Chapter 8: First time run in the central

Speed Joker went to the cafeteria to eat. She saw the head chief and Oguri Cap stand with each other eye to eye.

She cough in front of them to get their attention, and said, “Excuse me.”

Oguri Cap looked at Speed Joker, then she grabbed the new sets of lunch; which stacked very high. Then turned around and went to a table with Tamamo Cross, and Super Creek.

Speed Joker grabbed her tray, and get her lunch on the line. Once that was done, she went to an empty table. She sat there and start eating her food.

As she ate, some one sat beside her. It was Blue Alpine.

“You eat here alone?” she asked.

Speed Joker swallowed her food, and then replied, “Yup, because I have no friends in the Academy. Sometimes life is hard as getting a friend.”

Blue Alpine chuckled, and said, “Then, should I be your first friend?”

Speed Joker froze in place, then slowly turned her attention to Blue Alpine.

“Wait, really?” She said, expressed in surprised from Blue Alpine’s word.

She thought that Blue Alpine was that one Student who stayed silent in the back, and speak when needed to. She guessed it wrong, sometimes she can’t judge too much from the cover of each person.

Blue Alpine nodded, “Yes, its also very hard for me to talk to other in the academy. Most people here are, quite abnormal.”

Speed Joker looked at Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka argued over the most simplest thing in the distance.

“Isn’t that what made the Academy so lively and special?” She said.

“I guess yeah. That is what made this academy special,” Blue Alpine replied, as she taken realization.

Speed Joker drank her ice cold tea, and now her bowl and plate are cleaned empty in the tray, not single trace of food was a waste there.

“I’ll put this away first, then we can talk later outside,” she said, went ahead to place the dirty plate that was on her tray.

Blue Alpine nodded, as she waits.

---

After that, Speed Joker walked beside Blue Alpine. They both walked together, and saw the scenery of the academy.

“So, you ever raced before coming here?” Speed Joker asked.

Blue Alpine herself won her local races in her local prefecture with record of 4 wins out of the 5 races. It was quite a high win-rate. She also got herself a Student scholarship in the Academy.

“Yeah, I raced before. How about you?” Blue Alpine said.

For Speed Joker, her races are a lot more different than Blue Alpine’s. She juts drove cars either on tarmac, gravel, dirt, or even sand. Even beat rivals in equal machinery in racetracks. But also, she ever ran on her local prefecture, around 1 win out of her 3 races. Not quite as high as Blue Alpine’s record.

“I had races before, probably not as much as you,” She replied to Blue Alpine.

Blue Alpine nodded.

Then she asked, “So, how did end up enrolling into Tracen Academy?”

Speed Joker replied, “I just aced the paper exam. To be honest before the entrance exam, I would say that was considered lucky. But I did tried my best, can’t never predict until the result came out.”

As they talked and walked with each other. Then both of them heard something from behind.

“Dash! Dash! Dash!”

A girl with brown hair with pink flower sakura like eyes came toward them at very fast speed. Speed Joker reacted quickly to dodge the incoming horse girl. But for Blue Alpine, she crashed into her.

This horse girl was Sakura Bakushin O.

Speed Joker looked at Blue Alpine who was on the bottom, while Bakushin on the top of her.

“Alpine, are you okay?” Speed Joker said to her.

“Ouch! Ouch!” Blue Alpine rubbed her back, “I’m fine.”

Bakushin quickly stood up and bowed her head, “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there.”

Blue Alpine stood up, patted front and back of her skirt. “I’m fine Bakushin senpai. There is no need to worry, you’re not hurt right?”

“Nope! As fast and healthy as I could ever be!”

Speed Joker looked at Sakura Bakushin O. She saw sweat around Bakushin’s face. That means, she already ran quite a while.

“Bakushin senpai, did you ran quite a while a go?” She asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Yes I did! Because I’m going on a patrol around the academy!” Bakushin proudly said.

Speed Joker rubbed her lower jaw as she thought, then said, “I see…”

“Yosh! Time to go!” Bakushin said as she sprinted away into the distance.

“Bakushin senpai does have a lot of energy,” Blue Alpine said.

“Seniors, they are decked out and very experienced all around. For us students who are new, we are just nothing but inexperience rookies,” Speed Joker replied.

{Maybe sometimes, some seniors are a bit too active,} She continued in her thought.

Both of them continued walking, and passed many Horse Girls along the way. As they done that, the ball rang. It was time for most Horse Girls who just got into the Academy to get recruited by trainers to join their team.

Speed Joker changed into her P.E clothes. It was a white shirt and red shorts. She went done few stretches on her arms and legs.

Every new selected horse girl was in the training racetrack field. This track was similar to Japan Cup race course, with a length 2400 meters, and on a turf layout. There were a lot of horse girl standing on the sidelines, behind the barriers to see the a rough diamond.

{Huh, everyone want to see us,} Speed Joker thought, as she was done all of her stretches.

Then, there was a black haired horse girl walked toward to Ghost of Ash. Her name was Kilroy Joy, who was very confident for herself to win this race and get a trainer quickly to join their team.

“Hey you!” Joy said, and pointed her index finger to Ash.

Ghost of Ash pointed at herself, “You mean me?”

Joy smirked, “Yup, I’m going to beat you.”

Ash grinned look on her face, it gave a very eerie atmosphere.

“Try then, but don’t cry if you can’t catch up,” Ash said with a menacing tone.

For Speed Joker, she watched this as it was in a cinema. There was good drama on the field she can watch on. Although, shame there was no popcorn.

{Oh right, I heard Gold Ship had those,} she thought.

Meanwhile, Team Spica's trainer was watching the field behind the barrier. Along with few members like Gold Ship, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen joined in.

“Ho, I got my eyes on one,” he said with a smile formed on his lips, “She has a large potential.”

Gold Ship who was beside Mejiro McQueen, she sneezed.

“Did you catch cold?” McQueen asked.

“Nope, I feel someone talking about me,” Gold Ship replied.

---

Back in the training racetrack, everyone was lined up in the gate. Speed Joker was placed at the furthest, gate 13.

When the whistle was blown. The gate opened, and every horse girl launched off from the gate.

Speed Joker was in the rear, at the most furthest. Most of the trainer on the sidelines of the track were watching who was in the most front.

In the most front was Kilroy Joy, who was smiling menacingly.

{I’m going to take the win, and you’ll be far behind my back and make sure you give up. How exciting is that!} she thought.

While behind Kilroy Joy was Magnificent Cloud. Who felt goosebumps on her skin.

As they all went entered the first curve, most of the horse girl didn’t bother going inside. While Speed Joker behind the pack, she was going inside as close as possible. It can be seen for anyperson who watched it, that her skin made contact barrier, but its not. Because she left 3 cm of gap beside her right arm.

Then all of them exited the first curve. Speed Joker passed two Horse Girls, there names were Stark Chaser and Mindful Rainbow.

In the mid of the pack, on the pace chasers. There was Ghost of Ash, who kept her pace and rhythm in check. Every trainer who was spectating are looking at her.

{He he he, that body of yours would gave up even before the party started,} she said with a creepy smile on her face.

Ghost of Ash knows about her limits more than anyone else, No one also knew her full capabilities, this would made her full advantage; similarly to an assassin who were to assassinate their target.

Each horse girl entered the second curve, there were no changes there. But some of the horse girls are running out of stamina soon, as they struggled to keep up with the fast pace.

Speed Joker slipstream from behind, kept her distance with a very small gap of about five centimemeters. That most of the horse girls who looked at her made them don’t want to get close, because it might looked like they were going to hit them.

Exited the second curve, Speed Joker had an idea. As much she is a race driver, she would try to test out racing line like she would driving her race car.

And so, she did.

Speed Joker went outside at the straights line. Every trainer who watched her were confused.

{What is that horse girl doing?} They thought, kept focused on Speed Joker.

When reaching at the third curve, Speed Joker begin to picked up her pace at the entry, smoothly glide into the inside of the curve, and kept the inside as she was in the very short straight. Near the exit of the short straight to the next final curve, she kept in the inside like other horse girls do.

In the pace chasers. Ghost of Ash began her move in the final curve.

{Here it comes, let see what you made off.}

Kilroy Joy began to pick up her pace.

{See this you green haired candy! You can’t even going to catch to me with this acceleration!}

At the exit of the final curve, Ghost of Ash began her acceleration. Her foot quickly stomped the ground, increasing he rhythm and pace. She slowly passed all the girls on her right.

Kilroy Joy felt a pressure on her left. She saw Ghost of Ash smirked expression on her face.

{How does it feels to get targeted?}

Kilroy Joy gritted her teeth, {Damn it all!}

She kept trying to push her pace further, but she wasn’t accelerating at all. It doesn’t matter how hard she tried, Ghost of Ash kept closer and closer each steps going by.

Trainer of Team Rigil Hana, she looked impressed as Ghost of Ash performance.

“She really has a lot of potential,” she said.

Hishi Amazon was excited, “Look at the girl go! She is going so fast that I want to beat her in a race when she joins!”

Narita Brian who was beside Hishi Amazon, she folded her arms with a smile. Air Groove stood beside Symboli Rudolf, analyzed Ghost of Ash.

“So, what do you think of that girl?” Air Groove asked.

“She is quick and very strategic. She will be fun to race with.” Rudolf replied.

As most the of Horse Girls started to slowed down, since they can’t keep up anymore due to low on stamina. Then, there was Speed Joker. Each step of her foot on the turf, she kept going faster and faster. She kept accelerating with each step, picked up speed quickly as she was accelerating.

Since she was on the outside in the straight, she avoided most of the slow down traffic. She pushed harder as she felt like it, that she had more capacity than she needed. She knew about her baseline, but it didn’t reached her maximum baseline capabilities, nor her potential line.

As most of spectator were focused on the battle with Kilroy Joy and Ghost of Ash. Speed Joker sneaked up behind them.

{What?} Ghost of Ash thought, {No, that is impossible. She would be left behind after that last corner. How is she able to keep up so quickly?!}

Kilroy Joy felt more of the pressure, {Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! I’m already losing my ground this much? that can’t be happening! I’m must be dreaming right now, yes, it must be.}

Ghost of Ash picked up her pace, now its 400 hundred meters left. But Speed Joker from behind, she just kept accelerating and still picking up speed.

She was slowly creeping in behind Ghost of Ash. As much Ghost of Ash already pushed this far, she is now reached maximum potential as she can released, already passed her baselline level.

Speed Joker easily passed both of them at the 200 meter mark. The finish line was just up ahead of her. Instead of her picked up more speed and left them behind. She slowed down, and let Ghost of Ash took first place; while Kilroy Joy took second.

{Well, that was fun,} Speed Joker smiled as she wiped the sweat on her forehead, {Third place isn’t all that bad. But I would not expect any trainer to recruit me into their team.}