"Trick Shot?"
Barbatos, her eyes locked on the match, felt her gaze tighten as she drew a sharp breath.
Even knowing that Special Week's "copy-cat" ability was maxed out, she never expected the girl to have picked up Tokai Teio's signature Trick Shot.
That move required a level of physical coordination that bordered on the superhuman.
When Barbatos had first seen Teio pull it off, she hadn't even bothered trying to use her Full Power Zone to observe or mimic the technique.
It wasn't just a matter of "software" or skill; it was a "hardware" issue.
Not every Uma Musume possessed Teio's freakish flexibility.
Those were the "Teio Steps," a style so fluid and rhythmic it could only be described as legendary. Surely Special Week's body couldn't keep up with those kinds of mechanics?
"Is that... Teio's move?!"
"Spe-chan?"
Over at Team Spica and Team Rigil, the Uma Musume were watching with bated breath.
Special Week had become the ultimate dark horse of this Summer Dream Cup—so much so that even Barbatos was starting to look like a predictable contender by comparison.
While there was still a gap between them on the racetrack, on the volleyball court, Special Week looked like she might actually have the chops to challenge the likes of Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky.
As everyone watched with rapt attention, Special Week twisted her body for the Trick Shot. The ball whistled past her, and in a chaotic blur, both girl and ball slammed heavily into the sand.
"I figured as much..." Symboli Rudolf said, shaking her head with a small smile. Even she couldn't replicate Teio's specific brand of acrobatics.
"Still, with the likes of Special Week and Barbatos competing, this Dream Cup has turned out to be quite the show," Maruzensky added, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the President.
Compared to the internal duels within Rigil where everyone knew each other's playbooks, Barbatos and Special Week brought a much-needed breath of fresh air.
Barbatos had taken the "Curveball" and evolved it into a dozen different variations, while Special Week had seemingly mastered every trick in the book—except for Teio's.
Looking at the talent on display, Maruzensky felt this era was truly a gathering of stars, even compared to her own legendary generation.
"I wonder... can she learn that one?"
"Victory goes to Team Spica by a margin of two lengths!"
As Special Week and Silence Suzuka secured their win, Hishi Amazon's tough-front from her first loss completely crumbled.
Having already been forced to down one glass of the dreaded vegetable juice earlier, the "Big Sister" persona and dorm manager dignity were nowhere to be found.
She approached Toujou Hana with a look of pure, unadulterated dread.
If the Summer Dream Cup involves this juice next year, she thought, I am definitely staying at the training base to study instead!
She took the glass Toujou Hana handed over with a look of pity.
After a long, hesitant pause, she threw her head back and drained the concoction in one go.
You couldn't sip this. You couldn't savor it. You had to swallow it all before the flavor had a chance to ferment on your tongue!
"Mmph—!!?"
"Gah!"
Emptying the bottle in one gulp, Amazon collapsed backward onto the sand.
To hell with her pride as a senior. The juice felt like it was roiling in her gut; the bizarre, pungent taste hadn't been helped by the speed of consumption.
Even with the mental preparation of a second round, the flavor was just as overwhelming.
The "Queen of the Amazons" was officially out of commission.
"Man, Amazon-senpai and her crew really have the worst luck," Barbatos muttered, her lip twitching.
Losing two matches and being forced to drink that stuff twice? That was a rough beat.
Then again, if she and Seiun Sky went up against Special Week's duo, she wasn't entirely sure they'd come out on top either.
"Is it our turn yet?"
"Next up: Team Sei-B-chan vs. Team Dream Girls!"
"Yikes..."
As a first-timer at the Summer Dream Cup, Barbatos wasn't entirely clear on the bracket.
She just knew every team had to play each other, and the one with the most wins took the crown. But facing the Dream Girls meant going straight into a boss fight.
Maruzensky was in a league of her own, right up there with Symboli Rudolf.
Time to see just how big the gap is between us in volleyball, Barbatos thought. And maybe do a little scouting before we have to face the President's team.
"Players, please take the court. The match is about to begin!"
Barbatos took a deep breath and stepped onto the sand with Seiun Sky. Across the net stood the legendary Maruzensky.
Focus. We can win this, she told herself.
"Team Dream Girls leads, 1-0!"
"Team Dream Girls leads, 2-0!"
In just five minutes, Maruzensky and Taiki Shuttle had surged ahead by two points. Barbatos had her Zone active, her mental focus pushed to the absolute limit.
For the last five minutes, nothing worked—not her "Snake Balls," and not the clever tactical plays she'd coordinated with Seiun Sky.
Every single ball she sent over was returned effortlessly by Maruzensky. Under the crushing pressure of the Dream Girls' offense, Barbatos was the one starting to show cracks and openings.
It was a world away from their first match against Amazon-senpai. Back then, her Snake Balls had the benefit of surprise, allowing them to score and take the lead. But against Maruzensky, her offense felt... flawed.
It gave her a strange sensation—something she couldn't quite put into words, but it felt wrong.
It felt as if...
BAM!
To counter Maruzensky, Barbatos stopped using the Snake Ball as a rare finisher and began mixing it into her regular volleys to test a theory.
The ball carved a wicked arc through the air, swerving toward a back-row corner.
WHACK!
Before Taiki Shuttle could even move, Maruzensky had already returned the Snake Ball at an impossibly sharp angle.
"Another Snake Ball return!"
"Team Dream Girls leads, 3-0!"
The continuous trajectory changes of the Snake Ball seemed like a total non-factor to Maruzensky.
No matter how the ball twisted and turned in mid-air, it always seemed to end up right where Maruzensky was standing. Since the start of the match, she had barely moved from her spot.
Is this... a Zone?!
It wasn't the typical Speed Zone Uma Musume used on the track.
This was a different kind of "Zone"—a technique that forced the opponent's shots to gravitate toward the user regardless of where they were aimed.
It allowed her to exhaust her opponents and pick apart their weaknesses without moving an inch.
Barbatos had always assumed stuff like this only existed in sports anime.
It was supposed to be fictional. But as it turned out, reality was often even more ridiculous than fiction.
Even with the hyper-perception of her Full Power Zone, Barbatos couldn't mimic the technique just by watching the movements.
This wasn't just a physical move; it was the result of raw talent honed by years of trial and error.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.