"Oh? You know her?" Hayato glanced over, curious about the connection.
"Sort of." Seiun Sky's smile stayed in place.
A lively Uma Musume like Mayano Top Gun, practically every Uma Musume at school knew her. She was the kind of personality that drew people in naturally.
Speaking of generation powerhouses, the former Heisei Big Three had taken their curtain call, another trio had been born, and yet another trio was budding on the horizon. The golden generation was about to arrive, and the overlord of the century's end (T.M Opera O) was about to take the stage.
Mayano Top Gun, Sakura Laurel, Marvelous Sunday, and Narita Brian were all from the same generation, all rising at similar times. Top Gun and Sakura Laurel were somewhat kindred spirits, so naturally, they'd become good friends over time.
When Narita Brian debuted, Sakura Laurel debuted while enduring injuries that should have kept her off the track. Mayano Top Gun debuted a year later, also pushing through injuries, and only succeeded on her third debut attempt after two failures.
As Sakura Laurel's roommate, Seiun Sky naturally knew Mayano Top Gun too. They'd crossed paths plenty of times.
"So today's star is the second Triple Crown uma musume after Symboli Rudolf, Narita Brian!! After a year's absence, she's still this race's top favorite! Could she successfully revive on this 3000-meter turf track? Could she meet our expectations and win this race?"
"Narita Brian! Narita Brian! Narita Brian!..."
The venue erupted with chants of Narita Brian's name, loud and synchronized like a battle cry. The sound was almost overwhelming, a tide of voices rising and falling together.
Even though she hadn't achieved noteworthy results in a year, she was still a Triple Crown uma musume. Everyone firmly believed she could create records like the Triple Crown again, that her stumble was temporary.
Narita Brian stood on the track with a piece of grass in her mouth, arms crossed over her chest. Even after consecutive losses that would have broken most uma musume, Narita Brian still looked down on everyone with a champion's bearing, that unshakeable confidence radiating from her posture.
"Go for it, Brian!"
From the spectator seats, she could see her older sister Biwa Hayahide, Sakura Laurel, and many other uma musume. Not only that, but Rudolf, Air Groove, Tojo Hana, and others from Team Rigil had all come too, filling an entire section. All of them were cheering for her comeback, supporting her return.
Even though it was just a GII-level race, the entire Hanshin Racecourse was packed to capacity, voices rising and falling in waves of cheers that made the air vibrate.
After spitting out that piece of grass, Narita Brian lowered her crossed arms and clenched both fists tight. "Don't worry, big sis. I haven't been able to stand on the track with you yet. I'm not done."
"Wow! What intense presence." Seiun Sky's voice came out soft, almost reverent. Her deep blue eyes watched below without blinking, hands habitually resting behind her head as if thinking about something important.
Hayato nodded in agreement. "Of course it's intense! She's a Triple Crown uma musume after all!"
Seiun Sky quickly rolled her eyes, the reverent moment breaking, then immediately returned to her normal expression. "Trainer brought me to watch this race just for this? To see her presence?"
The Triple Crown champion's overwhelming aura? The synchronized cheers for Narita Brian that shook the stands?
She admitted she was somewhat envious of that kind of support, that kind of recognition. But she'd never worship any uma musume, no matter how accomplished they were.
Like how Sakura Laurel kept mentioning Narita Brian in front of her constantly, going on about how strong she was, how amazing her records were, she was completely sick of hearing it.
Whether it's admiration or reverence, it's useless in the end. Better to spend that time training, getting stronger herself.
So what if she's the strongest right now? If I defeat her, I'll be the strongest. Simple as that.
Maybe it was envy mixed with jealousy, or maybe because she'd always considered herself just an ordinary uma musume fighting her way up. But she kind of didn't like Narita Brian, this distant figure everyone worshipped. Same with Symboli Rudolf, she didn't like Uma Musume who stood above everyone else.
"Yeah, this race is definitely going to be spectacular." Hayato's voice pulled her back. "Plus, they're all your upcoming opponents, so you need to watch carefully and learn what you can."
"No way, Trainer. Me and them..." Seiun Sky lowered her hands, pointing down at Narita Brian and Mayano Top Gun below with an expression that clearly said he was joking.
"Was my opponent supposed to be the Triple Crown champion? That was insane!"
Narita Brian was long past her peak now, the injuries and time taking their toll. Her stats were only slightly higher than the declining Oguri Cap, speed and power were both in the 500s, and stamina lingered in the 300s.
Stats like that weren't much of a threat, not compared to what she used to be.
The real threat was Mayano Top Gun. Four running styles with two A's and two B's, incredibly versatile. Aside from stamina, which was still in the 400s, all her other stats were above 500 across the board.
Mayano Top Gun like that was genuinely terrifying, a complete uma musume with almost no weaknesses.
"Yes, you will go against them." Hayato checked Narita Brian and Mayano Top Gun stats in his vision, nodding slightly as the numbers confirmed his thoughts.
Going by the game standards Hayato remembered, you'd need at least an A-rank uma musume to completely dominate someone like Mayano Top Gun. Anything less would be a brutal struggle.
The situation was pretty dire when he thought about it. Two months wasn't enough time to raise Seiun Sky to that level, not without pushing her body past safe limits.
If someone asked why Hayato was still confident despite the numbers, it mainly came down to long-distance skills being easier to develop and awaken. The nature of long-distance racing created more opportunities.
The most important thing for long-distance running was stamina, pure and simple. Even if speed was a bit lacking, high enough stamina could make up for the shortcomings and carry you through.
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The G1 Tenno Sho spring is finally over: Narita Brian vs Mayano Top Gun, Sakura Laurel, and Seiun Sky... It feels so frustrating to have a battle against a Triple Crown legend, its hard to write it that battle.... There's no way Seiun Sky could win easily without fighting alongside them with zone. If anyone wants a spoiler of the battle, they can check out the illustrations from chapters 130-140 on Patreon.