Time has a way of slipping through one's fingers. It was already the final day of summer camp, and a full month had vanished since the conclusion of the Summer Dream Cup.
Barbatos stirred early. Beside her, Seiun Sky remained adrift in a deep slumber, much like King Halo, Grass Wonder, and Special Week, who were all still lost in their own dreams.
With a thought, Barbatos called up her system interface—a tool she rarely relied on these days.
She had grown to prefer the grit of physical training to sharpen her edge, but as the screen flickered to life before her eyes, the familiar array of skills and gear reminded her of the foundation that had allowed her to rise.
Despite her modest natural talent, these were the elements that had forged her into Japan's finest.
The display clearly tallied the gold she had amassed over the past six months through official races and mock battles against Rigil.
Interestingly enough, the simulated duels often proved more lucrative than the big stage; official races were a monthly affair at best, while mock battles could be staged whenever the blood started to pump.
With over 7,000 gold in the bank, she had enough to complete two full items.
At this stage, the remaining options in the shop didn't offer the world-shaking stat boosts of her earlier gear.
Instead, they focused on the nuances: stacking movement speed or providing that lethal burst of acceleration.
She finally settled on two pieces of equipment: [Shurelya's Battlesong] and [Turbocharged Hexperiment]. Both were designed to provide a sudden surge of momentum, much like [Righteous Glory].
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[Shurelya's Battlesong]: Grants you and nearby allies 30% Move Speed for 4 seconds.
[Turbocharged Hexperiment]: Grants 40% Move Speed when moving toward enemy Uma Musume for 4 seconds. Upon reaching an opponent (or after 4 seconds), it emits a shockwave that slows nearby enemy Uma Musume by 50% for 1.5 seconds.
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[Turbocharged Hexperiment] felt like a slightly more niche version of [Righteous Glory], but [Shurelya's Battlesong] was a different beast entirely—one she had to use with extreme caution.
It was better suited for a "Chaser" strategy, but the danger lay in its area of effect.
Activating it would buff every Uma Musume running alongside her.
Making her rivals faster was one thing, but the visual manifestation of such an effect was simply too eerie. If she used it too often, she'd likely end up as a permanent resident of a research lab.
Regardless, these additions pushed her strength—which had been plateauing—up to a new plateau entirely.
Heavy-load training had bolstered her stamina and nudged her speed ceiling upward, but she was hitting the point of diminishing returns.
Even if her body could handle more weight, carrying it would make daily life impossible.
She wouldn't stop training, but she had to be more surgical about how she added resistance.
This world might be blessed by the Three Goddesses, but it was still grounded in reality; you couldn't haul a ton of iron around and expect to walk to the grocery store like a normal person.
As for today...
After nearly two months of grueling mock races against the seniors of Team Rigil across every imaginable distance, the moment had arrived.
On this final day at the beach, she was slated to face "The Emperor," Symboli Rudolf.
Lately, Barbatos found herself trading wins and losses with the likes of T.M. Opera O and Narita Brian, achieving a genuine 50/50 split.
The shorter the distance, the higher her odds.
Her tactical intuition on the turf was now equal to that of the most legendary Uma Musume. Even excluding the gear she just bought, she was half a step stronger than she had been at the Takarazuka Kinen.
She was confident. Even against the legendary Tamamo Cross in her prime, Barbatos believed she could seize the win. As for Oguri Cap? Though they had never raced, Barbatos felt the fire of victory in her gut.
But today's goal was singular: topple the Emperor.
Symboli... Rudolf!
After finishing her morning routine and breakfast with Seiun Sky, Barbatos headed toward the Rigil training grounds. King Halo and Grass Wonder were already waiting.
Though their injuries hadn't fully healed, they had graduated from wheelchairs to walking with the help of canes.
Even they wouldn't miss this; they wanted to see exactly how wide the gap was between Barbatos and the Emperor.
Or perhaps, they wanted to see if Barbatos had finally closed it.
"Morning, Barbatos. Morning, Sky."
Minamizaka greeted them with a squinty-eyed smile. The details of this mock race had been kept strictly within the inner circle. Even Special Week, who shared a roof with them, was in the dark.
However, Minamizaka knew. As a trainer, it was only natural to be in the loop, especially since the two teams were rivals.
Toujou Hana saw no need to keep secrets from Minamizaka; she possessed the unshakable confidence of one who helmed Japan's strongest team.
Even when Minamizaka wasn't physically present for the trials, she shared the data with him.
"Morning. How has the training been going for Nature and the others?" Barbatos asked.
She knew the entirety of Team Canopus was gunning for the Japan Cup.
What should have been a relaxing summer camp had turned into a high-intensity grind, with Twin Turbo even having to juggle her runs with remedial study sessions.
Minamizaka shook his head with a touch of weary pride. "They're working incredibly hard. They really want to stand on that Japan Cup stage with you."
During the camp, Nice Nature had swept the G3 Kokura Kinen and the G2 Kyoto Shinbun Hai with ease, finally letting her innate talent shine.
Ikuno Dictus and Matikanetannhauser had also secured wins in the Keihan Hai and the Tanabata Sho, respectively.
It wasn't that they couldn't handle G2 races; it was simply that the Sapporo Kinen was the only G2 available during the camp, and the only G1 was a dirt race in July they had already bypassed.
They were clawing their way toward the Japan Cup, one win at a time.
Urara had suffered a narrow defeat in a G3, while Twin Turbo—after laughing at Urara—had managed to build a ten-length lead only to "flame out" spectacularly, finishing nearly last.
This had sparked a wave of chatter in the racing press, with pundits suggesting that beyond Barbatos and Seiun Sky, Canopus wasn't actually that formidable.
Nice Nature, Ikuno Dictus, and Matikanetannhauser's G3 wins hadn't been the kind of crushing, "out-of-sight" victories that Barbatos or Seiun Sky delivered.
But the members of Canopus knew the truth; they had tested themselves against each other in private.
Urara, ever the optimist, was already prepping for her next run. Twin Turbo had wailed like a banshee before bouncing back with her trademark, inexplicable confidence.
As they stepped into the indoor training arena, Barbatos's eyes locked onto a figure in the distance.
There she stood, already clad in her racing silks, methodically warming up.
Symboli Rudolf.
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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.