[Final Race Schedule Unlocked:]
Margaret Nearl's clear, earnest amber eyes scanned the list below.
--+--
[The Everest (Turf, Sprint)]
[Queen Anne Stakes (Turf, Mile)]
[Goodwood Cup (Turf, Long Distance)]
[Head-to-Head (Any Distance)]
[Pacific Classic (Dirt, Middle Distance)]
[Breeders' Cup Turf (Turf, Middle Distance)]
[Breeders' Cup Classic (Dirt, Middle Distance)]
[Dream Cup (???)]
--+--
Eight races. At first glance, any Uma Musume would surely find it a lot.
After all, a typical, qualified Uma Musume's career usually spans over a dozen races, with a career lasting no less than two years, often three or even four.
Doing the math, running a few races per year was perfectly normal.
Many Uma Musume were accustomed to resting for a month or two after a G1 race, then appropriately challenging G2 or G3 graded stakes as a form of relaxation or warm-up.
But running eight races, all of them G1, with challengers all being exceptionally outstanding, world-class powerhouses… that wasn't normal. It was a nightmare-level schedule.
Facing such a nightmare schedule, Margaret Nearl let out a faint, regretful sigh. Her thoughts were…
'What a pity, I can only run half of them.'
The other half would have to be run by "the other herself"—by Platinum.
For Miss Nearl, who had already secured the Triple Crown, her classic year was half over. The remaining races would all be run in the latter half of the year.
For The Radiant Knight, running eight ultra-high-intensity races over the next five or six months wasn't particularly difficult.
But unfortunately, the distribution of these races was too widespread, and the timing was somewhat tight—from Australia to Europe to the US. It really made sense to split them up this way.
Otherwise, all those little foreign fillies she knew from her original time in the US would notice that a certain black-hearted young doctor had mysteriously disappeared, appearing in locations 100% identical to her little niece's.
After all, even regular trainer relationships didn't necessarily accompany every overseas expedition.
Whether trainers or doctors, logically, they couldn't be tied to just one Uma Musume. There would always be several others in the same team, or other closely related Uma Musume to attend to.
So, sense dictated that Nearl should take on the US races, allowing the doctor's work to continue as usual.
As for the overseas turf expedition, the Platinum persona would embark on her assassin-like hunt, taking on the two Empires of Australian sprinting, hunting the King of long distance, and the final Mile dominator of the sea family!
'Next up, Platinum's race will be an expedition to Australia.'
'And my schedule is—[Head-to-Head]?'
The golden-haired girl gently stroked her chin, contemplating the upcoming races.
Currently, she had completely secured the US Triple Crown, and undefeated at that.
An Undefeated US Triple Crown!
And in the neighboring Classic Triple Tiara, there was another undefeated standout—[Ruffian].
That challenge was probably going to arrive soon.
This… suited this Head-to-Head schedule perfectly.
'How interesting.'
'But that's a matter for later. For now, let's check the system rewards.'
Nearl's gaze shifted to the content on the system panel before her.
[Reward: Maturation Progress +15%, Domain Fusion (Self-Select)]
[Current Maturation Progress: 65%]
First was the expected Maturation progress reward, something that always appeared after winning a race.
The latter, however, was the ability to fuse two of her possessed Zones—something even Nearl hadn't anticipated.
'Without even realizing it, my Maturation progress has already reached 65%.'
The golden-haired girl's amber eyes were full of interest.
She was curious about what would happen once her Maturation progress reached [100%].
Platinum unlocked [Pegasus Form], able to manifest wings while running, as if flying at low altitude.
What about me?
'It seems just two or three more races are needed to complete the Maturation.'
'And this Zone Fusion…'
Nearl was well aware she possessed three completely different Zones.
When she activated her Domain during a race, it took this form—
[Will activate the most suitable Zone from three exclusive Zones based on the current situation. The currently selected Zone is…]
Then, the most suitable one would be chosen from among them. This was how Nearl had previously activated her Zones.
Now, a new line of text appeared on the system panel before Nearl.
--+--
[Note: Can self-select two of the three major Zones to initiate Zone upgrade.]
[Zone One: Night-Scouring Gleam]
[Passive: When activating skills next, significantly boosts momentum, moderately refunds stamina consumption, greatly reduces the effect of at least four opponent's suppression skills, and moderately enhances all aspects of skill effects.]
[Zone Two: Flaming Edge]
[Passive: Domain duration is infinite, greatly reduces Domain stamina consumption, moderately increases power, moderately increases speed.]
[Zone Three: Blazing Sun's Obeisance]
[Passive: For oneself or opponents under Domain influence, injuries sustained while racing are reduced by one level. During Domain activation, slightly reduces stamina consumption, slightly increases acceleration, power, and explosive force. A small portion of the stamina consumed by sheltered Uma Musume is transferred to The Radiant Knight.]
--+--
Immediately, Nearl's shining amber eyes, burning like flame, took in all the new content on the panel.
Three major Zones!
First was [Night-Scouring Gleam].
But Nearl only glanced at it briefly, her attention focusing more on the other two Domains.
In her heart, she had already tacitly chosen the third Domain, [Blazing Sun's Obeisance], which protected the entire field and reduced injuries for the little foreign fillies, as her mandatory selection.
In the eyes of many battle-loving, highly competitive Uma Musume, excellent rivals were like desserts—even repeated samples held sweetness, worth defeating again.
But Nearl didn't see it that way. She would simply feel… a bit of regret.
Since she had a choice, The Radiant Knight was willing to extend her protection to other Uma Musume as well. In Nearl's view, this was something she ought to do.
After all, the relationship between Uma Musume was one of "competitors," not "enemies" or "foes."
With [Blazing Sun's Obeisance] as the default mandatory choice in the two-selection process…
Naturally, the next step was to choose the final one from between [Night-Scouring Gleam] and [Flaming Edge].
[Night-Scouring Gleam] was a Zone she had activated during the Kentucky Derby period. It was very powerful in specific moments.
For example, on heavy tracks.
It allowed her to refund some stamina consumption when activating skills and greatly mitigate four instances of Zone suppression skills from opponents, performing excellently in bad environments.
Paired with skills that improved heavy track adaptability, it could enhance skill effects accordingly while preserving stamina, thus delivering good performance on suitable battlefields.
But…
Nearl's gaze still settled on the other Zone behind it—[Flaming Edge].
Because… it was perpetual!!!
Anyone who wouldn't choose a perpetual Zone if they had the chance was a true marvel!
Flaming Edge itself, as a perpetual Zone, was extremely versatile. Compared to Night-Scouring Gleam, which was powerful but niche on heavy tracks, it was clearly the more universally applicable, cost-effective choice.
Another major aspect was that perpetual and sanctuary effects complemented each other perfectly and were highly compatible.
'Blazing Sun's Obeisance activates early anyway. And the perpetual effect of Flaming Edge is better the sooner it's used.'
'Once fused, it can meet my needs and be incredibly versatile.'
Moreover, it was evident that if such a fusion reward could appear once, it was highly likely to appear a second time.
Perhaps in time, her original three Zones could completely transform and merge into a single Zone.
After confirming her choices, Margaret Nearl immediately proceeded to claim it.
[Zone Selection: Flaming Edge, Blazing Sun's Obeisance (Fusion)]
[Zone transforming…]
[Reward claimed: Flaming Sun's Obeisance]
The new Zone, combining the sanctuary and perpetual effects Nearl desired, was born!
--+--
Meanwhile.
Due to the time difference, it was currently night in Japan.
Within Tracen Academy, astonished voices rang out one after another.
From the still-open cafeteria to the library, even the training grounds and dormitories.
In these places, similar reactions of shock and disbelief echoed almost in unison.
"Huh?? What is that, a Hall of Fame?? Am I seeing things or still dreaming?"
"Wait, [Pegasus Hall of Fame]… besides Miss Platinum, another Uma Musume can have one? And she's the latest US Triple Crown winner?"
"If two Uma Musume can have Halls of Fame, can there be a third? Can I have one too?"
"No wonder Platinum said back in her Japan days that the rival she cared about most was [Margaret Nearl]. To break every record of the world's first Triple Crown in each race—just how terrifying is that Pegasus on dirt?"
"Last year, wasn't there just one US Triple Crown winner? This year another one appeared? And a Filly Triple Crown winner too? Isn't that just… like what happened in Japan the last two years?!"
The US Dirt Triple Crown!
That wasn't just the premier Triple Crown in dirt racing. With the British Triple Crown's declining influence today, the US Triple Crown, in terms of impact and historical significance, was the undisputed, accepted world's number one Triple Crown!
Three G1 wins decided over five weeks—that fearsome intensity of campaigning left even many turf Uma Musume who normally didn't care for dirt racing utterly convinced.
Japanese Uma Musume were no exception. They might not necessarily understand the prestige of the Breeders' Cup or its value, but they were all shocked by the martial virtue-filled intensity of the US Triple Crown's three races in five weeks.
Some Uma Musume, recalling this Triple Crown emergence, thought of the situation in Japanese domestic racing.
The previous year's US Triple Crown overlord was the Big Red Monster Secretariat. This year's dirt classic Triple Crown winner was the Pegasus Nearl, and the Classic Triple Tiara winner was Ruffian.
Wasn't it the same in Japan's URA events? The previous year featured the Pegasus Platinum, the next year the classic Triple Crown winner Golden Tyrant Orfevre, the Crimson Empress who finished just five lengths behind Platinum, and the Classic Triple Tiara winner Daiwa Scarlet!
Two years, both sides had two Triple Crown winners and one Classic Triple Tiara winner! And each had their own highly anticipated Pegasus!
US dirt was on the upswing too, able to compare Triple Crowns with Japanese turf now!
In the dormitory, a curvaceous young woman with crimson red hair emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Even just wrapped in a towel, her "breathtaking" exaggerated figure was apparent.
She was none other than the [Crimson Empress · Daiwa Scarlet], highly popular in current Japanese turf racing, with many fans eagerly awaiting her potential rematch with Platinum!
As Daiwa Scarlet stepped out…
She noticed with some confusion that her roommate, Vodka, was looking down with an utterly astonished expression, watching something.
After achieving good results in her debut and classic year, Daiwa Scarlet had made a point of watching news reports of her victories and gradually learned the usual time slots for URA news broadcasts.
Even if URA released some major news, it generally shouldn't be at night, so close to bedtime, right?
In Daiwa Scarlet's impression, her roommate and former rival Vodka wasn't the type to boringly show such an expression easily.
"Did something happen?"
Burning with curiosity, Daiwa Scarlet couldn't help but ask Vodka.
When asked, Vodka looked up, nodded slightly with a somewhat complex expression.
"Two pieces of breaking news sweeping Japan… no, the world."
"First, the US Triple Crown has concluded."
When Daiwa Scarlet first heard [US Triple Crown], she was momentarily stunned.
After all, even if it was the world's number one Triple Crown, the most prestigious among all Triple Crown events globally, it was still dirt.
The short schedule, the high intensity—it was prestigious, but the corresponding time was too short. Uma Musume like Daiwa Scarlet, who didn't pay much attention to overseas events, couldn't learn the details in real-time.
Usually, news might lag by ten days or half a month.
For it to spread worldwide so quickly, even reaching Japan where dirt racing was largely ignored, there was only one possibility.
That… a Triple Crown winner had been born?
"Triple Crown winner? That Radiant Knight Nearl that Platinum acknowledged?"
Daiwa Scarlet reacted quickly. Just hearing "US Triple Crown," she immediately thought of it.
If it was related to Platinum, Daiwa Scarlet had always been keen and quick to react.
Vodka, still sounding astonished, added more.
"Not just an Undefeated Triple Crown winner emerged, she also displayed a [Pegasus Hall of Fame]!"
"Huh?? Pegasus Hall of Fame?"
Instantly, Daiwa Scarlet's pupils contracted sharply.
Worldwide, few could be more concerned with the [Pegasus Hall of Fame] than Daiwa Scarlet!
After all, thanks to Platinum, it was either her [greatest contributor] or [prime culprit] for spreading her fame overseas.
In Platinum's Hall of Fame, the sculptures were of the defeated, listed in order of the margin of defeat.
And Daiwa Scarlet, with her debut loss to Platinum by [five lengths], remained, to this day, the Uma Musume closest to Platinum on paper.
"Nearl, she has the Hall of Fame too?"
"Mm, different from Platinum's. Even the Hall of Fame opening scene… is a scene of her fighting Platinum."
Vodka's words left Daiwa Scarlet utterly dumbfounded.
Huh?
Wait, Nearl fighting Platinum? Where did that happen?
Daiwa Scarlet had never missed a single race involving Platinum, always watching them live, not recorded.
But she had followed every one of Platinum's races and didn't remember Platinum having any race in the US.
Could it have been a training race?
Puzzled, Daiwa Scarlet threw caution to the wind and jumped onto her bed.
She quickly grabbed her phone and started searching.
—[Belmont Stakes]
After searching and selecting the latest one from this year, Daiwa Scarlet noticed the view count and her pupils shrank sharply.
Such high clicks!
For an overseas race with no Japanese Uma Musume participating, and one Japanese audiences had zero interest in—a dirt race no less. Its click growth rate had actually reached levels comparable to domestic Japanese G1 races?
Immediately, Daiwa Scarlet clicked on it without hesitation.
A few minutes later—
As she clearly saw the slender-waisted, white-haired, cold assassin maiden so familiar to her, using an arrow like a short dagger to parry the tall, dazzling Radiant Knight Nearl's sword-spear…
Until Platinum darted and weaved, retreating into the distance, firing arrows, engaging in a beam struggle with Nearl's thrown sword-spear!!
For a good while, Daiwa Scarlet watched, her mouth agape enough to swallow an egg, as she took in Nearl's exclusive Pegasus Hall of Fame, the entire [Nearl VS Platinum] scene.
"Huh????"
"How can a duel scene between two Uma Musume be like this??"
Daiwa Scarlet thought she had considered everything, thought she was prepared.
She had expected it to be a conventional training race.
Heck, she even considered the possibility that the Pegasus Platinum, not taking it seriously in a training race, might have been narrowly defeated by the junior Pegasus Nearl.
But upon seeing the true meaning of a [Duel], [Head-to-Head] between Platinum and Nearl, she was completely dumbfounded.
[Assassin VS Knight]??
Daiwa Scarlet didn't understand it and was deeply shocked.
When Nearl's Pegasus Hall of Fame played the subsequent part, showing Nearl surpassing Sunday Silence, she lost interest and quickly skipped back to the part where Platinum darted and weaved, showcasing her slender waist.
This was much better to look at!
"This is just like a martial arts film, a chanbara film, or a movie CG scene!"
While Daiwa Scarlet was deeply impacted, Vodka didn't mind adding fuel to the fire, delivering another piece of breaking news.
"The other news is also about Platinum-senpai, you know."
"Eh?? Another one? What is it?"
Instantly, Daiwa Scarlet tore her gaze away from the looping clip of Platinum and popped her head up.
"Platinum-senpai has entered [The Everest]."
"Huh? The Everest? Which Everest?"
"Which one could it be? The Everest in Australia, the biggest, grandest sprint event."
"???"
Daiwa Scarlet was stunned again.
The Hegemon of middle-distance races, why was she running off to compete in a sprint event in Australia, of all places?
She looked back at her phone screen and noticed a trending topic on the current website was exactly…
[What is The Everest?]
[How prestigious is The Everest?]
[Who is the strongest Uma Musume in Australia?]
So, all these hot topics were because of Platinum?
Currently, many viewers of Uma Musume racing knew little about overseas events, only aware of the famous international middle-distance G1s Platinum had won before.
For non-middle-distance events, even extremely prestigious ones, they were largely unfamiliar.
Hence, why so many Japanese viewers were now curiously searching for and learning about this event.
Daiwa Scarlet believed that even in the US, there were probably many Platinum fans who were currently shocked and surprised.
After all, Platinum wasn't just an ordinary turf Uma Musume; she was a dual-surface Uma Musume who had won dirt GIs!
Even within the US, many viewers and Uma Musume greatly admired and looked up to that petite yet powerful assassin, wanting to see her shining form embarking on an expedition in the US.
It could be said that Platinum was the most well-known turf Uma Musume in the US Uma Musume scene, bar none!
In terms of popularity and influence, Platinum was absolutely number one, topping all Uma Musume circles.
Being a dual-surface threat on turf and dirt, the first contemporary Uma Musume to become a legend, having that famous scene of breaking through an encirclement, and being one of only two, the first Uma Musume with visible special effects—with so many points combined, how could she not be beloved?
'It seems Platinum won't be returning to Japan anytime soon.'
Daiwa Scarlet felt surprise and curiosity first, but then let out a slightly regretful sigh.
Having improved considerably and secured the Filly Triple Crown, she had even received occasional training race invitations from famous overseas Uma Musume, especially from Europe, during this time.
She had improved a lot, and grown much stronger!
'If only I could have another race with Platinum.'
--+--
The next day, USA.
A tall, imposing young Uma Musume with great red hair was on the phone.
Secretariat was receiving a piece of intelligence gathered by her family.
"Miss Secretariat, regarding the detailed investigation you requested on [Dr. Lin Anran]…"
"Dr. Lin's leave taken over the past few months almost always occurred on the days of Nearl's races. Consistently, she would take limited half-day or full-day leave."
"There was only one exception. On one occasion, the leave lasted several days."
Secretariat sensed something was wrong!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.