After a couple more days of basic training the time had finally come for her debut.
She didn't know what she was feeling as she was listening to her trainer talk about who she should watch out for and what he would recommend would be her best possible strategy to win the race.
It was an odd feeling, a mix of anticipation and of dread, of hope and fear.
Hope that she would do well and have a good debut and fear that she would fail and never be able to look at her teammates again.
"We haven't been able to determine your ability to adapt to different seasons just yet, primarily because you joined so late in the year, but that isn't truly that big of an problem as it would be in higher graded races, so don't worry."
She nodded her head absentmindedly, her eyes drifting downwards, as she thought of other things, primarily about an uma who she had met when she had just entered Tracen Academy, apparently she had done her debut a year earlier than she normally would, which was apparently pretty rare as most umamusume would rather do it after a bit more training and becoming certain of their abilities.
All that to say that she was thinking of her, thinking of that uma who went by, "Orfevre…"
…Did… did she just say that out loud.
"What did you say?"
She suddenly jerked her head up and stammered out a response, "N-Nothing I said nothing whatsoever!"
He looked at her, his eyes narrowing, as he hummed.
"Where you even listening in the first place or were you daydreaming about something?"
"I-I was not!"
He looked at her with a deadpan look, she half expected him to keep questioning her but in the end he merely sighed before speaking.
"Hah… In short, you're the third favourite, primarily because almost nobody had heard of you until now. If anything it's a great testament to your strength that you're even the third favourite, any other uma in your position would be lucky to even be the fifth favourite depending on the reputation of the other racers. But, you really should have nothing to fear. You can keep up with retired G1 level umamusume, even if they aren't going all out."
She looked at him curiously and asked him a simple question, "So… do you think I'll win?"
He looked at her with an almost dead eyed look, before speaking with one of the most flat tones she had ever heard, "Yes, this shouldn't even be a challenge for you."
"Oh."
"Yes, 'Oh.'"
"Then… I have a request to ask you, trainer."
"Fine, say it," he said as he grumbled something else under his breath.
"If I win, can we go to a buffet?"
"DENIED!"
"E-Eh! Why!"
"If I just let you go then everybody else on the team is going to want to go as well! And then that isn't going to work out well since Spe-Chan is banned from all the all you can eat buffets in the prefecture! And then she's going to complain that it's unfair that she can't go and yet everybody else can! And then they're going to do a hot pot and I'm going to be dead broke!"
She opened her mouth to say something before closing it as she realized that even though his logic was weird and a little bit twisted, it still made perfect sense.
"Oh… Okay…" she said sulkily, her mood plummeting as her face all but fell.
"Please don't sulk…"
"Okay…" her face fell further.
"Guh— F-Fine! We'll do the Hot pot." He said with a strained look on his face.
She gasped happily as her mood increased and a large smile bloomed on her face, "REALLY!"
"Yeah… yeah…" his eyes somehow lost their light and his expression increasingly became filled with despair.
"All racers, please go near the entrance."
Soon enough the race was nearing it's time to start with good luck thrown her way she left to go and wait for her introduction.
The announcers went through everybody quickly enough before they reached the third favourite, herself.
"Even, if she has only just recently joined Tracen Academy many experts and trainers say that her potential is almost second to none. Give a warm round of applause for, Hope forTomorrow!"
Suddenly what seemed to be a chorus of applause suffused the stadium, the difference between the one that she received and the one all the others received before her was almost astronomical.
'If this is the amount of applause for me, the third favourite, then how much louder will the amount for the second and first favourite be?' She couldn't help but wonder.
But she wouldn't let it affect her, after all, all she had to do was run.
So she would run.
Simple as that.
She walked to her gate, which was marked with a seven.
And waited for the announcer to tell them to enter their gates.
Soon enough it happened.
"All racers, please enter your gates."
She entered with a calm exhale, she looked to her side and saw some of her competitors were stressed, she pondered whether or not she should help but decided against it.
There could only be one winner after all.
The rest would all be losers.
It was as simple as that.
She calmed her mind.
She breathed in.
She calmed her body.
She breathed out.
She calmed her spirits.
She breathed in.
She breathed out.
She breathedin.
She breathed o—
The gates suddenly flew open and with a sudden exhale she broke free.
The wind was strong again today, it felt nice.
"Hope for Tomorrow takes thelead! And has made a massive divide between her and second place!"
She was running again, it felt nice, it felt good to run, to let her body use its energy for something that wasn't training.
"The other runners are accelerating! They're trying to catchup!"
But… she felt like she was going too slow, that she could go faster.
"What is this! Is Hope for Tomorrow accelerating!? Could this be? The legendary Great Escape!?!?!"
So, she accelerated, the wind felt stronger now, it felt better on her skin.
"Hope for Tomorrow is still leading and is entering the turn all on her own, this could make or break her chances for victory, will she maintain her speed and burn through her stamina? Or will she slow down to recuperate?"
The turn was coming up now.
So she did what she normally did.
She accelerated.
…
"Hope for Tomorrow slow down? Run out of stamina? If only they knew just how monstrous her stamina really is…" Okino let out a sigh.
"Yeah, ain't that the truth, eh Torenah," Gold Ship said as she took a break from cheering for her teammate.
He couldn't help but sigh as he watched all his trainee's cheer for the youngest member of the team, outside of unofficial members like Kita-chan.
But what were you going to do.
He was pretty confidant in the results that were going to play out, in a sense Hope for Tomorrow was going to win, that was certain.
A debut race was child's play for her, especially because she could keep up with G1 level umamusume and Gold Ship, whether most of them were retired or not didn't really matter.
A debut level umamusume wouldn't stand a chance against them, but Hope for Tomorrow was different.
Not only could she keep up with them, if she didn't slow down after entering the final straight it wouldn't be a stretch to say that she could have won.
And while he wasn't certain of the reason why she slowed down he knew for a fact that she would be unstoppable if she ever surpassed what seemed to be her current and sole weakness.
But until then, until she finally managed to surpass whatever skeletons may be in her closet, he alongside the entirety of the team would be there for her.
Hell he wouldn't even be surprised if Orfevre would be there for her as well, even though the uma had all but told them to never speak of her being there, when Hope had what seemed to be a breakdown, and had all but commanded them to forget about her presence at the incident.
For an uma who many refer to as a Golden, unfeeling, Tyrant she was quite kind.
According to Gold Ship apparently her older sister had a soft spot for children, but that still didn't explain her apparent protectiveness and dare he say, possessiveness, for Hope.
By all rights that didn't make sense.
…
She was flying.
She was free.
The wind was in her hair, the lead was her own.
Ah, nothing could stop this feeling, this beautiful, beautiful feeling.
She had long since zoned out what the announcer was saying, it didn't matter anyway, she was going to win.
Her victory was guaranteed, decreed by the heavens themselves, for no one on the track at this very moment could compare to one tenth of the majesty, of the speed, of the strength and of the pure unbridled confidence, no, arrogance that was within her.
It didn't matter what any of them did, after all she was going to win.
Even if the phantoms of her past, of the sins that she had committed made manifest, appear she would win.
Even if she could hear that incessant, irritating voice in her ear, that endless whispering that reminded her of her sins, of her faults of her worthlessness…
Even if she slowed down now…
She would still win.
She suddenly snapped out of it as she heard the cheering of the crowd calling and praising her name.
She could hear them, hear them call her name, hear them say, "HOPE FOR TOMORROW!" With their full chest as they all celebrated what in their eyes was the birth of a legend.
She couldn't help the smile of pride or was it joy? That came to her face.
———————-
Authors note
How y'all doing, you know, I'm not one to brag or say anything but I guess you guys couldn't get the bonus chapter after all huh?
Considered putting Rudolf in this chapter, probably going to include her in the next one.
Either way, kingdom come deliverance (1) is peak, I can finally read more of Shirou Emiya as a uma (Dream Weaver), and well sadly school is starting up again.
Until next time.
This is GreekAntrielos, signing off.