A mock race against Symboli Rudolf.
This wasn't just some whim Barbatos had cooked up out of thin air. After her frantic dash to stop that car and save both the little girl and Taiki Shuttle, a new spark of inspiration had taken hold.
It was an idea that could make her even more formidable on the track.
During the rescue, she had layered [White Lightning] with her own Zone.
Because she had already burned [Unstoppable Onslaught] to intimidate those wasps earlier, she'd been terrified she wouldn't make it in time.
In that desperate moment, she had locked onto the driver of the moving car as her target and activated [Righteous Glory].
That split-second decision opened a door in Barbatos's mind.
Back during the Oka Sho, she had been locked in a literal death match with El Condor Pasa on the final straight, clinching victory by the thinnest of margins.
At the time, she'd simply felt relieved that El Condor Pasa hadn't managed to pull away early.
She realized then that if El Condor Pasa had chosen to lead and create a gap, she would have had the extra burst from [Righteous Glory]'s acceleration to fall back on.
But thinking about it now, it seemed she didn't actually need a lead Uma Musume in front of her to trigger [Righteous Glory].
She only needed to lock the target of [Righteous Glory] onto the spectators standing behind the finish line.
If she could pull that off, then no matter the race, she could unleash a final kick as wild and dominant as the one she showed at the Takarazuka Kinen! It would be a massive, fundamental power-up.
Given that she had already awakened her Zone, her base speed under the effects of a double-layered Zone was already formidable.
Even if it still fell a bit short of some legendary Uma Musume, the gap wasn't insurmountable anymore.
If she were to race El Condor Pasa or Silence Suzuka again right now, she felt a surge of absolute confidence in her victory.
Aside from being unable to become a true "Runner" style racer, she had essentially become a "Six-Phase War God" among Uma Musume.
Only when compared to monsters like the Emperor, the Overlord, the Shadow Monster, or the Supercar would her lingering weaknesses even begin to show.
What's more, she hadn't bought a single thing from the system mall during the first half of the year.
Just because she hadn't relied on the system didn't mean it wasn't there; the gold coins piling up in her account were finally enough to snag two of the more affordable items.
"B-chan!"
Grass Wonder, her classmate and part-time roommate for the summer camp, walked over to greet her.
She wore that same professional, idol-like smile, but this time, Barbatos could tell she was genuinely happy.
"Looks like we'll be training together from now on."
"Hehe, yeah," Barbatos grinned. "The whole cabin crew, back together for some serious training."
She pointedly left Special Week out of that count. Even if Spe-chan showed up, she'd be stuck in remedial classes.
To Barbatos, people in "summer school" didn't really count as being on "summer vacation" like those who had actually passed their exams.
Like Hishi Amazon-senpai, perhaps...?
Just as she was mentally poking fun, she saw the tanned, curvaceous Amazon "Big Sis" walking toward her, flanked by the other legends.
Wait!
Does Amazon-senpai not have to take remedial classes?
Barbatos desperately wanted to ask, but her survival instinct told her it was better to keep her mouth shut.
"Amazon-senpai, Air Groove-senpai, Fuji-senpai, Brian-senpai, T.M. Opera O-senpai..."
She greeted the long line of legends one by one. Honestly, being here made Barbatos feel like the kid sister of the group.
Aside from her peer Grass Wonder and Taiki Shuttle, who was only half a generation older, she felt like she had to call everyone "senpai."
"Hmph? Why call us 'senpai'?"
T.M. Opera O dismissed the title with a wave. "A King never needs to call others 'senpai.' You are the 'King' of this generation, after all."
To Opera O, such titles were useless. If people only cared about who debuted first, what was the point of having a record of results?
"She's got a point," Narita Brian added. "After watching the Takarazuka, I'm itching to run against you again."
"Me too!" Taiki Shuttle bounced up and down beside Barbatos, making sure her presence was felt among the legends.
Fuji Kiseki nodded with a smile, mirroring the sentiment.
Hishi Amazon suddenly threw an arm around Barbatos's neck, pulling her close. "So, how about it? A mock race tomorrow. A real one-on-one showdown. Loser buys dinner!"
"Tomorrow?"
Barbatos blinked. She wasn't surprised at all that someone with Amazon-senpai's personality would challenge her.
Currently, a bunch of her skills were on cooldown.
It wasn't that she lacked the guts to run against a legendary Uma Musume without them—even if she was likely to lose, she wasn't some glass doll that would shatter at the first touch anymore.
She had the resolve to fight.
However, in the eyes of outsiders, those skills were part of her natural strength. If she didn't use them in a mock race, it would look like she was looking down on her opponent.
So, from the start, she had decided that if she were challenged, she'd wait until tomorrow at the earliest, once her cooldowns had reset.
It seemed Rudolf or Toujou Hana must have briefed the others. After seeing her stop the car, they likely knew she had "exhausted herself" and wasn't fit for a mock race today.
"A mock race tomorrow is fine by me."
"But, Amazon Big Sis... if you're racing, who's going to be the finish line?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it. The image of Amazon-senpai as the "Finish Line Lady" was burned into everyone's mind—she was the official, exclusive finish line for Team Rigil.
"You brat!"
Hishi Amazon couldn't help but burst out laughing, tightening her grip on Barbatos's neck. The surrounding members of Rigil broke into a chorus of chuckles as well.
Narita Brian stepped forward, grinning. "Actually, the team already thought of that. Even though anyone can stand at the finish, it just doesn't feel right if it isn't Amazon."
"So," Brian continued, "we all chipped in to have a life-sized Amazon finish line sign made. That way, even when she's not there, Amazon is still the finish line."
"Hey, hey, Brian! That's going too far!"
The clash between rivals of the same generation seemed to live on within the team in a different, more comedic form.
"Then I shall serve as the finish line tomorrow," Symboli Rudolf offered with a faint smile.
"For tomorrow's mock race, will it be a duel between Amazon and Barbatos, or are you all joining in?"
This was a golden opportunity to test their strength during the summer camp, identify weaknesses, and find ways to improve. If they held these mock races every week or so over the next two months...
The legends might not see a massive jump in ability, but for the active racers like Taiki Shuttle, Grass Wonder, Barbatos, and Seiun Sky, the room for growth would be enormous.
"Is that even a question?"
"Of course we're all going in!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.