[A/N: Symboli Rudolf debuted in 1983 while Echo haven’t. So don’t expect the MC to race against Symboli Rudolf in her debut race.]

  “Hey, Trainer.”

  Symboli Rudolf spoke to her trainer at the Symboli house. Kazuo Fujisawa was getting ready to move to Tracen so he could train her there.

  “Hm? What is it, Rudolf?”

  “I found a rival.”

  “Mh?”

  Kazuo lifted his head at this. He didn’t expect there to be an Uma of Symboli Rudolf age that she considers as her rival.

  “Who is it?”

  “Echo Eclipse.”

  “Eclipse, you say?”

  He rubs his chin with a smirk before looking down to continue tying his shoes.

  “How is she?”

  “Powerful, but not as strong as me.”

  “That’s something coming from you.”

  He chuckles before standing up.

  “Is she in a team yet?”

  She shrugged; she doesn’t need to know if her rival is in a team or not. The only thing that matters to her is if they are racing against her and who’s going to win.

  “But I want to see if she’s worthy of that name.”

  “Isn’t she?”

  “As long as she doesn’t lose to anybody else.”

  “Want me to train her?”

  “...”

  “Isn’t that why you came to me? Someone like her shouldn’t be restricted by the rules of the teams, right?”

  She gred coldly at her trainer, which he scoffs and put his hand up.

  “Fine Fine.”

  She turns around and is about to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To see Father.”

  “So you can use your father's influence to ensure that your rival doesn’t need to be in a team to race, like you?”

  “...”

  She continues to leave.

  “I could start a team, you know. That way, you could keep a close watch on Echo Eclipse.”

  She froze and stared back with a death gre.

  “Sheesh, fine fine. I’ll stop talking!”

  “Hm.”

  Rudolf has left the stable, and her trainer scoffs with a smirk.

  “Look at that, she’s pumped up.”

  ***

  For some reason, on the same day. Echo is confused as to why she was brought to the director's office.

  She knocks on the door.

  “Come in!”

  An energetic yet authorial voice is heard.

  Echo opens the door and enters.

  “Hello!” She said happy heartedly.

  “I’m the director Akikawa. I had to bring you on short notice.”

  Akikawa smiled brightly.

  “Do you love racing?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Do you want to be in a team?”

  “Don’t want to.”

  “Hahahaha!”

  She ughed with a wide grin. She had expected this when the unusually disciplined Symboli Rudolf had her father do her a favour, which resulted in her getting a call to make this happen.

  A monster sees another monster.

  “Even if it meant you can’t race?”

  “Mh.” She nodded, it is not like she’s going to stop running if she doesn’t race.

  “That’s good enough! Come Come!” She theatrically beckons Echo Eclipse to come closer, and so Echo did.

  “Can you sign this?” She gave a paper document to Echo.

  “What’s this?”

  “A permit.”

  “For what?” She tilted her head, wondering how the conversation went this way.

  “For you to not require a team to race.”

  Echo went stiff before tilting her head again.

  “Then how do I sign up for a race?”

  “Go to Symboli Rudolf.”

  “The serious, polite uma?”

  The director ughed once again.

  “Yes, yes. Her.”

  Echo proceeded to sign the document because of the evidence received of Echo Eclipse's immense potential and her unique personality. The director doesn’t doubt the trainers in each team will be able to reel her in behind their rules.

  “Wait, but…” Echo tilted her head again.

  “The old dy said I need to be in a team to get a training schedule…” Her ears drooped down.

  The director smirked.

  “Go see Symboli Rudolf as well.”

  “Again?”

  “She’s also not in a team.”

  Echo Eclipse widened her eyes before smiling excitedly.

  “I’m going out to see her now!”

  “Hehe~”

  Echo quickly left the office.

  “...”

  “You purposely hid the fact that Symboli Rudolf is her Dormmate, am I right?”

  Tazuna spoke softly.

  “She’ll find out once she settles in.”

  She hummed.

  “Isn’t it wonderful? Two umas with potential to change the Japanese races, using each other as a means to get stronger and faster.”

  “And they will be the fire that will inspire Uma onto the track…”

  She fists her hands as her eyes shine with excitement.

  “And it is my job as their director to ensure that the umas get to run.”

  ***

  While running at a mild pace to the training field, but even at the mild pace. She is faster than normal Uma jog speed.

  “Rudolf Reindeer!” She shouted out to Symboli Rudolf, who is currently stretching, beside her is her trainer.

  A tick appears on Rudolf’s forehead.

  “What did you call me?”

  From the hill that led down to the training field, Echo Eclipse jumped forward at such speed.

  Kazuo widens his eyes as he soon believes that this uma will injure their joints from jumping like that.

  However, Symboli Rudolf smirked for a moment. She knows that this much won’t hurt her rival, from the race they did to test their aptitude. She could tell that Echo Eclipse’s body was beyond perfection.

  Echo nded in front of them, but misjudged the power of her jump. So she ended up rolling on the ground after nding.

  Seeing this, Symboli Rudolf started having second thoughts about having her as her rival.

  “...”

  Echo quickly got up and brushed the dirt off her uniform with a wide grin.

  Rudolf spoke first. “Why are you here?”

  “...”

  Echo stopped moving for a moment and tilted her head, forgetting why she came here. She had gotten lost in the feeling of running.

  “...”

  “...”

  “Ah!” Echo finally remembered why she came here as she pced a fist on top of her palm.

  “The director said that I need to register for the race through you. As well as the training schedule!”

  She smiled brightly.

  “Mh.” Rudolf nodded before proceeding to run around the track, not really answering Echo.

  “Eh?”

  “Hahaha!”

  Echo jumped once again; she didn’t realise that there was another person beside Rudolf… Symba Rudolf. Yep, that’s her name, I think.

  Kazuo chuckles when he sees the uma in front of him nodding while daydreaming.

  ‘Hm… For this type of personality, it is better if I do this.’

  “Do you want to run?”

  Immediately, Echo Eclipse stares at him with crity, as if she hadn't been daydreaming a moment before.

  He shudders at those eyes.

  “...”

  “...”

  “Heh. You will be under my tutege from now on. I don’t belong to any team, nor will I join one in the future. Leave your pnning to me.”

  “All you have to do is focus on running and exercising. Understood?”

  “Ay Ay Captain!”

  “Now run, I will come up with a training schedule for you.”

  She immediately dashed off, and in a minute, she caught up to Symboli Rudolf, who was jogging on the track.

  “Impressive, she doesn’t look out of breath after sprinting like that…”

  He sat down.

  “Hm… Rudolf already ran Yayoi Sho st month… And she’s already in the Satsuki Sho that is due in 10 days…”

  He chuckles.

  “Looks like Rudolf won’t be able to race against her rival for some time. As for Echo Eclipse… She hasn't debuted the st time I checked.”

  “Mishori-sen is due next month, let's have her debut at that race, 2 weeks before Tokyo Yushun”

  He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Let's deal with that ter, first let’s see how she runs. I'll calcute her strengths and weaknesses ter.”