Winners' Ceremony.
Night had fallen over Tracen Academy.
Seiun Sky stood center stage in the spotlight, holding a microphone, unusually free of her usual languid demeanor.
Barbatos and El Condor Pasa flanked her on either side, just like the second and third placers in a race.
This was a consensus the two of them had reached.
No matter who would win if they raced each other one-on-one, for this particular relay marathon, Seiun Sky was undoubtedly the MVP. Her place at the center was only right.
They weren't dancing to something like "Gokuraku Jōdo" or "Gangsta's Paradise."
Yet, Barbatos felt this was even better than when she'd danced to "Gangsta's Paradise" after her G3 race.
That had been the exhilaration after a hard-fought victory, but this felt different, sharing the Winners' Stage with Seiun Sky and El Condor Pasa.
The preliminary and G3 races she'd participated in before hadn't put much pressure on her current self.
Winning was just winning. She enjoyed the cheers of the crowd, the joy victory brought.
But compared to this time, those wins seemed to lack a certain sense of accomplishment.
It was just like in League of Legends. When she streamed solo queue in Diamond, she could often dominate her lane, completely 'Gank' the enemy jungler and carry the game. She'd feel happy about winning, about the praise from her fans.
But there was still a lack of that deep fulfillment.
However, when she duo'd or flex-queued with other streamers, situations where their presence arguably increased the game's difficulty, pulling off a comeback victory or single-handedly carrying the team to win felt far more satisfying.
It was a joy that came from the heart, like finally solving a particularly difficult math problem.
She was starting to feel a little anticipation for the G2s, the G1s, and even that Winter Dream Cup.
Not only did she want to defeat a legendary Uma Musume, at this moment, she even wanted to win the Winter Dream Cup itself. Even if it was a pipe dream, this idea had truly taken root and begun to sprout within her.
She wanted to win them all—the upcoming G2s, G1s, the Winter Dream Cup, and the Triple Crown races!
No matter the difficulties, even with her mature and relatively rational soul, such thoughts still emerged.
This subtle change was a result of winning this relay marathon, of racing against the likes of Tamamo Cross and Obey Your Master.
On the Winners' Stage, even though they were performing a rather ordinary dance—
The traditional dance Uma Musume usually performed—this time, all three of them danced with exceptional power.
--+--
The Winners' Stage concluded.
The three of them, along with Special Week, Grass Wonder, Urara, and the members of Team Canopus and Team Spica, gathered for a meal.
Minamizaka and Okino also joined them.
Toujou Hana was different from these two male trainers, and Team Rigil was different from Canopus and Spica.
As the trainer of Japan's strongest team, she needed to maintain a relatively strict persona. Only then could she lead Rigil to an even more prosperous era.
Even if her internal concern for the Uma Musume in her team was no less than Okino's or Minamizaka's, she simply wouldn't attend such casual gatherings.
It was the middle of the culture festival.
During this time, you could find delicacies from all over Japan, even a few specialties from outside the country, right there at Tracen Academy.
The only problem was, the biggest eater among them couldn't stomach much after yesterday's eating contest.
Barbatos took a bite of Takoyaki, a specialty from Osaka.
'It doesn't taste quite as good as that time. Surely there isn't a flavor boost just because Seiun Sky was the one feeding me back then?'
She thought to herself. At that time, she only had a bit of a fondness for Seiun Sky at most. Besides, there was no way to verify it—she couldn't very well ask Seiun Sky to feed her another Takoyaki ball now.
"B-chan."
Grass Wonder approached, holding a milk tea. "About the matter of 'Zones,' I don't think anyone has explained it to you yet, have they?"
"Zones?"
This was the first time Barbatos had heard the term.
But instinctively, she connected it to the White Lightning that had wreathed Tamamo Cross and Obey Your Master during the race—those real-world special effects, that ability to accelerate speed. So, it wasn't just those two who could use it.
She didn't know if Inari One had activated a Zone, but judging by the aura Super Creek gave off, she probably had one too.
"No, you're right, no one's told me about it," Barbatos replied, waiting for Grass Wonder's explanation.
As a member of Rigil, and one who had joined before El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder naturally knew more than her teammate.
As for why Minamizaka had never mentioned it… probably because he thought she wasn't at a level to encounter opponents who used Zones yet?
"A Zone allows an Uma Musume to focus her consciousness completely on the state of running, enabling her to exert speed beyond her limits."
"Normally, only the strongest few Uma Musume of each generation can unlock a Zone. Like the Three Heroes of the Heisei Era, or legendary Uma Musume like the President."
"But even they don't deploy their Zone in every race."
"Because the strain a Zone puts on an Uma Musume's body is immense. It can drastically shorten their career lifespan."
At this point, Grass Wonder opened her eyes. Her usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by an unusually solemn expression.
"So, B-chan, unless it's absolutely critical, you must not use your Zone."
"?"
Barbatos slowly formed a question mark in her mind.
Even though Grass Wonder spoke with such gravity, she didn't actually know how to use a Zone at all.
Of course, even if she did have one, a daily cast of [Heal] would probably negate any threat it posed to her body.
"When a Zone is first activated, the user might not even be aware of it themselves. That's how it was for me initially."
Grass Wonder unconsciously touched her bandaged leg. "I only learned about Zones after Symboli-senpai informed me. My leg fracture… it happened because I activated my Zone."
"So, Grass, can you… see my Zone?"
"Yes. It's a crimson, blood-and-qi-like Zone."
Crimson blood and qi?
Barbatos was taken aback. So, Uma Musume who could perceive Zones could also see the skill effects surrounding her?
In other words, her Sion ultimate ability appeared to them as a form of Zone.
If that was the case, it wasn't so hard to accept. As for whether she would use her Sion ultimate in future races… at least for the next G3 race, she probably wouldn't need to.
Her 'Zone' could probably be saved for G2 or G1 level competitions.
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.