When Yasui Makoto finished speaking, Kitasan Black paused, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.
Almost on instinct, she looked toward Almond Eye. She had thought the mention of a partner run with her would make Almond Eye nervous.
After all, Almond Eye had only just entered the full-scale training stage. Her body had not yet developed to Kitasan Black's level of maturity, and she had no race experience at all.
In Kitasan Black's view, faced with a challenge like this, Almond Eye was bound to feel at least a little afraid.
But when she got a clear look at Almond Eye's expression, she was surprised all over again.
What she saw was Almond Eye brimming with competitiveness.
A burning light flickered in those eyes. Her whole body already seemed eager to move, radiating a presence that could hardly wait to show what she could do on the track and measure herself against Kitasan Black.
Caught up in that drive, Kitasan Black felt excitement surge from the bottom of her heart.
She looked at Yasui Makoto and nodded hard, answering with her usual energy. "Got it, Trainer!"
"I'm ready too!"
Not to be outdone, Almond Eye called out loudly, "We can start anytime!"
Seeing both Umamusume so full of spirit, Yasui Makoto could not help smiling. Then he pointed toward the starting point on the track.
"Then we'll do it the usual way. Listen for my three-count, then go!"
At the instruction, Kitasan Black and Almond Eye ran eagerly to the starting point.
They stood side by side and settled into their starting stances. Kitasan Black stared straight ahead, while Almond Eye stole a glance toward Yasui Makoto. Both of them focused completely as they waited for the signal to start.
At that moment, the entire training ground was silent. Only a light breeze drifted past, stirring their hair and clothes.
Standing off to the side, Yasui Makoto swept his gaze over them. After a brief pause, he began counting down in a steady voice.
"Three... two... one!"
The instant his voice fell, Kitasan Black reacted with incredible speed and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
Her movements were fluid and fierce. The muscles in her legs contracted and extended with power, each step striking out a firm rhythm as she became the first to break the stillness in the air.
And yet, in that same instant, both Kitasan Black and Yasui Makoto frowned almost simultaneously.
Almond Eye was late off the start.
Compared to Kitasan Black's explosive launch, Almond Eye's start was half a beat slow.
When she took her starting stance, her right foot had been placed behind her. There was nothing wrong with that. Most Umamusume were used to driving off their right foot.
But she looked as if some invisible force had tugged her back. Her start was clearly late, and her push-off was not sharp enough.
That instant of hesitation and lack of force meant her center of gravity failed to shift forward in time. Her body leaned back slightly, disrupting the smoothness of her starting motion.
On top of that, her arms, which should have been driving powerfully in coordination with her legs, briefly stalled. They stiffened at her sides and failed to assist her sprint at the crucial first moment.
That mistake, lasting less than half a second, instantly opened a gap of more than half a meter between her and Kitasan Black, who had dashed out like lightning.
But very quickly, that panic was replaced by an even stronger fighting spirit.
Almond Eye bit down on her lower lip. A fierce refusal to accept it burned in her eyes as she immediately accelerated in pursuit.
Her legs alternated rapidly like a high-speed engine, every step carrying a fierce determination to erase the distance she had lost in an instant.
Running ahead, catching the movement behind her from the corner of her eye and by sound, Kitasan Black's frown deepened, and she unconsciously bit her lower lip.
Seeing everything on the track clearly, Yasui Makoto's brow did not relax either. In his mind, he began analyzing at high speed.
Almond Eye's starting mistake this time was partly because she cared too much about his gaze as someone outside the race.
That much could be seen from the way she had glanced at him before the run. Subconsciously, she had wanted to show him her best condition.
That excessive concern had instead become a psychological burden at the start, causing her movements to be unconsciously disturbed.
In a real race, the environment would be far more complicated than this.
There would be thousands upon thousands of eyes in the stands focused on the race. The waves of noise rising and falling, especially the announcer's nonstop broadcast, would fill her ears without a moment's pause.
But an excellent Umamusume absolutely could not allow those outside factors to disturb her mind or split her focus.
Every tiny lapse in concentration could create an irreversible disadvantage in the instant of the start, just as Almond Eye's had now.
On the other hand, her lack of skill at breaking from the gate was also a key factor.
For Umamusume, breaking from the gate was not an inborn instinct.
Just like human runners relying on starting blocks, it required a great deal of practice before it could be turned into a natural bodily response.
Clearly, Almond Eye still lacked polish in this area. She had not yet trained her starting motion to the point where she could execute it perfectly, naturally, and without conscious thought.
That was why, in the crucial instant of the start, she had been slow to drive forward.
However, Yasui Makoto did not analyze any further for now.
Every Umamusume had her own unique temperament, habits, and delicate thoughts.
To accurately confirm the details behind all kinds of problems, a trainer could never rely solely on observation and judgment from his own perspective. He also had to actively and thoroughly communicate with the Umamusume herself.
A trainer's view inevitably had limits. If he made a hasty decision based only on his own assumptions, there was a strong chance he would misjudge many key pieces of information.
That, in turn, could cause a series of problems, or even lead to unexpected consequences.
Take Almond Eye's moment of distraction this time. The reason behind it might be far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
Perhaps she had simply developed a long-standing habit of looking at someone familiar before a race, using it to gain reassurance and strength.
Or perhaps, compared to an ordinary start, her physical coordination and mental adaptability were actually better suited to performing in the environment of a gate start.
There were many similar possibilities hidden beneath the surface. They were not things that could be seen through at a glance.
So Yasui Makoto rationally decided to hold back for now.
He would wait until this partner run was over, talk to Almond Eye, hear Kitasan Black's thoughts as well, and then draw a conclusion. Only then could he accurately determine the specific training direction and tasks going forward.
Because of her slow start, the gap between Almond Eye and Kitasan Black grew increasingly clear.
In terms of physical ability, Almond Eye was already at a disadvantage. Her stamina reserves could not compare to Kitasan Black, who had already been through countless battles.
In terms of race experience, Kitasan Black had been tempered through many races. She had a clear grasp of rhythm control and cornering technique, while Almond Eye was still a blank slate.
As for technique, the experience Kitasan Black had accumulated in daily training and real races made her running form more efficient, allowing each step to bring out her power to the fullest. By comparison, Almond Eye seemed much more unpolished.
Because of that, the distance Almond Eye fell behind was visibly widening.
But Yasui Makoto keenly noticed that, under the intense stimulation of her competitive spirit, an unexpectedly encouraging change was taking place in Almond Eye.
It was as if her entire body had been set alight with fighting spirit. Her steps grew firmer and firmer, every stride carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing momentum.
That change was displayed clearly on the speed monitor connected to Yasui Makoto's phone.
At first, Almond Eye's speed showed a slight struggle as she fell behind. But as the run progressed, the jumping numbers rose steadily, and her overall speed kept increasing.
---
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