Dream Weaver had always known that Sea the Stars came from a lineage that was considered prestigious even by European standards.
Given the sheer talent and dominance she displayed, Dream Weaver naturally assumed Sea the Stars was one of those blue-blooded prodigies who had never tasted the bitterness of failure.
Little did she expect that this Uma Musume—who, in a sense, shared the same homeland—would have such a tangled history with a mother and a birthplace she had never even seen.
"By the time I had resolved to become the brightest star in the night sky, just as the name my mother gave me intended, another crimson star had already streaked across the firmament, illuminating the entire racing world."
Sea the Stars bit her lip, her eyes—dark and clear like black crystal—fixed on Dream Weaver. There was a flicker of stubbornness in that gaze.
"Ireland, Europe, the whole world... the entire racing industry was trembling in the wake of that star's brilliance. Before I could even claim my place as the brightest light in the night, a star capable of igniting the world had already appeared."
"Whenever the elders of those great houses spoke of that star, their usual composure would crumble into something awkward and complicated. Even my mother would often fall into a deep silence whenever news of her arrived."
"Dream Weaver... an Uma Musume who also carries the meaning of 'Star' in her name. To think you stole my mother's gaze before I could ever become the brightest star myself!"
(T/N: For clarification, DW's literal Chinese to English translation is Embroidered Stardream, which is why there's a lot of Star motifs.)
Hearing the sheer grit in Sea the Stars' voice, Dream Weaver could only offer a helpless, wry smile. How could she have guessed she'd been targeted all this time simply because of a name?
"To understand what it was about this 'Dream Weaver' that captivated my mother, I watched every single one of her race recordings, over and over again."
"I told myself that one day, I would defeat her fair and square. I would become the most brilliant star in my mother's eyes!"
However, after countless viewings of those tapes, the young Sea the Stars had reached a sobering conclusion.
At her current stage, there was simply no way she could run alongside that crimson flash tearing across the turf.
But Sea the Stars didn't lose heart. She was the most gifted Uma Musume in her family and her mother's greatest hope.
Knowing since childhood that she possessed peerless talent, she poured far more effort into her training than ever before, all to catch up to the woman who was one step ahead.
To her, Dream Weaver's existence was like a mountain climber discovering the highest peak in the world. Her abstract goal of "becoming the brightest star" had finally taken a concrete shape: defeating Dream Weaver in a true showdown.
To achieve this, Sea the Stars looked for every possible way to improve. Not only did she hire Ireland's most legendary trainer, John Oxx, but she also scoured Tracen Academies across the globe for specialists to build her ultimate support team.
The only reason Symboli Kris S even knew Sea the Stars was that she had traveled to the American Tracen as an exchange student specifically to hunt for top-tier pharmacists and medical staff.
Unlike Equinox, who harbored romanticized dreams about the relationship between a trainer and an Uma Musume—like the one between Liberty Island and Dream Weaver—Sea the Stars' objectives were clinical from the start.
Her team existed for one reason: to help her realize her talent as quickly as possible.
Under such a calculated plan, Sea the Stars grew at a staggering pace. By the time she claimed victory in the British Classic, the 2000 Guineas, her name was already echoing across Europe.
The old European elite, who had long sought to suppress her family as "outsiders," formed a coalition to stifle her momentum.
In the end, during the Epsom Derby, half the field consisted of Uma Musume from these prestigious houses, all entered with a single goal: to break Sea the Stars' rising streak in the heat of the Derby.
Though it was a family mission, those high-born Uma Musume had their own pride; they didn't resort to ganging up on her on the track. They competed as individuals for the crown, just as they always had.
In their eyes, that was enough.
At the time, Sea the Stars had only won a single G1.
There was no way, they thought, that she could truly outshine a field of elites who had been groomed for greatness since birth.
They were all wrong.
When Sea the Stars tore through the Derby with overwhelming force, the trend across Europe shifted. People began to see her as the next "future star" to follow in Dream Weaver's footsteps.
Some tabloid media outlets, ever fond of hyperbole, even started running headlines about the "Battle of the Twin Stars" to draw in readers.
After working so hard for so long, Sea the Stars finally had the chance to stand on the same stage as Dream Weaver. Naturally, she cherished this hard-won opportunity more than anything.
Dream Weaver never missed the annual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. So, that year, to secure her own spot in the Arc, Sea the Stars went on a tear, winning the Eclipse Stakes, the International Stakes, and the Irish Champion Stakes in rapid succession. She became an Uma Musume holding five G1 titles.
Even within the same generation, few aside from Dream Weaver possessed so many G1 trophies. Sea the Stars had achieved this feat in only her second year since debuting.
Barring any accidents, she was a lock for the second-favorite spot in the Arc betting pools. As for the first-favorite... Dream Weaver had held that throne for a long time.
But just as Sea the Stars was peaking in her preparations to finally fulfill her lifelong goal, news arrived from thousands of miles away that left her utterly dumbfounded.
Dream Weaver was withdrawing from this year's Arc de Triomphe to become a trainer for two specific Uma Musume.
If it had only been the first half of the news, Sea the Stars might have been able to convince herself it was just an accident—that perhaps they would meet at the Arc next year instead.
But the second half of the report completely shattered her illusions.
Sea the Stars knew all about the intimate bonds between trainers and Uma Musume at Tracen.
Once such a bond was formed, a trainer usually dedicated themselves entirely to that partner until the day they retired.
Who knew how long an Uma Musume's career would last? By the time Dream Weaver finished mentoring those two, she might not even be able to run anymore.
Although no official retirement ceremony had been announced, to Sea the Stars, this was a clear signal that Dream Weaver was fading into the background.
"But you actually ran away? You, my rival, actually fled from the Arc de Triomphe!"
Sea the Stars shouted, her teeth clenched in frustration.
She had worked so hard, coming within a hair's breadth of her dream of a final showdown, only for it to be snatched away by such a baffling turn of events. There was no way she could accept this.
"Generally speaking..." Dream Weaver started, sounding a bit exhausted, "the title of 'rival' usually requires the two people to actually know each other."
"Can we really be rivals when we're thousands of miles apart and have never even seen each other's faces?"
Dream Weaver's logical dismissal clearly didn't sit well with Sea the Stars. The girl pointed a finger directly at Dream Weaver's chest and raised her voice.
"I don't care! It's not like there's anyone else in this world capable of being your rival anyway. I've become a world-class Uma Musume just like you, so what's wrong with me being your rival?!"
"I'm really sorry... but that 'rival' spot has actually been at full capacity for quite a while now..."
Dream Weaver found she couldn't quite meet Sea the Stars' eyes.
She looked away, awkwardly scratching her cheek as she answered.
"Huh?!"
--+--
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.