"Grass Wonder beat Special Week?"
"How could I be dreaming up something like this!"
Even after witnessing the entire race with her own eyes, Barbatos still felt a sense of unreality.
The duo of Special Week and Silence Suzuka was undoubtedly a top-three powerhouse in this Summer Dream Cup.
It wasn't even about Silence Suzuka; it was that Special Week's innate talent for learning was simply off the charts.
The race had unfolded exactly as she had imagined.
Faced with the endless stream of "stolen" techniques Special Week kept unleashing, Grass Wonder and T.M Opera O had been run ragged just trying to keep up.
And yet, at the very last moment, Grass Wonder managed to flip the script.
"I guess that's the power of love for you."
"Huh?"
Barbatos turned her head to look at Seiun Sky beside her. How did competitive sports suddenly turn into the "power of love"? Then again, it actually made a weird sort of sense.
Grass Wonder "liked" Special Week, Special Week had a "crush" on Silence Suzuka, and Silence Suzuka shared a room with Special Week.
Even if Grass Wonder never put her feelings into words, after spending enough time together, all their friends—except for the oblivious Special Week herself—could more or less see it.
"I'm really looking forward to the day Grass and Spe appear in the same race together."
"I wonder if Grass can keep the upper hand over Spe then."
She wasn't talking about this "for-fun" non-running event like the Summer Dream Cup, but a true Graded Stakes race. If those two ever faced off on the turf, the level of excitement would go through the roof.
As for the drama between Grass Wonder and Special Week, Barbatos was perfectly happy to just sit back with some popcorn and watch the chaos unfold.
"Ahhh!!!"
With a sharp, clear cry like a whinnying filly, Special Week collapsed to the ground in a heap, looking much like a fallen commander.
The bottle in her hand tilted, and dark green vegetable juice slowly glugged out, soaking into the beach sand.
The invincible Spe-chan had fallen.
Even the habitually stoic Silence Suzuka was struggling; having downed her juice, her arms were trembling uncontrollably.
She began staggering toward Gold Ship in a desperate search for water, her face a chaotic mess of grimaces as she fought to endure the bitter aftertaste.
"My, this Summer Dream Cup has certainly been an eye-opener."
Seiun Sky wore a mischievous smirk.
Usually, Spe and the others were fine, and Silence Suzuka—along with the legendary Uma Musume—remained calm and optimistic, maintaining strict control over their expressions.
But after drinking that vegetable juice, every single one of them, save for Grass Wonder and Maruzensky, showed a side of themselves no one ever got to see.
"It's a shame we won't get to see Rudolf drink the juice."
Barbatos leaned back with a sigh of regret.
From here on, Symboli Rudolf's team wouldn't cross paths with Maruzensky anymore, and there were almost no teams left in the Summer Dream Cup that posed a threat to them.
If they wanted to see the Emperor's "funny face," they'd likely have to wait for the "Special Vegetable Juice" awarded only to the champions.
After drinking it—or watching others suffer through it—one could only reach one conclusion: the first time you taste it, it's not a flavor you can just "willpower" your way through.
Unless, of course, you actually like the taste of liquid lawn.
The event didn't stop just because Grass Wonder beat Special Week; it churned onward.
What was supposed to be a lighthearted exhibition—where girls would normally fight to the finish even against bad odds—turned into a forfeit-fest once the vegetable juice was introduced.
The participants of the Dream Cup were almost all Uma Musume branded as "legends" or "prodigies" by the outside world.
They possessed convictions forged through a thousand trials and confidence built upon a mountain of victories.
Even when faced with an overwhelming gap in ability, they were usually willing to give it their all.
But!
When the loser had to drink that vegetable juice, their taste buds made the rational decision to retreat.
"We forfeit!"
"We're out!"
Including Barbatos and Seiun Sky, as the hours ticked by, the participants dropped out one after another. The sheer terror of the vegetable juice had cast a long shadow over their hearts.
As dusk approached, Toujou Hana stood at the judge's table and officially declared the end of the Summer Dream Cup.
Due to the way the schedule was set up, there wasn't a "final" in the traditional sense; rather, it was a round-robin style where teams clashed.
"The winning duo of this Summer Dream Cup is... Team Emperor!"
"Congratulations to Symboli Rudolf and Tokai Teio!"
Except for the two who had just lost to the Emperor's team and were currently being dominated by the juice, the rest of the Uma Musume perked up, giving Symboli Rudolf and Tokai Teio their most "enthusiastic" applause yet.
Every head was craned forward, everyone dying to see Symboli Rudolf drink the "Special Vegetable Juice."
They were collectively praying to the heavens that the "Special" version hadn't been improved or flavored; in fact, they hoped it tasted even more potent than the regular stuff.
As Symboli Rudolf took the champion's prize from Toujou Hana, the entire beach fell into a hushed silence.
One could even hear the faint sound of waves lapping against the shore.
Mejiro McQueen watched intently.
While helping Gold Ship sell concessions, she instinctively grabbed a bottle of mineral water and twisted the cap open, ready to hand it to Tokai Teio the moment she finished the juice.
She wanted to give Teio at least a moment of relief.
Gold Ship caught this out of the corner of her eye but remained silent.
"Eh?"
"How is there no reaction?"
"No way! Is the Special Juice actually better than the regular stuff?"
The spectators focused on Symboli Rudolf began whispering.
When you're out having fun, the main goal is a good laugh, and seeing the Emperor lose her cool after the juice was now a matter of public interest.
Yet, as Rudolf drank, she showed no unusual reaction.
"Is this... the true composure of the Emperor?"
King Halo clenched her fists, feeling as though she had found her new path forward.
The Special Vegetable Juice was an "improved" formula.
While retaining the original effects, it added numerous rare materials beneficial for recovery; the cost of a single bottle was over ten thousand times that of the standard version.
Its restorative properties for injuries were massive, but the flavor had become significantly more wretched due to the added ingredients.
It was essentially a gift of health to her friends, providing significant benefits for leg injury prevention and recovery.
Rudolf finished the bottle in one go. Her hand gripped the empty glass with unconscious force, and her facial expression remained as stiff and composed as ever.
However, beneath her bangs, the faint shadow of a throbbing vein—a perfect cross-popping "tic"—appeared on her forehead.
Beside her, Tokai Teio saw that the President seemed fine after drinking it.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she hadn't tasted it, seeing her seniors' reactions had made her a bit terrified.
Seeing the way she drank it, Teio figured the Special Juice was probably fine. She bit down on the straw and took a soft sip, letting the liquid spread across her tongue.
In an instant, her entire face went through a kaleidoscope of agonizing contortions.
"Bleh! No way!"
Let the vegetable juice make up for Tokai Teio's regrets.
Let the "Indomitable Emperor" fade, and a "Peerless Genius" be born!
Only then would the peak Tokai Teio of next year have the chance to encounter the now-veteran Barbatos after securing the Triple Crown.
--+--
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.