The Oka Sho had come to an end.
Yet the spectators at the Hanshin Racecourse showed no signs of dispersing. Instead, they all pulled out their phones.
Online, among friends who couldn't make it today, they shared the awe of this race, spoke of the sheer power of this generation's prodigies, and recounted certain details of the showdown between the Wind God and the Phantom Bird.
They were waiting for the upcoming Winner's Stage.
It had been over four months since anyone had seen Barbatos take the Winner's Stage.
A young man gently scrolled through his phone.
As a social-anxiety-ridden fan utterly immersed in the world of Uma Musume, he didn't have many real-life friends. He much preferred discussing things on platforms like Weibo.
After posting a photo he'd taken from the stands of Barbatos's victory to a fan group, bragging about being there in person, he tapped open Weibo.
He saw wave after wave of praise for his favorite Uma Musume, for Barbatos.
And amidst the many trending topics praising Barbatos, there were still plenty praising El Condor Pasa, saying things like "if El Condor Pasa had started her final sprint ten or twenty meters earlier, who the winner would've been was still anyone's guess."
'Prodigies of this era may be absolute to others, but against each other, it still comes down to their performance on the day.'
The young man glanced at these comments. Though there was some truth to them, he had no intention of chiming in on that particular thread, nor did he give it a like.
He simply closed it and looked at other topics.
Soon, he came across a topic about the Spring Tenno Sho.
That Barbatos was participating in the Spring Tenno Sho was no secret to her fans, or to any Uma Musume racing enthusiast.
Many were looking forward to the race, wanting to see if this era's prodigy could maintain her dominance over a distance not considered her forte.
At the same time, some questioned the judgment of Canopus's trainer.
Why enter Barbatos in the Spring Tenno Sho?
This topic had existed even before the Oka Sho began, already racking up numerous comments. Because it had generated significant heat, it hadn't been immediately submerged by the news of Barbatos's Oka Sho victory just yet.
The young man looked through the comments under this topic. He tapped his phone screen and started typing.
"Pure Barbatos fan here, just calling it as I see it."
"It's true Barbatos hasn't run a long-distance race before. And it's true nothing's absolute in Uma Musume racing."
"But after watching the Oka Sho, I honestly can't picture how Barbatos could lose the Tenno Sho."
That kind of blistering front-running speed she displayed, holding it all the way to the slope, and then still being able to unleash that insane acceleration… It simply wasn't something a normal Uma Musume, not even a normal genius Uma Musume, could handle.
Only El Condor Pasa managed to keep up with Barbatos's pace.
Hmm, perhaps Silence Suzuka, another prodigy of this era, could do it too.
But for this Spring Tenno Sho, Condor's participation is uncertain, and Silence Suzuka, given her distance preferences, won't be running this race.
So then, who else could possibly match Barbatos's stride?
Once Barbatos becomes a Triple Crown Uma Musume and then wins the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho double victories, she'll be getting close to matching the achievements of the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf.
In this generation, aside from Condor and Silence Suzuka, no one is Barbatos's match.
Lots of folks online like to bring up the Legendary Uma Musume, the past champions of Japan.
But this young man felt that even if those former kings, those legends, had run in today's Oka Sho… could they have beaten Barbatos?
At this year's Winter Dream Cup, Barbatos will definitely pull off an upset victory over her seniors!
--+--
Rigil's exclusive viewing area.
Toujou Hana's brow was deeply furrowed. Even she hadn't expected El Condor Pasa to lose like this. El had performed so well.
She had put in such tremendous effort, even managed to unleash her [Zone] at the very last moment.
How must Condor be feeling right now?
Having been a trainer for several years now, Toujou Hana could more or less guess, even empathize.
She remembered during that relay long-distance race when El lost to Inari One, one of the Three Greats of the Heisei Era. Back then, El had vowed she wouldn't lose again.
But today, she lost to Barbatos once more.
For a regular Uma Musume, losing a race is a normal thing. But El was different.
Thinking this, Toujou Hana pressed her lips together, turned, and walked out of the viewing area, heading towards the changing rooms backstage to talk to El.
She hoped she could properly guide the girl.
It wasn't uncommon for genius Uma Musume to fall into a slump after a single race.
This was also part of her duty as a trainer.
With Toujou Hana's departure, the viewing area was left only with a group of Legendary Uma Musume, as well as the currently active Grass Wonder and Taiki Shuttle. Most of them remained silent.
Even having witnessed El's growth firsthand, they hadn't expected her to perform to this degree in the actual race. It was even stronger than her usual intra-team practice runs.
And she had unlocked her [Zone] in the final stretch, stepping into a whole new realm.
Yet even so, Condor still lost.
Even if unlocking her [Zone] just a few seconds earlier would have secured victory against Barbatos, a loss was a loss. That much was undeniable.
After a long silence, Air Groove spoke gravely, "Barbatos is stronger than she was at the Dream Cup."
She didn't question why Barbatos could be stronger in a race right after recovering from injury, or how her stamina had improved so dramatically. Instead, she placed herself into the context of this Oka Sho.
She realized that even if she herself had run in this race, she wouldn't dare claim an easy victory. There was a high probability she would have lost.
What she likely still held over Condor and Barbatos now was probably just more competitive experience.
It seemed the future Dream Cup would have yet another formidable contender.
At this moment, Air Groove, known as the Empress, even feeling the rise in Barbatos's strength and the potential threat at the Dream Cup, felt no fear. Only confidence.
Even having witnessed Barbatos and Condor's full power, she had the confidence to win. The confidence befitting an Empress!
Clap!
A crisp clapping sound rang out. Hishi Amazon looked positively thrilled.
"Isn't that even better?"
"I can't wait for the Dream Cup to hurry up and get here, to have a good, hard run against that little one, Barbatos."
--+--
Night fell, and the lights blazed brightly.
Barbatos, El Condor Pasa (in second), and Dramatic Development (in third) had already changed into their exclusive Winner's Stage outfits and stood under the spotlight.
Standing in the center position, Barbatos held the singing microphone, her gaze sweeping across the venue of over 130,000 spectators.
"I'm back."
Just like back at the Winter Dream Cup, when the crowd had called out "See you next time!"
Well now, I'm back!
For a moment, some of the audience waiting for the song and dance portion didn't quite understand. They fell silent under the slightly odd declaration of "I'm back."
But the next instant.
From various corners of the spectator stands, someone—who knows who first thought of it—began to respond to Barbatos's words.
This prompted the rest of the audience, those who hadn't been present at the Dream Cup, to quickly catch on, to understand the meaning behind Barbatos's words, and to join in responding to her.
"Welcome back!"
--+--
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.