For an Uma Musume, winter is a season of trials. One reason is obvious: the fierce competition of the G1 races that serve as the culmination of each class's hard-fought year. However, there is another battle—one equally harrowing for both the girls and their trainers—that unfolds behind the scenes.
"Ra... Ra-ra-ra-Rampage-san... is 'no' really the only answer? Is there no way out of this...?"
"Grin and bear it, Taiki. This is for your own health," Rampage replied, her voice a mix of firm leadership and weary patience.
"Nooo! Maya hates this!"
"Be brave, Maya. Look, we're already next in line."
Rampage was currently a human anchor. Taiki Shuttle was white-knuckled, clinging to her arm as if her life depended on it, while Mayano Top Gun had her face buried in Rampage's chest, holding on with a vice-like grip that bordered on a grappling maneuver. Rampage had expected this reaction from these two, but as for the others...
"I-I'm fine. Really. I am perfectly, 100% fine. No issues here," Mejiro Ardan insisted.
"You say that, Ardan-senpai, but your legs won't stop shaking!" Mejiro Dober pointed out, her own voice trembling.
"Y-you're one to talk, Dober...!"
Despite their bravado, every time the line moved forward, their tails twitched with a frantic life of their own. Silence Suzuka had been promised a trip to the mountain passes to run her heart out later, but even that incentive wasn't enough to calm her; she kept standing up, pacing in a tight left-hand circle, and sitting back down in a repetitive loop of anxiety.
"Ugh, I still hate this. But if I don't do it, I can't race or even practice... I just have to endure it," Sakura Bakushin O—"Sunny"—muttered, trying to rationalize the fear. She looked over at Stay Gold. "How are you so calm?"
"Hmph..." Stego let out a non-committal grunt, though her constant shifting of her legs betrayed a hidden restlessness.
Today, Team Pleiades was facing a mandatory school event: vaccinations. It was a necessary precaution, of course, and Tracen Academy ensured the best care by bringing in elite doctors retained by the Mejiro and Symboli families. The medical expertise was unquestionable. The problem, however, lay entirely with the patients.
"PI-YAAAAAAA!!"
A blood-curdling shriek echoed from the infirmary. Every single girl in the hallway jumped as if they'd been struck by lightning.
"Waaaaah! Mama, save me! I don't want to go in there!"
"Yeah, yeah... and quit calling me 'Mama,'" Rampage sighed.
"Did she just say... Rampage-mama?!" the passing nurse whispered, wide-eyed.
"Do it while she's distracted," Rampage commanded.
"Understood."
"Wait, what—?! No, that's cheating! GYAAAH—!!"
It is a common trait among Thoroughbreds, and by extension, Uma Musume: they despise needles. It is a visceral, instinctive rejection of the sting. At Tracen Academy, vaccination day is an "event" of such chaotic proportions that classes are cancelled, and trainers are required to stay by their students' sides throughout the process. Usually, the "trauma" is followed by a trip to a favorite restaurant or a fun outing to reset their spirits.
"NOOOOO! Absolutely not! That room is HELL!" Taiki wailed.
"It's actually 'Health,' Taiki. Subtle difference," Rampage corrected.
"It's easy for you to say, Rampage-san! You're just the escort! You don't have to face the point of the needle!"
"What are you talking about? I'm getting mine too."
The hallway went dead silent. Every head turned toward her in synchronized shock. They had assumed Rampage was only there to provide moral support, which explained her cool composure.
"I'm getting my shot today as well," Rampage said calmly. "I'm not going to make you girls do something I'm not willing to do myself."
This was Rampage's trump card. By dismantling the assumption that the trainer was an exempt observer, she shifted the dynamic from "victim and bystander" to "comrades in arms." The girls looked at one another, then slowly sat back down. Taiki released Rampage's arm, and Maya settled quietly onto Rampage's lap.
"Oh? Quiet all of a sudden?"
"If... if Rampage-san is doing it... it would be shameful for us to keep making a scene," Ardan whispered, straightening her posture.
"If Big Sis is doing it, then I'll be brave too...!" Dober added.
"I-I've made my peace! Come at me!" Taiki shouted, though she was still pale.
"I will... I will do it," Suzuka echoed.
"I was ready from the start," Stego lied poorly.
"Maya will try hard too... but... please stay right here, okay?"
"PI-GYAAAAAAA!!"
Another scream erupted from the infirmary, even louder than the first. It was unmistakably Tokai Teio. The sheer volume of her desperation sent the color draining from everyone's faces again. Even Stego looked a little green.
The door slid open, and the members of Team Spica emerged looking like they'd just returned from a war zone. Teio was practically a permanent fixture on her trainer Okino's back, sobbing uncontrollably. Even the unflappable Mr. CB looked a bit peaky.
"Rough day, huh? I figured that was Teio," Rampage called out.
"Sorry for the noise," Okino sighed, looking exhausted. "Teio got it into her head that her needle was thicker than Mejiro McQueen's and started a revolution..."
"But it was! It was huge! And it hurt! It was like a spear!" Teio blubbered.
"Please don't use such misleading descriptions..." McQueen muttered, looking faint. "Good luck, Rampage-san... you'll need it."
As they shuffled away, Rampage noticed Okino's coat creaking—Teio was clinging to him with enough hydraulic force to crush steel.
"Next group, please," the nurse called.
The girls of Pleiades looked like convicts walking toward the gallows.
"Alright, let's go. Show some grit," Rampage led the way.
Inside, she found a familiar face—her own primary physician.
"Ah, Doctor. It's you."
"A pleasure to see you, Lady Rampage. How has the Herb Cigar treatment been treating you?"
"No complaints. Sorry to bring a whole crowd, but I need you to handle my team as well."
"Of course. Who shall we start with?"
The doctor's gaze swept the room, and seven tails immediately went stiff as iron rods. The girls were paralyzed, like frogs stared down by a snake.
Rampage sighed, stepped forward, and took a seat. She shed her jacket and rolled up her sleeve with practiced indifference.
"I'll go first. Set the tone."
"Very well. Lean back, please."
The Pleiades girls watched with a mixture of terror and profound reverence. How can she be so brave? they wondered. She really is a cut above the rest.
"Here we go. Just relax your arm."
"It is relaxed."
"Then—"
The girls winced as they watched the needle pierce Rampage's skin. Rampage didn't so much as blink. She watched the plunger go down with the same bored expression she had while reading the morning news.
"Done," the doctor said.
"Thanks. See?" Rampage looked back at her team with a small smile. "It's nothing. If I say it's fine, it's fine."
That smile was the magic words they needed. One by one, they stepped forward to the chair. They still gripped Rampage's hand with enough force to cut off her circulation, but they didn't scream. The doctor worked with surgical efficiency, noting that this was the most "civilized" group he'd seen all day.
"That concludes the vaccinations for Team Pleiades. Splendid work, everyone."
"Good job, girls. You were all great," Rampage said, patting Maya on the head. "I promised a reward, didn't I? Let's go make some special carrot hamburger steaks."
By the time the party started back at the clubroom, the fear of the needle had been replaced by the sizzle of the grill and the warmth of a shared meal.
[Postscript: Mejiro Rampage After Retirement]
Rampage never had a problem with doctors. Perhaps because she understood that their work was a necessary part of her life, she was famously stoic during exams and vaccinations, never needing to be restrained—a trait that constantly amazed her veterinarians and grooms.
Her children, unfortunately, did not inherit this trait. However, they discovered a workaround: if Rampage was in the stall with them, the foals would suddenly become as still as statues. As a result, for years at the Mejiro Farm, every vaccination for her offspring had to be a "family affair" with Rampage standing guard.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"