Wrestling?
On her way to the Canopus dorm, Barbatos found herself questioning everything over this wrestling business.
She and Seiun Sky had previously analyzed that the way El Condor Pasa looked at Urara was… off. It wasn't a gaze of admiration or anything like that. It wasn't like the look Special Week had when talking about Silence Suzuka. It was more like the look you'd give a rival.
She'd initially thought it was because El Condor Pasa had lost to Urara on a dirt track, thus marking Urara as a rival.
But according to what Grass Wonder said, the truth was actually wrestling!
This was just too bizarre for her to wrap her head around.
It wasn't strange for Uma Musume to wrestle. Their strength far surpassed that of grown men, and some even focused their training on power specifically to muscle through crowds or disrupt others during races.
Unless you were a front-runner, getting boxed in by a large group of racers was a real possibility.
Not that she had to worry about that herself. She always started dead last to maximize her skill durations, after all.
So, it was reasonable that a few Uma Musume used wrestling to train their strength.
But… El Condor Pasa could go toe-to-toe with Urara? Trading wins and losses?!
Wasn't that a bit too strong? El Condor Pasa was downright terrifying!
Everyone knew that besides 'Urara', she also went by another name: Haru Urara… For someone to wrestle Haru Urara to a standstill, El Condor Pasa really was a different breed.
(T/N: I really don't understand the connotations)
She made a mental note: if El Condor Pasa ever asked to practice wrestling with her, she'd refuse outright!
Or maybe she'd agree only after she'd 'bought a Sett' someday.
Lost in these thoughts, she soon arrived at the Canopus dorm. Pushing the door open, she was greeted by the rich aroma of takoyaki. The Canopus team was gathered around the meeting table, eating and watching a live stream playing on a laptop.
On the whiteboard in front of the table were written the words: "How to Get 100,000 Popularity Votes in Your Debut Race."
Clearly, they'd been holding a strategy session on this topic before she returned. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on Seiun Sky, already fast asleep in the corner.
Seeing Barbatos return, the others didn't bother with lengthy greetings.
Congratulations for winning her debut race had already been flooded into their LINE group chat. As for them eating the souvenirs she brought back, they weren't the overly polite type. They'd all bring something back when they went out for races too.
Barbatos walked straight over and sat down beside Urara. From the five remaining boxes of takoyaki, she randomly set two aside. Those were for Urara to take back to King Halo later.
The other three boxes she placed on the table for everyone to share while watching the stream, though the ten boxes already on the table were probably enough.
"Look, B-chan, it's a live stream of El-chan's Winner's Stage performance!" Urara said, her mouth full of takoyaki.
"El's?"
Calculating the time, if her debut race was today, then her Winner's Stage should indeed be around now.
She turned her attention to the laptop screen. The performance was nearing its end. Unlike with Special Week and herself, this Winner's Stage featured only a single performer. A solo act on the Winner's Stage could only mean one thing…
Considering it was El Condor Pasa, Barbatos wasn't the least bit surprised she'd won by over ten lengths.
Compared to that, the fact she could wrestle Urara to a draw was far more shocking!
"El Condor Pasa from Rigil won her debut race by a staggering fifteen lengths," Minamizaka commented from the side.
Before Barbatos's debut race, Minamizaka had been worried about her lack of practice. But the sheer dominance she displayed in that race had genuinely impressed him.
Now, El Condor Pasa, another freshman Uma Musume from the same cohort who'd been selected for Rigil, had shown a similarly dominant performance in her own debut.
If both of them could maintain the overwhelming power they showed in their debuts, they were shaping up to be this generation's Oguri Cap!
"Haha, her dancing can't compare to B-chan's at all," Twin Turbo chirped.
"I remember yesterday, during B-chan's Winner's Stage, the live stream chat was going absolutely wild. Not that I could tell what they were saying."
Twin Turbo's voice dropped to a mumble on that last part, suddenly remembering it would reveal her poor grades in Chinese class. "B-chan! Do you know any other dances like that? Can you teach me?!"
Seeing Twin Turbo's enthusiastic expression, Barbatos replied, "Of course I know more. I can teach you if you want."
El Condor Pasa's performance was the most traditional kind of Uma Musume stage routine.
Rigil, as Tracen's strongest team, housed most of Japan's top Uma Musume.
Their management of Winner's Stage performances was notoriously strict, never allowing the kind of… creative liberties seen in her own or Special Week's performances.
As for whether Twin Turbo would actually be allowed to perform a 'JOJO dance' on the Winner's Stage after learning it, that would be up to Trainer Minamizaka.
If she was really going to teach her, she might as well throw in some Chinese dances to promote cultural exchange. Something like 'Super Idol'…
Perhaps a century from now, she, Barbatos, would be remembered as a milestone in Winner's Stage history—the one who single-handedly sent it down this bizarre path from the very beginning!
Ahem, ahem…
Minamizaka cleared his throat lightly, cutting off the two before their discussion could go further. He was afraid Barbatos would lead the poor child astray. She was still so young!
"Regarding the Winner's Stage," Minamizaka said, "the Emperor has been in contact with me."
"She's arranging for Tokai Teio to give you all special training for your stage performances sometime soon."
Barbatos inwardly groaned. What a hassle. She wondered if she could skip it and just slack off.
It wasn't that she was particularly interested in dancing; she just liked that specific 'JOJO dance'. 'Super Idol' didn't count—that was just a pure meme in her previous life.
"The legendary Emperor's Dance?" Ikuno Dictus adjusted her glasses, seeming genuinely interested.
"Yes, that's the one."
"So when do we start training with Tokai Teio?" Matikanetannhauser asked.
"Seiun Sky's debut race is next week. The sooner, the better. Let's aim for sometime in the next two days."
Minamizaka looked at Barbatos and sighed. "This was arranged by the Emperor herself. You really should attend."
"...?"
Barbatos slowly formed a question mark in her mind, her face the picture of pure innocence.
Why was he looking at her when he said that? She was a model student who took diligent notes in every class—why would she ever think of skipping practice arranged by the President herself?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.