"Team Emperor! A narrow victory with a score of 1-0!"
"A drop shot?"
Barbatos stood there, momentarily stunned. The "Snake Ball" Symboli Rudolf had unleashed at the very end was, in its simplest form, a drop shot.
By altering the ball's trajectory the moment it cleared the net, Rudolf forced it to plummet and die on the spot.
Barbatos knew she could pull off a move like that herself.
Between her "Eagle Magic Ball" and the "Whirlwind Snake," these techniques were innovations she had introduced to the Summer Dream Cup, using her knowledge of anime from her past life to push the boundaries of the sport.
She wasn't incapable of Rudolf's style; she just hadn't seen a reason to use it.
But volleyball isn't tennis. In tennis, you hit the ball after it bounces; in volleyball, the moment the ball touches the floor, the point is over.
Usually, when dealing with Uma Musume—especially four of them on a court—a drop shot is a risky play.
Even a "Snake" variant should have been easy pickings for the monsters on this court, all of whom were the cream of the crop of their respective generations.
Given Taiki Shuttle's explosive reaction speed, there was no reason she should have missed it.
The true brilliance of that final play wasn't just the technique; it was the setup. As Barbatos replayed the last thirty minutes of the match in her mind, a spark of realization struck her.
Up until that point, the Emperor had played a game of surgical precision, aiming for the most awkward angles—spots where Taiki Shuttle and Maruzensky would struggle to return the ball.
Yet, Maruzensky had been a literal wall, returning every single one with seamless grace.
However, every one of those "difficult" shots had been aimed at the back half of the court.
For twenty-nine minutes, the Emperor had been telling Taiki Shuttle a story. It was a story of security—a tale where, as long as Maruzensky was there, everything was under control.
She groomed Taiki into believing that even if a ball seemed out of reach, Maruzensky would be there to bail her out.
Then, in the final seconds, Rudolf used her positioning to mask Maruzensky's line of sight and snapped off a "Snake" drop shot.
After an entire match of deep-court aggression, the simplicity of the drop shot became its greatest strength.
Compared to Seiun Sky's intricate scheming, this required a half-hour of psychological conditioning.
Compared to Barbatos's own flashy "Snake" variations, it was almost plain.
But it was enough. A win is a win, and the Emperor had just written a perfect ending to her story.
--+--
"Sorry about that, Maruzensky-senpai," Taiki Shuttle apologized, looking downcast. "That last ball... I just didn't react in time."
While the stakes of the Summer Dream Cup weren't life-or-death, and teammates certainly didn't need to apologize to one another, there was one looming shadow over every loss: the dreaded vegetable juice.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I actually kind of wanted to try the juice anyway," Maruzensky replied airily.
She wasn't just being polite.
She had suspected Rudolf's play and had been on guard, but the sheer lure of the mystery juice—or perhaps a momentary lapse in timing—had kept her from reaching it.
If the game had gone into overtime, Tokai Teio wouldn't have been able to hold out anyway. Truthfully, even if Maruzensky had sprinted at full tilt, the odds of returning that specific shot were slim.
"Let's go have a drink then!" Maruzensky cheered. Seeing her teammates' dramatic reactions had piqued her curiosity. "Hana, we're here for our juice!"
"That was a magnificent match," Toujou Hana said, handing over the cups to Maruzensky and Taiki.
Taiki Shuttle stared at the liquid in her hand, hesitating.
Even with her sunny disposition, seeing the legendary seniors collapse after one sip made her heart race with genuine dread.
Gulp.
"Hmm, the flavor is actually quite alright!" Maruzensky said, taking a sip through her straw as if she were drinking a casual post-match refresher rather than the concoction that had laid legends low.
Another taste-bud monster on par with Grass Wonder!
The thought echoed through the minds of everyone watching. Is this the power of the most senior member of Rigil?
Barbatos wondered if the Emperor herself would react the same way—drinking it as easily as plain water.
History had shown that ordinary willpower wasn't enough to conquer this juice.
Narita Brian, Hishi Amazon, T.M Opera O, Fuji Kiseki, and Air Groove—all possessed unshakable convictions, yet all had been broken by the brew.
Maruzensky was either naturally immune like Grass Wonder, or her mental fortitude had reached a level where she could simply ignore the assault on her senses. Barbatos put her money on the latter.
"Gah! This is horrible!" Taiki Shuttle cried out, clutching her throat.
Unlike the older generation who tried to suffer in silence to save face, Taiki had no such qualms.
The "Invincible in the Rain" superstar was now a picture of pure agony, her face twisting into a comical grimace as she frantically scanned the crowd for Gold Ship—likely looking for a distraction or a cure.
If a reporter were here, the headlines would write themselves: The Many Faces of Legends vs. The Juice.
With the right photos, it would dominate the Uma Musume news cycle for a week.
--+--
Watching the fallout, Barbatos turned her focus inward to analyze what she'd learned.
When she faced Maruzensky, she had tried to break through the Zone using a barrage of "Snake" shots, hoping to find a technical exploit. It hadn't worked.
Yet, Symboli Rudolf had won using a single "Snake" shot.
In a duel between top-tier Uma Musume, stamina-drain tactics were useless unless the opponent was an inexperienced Tokai Teio.
To score against titans like Maruzensky or Rudolf, technical skill like the "Snake" wasn't a win condition on its own.
The problem for Barbatos was this: while she and Seiun Sky spent twenty-nine minutes carefully crafting a narrative to win a single point, how many lengths would Rudolf and the others be ahead of them by the time the story reached its climax?
As Barbatos lost herself in strategy, the next round was already beginning.
The "Rap Team"—Grass Wonder and T.M Opera O—were stepping up to face the "Spica Team"—Special Week and Silence Suzuka.
"With Special Week on the court, Spica has a massive advantage..."
--+--
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.