Author's Note: I am not an editor or a professional writer. I will write this and edit it to the best of my ability. I also do not own Uma Musume, which is owned by Cygames. Watch the animes and read the mangas, for they are pretty good. Finally, please enjoy.
Black Diamond POV
After surviving the two-week hell that was training camp, we moved on to my favorite activity: making music for the masses.
Still, that training camp was fucked up. We all almost died multiple times, and I was buried in mud for most of it. There are easier ways to put me six feet under, you know!
I finally got back to the studio, and waiting there was Ana, who already had her team preparing music tracks.
I listened to all the sounds and music they had created. There wasn't much, since they had all been helping out at the training camp, but everything sounded good. Soon, Ana showed me the schedule for the next week.
First, we would all have individual performance checks, and anyone who failed would be put through extreme song and dance training for the following week.
My test was first, and everyone had been sent the announcement. The test consisted of a singing test, a dance test, and a talent show. Ana, Mina, and Hana would decide whether we met the qualifications.
Those who passed, though, would get to do creative work to help prepare for the live performances.
My test soon began, and I did great at singing, good at dancing, and, finally, my last test was music composition with a guitar.
I knocked that final test out of the park, making every judge scream with excitement!
I soon passed and joined the others as they took their tests.
First was ImP, who blew the singing test out of the ballpark, did great at dancing, and played the guitar like a master during her final test. She passed.
Next was Spice. His singing passed, his dancing was good, and his final test, rap, was a master class that blew everyone away. He passed, too.
Next was Norn, whose singing was angelic. Her dance was an original choreography she had created herself, and it was beautiful. Her final test was fashion design, where she created a dress that Mina actually wanted to add to her store.
She soon combined everything into a masterful performance and received a masterful grade.
Next after her was Lily, and she was bad. Just a total letdown.
I knew she had done her best during training, but it seemed she had neglected performance training.
Her singing was average, but it wasn't enough to pass. Her dancing was above average, but the choreography was bad. Her final talent was a speech that felt memorized and had no emotion. She was supposed to be showing off her hosting skills, but it was bad.
She was the first to fail, and the announcement somehow lit a fire under everyone's ass.
Next was GW, whose singing was really good. Her choreographed dance was insane, even leaving Ana speechless. Finally, her last talent was another outfit, which Mina wanted to get her hands on.
Steel was next, and her song was opera. She blew everyone away.
Her dance showed off her athleticism, too. That's when I realized that both performances covered any weaknesses she might have had while enhancing all her abilities. She was aiming not just for a high grade but for the highest one possible.
She didn't get it, though, and I could still hear her cursing loudly when she got fifth place.
After Steel came Jo, whose performance was a masterpiece. Her singing was smooth as silk, her dance choreography was designed to look absolutely mystical, and her rapping was performed at an insane speed that blew us all away.
She even performed her song with a piano, showing off her instrumental abilities.
She easily took one of the top spots in the performance rankings.
Next up was Gray, and she did all three tests at once.
She performed a song using her singing, dancing, and a piece of music she had written herself. The song was amazing, and her dancing was on point. It was a fusion of synchro pop and R&B.
She called it Gray Program, and Ana and I agreed to adapt it properly later.
Damn, she was good!
Next was Mama Blues, whose singing was jazz-inspired and amazing. Her dance was swing dancing, and she was incredible at that, too. Finally, her talent was cinematography, where she played a video giving a tour of the entire base.
It was great, making Mina want it for herself.
Next after Mama was KiWi, and her performance was insane.
Her song was a combination of ballad, folk music, and gospel, telling a story about a world that didn't exist.
Her dance was smooth and told the story of a culture that didn't exist outside her imagination, yet it was absolutely beautiful.
Her last talent was animation. She showed us an animated video of a fantasy world that matched her song and dance, and the quality was insane.
All of us were left absolutely speechless, proving that she was the most creative person in this building.
Next was Rain, and she was different, but in a good way.
Her song was a soldier's ballad in traditional Japanese style, making everyone cry because of how sad it was. Her dance was hip-hop, showing off her physicality and flexibility.
Finally, her talent was a gymnastics performance that left everyone in awe.
It was amazing from start to finish, making the room fall quiet as we took in the beauty of it all.
After her was Rose, who performed a solo duet for her song, showing off her ability to hit both high and low notes. Her dance was a mix of masculine and feminine styles, showcasing her strength and flexibility.
Finally, her last talent had her playing the violin with an amazing song.
Safe to say, she passed with flying colors.
After her was Sweets, whose singing was a strong, feminine country ballad.
Her dancing barely passed, though, and needed more work. Finally, her last talent was a short video about training camp that she had directed, and it was a masterpiece.
Mina immediately bought it, wanting to use it in the future.
She passed, and soon we moved on.
Last was Vic, and this was where the greatness stopped.
Vic's singing was optimal, but her song didn't match. Her dance was full of mistakes, and her last talent was a comedy act that was funny but could have been better.
The announcement that Vic had failed sent an echo throughout the team.
We all tried to help Vic, just as she had always helped us, but soon Vic and Lily were sent to performance camp.
Some others, like Spice and Sweets, joined them to work on their flaws after seeing how hard the two were working.
Still, those who passed and didn't need to improve their skills celebrated before getting back to work.
GW and Norn went to help make outfits, while Steel and Jo went to help make props. KiWi and Mama were designing an animated video to accompany one of our songs. Gray was writing song lyrics, while Rain and Rose helped out.
Finally, ImP and I were working with Ana to create compositions.
The team switched around and took on different jobs to help each other out, too. With the help of Ana's team and Mina's servants, we were doing quite well.
Soon, ImP asked me if we could ask Juna to help us create a rock song that fused my traditional rock and roll, her punk rock, and the rock music of this world, which Juna was an expert in.
Fuck yes, I agreed!
Soon, ImP and I decided to go see Juna. We heard she had taken a week of vacation after camp, delegating her work to her team before heading off to her apartment.
We decided to visit her the next day and soon arrived at her apartment.
ImP knocked on her door, and Juna soon answered.
ImP spoke up, saying, "Juna, can we talk? Because you're gonna love this."
Juna responded positively, saying, "Hell yeah, Impy! Lay it on me."
Soon, ImP told her about the song we wanted to make, and I joined in a few times.
She agreed, saying, "That sounds amazing, my rock sisters! Let's do it!"
She soon shut the door, and we heard a commotion inside before she opened it again, now dressed and carrying her partner on her back.
We soon made our way to the entertainment production wing.
There, we passed our teammates doing different activities, from training to producing various things. Juna was amazed, and soon we reached my area, where I composed music, recorded tracks, wrote everything, and made songs.
Ana's crew was hard at work there while she was reading through my compositions.
She saw us and Juna and immediately greeted us before asking to have a conversation with me in another room.
Once we were alone, she asked, "Okay, explain why Juna is here in the recording office before I lose my mind speculating."
I smiled at her and truthfully told her, "ImP wanted herself, Juna, and me to record a mixed rock song together."
She looked slack-jawed at that information. After what looked like a million thoughts went through her head, she calmed herself down.
She soon asked as calmly as she could, "Why?"
I smiled at her, not caring about her inner hissy fit, and responded, "Creative freshness. Adding other creative and talented musicians like her leads to our work evolving and growing in quality."
She had to admit I was correct and soon agreed to the arrangement.
After the meeting, the music-making began.
It was fun making the song, and once it was completed, I knew it would dominate the music charts.
Still, I was busy. Not only had I taken it upon myself to give everyone a theme song, but I also had to adapt songs and music from our world to introduce them to this one.
I was even helping Gray complete the song from her test. Seeing my situation, Ana made me delegate some of the work.
That's why Ana and her team helped Gray throughout the process of completing the song. She also helped Gray adapt our world's songs for this one.
Still, knowing that Ana thinks Gray is just another musical talent like me and doesn't know these are adapted songs is funny.
I also had Norn, Spice, and Jo assist Gray with the adaptations, while ImP, Juna, and GW assisted me with the original songs.
It was hard work, but soon all the songs were ready for the presentation.
The original songs were presented first.
Mina loved our theme songs but couldn't care less about the head's themes, seeing them as unnecessary.
Still, I was keeping them because they were high-quality songs.
She also loved the adapted songs, which included many of Gray and her team's favorites.
Like, why was there so much K-pop in there?
We soon moved on, and Juna went back to her real job. She said she had enjoyed her vacation.
ImP also left to check on Lily and see if she had passed her reexamination.
I knew they had, because I knew those two.
They would rather die than fail again.
Now the staff had just gone home, and everything was cleaned up. I was alone, and I was thinking.
I was trying to avoid my thoughts by keeping myself busy.
I knew I was putting everyone and myself in danger with these songs.
Thanks to training camp, I now knew the reason there were no major genres outside of pop music. Music outside of pop was relegated to minor sounds or underground hits.
The Pop Cult was an entire cult I hadn't known existed, one powerful enough to hold the world hostage to a single sound.
They were a terrorist group, but they acted more like the KKK. They were obviously dangerous, but I hated them so much that I had to create my own movement against them.
I didn't know why, but I felt this massive hatred for that group, even though I should have been hearing about them for the first time.
That was what confused me, but instead of worrying about it, I chose to follow my emotions.
My goal was to create a movement and a group outside my team that could finally end the cult's stranglehold over the music scene and the world.
The first step was to show them what was possible through my songs and prove that I was able and willing to take on the cult with my artistic talents.
The second was to win races, demonstrate our strength, and let our fanbase and word of mouth spread our influence even further.
Finally, I would create a movement and a group that would need to be trained, armed, and well-supplied to take the cult on.
I also needed to weaken the cult and sow doubt within its ranks.
Would all of this work out exactly as planned?
Oh, heck no!
Would it cause me a lot of pain, headaches, and setbacks?
Most likely, yes.
Still, I was willing to adapt and grow because I was just a musician who could run and perform, and that was all I knew.
Even so, with the help of everyone willing to stand beside me, I might be able to do something crazy.
Why did I have to do this?
Because, feelings from an unknown source or not, I couldn't accept a world with only one genre of music.
It was almost time for curfew, and soon I began gathering my stuff and getting ready to leave.
Welp, time to get ready for the craziest thing I've ever done.