Agnes Tachyon couldn't glimpse any lingering regret or longing for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Dream Weaver's eyes.
After all, Dream hadn't endured those repeated stumbles across the finish line; to her, the Arc wasn't some sacred holy grail, and certainly not an obsession.
But if this was the dream of Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights—their ultimate hope—then Dream Weaver didn't mind giving it a shot.
After spending the better part of a year together, she considered them friends. And between friends, helping out or living up to their expectations felt like the natural thing to do.
Dream expected Tachyon to be thrilled, but the scientist simply froze for a moment before shaking her head.
"Forget it. You can't win the Arc with a half-hearted reason like 'doing it for someone else.'"
"Victory there is impossible for those without true resolve."
"Besides, the side effects of forcing yourself back to your peak are agonizing. I'd much rather just keep mentoring Uma Musume like we are now."
Agnes Tachyon waved her oversized sleeves, cutting Dream off before she could protest.
"Isn't this nice enough? Helping an Uma Musume achieve her dreams... it's not a bad life."
"I haven't hated these past few months, and I suspect Sugar Lights feels the same."
"So... let's leave it at that."
"Pretend I never said anything, or better yet, treat those words as a dark relic of a plot by two wicked researchers. We've turned over a new leaf and abandoned it for a better life."
That familiar, unreadable smirk returned to her face. She spoke to Dream Weaver as if the heavy moment prior had never happened.
"Besides, there's something else you should be keeping an eye on right now."
With that, she fished a phone out of her lab coat pocket and tossed it to Dream.
Puzzled, Dream caught the device and, following Tachyon's gesture, looked at the screen. It was a news report.
[The New Generation Meets a Legend! Two World-Class Uma Musume Form an Alliance?!]
She skimmed past the headline to the body of the article. The implications were enough to make Dream's brow furrow instantly, and she found herself reading aloud.
"Sea the Stars stated that she saw immense potential in Equinox during the Dubai Sheema Classic. Facing the girl who will soon stand as her equal, she is willing to provide whatever help she can."
"Her entire team's resources will be fully accessible to Equinox, and Sea the Stars herself will mentor her as a senior peer to help her achieve better results in the Japan Cup."
"Sea the Stars is a world-class Uma Musume too," Tachyon noted, having drifted over to Dream's side at some point. She pointed to the chestnut-haired girl in the press photo.
"And she isn't burdened by the 'Arc Curse.' She won her own Arc last year and is already regarded as one of the top three world-class talents of this century."
"I don't know why she'd sacrifice her own time at the height of her prime to help Equinox, but one thing is certain."
"The road ahead for Liberty Island just got a whole lot steeper."
Dream Weaver nodded heavily. The offer Tachyon and the others had just retracted vanished from her mind, replaced by a swirling vortex of concern.
The Japan Cup is the closest thing the Japanese racing world has to an international G1. Every year, powerhouse Uma Musume from abroad sign up. If Equinox wants to prove she's world-class, that's her best stage.
Defeating competitors from across the globe there would be her first real step toward the world stage.
And... Liberty Island definitely won't miss this chance.
The Japan Cup was usually held in late November. By then, Liberty Island would have finished the Shuka Sho, the final leg of the Triple Tiara. The timing was perfect.
While it was unclear exactly what kind of help Sea the Stars could provide, she was a world-class athlete.
In her home at Irish Tracen, she surely held a status equivalent to what Dream Weaver once held at Central Tracen.
Central had elite talents like Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights; Dream didn't believe for a second that the Irish academy capable of producing an Sea the Stars lacked similar geniuses.
With Sea the Stars's backing, Liberty Island's only real advantage over Equinox—her training team—would be swiftly neutralized.
Which meant Liberty Island would be facing an even more formidable Equinox at the Japan Cup.
"This is going to be tough..." Dream muttered under her breath. She hadn't expected such a curveball.
To think Equinox's performance overseas would prompt another world-class legend to extend an olive branch.
She scratched her head in frustration, unable to see a clear path for Liberty Island to overcome such a mountain.
"If you're chasing the ultimate 'possibility' of an Uma Musume, there's only ever one way," Tachyon said suddenly.
Dream understood her instantly.
"So, it comes down to the Zone after all..."
They had hashed this out back during the Oka Sho. Dream, Tachyon, and Sugar Lights had all agreed that the only thing Liberty Island might lack in a future showdown with Equinox was the Zone.
But back then, they assumed Liberty Island would have the edge in training.
Now that Equinox had leveled the playing field, the Zone had shifted from a "necessary condition" to a "final, desperate gamble."
At least right now, with Dream at a total loss on how to beat Equinox, the only thing left to believe in was the possibility brought by the Zone.
Yet, she hesitated.
While the Zone granted overwhelming power, the physical toll was immense. Even setting aside the tragedy of Tokai Teio, Dream herself had "burned out" several times from overextending her own Zone.
Given Liberty Island's obsession with Equinox, if Dream told her the only way to win was the Zone, the girl would chase it like a moth to a flame, heedless of the cost.
"Instead of agonizing over it yourself, why not ask the girl what she thinks?"
Tachyon pointed ahead.
Dream looked up instinctively, following the gesture. It was Liberty Island.
Perhaps the repairs on the mechanical Uma Musume ST-2 were taking too long, because Liberty Island had returned to the training grounds alone, clearly intending to get some extra work in.
Just as Dream spotted her, Liberty Island noticed them too.
A bright smile flashed across her face as she waved her arms, jogging toward them.
"I can at least guarantee she won't suffer an accident so bad she has to leave the turf. But beyond that... it's up to her."
Tachyon knew this was Dream and Liberty's moment.
After leaving a final note on the extent of her help, she turned and strolled away, leaving the field to the two of them.
--+--
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.