"Hell-lo-ciao! Good morning, good evening, and good night to all you lot!"
The Eve Festival—a grand pre-party for the URA Finals and the Legend Race—was in full swing. Rampage stood center stage, giving her opening address to the gathered racers while live-streaming the entire event to the world.
"Kyaaa! Rampage-samaaaa!"
"KYAAA! RAMPAGE-SAMAAAA!"
The scream of a single girl acted as a catalyst, pulling the rest of the racers into a collective roar of adoration. Rampage was already a massive celebrity in the streaming world, and since nearly every racer in the room was a fan (or a closeted one), the hype was inevitable.
Rampage looked toward the source of that first, particularly ecstatic—and frankly, slightly lewd—scream. It was Agnes Flora, currently looking like she was in the throes of religious rapture. Rampage sighed inwardly. I really shouldn't have invited her, she thought. But I suppose I've made my own bed.
"Etched into your memories—the world record holder, the Sovereign Tyrant, the Undefeated Legend! The prisoner who threw away her own dreams, now transforming herself into a new era! I'm Mejiro Rampage! Have you lot been stacking your karma today?"
Rampage struck a pose for the camera.
"We're coming to you live from the Mejiro Estate Hotel for the official pre-race gala of the URA Finals and the Legend Race!"
— KYAAA! THE TYRANT IS HERE!
— There she is! We've been waiting!
— I stacked enough karma playing shitty games for this!
— I earned my good vibes playing Getting Over It!
— I did my time in Kurimoto for this stream!
— I actually finished Summon Ride! Talk about karma!
— Some of you guys are stacking karma in really dangerous ways lol
— The Kurimoto bro is a legend.
"Good, good. You're all such good little subjects," Rampage grinned at the camera. "Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Rampage, why are you streaming this on the internet when the TV schedule is packed with year-end specials?' The answer is simple: Me and the regional Tracen staff worked our asses off to make this happen before the year ended, and the TV networks couldn't move their fossils fast enough to keep up! If we'd put this on terrestrial TV, the ratings would probably have broken the national grid. Haha! Not that I care, though."
— Typical Rampage.
— The networks probably couldn't afford the Tyrant's appearance fee.
— That actually sounds plausible.
— Ah, makes sense.
— Big shoutout to the regional Tracen staff!!
— Thanks for your hard work!
— Wait, so the URA itself isn't involved?
— Is Central Tracen even doing anything?
"Actually, President Akikawa was incredibly helpful," Rampage clarified. "As for URA support... let's see, did they do anything? Haha, just kidding. That's a Tyrant Joke. In all seriousness, they handled the track permits and the paperwork. But I did most of the heavy lifting myself. I didn't want a bunch of suits grumbling about my plan, so I just beat them to the punch on every single front."
— Classic Akikawa.
— SASURIGI (Sasuga Rijichou).
— Hey, URA...
— Get your act together, URA!
— They probably did work, but Rampage works so fast it looks like they're standing still.
— She literally stole their jobs lol.
— Spoken like a true Tyrant!
Comments flooded the monitor behind Rampage. While many were critical of the official racing body, Rampage's effortless charisma turned that heat into a mixture of amusement and sympathy for the bureaucrats she had steamrolled.
"Tonight, we're going to interview the girls, maybe have a live performance or two. It's a chance for them to talk about their hometowns or shout out their goals for tomorrow. Now then... who should I pick first?"
As she scanned the room, a hand shot up with the speed of a rocket. Someone was eager—not just to prove themselves or gain confidence, but simply to stand next to Rampage.
"ME! ME ME ME ME! Pick me! As a representative of the Twinkle Series, I should definitely go first!"
— FLORA LOL
— Oyyyy!
— This is terrible for Team Rigil's image! Her dignity is in the bin!
— Wait, was Flora always like this?
— I thought she was the cool, professional rival...
— Was the elegant lady act just a mask?
The chat was having a field day. In truth, Flora was an expert at "mimicry." At Team Rigil, she was a dependable, beloved senior, and she was so capable that she could probably fill in for Trainer Tojo for a few days without a hitch. Rampage worried for a second that her presence was actively ruining the reputation of both Flora and Rigil, but she saw Tojo off to the side, giving her a look that said 'Don't worry about it, she's always been like this,' so she let it go.
"Alright, let's bring up... the attention-seeking creep in the front row."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CREEP!?" Flora barked, though she looked delighted.
"Anyone who obsesses over me to the point that their entire race schedule is designed specifically to stalk me is, by definition, a creep."
"It's not 'creepiness'!" Flora argued, stepping onto the stage. "If anything, it is 'Love' in the form of a 'Thirst for Victory'!"
— She's a creep lol
— Rampage, you savage...
— Imagine telling your rival that to their face lol
— Yeah, okay... she's definitely a creep.
— Sorry Rampage, I was wrong. She's a total creep.
Flora took the microphone and cleared her throat, instantly trying to regain her poise.
"Agnes Flora of Team Rigil! I am a two-time Japan Cup winner and a G1 champion! Starting next year, I'll be taking the fight overseas. I intend to follow in Mejiro Rampage's footsteps and become the second Japanese girl in history to conquer the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
"Oh. Okay. Neat," Rampage said flatly.
"THAT REACTION IS WAY TOO WEAK! Why!? This is the part where you're supposed to cheer for your rival!"
"If I'm going to cheer for someone going overseas, I'll cheer for Turbo. She's in Canopus, and she's my student. You're... just you."
"I lost to the power of a prior relationship!?" Flora cried out in despair.
The crowd—and the chat—erupted in laughter. It was like watching a comedy routine. Everyone assumed Rampage was just playing along, that deep down she surely wished for Flora's success and trusted her strength. In reality, Rampage just found Flora's intense energy a bit grating on a personal level.
"Anyway, are we done? I want to move on to the next interview."
"Excuse me!? You are being way too salty with me! I am your greatest rival! I am literally the only person who can boast about beating you in points during the Shuka-sho!"
"And you haven't won a single race against me since then, have you? It's been a straight streak of embarrassing losses."
"Her 'Logic-Battle' stats are too high...!"
— I mean, she's not wrong. Only Flora ever managed to pull ahead of the Tyrant, even for a moment.
— That's actually a huge flex.
— 'Straight streak of embarrassing losses' OUCH lol
— This is the power of the Undefeated...
"—However," Flora's voice suddenly dropped an octave. The playfulness vanished, replaced by the sharp, cold edge of a predator. "Next time, I will win. In the Legend Race, I will finally overcome you. I'll make it a race for the ages—the legend of the day your 'Undefeated' streak came to an end."
"I wish you'd managed that back when we were active," Rampage replied, her own aura shifting. The sarcastic streamer was gone; in her place stood the Sovereign Tyrant, radiating a pressure that made the air in the room feel heavy. "Fine. Give it your best shot. Try and drag me down from my throne."
The atmosphere in the hall turned electric. Watching the two of them face off, the other racers felt their own blood begin to boil. The races didn't start until tomorrow, but in terms of the "Eve Festival," this was exactly the spark everyone needed.
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