The pool, some said swimming can relieve stress. It's also requires less energy than running, IF you know how to swim.
But Astonishing can't swim. Forget swimming, she doesn't even like wearing swimsuits especially in front of people.
She sat on a bench not far from the edge of the pool with a towel wrapping her like a burrito. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, twitching every time she heard a splash.
"I am a land-based organism," she muffled. "Evolution gave me foot for a reason. If I were meant to be in there, I'd have fins and... and gills."
"You have been sitting there for fifteen minutes," Takeda said, walking over with a pair of goggles dangling from his hand. "It's okay if you can't swim, that's why we're here. We're starting from a shallow pool first, and you'll use a kick board"
"A kickboard? Those... those bright plastic things that children use?" she peeked out from the top of her towel burrito.
"It's not just for kids. Everyone needs it if they are learning how to swim. Come on now, I used a kick board too when I first started swimming, there's no shame in it" he tried to assure her.
She looked at him, then let out a long sigh. She slowly stood up, and letting the towel falls off, revealing the standard Tracen swimsuit.
"Stop staring..."
"I didn't!"
After doing warmup, she stepped into the edge of the pool to get a feeling of the water.
"It's lukewarm, Aston. Just get in," Takeda said, walking along the poolside and offering her the bright neon-yellow kickboard.
She descended the submerged steps slowly. Letting the water wraps around her legs and finally her body.
"Okay, Trainer," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm in. The water has successfully claimed me. Are we done?"
"We haven't even started. Now, lean forward. Stretch your arms out and hold the top of the board. Just let your legs float up behind you. You don't even have to put your face in yet."
With a look of dread, she leaned onto the foam and relaxing her legs so it could float. Just like that, she finally off the pool floor. "I'm drifting away!"
"You only moved like a few centimeters, calm down. Now, start kicking. Make sure your legs are straight when you do that"
Her first few kicks were chaotic, sending splashes of water everywhere, but overtime, she finally get her hand on it, or... her foot on it?
"I'm... I'm doing it,"
She successfully reached the other side of the pool.
"Good job! Wasn't that hard, isn't it?" He gives her a little praise.
And so by the next 20 minutes, he made her swim across the pool in repeat.
"Alright, that's enough for now. It has been 30 minutes now, you can spend time inside the pool but don't stay too long, and stay away from the deeper pool." he said before heading to a bench away from the pool.
Astonishing let out a long, shuddering breath, her fingers finally relaxing their death-grip on the kickboard. She didn't leave the water immediately, instead, she stood in that same shallow pool where the water reached just above her stomach.
"Hmm... what should I do now?"
She realized walking around in the pool is just dumb, she could continue swimming using the kickboard but she already ran out of motivation to do that, not like she swims because she likes it.
Around her, several umamusume were swimming as well and she can see some of them uses a kickboard too. It relieves her that she's not the only one using it.
Running out of ideas, she decided to submerge herself. Maybe by looking how their legs move underwater, she could copy it.
Taking a deep breath, Astonishing squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head under the surface. Leaving only a small portion of her ears on the surface acting like a periscope.
The sounds of the pool disappeared, replaced by a muffled silence. She looked around and sees many pair of legs, this is truly a leg haven. She turned her head around to get a clear 360 view.
That is, until someone decided to appear right in front of her face, giving a jumpscare.
"H-hllllo... I'm mmunder th wwat-terr..."
Astonishing's eyes nearly popped out of her head. The sudden appearance of another face scared her. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a frantic "Mmph-glub!" as she inhaled some water.
In a state of panicked, her foot slipped on the slick tile while she moves her arms so she doesn't end up flipping backward.
When she finally managed to stand upright, she gasped for air and coughed the water out.
The person who sneaks up on her surfaced seconds after.
"Are you *cough*, trying to kill me?!" Astonishing sputtered.
She grabbed the culprit by the neck, choking and shaking her. "Why you little-!"
"Akh-- Aston-kh, sorry I'm-kh sorry. I plead guilty-kh!"
"Of all the people!" Astonishing hissed, finally letting go of the other girl's neck.
Dorazora coughed, rubbing her throat as she bobbed in the water. "I couldn't help it, I saw the tip of your ears and it's just so tempting!"
"Tempting to give me a heart attack?! You're lucky I didn't drown you"
"Okay... okay... sorry. Well, even if you tried to drown me, I would just float up. You see..." she hinted toward her chest.
Astonishing doesn't know why, but she felt irritated. "I am going to leave before I actually commit a crime," she muttered, turning toward the ladder.
"Hey, wait! Don't be like that!" Dora called out, splashing water after her as Astonishing climbed out of the pool.
Astonishing ignored her, snatching her towel and wrapping herself back into her 'burrito' form. "I had enough swimming"
After drying her body and wear back her uniform, Astonishing return to the pool area to search for her trainer. When she arrived at the bench he was sitting on, he's already gone. Leaving only a note and a can of milk.
'Sorry, I got called by secretary Tazuna. Looks like other trainers are also got called'
That's what written on the letter.
She sighed, picked up the can of milk and cracked it open.
"The green devil, huh?" Dora suddenly appeared behind, again.
"Pfft-!! Gah! Cough!" For a second time today, Astonishing was assassinated twice by the same person.
Mad, she grabbed Dora's ears and clenched it. They are not as long as Astonishing's, but is enough to be held together like when you grabs rabbit ears.
"Ow, ow, ow! Mercy!" she squealed as Astonishing's grip tightened.
"This is your last chance..." she warned.
With a final, annoyed huff, Astonishing released her. Dora immediately scrambled back, frantically rubbing her ears and checking to see if they were still attached.
"You're violent, Aston-chan! Truly, a beast!" Dora huffed, though she didn't retreat far. "You are not usually like this, wait... could it be... hummu hummu, I should've realize it sooner"
"Realize what exactly?"
"You know..."
"Forget it, I don't want to hear it now" without further ado, she went to the locker room to change into her tracksuit. Of course, Dora was still with her but at least she's quieter now.
"Well, then... where are we going now?" Dora asked.
"The track, obviously. Just swimming doesn't generate enough heat"
"Ehh... more training? Can't we do something else?"
"If you don't want to train, then why are you following me?"
"I just want to be near you..."
"... sigh, suit yourself then"
The track is mostly empty, but there are still some students training independently. After finding a good flat spot, she begin warming up.
"Well, if you really want to run, how about I time it for you?" Dora suggested.
"Finally, some help. Sure, let's do it"
Dora pulled out her phone and opens the stopwatch app. "Ready when you are!"
Astonishing took her position.
"Go!" Dora shouted, and Astonishing burst forward.
She watched as her friend launched herself with so much power that her feet left a hole on the surface.
'So fast... she really is amazing!' she thought. Her gaze went back to the stopwatch, watching it ticking, tracking every moment, every distance Astonishing covered.
"Even with that speed, she still couldn't win against that End girl. I wonder if I can catch up to her too someday..." she whispered.
"Of course, you can!"
Dora nearly dropped her phone. Standing beside her, leaning casually against the railing with her arms crossed, was the girl who had been the favored for upcoming classic races.
"You really shouldn't underestimate yourself," End said, flashing a brilliant, effortless smile.
"E-End-san?! What are you doing here?"
"Just getting some fresh air," World's End Opening replied. "After all, it's a beautiful day outside"
Dora blinked, glancing back at her stopwatch, then at the legend standing next to her. The pressure coming off End was different from Astonishing's While Astonishing felt like a warm campfire, End felt like a summer sun, vast, bright, and utterly overwhelming.
Dora hit the stopwatch button just in time as Astonishing finished her run. She turned around and see End standing next to Dora.
"I see you found a job hobby as an observer" she remarked. "Although I hope you didn't mess with my friend here"
End let out laugh, a confident one that is, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it,--"
"--I just happen to see you run and was interested"
"Interested, huh? I didn't think the 'Great Escape' needed to study the competition. "
"Now, now... I know I'm strong, but not to the point I see my opponents as weak. Even the Conqueror of Century's End never looked down on her opponents." End explained. "After all, how are you going to improve yourself if you don't learn from every battle?"
The Conqueror of Century's End, or some people might call her the Centurial Overlord, TM Opera O. She's an umamusume who has somewhat uneventful early days, her story really start in the classic year winning Mainichi Hai and Satsuki Sho, second in Kikuka Sho and third in both Japan Derby and Arima Kinen.
The next year, she won every races. Truly deserved for her title.
"An admirable philosophy," Astonishing said, "But I'm not sure if comparing yourself to a literal Sun God makes you humble or just incredibly arrogant."
End's smile didn't falter, if anything, it grew more radiant. "In this world, those two things are often the same side of a golden coin--"
"--But enough about the legends of the past. It's the present that matters. Now, why don't we have a little, my dear admirer? Don't you miss seeing my back already?"
Astonishing chuckled, "Good idea, I was about to suggest the same thing. I'm just afraid you're still tired from Hopeful Stakes"
"Hahaha, shouldn't I be the one to ask for your wellbeing?"
"Hehehe, well, running all out from the start are very tiring wasn't it?"
"Hahaha..."
"Hehehe..."
"Hahaha..."
"Hehehe..."
"Uh, if you guys are going to start an aura battle, can I move? I don't want to implode." Dora looked back and forth between the two, she felt like she was standing between two tectonic plates.
"Good idea, Dora. Do the time for us, would you?"
"O-okay..." looks like she couldn't escape this one.
The two girls lined up. The distance is 2000m, turf.
"Set..." Dora shouted from the side.
.
.
.
"GO!"
Both of them launched forward. However, due to the nature of front runner, End, true to her "Great Escape," she didn't just take the lead, she attempted to vanish into the distance, setting a blistering pace that dared anyone to follow. Astonishing on the other hand, trying to keep the distance between them as close as possible.
The air on the track seemed to ignite as the two powerhouses tore through the track. However, it's clear that End has an upper hand in this match. Her stamina is way above Astonishing's level.
Astonishing grit her teeth, it's just like the Hopeful Stakes when she's struggling to catch up to her. Having a high top speed and excellent amount of stamina, she really was built as a front runner.
The gap between them began to widen, centimeter by centimeter.
"Still following?" End called out.
Astonishing dug her feet deep into the surface, kicking a lot of grass and dirt as she accelerate. She might not have End's stamina, but she has POWER!
Little by little, she closes the gap.
This sent a chill down the leader's spine. Being chased by someone with enough power to overtake everyone from the very back is really scary.
She closes the gap even further.
Further.
Further.
"The first place is mine!-"
SPLAT
The dirt from End's kick hit her left eye.
"My eyes!" Her eyelid clamped shut instinctively, the sensation was sharp and stinging, but worse was the sudden loss of depth perception.
"Damn... it...!" Astonishing hissed. Not wanting to put herself in danger, she pulled into a stop.
End noticed that her partner is no longer present, looked back only to see Astonishing rubbing her eyes. She gradually slow down, and went over.
"Are you alright?"
Astonishing pressed her hand firmly against her left eye. Every time she tried to blink, it felt like a tiny, jagged diamond was scraping against her cornea.
"Stay still, don't rub it!" Dora yelled, sprinting toward them from the sidelines, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. She brings a bottle of water, "Here, use this"
"I've got it," End said, calmly taking the water bottle from Dora. "Come on, open your eye."
Astonishing hissed through her teeth, her right eye squinting up at End in frustration. "I can't... it hurts like hell."
"Trust me"
...
Astonishing exhaled a shaky breath, forcing her eyelid open. As the cool water from the bottle trickled over her eye, she felt the sharp stinging begin to subside.
"There. Most of it should be out now," End said, capping the bottle and handing it back to Dora. "Well, I don't thing just water isn't enough. Better to go to the infirmary and get your eye checked"
"She's right. Let's go Aston-chan" Dora guided her all the way into the infirmary.
End, on the other hand, stayed on the track. She looked down at the spot where Astonishing had pulled up, the grass was torn and scorched from the sheer force of the her acceleration.
"Powerful," End whispered to herself.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Takeda who just got back from his meeting saw his trainee wearing an eye patch on her left eye casually eating the snacks he had stocked up in the room.
'Chunnibyou?'