"I'll keep that in mind!" Mizuno nodded earnestly, taking Master Jin's warning to heart.
Rest assured—even if it killed him, he would never pull an Uma Musume's tail.
"Master Jin, do I really have to train for a whole year? Isn't that way too long?" Mizuno asked, scratching his head anxiously.
If he spent a whole year training before challenging El Condor Pasa, who knew how many trainers she'd have tossed around by then? By the time he returned, even next year's recruits might be hospitalized.
"Not necessarily—it depends on your current level," Master Jin replied. "Let's find out. Stand up, and I'll hit you once to test your endurance. If you're already tough enough, we can cut the training time."
Rolling up his sleeves, Master Jin revealed arms like steel cables—thick, veined, and coiled with power. Just looking at them made Mizuno's stomach drop. One punch from those and he'd probably splatter like a tomato under a truck tire.
"…" Mizuno stared at the sandbag-sized fist and swallowed hard.
If that thing connected, he'd definitely black out… but he didn't back down.
He nodded firmly. "Let's do it."
Because he'd just remembered something.
Fortune had once told him that Hope Energy couldn't boost his speed or strength—only his resistance to damage. Usually useless… unless you were about to get hit by a human wrecking ball.
And right now, that was exactly what he needed.
[Mizuno]:Fortune, pour all the Hope Energy from my previous races into boosting my defense.
[Fortune]:Are you sure? You won't have any left in reserve if something goes wrong later.
[Mizuno]:Out with the old, in with the new. You can't make big gains clinging to scraps. Do it!
[Fortune]:...Okay.
A warm surge pulsed from Mizuno's chest, spreading through his veins, his muscles, his bones. His body didn't feel stronger—but denser, tougher. Like he'd been wrapped in invisible armor.
"Alright, Master Jin." Mizuno opened his arms wide, lifted his chin, and shut his eyes. "I'm ready."
"Good. Forty percent power—brace yourself."
Master Jin's arm blurred, then—
Wham!
"Ugh!" Mizuno doubled over but stayed standing.
"How's it feel?"
"Hurts… but manageable," Mizuno grunted, rubbing his abdomen. It burned, but he was fine. No blood, no broken ribs.
"Impressive!" Master Jin nodded. "A normal guy would be on the ground coughing up last night's dinner by now. Let's try sixty percent."
Another punch—Mizuno wobbled.
"Eighty!"
This time, he staggered backward several steps.
"One hundred!"
"Buga!!"
Mizuno flew back and hit the floor, curling up like a shrimp, clutching his stomach in agony.
He'd failed—but Master Jin looked delighted.
"Little Gou, you've got a solid base! You sure you weren't a masked wrestler before this?" he said, clearly impressed. Even in his current, not-quite-prime state, that punch would've dropped most men instantly. But Mizuno had taken it and stayed conscious—proof he was already at the upper limits of ordinary humans.
"You're really sure you don't want to meet my daughter? She's into wrestling too—"
"No, thanks!" Mizuno waved frantically, cutting him off. "So… is my endurance enough?"
"Not quite," Master Jin admitted, flexing his sore wrist. "But close. To be certain, you'll need a real Uma Musume to test it."
He walked to the window and pointed toward the forest. "About two kilometers east, there's a fifty-meter waterfall. Lately, an Uma Musume's been training there—meditating under the falls from dawn to dusk."
"If you can withstand three of her attacks, your endurance passes. Come back to me after that, and I'll teach you the technique."
"An Uma Musume?" Mizuno blinked, following his gesture.
"Yeah. Don't know her name, and she won't say it, but she's calm and approachable. If you ask nicely, she'll help you. You're supposed to meditate under the waterfall for training anyway, so you can join her and ask while you're at it."
"…" Mizuno hesitated.
An Uma Musume from Tracen, out here in the mountains? Could it be El Condor Pasa? No, couldn't be—she'd been busy slamming trainers into the ground back at the academy yesterday. So it had to be someone else.
Hopefully someone he didn't know. The fewer complications, the better.
He took a breath and nodded. "Alright."
...
Half an hour later.
Following Master Jin's directions, Mizuno arrived at the waterfall deep in the woods.
White torrents thundered down from fifty meters high, crashing into the shallow pool below with a roar that drowned out every other sound.
Peering through the bushes, he spotted her—an Uma Musume sitting cross-legged on a smooth stone directly beneath the falling water.
She looked around her early twenties, tall and graceful, wearing a simple light-blue swimsuit. Her eyes were closed, her expression serene, as the waterfall pounded her shoulders and head without mercy.
Definitely not El Condor Pasa. Not anyone he recognized, either.
"Phew…" Mizuno exhaled in relief.
Good. A stranger.
He stepped out from the bushes, wading carefully into the cold shallows until he was close enough to speak.
"Um, hello there—"
"?!"
The Uma Musume's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she just stared—then her pupils shrank in shock, as if she'd just seen a ghost.
"Ta—cough! H-hello…" she stammered, quickly forcing a smile.