BANG!
[They're off!]
The gates flew open simultaneously, and the race has officially started.
[A clean, aggressive start for Lotus Garden!] the announcer screamed into the microphone, "She takes the lead without a moment's hesitation, forcing a blisteringly fast pace right out of the gate! Silver Venture sits comfortably in fourth, while Oka Sho winner Ambrose settles back into eighth along the outside!]
[Oh, it seems Gloucester had a late start! Starting from gate 14, this is not looking good for her]
Meanwhile, Dorazora sits comfortably in sixth place.
She's running vigorously, yet she doesn't show much on her face. Her mind is somewhere else.
She took a brief look towards the homestretch stands, trying to find a certain person, even though everyone looks like a little dots from her place.
Memories resurfaced in her mind.
.
.
.
She remembered her knees being covered in bandages. As a little kid, she frequently injured her knees. Her parents wanted to believe that it's normal, afterall, kids likes to run around and fall.
The couldn't keep believing that.
"She's just too fragile," she had overheard the talk between her parents and the doctor.
"Her joints are unusually frail" the doctor had explained, tapping the lit-up X-ray panel showing the bones of her knees. "I'm afraid if she keep running at high speed, the impact will harm her ligaments."
She remembered hiding behind the cracked clinic door, clutching her stuffed toy so tightly its seams nearly burst.
"Is there anything we can do?" her mother asked.
"Theraphy might works, but to how much extent the impact can be, I'm still not sure"
"I see..."
For a few seconds, the room fell silent. Dora already knew what came next.
No more running.
"Then we'll find another way." her mother said firmly.
Dora blinked.
The doctor looked at her.
"Ma'am, I don't think you understand. Therapy can help strengthen the muscles around her joints, but there are limits to what we can-"
"I understand."
"I understand that she has limits." she repeated. "But that's not going to the end of it"
"Dear..." her father said quietly.
That was the beginning. No miracle or instant cure. It's a slow process of continous theraphy. Everything is the same everyday, she wakes up, and exercises.
Again, and again.
Of course there were days when she hated it. Watching girls her age running freely without worry.
She would say. "I don't wanna do this anymore..."
Then her mother would kneel besides her. "Okay, we can stop for today"
She never forced her to follow the routine. If she doesn't feel like it, then they would just spend time together.
Her mother never forced her. That was the strange thing. She never told Dora that she had to become a racer. She never said that she needed to prove the doctor wrong.
She simply kept giving Dora the choice to try again.
And somehow...
That made Dora want to try.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"Because as long as you're the one choosing to take a step, Dora," her mother had told her on a rainy afternoon, gently applying fresh tape around her knees, "it doesn't matter how small it is."
Dora looked up.
"You don't have to run like everyone else." Her mother's smile widened. "You just have to run like Dora."
.
.
.
The memory faded. The sound of thousands of spectators rushed back into her ears.
Dora blinked.
'...That's right. I chose this'
She glanced toward the stands again. Just a sea of faces, but she could almost imagine her mother sitting somewhere among them.
Leaning forward, holding her hands together, eyes glued to a certain umamusume.
Dora smiled, then she looked ahead.
The race had changed.
Lotus Garden's early aggression had begun to take its toll. She was still leading, but the gap had shrunk considerably.
Silver Venture had moved up to third.
Ambrose is fifth.
And Gloucester, the late starter was making an incredible recovery.
In short, the runners had begin to make their move.
[They're heading into the third turn!]
She can feel it, the rising tension as everyone prepared to throw down their ultimate trump cards. The pressure is everywhere.
From here on out, there would be no more saving energy.
[LOTUS GARDEN'S LEAD HAS BEEN CUT DOWN TO ALMOST NOTHING!]
Dora's eyes narrowed. Ahead of her, Silver Venture suddenly accelerated. However, Lotus Garden refused to give up, and the two began battling for position as they entered the bend.
Looking at them fighting so fiercely, she couldn't help but feel weak. She is after all, never destined to make history. She was born with weak knees, having to go through years of theraphy just so she can run normally.
She had never once get a touch of her limit. All her life, she had taught herself to respect her boundary line.
Her eyes remained fixed on Lotus Garden and Silver Venture. They were fighting, throwing everything they had into the race.
Their strides were becoming more violent. Their breathing was ragged. Their bodies were screaming at them.
And yet they kept going.
Dora's fingers tightened.
'How far can I go?' The thought came suddenly.
CRACK
Dora looked down. Her legs were still moving, strong and steady. She can feel the faint ache in her knees, but they were holding.
They had held through countless tests.
Through every fall. Every setback. Every race. She had spent her entire life protecting them. Strengthening them. Learning them. Understanding them.
And suddenly, she realized something.
She had never actually tested what they could do.
'How far can I really go if I stop holding myself back?'
Run.
CRACK
'I want to find out!'
Just run!
'LET ME SEE IT!'
CRASHHHH
The invisible glass cage Dora had built around herself shattered into a million glittering shards. The roaring stadium, the screaming announcer, the thunder of foots hitting on the turf, all of it is silenced. The vibrant green of the grass and the vivid silks of her rivals drained away, replaced by a stark, monochrome reality. The only things left with color were the pulsing, golden lines of motion cutting through space before her.
[W-WHAT IS HAPPENING?!]
Even the commentator is taken back. After all, they had never send Dora suddenly becomes very competitive.
[It seems Dorazora had made her move! She is... she's already in fourth?! What had struck her?! Could it finally be a comeback for her?!]
She pushed again. The golden lines ahead multiplied.
Every runner had one. A line representing where they would be, where they were going, where their momentum wanted to take them.
And Dora could see the gaps between them.
She could see the opening, the path.
Her body moved before her thoughts could catch up. Within seconds, she's already overtaken the Oka Sho winner in front of her.
'How?!' Ambrose thought to herself.
The golden lines twisted and overlapped in front of her, but none of them felt confusing anymore.
They were telling her everything.
A narrow opening between Silver Venture and the inside rail.
So impossible, yet so inviting.
How could you call yourself a racer if you don't go for a gap that exist?
Without a single shred of hesitation, Dora threw herself into the gap. Her shoulder slipped past Silver Venture's with only inches to spare, overtaken her and another umamusume she was battling.
Silver Venture's eyes widened. "You're kidding me!" A streak of white and teal shot through the needle's eye before Silver Venture could even begin to close the pocket.
[WHAT A MOVE! She really made it through! Unbealivable!]
The crowd erupted.
"Not yet!"
[DORAZORA IS IN SECOND!], The announcer's voice cracked with disbelief. [FROM SIXTH PLACE JUST MOMENTS AGO, SHE'S ALREADY REACHED SECOND! SHE'S BEHIND LOTUS GARDEN, AND CLOSING IN FAST!]
The single golden line remaining ahead of Dora belonged to Lotus Garden, flickering, strained, but stubbornly holding the lead.
BZZZT
A sharp pain on her knees had her lost focus for a moment.
'Please... just a bit more!'
She gritted her teeth so hard, trying to ignore the pain.
BZZZT.
Another shock. The pain was sharp. For the first time since her breakthrough, Dora's stride faltered.
'No. I'm not letting go now!'
BZZZT.
'I will not... GIVE IN!'
[THEY'RE ENTERING THE FINAL FURLONG!] The announcer's voice was nearly drowned out by the crowd. [DORAZORA IS CLOSING THE GAP! LOTUS GARDEN CAN'T HOLD HER OFF!]
Lotus Garden threw a glance over her shoulder, eyes wild with shock as she saw the streak of white and teal glided past her.
CRASH!
The monochrome world shattered completely. Color and sound violently returned. The green turf, the blinding sunlight, the roaring crowd. Everything came rushing back at once.
And in the middle of it all, Dora was ahead.
[DORAZORA HAS DONE IT! SHE'S TAKEN THE LEAD!]
The stadium exploded.
[UNBELIEVABLE! FROM SIXTH TO FIRST IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE!
Her legs were burning. Her lungs screamed for air. And yet, as Dora looked straight toward the finish line, a radiant smile spread across her face.
'So this is how it feels to win?'
[LEADING THE CHARGE TO THE FINISH, IT'S DORAZORA!]
'I understand now'
[SHE HAS DONE IT! DORAZORA IS THE WINNER OF THE SHUKA SHO! THE TRIPLE TIARA TOUR IS FINALLY OVER!]
.
.
.
"So, are you satisfied, Air Groove?"
Air Groove closed her eyes. "To think she would be the first one in this generation to awaken it... I felt ashamed to have underestimated her"
Refilling her cup in the background, Rudolf took a sip of tea while watching the finish replay. "The Zone is not a gift bestowed only upon the strongs. It is a door opened by those who dare to step past their own boundaries"
"Strength, is the one stopping them from breaking apart" she continued, putting down her cup. "Something she unfortunately didn't have enough..."
"She reached a state where her mind and body were perfectly synchronized." Rudolf's voice became quieter. "But her body still had the same limitations."
"A brilliant light," Air Groove opened her eyes. "But the brighter it shines, the faster it consumes the fuel. That is the nature of Zone"
Rudolf stood up from her seat. "With the Triple Tiara reached its conclusion, all that left is Kikuka Sho"
Air Groove turned to face her. "Are you going to come to watch it?"
"Of couse, either we'll see a new Triple Crown umamusume, or a miracle."
.
.
.
Dorazora stared at the ceiling inside the hospital room. Earlier, she had collapsed to the ground after taking just a single step. Her knees just gave up entirely the moment she crossed the finish line.
She sat up and take a look at her bandaged knees. She couldn't feel it at first, but when the medic team begin to carry her to the ambulance the pain finally came. It was not until they injected pain relieve that she finally stopped whimpering.
She really gave everything she had, and she's proud of it.
The infirmary door opened.
Dora lifted her head.For a moment, she expected to see one of the medical staff.
Instead, it was her father.
"...Dad."
He gave her a small smile.
"How are you feeling?"
Dora looked down at her bandaged knees. "I'm sorry... I know I was reckless."
"Don't be sorry," her father said softly, stepping fully into the room and took a sit beside the bed.
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a small, worn photograph, and set it gently on her lap. In the picture, a much younger Dora was sitting on a porch, knees wrapped in white athletic tape, holding hands with a woman whose radiant, gentle smile matched Dora's own.
"Your mother always knew you had that strength inside you. She never wanted you to force yourself, but she prayed every day that whenever you did choose to take a step, you'd be able to run without fear."
Dora stared at the worn photo, her thumb gently tracing the surface. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, blurring the image, but the warmth in her chest burned brighter
"I'm proud of you, she would too"
Dora buried her face against her father's chest, her hands clutching tightly to the fabric of his jacket as sobs shook her entire body.
Her father wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently as he rested his chin against the top of her head, stroking her back in steady, comforting motions.
"I did it, Dad..." Dora sobbed, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
"I know, I saw it all. You are incredible, just like your mother"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The door creaked open, revealing the head physician holding a thick medical chart under his arm.
"Pardon the intrusion," the doctor said, giving her father a respectful nod.
"Doctor," her father spoke first, "How bad is it?"
The doctor opened the chart, tapping a series of X-rays mounted on his digital tablet. "First, I want to make one thing clear. Although the damage is significant, we believe her knees can recover."
Dora's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Really?"
"Yes. But, recovery will take considerable time. There is swelling and damage to the surrounding tissues, and the joints have been subjected to far more stress than they could tolerate."
"However...", He paused. "During the examination, we found signs of rather severe tendonitis in both legs."
"I'm afraid..." He faced her father. "The best decision is for her to retire"
"Doctor..." Her father stood up, "There has to be another treatment. Surgery, a longer rehabilitation program, we can take a year off! Two years! Whatever it takes!"
"Sir, I am deeply sorry," the doctor bowed his head slightly. "As a physician, my primary duty is her lifelong health. Her body has given everything it could possibly offer. I cannot, in good conscience, clear her to compete ever again. Miss Dorazora... your career as a racer ends here."