Chapter 93. Teio's Rating
After stepping out of the top-floor executive suite, Shuta An let out a long, quiet sigh.
"I suppose I owe André Fabre a debt of gratitude."
The young man murmured to himself as he walked down the corridor.
"The intelligence he slipped me regarding the French URA Association's internal dealings was likely intended for me to help him push for internal reform. However, he ended up handing me a trump card powerful enough to force their hand."
As for exactly how he intended to "persuade" the rest of the Association's executive board, Shuta An had a flawless plan. He pulled his phone from his pocket, preparing to dial Secretariat, who was currently stationed on the West Coast of the United States.
The young man was absolutely confident Secretariat would back his play.
"Elders must be properly laid to rest." Shuta An quickened his pace down the stairwell. "Keeping my grandmother locked in a crystal coffin like a museum piece—I don't care how they justify it culturally, I simply cannot and will not accept it."
Down on the main stage, Tokai Teio was performing a brand-new song for her Winning Live—a track specifically commissioned by the French URA Association for the winner of the Arc.
"This song was clearly written from the perspective of an underdog challenger." Shuta An noted from his spot just off-stage. "Yet Teio and I arrived here as the overwhelming favorites. We didn't come to challenge this place; we came to conquer it."
"Stepping into unexplored territory, pointing the sword towards the gate where glory lies~"
Tokai Teio sang, her voice ringing out across the darkening racecourse.
"Only by enduring hardships and reaching the end of belief and obsession, can one cross the vast sea and write a new legend~"
"In a foreign land, believing in the dream beyond. Even facing setbacks or on the verge of collapse, daring not to stop~"
"Leaving all these thunderous cheers behind~ before me, the finish line I reach is my utopia~"
In the heat of the moment, Tokai Teio improvised a slight change to the final lyric.
It was supposed to be a finish line no one from Japan had ever reached
She thought to herself with a fierce smile.
But starting today, it's a finish line only I have reached.
Watching the broadcast from a control room back in Japan, the URA Association staff instantly caught the lyrical change and sighed collectively.
"I told the production team that song was tonally off from the start. If you're going to perform a Winning Live after conquering France, why sing a song that implies you haven't won yet? Look, Teio-san had to change the lyrics herself."
One staff member grumbled.
"Forget the song. We need to finalize the reception package for when she returns."
The supervisor ordered, tapping his clipboard.
"New singles, new racing outfits, and launch the unprecedented promotional campaign we drafted. As the first Japanese Uma Musume to conquer the Arc, Tokai Teio deserves the absolute highest tier of VIP treatment."
"But, regarding her and Trainer Shuta An on the track earlier..." a junior staffer started tentatively.
"No. You misread the situation entirely." the supervisor interrupted instantly, his tone razor-sharp. "Some things are not what they seem on television. Do not speak carelessly."
"Yes, sir!"
The staff uniformly bowed their heads, though what they were actually thinking remained a mystery.
—
After the concert concluded, Shuta An met Tokai Teio at the stage exit. He grabbed her travel bag while she walked leisurely behind him, her hands clasped behind her back, humming happily.
"Your next start is the Japan Cup." Shuta An noted, looking back at her. "Then the Arima Kinen. Once we finish those, your first senior campaign will be officially over."
"My first senior year has been a massive success!" Tokai Teio stretched her arms over her head, grinning widely. "I won absolutely everything overseas!"
"Next year, we should look into Australia, our domestic circuit, and America." Shuta An continued outlining the roadmap. "But first, we have to lock down the Japan Cup."
"I know." Tokai Teio replied, her gaze dropping to Shuta An's heels. "I am an Undefeated Triple Crown winner. Defending the Japan Cup from foreign invaders is my duty. I have to win."
"You dismantled some of Europe's finest today, but I guarantee several of them are going to be thoroughly unconvinced by the margin. They'll rationalize that Longchamp's atrocious track conditions gave you an unfair advantage, and they will absolutely come to Tokyo seeking a rematch on firm ground."
Shuta An warned calmly.
"We need to be ready."
"We will be!"
Teio nodded vigorously.
After returning to the Molitor MGallery, Shuta An booted up his laptop and initiated an international conference call with Tojo Trainer and the other Central Tracen Academy trainers who comprised the IFUA Japanese rating committee.
"Congratulations, Ann. You achieved what I couldn't and fulfilled a long-cherished wish that we thought was impossible."
Hana Tojo began, her voice thick with gratitude.
"Winning is simply the duty of a Trainer and their Uma Musume." Shuta An replied, waving a hand dismissively at the webcam. "There's no need to thank me."
"Be that as it may, I still want to thank you. El Condor Pasa was sobbing uncontrollably watching the broadcast. She said she wants to treat Teio-san to a high-end dinner in Ginza the moment you both return to Japan."
Tojo added, her tone carrying a rare solemnity.
"Let's get back to the main topic." Shuta An said gently, steering the conversation. "We need to finalize Tokai Teio's official rating for today's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
"If we consider Subotica's performance today as her baseline normal, and use her previous established rating of 129, then Tokai Teio's performance today mathematically scales to an astronomical 140 points."
Ryu Nishizaki proposed eagerly.
"That's way too high. You have to factor in the highly abnormal track conditions."
Shuta An immediately objected.
"It was officially listed as 'Heavy,' but in reality, it was a 'Poor' track. Subotica, User Friendly, and the rest of the field were completely unable to output their true speed."
He wasn't being falsely modest.
If the turf had been firm, Tokai Teio's final time would have been significantly faster, but the raw margin of victory wouldn't have been nearly as cartoonishly exaggerated. A three and half-length gap in this kind of track was heavily influenced by the European runners bogging down in the mud.
Shuta loved Tokai Teio, but precisely because of that, he refused to allow her rating to be artificially inflated by circumstantial anomalies.
The IFUA's credibility demanded absolute objectivity.
"What is your assessment, then, Ann?"
Fumino Nase asked. She had initially agreed with Nishizaki, but Shuta An's logic was sound.
"We adjust Subotica's effective race rating down to 126 due to the track conditions. Applying the standard mile-and-a-half rating conversion to Teio's 4-length margin brings her to a final rating of 136 points. If there are no objections, that is the number we will submit to the IFUA." Shuta An stated firmly.
"Lowering the baseline by four points—isn't that a bit harsh?" Nishizaki hesitated. "This is our Academy's first Arc victory, after all..."
"A rating of 136 is already historically elite." Shuta An retorted dryly. "If you check the archives, performances in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe that breach the 130-point threshold are exceedingly rare."
With his unyielding logic, the young man finalized the decision, sealing Tokai Teio's historic, 136-point masterpiece into the official record books.