Naturally—Symboli Rudolf didn't teach Garden Gale how to stabilize the [ZONE].
She was, admittedly, one of the rare few Umamusume who could reliably enter it—activating or deactivating it at will, wielding the [ZONE] like an extension of herself. After all, she was the Emperor, Japan's apex Umamusume, the one who obtained Seven Crowns.
And frankly—
That kind of thing couldn't be taught even in a hundred years.
Seriously.
Mastering a stable [ZONE] could only be achieved through personal enlightenment. Too many nuances, too many ineffable sensations—Garden Gale had tried repeatedly to re-enter the [ZONE] during her training, but with no success. She figured T.M. Opera O probably faced the same frustration.
Both were simply too inexperienced.
Even Symboli Rudolf herself, at the time of her own Satsuki Sho, would've found such control impossible.
As for second-stage acceleration...
Garden Gale's physical fatigue currently prevented her from breaking through to peak speed. Without surpassing that limit, trying to grasp second-stage acceleration was pointless. Better to rest fully, recover her strength, and attempt it again in a few days.
Symboli Rudolf couldn't help even if she wanted to.
Yet admittedly that imitation of Mr. C.B.'s running style had genuinely stunned both of them.
...
Garden Gale's current Template Learning goal was officially set:
[Template Target]: Mr. C.B.
[Template Progress]: 15%
[Assessment]: Keep honing your skills.
After the others had left to handle their own matters, Garden Gale opened up the Selas System again, reviewing her updated stats:
[Umamusume]: Garden Gale
[Speed]: 599 (C+)
[Stamina]: 512 (C+)
[Power]: 487 (C)
[Guts]: 611 (B)
[Wit]: 612 (B)
[ACQUIRED SKILLS]
[Flexible Bones LV.4]
[Center of Gravity Control LV.4]
[Prodigy's Intuition]
[Sky-High Teio Step]
[Turbo Sprint]
[Sonic Blast LV.2]
[Rhythm Rule]
[Encroaching Shadow]
[Seamless]
[Otherworldly Soul (Pace Chaser, Front Runner)]
[Reincarnation: Chameleon]
[BADGE OF A HUNDRED BATTLES]:
[Enhancement Title]: THRONE OF KINGS. (All displayed stats boosted by 5%)
Buff stacking had begun.
If Garden Gale ran now, her performance wouldn't be nearly as monotonous as before, relying solely on Tokai Teio's style and maybe occasionally Air Shakur's. Now, countless skills lay at her fingertips.
Just seeing these skills would overwhelm the average racer.
Too many cards to play.
Moreover—her stats weren't limited to the raw numbers displayed. The [Throne of Kings] didn't show its boost outright; with a 5% bonus, her 599 speed effectively became around 630, decisively breaking past the 600-point threshold.
I'll find some time to wrap up the Japan Derby.
Garden Gale glanced toward her quest panel.
She'd completed [Versatility] but hadn't yet drawn the character card reward. Without hesitation, she quickly located the random character card and tapped it.
[Random Character Color Change Card (Special Edition)]
—[Special Edition] indicated that this draw wouldn't yield standard Umamusume forms, only seasonal or special variants—such as [Beyond the Horizon · Tokai Teio], but not the regular [Peak Joy · Tokai Teio].
She could get forms like [Hot☆Summer Night · Maruzensky] or [Hopp'n♪Happy Heart · Special Week].
Imitating the Emperor's thoughtful chin-stroking posture, Garden Gale nodded slowly in mock-serious contemplation—Got it.
Then, she decisively hit the draw button, eager to clear her inventory and explore the upgraded Selas System!
The pale-blue screen erupted in dazzling gold light and celebratory cheers, almost blinding in intensity. When the brilliance faded, a single card gently drifted down to rest at Garden Gale's fingertips.
[Ferocious Thunder · Tamamo Cross]
[Color Change]: 1 (NEW!!!)
On the card was a petite, silver-haired Umamusume dressed in distinctive festival-style clothing, overflowing with dynamic energy. Her pose exuded fierce, lightning-like momentum, accompanied by a subtle rumble of distant thunder. Strength, resilience, waves breaking against rock—these images spontaneously flooded Garden Gale's mind.
Incidentally…
This Umamusume was none other than the legendary "White Lightning," Tamamo Cross.
Thinking of her own nickname...
BLACK FLASH. (Black Lightning)
Garden Gale's expression immediately twisted oddly.
Was this what they called fate? She, the second coming of Mr. C.B., had successfully emulated Mr. C.B.'s style, only to draw Tama's festival-themed variant.
...This feels slightly absurd.
But she'd unlocked it already, so there was no going back now.
Besides, Tamamo Cross had a remarkable career: three consecutive G1 victories, two runner-up finishes—she was far from weak.
Just… rather ironic.
After clearing this batch of rewards, Garden Gale took stock of her recent gains. The haul was impressive: new running styles, a character card, and a guaranteed victory in the Japan Derby instance.
Her eyes wandered to the Selas System's new module: [Handoff Point].
She was curious…
What exactly did this module do?
Unlike [Template Learning], its purpose wasn't clear at a glance. "Handoff Point" implied connections, intersections, or junctions. In electrical terms, it was a node transferring power from generation to distribution, or from distribution to use. A bit overly complex.
She lifted her hand to activate it—but paused mid-motion.
…Forget it.
She lowered her hand again—that's enough excitement for today.
If she kept piling on new information, her brain might overload.
With a deep breath, she suppressed the urge, pocketed the character card, and turned her gaze back to the track.
—It's almost eight o'clock already.
And I haven't even trained yet… What a waste of time.
Garden Gale laughed softly, letting go of her tension. Without another second wasted, she stepped onto the track once more, warming up and refocusing entirely on her training.
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T/N: HOHOHOHOHO if you guys dont know she was black lightning before i changed it to black flash heh feel free to shout at me