"Beast of the Racecourse"
This title was one Meisho Doto didn't have before, because in their previous world, he and T.M. Opera O, the "Overlord of the Century's End," frequently clashed in races even after the Classic Triple Crowns.
Ultimately, he only suffered repeated defeats, losing many honors that should have been his, and even gaining the less than flattering nickname of 'Silver Collector'.
Not only that, for various reasons, T.M. Opera O, the strongest of his generation, was even overlooked for a time.
As a result, Meisho Doto, who consistently lost against T.M. Opera O, was always underestimated, with many believing they were merely a "weak generation."
It wasn't until much later that people finally accepted T.M. Opera O's terrifying strength, and only then did this perception begin to change.
The abilities of Meisho Doto and other Racehorses were re-evaluated, but by then, it all seemed a little too late.
However, this time, perhaps by fate's design, Meisho Doto managed to escape the curse of "T.M. Opera O" and emerged from the shadow of the Overlord of the Century's End.
She stepped onto a Racecourse where she could shine, and there, she swept away everyone with her strength, truly conquering a GI race.
She had proven the strength of her name, Meisho Doto.
She was both a "Meisho" (A/N: Great commander) and a "Doto" (A/N: Raging wave).
(T/N: The Meisho in her name is actually a play on words as it combines the kanji of 'Matsumoto' [The owner] and 'Akashi' [Matsumoto's hometown] with it also sounding like the kanji for 'great commander' as the author stated.)
"Not bad at all… her powerful sprint just now can certainly justify her being called the 'Beast of the Racecourse.'"
Suddenly, the man standing beside Wada couldn't help but nod, slightly surprised by the powerful strength Meisho Doto had just displayed.
He had, after all, studied Meisho Doto's previous races and running styles.
He knew Meisho Doto excelled at a running style similar to T.M. Opera O's, a Pace Chaser style, with the Late Surger skills she displayed during the Japanese Derby clearly being inferior.
She had never even used a End Closer style in an official setting.
Yet, this time, Meisho Doto not only ran as a End Closer for the first time, but displayed such terrifying dominance in a GI Race.
What also surprised him was that every time Meisho Doto overtook an Uma Musume, those Uma Musume's body would freeze as if their souls had left them, either losing speed or being completely overwhelmed and unable to continue the race.
Such situations were rare, but Hidehito's legendary status was not for nothing.
He knew very well that abnormal occurrences like this were generally caused by either a special ability called a 'Zone' or another called 'Aura.'
A 'Zone' can be considered as both a state of mind and a special ability that can be applied within their 'territory.'
When an Uma Musume activates their Zone, they usually become hyper-focused, capable of ignoring everything else except the track they were on, which can be a good thing and a bad thing.
The size of their 'territory' and what ability the Zone possessed is also dependent on the Uma Musume's personality, strength, beliefs, likes, dislikes, as well as many more currently unknown factors.
Only a small number Uma Musume could awaken their own Zone, and when an Uma Musume uses their Zone, other unawakened Uma Musume would have to bear the full brunt of the Zone's effects which typically results in panic or a loss in speed.
For example, in recent history, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross had many worthy Uma Musume who could compete with them.
But ultimately, only they truly stood out, because both of them possessed a Zone.
Tamamo Cross's 'Zone' can be considered immature, rudimentary even, operating purely on instinct. But even so, Tamamo Cross was widely considered as the "Strongest in Japan" of her era.
One can imagine just how immense of a boost a 'Zone' brings to an Uma Musume.
Of course, besides Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap, several other well-known Uma Musume also possessed such 'Zones.'
Simply put, even if you put a blindfolded, sleep-deprived, overexerted, hungry Symboli Rudolf in a race, if none of her opponents possessed a Zone or Aura, there was a high chance for her to simply dominate everyone just like Meisho Doto did now.
Just being in the same race as Symboli Rudolf would make other Uma Musume tremble and dare not advance.
As for Aura... it's described by users of it to be akin to a type of energy tied to an Uma Musume's 'origin' with each Uma Musume having differing amounts of it.
Unlike Zones which are unique to each individual, Aura is typically more uniform with the effects of each Uma Musume's Aura being the same.
There are some exceptions though as some Auras possess some idiosyncrasies like the ability to 'steal' other Uma Musume's speed, or the ability to inexplicably regain stamina.
However, when talking about the base abilities all Auras have, it seems to give the user more 'presence,' which creates an intimidation effect
Of course, the other obvious effect of using Aura is the boost in strength which is greater than the boost a Zone gives, though with the added side effect of becoming more 'wilder.'
Despite their similar natures, there seems to be no correlation between these two abilities with an Uma Musume being capable of wielding both, or only one of them.
But regardless of the technicalities, Meisho Doto's performance this time was truly dazzling.
Thirteen overtakes. The man could already imagine that today's newspapers would surely praise Meisho Doto's achievements to the high heavens.
"It seems the times are indeed progressing. The new generation of Uma Musume are getting stronger and stronger."
"Wouldn't you agree, Trainer Wad— wait, where is he?"
However, just as Hidehito Nase turned to look at Wada, he found that Wada had gone missing, his seat empty.
After scanning his surroundings, the man's gaze soon found Wada's figure entering the Racecourse.
"Meisho Doto!!!!"
"Tr- Trainer!!!!"
Upon seeing Wada rushing out to greet her, Meisho Doto also excitedly rushed forward at the first opportunity, wanting to share the joy of her victory with her Trainer.
But, perhaps because it was her first true GI win, Meisho Doto was clearly a little too excited.
The Meisho Doto who had lost her "wildness" stumbled, tripping over her own feet on the turf, and was about to fall.
"Whoaahhhhhhh!!"
"Careful."
Fortunately, Wada arrived just in time. He quickly embraced the tripping Meisho Doto with her cheek landing perfectly on Wada's chest, so nothing awkward happened.
But the next moment, just as Wada breathed a sigh of relief, Meisho Doto took the opportunity to grab Wada's arm, which indicated that she had done it on purpose.
"Hehe… Trainer, I won."
Meisho Doto, with her face buried in Wada's chest, greedily absorbed her Trainer's scent. Her ahoge was bouncing, showing her immense happiness. (T/N: Sometimes we get a lil'freaky, and that's alright.)
Not to mention, Meisho Doto's tail was already wagging as joyfully as a puppy. Clearly, winning her first GI was a dream come true for Meisho Doto.
Not to mention she also received cheers from the entire crowd and unprecedented enthusiastic applause, which greatly satisfied the heart of the girl who was still a bit shy after losing her wildness.
What Meisho Doto herself didn't know was that, subtly, as she won this GI race, a knot in her heart seemed to have quietly untied.
This allowed her, in a trance, to reach a new level of fusion with her true self.
Perhaps the next time Meisho Doto released her Aura, she would notice it, but for now, whether she was Meisho Doto, the 'Silver Collector,' or the "Beast of the Racecourse," Meisho Doto was just a girl who loved her Trainer.
"I won, Trainer, I really won a GI for you, Trainer…"
"Yes, I saw it, Meisho Doto. You did great."
Although Wada felt it was a bit awkward to be hugged by his Uma Musume in public, he didn't resist his Uma Musume sharing her joy with him.
After all, it was her first GI win.
An ordinary Uma Musume was already very lucky to have the chance to compete in a GI, let alone win.
For an Uma Musume with a somewhat introverted personality like Meisho Doto to win her first GI, excitement was natural.
Meisho Doto, with her face buried in Wada's embrace, couldn't hide the flutter in her heart. She carefully clutched Wada's sleeve and said:
"Then, Trainer, am I as strong as T.M. Opera O now?"
No, that's not what she wanted to ask.
Meisho Doto clearly wanted to ask if her position in her Trainer's heart was now the same as T.M. Opera O's.
But the words, when they reached her lips, turned into something else. Perhaps Meisho Doto herself knew the answer to her question, and so subconsciously didn't voice it.
But she just wanted her Trainer's recognition. Any recognition would do, no matter what aspect…
As long as he recognized her, and she could be stronger than T.M. Opera O, that would be enough.
And luckily for her, Wada did not disappoint Meisho Doto's expectations, smiling gently:
"The current you might already be stronger than T.M. Opera O."
"So Doto, stand tall, be confident, and go enjoy your victory."
"…Mm!"
Meisho Doto obediently nodded, and then finally '''''struggled''''' to break free from Wada's embrace.
Standing beside Wada, she confidently extended her victorious hand to the audience in the stands for the first time.
And Meisho Doto was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the entire crowd.
On this day, Meisho Doto was truly bathed in the sunlight of victory.
In the stands, Hidehito Nase silently watched this scene, watching Wada, who was now standing with Meisho Doto, enjoying the cheers of the victors. His eyes flickered in nostalgia.
At this moment, he seemed to see a younger version of himself, young and promising, full of vigor, just as confident as Wada was now.
However, Wada possessed a humility that he himself lacked at that time, neither arrogant nor impatient. This was extremely rare.
"No wonder Fumino likes him so much… He truly is a good Trainer."
"So, tomorrow I should head to the Kyoto Racecourse—I hope those people from Shadai can be a little more well-behaved?"
Although he said this, his gaze never left the Trainers from Shadai.
He saw them silently leave the scene with grim faces, and he knew that Meisho Doto's victory would likely bring quite a bit of trouble later on.
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A whole goddamn power system in the anime horse girl fanfic.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.