"I'm toast..."
Barbatos sat slumped on the sand, all dignity long gone.
Under the "kind" encouragement of her seniors, she'd been forced to down that dreaded vegetable juice right then and there.
The moment it hit her tongue, the flavor detonated.
A sharp, indescribable funk flooded her mouth, sending her motivation into a freefall and draining the light from her eyes.
Even with the carrot juice Minamizaka had helpfully bought to neutralize the taste, it was a drop in the ocean—a temporary reprieve that did nothing to banish the lingering horror from her palate.
She stayed sprawled on the ground, having lost even the will to watch the upcoming matches. Her gaze was hollow, staring at the court without really seeing it.
Seiun Sky sat beside her, resting her head on Barbatos's shoulder.
One could hear the faint, rhythmic sound of her breathing. Since Barbatos hadn't been spared, Seiun Sky naturally hadn't escaped the executioner's cup either.
Her solution, after a quick swig of carrot juice to dull the edge, was to employ her "sleep in three seconds" ultimate technique. She was simply slumbering through the vegetable juice's aftershocks.
Had they been the first to lose, Seiun Sky's sharp wit probably would have found them a way out of the vegetable juice sentence.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side.
With so many others having already suffered before them, the seniors weren't about to let Barbatos and Sky slip through the cracks.
As for the "grace" and "dignity" the seniors usually maintained?
That had evaporated the second they tasted the sludge themselves. Now, they were governed by a single, unwavering creed: misery loves company.
Ensuring everyone shared the same agony had become the collective goal.
Even Barbatos felt it now.
The only thing worth looking forward to was watching Symboli Rudolf drink the juice.
Everyone wanted to see the look on the President's face once she took a hit. The "mask of pain" was only fair if everyone had to wear it.
Time blurred, especially while Barbatos's brain was busy rebooting from the toxic green shock.
T.M. Opera O and Grass Wonder were the unluckiest of the bunch.
Their Rap Duo had been knocked out by the Dream Girls in the first round, only to run straight into the Emperor's team in the second. They were being systematically dismantled by the President herself.
The only difference was that Symboli Rudolf didn't deploy her Zone like Maruzensky had. Even so, she didn't give Opera O's team an inch of breathing room.
However, after such high-intensity rallies and the stamina-draining "Trick Shots," Tokai Teio began to show signs of flagging toward the end of the match.
The Teio of this era—not yet debuted—still lacked the raw speed and endurance of Barbatos's generation, let alone the legendary Uma Musume.
But with Symboli Rudolf there, that gap was completely bridged.
Ultimately, T.M. Opera O relied on her "Regal Will" and a stash of pre-bought drinks to endure the terror of the juice, maintaining her royal composure for a solid two minutes...
...Before collapsing near Team Rigil's bench.
If there was anything scarier than one cup of vegetable juice, it was two. Yet, even as she went down, she made sure to fall gracefully. Even in defeat, the Overlord had an image to maintain.
"Next round: Team Spica vs. Team '94."
Hishi Amazon: "..."
Narita Brian: "..."
In previous Summer Dream Cups, Hishi Amazon would usually be itching for her next match while watching from the sidelines.
This time, she found herself wondering why on earth her turn had come so quickly.
The two legends stepped onto the court looking like they were suffering through the ultimate "Bad Mood" status effect.
Under normal circumstances, a match against Special Week and Silence Suzuka would have been a thrilling back-and-forth.
But after two rounds of vegetable juice, their bodies felt energized while their spirits were utterly crushed.
Despite their legendary pride, they just couldn't find the spark. The only thing keeping them going was the desperate, soul-deep desire to avoid a third cup.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Bang!
"Team Spica wins by a two-length margin!"
As the two of them trudged back to the officials' table, even Toujou Hana felt a twinge of guilt.
If the juice hadn't been genuinely healthy despite its vile taste, she would have called it off. Think of it as character building, she told herself.
Thud.
"We're forfeiting the rest of the tournament..."
Hishi Amazon collapsed.
Narita Brian, her hand trembling as she held the juice, could no longer maintain her cool exterior. If they kept going and things went south, they could end up drinking three more cups.
Their current form was abysmal; victory was a pipe dream. It was better to quit now and save what was left of their dignity—and their stomachs.
"Brian! You... you jerk!" Amazon managed to croak out.
Brian exhaled in relief. If Amazon had insisted on fighting, she would have followed her to the bitter end—juice be damned.
She'd expected Amazon's stubborn nature to reject the idea of giving up.
"You jerk... I totally agree with you!" Amazon finished.
Seriously, I should have stayed at the dorms to study instead, they both thought.
--+--
"Next up: Team Sei-B-chan vs. Tutoring Team!"
Two matches and an hour of recovery had allowed Barbatos to finally emerge from the vegetable juice-induced fog. She nudged the sleeping Seiun Sky awake and headed to the court.
Air Groove and Fuji Kiseki were roughly on par with Hishi Amazon.
That meant they were in the same tier as Barbatos and Sky. There was a path to victory. And since Seiun Sky had managed to sleep off the worst of the "poisoning," the momentum was in their favor.
"Start!"
No one held back. All four girls gave it everything they had. Even the usually lethargic Seiun Sky was playing for her life—nobody wanted another round of that juice.
To the spectators, the match was a flurry of physics-defying plays. Whenever Barbatos or Fuji Kiseki spiked the ball, it seemed to curve mid-air.
Both sides were masters of the "Snake Shot," using the skill of redirected momentum to force their opponents into exhausting sprints. Neither side would yield; neither side wanted that cup.
They poured every ounce of skill and strategy into the sand, refusing to relax until the final point.
"Congratulations to Team Sei-B-chan! A 5-4 victory!"
Air Groove and Fuji Kiseki took their juice and made the same choice as Amazon's team: they withdrew from the Summer Dream Cup.
After two cups and a "Desperate" mood state, the disadvantage was simply too great to overcome.
"Final round: Team Emperor vs. Team Dream Girls!"
As Toujou Hana's voice rang out, every Uma Musume—no matter how much they were suffering from the juice—turned their eyes toward the court.
--+--
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.