I was on my phone.
Uma Musume Pretty Derby, banner open, tap tap tapping while my computer played clips from season three. Triple Crown reruns, fan edits, Japanese commentary. Anything to pass the time while grinding.
I was not a pro. Semi-pro at best. An all-rounder in real-life sports. Decent reflexes. Decent stamina. Okay strategy. Enough to compete. Enough to dream about racing like these girls.
But I wanted more.
The pull system in America sucked. The banner had a point five percent chance of giving the actual banner Uma, a three star. The rest was trash. And I was free to play. No rerolls. Every pull mattered. Every failure hurt. I could not afford to chase luck forever. Japanese players already had guides for UR rank careers. Here in 2025 America, players could not even clear S rank runs.
And the AI. Don't get me started. I joked about it all the time.
"Twenty eight percent fail training rate. Higher than any other rate in the game."
Watching runners stall. Watching skills fire at the wrong time. Watching perfect races get thrown. I knew how it should go. I could do better. I would do better.
Some of my best free to play pulls, Maruzensky, Rodolph, Origri Cap, dominated PVP team races. But even they could not force a perfect career run. The system always fought back.
I needed an edge.
So I made a plea.
Not as a joke this time.
I closed my eyes and whispered, "Alright, Uma Gods. Just once. Give me an S rank career. A perfect playthrough. I will do whatever it takes. Let me take Rodolph, Maruzensky, Origri Cap, and win properly. The AI has problems. I can do better."
I did not expect anything.
I never had great luck. Just decent fortune. Most people did this before a pull anyway. I figured it was no different.
Then the shiver hit.
The air felt heavy. My ears rang. My screen went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was not in my room.
I was sitting on a bed.
White walls. A small table. A phone charger plugged into the wall. No computer. No window I recognized.
My heart jumped.
"…Where am I?"
I checked myself. Normal body. Normal height. Human. No ears. No tail. No uniform.
Panic crept in.
No job. No bag. No papers. No idea where I was.
I grabbed the phone beside me.
It unlocked instantly.
Only one app worked.
Uma Musume Pretty Derby.
Nothing else opened. No browser. No messages. No calls.
My stomach sank.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The home screen loaded.
Career mode.
Character select.
My finger hovered.
I did not think too hard.
I tapped.
marzensky.
The screen flashed.
The room disappeared.
The sound of wind rushed into my ears.
My body felt wrong.
Light.
Small.
Fast.
I looked down.
Short legs. Slim arms. A red outfit.
Marzensky.
"…No way."