After resting a bit in the dorms arranged by the Tracen Academy to recover from the exhaustion of the long flight, Myriad Dreams' curiosity overcame the drowsiness of jet lag.
She was filled with a deep desire to explore this training base on the other side of the ocean, as well as the American Umamusume who lived here.
After a quick unpacking, she decided to head to the academy's training grounds to get an early feel for the atmosphere.
Compared to Japan, the training grounds in America felt more open, and the temperament of the dirt track was completely different, carrying a rugged and primal sense of power.
Just as she stood by the edge of the track, silently observing several Umamusume performing light, rhythmic gallops, a bolt of silver lightning suddenly crashed into her field of vision!
It was a gray-haired Umamusume, her coat shimmered under the sunlight with a luster like a brand-new silver coin.
Her running form carried a wild, unrestrained explosive power.
Every step seemed to fiercely tear through the ground, her powerful hind hooves propelling her past the track at a staggering speed.
'That speed...'
Myriad Dreams' pupils constricted slightly, her heart shaken.
'She's so fast!'
This pure, linear acceleration pressure actually felt a hair faster than the peak speed of Oguri Cap-senpai in her memories!
Myriad Dreams couldn't help but hold her breath, focusing all her attention on watching this stranger's training.
She watched as the girl completed set after set of sprint drills with a nearly frenzied rhythm.
Even by Myriad Dreams' standards, the training intensity and level of completion were terrifyingly high.
Finally, as that silver figure crossed the finish line, a man by the track wearing a sun hat, a slightly stout, coach-like figure looked at the stopwatch in his hand, nodded with satisfaction, and shouted toward the field:
"Good, Silver Charm! Last 1000 meters, 57 seconds! Keep up this form, and this year's Kentucky Derby will be ours!"
"Silver Charm..."
Myriad Dreams repeated the name in a low voice, finding that the name both suited that shining coat and carried an extraordinary allure. "What a great name."
"Oh? Are you very interested in her?"
A calm voice spoke beside her.
Myriad Dreams turned to see Aio Kiryuin, who had arrived at the track at some unknown point and was watching the girl named Silver Charm just as she was.
Myriad Dreams nodded honestly. "Mhm! Her speed is incredible, and her training intensity is massive."
Aio Kiryuin pushed up her glasses, a flash of white light reflecting off the lenses.
Like a walking database, she began her explanation: "Silver Charm, a rising star Umamusume in this region. Since her debut, she has three wins in six starts."
"While her record doesn't appear undefeated, it's worth noting that in the races she lost, she was defeated by extremely narrow margins, all within a single length."
"In other words, she possesses extremely stable, top-tier competitiveness and has never suffered a major defeat. She is a formidable opponent with unfathomable strength."
Listening to Trainer Kiryuin's cool-headed analysis, Myriad Dreams turned her gaze once more toward the silver-haired girl currently receiving guidance from her Trainer.
Her eyes became more solemn and focused.
It seemed the American dirt tracks were far more star-studded than she had imagined, and the challenge was coming much faster and more directly than expected.