really call her out if that's what makes her happy?

[DAYS LATER: TRACEN'S ACADEMY TRAINING TRACKS]

The debut race was in three days, and the past few days of training went surprisingly as planned. 

I read every single strategy Ash wrote on her notepad and applied on Matilda Ketchup training, the results? Hilarious, but borderline pitiful. Zig-zagging, shoving, actually jumping to cross the finish line, sometimes when I gave her the instruction, her face was like she wanted to argue with me about it, but ultimately just complied it. 

Today's training was no different, after she finished a set of "rolling on the ground to gain more guts", I called her back to finish the day off.

— Alright Fuku-taco! It's a wrap for today.

— Fukukitaru...*

— Anyways... It seems there's nothing else to do for the rest of the day. You're free to do as you wish.

As I said it, she pulled her orange booklet and immediately got the idea. 

— Okay! Trainer-san, would you spend day with me?

She said, in the most broken and accent heavy english I ever heard, but it was understandable anyways. Honestly, for someone with such horrible strategies of their own, she's quite smart, since it's only been a few days since we started and she already managed to speak a semi-understandable english. About her offer...

— Uhh... I don't see a problem. Sure, I guess. 

— Yipee! I'm just gonna go take a shower and change, be right back!*

— . . .

— Oh... um... shower! Clothes!

Taco said as she gestured like she was showering and changing clothes, I got the idea and she quickly zapped away. I should probably do the same...

[FRONT OF TRACEN'S ACADEMY GATES]

I took a quick shower and made my way to the gates of Tracen, I wish I could have something else to use than the academy's uniforms, but all my stuff is back at Minnesota at this point... 

Besides it's not like this is a date, or something, also, I remember saying somewhere that trainers should wear at least the trainer's badge all the time, might as well go full on Trainer. As I waited, I saw Heather on the distance, frantically chatting with her own Trainee, I guess it's Agnes Digital? When Heather saw me she pointed my way while whispering to Digital, and both started giggling. Hope they're not making up any weird rumours about me...

After around 10 minutes, Fuku arrived, wearing casual clothes; a pinkish shirt, cargo shorts and a teal and white hoodie, honestly she dresses like someone's dad, but I'm not in position to judge someone's fashion sense. But as she approached, I could hear rattling, jingling and even clattering, yet her hands were empty, nor she was carrying a bag.  

— Uh.. what's that sound?

— Eh?* 

— Hm.. Sound!* 

— What sound...?*

— Whatever... let's go, already. 

— Alright!*

I must be thinking too much, or I'm going insane.

[SHOPPING DISTRICT]

I'm definitely not thinking too much. Since we left, the sounds didn't stop and I was about to crash out, and Fuku didn't seem to notice. As we arrived in this sort of shopping district, even though there were plenty of people there, I could still hear the jingling, clattering and rattling coming from her, as we entered one of the shops, I confronted her.

— Are you carrying something, Matcha?!

— Trainer-san, speak slow!

Seething, I tried my best to reply her back with some degree of decency.

— Matcha, what, in god's name, is this sound coming from?! Are you carrying something?!

As I replied, she grabbed her orange booklet, flipping it like she actually had an answer for it, while putting one of her fingers in her chin. 

— Eh... Um... 

When she couldn't answer, she pulled something from one of her pockets, a small acorn. Then, a Umashoe. Then, a piece of paper. When I took notice, she removed a flea-market worth of stuff out of her pockets, how's this even possible?!

— . . . This has to be a joke.

— Eh? Joke? No, no Trainer-san! This.. lucky items!

— What the what, now?! This is a stained napkin, for crying out loud!

— Waaah! Give it back! This is my lucky napkin I used before the tryouts! Give it back!*

— What the what!?

While Fuku tried to snatch the napkin out of my hand, I noticed we were making quite the scene, so much so a old man who I assume it's the store owner, hit me with a cane.

— Stop yelling in the middle of the shop, you brats! Get out of here!!*

— Waaah! Sorry!! Trainer-san, we should leave!*

— Ow! Hey wait- Gah!!

Before I could do anything, Fuku grabbed my hand as she stormed out the shop, dragging me together while the goddamn noises from her "lucky items" still resonated at each step. 

[PARK] 

UmaMusume can't only run fast, they're strong, so much so Fuku was able to actually drag my whole body just by holding my wrist, which now hurts like hell. We totally left the shopping district, and we're now in a park. Which park? Who knows. We both sat down on a bench and, even though she ran a pretty good distance, she wasn't tired at all. 

— Ow... look, we're gonna NEED to have a talk about this stuff you carry around. 

— Stuff..?

— Your "lucky items"! Don't you think it's a bit too much..?

— E-eh?! Too much? It's not much! 

— You had at least 20 of these things inside your clothes. How's that even possible?

Fuku shrugged, I don't even know if she understood what I said or also didn't know how could she fit that much stuff inside her own clothes. 

— They're important! Can't leave without them! If not... Horrible luck! Can't win!

Funnily enough, she didn't have anything on her tryout race aside from her weird hairpins... Nothing I could SEE at least.

Fuku looked at that stuff with a sparkle on her eyes... Or was that sparkle always there? Either way, her orange eyes shine brighter when she starts speaking about them.

— But! Shiraoki-Sama also helps! 

— Who's Shiraoki-Sama..?

— Goddess! Appears in dreams! Helps... Me!

Is this girl for real, right now? Whatever she had.. I want to forget all of this, later. 

— Oooookay... Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

— ...what boat?

— Nevermind.

Either way, she seems passionate about it. I think the only thing preventing her to actually start yapping about all this is the language barrier... Was luck finally giving me a chance? 

— Trainer.. my English, is good?

— Oh! It's.. decent.

— Oiya! Thanks for feedback! I want to be good English.. so we can chat better!

— . . .

That alone felt like a gut-punch, I could tell she was working hard to try to communicate with me and that left me speechless. All I could do is look to the ground, why am I feeling like this all of sudden? I know what I'm doing, I want to do it because I'm not spending my next years here, but then I feel like a jerk!? No, I need to swallow this, I've been a decent person all my life, this one act won't make me a horrible person...

...will it?

Chapter Text

It's strange how the closer you get to what you want, the heavier your conscience becomes.

If guilt burned calories, I'd be a model by now.

[TRACEN ACADEMY HALLWAYS]

The last night before Fuku's debut race finally came. I gave her the day off and she wanted to spend it with me, but I couldn't bear another gut-punch like she gave me that other day, so I politely declined. Finally the time was coming, I would be able to end this ordeal and go back to the US and eat something that isn't rice!

Today I had to go somewhere I never went to in Tracen: The Umas Dormitory, to grab Fuku's racewear. Usually, that spot is forbidden for trainers, but they extended the Umas curfew so everyone could go grab it and leave before their time was up. I tried to arrive early to grab hers quick, but when I got there, the line was immense already. GREAT!

Hours passed, and to no one's surprise, I was actually the last one to grab her clothes. To my surprise though, the one handing the clothes to the trainers was Tazuna, Director Akikawa's assistant. What shocked me more was the fact that she was using the same clothes as when I first met her, but I'm not in a position to judge, since I've been cycling the same two clothes since I got here.

— Ah! Felix-san, you finally came!

Tazuna said, as she pouted in a playful manner while putting her hands on her hips. I would find it cute if my feet wasn't hurting this much. 

— Give me a break, the line was huge!

— No problem, no problem.. Let's see..* Your trainee is... Oh! So you actually chose Fuku-chan as your trainee, hope you two get along well.

— I hope so too...

As I responded to her, she turned her back and grabbed a magenta-colored box, handing it to me.

— Her Pre-OP clothes, stage and racewear are inside! Don't forget to wash them after every race.

A part of me laughed during her last commentary, but I resisted the urge to do so. I didn't even bother to check if everything was inside, all I knew I only had one more night of sleep in Japan. But before I could I leave, Tazuna stopped me as soon I turned my back. 

— You know, Felix-san... Fukukitaru-chan may not be the best prodigy out there, but every Uma Musume put their whole hearts into running. They believe every race is a chance to chase their dreams. I always wonder... do their trainers feel that same responsibility? To protect those dreams? 

I looked at her over my shoulders, but I didn't answer. 

— Good night, Tazuna.

[TRACEN'S TRAINER DORMITORY BUILDING]

I sat on my bed, thinking about Tazuna said. Does she know? I couldn't get anything out of her expression, is she the one who sent that creepy note to my room the other day? Why her out of all people? 

I had no idea, and that boggled me. Her words hit my ego, it's the same feeling I felt when Fuku told me about how hard she was trying to learn english to better communicate with me. Is this some divine message to not do what I'm about to do? 

No, there's no way back now. I gotta be resilient and not let this take over me, sometimes to achieve your goals, you gotta make these kinds of choices, even if it negatively affects people. 

This better go well. 

[NAKAYAMA RACETRACK, MEDIUM JUNIOR MAKE DEBUT]

The day finally came, I couldn't get any sleep because I was too nervous, My chest felt tight and no matter how many times I tossed and turned, my mind wouldn't shut off. Neither could Fuku appearantly, cuz when I met her earlier to pick her up to go to the racetrack, she had baggy eyes, either she just couldn't sleep due to nervosism, or spent the whole night doing divinations and rituals, one way ot the other, it's one more reason to believe everything will go smoothly today.

We arrived at the racetrack, and the place was crowded! Banners, chatter, even people with huge flags were entering the stands, and it was just a maiden race... Fuku, that was almost sleeping on the way here, completely shifted her mood as she left the van with the other UmaMusume that were competing that day. 

— Gaaahhh!! Look at the size of this place! So many people! Everyone, good luck out there!!*

Fuku waved and hopped happily as the other Umamusume followed their trainers to prepare for their respective races, and then, she faced me.

— Trainer-san! Let's... do our best!

— Yipee.

Me and her made our way into the backstage, only 20 minutes remained before the race started, I placed the box with her clothes on a chair, and left the room so she could change. I waited... With 5 minutes left for the racers to be called, she still haven't left the room, would a disqualification be quicker? C'mon, I'm not that much of a jackass, so I knocked on the door to see if she was alive.

— Mount Fuji? C'mon, the race is about to start! What's taking you so long?

— Calling all racers to their respective gates. Calling all racers to their respective gates.*

— What's happening..?

I didn't know what the announcer said, whatever it is, Fuku should be at her gate already! So I did what every sane person would do, I entered the backstage with the hope she wasn't butt naked. 

— Macarena we really...

— And please Shiraoki-sama, may Felix-san guidance help me fulfill my dreams of being the number one Umamusume in Japan.*

Luckily, when I entered she wasn't butt naked and was wearing the right clothes, but she was... praying? This late? Whatever she was doing, We couldn't wait any longer.

— Macarena!

— GIYAHAAA!!! Trainer-san,  why didn't you knock?!*

— Whatever you're saying, we don't have time for it! It's time for the race!!

— Calling racer number 7, Matikanefukukitaru! Calling racer number 7, Matikanefukukitaru!*

The announcer repeated her name, Fuku looked up with a shocked expression and quickly noticed what was happening.

— Trainer-san, I'm late! See you after the race!! Wish me luck!!!*

—  Remember the strategies!

As she stormed out of the room, I could hear a loud "thump" from afar. Hehe, I'm gonna miss these moments... 

As I was making my way to the stands, the backstages were empty and all I could hear was the loud cheering and feet stomping coming from above. As I was about to reach the stands, a man, tall and buff wearing a teal colored T-shirt, stopped me.

— Yo! You're Abe's kid, right? What a place to bump into each other!

— What the...? You know my dad?

As I took a good look at him, he feels oddly familiar...

— Who doesn't know your dad? You're a joker just like him. I'm Akihito, nice to meet ya!

This japanese guy, speaking fluent english grabbed my hand with such force to greet me, it reminded me of when Fuku dragged me across the city by my wrist, dude's jacked! But he looks the same age as my dad... 

— I just passed by your trainee! She's a enthusiastic one. Matikanefukukitaru, isn't it? What a mouthful!

— You tell me. 

— I was just going to the stands, how about we go together?

— Sure, I guess.

We then made our way into the stands, our seats were really close to the last straight, which at least would give me a good place to watch my plan in action. As we sat, Akihito started talking again. 

— Look, my trainee is also there on gate 2, Her name is Piccolo Rhythm! Isn't she cute?

When I looked, the contrast between her and Fuku was comical. While Fuku looks like this... Cartoon protagonist, Piccolo Rhythm looks like the average girl from your neighborhood. 

— Yeah, think so.

— So, I've been watching your training regimen with Fukukitaru, who taught you all that?

— My sister...

He didn't respond, crossing his arms while giving me the side-eye. A bit menacing...

But then, the announcer started announcing the racers names and their respective gates! 

— ...on gate 1, Ribbon Carol! On gate 2, the number one favorite, Piccolo Rhythm! On Gate 3,  Tide and Flow! On gate 4, Bravo Deux! On gate 5, Make you Gasp! On gate 6, Mini Orchid! On gate 7, the number two favorite, Matikanefukukitaru! On gate 8, the number three favorite, Moist Eyes! Finally, on gate 9, Excite stuff!

The umas, as they were called, waved and Piccolo Rhythm even blew kisses to the stands, however Fuku stood there focused, with a sort of menacing look... Totally different from when we were training back in Tracen.

As the gates locked behind them, I couldn't tell if the pounding in my chest was excitement...

...or guilt.