Chapter Text
To say Rudolf was out of her depth would be more than an understatement.
She hated it with every muscle in her body as she walked on the sidewalk of one of Los Angeles’ suburbs on an April morning. Everything had been in the palm of her hand. Her victories, The Triple Crown, the Japan Cup, the Arima Kinen twice. She had been the Emperor of Japan and when the time came to pull from the Twinkle Series, she had been met with an offer by her Uncle that she could not turn down.
Funding for a world tour.
The URA had introduced the Japan Cup only half a decade ago as a way to show the world they were ready to show off the best of their Umamusume and put them on the global stage. Now that she had earned her spot as a winner of the Cup, it was only natural to continue onwards. Her Uncle, Symboli Taurus, had put money down for her and her friend Sirius to both make names for themselves.
Everything had been fully planned out, down to the training per day and where they would be.
The game plan was for Rudolf to travel alone to America. California was the perfect launching point, and over the summer she would slowly march her way across to Kentucky and then by the end of the season arrive on the east coast. That was, because she was supposed to join Sirius in Europe by the fall. But plans changed.
She should have seen it coming when Taurus told her that he was looking to keep her in America for longer, even before the first race had even occurred. The first race was going to be held at Santa Anita, a suburb of Los Angeles. The San Luis Rey Stakes, a rare race for the Americans, a G1 Turf race. Better than trying her first hand in America on dirt.
6th place out of 7.
She remembered Taurus’s words clearly when she called to inform him of her loss. She had sprained her leg the morning of the race, and without her trainer there, no one made sure she was able to race, only the racecourse staff forcing her into a gate to race.
She didn’t hate them for it, they were doing their job, but the fact she had been sent alone? When she was back in Japan, there would be blood. Taurus had decided to terminate their contract on the spot, her own Uncle decided she wasn’t worth paying for.
She looked down at her leg and kept walking. It still stung but it was worth it to work through the pain. She needed to get out of the stablehouse she was renting, to explore… to find something here in America for her. She just wished she was home at the moment.
But she wasn’t in Japan, and she was stuck here in California, in a world where she spoke little of the native tongue.
That’s not to say she was hopeless. Los Angeles was home to the largest Japanese settlement in America, and she had visited it once, while travelling from the airport to the stablehouse. English was also not a problem for her, as she’d taken the time to fully learn the language long before this trip had even been proposed. As a child she had dreamt of maybe one day seeing the world.
And look where it got her.
She stopped and looked up. Santa Anita Racecourse stood firm above her, the place that had claimed her first placement off the podium. Taking a moment to recompose herself, she entered and walked towards the racing commons. Through a set of ordinary looking doors lie the common area where Umamusume and their trainers would sit and rest before races, and to catch up on local things. It also had a job listing board that she had taken a notice of over the week to see if anything would pop up that caught her eye.
Nothing that would fit what skills she had, again.
There were jobs for cleaners, for drivers… for Public Relations… but nothing that she could call quick. She just grabbed the day’s newspaper and started to comb through the recent news and any job postings that were listed there.
“Excuse me, Ms. Rudolf, or is Symboli better?” A voice rang out in the corner, Rudolf turned to see the owner of the little stable she had been currently residing at. Spencer Hancock.
“Hmmm, oh Mr. Spencer, uh sir…” Rudolf tried to stand firm on her injured leg but had to slink back down to her normal position after it started to hurt some more.
“Relax kid.” He chuckled and smiled warmly. “So.. I was trying to reach your uncle to see what your plan was, when he told me that he had no more business with me and said my last payment was already wired…” Rudolf sank lower in her seat as she realized what this meant.
Eviction. It’d make sense that he wanted her out of there, but to her surprise… that was not what he seemed to be about to say to her. Spencer sighed and smiled. “I’m in the middle of quite a pickle myself, that I think you might be able to help me out of, I’m glad I checked here first before trying to catch you at my stable.”
Rudolf paused, tensing up as she understood his words, there were so many ways this conversation could play out. “Y-Yes?”
“As you might know, I am a good businessman and rancher, with a large stable out east in Kentucky.” Rudolf understood that in America, Umamusume normally lived out on larger farms and ranches. They had grown up that way, as racing here had really kicked in the highest gear during prohibition, as Umamusume were paid to run beer across the border, and any Uma could do it, so you had a lot of young farm daughters stop working in the fields and start racing.
To train to be faster, stronger than the cops… to become outlaws.. That was their goal, to simply keep running.
Spencer was from one such family that had sprouted out of the wealth of that period, and his family had built up a community for Umamusume to live and work at. “I can help Umamusume find their best partners but when it comes to training those children…”
“I’m hopeless.”
Spencer paused and shook his head, to Rudolf it seemed that this was a long ongoing issue for him. “There’s… a child I’m taking care of, she’s in a bit of a rough shape but..” He sat down, next to Rudolf to give himself a moment to think. “It’s a stretch but the look in her eyes, the determination I see her put herself through? I see an Uma who might become a star.”
Rudolf nodded. “Mhmm.. Tell me more…”
Spencer smiled. “Sunday Silence, you may have seen her in the stable, as she’s currently living here. I brought her here to try to get her a trainer or at least for the summer.”
Rudolf nodded. America was such a large nation that trainers and Umamusume would each have to cross country normally to even scout for the right match for perfection… It made each victory even more special. Though by Spencer's words, perhaps he was trying to put Sunday into a summer camp program, as she'd seen trainers at Tracen 'adopt' younger students for a few weeks during the Summer Vacations who hadn't debuted yet, and have them help train those who were already racing... her trainer had done it with her, in fact. It was a fond memory too... watching their eyes light up when they were training with the rising star, Ms. Undefeated Double Crown. She broke free of her memory to focus on Spencer some more. "I haven't seen her, no."
Spencer just frowned but nodded. "Completely understandable.. she's quite shy these days... Sunday’s got some… physical problems too, that most trainers saw and instantly turned away at.” He scoffed. “She’s improved a lot under me, and she would be wonderful under the right trainer… but that’s not here or there… I had finally convinced Sunday and her parents to put her on a bus back home in time for Christmas and see if she could go regional in a few years back in Kentucky.”
Spencer's words slowed and he paused to simply look out of the window, as something played on his mind. Rudolf just stared at him for a moment, unsure to speak, as his expression fell and he looked like he was gonna collapse. Rudolf decided to speak up after a couple moments. "Spencer?" His eyes shifted over to her and she could see it plain as day written on his face: a memory had resurfaced, a tragedy.
“There was a crash…” he gripped his fist as he kept speaking. “The driver of the bus had a heart attack and died at the wheel.”
The tone in his voice was grave as he muttered the words. “There were six other, young, talented Umamusume being brought back from the West Coast to Kentucky to train…” tears formed in Spencer’s eyes as he spoke once more. “Sunday...She was the only survivor.”
Rudolf gasped and held her hand to her mouth to keep from answering in Japanese.
“She’s… a wreck because of it, which is why she was brought back to the stable here to rest up…” Spencer concluded. “But with no trainer… I owe it to Halo… to see her thrive. To see Sunday tackle the dirt beneath her feet and claim the glory that she’s already fought tooth and nail for with her life.”
‘Halo? That must be Sunday’s mother.’ Rudolf thought to herself as she answered. “Then where do I fit in?”
Spencer smiled. “I was getting to that… How would you like to train her? I know it’s not something you’ve trained for but…” He paused and smiled. “I see your talent, more than your uncle did at least… they don’t call you The Emperor for nothing after all.” Spencer just grinned a little, like a proud uncle would thinking about the future of his niece. “I see her thriving under you, at least compared to me training her.”
He paused to let Rudolf sit on the question for a minute, before telling her more of what would happen. “If you take my offer, the stable room you’re currently in would become yours free of charge for your duration as her trainer. You’d be given access to a business account to order whatever you need to set her up for success, and be given a wage on top of that…” He paused, and Rudolf could tell this had been eating him for weeks by how his words softly came out. “Rudolf… look, I need you.”
Rudolf just looked at the man sitting next to her, his aged expression told everything she needed to know. He was at his final straws with how to move forward.
Just like her at this moment. This was the chance for both of them, to get something great out of the mess they had found themselves in.
“So.” Rudolf spoke, breaking up the tension brewing, and putting on a smile. “If I were… to become Sunday’s trainer, what would be the end goal?”
Spencer’s lips slowly lifted into a slight smile before speaking. “One G1 victory is all I’m asking for in her condition. If she retires after that, you’re free to go and I’ll pay for your ticket home to Japan along with all of your belongings.”
Rudolf smiled and nodded along. “That… seems good. So to train Sunday for a year or two, and then she races, right? If she wins her G1, then I get to go home. And what if she never gets a G1?”
Spencer sighed. “Then after a few years of trying to train her, I’ll still send you back, all debts still paid regardless… as I said.. I need you, no one else wants to spend so much time with her, she needs a personal trainer.”
Rudolf nodded and smiled, getting back up from the table. “Well then, show me Sunday.”
It was a quiet drive back to the stable, Spencer was just staring out at the road ahead as he made the turn into the complex. The stablehouse and adjoining training complex Spencer owned here in California was tiny compared to what he had said he owned back home. This was apparently more of a showcase stable, as he had called it once before. A place for trainers to gather to see young Umamusume all train and to scout them. It was like that at Tracen but they’d consolidated everything into one place… and America was simply too large to even consider that being doable outside of maybe Louisville.
Now, for Rudolf, it had been the only place on such short notice that her uncle would pay for, at least with facilities made for Umamusume. She just stared out at the apartment building as the car stopped and the two got up. She hadn’t expected to be back so soon in the day, morning even. The two walked up to one of the doors, and Spencer knocked. “Sunday, you up?” Rudolf could hear the music playing in the room go quiet, and after a couple of moments, the door opened.
There standing was a younger girl, with long flowing black hair, a stripe of white forming a little ahoge. Her body was really on the more lean side… no doubt stress was eating away at her. The young girl wore a simple pair of black gym shorts and white tee to match as she spoke up. Rudolf could see all of the bandages still wrapping her arms and legs, and no doubt there were most likely bandages under her shirt too.
“Hi Mr. Spencer.” She spoke softly as she stared up at the older gentleman, they both could see she was no doubt crying earlier. “What’s up, another trainer scout today?” She sighed as she looked down at the ground. “Because the last couple have said no.. because of these…” her expression only worsened as she gestured to her bandages.
Spencer shook his head and smiled. “No, Sunday… You’re not going to have to partake in any more Junior Trainer Scouting Events, because I’ve already scouted a personal trainer for you.”
Sunday’s eyes lit up like diamonds as she returned his smile with an even bigger grin. “Oh Spencer, thank you!” ‘There's the energy Spencer had talked about... Such an innocent kid.’ Rudolf mused to herself as she watched from the sidelines, however Sunday had finally noticed Rudolf and bowed, before crudely trying to speak Japanese. “Kon'nichiwa! Symbol Rude-olaf!”
Rudolf was taken aback by Sunday speaking in broken Japanese, but gave her a reassuring little chuckle. “My.. how thoughtful of you, Sunday, but it’s pronounced Symboli Rudolf.”
Sunday blushed red in embarrassment as Spencer stepped aside and pushed Rudolf forwards before chuckling. “I see you actually went on your word when you said you were going to visit Lil’ Tokyo back in February to pick up some books.”
Sunday just beamed and nodded. “Yep! It’s an honor to be standing next to an Undefeated Triple Crown Winner!”
Rudolf just smiled, it seemed to her that Sunday had been told of her achievements. “Oh, and how’d you find out about me?”
Spencer leaned over. “I told her after all of your paperwork was signed. You two are the only two currently living here, other than when I'm here of course, so I made sure she was informed in case you two saw each other before now.” He paused and turned to Sunday, smiling warmly at her. “Well, due to some unfortunate things out of her control, I have decided to help you both by offering Rudolf here the job of becoming your trainer, and she has agreed.”
Sunday’s eyes widened even further and she gasped, she looked like she was about to jump for joy, if her body let her. “W-What, seriously?!”
Rudolf stepped forward to stare down the younger Umamusume. “You still have years to go before we can truly get to training, but Spencer’s told me he sees your potential…” She paused, thinking of some of the Umamusume she’s trained with… and how they all have risen to the top in their own ways, even if they came from nothing. “And seeing you now, I can see your spark, little Sunday." Rudolf smiled warmly at the little Umamusume standing in front of her. "I shall try to help cultivate it.”
Rudolf looked her up and down again. “You look, what, thirteen?” Sunday nodded happily at her new trainer. “That gives us just over two years before your debut to make sure you’re ready.”
“R-Right, Emperor!” She saluted a little and Rudolf couldn’t help but smile a little at that.
“Just call me Rudolf.” Rudolf said, holding back the smile as Spencer just nodded his head. “We can begin light training tomorrow or next week.” She paused, giving Spencer a glance. “After all..I need books and supplies.” After she saw Spencer nod, she started to ponder about taking a visit to Lil' Tokyo as Spencer reminded her of it. Perhaps some store there might have books her trainer had?
Maybe she could turn this all around and open a new door while her last door silently shut.
Spring had arrived, and the turf was starting to regrow as Sirius sighed to herself.
She was alone in Europe as she took a day off training to travel into London for her own enjoyment. The city was so much of a contrast to Tokyo as she quietly walked around a busy marketplace.
But she wasn’t alone out in the world. Rudolf was conquering America for her. They wanted to make a name for Japan. Together. Australia and New Zealand? There was no doubt in Sirius' mind that they had strong opponents. But America and Europe were the true prizes. To come home bearing the sash of the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe would cement not just herself as an international star, but a victory for Japan as a whole.
As she walked through the busy streets and in and out of shops, her mind only returned to her family back home, the friends she and Rudolf had forged together. She was no Maruzensky, no Katsuguri Ace… No Mr. C. B. She was just the friend in the group who lost out at almost every race. After all, someone always had to come in second place… That being said, Taurus was putting on heat for her to keep trying to win. She had to win, that’s why she was here, in a foreign land.
She had to, for Japan.
For Rudolf.
For Herself.