-Three months later-
Astonishing woke early, but she didn't have the energy yet so she just lay on her bed staring at the ceiling for a moment.
"Euggh... I slept on my tail again..."
She groaned softly, shifting uncomfortably. Despite having lived with it for a long time now, there were still mornings where her own biology caught her off guard. She flicked it once to get the stiffness out.
Sitting up slowly, she ran a hand through her hair, feeling the chaotic mess of strands sticking out at every angle. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she'd kept it short when she was younger, but she had let it grow until now.
She turned her thoughts to the day ahead. Anyway, more about Tracen, the curriculum is different to a normal school. They would studies in class 3 times a week and spend the rest 4 days training. Since Tracen is basically school for atheletes, it's normal to prioritize training than studying. But that doesn't make school life easier either as their energy gets drained both body and mind.
A/N: This is just theory.
With a final, weary sigh, Astonishing stood up. She reached her arms high overhead, stretching until her shoulders gave a satisfying pop.
"Alright..." she murmured to the empty room, her voice leveling into its usual determined tone. "Let's get this over with."
She changed to her gym clothes, grabbed her towel and water bottle. But, before heading out, she crouched down by the foot of her bed and pulled out the pair of shoe weights.
So...
*Flashback*
.
.
.
Astonishing throws herself off the bed and quietly change into her gym clothes. It was still dark outside, if you exclude the small amount of sunlight appearing on the horizon.
After the hangout with Dora, she decided to wake up early for a morning run, like she always did back home. When she got to Tracen, she put a pause on it. In a first few days in Tracen, she's having a hard time adapting. Now she got a hand of it, it's a good time to return to her usual habit.
"All set"
She slipped out of the room, making sure nobody's awake.
But as she just about to step out of the building, a voice called.
"Up early, huh?"
"..?!"
Astonishing spun toward the voice. Standing there was the dorm leader, Fuji Kiseki.
"G-good morning!" Astonishing blurted out. She snapped into a stiff, formal bow before her brain could fully process the situation. "I-I'm sorry if I'm breaking any rules!"
Fuji laughed. It wasn't a loud or mocking sound, just a soft, amused chuckle.
"Easy, easy," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "You're not sneaking out or anything. Morning training is perfectly allowed."
Her shoulders sagged in relief."...Oh. Thank goodness."
"Going for a run?" Fuji asked.
"Yes, just a light one."
Fuji nodded, looking satisfied with the answer. "Well then," she said, gesturing toward the exit, "don't let me keep you."
"Yes! Then, excuse me!" Astonishing said. She gave one final bow and hurried go.
-On the track-
INHALES
Astonishing took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sharp morning air.
"Hahhhhh... this smells more like home."
The air hit her face immediately, cool, crisp, and clean in a way the city never quite managed during the day.
"...This is nice," she whispered to herself.
The academy's track felt completely different at this hour. During the day, it was full of Umamusumes training, but now, it was empty. There was only the faint sound of the wind brushing past the grass and the steady rhythm of her own breathing.
"...Yeah," she murmured. "This is perfect."
She rolled her shoulders once, then twice, before bending down to stretch her legs.
She straightened her posture, took one final look at the path ahead, and took off.
Running on turf provided a sensation entirely different from the dirt surfaces she was accustomed to back home. It demands a different kind of power. For a runner who had built her foundations on the grit and resistance of dirt, the transition to turf was a technical challenge she couldn't ignore.
But most big races were held on turf. If she wanted to compete on the biggest stages, adaptation is a necessity.
"...This'll take time," she noted.
She increased her pace little by little. When she entered the final straight, she gives out everything she got and charged forward. She was so focused on the feeling of the grass under her soles that she didn't notice the silhouette standing near the 200-meter marker until she was nearly upon it.
"Hahhh.... hahh..... hahhh.... is this...?"
It was Hishi Amazon carboard cutout holding a 'finish' sign.
"A cardboard cutout...?" Astonishing wheezed, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Who would even...?"
Before she could finish the sentence, A pair of hands clamped firmly around her right calf, startled her.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Hmm... interesting. Very interesting," the person said. "Mm. Solid muscle. You've been putting in the work for years, huh?"
She instinctively raise her foot and kicked whoever behind her. The reaction was purely primal.
THWACK.
"Gwa-ugh!!"
The figure behind her let out a strangled cry as he was sent sprawling backward onto the dew-dampened grass. He skidded a good two meters before coming to a stop, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.
Astonishing spun around, clearly worried about the person she just kicked. Afterall, an umamusume's kick can be fatal for human.
"H-hey, are you okay?"
Lying on the grass was a man with messy brown hair, wearing a yellow shirt and a black unbuttoned waistcoat.
"Gwah... that... that's a strong one... but at least it's not as bad when it was Gold Ship" the man wheezed.
"Who are you?!" Astonishing demanded, taking a wary step back. "You can't just sneak up on someone and start touching their legs! That's... that's incredibly dangerous! And weird!"
The man groaned, rolling onto his side before slowly pushing himself up.
"Ahaha, sorry about that. I can't help myself whenever I see a potential. I'm Trainer Okino of Team Spica. I'm just passing by then I saw you"
"Team Spica?" her guard lowering only slightly. The name's famous, afterall, that's where some of the very best umamusume were in. Though, they are also known because they're weird, at least some of them.
"Alright, that's enough." Another voice joined the conversation, it was Takeda.
"Trainer!" She called.
"Good morning, Astonishing," Takeda said, offering a strained smile while still holding onto the Team Spica leader. "I see you've met my distinguished senior. I apologize if he made you uncomfortable, I'll make sure to report this incident"
"N-now now, Takeda-san, don't you think it's too much. Come on, I'm your senior"
"Senior or not, the rules regarding the safety of student-athletes are non-negotiable" Takeda turned back to Astonishing. "Go ahead and finish your cooldown, Astonishing. Your splits on that last straight were impressive, though there's still room for improvement"
"Yes, Trainer," She bowed to both men before walking away toward the edge of the track.
As Astonishing walked away, she could still hear the muffled bickering behind her.
"Seriously, Okino-senpai," Takeda's voice drifted over the morning breeze, sounding tired. "If she had kicked you an inch higher, I'd be filling out your death certificate instead of a training report."
"But, seriously, she got the potential." Trainer Okino's tone becomes more serious. "She would absolutely perform her best on dirt, it's a shame she choose to run on turf instead. But again, our job as their trainer is to guide them towards their goal. We can't really force them to do things they don't wanted"
Takeda remained silent for a moment, "She knows she's a dirt specialist by nature, but she's determined to be able to race on turf. That's why," he paused. "I too, determined to make her can run on turf as easily as someone who already accustomed to it, even if it will take time"
Okino let out a short, sharp laugh "They're all like that, aren't they? Stubborn. Though, I can't blame her, I have one just like her in my team"
Okino patted Takeda on the shoulder, "Well then, I'll leave you to it." He gives out a thumb.
Takeda watched his senior walks away and let out a long, weary sigh before turning his attention back to the track where Astonishing was finishing her cooldown.
"Astonishing, can you come here for a moment?"
Astonishing jogged towards him.
"Yes, Trainer?
"I can see that you're making progress with the turf," he began, crossing his arms. "Though it's a little bit too early, I believe in your capability, so..."
He reached into the equipment bag sitting on the grass beside him and pulled out a pair of weights. "I want you to put these under your shoes"
"Under my shoes?" she repeated, taking them from his hand. They were surprisingly heavy for their size. "This is pretty heavy"
"They sure are. Put them on, alright? I want you to run the next 400 meters. Don't worry about the time. Just adapt to the weight"
"Understood,"
.
.
.
And that's why she got her hands on these weights.
Back in the present, Astonishing finished putting the weights to her training shoes, and went outside for her routine morning run.
-A few days later, Team Schedar office-
Takeda sat behind his desk, fixing his eyes on his laptop. On the screen was a spreadsheet of Astonishing's data after three months of training.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in,"
Astonishing walked in. She was still wearing her track suit, visibly sweating.
"Ah, Astonishing. Right on time," Takeda said, not looking up immediately as his fingers tapped a final few keys. "Sit down first, drink some water. You need it"
"Thank you," Astonishing grabbed a small bottle of water and sits on folded chair (or should I say, unfolded chair?) besidesTakeda.
She took a peek at the screen. "What is that?"
"Oh, this? It's your development data." He pointed his finger to a certain columns and rows. "You see here, this is the data of you when we first started training."
He then moved his finger to the other pair or columns and row, "And this is your data as of now"
Astonishing slides her chair closer to see it more clearly, perhaps too close.
"Hmm... there sure is a huge gap between the numbers" In her concentration, she didn't notice how close she had leaned.
Takeda went still for a fraction of a second, her shoulder was nearly brushing his, and the scent of the sun and sweat from her run filled the small space between them. It caught him off guard.
Not to mention her loooooooooooooooong ears keep hitting his face repeatedly.
He cleared his throat, he still needs to do his job, "Indeed, according to the data, your adaptation to the turf had reached 70%. If we keep this up, perhaps we can start planning for your debut earlier"
"Really?" she make sure she didn't hear it wrong.
"Yes, according to my calculation, if you followed the training regiment I've prepared, you would be ready in two months at the earliest."
"Two months..." Astonishing repeated.
Takeda opened his browser and start typing. "I'm planning your debut at Tokyo Racecourse, it's going to be a 1600m mile race"
"A mile race, huh"
Takeda nodded, "Since this is going to be your first official race on turf, a mile race is a good start. A sprint race would be too quick for your pace and a medium race might be too long for you. But, no need to worry about that, we will increase the distance little by little."
He leaned back, creating just enough distance to breathe, and tapped a pen against his chin. "For the next two months, we're removing the shoe weights for speed work. While not as fast as sprint, mile race is still pretty quick. You already have the power and your stamina is sufficient, so, we need to work on your speed next"
"Understood." Astonishing replied. "You're really good playing with numbers, Trainer. Don't worry, I'll do the practice. You just work on the theory"
She turned her head to look at him, realizing only then that their faces were mere inches apart. She froze, a faint flush creeping up her neck as she hurriedly pushed her chair back, creating a more appropriate distance.
"S-sorry"
The silence in the small office was suddenly heavy, broken only by the hum of the cooling fan and the soft beats of their racing heart.
'That was close'
'Tat was close!'
Both have the same thought.
"No need to worry about that," Takeda cleared his throat, "Right, the speed work. Removing the weights will cause a psychological and physical effect I like to call 'The Buoyancy.' Your legs has spent almost ninety days overcompensating for an extra weight."
He tapped a key, pulling up a new projection graph.
"The danger isn't that you'll be slow, the danger is that you'll be too fast. If you don't control your stride frequency, you'll overextend and risk a ligament strain. I need you to focus on the rhythm"
Astonishing nodded quickly, "Got it"
Takeda shut his laptop. The tension in the air hadn't fully dissipated, but the mention of training seemed to ground them both. "Go get some rest. From tomorrow, your schedule changes. We're moving from power-building to speed-finesse."
"Understood, Trainer," She gave a quick bow and retreated toward the door.
As she closed the office door behind her, Astonishing leaned her back against the door fram and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Focus, me," she whispered to herself, patting her cheeks. "All these trainings must have messed my head. Yes, must be that. I really need some rest"