"With Maya's debut successfully behind us, it's time. We're heading to summer training camp again this year!"
"YAAAAAY!!"
A few days after Mayano Top Gun's brilliant victory, the team held what was officially called a "strategy meeting" but was, in reality, just an afternoon tea party. The main agenda: the announcement of the annual summer camp. Those who had survived the previous year's camp were buzzing with excitement. The training had been grueling, sure, but the memories of the fun they had outweighed the muscle aches. They were practically cheering in the aisles.
"Wait, are we allowed to go too?!" the newcomers chirped.
"Why wouldn't you be? You're part of this team now, aren't you?" Rampage shot back at the 'New Faces.' "Of course you're coming. Start getting your gear ready. Don't let me catch you slacking on preparations."
"YES!"
Special Week, El Condor Pasa, and King Halo—who had joined Pleiades late and missed last year—were over the moon. They'd been secretly worried that they'd have to "earn" the right to go to camp by hitting specific race targets first. Apparently, a recent anime they'd watched featured a plot where only the winning girls got to go on trips, and they'd been bracing for the worst.
"For those of you who've never been: when I say 'camp,' I mean it," Rampage continued. "We're using the Mejiro family villa, so the facilities are top-tier. And since it's right on the coast, make sure you pack your swimsuits."
"The sea! The beach! Watermelon splitting! Barbecues!" El shouted.
"Watermelons! Fried noodles! Curry! Ramen!" Special Week added, her stomach practically growling.
"Honestly, El, Spe-chan... this is a training camp. We are going there to work," King Halo lectured, though she couldn't quite stop her own tail from wagging with anticipation.
"Relax, King. I'll make sure there's plenty of time for play, too," Rampage said with a smirk. "So play hard when you can."
Rampage let them chatter for a moment before turning her attention to the newest winner. "Now, as for 'Mayaya'—my plan is to keep you focused on middle-distance races and above. Your next target is the Fuyo Stakes in September."
"Ehh? That's so far away!" Mayano pouted.
Rampage had considered letting her run a mile, but she knew Mayano's true potential lay in the longer stretches where her brilliance could truly shine.
"Don't whine. I've spent enough time in Team Canopus to know how to build a grind. I've already mapped out a schedule that fits you perfectly. We'll adjust based on your condition, but I want you running roughly once a month. We'll hit a graded race in November, and by December, you're taking on a G1."
"A G1?! Me?! I can really go?!"
"That's the goal I've set. We'll monitor your recovery during camp and fine-tune from there, but the plan is to end the year at the Hopeful Stakes. Come on, Maya—give me the title of 'G1 Trainer' in my second year, yeah?"
"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Mayano shouted, throwing her arms up. "Maya's gonna do it! I'll make you a G1 Trainer for sure, Rampage-san!"
As the two of them shared that moment, a sudden tension settled over the rest of the room. Now that Mayano had debuted, the reality of the Pleiades' schedule was becoming clear. Rampage, who had been forged in the fire of the underdog Team Canopus, ran her team with a similar philosophy: strength is found through the gauntlet of real racing.
"I think I told you this before," Rampage said, her voice dropping an octave as she looked at the older girls. "But if any of you are aiming for that 'undefeated-whatever' status, you'd better steel yourselves. I'll keep the trials in mind, but I have zero hesitation about throwing teammates into the same race. Suzuka, Taiki, Dober, Sunny, Stego—your generation is a goddamn battleground of legends. If you want to win, you take that victory by force, even if the girl next to you is your best friend. Got it?"
The five girls swallowed hard. It was rare for so many top-tier talents of the same generation to be on one team. Most trainers avoided "friendly fire" to maximize wins, but Rampage did the opposite. She created the conflict on purpose. She wanted them to never forget that while they were comrades, they were first and foremost rivals.
"That is exactly what I want," Silence Suzuka said, her eyes calm but burning. "No matter who is beside me, I have no intention of surrendering the view from the front."
"I won't lose either! Teammates as rivals? Bring it on, baby!" Taiki Shuttle chirped, her competitive spirit ignited.
"As a daughter of the Mejiro house... I refuse to be defeated!" Mejiro Dober declared, her fists clenched.
"I don't plan on losing either," Sunny Brian added with a smirk. "Losing to my sister is enough of a headache! I've been holding my own lately!"
"Tch. Look at you, getting cocky just 'cause you aren't bottom of the pack anymore," Stay Gold grumbled, a sharp glint in her eyes. "I'll just have to crush the lot of you."
Watching their seniors declare war, Special Week, El, and King felt a chill run down their spines. This was their future. These girls were their pathfinders, and soon, they too would be following that same blood-pumping, high-stakes trajectory. Team Pleiades was, in many ways, the most grueling environment in the entire Tracen Academy.
"In that sense, Mayaya has it the easiest, huh?" Rampage mused.
"I don't know about that~!" Mayano laughed. "The girls ahead of me are Brian-chan and Laurel-chan, after all!"
Mayano might not have had many rivals within her own team yet, but she was entering the Classic circuit just as the "monsters" of the previous generation—Narita Brian, Sakura Laurel, Hishi Amazon—were reaching their peak in the Senior ranks.
"You say that, but you're wearing a pretty big smile, kid," Rampage noted.
"Ehehe! Just thinking about racing against people that strong makes me tingle! I can't wait to see how much I can sparkle!"
"Yeah. You definitely have the heart of a big-shot, Mayaya."
Rampage reached out and ruffled Mayano's hair. They had to keep moving forward. It didn't matter if the generation above them was filled with titans; if they didn't have the ambition to trample over them, they didn't belong here. To be a member of the team led by the eternally undefeated Mejiro Rampage, "good enough" would never be enough.
In that moment, the bond of Team Pleiades grew even tighter—not just as friends, but as a pride of lions ready to hunt.
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