After snapping back to her senses, Tannhauser nodded repeatedly.
However, just as Seiun Sky pulled her backward, her footing slipped exactly as one would expect.
Whoosh!
She went down headfirst.
Thud!
"Tannhauser—!!"
Seiun Sky's pupils shrank. Watching her teammate go down right in front of her, she shook her head tremulously.
Her hands gripped the fishing rod with renewed intensity, blue veins even popping out on the back of her hands.
She slowly took a few steps back and shouted to the nearby Nishino Flower.
"Quick! Move Tannhauser out of the way! I can still hold on a bit longer!"
"Sky-chan..."
"Don't worry about me, just get Tannhauser away!"
Such a violent commotion naturally attracted Starlight and Rice Shower from not far away. Seeing the scene, Starlight stepped forward.
"I'll help you, Sky-chan!"
"Stay right where you are!"
To Starlight's surprise, Sky actually shouted back a refusal.
Watching the figure still battling the unknown creature beneath the water's surface, Divine Starlight froze and asked in confusion, "Sky-chan, why...?"
Rice Shower clenched her fists and began silently cheering for Seiun Sky in her heart.
"You don't understand, Starlight-chan. This is the final hope grasped by a fisherman after a long, desperate wait."
Taking a difficult step backward, Seiun Sky's legs began to tremble.
If not for the temperature-insulating fabric beneath her feet, she likely would have slipped long ago.
Suddenly, a wave of cyan energy erupted from around Seiun Sky's body.
The surrounding Uma Musume gasped in shock. Even Kiryuu Inami couldn't help but gape.
"T-this... this is... a Unique Skill! How is this possible? To awaken a Unique at a time like this!"
Amidst her flying hair, Seiun Sky's expression was one of unprecedented determination.
What radiated from her eyes was the fire of a fisherman escaping the fate of coming home empty-handed— the fire of one striding toward hope.
Thrum, thrum, thrum!
Below the surface, the fishing line pulled taut, beginning to snap and collide against the inner walls of the circular ice hole.
The vibrating force traveled upward like blades of gale-force wind, lashing at Seiun Sky's hands.
"Enough, Sky-chan! Give up... you can't fight it on your own!"
"What nonsense! How could I give up... if I don't grasp this chance, who knows when the next bite will come!"
"Nishino Flower, do you really want me to carry the title of 'Empty-Handed' forever?"
"I... Sky-chan, I'm sorry."
Tannhauser, who had been moved to a safe area, leaned against the ground.
Nursing her bruised chin, she looked at Seiun Sky's silhouette and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Seiun Sky-san. It's because I was too weak that I couldn't help you—"
"Haha, don't be silly, Tannhauser-san! I actually have you to thank this time. If it weren't for you, I might not have caught this opportunity at all."
"Rest assured, I won't let go of this guy easily until I fall!"
With a loud shout, Seiun Sky turned her back, hoisting the fishing rod over her shoulder to use leverage to its maximum.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
The powerful cyan energy generated from her body continued to dissipate outward.
The Uma Musume closest to her could barely keep their eyes open. Rice Shower quickly moved to shield Starlight, blue flames erupting within her purple eyes.
The moment her Unique Skill activated, a black barrier appeared, helping the two of them withstand the shockwave.
Nishino Flower naturally couldn't let herself be pummeled by the aura either, she activated her own Unique Skill.
A massive pink and yellow barrier formed in front of her, finally allowing Matikane Tannhauser and Kiryuu Inami in the rear to recover.
Hiss, hiss, hiss~
A strange sound echoed from beneath the water. The unknown creature biting the hook seemed to have grown angry as well, and it began to thrash with all its might.
"Go for it, Sky-chan! Whether we get to eat fish tonight depends entirely on you."
"Sky-chan... keep going!"
"Seiun Sky-san, I'll be cheering for you too..."
The surrounding figures seemed to gradually go still, and even the colors of the world began to fade away.
All that remained was Seiun Sky, still radiating a faint cyan aura. The sound of her heavy, ragged breathing filled her own ears.
The numbness in her hands began to spread, eventually reaching her entire body.
Her vision grew darker as she stared at the fishing hook that was still thrashing relentlessly.
"No... haah, huff... I can't fall yet. Even someone as lazy as me has moments where she'll give everything to win!"
Seiun Sky's pupils contracted. Her body began to lean forward, stubbornly dragging the fishing rod backward.
Raising her eyes slightly, the figures of Starlight-chan and Nishino Flower became a blur.
"AHH—!!"
With a great shout, she closed her eyes and gathered every ounce of strength in her body into her hands to pull.
The cyan energy dissipating around her began to converge back toward her, forming a shockwave.
The unknown creature was equally unyielding, it actually created a vortex on the water's surface resembling a black hole, as if it intended to drag the entire Uma Musume into the depths.
The moment the two forces collided, a massive gust of wind scattered in all directions.
After a long while, once everything had returned to silence, the group looked over.
They saw Seiun Sky with her head hanging low, her hands gripping the fishing rod, motionless.
Her eyes had lost their luster, her mouth was slightly agape, and a bit of drool was escaping.
There was no more movement beneath the water, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
"Sky-chan!"
Nishino Flower cried out and rushed over. Just as she reached Seiun Sky, the other girl collapsed stiffly onto the ground.
"Sky-chan~"
Crouching down, Nishino Flower shook her body, trying to wake her up.
Starlight and the others also hurried forward to check the situation. Meanwhile, Kiryuu Inami caught the fishing rod just before it could slide into the water.
'The quality of this rod is truly impressive', she thought. 'To be pulled like that and not snap—truly a veteran fisherman's gear.'
Gradually, her consciousness returned. Seiun Sky panted heavily, staring at the blurry ceiling of the tent.
"I... I am..."
"Sky-chan, are you okay!?"
"Nishino Flower... I—I'm fine."
"That's a relief. Sky-chan, you were really cool just now~" Starlight, standing nearby, let out a sigh of relief and praised her.
Looking toward the gray Uma Musume, Seiun Sky asked with a hint of anticipation, "Starlight-chan, Nishino Flower, everyone... did I succeed?"
As soon as she spoke, everyone present lowered their heads in silence, offering no word.
Seemingly having received the answer she expected, Seiun Sky's expression returned to its original lazy look.
She waved her hand dismissively and said, "Well, well... as long as I tried my best, haha."
Even so, everyone could hear the hidden loneliness behind that nonchalant tone.
But suddenly, a faint splashing sound came from the water's surface.
Rice Shower, who was closest, turned to look and was instantly overjoyed.
"E-everyone look! A fish is floating up!"
In an instant, Seiun Sky scrambled to the edge of the hole as if possessed.
She stared at the fish belly glinting on the water's surface, and a rush of joy surged into her heart.
She didn't laugh out loud or make a move, she simply knelt there, smiling.
"Quick, let's the three of us haul it up together."
Indeed, the fish had exhausted all its strength during the struggle with Seiun Sky, and the shockwave from her aura had dealt the final blow.
That was why it had turned belly-up and floated to the surface.
At this moment, though no one said it out loud, they all understood in their hearts.
Seiun Sky has not lost!