Days later, after much pondering, Belno Light finally made her decision as to what race she would run to end the year on.
"The [Tokyo Daishoten], huh?" Musaka hummed as he heard her answer. "So you went with this, after all."
Belno smiled shyly. "It's the obvious option, isn't it?" She said, before her eyes darkened for a moment. "And…I don't think I'll be able to race against Tamamo-senpai just yet. Not as I am now."
Musaka stared at her for a moment, before he nodded. "You're not wrong." He plainly said, and though the truth hurt her slightly, she knew that Musaka hadn't meant to demean her in the slightest. "Right now, that gal's no doubt the strongest of this generation, and there's no telling where she'll go from here."
Belno nodded, her fists clenched. "But I'll meet her next year."
Musaka grinned. "That'll be a damn fine show when it happens." And as he said that, he finalized the registration form he'd been filling out for Belno. The moment he submitted the form to Tazuna, the Director would immediately add Belno Light as another runner for the upcoming [Tokyo Daishoten].
Such was the perks of having Tracen Central be the leading figure in Japanese racing. Belno could be added as a runner even a day before the race happened.
But he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. It was a shame that none of the Generation of Miracles were Dirt runners, and with Oguri Cap and Blossom Star both out due to personal injuries, it meant Belno had no familiar face she could race against.
Oh well. Maybe next year they'd finally see some new faces on the scene.
"Belno."
"Yes, Musaka-san?"
"What's y'er plan for next year?" He asked. "Oguri's planning for the [Osaka Hai], and Star's got her eyes on the [Spring Tenno Sho]." He idly fixed his hat as he stared at her. "What're y'er plans?"
Belno looked down for a moment.
Realistically, she should be aiming for the [February Stakes], a Mile-length G1 Dirt race. It'd be the perfect follow-up to the [Tokyo Daishoten], and the fact that it was a Mile-length race meant she could focus fully on polishing her speed now that her Limits had lifted slightly.
But-
"I want to run in the [Osaka Hai] too." She said, her eyes determined. "I want to race against Oguri-chan."
After she first achieved her incomplete Domain, she realized that running in 'safe' races wouldn't be enough. If she wanted to truly surpass the Limits set by her own body, she needed to challenge herself against tougher challenges, and who better to challenge her than Oguri herself?
And more than anything, she'd always wanted to at least try and race against Oguri and Star. Those two had soared so far past her that the gap between them had felt endless, but she at least wanted to try.
Musaka sighed, though he didn't seem surprised. "Yeah, I expected that."
As a trainer, he should be advising her against that. Even though Belno had awakened an incomplete Domain, it still wouldn't be enough to catch up to Oguri Cap. The gap between them was like the distance from the sea to the sky; and more than that, Oguri was the worst opponent someone like Belno could have.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to do so. Despite knowing the potential heartbreak this decision might cause, he found the words he needed to say lodged deeply in the back of his throat.
…it seemed like his foolish nephew had infected him too.
"But sure." He said softly, staring right into her determined eyes. "But you know what that means."
She nodded. "I do."
It meant no more settling for being 'just' the Tactician. If she truly wanted to contest against the Monster and the Comet, then she too would need to break away from her past self. No more merely relying on just tactics to secure her victory, no more shallow copying of Oguri and Star's techniques to try and bolster her own.
She would need to utilize her own weakening Limits to try and catch up before Oguri and Star inevitably awakened their own Domains.
There would be no stopping.
She smiled. "I have to give them my everything, after all."
He grinned. "Atta' girl."
.
.
.
Boom!
"Time!" Her trainer shouted, shielding her face with her hands as a plume of dust blew her way. She coughed softly as she quickly began waving her hands, before she smiled wryly. "Can't you be a little more careful, Strike-chan?"
Dicta Striker grinned fiercely. "Sorry 'bout that!" She quickly stretched her legs, groaning slightly as she felt the slight burning in her legs. "I'm still new to using this new cleat." She frowned thoughtfully as she tapped the tip of her shoe onto the track. "Where'd you even get this? I don't think I've ever seen anyone sell cleats this heavy."
"Custom-made, of course!" Her trainer cheerfully said, puffing her chest out in pride. "Apparently Belno-san's family runs a sports store, and they make customized cleats for umamusume as well!"
Dicta whistled. "For real? Even Team Kitahara's families are pretty stacked as well, huh?" She smiled slightly. "Mind giving her a thanks if you next meet her? These are pretty damn awesome."
"Sure will!"
Dicta smirked, before she glanced at her legs. These weighted cleats were way heavier than her usual training cleats, and her legs felt a little sore because of it, but she didn't really mind. The soreness meant that her muscles were really giving in the effort, and that was the only way she could improve. And she'd need to better herself as much as she could.
Because with the end of the year coming up, there was only one race left that she could tackle—
The [Arima Kinen]. The end-all of Japanese racing.
Getting in wasn't all that hard; she had more than enough fans to get her a spot in the race. But now that she was locked into racing in the [Arima Kinen], that meant there was an opponent she would have to face.
Tamamo Cross. The White Lightning herself.
When news about Tamamo's plan to run in the [Arima Kinen] became public, the populace had gone wild. They thought that she would've opted out of joining, assuming that she'd also gotten injured during the intense [Japan Cup]. But to everyone's astonishment, not only was Tamamo Cross completely fine, but her power had become even more incredible.
Faced with the fact that she'd be up against the strongest umamusume of this generation, a few runners who'd initially planned to run in the [Arima Kinen] had dropped out, fearing that Tamamo Cross would completely crush them. And in a way, they weren't wrong—Tamamo's terrifying Domain had shown the world that she wasn't someone anyone could defeat.
But Dicta Striker remained.
As if she'd ever drop out for something like that! Sure, winning seemed practically impossible, but as long as she participated, there was always a chance. Winning would only truly become impossible when she refused to step into the arena.
And besides, it wasn't as if she was the only one going to run in the [Arima Kinen].
Super Creek was joining the gauntlet too, and Mejiro Ardan planned to join in as well. She was a little concerned about Ardan's participation—her stamina was never the greatest, but Ardan seemed determined to join, and who was she to stop her?
It was a bit of a shame that Sakura Chiyono O and Yaeno Muteki weren't running as well. It'd practically be the entire Generation of Miracles against Tamamo in a single race. But it was fine; races this long weren't usually their styles anyway.
That just meant she had to put in even more to fill in the gap.
After she wiped the few splodges of dirt that'd splattered across her cheeks, she turned to her trainer and grinned. "Alright, another lap!"
Her trainer smiled back, Dicta's determination met with her own. "Of course, Strike-chan!" She held up her stopwatch, ready to start it at any moment. "On your mark-!"
"Now!"
Dicta Striker charged forward at the exact moment her trainer restarted her stopwatch.