An "actor," generally refers to a performer who plays a role. But in the world of horse girls, this term has a different meaning.
In the Uma Musume game, before a real race, the system will estimate the race result by comparing the player's horse girl's stats and skills with other participating horse girls. And sometimes, even though the dispatched horse girl completely crushes her opponents in all stats, has a reasonable skill set, and the system's prediction is "top contender"—a situation where it's impossible to lose—then, with perfect condition, top popularity... she gets 18th place.
To translate: she had the highest popularity in the field, was in excellent condition before the race, and almost everyone thought she would be the champion.
And then she got last place.
Such a horse girl is called an actor, and an "Oscar-winning" one at that.
Agnes Tachyon was such a contender.
This sounded a bit incredible. After all, she had just joined Shinji's team, hadn't even participated in a race yet, and hadn't had a chance to "act" for him. How could he be so sure she was an actor?
The answer was in the details.
"I admit, your stats on paper are quite good. In fact, to say you're in the front ranks is an understatement. You have the ability to compete with other top horse girls, and even surpass them..."
"But that's just on paper."
"I can see that, although you haven't raced, you've been taking good care of your body and have been keeping up with your training. You've probably also self-studied a lot of trainer knowledge, and with your understanding of your own body, you've developed a corresponding training plan, and the results should be good so far."
"But, you believe in those surface-level data too much, to the point of neglecting many other things."
After speaking, Shinji sighed with some helplessness.
Tachyon's strength was not bad, that was beyond doubt. And as a mad scientist, her learning ability was certainly not bad either. It was of course no problem for her to create her own training plan. In terms of theoretical knowledge alone, she even knew more than many veteran trainers.
But it was only theoretical knowledge.
In the profession of a trainer, practical experience is far more important than textbook theory, and not just by a little. Because every horse girl is different.
Origin, family, personality, eating habits, instinctive preferences, even some small movements in daily life—each of these will create differences. The theories in textbooks are just classic, general cases. Although they can be applied in most situations, there will definitely be situations where they cannot be applied, and that's when experience comes into play.
Tachyon's theoretical knowledge was very rich, but this had become the very shackles that bound her. She believed in those theories too much, to the point of neglecting other things.
Although on the surface her stats were not low, and she had no problem running, especially in middle distances, and with skills that relied on intelligence like running form knowledge and timing judgment, she was very strong.
But Shinji could guarantee that as long as she dared to race against opponents of the same level, she would lose so badly she wouldn't even recognize her own mother.
Because she had too many small problems.
The most fatal one was her physical condition. Although she usually paid attention to exercise and had no problems during tests, the damage caused by her long-term stay in the lab and her irregular diet and rest had been lurking in various parts of her body. Although there were no external signs now, as soon as she entered a race and began to run at her limit, these things would all become bombs that could detonate at any time, and any one of them could sink her.
And this was just the most serious problem. Besides this, there were also all sorts of not-so-serious, not-so-obvious on the surface, but ridiculously numerous small troubles.
To make an analogy, it's like Tachyon had 100 points of strength, but she was carrying over a hundred debuffs, each with about a one percent chance of activating. As long as one was triggered, she could at most exert 80 points of strength. If two were triggered, she was basically done for.
Although her stats were high and other aspects were not bad, and in terms of potential she was almost top-tier, unless her luck was extremely good, it was basically impossible for her to fully exert her strength.
This was why Shinji said she was an actor.
When he first started explaining the situation, Tachyon still had a smile on her face, but as the explanation deepened, the smile on her face gradually disappeared, and her head slowly lowered, her thoughts unknown.
"In conclusion, these are the one hundred and seventy-four problem points I have observed in you so far. Although ordinary horse girls also have some problems more or less, this is the first time I've seen so many in one person," Shinji said with some emotion.
After wandering for so many years and seeing so many horse girls, he thought he had seen it all. He didn't expect there to be a heaven beyond the heavens. Tachyon had really opened his eyes.
As for why he hadn't seen her problems at first, on one hand, it was because she hadn't joined the team then, and he hadn't looked at her seriously. On the other hand, it was because Tachyon's trainer level, at least the theoretical level, was not low. She had dealt with all the obvious problems herself.
As for the remaining problems, if it weren't for him, even if you brought in another veteran trainer, it would be difficult to see them. They might even wonder after a race why Tachyon was such a good actor.
After a moment of silence, Tachyon looked up and asked seriously, "Is there a solution?"
"There is, but it's very troublesome and requires a lot of time and energy," Shinji sighed. "And you'd better not expect to solve it with some potion. Because according to my judgment, most of your problems are from drinking potions. Many times you think it's a convenient shortcut, but the hidden dangers left behind will not disappear."
This might not sound so serious. After all, those were not big problems and could be solved with time and conditioning. But the problem was, what Tachyon lacked was time.
Unlike Special Week and Oguri, her full-fledged development was not just beginning, but was already more than halfway through. Compared to other horse girls, she was already debuting very late. Many horse girl races have a debut year limit, not just to protect the new horse girls, but also to maintain the dignity of the former strong.
Three years of full-fledged development. Once it's over, it's the decline phase. Although the degree of decline is limited, for a race where every second counts, even a one-second error can directly affect the outcome.
First year: Start training, learn to control the sudden increase in strength under the guidance of a trainer.
Second year: After the debut race, choose an exclusive trainer, then officially enter the racetrack. After a period of adaptation and race accumulation, you can start participating in grade-level races. These are the so-called G1, G2, G3 races, also known as graded stakes. But in the second year, although you can participate in G1, G2, G3, the total number of races is not large, and most are in the second half of the year. G1 races are concentrated at the end of the year to give them more time to develop.
Third year: With the afterglow of full-fledged development, the horse girls' physical fitness will reach the peak of their lives. The number of races they can participate in increases rapidly, and the intensity is unprecedented. It is also the time when legends begin to be written.
Then, the fourth year, full-fledged development ends, and the decline phase begins. It sounds like it should be the time for legends to end, but it's not. Many legends are just getting started. Although it's the decline phase, this decline also takes time. And during this period before they decline to the point of retiring from the racetrack, the importance of technique becomes particularly prominent. If in the third year, the horse girls in the late stage of their development were running rampant with their peak physical fitness, then their competition in the fourth year is a dual competition of strength and skill. Their comprehensive strength is even stronger than in the third year, the spectacle is higher, and there are more races they can participate in.
But the fifth year is no good. A whole year of decline is enough to turn a former genius into a mediocrity. And compared to the physical decline, the psychological problems of horse girls are even more serious. It's fine for those who haven't achieved much. But for those who have, especially those who have stood at the peak, it's rare to be able to maintain a normal state of mind when they watch the things they once had slip away from them, and they can do nothing about it.
Talent, ability, victory, even hope... They can only watch as these things disappear from their grasp, and no matter how much they struggle, it's useless.
But even so, there is one thing they can keep.
That's right, the trainer.
So now you know why the turnover rate for Tracen trainers is ridiculously high, right?
After reading this, let's return our attention to Tachyon, and we can see the seriousness of the problem.
Her full-fledged development was already more than halfway through. Logically, she should have been participating in races for a while, and should have even attended graded stakes. But she had just found a trainer. Although the race organizers don't forbid horse girls who are past their prime from competing, and in fact, many debut at their peak, make a quick buck, and then run, the problem is that those are strategies adopted by horse girls and trainers who know their talent is insufficient and are thick-skinned enough.
And while Tachyon was thick-skinned, she was no mediocrity.
If she started competing now, although a bit late, it was still within the normal range. But if she spent a lot of time adjusting those small troubles, she would definitely be overdue. Of course, it's not impossible to compete while adjusting the problems, but on one hand, it's easy for accidents to happen. On the other hand, with such a body of problems, she would probably lose every race before the problems were solved. And once she got used to losing, the potential psychological problems would be greater than all those small troubles combined.
These were all things written in textbooks, and as a theory expert, Tachyon of course understood.
After a long silence, she suddenly chuckled, and then a smile that looked no different from usual appeared on her face. "Alright, no need to be so worried. My main job is still a researcher. Racing is just a way to get funding. At worst, I'll just lose for the first year. I don't care anyway..."
Tap—
Shinji's clipboard tapped her on the head, interrupting her.
"If you really didn't care, you wouldn't have chosen to debut at this time."
He retracted the clipboard, not even looking at her, and said melancholically, "Anyway, although it's troublesome, I'll help you find a way. Who told me I agreed to be your trainer?"
"But I have a request. During this period, you must listen to everything I say. And not just on the training field, but also what you eat and wear in your daily life."
Tachyon was taken aback for a moment, the smile on her face disappearing for an instant. After a while, it slowly reappeared, and with a bit more of a strange meaning than before. "Oh my, I have to listen to everything you say? Mr. Guinea Pig, you're not planning something naughty, are you..."
Bonk—
The clipboard hit her on the head again, this time a little harder.
But unlike before when her attention was not focused, this time Tachyon watched the clipboard come down. But she didn't choose to block or resist. She just let it hit her on the head, her expression still smiling.
"Don't cause trouble for me."
Shinji shot her a glare, then turned his head to the side, looking at the dazed Special Week in the distance, who couldn't even walk straight anymore.
"I still have a lot to do."
Tachyon blinked and said with a smile, "Then do you need my help, Mr. Guinea Pig?"
Shinji shot her an exasperated glance.
"Not causing trouble for me is the greatest help."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (260 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (110 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (100 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (80 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (80 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (80 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (50 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (60 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (60 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (40 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (40 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (40 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.