The next day, Rice Shower also reported to the team, which was pretty much expected by everyone.
Rice Shower's reliance on Zero was something everyone was used to, and everyone also liked Rice Shower, who was like a little sister.
She could be said to be the new team favorite, Teibo in danger (not).
What surprised everyone the most was the training Zero arranged for Rice Shower.
"Is… is this really alright?" Even McQueen was a little worried.
An eight-kilometer running training session, even if it didn't use various skills like in a race, was not something an ordinary Uma Musume could do.
"No… no problem, since Onee-sama said so, Xiao Mi can definitely do it!" Rice Shower herself, the one involved, wasn't worried in the slightest.
"Don't worry, Rice Shower's ability is far beyond what you expect," Zero had no worries at all.
Rice Shower's ability values were, in some sense, even more terrifying than Special Week's, yet also somewhat extreme.
Her strength was so low that it was almost impossible to gain an advantage in a confrontation, but her stamina… Rice Shower's stamina now, before her debut, was only slightly less than Little Special's, who had already trained for a year.
And her incredibly high grit; one could only say that although this child was usually very well-behaved, she was actually more capable of enduring hardship than anyone else.
One must know that even Special Week occasionally thought about slacking off.
Everyone also knew that Zero wasn't reckless, so they allowed Zero's training.
Since everyone else's training had already been arranged, and because Rice Shower was preparing for her debut, Zero decided to pay as much attention to Rice Shower as possible, and McQueen and the already debuted Haru Urara had no objections.
Although her aptitude hadn't improved too much yet, Haru Urara, relying on the techniques Zero taught her, could already run alongside everyone in training, no longer falling behind due to aptitude.
After completing the adjustments, Haru Urara could officially participate in the Twinkle Series on turf.
Haru Urara's abilities in all aspects were not bad; what she lacked was merely an insufficient understanding of turf.
All her efforts so far would not be in vain, and she would also become a strong Uma Musume.
However, according to Haru Urara, her ultimate goal was to participate in the Arima Kinen, but according to Zero's calculations, achieving this dream would require nearly a year for Haru Urara to learn how to run middle-to-long distances; at this stage, she could only participate in the short-distance and mile races she was familiar with.
Haru Urara was not in a hurry; compared to the turf races that were almost impossible originally, she had achieved them with Zero's help, so for anything more, she only needed to trust Zero.
"Xiao Mi, when you run next, run at your most comfortable pace, understood?"
"Mm, I understand, Onee-sama."
Although everyone was curious why Rice Shower suddenly changed her way of addressing Zero, they didn't pay too much attention to it.
Having Rice Shower run at her most comfortable pace was naturally also to allow her to perceive her own talent.
Although Rice Shower herself wasn't entirely sure what her most comfortable pace was, if her understanding wasn't mistaken, it should be the running style she was most accustomed to during her usual training, right?
So Rice Shower began to run around the track.
Observing Rice Shower's starting posture and initial speed, Zero roughly assessed Rice Shower's abilities.
One could only say, Tracen Academy truly had a wealth of talent.
So, what needed to be done next was simply to allow this unpolished gem, covered in dust, to shine with its rightful brilliance.
In such a long-distance run, rhythm must be well-controlled; once the timing is wrong, leading to problems with stamina distribution, not to mention whether she would lose speed, even completing the run would be an issue.
But Rice Shower was excellent, even more excellent than she had imagined.
The time for the first kilometer was moderate, and then until the fourth kilometer, the time basically didn't fluctuate much.
It wasn't until the middle of the fifth lap that her speed began to slightly decline, and the duration of each breath noticeably increased, but she still maintained a relatively low frequency.
Finally, after completing the sixth lap, her speed began to clearly slow down, but in the last lap, her speed suddenly surged.
For the entire last kilometer, she burned her remaining stamina and grit, finishing the last kilometer even slightly faster than the first lap.
"Ha… ha… ha…" Rice Shower herself seemed quite surprised.
"Drink some water first," Zero handed her warm saline solution.
It's true that you feel hot and thirsty after running, but you must never drink cold water directly, okay?
"How do you feel?"
"Ha… I feel… strange?" Rice Shower herself didn't quite understand what had happened.
"Look at your time," Zero handed her the stopwatch.
"Eh!?" Looking at her record, Rice Shower couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Everyone around also gathered, and they were very surprised to see Rice Shower's record.
One must know, Rice Shower had not even debuted yet.
This record could even achieve a good result in a formal marathon race.
"Do you see, Rice Shower, this is your talent, your ability, and it will only get better with training." Zero was also very happy that Rice Shower could achieve such a result.
After all, fruit picked and eaten from a tree you planted yourself tastes even better.
Cultivating a team is not only about finding something to do, but also about cultivating opponents for herself.
For Zero now, Uma Musume who grew up through ordinary training methods could no longer satisfy her. If she wanted more and stronger opponents, she would have to cultivate them herself.
The fact that she could see the Uma Musume's data meant that she could train them more specifically, and at the same time, she could ensure that the Uma Musume would not be unable to run due to injury. She was perfectly suited to be a Trainer.
For example, Rice Shower in front of her.
Zero's initial expectation was that Rice Shower would slightly lose speed in the fifth lap, and then exert force in the final stage of the last lap. This was derived from Special Week's situation, but Rice Shower's performance was so outstanding that it surprised Zero.
Indeed, the data displayed on the panel was only the current state, and her true inner potential had not yet been fully unleashed.
Rice Shower's long-distance talent had very likely reached S, but she had only been running mile and middle-distance races in the preliminaries, so it had never been revealed.
Other distances naturally could not be neglected, but given Rice Shower's situation, only running middle and long distances was the most suitable choice.
The specifics would have to be discussed with Rice Shower later, but for now, the training must continue.
"So, keep up the good work. You will definitely become the most eye-catching star on the track."
Although their heights were similar, Zero couldn't help but pat Rice Shower's head.
"I understand! Onee-sama!" Her whole aura had risen.
"That being said, just train here. Don't secretly do extra training, okay?"
"Oh..." Seeing Rice Shower's somewhat downcast look, she seemed to have indeed thought of doing extra training on her own to surprise her... "You just need to ensure you eat well, sleep well, and train well during your usual routine." Zero also sighed.
"Oh!!!" x3
The three members of the team were all very energetic, but why did she have a vague premonition of unease? Hopefully, it wouldn't come true...
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