A dominant victory by twelve lengths over second place!
Listening to the applause and cheers erupting from the stands, Minamizaka stared at the scene, barely able to believe his eyes. For a moment, he was completely stunned.
Even he felt a sense of unreality.
According to the original plan—the one before Barbatos and the others joined Team Canopus—Minamizaka's strategy had been to let Twin Turbo and the rest train for another full year, only debuting them after they'd built up sufficient strength.
The goal was for them to at least possess the ability to win entry-level races with a high degree of confidence.
But after Barbatos and the other two joined, things seemed to shift.
They had barely enrolled before preparing for their debut races.
They'd barely done any formal training, spending most of their time slacking off, and yet in their debut races, they each displayed a monstrous, overwhelming dominance.
He remembered back at the start, Seiun Sky had told him.
If Barbatos could run in a debut race, then she could too, because she had beaten Barbatos in their little contest.
Later, after witnessing Barbatos's debut race, after seeing that terrifying closing speed like a master swordsman unleashing his ultimate technique, he'd had his doubts. Could Seiun Sky really beat a Barbatos like that?
It wasn't until he chatted with Urara later that he learned Barbatos, just the day before joining the team, had been completely unable to handle turf tracks.
Compared to Barbatos, Urara would never lie.
To adapt to turf in a single day… just how much effort had Barbatos put in behind the scenes? Or was it pure, raw talent? And did Seiun Sky truly have what it took to run a debut race?
Today, Seiun Sky had given him her answer.
He was happy for Seiun Sky, happy that both she and Barbatos had secured victories in their debuts.
Yet, within that happiness, there was no pride.
The two of them had indeed shown incredible power and running style, but what did that have to do with him, Minamizaka?
The outside world was probably speculating about what a brilliant trainer the Canopus coach must be. Only he himself knew that the training plans he'd meticulously crafted hadn't been of any use at all.
Heck, Seiun Sky and Barbatos had only trained under him a total of two times!!! The rest of the time, they were basically goofing off.
Their debut race victories, their level of dominance, was entirely due to their own sheer power!
So, Minamizaka was genuinely happy for them, but he felt no personal pride.
He mentally noted the running styles and abilities displayed by both Barbatos and Seiun Sky.
Once he got back to the hotel, he would record everything on his computer and analyze it, working to devise training plans that would suit them best.
They were both strong, showing crushing, top-tier ability in their debuts.
But how long could this talent-based strength last without proper training? They could beat the second-place finisher by over ten lengths now, but what about later?
When they reached the G-series races, would they still be able to run like this?
A genius might transform after suffering a setback, either fading into the crowd or becoming a true champion.
His job as a trainer was probably to prepare for that possibility in advance.
"Run with confidence. Me, and everyone in Canopus, we'll be your solid foundation!"
--+--
As the audience sat in their seats, waiting for the Winner's Stage, they pulled out their phones to share what they'd seen today with friends and family. Some were already online talking about a "Generation's Main Character."
They had just come on the weekend to watch some entry-level races and see their favorite Uma Musume, but today they had witnessed the rise of another "Generation's Main Character"!
How could that not be exciting?
Their main criterion for judging whether an Uma Musume was a "Generation's Main Character" was whether she could put more than ten lengths between herself and the second-place finisher—a standard they'd deduced from watching Barbatos and El Condor Pasa.
Online, trending topics were popping up: "Can Seiun Sky Be Called the Generation's Main Character?"and "The Generation's Main Character Count Increases By One."
On this weekend day, even though the race had just ended and the Winner's Stage hadn't even started, the click-through rates for these topics were skyrocketing.
The highest one had already surpassed a million clicks.
Don't think that just because Symboli Rudolf's fanbase is only around 420,000, that means few people in Japan watch Uma Musume races.
For the fans here, they typically support only one Uma Musume—at least within the same generation, they don't support several at once.
It's only after certain Uma Musume become Legendary Uma Musume that fans might start supporting other active top-tier Uma Musume.
Some even refuse to support other Legendary Uma Musume, because wouldn't that just add a vote for their favorite's rival?
Among these trending topics, one was climbing at a shocking speed. People who hadn't even been following the trends started receiving push notifications about it.
It was a topic posted by a major influencer in the Uma Musume world.
It was related to the 'Generation's Main Character' discussion, involving Barbatos, Seiun Sky, and El Condor Pasa.
During this period, many influencers were hopping on the "Generation's Main Character" bandwagon to grow their follower count. But unlike them, this particular topic wasn't a positive discussion about it.
Instead, it outright rejected the whole "Generation's Main Character" conclusion.
This influencer's username was 'Wife Went on a Rampage... Again.' His follower count placed him among the top influencers in the Uma Musume scene.
He had successfully predicted the outcomes of several G2 races and could accurately analyze why popular Uma Musume performed poorly in specific races.
No one had ever seen him in person, leading to speculation that he was actually a seasoned trainer operating behind the scenes.
"Regarding the topic of the 'Generation's Main Character,' I originally had no intention of joining the debate. I don't agree with the premise, so I chose not to participate. But now, with the discussion intensifying, let me share my thoughts on those three words: 'Generation's Main Character.'"
"It refers to an Uma Musume who can overpower all the other geniuses of her generation, a true main character in every sense, like those few among the Legendary Uma Musume."
"Using the current standards applied to Barbatos, El Condor Pasa, and Seiun Sky is inappropriate. It's an answer that can only truly be known at the very end of a generation."
"I've also reviewed recordings of many past races, especially those of the Legendary Uma Musume."
"Who still remembers White Lightning? She was unquestionably the best in Japan at her time! That lightning-fast final kick—you can still feel her terror and power just by watching the recordings."
"She was the first Uma Musume in that generation to win both the Autumn Tenno Sho and the Spring Tenno Sho. Even the Legendary Oguri Cap of that era couldn't match her. If I didn't know the history, I might have thought, watching those races, that she was the main character of her generation."
"Labeling Barbatos and the others as the 'Generation's Main Character' now is still too early. Before the end, no one can know who the true main character is."
"If I had to say, rather than 'Generation's Main Character,' it would be more fitting to call them 'Prodigies.' The current generation's prodigies."
"Let me talk about who I consider the current prodigies, and the criteria I use for judging them."
--+--
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.