"Is everyone here?!" Dylan asked, looking over his siblings in the hallway.
"Yup!" the pups replied.
"All right, then." Dylan turned to Da Vinci. "You know what to do when Delgado comes down?"
Da Vinci nodded, holding a rolled-up poster that had sticks glued to its ends in her mouth.
"Dizzy, Dee Dee, help Da Vinci unroll the poster when I tell you," Dylan said.
"Got it!" The two pups said.
At the front door, Doug and Delilah waited.
"I can hardly wait! Today is the big day for our boy," Doug said, as he grinned from ear to ear.
"It is exciting, indeed," Delilah said. "Hopefully, Delgado rested enough last night."
"Oh, he has. I made sure of that," Dawkins told her.
Dante furrowed his brows. "I feel like something bad is gonna happen today."
"Dante!" Delilah frowned at him. "Don't say such things right before Delgado's race."
"I never said it has anything to do with him. Just that something bad will happen today," Dante clarified. He placed a paw on his other one. "It's my gut feeling."
"Yeah, and when have your gut feelings ever been right?" Dawkins smirked.
Dante leered at him.
Dylan looked up to the top of the staircase, where Dolly stood, waiting.
He nodded at her.
Dolly went through the second floor's hallway until she reached a room. She slowly cracked it open and looked inside to see Delgado sleeping on the floor. She walked in and tiptoed her way over to him then gently shook him. "Del. Del, wake up."
Delgado opened one eye and looked at her. He opened his other eye and rubbed both with his paws. Still sleepy, he shook his head a little and yawned. "Ah, Dolly. Good morning."
Dolly made a sad face at him. "Don't know if it's a good morning."
"Huh?" Delgado stared at her.
"Don't know how to tell you this, but you kind of, sort of, uh… missed the Rush," Dolly told him.
"Ah." Delgado went back to sleep. His eyelids snapped open and he jumped up. "WHAT?!"
"I'm sorry, bro. The Rush was yesterday. You overslept and missed it." Dolly barely held back a snicker.
Delgado was paralyzed by this. His mind was filled with the images of Falco, disappointed in him and leavening him behind. "I"—he grit his teeth—"Damn it! How could I let myself miss the Rush? What will Falco think of me now? All the training I did with Desmond. Everything we went through… was for nothing, damn it!" The fur on his back stood.
Dolly tapped his nose, snapping him out of his rage.
Delgado looked at her.
"Got ya!" Dolly chuckled.
"Got me?" Delgado took some time to process this. Then it occurred to him. He looked over to a calendar on the wall. Circled in red marker was the date 28th. "Hah hah." He turned back to Dolly. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You got me good there."
"Yeah, I did," Dolly agreed.
"I'll kill you!" Delgado dashed after her.
Dolly jumped back, startled, and bolted through the hallway with Delgado chasing after her.
Dolly reached the stairs and yelled, "Now!" as she continued down them.
Delgado stopped at the top of the staircase, taken aback by his entire family gathered in the hallway. "Wha—"
"Good luck on the Rush today, Delgado!" the pups said together. "Do your best! And remember: no matter what happens, you'll be the fastest in the world for us!"
"Go," Dylan whispered to Dizzy and Dee Dee.
The two pups ran over to Da Vinci. Together they unrolled the poster and held it high up by its sticks. The poster had Delgado drawn on it, standing tall, smiling bravely, and above him spelled: "Go, Delgado, Go!" in capital letters.
Delgado stood stunned by all this. He made his way down the stairs, not taking his eyes off his siblings and the poster. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he said, "I… expected you all to be here and the poster, but I never thought that…" tears formed in his eyes. He wiped them with a paw. "I never thought you'd all get up so early just to tell me this." He turned attention to the poster. "And that is so well done." He couldn't stop himself from shedding tears. "You're the best family I could ever ask for."
"Aww. I think someone needs a hug," Dolly said.
At once, all the pups jumped on top of Delgado, hugging him tightly.
"Okay, okay. I love you guys, too," Delgado laughed as tears ran down his cheeks.
The pups got off him.
Delgado stood and cleared his throat. "I, uh, I can't thank you enough for all of this."
"No need, bro," Dolly said. "It was our pleasure. Heh heh."
Delgado walked over to her. "All right. I forgive you for that prank you pulled."
"Hah hah." Dolly hugged him. "You know me. I couldn't miss the opportunity."
"Your breakfast is waiting for you, Delgado. Go eat, then we'll go grab Desmond, and we'll be on our way to the Rush," Dylan said.
The pups made way for him.
"Awesome!" Delgado ran through the hallway and into the kitchen. He quickly gobbled up his kibble and ran back to the pups. "I'm good to go!"
"Aren't you gonna use the bathroom?" Dolly asked. "You just woke up. It'd be bad if you needed to go right before the race."
"Ah, no," Delgado said. "At the Rush, I'll be tested before racing. I'll have to give a urine sample."
"Ew!" The pups pulled their heads back in disgust.
"Hey, I want to go right into the race, but this way the people there will know if someone's cheating," Delgado told them.
"How so?" a pup asked.
"Well, the samples will show if someone's been doping for the race, using any kinds of banned substances," Delgado explained.
"But you don't do that!" another pup said.
"Yeah! You always play fair, big bro!" the pups stated.
"True, but those are the rules," Dylan said.
"It's just a quick test. No big deal," Delgado said. He eyed the front door. "Now, c'mon! I can't wait anymore. Let's go!" He went toward the scanner and placed his paw on it, opening the door.
As they went to exit, the dogs stopped, noticing someone standing on their porch.
"Hey. Was just about to knock," Desmond said.
"Nice! You're already here," Delgado walked up to him.
"Yeah. I could barely sleep from excitement. It's the very first time I participate in a race," Desmond said. "Guess you're ready to go from what I can see." He turned attention towered the others. "You coming, too. Didn't know?"
"Ah, yeah. Forgot to tell you. Mom and Dad are taking everyone to the Rush to watch me… well, us, I guess," Delgado told him.
"That's nice and all, but why are you all staring at me like that?" Desmond cocked his head.
Delgado turned around to look at his family and saw them all gawking at Desmond.
"What?" Delgado asked, amused. "I know you haven't seen Desmond since me and he started training, but it's not like he's changed or something."
"You sure, Del?" Dolly said. "'Cause I don't know if you've noticed that." She pointed at Desmond's legs.
Delgado looked at Desmond, noticing how well-defined the muscles of his legs were.
Desmond looked at his legs, as well. "Oh. It's no big deal. It's from all the running I've been doing."
"Nah. Now that I take a better look at ya, you really have changed," Delgado said. "Wasn't paying much attention since I was more focused on doing the training, but you've gained some good amount of muscle, Desmond."
"You've made quite the progress," Doug said.
"I'm very surprised myself. To think that muscles could develop so fast," Delilah said.
"Well, what do I tell you? A workout from hell will do that for you." Desmond giggled.
Da Vinci was gazing at Desmond, mesmerized. Her cheeks slightly turned red.
Noticing this, Dolly smirked. "Hey now." She patted her on the back. "Like what you see, sis?"
"W-What?" Da Vinci jumped as she dropped the poster.
The pups looked at her and saw her red face.
"Well, uh…" Da Vinci went to say but noticed Desmond looking at her and froze in place, unable to utter a word.
"Come on, don't be shy now." Dolly went behind her and pushed her past the pups toward Desmond. "Tell Des what you think of him."
The pups watched with wagging tails.
Da Vinci made an anxious smile at him and gulped.
"Go for it, honey!" Doug pumped his paw up and down.
Desmond stood with a curious look.
Da Vinci locked eyes with him. "You, well… look nice. Very nice." She pointed at the muscles of his legs. "And what's more, now I'll have a good reference for muscles when you pose for my drawings."
"Ah yeah, true," Desmond agreed. "And, thanks. Sorry I couldn't come to our sessions this past month, but I was dead tired every time Delgado and I finished running. We can resume our sessions after the Rush, though."
"No, no. I completely understand," Da Vinci said. "I haven't seen you in a while, and now, here you are all different. I'm a bit surprised."
"I'm still the same dog. I'm just more fit now, that's all." Desmond smiled at her. He ran in place. "I feel like I can run a hundred kilometers without resting at all!"
"You and me both!" Delgado joined him.
"Okay, okay. Save your energy for the race, you two," Da Vinci told them.
"Don't worry, sis. Me and Desmond have plenty of energy," Delgado assured her.
"All right! Let's get going, you guys!" Dolly said.
"Let's go!" the pups shouted.
"Dylan, Dolly, where will you be? In front or behind the pups?" Delilah asked.
"We'll go in front if that's fine with you, Mum," Dylan said.
"Then, you and I will be watching over them from the back, Doug," Delilah said.
The pups arranged in a line.
Dylan turned to Delgado. "You and Desmond go in front of us. You are the stars here, after all."
"Cool." Delgado pulled Desmond to the front, and together with his siblings and parents, proceeded toward Regent's Park.
Entering the Park, they went through Chester Rd. Along the way, the dogs noticed all the posters promoting the Rush plastered everywhere. Reaching the circle, they saw the metal panels set up between the street and the road; on the panels, posters spelling "Regent Rush" were put. People were setting up cameras and drones were flying all over the place. Dozens of other people with headsets walked around the circle, inspecting the terrain. Outside the circle were multiple tents.
"Look at all this!" Delgado's eyes darted from one camera to the other. He looked up when a drone flew over him.
"Guess we came a bit too early. They're still setting up things here," Dawkins said.
"Big deal." Delgado waved his paw, dismissively. "We can get more time to check things out."
"Excuse me." A Collie wearing a headset walked up to them, accompanied by a woman with a headset, as well as a cameraman.
"Yes?" Delilah said.
"By any chance, are any of you competing?" the Collie asked. "We are expecting two more contestants to arrive for the main division."
"Here! Here!" Delgado waved his paw at the Collie. "Me." He pointed at himself, then at Desmond. "And him."
"Oh! How great!" The Collie barked at the woman, pointed at Delgado and Desmond, then nodded.
"Film," the woman told the cameraman.
The cameraman turned on the camera he carried, pointing it at Delgado and Desmond.
The woman walked over to the two dogs, faced the camera, and began talking into the microphone on her headset.
The Collie did the same.
"This is Genny, speaking live, here in the inner circle of Regent's Park, London. The final two contestants have finally arrived," the Collie said. Upon facing the two again, however, she got puzzled by Delgado. "Hold on. You said you were in the main division, right? But you're a just a pup."
"I am not a pup!" Delgado said with a stern tone. "And I am participating in the main division."
"Is that so? And, now that I take a better look at you, aren't you also that pup? The same pup who raced with Falco?" Genny asked.
"Yeah, that's me," Delgado replied. "And, will you stop calling me a pup?"
"How fantastic! This is what I call news!" Genny faced the camera. "What a surprise we have here! As it turns out, one of the contestants within the main division is only a pup! Not only that, but he's also the pup who raced against the champion himself!"
Delgado frowned. She doesn't listen at all.
"May I get your name?" Genny asked.
"Wha— My Name?" Delgado's tail wagged.
"Who are you exactly?" Desmond asked.
"Why, the interviewer, of course," Genny said. "Now, please face the camera and speak nice and clear."
"This is live, right?" Delgado asked. "Broadcasted all over England?"
Genny forced a smile. "Yes, that's right. Now, may we please get your name?"
"You here?" Delgado turned to Desmond. "We're being shown live all over the country!"
"Your name, please!" Genny said through her teeth.
"Ah, yeah, yeah." Delgado took on a firm stance. "My name is Delgado Dalmatian."
"And you?" Genny turned to Desmond.
"Desmond Dots is the name." Desmond grinned.
"So, any comment on the gossip about you against England's fastest pup, Max?" Genny asked Delgado.
Delgado tilted his head. "What gossip?"
"It's been said that you'd beat Max no problem since you were even with the champion, Falco, at high speed for a short time," Genny told him.
"Well, uh." Delgado glanced at the camera. "I don't know. I've never raced against him. I'm very fast, but so is Max. It could go either way."
"Either way, you say? But you are aware Max has never even came close to Falco at his highest of speeds, right?" Genny raised an eyebrow.
Delgado paused, thinking. He tsked. "Look. He's fast. I'm fast. We're both very fast. That's all I have to say." He turned around, away from Genny.
"Argh, pups," Genny muttered. She turned to Desmond. "And, you?"
"Me? Umm, I just sort of decided to join," Desmond said. "Thought it'd be fun!"
"Riveting," Genny said with disinterest. She looked at the large number of dogs behind Desmond and Delgado, and specifically turned attention toward Doug and Delilah. "Are you their parents?"
"Only Delgado's," Delilah said.
"Desmond is a friend," Doug told her.
"I see. And, are all of those pups yours?" Genny asked.
"Yes," Doug and Delilah said.
"Did you come here without your human?"
"We don't have a human," Doug stated.
"No human? And so many pups." Genny's ears shot up. "By any chance, are you the rumored Dalmatians living without a human?"
"Rumored?" Doug and Delilah looked at each other, confused.
"Yes. There's been a rumor going that there's a very big family of Dalmatians somewhere in Camden Town," Genny told them. "You are that family, aren't you?" She quickly barked at the cameraman and pointed at the dogs. Then, pointed at the woman and crossed her paws.
"What? No human?" The cameraman raised his eyebrows. He pointed the camera from Delgado and Desmond to Doug, Delilah, and the rest of the pups.
Genny slipped between Doug and Delilah and faced the camera. "Hot news, everyone! It turned out the family of our contestant, Delgado, is the same big family rumored to have not only no human but also dozens upon dozens of members." She turned to Delilah. "Now that we've established that you're real, exactly how big is your family, if you don't mind me asking? A lot of people are speculating anywhere from thirty to forty."
"Well, including me and my husband, the total number of our family is one hundred and one," Delilah said.
Genny stood stunned for a second. "That's… a lot. Far more than I expected. I was almost sure you'd say fifty at most."
"The two of us always liked the idea of having a big family," Doug said. "Ain't that right, Lilah?"
"Wouldn't want it any other way," Delilah replied.
"I see. Interesting." Genny looked over the pups and gasped when she saw three particular among the others. "Whoa! Unless my eyes don't deceive me, that's the famous Triple-D in the back there!"
"Oh, no." Destiny covered her face.
Dallas, on the other hand, posed for the camera. "What's the matter, Tiny? They don't forbid us from being filmed outside the studio."
"Hello, England!" Deja Vu waved her paws. "Thanks for all the support! Love you all!"
"As it also turns out, the famed Triple-D are also part of this big family, dear viewers," Genny said into her microphone.
Destiny grabbed her sisters' paws and faced them away from the camera. "Even if they don't forbid us, we aren't here for this. It's our day off, and I just want to spend it normally, without any cameras in our faces. Most importantly, we're here to support Delgado, not hog all the attention. It's bad enough Genny's interviewing our family at this point. You get me, right, girls?"
Dallas sighed. "Okay, fine."
"Yeah, we get you, Tiny," Deja Vu said.
Dallas turned around and waved the cameraman and Genny off.
Genny approached them. "But, Triple-D, we want to know—"
Delilah stepped in front of her and the camera, blocking the view to her daughters. "Can you please not film them? My husband and I are all right with you interviewing us, but my daughters clearly don't want to be a part of this."
"Yeah! Back off!" The pups surrounded Destiny, Dallas, and Deja Vu.
"I don't mind, though!" D3 jumped from out the pups. "Hey! What's up, England?" He turned to Genny. "Can I cuss?"
"Dimitri 3, don't you dare!" Dylan stomped on the ground with a paw.
"Ah, I'll do it anyway." D3 took in a breath, but before he could say a word, D1 smacked him across the head.
"Are you dumb? Don't embarrass our family, bro." D1 grabbed D3 and dragged him back.
"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid again, D1," Dylan said.
"Yeah, yeah," D1 replied.
Dylan turned back toward Genny, only to see her face centimeters away from his, making him jump back.
"Hello. And who may you be?" Genny asked. "You seem like the oldest out of your siblings."
"Oh. Well, my name is Dylan, and I am—" He noticed the camera pointed at him and got petrified, sweat running down his face. "And I, and I, I, I, I, I, I…"
"Hah. Why yes, you're right." Dolly wrapped a paw around Dylan and boldly faced the camera. "He and I are the oldest, beside our parents. And we take good care of our family." She looked back at the pups. "Right, guys?"
"Yup!" The pups replied.
"There you have it," Dolly said. "We care for each other and lookout for one another. Our family's pretty cool! I'm Dolly, by the way."
"Delgado! Desmond! Hey, boys!"
Delgado and Desmond looked toward the direction of one of the tents to see Abigail walking toward them.
"Hah! Hey, Abbey," Delgado said.
"I just saw you from across the circle. What are you boys still doing here? You should hurry. They are starting with the tests," Abigail told them.
"Already?" Desmond said.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go get tested and start the race." Delgado ran over to his parents. "They are starting the tests. Desmond and I will be going."
"Okay, sweetie. Remember, have fun and don't push yourself too much during the race," Delilah told him and kissed his forehead.
"We'll be rooting for you." Doug patted him on the back. "Show them who's the fastest, sport!"
"Don't you worry, I'll give two hundred percent of me out there," Delgado stated.
Doug faced Genny, seeing her questioning Dylan and Dolly. "Excuse me, but can I have the attention of my honeys?"
Genny stopped with her questions.
"You're brother's about to go," Doug told the pups.
"We'll be waiting for your victory, bro!" Dolly said.
"Best of luck, Delgado," Dylan said.
"We'll be cheering for you!" The pups said in unison.
"Thank you, guys." Delgado took a long, good look at his family. "You just watch me! I'll win this!"
"Boys, let's hurry," Abigail said.
"Right." Delgado shifted attention to Desmond. "C'mon, then."
Desmond nodded.
They both followed Abigail toward one of the tents.
"We'll be rooting for you, too, Des!" Dolly yelled out to him.
"Yeah! Good luck to you, as well!" Dylan waved his paws at him.
Reaching the tent, the three of them walked in it. Within it, to the left, was a small room covered with a white curtain.
The curtains got drawn by a woman, and Falco walked out.
The instant he made eye contact with him, Delgado smiled. "Hey, champ. How are you? You excited for the race? I know I am."
Falco, however, did not respond and gave Delgado a cold look before going through a door leading into another tent.
"Didn't even say hello." Desmond stared in the direction Falco went.
"It's 'cause he's super serious about the Rush," Delgado said.
"Mind if I go first?" Abigail asked.
"Go right ahead," Desmond said.
Abigail walked into the room and the woman closed the curtain.
Delgado and Desmond didn't wait long before she came out.
"All done. Will be waiting for you boys on the other side." Abigail walked through the door.
"Next?" the woman said, holding the curtain open.
"I'll go after you," Desmond said.
"Thanks." Delgado made his way into the room and after a minute came out.
"Next?"
"I'll wait you here." Delgado walked over to the door.
Desmond went into the room, and just as fast, walked out.
"Let's go see what's on the other side," Desmond said.
They walked through the door at the same time.
Stepping on the other side, Delgado and Desmond saw Falco and Abigail along with four other dogs, three of which were talking among each other.
The four dogs, a Borzoi, two white Whippets, and a red-golden Vizsla, turned attention toward Delgado and Desmond.
"Hey, hey. What's this pup doing here?" One of the Whippets, wearing a dark-pink collar, approached Delgado. "Did you confuse this tent with the junior one? You're place isn't here."
"Actually, I'm participating in the main division," Delgado told her. "So, my place is here."
"Oh, is that right?" The Whippet chuckled. "So, little one, you think you got what it takes to be here with us? You don't seem cut out for this."
Delgado frowned. "What does that supposed to mean?"
"Winter, please. Don't start things right before the race." The other Whippet, wearing a light-pink collar, placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'm stressed out enough, sis. I don't need you starting things."
"Come on, Wendy. Look at him. You really think he can even come close to our speed?" Winter asked.
"I was thinking the same," the Vizsla, wearing a sky-blue collar with a silver tag, said. "He's here, so he obviously passed the requirement for this division, but that doesn't mean he's on par with us."
"See? Ace agrees with me," Winter said. She eyed the Borzoi, who wore a lime-green collar. "Hey, Ban, what do you think?"
Ban looked at Delgado. "I don't really care. Though, it should be noted that clearing the requirement only demands you make a lap in under one minute thirty seconds. Everyone here is able to do that a lot faster with ease. And if that's as fast as the pup can go, he might as well not race."
"And why's that?" Delgado asked, eyelid twitching.
"Because you'll be finishing last," Ban told him. "Don't expect that you'd be able to catch up to us."
"Exactly!" Winter ruffled the fur on Delgado's head. "You may have even raced against the champ, but he beat you easily. So, you see, little one, don't think yourself as special or anything. I'm sure even Max can pass the requirement if he trained hard enough. Heh heh!"
Desmond's fur shot up. He was about to speak up but Falco beat him to it.
"That's enough," Falco said with a firm tone.
Everyone in the tent went silent.
"You have no idea how fast Delgado is. I wouldn't have recommended him otherwise," Falco said.
Winter clicked her tongue.
Falco's such a nice guy, Delgado thought. He smacked Winter's paw off him.
"Excuse me?" Winter shot a mean look at Falco. "You let a pup in the main division?"
"Knock it off, Winter," Abigail said. "Falco has decided that Delgado—"
"You be quiet!" Winter said through her teeth.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Falco asked.
Winter marched over to him. "As a matter of fact, I—"
Wendy ran in front of her. "Sis, please stop. Don't argue with the champion. We're not here to make enemies."
Winter huffed and faced away from Wendy.
Wendy walked over to Delgado. "I'm sorry about my sister. She can be a bit mean at times."
Delgado thought things over. "Hey! Listen up!"
The dogs turned toward him.
"I know this may look stupid," Delgado said. "I get it. A young dog like me being here seems ridiculous, but give me chance to show you that I am on par. When we go out there, I'll show you. You can judge me then."
"Ugh. Whatever. I suppose we all will prove our point in the race," Winter said.
Ban thought for a little while. "I don't mind being proven wrong. But you better not be only talking big, Delgado."
"I trust that the champion knows what he's doing, so I won't argue with his decision," Ace said.
"Don't worry yourself." Desmond placed a paw on Delgado's back. "They'll see how fast you are. Just focus on the race right now."
"Right!" Delgado said with confidence.
The woman from the other tent walked in. "The results are out."
All the dogs paid close attention to her.
"You're all clear," the woman said.
Falco let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After she walked out, two men came in, carrying eight thin vests, each one numbered.
"Let's get you set up," one of the men said.
Falco walked toward him.
The man took one of the vests and fastened it around Falco. He walked over to Ban and did the same.
The other man put vests onto Winter and Wendy.
The men continued until they reached Delgado and Desmond. Each one of them fastened vests onto the dogs.
"All ready," one of the men said. "Now for those of you who are new, if you look to the right side of your vest, you'll obviously see your number. If you look down, at the front of the vest, you'll notice a small device that'll track your speed. Your fastest speed will automatically be recorded onto the device and displayed at the end of the Rush on it."
The other man gave a thumbs-up to the dogs. "Good luck to you all out there."
They both exited the tent.
Delgado hopped from one paw to the other. "These vests feel pretty good. It's almost as if I'm not wearing a vest at all."
Desmond ran his paw down his vest. "Yeah. I can move freely easily with them on me. Usually, if I wear something, it restricts my movements a little."
Delgado looked to the right side of Desmond's vest. "Look at that. You're number seven. Lucky number."
"And you." Desmond saw the number on Delgado's vest and smiled. "Your number's six. Looks like we'll be racing side by side."
"Hah, nice! How cool is that?" Delgado said.
"I'm number eight," Abigail said. "We'll be next to each other, Desmond." She winked at him. "I hope you don't disappoint. That goes for you, too, Delgado."
"I told you, didn't I? We'll beat you today," Delgado stated.
"Heh heh, we'll see," Abigail said.
"By the way, is Hermes here?" Delgado asked. "When we came, I didn't see him anywhere."
"He's here," Abigail replied. "I've yet to see him, too. But I heard he's in one of the tents."
"I'm pretty eager to meet him myself," Desmond said. "Wonder if he'll be anything like how I imagined him?"
Falco stood in front the entrance of the tent, he closed his eyes and counted to ten, then exhaled. "Come on. It's time."
"They still haven't told us to go," Wendy said.
"I've been here long enough to know when it's time," Falco told her. He exited the tent.
The other dogs followed him out.
When they stepped outside, the dogs saw a man standing in front of them.
"I was just about to call you," the man said.
Falco turned his head around and raised an eyebrow at the others.
"Humph. He's even smug about it." Winter glared at him.
"All right, follow me." The man headed for the circle.
They went after him.
Upon getting to the circle, they saw how many people, dogs, and cats have gathered on the street.
"And there they are, everyone!" a voice was heard from the loudspeakers set up all over the circle. "Our eight contestants from the main division are finally here!"
The people, dogs, and cats cheered for them.
Delgado saw a drone flying over him. He waved at it. Wow. I feel weird. He looked at the audience. So many people are rooting for us. I'm used to my family doing that. But, I'm not really here for this, am I? I'm here for the thrill.
Falco led them along the road toward the starting line.
The drone followed them from above.
As they walked, however, most of the audience stopped cheering upon noticing Delgado.
"Oi, oi. What's that pup doing there?" a dog from the audience said.
"Why did they let this puppy here? He should be in the junior's," a man said.
A woman frowned at Delgado. "Is it a joke or something?"
"He'll be left in the dust," a cat said.
Most of the audience stared silently at Delgado, while the rest quietly bad-mouthed and laughed at him.
Falco looked to the side. I knew this would happen. He took a glance at Delgado and was surprised to see him smiling as he walked. He's not troubled by this?! He either has a thick skin or simply doesn't care.
When they reached the starting line, eight pups were lined up behind it.
Stopping a meter away from the pups, the dogs sat behind them and looked onward.
"Delgado! Over her, Delgado!"
Delgado looked to his right.
His parents and siblings were waving at him from behind the panels on the street.
Da Vinci, along with Dizzy and Dee Dee, held the poster high.
Delgado chuckled when he saw how much space they were occupying. Gathered up like this, makes me realize how big of a family I have. It's great! He laughed out. "You have no idea how ridiculous you look from here. All in a group like that."
"Don't worry about how we look, just do what you're good at!" Dolly told him.
"Delgado! Delgado! Delgado! Delgado!" the pups cheered.
Falco, Abigail, Winter, Wendy, Ban, and Ace all took a look at Delgado's family and their jaws dropped, seeing the size of it. "Is that his family?!" they said in unison.
"Yeah, it is. Surprised, aren't you?" Delgado said.
"So many pups." Winter scrunched her muzzle. "No way I'll ever be a mum after seeing this."
"Come now, look at how happy and supportive they are," Wendy said. "I'd love to have a big family, too."
Winter placed a paw on her sister's head and shook it. "Something isn't right with your head, Wendy."
Falco caught a glimpse of someone waving at him from the audience and turned his attention to them.
Situated right next to the Dalmatians, Sam stood with a gentle smile.
Falco smiled back at him.
"Now that we have all of our contestants at hand, we have a surprise for all of you!" the voice boomed once again. "We have a special guest, who's come here all the way from Greece, in this year's Regent Rush! We'd like to proudly introduce the fastest dog in the world, the one and only, Hermes!"
The audience stopped talking.
The pups and dogs watched with awe.
The cameras focused on a certain Greyhound, and a couple of drones gathered over him.
Right in front of them, Hermes stepped forth.
There was a moment of silence as the attention of all the people present was fixed on the Greyhound. A second later, the loud sound of cheering and clapping echoed throughout the circle.
Hermes faced the crowd of people and raised his paw. "Thank you. Thank you all."
A man with a crew-cut hair wearing a green jacket and black trousers walked next to Hermes' side. He carried a microphone in one hand and a binder holding a sheet of paper in it in the other.
Hermes turned his head toward the man and nodded.
As Hermes started talking, the man turned on the microphone, rose the binder up to himself, and began reading off of it.
"It's my absolute pleasure to be attending this year's Regent Rush, as well as being here in England," Hermes said.
The man said the same, reading it from the paper.
"Coming here, I anticipated that all eyes will be on me. But, please"—Hermes pointed with a paw toward the pups and dogs standing on the road—"the real stars are these great contestants standing right here! Each and every one of them has worked very hard, I'm sure, and has earned the right to be here today. To them, I have a word to say." He walked over to the pups. "Starting with the youngest of athletes."
The pups grinned at him.
"Yes, I can remember it, as if it were yesterday. I was a small pup, just like all of you, standing against other dogs with great speed. Faster than me even," Hermes said. "But even though, I knew I wasn't the fastest around, I'd work hard to try and close the gap between my competition and me. You all know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Hermes!" the pups said.
"And," Hermes continued. "I did it. With hard work and a lot of determination, I beat my competition, getting me the title of fastest pup in all of Greece. Not long after, I became the fastest in the world. So, every single one of you has the potential to become the next fastest in the world. If I could do it, you can, too."
Hermes turned to the dogs and paused when he saw Delgado among them. He stared at him for a short while.
Delgado was unable to avert his eyes from Hermes, barely keeping himself from freaking out from excitement.
Hermes looked away from Delgado, and said, "Now, let's see to it that the athletes of the main division aren't left out. You all are here today to try and snatch the title of fastest in England. No doubt you went through a lot of rigorous training to achieve that. Of course, there can only be one winner, but I want you to know that even if you end up last, all that effort you put yourselves through isn't for nothing, and it's not just for the race. I'm sure that throughout your training you've gowned and have gained a new appreciation for the sport. I know I have. And, one day, I hope I can stand next to each one of you and race against you for the title of fastest in the world. You can make it there, I know."
The dogs smiled warmly at Hermes, taking firm, tall stances.
Hermes walked over to the man and stood on his hind legs, taking the binder from him.
"What?" The man asked.
Hermes barked at him and tapped the binder with his paw.
The man pulled out a pen from his pocket and gave it to him.
Hermes took the pen in his mouth and wrote something on the paper, then returned the binder and pen to him.
The man took them. He looked at what Hermes had written on the paper. "A little extra, eh? Sure, I'll read it." And so he did.
The second the man began talking, Hermes spoke as well.
"This is a big surprise for me." Hermes pointed at Delgado. "Never before have I seen such a young athlete within the main division."
Delgado stared dumbfounded as his tail wagged like crazy.
"'This young dog belongs in the junior division,' many would say, and I'd agree with them," Hermes said.
Hearing this, Delgado's tail stopped wagging and his right ear dropped a little.
"But," Hermes continued. "A requirement must be met to enter either division. Seeing him in the main one, tells me one thing: this young dog clearly has the speed for it. So, I'll withhold my judgment until I've seen him in action. I advise you, England, to do the same. Let's give him a chance and see what he's capable of."
Delgado was at loss for words, only standing and gazing at Hermes. I don't believe it. Hermes himself wants to see what I can do. He's giving me a chance? Then, forget about giving two hundred percent from me, I'll give a thousand! I'll show just how fast I've become to both Falco and Hermes.
"With that said." Hermes faced the cameras. "Let's not waste any more time and get the race started!"
The man finished reading.
Hermes, along with the man, stepped outside the road to rapturous applause. They made their way to a specially built area of the street, where they sat and watched, anticipating the start of the race.
"Everyone," the voice boomed. "As the great Hermes said, let us officially begin the Regent Rush, and determine who's the fastest around!"
The audience yelled out of excitement.
"We'll start with the junior division!"
"Come on," Falco said, ushering the others aside from the road.
The pups took their places on the lanes behind the starting line.
"Let's have a look at the contestants from the junior division!"
The cameras focused on each of the pups.
"Standing forty-eight centimeters at the withers, we have our champion from last year and the fastest pup in all of England, Max Greypaw!"
A young Greyhound stretched his forelegs. "That's me, alright!"
The voice continued, going over the other pups' info and names as they warmed-up, preparing for the race. When it finished, the pups readied themselves, waiting for the signal.
A woman walked next to them with a gun in hand. "Ready," she said, raising the gun in the air and firing it a few seconds later.
The pups dashed.
The drones followed after them.
The pups covered the entire first lap within two minutes. Then the second just as fast, with Max taking the lead. Upon the third, however, Max was outpaced by one of the other pups and nearly tripped himself over from trying to outrun it. In the end, it was close between Max and the pup, but Max made it first and let out a howl of joy, crossing the finish line.
"And yet again, the champion of this year's junior division is Max!"
The audience cheered for him.
Seeing the pups run, Delgado was shaking with excitement. "I can't wait anymore. I just want to go out there and run!"
"A few more minutes," Desmond said. "Then you can run all you like."
"Next up, the main division!"
"Well, here we go," Desmond said.
Delgado and Desmond followed Falco and the others when they went back on the road. Each one of them stood on a lane corresponding with the number on their vests.
Delgado noticed that to his left Falco stood. Oh, my dog. I'll be racing side by side with Falco. This time for the title of fastest in England.
Falco stretched his hind legs. "I suggest you stop staring and get to warming-up. The race will begin in ten minutes."
"Uh, yeah!" Delgado stretched out, as did all the other dogs.
"Shall we look over our contestants?!" the voice said.
The cameras zoomed-in on Ban.
"Standing seventy-eight centimeters at the withers, we have contestant number one, Ban Borzoi!"
Ban yawned.
"Next to him, both standing forty-eight centimeters, we have contestants number two and three, Wendy and Winter Watts!"
Winter lightly smacked Wendy's back, making her squeak out. "Break the stress, sis. This is our time to shine!"
Wendy gulped.
"Then, standing sixty-two centimeters, contestant number four, Ace Vizsla Awford!"
Ace smiled for the cameras, stretching out in a way that showed his muscles.
"You all know him, you all love him! Standing seventy centimeters is the three-time winner and fastest dog in all of England, contestant number five, Falco Swiftpaw!"
Falco only kept his sight forth, awaiting the race.
"Standing forty-five centimeters, the surprise of this year's Regent Rush, we have contestant number six, Delgado Dalmatian!"
Delgado cracked his paws.
"Standing seventy-two centimeters is contestant number seven, Desmond Dots!"
Desmond stood in a downward-dog pose. I should thank Deepak for teaching me these poses. They make for a great warm-up.
"And lastly, standing sixty-seven centimeters, contestant number eight, Abigail Allen!"
Abigail made sure the cameras caught her good side.
After warming-up for ten minutes, the dogs took their running stances.
The woman walked next to them.
Delgado's eyes narrowed, focusing his mind only on the race. This is it. When the signal's given, I run. Like a bullet. Faster than that. And no stopping until I've passed the finish line. From here on out, I prove my speed to everyone.
The woman raised the gun. "Ready."
The dogs prepared themselves.
The gun fired.
With great speed, the dogs dashed forth.
They were all keeping a similar pace for a quarter of the lap. Then, Delgado pushed harder, outrunning the others at a rapid pace.
Ace, Ban, Winter, and Wendy were shocked when they saw this, nearly losing their momentum.
The audience couldn't believe their eyes.
Desmond smirked. Humph. Show off.
Delgado simply smiled and continued running onward.