Indeed, for a rookie Uma Musume like Spe-chan, a G3 race was the first step toward her goals. Countless famous horses would first secure victories in Graded races like G3 and G2 before moving on to G1 events and the legendary "Eight Major Races."
This was their "Road to the Top."
However, this road was like sifting gold from sand, innumerable talented Uma Musume fell along the way. To step into the highest halls of racing, one needed talent, effort, and luck in equal measure.
"Oh? Does Spe-chan know about this mile race?" Taiki Shuttle asked with a smile. This was the next race she would enter, and it was her very first Training Objective.
"Yes!" Spe-chan nodded seriously. While she might be a bit muddled when it came to Kanji, Math, or Music, she knew a vast amount about racing.
In Tracen Academy, high-stakes races are generally called "Graded Races," encompassing all GI, G2, and G3 events. Among them, G1 has the highest prestige. Winning a G1 is the ultimate honor for both an Uma Musume and her Trainer. The Satono family, to which Satono Diamond belongs, has missed out on G1 titles so many times that people say they are cursed— a testament to the difficulty of winning one.
"Unlike my Triple Tiara route, Taiki Shuttle-senpai chose the Mile route," Daiwa Scarlet noted. But she was also thinking about something else: 'This Shinzan Kinen was Taiki-senpai's first Training Objective. If she completed it, would she really receive the rewards mentioned in the diary? '
Would they learn more about the "Real Horses"?
She decided to pay close attention.
Taiki Shuttle nodded. The Mile was her initial decision because she found herself most comfortable there, showing talent that far exceeded others. Finding that all her Training Objectives were Mile races only confirmed her choice.
As the saying goes: 'It's not that I can't run 3200m, it's just that 1600m has better value!'
Of course, she had only ever tried firm tracks. She had no idea how she would perform on a heavy track in a mile race or what kind of rating she would receive. But she didn't care. Regardless of the track, she would use her strength to blast past everyone.
Wherever Taiki Shuttle was, it would never be boring. That was the mindset she brought with her.
"Taiki-senpai's power is indeed incredible. I've seen her burst out of the gate before— the grass beneath her feet sinks in, and clods of turf fly into the air," Daiwa Scarlet remarked. "With that kind of power, she'd surely be strong even on a heavy track."
Of course, Scarlet knew she wasn't half-bad herself.
"Thank you! You really are a good friend... oh, right— the Shinzan Kinen is on January 9th, which is a weekend. I was just talking to McQueen about this!"
"Weren't you guys planning a day to go check out the Kyoto Racecourse? Why don't we go together? Let's go together!" Taiki Shuttle pumped her fist.
She was right; many classic G1 races, like the Spring Tenno Sho and the Kikuka Sho, are held at Kyoto.
Mizuki did have a JRA license and plenty of knowledge about tracks, but that came with her reincarnation package. She hadn't actually seen the major racecourses up close yet. To improve her expertise, she needed to see them in person.
She had originally planned to go in February, but going early was fine. She wanted to see those uphill and downhill slopes at Kyoto— the decisive points of the Spring Tenno Sho.
"That works. For the race the day after tomorrow, I'll book a train compartment tonight, and we can all head down together." Mizuki changed that day from a training day to an outing.
"Haha, awesome!" Gold Ship was the first to agree. The "Little Gold Ship" was setting sail again.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka felt the same. An outing was always exciting, though they sparked at each other the moment their eyes met. Scarlet huffed and turned away; Vodka was a bit more relaxed and cool— or at least, that's what she thought she came across as.
The atmosphere between those two was always tense. You'd never know when they'd start arguing.
"Hey, I have an idea! When we get there, I'll make a bowl of noodles for you guys," Gold Ship said, holding up a finger as she made her declaration. She was quite skilled at fried noodles.
McQueen worried if it would be wasabi-flavored again; she learnt last time not to trust any food Gold Ship offered her.
"Alright, let's start training. We're starting a bit late today, so we're turning up the intensity," Mizuki announced. "Now that everyone has confirmed their career paths, we will do targeted training based on those routes."
The members of Spica regained their focus. In this regard, they were quite professional. Mizuki began assigning tasks.
"Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka— they say 'being fast in the corners is the real secret to winning,' but for your Debut Races, the focus is mainly on the straights. So, your training will center on that."
"Also, you need to fix the issues I pointed out last time. Practice more in the areas where you need reinforcement; it will help trigger your potential."
Mizuki was speaking about helping them activate their Unique Skills, a very useful ability she'd obtained from the system. Scarlet's [Red Ace] and Vodka's [Xceleration] would significantly improve their race results.
Mastering all specialized skills was a prerequisite for truly stepping into the "Zone." Very few Uma Musume could open the Zone.
Scarlet and Vodka immediately focused and headed to the treadmills to compete. They kept cranking up the speed, pulling off life-threatening stunts just to prove they were better than the other.
Of course, Mizuki had set safety parameters that they were strictly forbidden from exceeding.
"As for McQueen and Gold Ship: McQueen, you're on uphill training. Gold Ship, practice your gate starts. These will give you the biggest boosts right now."
Mizuki said this because McQueen had already mastered her unique skill, [The Duty of Dignity Calls]. After all, she was the winner of the Kikuka-sho. Her strength as a racer was as overwhelming as her weight.
"As for the starting gate, I've already borrowed the equipment. Let's place it right in front of McQueen. McQueen, when you're doing your uphill training, remember to keep an eye on Gold Ship."
Mizuki handed the task of supervising Gold Ship over to McQueen.
After that, Team Spica's training began in earnest.
In the gym, it was clear that Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, and McQueen had all accepted their training menus. Only that goofball Gold Ship was protesting vehemently.
This was because she had absolutely no desire to practice gate starts. In her mind, she could always just rely on her late-stage kick to catch up anyway.
Gold Ship was already looking for a chance to slip away.
But the moment the thought crossed her mind, McQueen stood before her with her hands on her hips in a cute pose, blocking the path and giving her zero chance to escape.
"Hmph, thinking of running?"
McQueen promptly dragged Gold Ship back.
The scene was as hilarious as it was common.
Watching from the side, Taiki Shuttle was dying of laughter. She had her own training plan, having scheduled her day out. However, when mentioning her schedule, she suddenly froze as if remembering something.
"Oh no!! BAD, BAD, this is terrible!"
As Taiki Shuttle spoke, she hurriedly checked the time on her phone. When she saw it was already 2:00 PM, she felt completely dizzy.
Special Week was startled by the outburst and asked cutely, "What's wrong, Taiki-chan?"
Taiki Shuttle, still shaken, whispered, "I'm doomed! I promised Grass today that we'd meet at the library so she could tutor me. I'm already an hour late!"
"And look, Grass even sent me several messages."
Taiki held up her phone.
Everyone saw that within that hour, Grass Wonder had sent Taiki Shuttle many smiling emojis.
For some reason, Special Week felt a terrifying, murderous intent emanating from Grass Wonder's smiling emojis, sending a chill down her spine.
"Um, everyone, I've got to go!"
Taiki Shuttle bolted immediately, driven by pure survival instinct.
Mizuki was speechless. Taiki Shuttle had been having a blast eating and drinking here, only to realize she had stood up Grass Wonder for an hour.
Nothing more needs to be said— good luck, Taiki. I'll be sure to visit the shrine and pray for your departed spirit later!
Of course, at this moment, Mizuki didn't forget about Special Week and Silence Suzuka.
On the contrary, she cared deeply about them. Spica needed powerful Uma Musume to join it, and their strength was clearly extraordinary.
Mizuki began coaching Special Week. Based on the knowledge she had acquired, she asked Special Week several questions and had her perform some flexibility exercises.
Based on her physical data and past racing records, she discovered Spe's characteristics as a Pace Chaser and made certain corrections. For example, she borrowed elements from Taiki Shuttle's running style to optimize Spe's speed on uphill stretches, which benefited her greatly.
As for Silence Suzuka, she was the "silent but deadly" type. Her burn-it-all running style suited her perfectly. To ensure she could seize a favorable position from the start, she needed the strength to break away from the pack and intense focus.
Therefore, Mizuki arranged strength and concentration training for Suzuka. For a Front Runner, breaking out first is the most fundamental step.
Hearing this, they felt a sudden moment of enlightenment. Is this what it feels like to have a Trainer?
Why does this feel so good?
Afterward, they went to train. The results of today's training were twice the reward with half the effort, and the feeling of everyone training together was incredibly lively.
It made the girls feel very happy.
"Suzuka-san, training at Spica feels so fun! What do you think? Do you think we could join here too?"
Spe said adorably, already entertaining the idea of joining.
"Yeah... actually, I've been wondering if I should find a Trainer, but... my running style is too risky. Most Trainers wouldn't agree, and I don't want to make things difficult for Trainer Mizuki..."
Silence Suzuka voiced her thoughts. She had seen the diary; Mizuki mentioned wanting to recruit Spe, but her name wasn't in it.
She had always been like this, always thinking of others.
"Eh? That won't happen! I just felt that Trainer Mizuki really likes your running style too, Suzuka."
Special Week said this with a hint of admiration for Silence Suzuka in her voice. After all, she loved Suzuka's style— it was so elegant.
Hearing this, Suzuka remained hesitant. She truly didn't want to cause trouble for anyone.
However, at that moment, Mizuki naturally made her entrance. She had overheard Suzuka's concerns and quickly indicated that they weren't an issue at all.
After all, the only reason Mizuki mentioned Special Week so much was because she was lucky enough to pull her when playing the mobile game. As for Suzuka, all of Mizuki's knowledge of her came from the brief glimpses she got during other Umas' careers.
But now that she was here, Mizuki definitely wouldn't neglect her. She'd treat Suzuka with the same sincerity she treats her other Trainees, and to prove that, she immediately decided to invite them directly.
"Suzuka, your worries are completely unnecessary. I actually quite admire your running style!"
"Instead, I want to ask, what did you think of today's training? I know you two don't have a Trainer yet— would you like to join Spica?"
"Don't mind that we don't have many people right now, our Spica is actually quite big!"
Mizuki put on the most sincere expression she could as she spoke.
"Eh? Really? You don't care about my running style..."
Silence Suzuka was still a bit incredulous. Every Trainer had advised her to change her style, believing it was too dangerous. Only this new Trainer supported her.
"It's true, Suzuka! You heard Trainer Mizuki say it yourself."
Special Week was obviously overjoyed, looking as excited as she would be if someone offered her a ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Silence Suzuka was still a bit shy, but she was very happy. After a few moments, she softly nodded her head.
"Yay!"
Special Week's excitement only grew, her eyes practically sparkling.
Mizuki had to admit— this was incredibly cute. She could almost feel her heart stop at the expression on Spe-chan's face.
"Then Suzuka-san, we finally have a Trainer of our own!"
"In that case, Trainer Mizuki will be our exclusive Trainer, right?"
The brown-haired Horse Girl nodded her head happily, but soon had a realization.
"Wait, I remember now— I think we have to sign an agreement or something? Please wait here for a moment, Trainer Mizuki! I'll go get it right away!"
As Special Week dashed out of the gym, Silence Suzuka gave a small, polite bow towards Mizuki.
"In any case... I'll be in your care for future races."
"Trainer-san."