"Trainer..."
Tokai Teio turned around blankly, looking at Imanami who was slowly walking towards her, her tear-filled, somewhat unfocused eyes slowly regaining a bit of clarity.
"I- I... I'm sorry... I..."
Only then did Tokai Teio realize what she had done, her grip tightening on the paper she was holding.
Imanami picked up one of the many pieces of paper littering the floor, and after a long moment, he put the paper down, knelt down, and asked with a smile:
"Teio, this is your dream, isn't it? Why did you write it over and over again?"
"...Because, because..."
Imanami's words were completely normal, but his question made Tokai Teio's tears almost burst forth again.
Yet, like a stubborn child, she held back her tears, answering with a choked voice:
"B- because I made a promise with the Prez. After I- I become an Undefeated C- Classic Triple Crown Um- Uma Musume, I- I will surpass the Prez a- and become the strongest Uma Musume..."
"Si- since the Prez achieved it, I- I gotta do it too, n- no...?"
"If I can't become a- an Undefeated Classic T- Triple Crown like Prez, I w- won't be able to be- be stronger than Prez. B- but, but—"
"—But you found that you still have a long way to go, didn't you, Teio?"
Imanami calmly finished Tokai Teio's unfinished sentence.
Facing her Trainer, Tokai Teio held back her tears and nodded unwillingly.
This young sheltered girl had never once felt that she would fall behind others.
Everyone's evaluation of her was "genius" and "having a bright future." She grew up constantly being surrounded by such praise and honor since childhood.
Although she was a good person at her core, and she could get along with anyone, in truth, Tokai Teio possessed a deeply ingrained pride inside her.
She always believed that she wasn't weaker than anyone else, and even thought that she could always have a decent shot at winning any race, no matter the participants.
And some past experiences seemed to confirm Tokai Teio's idea; whether it was training or a mock race with her peers, she always learned faster, progressed more rapidly, and always came in first.
Coming in first every time, and doing so effortlessly, was both a good thing and a bad thing for a child whose mind was not yet fully formed.
The good thing was that she could carry herself with confidence, and devote herself with greater enthusiasm to her areas of expertise.
But the bad thing was that once she gets hit by a setback, she gets hit by it, hard.
The higher and longer one stands above the clouds, the greater and more impactful the fall.
"Trainer... A- am I really the weakest in the team right now...?"
Tokai Teio clutched Imanami's sleeve, asking pitifully and aggrievedly:
"D- don't worry, I- I can handle it. I just want to hear the truth. T- that way, I c- can at least a- accept this fact..."
'But you don't look like you want to accept the fact; you want to be comforted, don't you?'
Imanami couldn't help but chuckle, feeling that even when Tokai Teio was throwing a tantrum, she was exceptionally cute.
Both stubborn and defiant, clearly not entirely honest with herself, but insisting on putting on a mature facade.
—Just like a child pretending to be an adult.
At this moment, Imanami finally understood what Tokai Teio's thought process was.
He knew that he couldn't actually answer Teio with words like "You are the weakest"; otherwise, this child would truly be devastated.
Therefore, Imanami felt that he should try a different approach, so that this child could still keep a bit of her pride, while accepting the fact that she was not strong yet.
"McQueen, can you come in for a moment?"
"Me?"
McQueen subconsciously pointed to herself, and although she was a bit confused, she still obediently walked in.
As soon as Mejiro McQueen entered the room, Imanami pulled her over, making McQueen maintain the same posture as him, and then asked Teio:
"Teio, look, McQueen is also here. Don't you consider McQueen your rival?"
"Do you think McQueen lost to T.M. Opera O in the Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho because she was weak?"
"That... N- no, that's not it! McQueen isn't weak at all; it was just that T.M. Opera O was stronger."
Tokai Teio was slightly stunned and answered without hesitation. She had never thought McQueen was weak for a single moment.
As someone who had watched the Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho all the way through, Tokai Teio knew very well that none of the Uma Musume running were weak; simply that there were stronger ones.
For McQueen to still get second place after being encircled already showed that she was actually very formidable.
If T.M. Opera O hadn't broken through her limits at the very end, McQueen would have won. Most skilled Uma Musume and Trainers could see this; McQueen just had bad luck.
At the beginning of the Kikuka Sho, her strength was actually comparable to T.M. Opera O's, maybe even higher due to her compatibility with long-distance races.
"So McQueen's not weak, but she still lost. Do you see it now?"
"Teio, results are never the sole measure of an Uma Musume's strength. It's just that there will always be Uma Musume stronger than you."
"For example, if you were to race against Symboli Rudolf right now, do you think you could win? And if you lost, would you think you were weak?"
"Ugh..."
Imanami's words left Tokai Teio speechless, and she could only make a sound like a wronged small animal.
After a long time, she finally replied sullenly:
"So... Trainer, you're saying... that I'm not the weakest in the team, right?"
"But I clearly can't beat anyone else. I can't beat T.M. Opera O, I can't beat Meisho Doto, I can't beat Orfevre, and I can't beat McQueen too... Even so, am I not the weakest?"
"—Team Miracle has no weakest Uma Musume, only stronger Uma Musume."
Imanami gently ruffled Teio's small head, comforting her,
"You will get stronger, Teio. You just need more training."
"An Uma Musume who hasn't experienced failure won't grow. Even the President you admire, Symboli Rudolf, has been defeated before."
"But the most important thing to understand is that defeat is merely temporary; just because you lost once doesn't mean you will always continue to lose afterwards."
"As long as you don't give up, as long as you keep running, you will always get stronger."
"...Mm!"
After a while, Tokai Teio finally seemed to have let go a little, replying with a muffled sound.
"So now, can we go back?"
Seeing this, Imanami also breathed a sigh of relief and asked gently.
"...We can go back, but Trainer, you have to promise me one thing."
Tokai Teio looked up at Imanami and said to him,
"I might be defeated now, but after I debut, I absolutely cannot lose again. You must let me, as an Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume, challenge the Prez to a decisive match."
"Trainer, can you train me to become a true Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume?"
"...Then, I also have a request."
Imanami was uncharacteristically silent for a moment. But he didn't immediately reject this request, which he knew was quite difficult; instead, he took the opportunity to propose his own plan.
"From now on, you must do all the training arrangements I make for you, Teio. Can you do that?"
"Mm, I can!"
Teio nodded and smiled for the first time in a while.
Then, she extended her pinky finger to Imanami and said with a light laugh:
"Then, let's make a pinky promise, Trainer. The one who lies will swallow a thousand needles!"
"Until you train me into an Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume, I will always keep an eye on you. Prepare yourself!"
Facing Teio's words, Imanami didn't hesitate to engage in this rather childish act with Teio, fulfilling the child's request.
Finally, after everything was over, Tokai Teio's face completely cleared, and she smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Trainer... Isn't it a little unfair to use me to cheer up Teio...?"
Just then, McQueen's faint voice reached Imanami's ears, making him realize the mood of his other Uma Musume.
McQueen's unhappy expression was almost undisguised as she also extended her pinky finger, saying to Imanami:
"Do a promise with me too. Make me win the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho. Otherwise, please swallow a thousand needles."
"Alright, alright..."
Imanami was also somewhat amused by McQueen's competitiveness. This Uma Musume of his truly didn't want to fall behind others in any aspect.
However, just as Imanami made the pinky promise, he suddenly felt that his burdens had increased severalfold.
This was both an Undefeated Classic Triple Crown and a Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho we're talking about after all...
It seemed he would truly have to put in a lot of effort to avoid having to swallow all those needles.
-----+-----
Teio: What is it?
McQueen: It is called a needle.
Teio: It's sharpness is most impressive.
McQueen: Yes, Gold Ship says it is the result of... What are you doing?
Teio: I was curious to use it.
McQueen: It is not a tool. 500 needles.
McQueen: Gold Ship says it is to be placed in the mouth, and the contents ingested.
Teio: The sensation is.. Wonderful~
McQueen: 500 needles.
Teio: I have never experienced such a texture!
McQueen: 500 needles.
Teio: I feel as if I had been standing my entire life, and I just sat down!
McQueen: 500 needles.
Teio: The tingles... Do you feel them?
McQueen: I do. 500 needles.
Teio: Wе must have more!
McQueen: 500 needles.
-----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.