"Frankel made a promise to me, to everyone!"
"..."
The black-haired Uma Musume, Galileo, fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Then, she voiced her complaint.
"Come on, if promises were worth anything, wouldn't I have been the first to defeat Platinum?"
If there were a thesis titled [On the Authority of Losing to the Pegasus Platinum], then the first and second authors, the core contributors, would undoubtedly be Daiwa Scarlet and her, Galileo!!
In terms of the shock value of defeat, no one in the world could surpass them—Daiwa Scarlet's legendary five-length loss was still talked about to this day.
But when it came to the number of losses, that was Galileo's domain!
Just the number of publicly known race confrontations was no less than three or four.
And in Platinum's proud, world-renowned [Pegasus Hall], there stood not one, but two sculptures of Galileo?
Could any other Uma Musume claim that?!
Even talents as exceptional as her sister Sea the Stars, or Dubai Millennium, or the empresses of Australia, only possessed one sculpture each!
In the past, Galileo would have considered this her embarrassing history, shameful proof of her repeated defeats.
But as time passed, and Platinum grew stronger, collecting sculptures of more world-famous Uma Musume...
Everyone was in the same boat!
Since all the top Uma Musume had become sculptures, had become Platinum's "collectible figures," then it couldn't really be considered embarrassing anymore, right?
Instead... for some Uma Musume, it had been elevated into a kind of honor. Just like Daiwa Scarlet, Galileo felt the same way!
"When it comes to how many times I've lost to Platinum... I'm still the one."
"I too was full of determination before, but didn't I still lose to Platinum in the end?"
Galileo couldn't help but sigh, her voice tinged with a lingering trace of melancholy and regret.
"So facing a monster like that, you have to stake your very life to truly increase your chances of winning."
"Frankel... if it's her, she definitely has the qualification and determination for that!"
Sea the Stars immediately nodded, voicing her agreement.
"You could say she is the last Uma Musume on turf who has any possibility of defeating Platinum."
The former strongest short-distance Uma Musume, Black Caviar, was surpassed by Platinum on her home turf in Australia.
The former successive strongest long-distance Uma Musume, Stradivarius and Kyprios, were both defeated by Platinum on their home turf in Europe.
As for the strongest middle-distance Uma Musume, Sea the Stars... she was captured in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Thus, only the mile distance remained unconquered by Platinum.
In a way, you could say...
The last glory of Europe!
Now rested on Frankel's shoulders!
"Where's little Frankel, what... what is she doing now?"
"I just saw the door to her room was wide open."
Galileo asked, puzzled and somewhat incredulous, or perhaps she was just talking to herself.
Currently, it was nearly evening.
And Galileo knew the young filly Frankel, who had followed her since childhood, very well. She knew Frankel would never divert her attention before a race, either being at the training ground or resting in her room.
If Frankel wasn't in her room, the implication was clear—she was probably still undergoing that terrifyingly intense training regimen even as evening approached.
But now, with only two or three days left until the race, until that epoch-making clash, even the final roster of competitors had been publicly announced!
Training at this point, no matter how good the content or how high the intensity, and regardless of how talented the training Uma Musume was, would yield minimal improvement at best.
With good luck, you might gain a slight edge.
With bad luck, the negative impacts of training—like the body not fully recovering—could lead to worse performance in the race.
There were even rumors in the Japanese Uma Musume world of a G1 champion Uma Musume who, a day or two before a major race, after the entry list was public and the gate draws were done, trained so hard she got injured and retired outright!
Therefore... avoiding high-intensity training before a race was common knowledge for all Uma Musume.
In fact, for safety's sake, many trainers and affiliated families would specifically "monitor" the Uma Musume scheduled to race, afraid she would secretly overtrain during rest periods, affecting the upcoming race.
At best, they shouldn't train at all beyond symbolic warm-ups; that was the safety protocol some trainers believed in.
"I remember Frankel's trainer, that old man, takes very good care of her, treats her like a daughter, like his final Uma Musume, right?"
The chestnut-haired girl Sea the Stars raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Frankel did have a trainer, an elderly, experienced man who had nurtured many Uma Musume with outstanding records.
And Frankel, it was said, would be his last, his "closing disciple," receiving utmost attention.
"And yet... he's still letting Frankel train at a time like this?!"
"Then again, her opponent... is the Pegasus Platinum after all!"
--+--
Training ground.
The elderly white-haired man, his eyes still bright and undimmed, gazed intently at the lone figure of the girl speeding across the training field.
Henry, a genius trainer from Britain, had nurtured Uma Musume capable of winning the Epsom Derby even in his youth.
While many trainers spent their entire careers hoping to produce just one Uma Musume who could win a classic race, Henry had nurtured several, a testament to his skill.
But he was nearing retirement age, his body afflicted by illness, his energy and condition severely declined. For several years prior, he hadn't produced a single G1 champion Uma Musume.
Consequently, the elite Uma Musume in Henry's stable had, over those years, successively chosen to transfer to other teams.
The reason was actually quite simple and normal. The relationship between an Uma Musume and her trainer was almost entirely equivalent to that of [athlete and coach], [student and teacher].
When a teacher can no longer help a student improve, when a coach can't make an athlete stronger or win races, the options of "changing classes" or "switching coaches" aren't surprising.
But then... this old man finally got Frankel!
That was talent visible to the naked eye! That was incomparable dominance!
Moreover, she possessed the determination to surpass all other Uma Musume. Everything needed to become a legend could be found in Frankel.
In a very short time, Frankel easily surpassed the top talents he had nurtured over decades, becoming a veritable superstar in the entire turf mile division.
If those historic, once-in-a-decade legendary Uma Musume were like [gods] in the eyes of regular Uma Musume, then Frankel, who surpassed the legendary Uma Musume Brigadier Gerard, might be considered a true [Titan]!
Therefore, his greatest wish, in his old age and as his training career neared its end, was to witness Frankel climb and reach the absolute summit.
But on the mile track, there was almost... no path left ahead!
All the worthwhile active mile G1 champions had been soundly defeated by Frankel, and the rest had started avoiding her. There were hardly any worthy opponents left to challenge.
So Henry's original plan as a trainer was... to have Frankel, who had lost her rivals, emulate the past Brigadier Gerard: after achieving invincibility in the mile, increase her distance and stamina, and challenge middle-distance races.
That was, until Platinum publicly declared her intention to campaign in other distances. Everything changed!
There was no need to switch distances, no need to prove herself by winning other categories. Just defeating Platinum would bring glory surpassing that of winning any other middle-distance G1!
After all, winning a regular middle-distance G1 and defeating another Titan who had swept through the middle distances were two entirely different concepts.
"Old man, why this time... are you letting me train?"
Frankel, having just stopped, sweat streaming from her forehead down her spine, came to a halt and casually asked Henry.
"Because the opponent is Platinum."
"I don't want you to have any regrets after the race. Strengthening yourself now at all costs will leave you satisfied no matter the outcome then."
Henry answered his final charge seriously.
Hearing this, Frankel's smile faltered slightly.
"You know me so well, old man."
"Indeed, if the opponent is Platinum, any price is worth paying."
"So this time, I'll even listen to your race strategy. You've thought of one, right, old man?"
After her lament, Frankel pressed further.
As the—[The Finest Product of 300 Years of British Breeding], the highest achiever among modern Uma Musume since the end of the Eclipse era, Frankel's talent and excellence were undeniably powerful.
She was crowned... [Perfection]!
But Frankel's perfection was different from what many imagined. She wasn't the type who never made mistakes, who always won by leading in every aspect.
Sea the Stars was like that.
But Sea the Stars wasn't perfect. She was... "approaching perfection," infinitely close to it.
But no matter how close, it was only "close." A gap remained between her and true perfection that seemed within reach yet was as distant as the horizon.
The reason was simple: Sea the Stars was outstandingly strong, intelligent, and excellent, but she failed to display absolutely invincible dominance and visual shock in her races. She always managed to win as the public expected, but couldn't achieve the level of dominance seen with Platinum and Frankel.
As for the perfect Frankel, she had actually made not just one or two mistakes in her career races.
For instance, poor starts.
Or, for instance, forgetting the race strategy her trainer had arranged mid-race, failing to control her instinct to run free, galloping wantonly.
But precisely because of this, she appeared even more visually appealing than high-scoring Uma Musume with flawless performances—just like Platinum with her frequent poor starts and wanton acceleration.
After all, wouldn't an imperfect running style that still resulted in an undefeated, full-winning record only highlight her strength even more?
No matter how skilled the technique or how strong the execution of other Uma Musume, it was useless against absolute stat monsters.
Platinum, Frankel, even Secretariat—they could all display "mistakes," lower their own margin for error, give their opponents hope, and then bestow upon them the despair of reversal.
This was the privilege of absolute legends! It was also why Frankel was publicly recognized as perfect!
It made people outside can't help but wonder just how strong she would be if she ran a perfectly victory-seeking race.
Perfection without talent isn't true perfection; the mistakes of the infinitely gifted are still worthy of praise! This is precisely... the cruelty of the Uma Musume world. Victory is everything!
And now, Frankel was willing to suppress her instincts, restrain her surging heart that longed to surpass all ahead, to face Platinum in a decisive battle!
Two legends, both renowned for perfection, were about to embark on the most glorious, most difficult race of their careers!
Even Frankel could feel unprecedented pressure now, but she was the type who... the more pressure she felt, the more she could display her true strength. Instead, she grew more excited!
And this time, if it was for the sake of defeating Platinum, no matter how much she had to endure or suppress herself to follow the trainer's race strategy, Frankel would agree, accept, and obey.
"Before, I tried as much as possible to have you run according to plan..."
"That was to prevent accidents, ensuring a stable, safe body and the most cost-effective winning margin, to let genius become genius."
"But now, you are already the pinnacle shining across all of Europe and the world, far exceeding my expectations and upper limits."
Safety!
Letting genius become genius!
It was easy to understand. In Henry's view, no matter how incompetent the trainer assigned to Frankel, as long as Frankel didn't get injured and retire early, she would easily claim victory in races.
Therefore, Henry chose a relatively safe and steady approach, protecting Frankel's body, ensuring this supreme product of 300 years of British breeding wouldn't be tarnished by accident, injury, or race-related harm.
And before he knew it, Frankel had shone far beyond his imagination, reaching heights that surpassed the legendary mile Uma Musume Brigadier Gerard.
The white-haired old man spoke calmly.
"No one is qualified to instruct you on how to run. Not even Eclipse or Man o' War, let alone me."
"And this Queen Anne Stakes perfectly matches our expectations, doesn't it?"
As an old man nearing the end of his rope, close to retirement, being able to partner with the most monstrously talented Uma Musume of his career in its final stages was already enough to satisfy him.
Therefore, Henry's current goal was to fulfill Frankel's every wish, knowing she only wanted to defeat the strongest opponent, or be defeated by the strongest opponent!
For that... even if it cost everything, even if the price might be as high as injury, she would fear nothing.
Rather than plainly extending her undefeated streak with a few more G1 wins, it was better to shine—or wither—in the grandest confrontation. That was Frankel.
That being the case, what was there to restrict?
Not to mention, facing a Pegasus like that, how could you possibly expect to win by just making plans and prioritizing safety?
"Trainer, you mean..."
"This time, there is no plan. This is a once-in-a-lifetime match. Soar freely!"
Hearing this, Frankel paused for a moment. Her expression, previously calm, broke into a wide grin the next second, her posture incredibly dashing, like a Valkyrie unleashed.
Being recognized as the strongest by the sea family, by Britain, by all of Europe—that was an honor, that was fame, but it was also a shackle.
Frankel didn't like seeing disappointed looks on the faces of those who supported her. Even when running freely, she would somewhat control her limits to avoid overloading her body, not wanting to see herself get injured.
But if the opponent was Platinum...
Then, she would cast everything aside, shatter the shackles completely, willing to treat that confrontation as her "retirement race," her "final dance."
"In that case, I won't hold back."
The reigning Mile King stood, arms crossed.
"I will... ignite Platinum's knightly arena!"
"And then, spare no effort to claim the laurel. Just watch, Trainer."
--+--
Three days later.
The silver-haired girl pulled on her tall boots in her bedroom.
The languid Platinum then stood up and grabbed the long case hanging nearby.
She was beginning... her solo ascent!
"The final battle on turf is here!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.