Sometime later...
After classes had concluded for the day, the vast training track of Tracen Academy stretched beneath the afternoon sky.
There, standing beside one of the lanes, was King Halo in her training jumpsuit, already warming herself up.
She stretched her legs, rolling her shoulders.
Preparing herself for the track training.
Meanwhile, beside her stood Yuiji, whom she had finally contracted as her trainer.
The two had gathered for the very first day of their training regimen together.
In the meantime, Yuiji stood a short distance away, occupied with a notebook in his hands.
"Hmm..."
He rubbed his chin while repeatedly glancing between the notebook and King.
The pages contained numerous notes regarding racing styles and training evaluations.
There were diagrams of Umamusume physiques, charts describing how various traits interacted with one another.
How their personality, their temperament, their health, their natural aptitude, were intertwined, etc.
A very detailed notebook that contained nearly all the factors influencing which racing strategy would suit an Umamusume best.
And unfortunately for Yuiji...
Despite having such explicit material, he lacked the vital data needed to define every interrelated connection.
King Halo's data.
Everything that truly defined her.
Her speed, traits, and personality.
Everything tied to her feats.
With that in mind, he lowered his notebook.
For now, the only option was to let her run...
So he could continue watching and analyzing.
So he could learn.
Since King had yet to participate in enough races for him to fully understand her tendencies.
He did not know how she behaved within a crowded pack.
Whether she preferred taking the lead early.
Whether she excelled at overtaking.
Or whether she performed best while conserving energy until the final stretch.
Nor did he fully understand the strengths hidden within her abilities.
All of it remained unknown.
And today—
Would be the first step toward finding those answers.
There, Yuiji continued tapping his pen against the notebook, with the top of the pen remaining between his teeth as he frowned at the pages before him.
Then—
A memory surfaced in his thought.
The trial race.
His eyes widened slightly as he remembered.
He remembered how explosive King's acceleration had been.
How she had steadily swallowed the distance between herself and those ahead of her.
How, during the latter half of the race, she had overtaken competitor after competitor with remarkable speed.
There.
That was it.
At the very least, it was a starting point.
Something he could finally work with.
But before he could voice his thoughts—
King interjected.
"So?"
"Are we going to begin my training or not?"
She folded her arms.
"I've been stretching here for quite some time."
"And you've barely moved an inch."
"Oh..."
"I-I was just trying to determine the best way to train you," Yuiji nervously replied.
King then sighed.
"Then hurry up and decide."
"I would rather devote my hours to training than spend them watching you brood over that notebook all day."
"I-I... see," Yuiji replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head slightly.
King turned toward him fully.
"Well?"
"What's the hold-up?"
"Are we starting or not?"
"R-Right! Right! Sorry!"
With that, Yuiji hurriedly shoved his notebook under his arm and fumbled through his pocket in search of his stopwatch.
After pulling out the stopwatch, he steadied himself before quickly turning back toward King Halo.
"O-okay! Today, let's perform an evaluation test, shall we?" He suggested.
King raised an eyebrow.
"An evaluation test?"
"We'll be doing a breezing run."
"Breezing?" King repeated, slightly confused.
"Y-Yeah."
"In simpler terms, we'll have you run at full throttle around the course."
"I'll evaluate each segment of your performance and gather some baseline data."
King thought for a moment.
Then simplified it herself.
"So... you're telling me to sprint all around?"
"Y-Yes."
"Please."
King sighed again.
"Alright, just tell me when to start."
Then she stretched her shoulders one last time.
"But keep one thing in mind."
"W-What is it?" Yuiji asked.
A confident smile spread across King's face.
Then she pointed toward herself.
"You're about to be..."
She paused dramatically.
"...amazed."
"O...okay?"
At that, Yuiji took a few steps back and began the countdown.
"3!"
"2!"
And the instant he shouted, "1—!"
Before he could process what was happening, King's feet tensed, and she launched herself forward.
*WHOOMP!*
The track beneath her feet exploded from the force, and a powerful gust swept across the area.
Her acceleration was so violent that Yuiji instinctively staggered backward.
"WHOA! Th—!"
His eyes widened as the stopwatch nearly slipped from his hand.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
"That—!"
"That was amazing!" he exclaimed, mesmerized.
Meanwhile, King Halo remained completely focused.
Her feet pounded against the track, yet her form remained elegant and precise, like a breeze gliding across the course.
Standing by the sidelines, Yuiji found himself completely captivated.
Watching her run.
Watching her surge forward.
Watching her effortlessly carve through the track.
And somehow, it reminded him.
Reminded him of...
Then suddenly—
His vision blurred.
For a brief moment, he wasn't standing on Tracen's training grounds anymore.
Instead...
He was...
...he was a child again.
A young boy stared wide-eyed at the racetrack.
Unable to look away from the race unfolding before him.
He was captivated, excited.
A feeling he would never forget.
Then—
"What do you think, son?"
A familiar voice entered.
The young Yuiji turned.
Standing beside him was his father.
"She's fast, isn't she?" the man asked with a grin.
"Yeah, Father!"
Young Yuiji nodded vigorously.
"She's beating everyone!"
His father laughed proudly.
"Of course she is."
"After all..."
He proudly pointed at himself.
"She's one of your father's runners!"
With that, he eagerly turned back toward the track, watching the race continue to unfold.
And his smile widened.
The pride. The excitement. The admiration.
At that moment, Yuiji felt it again.
That feeling.
The same feeling that had driven him all these years.
The same feeling that fueled his dream, his goal, and his desire.
The same feeling that had inspired him to become...
...a trainer.
A trainer like his...
Like his...
Like...
Lik...
L...
...
Then, from somewhere deep within his fading memory, a voice echoed...
"Please... Trainer! Don't... don't leave me!"
But before he could grasp it.
Suddenly—
"TRAINER!"
A different, exhausted voice shouted, instantly shattering his train of thought.
He blinked and shook his head.
Only then did he realize that King Halo was already standing right in front of him, having completed an entire lap around the track.
Oh!"
"S-Sorry!" he stammered, fidgeting.
Yuiji immediately fumbled with his stopwatch, his fingers scrambling over the buttons.
Trying to stop the timer.
*Click*
He pressed a button, and the screen changed.
Then he blinked.
"...Huh?"
Instead of stopping, it had done the opposite.
The stopwatch had started counting.
His face instantly went pale as realization dawned on him.
He had never pressed the start button.
Which meant...
He had completely missed timing the entire run.
Before he could dwell on it any longer, King asked,
"So?"
"What was my time?"
"I was flawless, wasn't I?"
King tossed her hair back elegantly, her expression brimming with pride.
Meanwhile, Yuiji's shoulders simply drooped.
"I..."
"I'm sorry."
And King blinked.
"I... I-I forgot to start the stopwatch..."
Then came the silence...
Until—
"Huh...?"
King stared at him.
Then her eyes widened.
"HUH?!"
"After all that sprinting, you're telling me you didn't record anything?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Yuiji repeatedly bowed.
"I promise I'll pay more attention next time!"
"I'll definitely focus properly next time!"
At the sight of his pale face, King simply let out a long sigh.
"Geez..." she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she turned away.
"Whatever."
Surprisingly, she didn't continue scolding him.
Instead, she casually walked back toward the starting line.
There, she stretched her shoulders again.
Then glanced over at him.
"So?"
"Should I run it again?"
There, instead of agreeing, Yuiji immediately waved both hands frantically.
"Oh no! That's okay!"
"This kind of evaluation should only be done when you're in your best condition!"
"Geez..." King groaned again as she straightened herself.
"Then what exactly are we doing now?"
"Oh, wait! I know!"
Yuiji quickly pulled out his notebook again as he flipped through the pages in a hurry.
"L-Let's see..."
Several pages later, he finally found what he was looking for.
"According to my notes, after that intense workout, I think we should just do a light jog."
King then stared at him in disbelief.
"A light jog?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Considering you already put a lot of strain on that previous run, it's only proper we do—"
"Huh?!" King interrupted.
"But I'm perfectly fine!"
She then pointed at herself.
"Did you really just underestimate my abilities after seeing me run once?"
"No!"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Yuiji immediately shook his head.
"It's just that—!"
But right before he could finish—
"Whoa!"
"There you are, King, I found you!"
A familiar bright voice interjected.
"I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"I thought you were taken!"
The instant King heard that voice...
She practically jumped out of her skin.
Her whole body stiffened as she frantically looked left and right.
As if searching for the nearest place to hide.
"W-What's wrong?" Yuiji asked, utterly confused by King's sudden panic.
Before King could answer—
A familiar pink blur already came barreling toward them.
"King!"
"I-I'll explain later—!" King simply replied as she fidgeted nervously.
But before she could even take a step, before she could even make a proper reaction, the footsteps from that pink blur stopped.
Immediately, King slumped in defeat.
Slowly, she turned toward that pink menace.
A forced smile dragged across her face.
"H-Hi... Urara."