Chapter Text
Umamusume. Born to run.
They inherit the names and stories of beings in a world distant from ours, in both their glory, and their tragedy. Although some of these names bear a heavier burden than others, there are few names which carry the same weight as that of a hero.
"Huh? Isn't that Trainer Kaneko?" The junior trainers looked up the stands of Tracen Academy's practice fields as the suited figure sat down rows above them above them.
"Thought he was retired? What do you think he's doing here?"
"He had a great career with Perry Steam. Think he's looking for a new trainee?"
"I thought her name was Kurofune?"
Kaneko sat quietly, watching the try outs from a distance as various Umamusume completed the lap around Tracen's medium turf track, taking mental notes of the runner's form and technique, ultimately unimpressed in doing so.
"Six Sense! Six Sense clears the turf first by a head's length!" the student announcer's voice blares over the PA system set around the stands, slightly annoying the trainer.
"Tch...year and year we fall shorter compared to the races globally...we need a symbol. An Umamusume who can-"
"Yo, Kaneko!" A man, not much older than Kaneko, wearing a flat cap and sweater vest cuts off his train of thought as he took the chair next to him.
"Kitahara."
"How's it going? Still looking for that symbol?"
"Like you can talk. You, Wada, Nabe. You found some of the greatest symbols this nation has ever seen...and the rest of us are here picking off scraps in this era."
"Hm? Perry not' enough for you?"
"I'm proud of her, winning the Dirt Japan Cup isn't an easy feat by no means but...she didn't-I couldn't make her reach the heights I envision."
"I guess I can understand it. Recently, Umamusume racing has been losing popularity in the media when compared to other sports..."
"So we need someone to renew it. A new Symboli Rudolf, a new Oguri Cap, a new Narita Brian, a new T.M Opera O!"
"You make it sound so distant, Kaneko. Your dreams...well, guess it was once something distant for me too."
"So you agree, Kitahara?"
"Just, keep searching. The brightest star will make itself known when you see it."
"Tch. We'll see if that star exists before I'm dead."
"Hah. You're sounding like Roppei!"
"His name was Musaka."
"Hey, girl! That queue is for Umamusume! Cheering for your friends is fine, but wait from the stands!" The teacher yelled from a distance as a small girl joined the queue for the small dirt track of the elementary school.
Bzzt
"Huh? I-I am an Umamusume. See, I have a tail and ears." the directed infantile girl spoke up from the back of the line.
"Hnng..." The teacher sat up and made his way towards the girl.
"Look I get being jealous of your Umamusume classmates but it's rude to mock them." The teacher went to grab one of the girl's ears, squatting down to reach her level.
Bzzt Bzzt
With a gentle but firm squish, the teacher grabbed the girl's ears, pulling them gently as if testing authenticity
"O-oh, sorry. It's just, you looked a bit small for an Umamusume your age. You can use the track but...take it easy. Don't push your legs too far, a-and please don't tell your mom about this..."
The young Umamusume looked upwards at the teacher as he turned away to resume his duties.
"I'll show them...I can be great-"
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!
The alarm blared as the girl stirred awake.
4:00 AM.
"Right...I set it earlier to train before try outs."
Sitting up and changing into the red and white tracksuit, she moved quickly as to save her own time and remain on schedule with her personal regiment.
"Oh, right. I'll leave a note for Heart's for when she wakes up."
Quickly, she grabs a pen and sticky note from her small study desk before scribbling something down in under a second and leaving for the cafeteria.
Train + Try out. See yu latr Heart's
Wasting no time in the cafeteria, she efficiently moved through her medium breakfast, not taking long before she found herself in the centre of Tracen Academy's long turf track, taking her running stance as the sun moved upwards through the surrounding treeline.
"3..." The girl inhaled sharply.
"I'll show them..."
"2..." Followed with a slow exhale
"I can be great..."
"1..."
"I'll be the strongest."
"And they're off!" the student caster's voice rang through the loudspeakers in the stand once again, slightly startling the now bored and sleepy Kaneko.
Why Kaneko hadn't left yet was a mystery to even him, as he sat alone in the gallery while the sun set over the academy racetrack.
"This is the last race of today's try out races! Number 5, It's Calling moves up to first in a front running position! Number 2, Door Knob stays close behind, keeping her pace!"
Letting out a yawn, Kaneko lazily grabbed a pair of binoculars, using the opportunity to look closer at the form and style of each runner. He looked closely at the racers, noting their control of the arms and legs. Number One was an end closer, with a far from mastered style. Number two, a standard pace chaser. Four, a late surger with a style close to Manhattan Cafe from years prior. Five, a front runner with little experience.
"The runners begin to enter the final stretch 400 metres left!"
Kaneko looked towards Number three, who had been obscured behind other runners prior.
"H-Huh?" Kaneko's pupils retracted as he looked towards the runner, not at the arms or legs, but at her eyes. Deep blue eyes which burn with passion. With a symbol. As if pulled into them and unable to look away, the man sat speechless staring into the eyes of the racer, at eyes which burned forwards through the pack and through the goal.
"The brightest star will make itself known when you see it."
Stomp
The eyes of the other racers looked towards the centre of the pack, an immense aura breaking through the group as a foot stamps hard into the ground, bearing witness to a strength unseen to the world until now.
"Gwuh! W-whats this! From the middle of the pack, Number three makes her move! It's number three! She passes It's Calling!, number two makes a break for it! She can't catch it!, She can't catch her!"
The girl passes the entire pack dominantly, 3 lengths. 4 lengths. 5 lengths. Her lead grows further as she slips from third place to a dominant first with a single spurt, eclipsing the competition entirely.
"And g-goal! It's a dominant victory from number three! She wins with a 6 length lead ahead of number two!"
The winning Umamusume stands at the end of the track, concentrated and focused despite her spurt, clearly having yet to unleash her strength fully. The setting sun basks the track in deep shadows, as one now looms over the girl. Ahead of her, a well dressed man placed one leg over the steel fences, looking into her with an excited gaze.
"You! The racer with burning eyes!" Trainer Kaneko exclaimed. "Who are you?!"
The girl stared back to the man, the same burning eyes now staring back into his.
"Deep Impact."
Kaneko's grin widened, reaching ear to ear, reaching a hand to outstretch.
"Let's change this world, Deep Impact!"