Taking this unconventional route wasn't Garden Gale driving herself into a corner out of desperation.
It wasn't some panicked, impulsive gamble inspired by others, either.
She simply believed.
That she had to move forward, had to reach the promised land.
With that conviction, she once again stepped onto the training field.
Without relying on the anchoring of the Selas System, all she had was the looping footage in her mind, replaying relentlessly as she dissected every detail. The human brain was like a CPU; some were born gifted, processing mountains of information and capturing even the tiniest nuances—exactly like Garden Gale right now.
All sixteen cores firing at full capacity.
Perhaps anxiety and fear arose precisely from processing too much information without developing the skill to filter it out.
The scent of the air, the moisture of the breeze, the movement of the clouds.
"…It's going to rain soon."
Garden Gale murmured softly, voice drifting away on the breeze. Those watching from the sidelines exchanged puzzled glances.
Rain? Why suddenly talk about rain? Shouldn't she be busy imitating another running style?
Admire Vega couldn't help but glance upward. True, it was evening, and without the sun, predicting rain was tricky—but there weren't even any clouds. Why would she say rain was coming?
She tucked the doubt away in her mind.
Her gaze snapped back to Garden Gale.
And at that exact moment...
Garden Gale burst forward!
It was abrupt, instantaneous. In a heartbeat, Gale surged into motion, her body streamlined and poised.
At first, it was still clearly Tokai Teio's running style.
However... gradually, steadily, her movements transformed—from zero, to one, to one hundred percent.
It was a seamless evolution, shifting from Tokai Teio's form to Silence Suzuka's, from an awkward imitation to near perfection. Garden Gale had pinpointed Suzuka's power application pattern purely by observation and deduction, capturing the essence of another's style without external assistance.
Granted…
Silence Suzuka's running style wasn't especially complex.
Yet achieving this was nothing short of extraordinary.
Before anyone could fully grasp the implications, all eyes had already been captivated by Garden Gale's dazzling performance. No one dared blink, unwilling to miss even a fraction of this chameleon's spectacular transformation.
...
Her body felt so incredibly smooth.
That was Garden Gale's first thought.
No longer did she need to restrain herself; she could immerse fully in the pure freedom of running. All limitations fell away, leaving only the rushing wind and the exhilarating emptiness ahead. No need for constant vigilance, no calculated overtakes, no chasing someone else's shadow—she could simply break free, charge ahead, becoming the Black Flash that distorts the very space.
Once again, Garden Gale tasted the apex joy of running.
Yes.
Nothing else mattered. She only had to run, to escape like this, leaving everything else behind.
Just run, and win.
I see now.
Running could be this simple…
Garden Gale finally understood.
In the next instant her speed increased yet again, smoother, sharper, approaching perfection with each stride—a state of hyper-evolution, charging toward absolute mastery.
Silence Suzuka's pupils contracted sharply, astonishment flooding her eyes.
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Where had such a prodigy emerged from? Team LOCK had recruited an Umamusume like this?
Even the experienced Suzuka swallowed hard, struggling to process the scene.
And she wasn't alone, she noticed Admire Vega muttering under her breath, voice faint but clear enough:
"This monster… is still evolving."
Admire Vega turned without another glance at the track, striding determinedly away. Her fists clenched at her sides, knowing she needed to train even harder to seize victory at the Satsuki Sho. Anxiety twisted tighter in her chest.
Right now only six days remained until the Satsuki Sho!
The pressure off the track was already at boiling point.
Each competitor had their own formidable strengths.
Indeed, T.M. Opera O was arrogant—but Admire Vega knew Opera O's arrogance came from genuine ability. She wasn't just some delusional hothead ranked sixth by popularity; she was genuinely dangerous. Then there was Narita Top Road's unwavering determination, and Garden Gale's shapeshifting talent…
This year's Satsuki Sho was undoubtedly star-studded.
These Umamusume were destined for the peak of their generation.
Yet, despite everything—
Admire Vega wanted that victory desperately, craved it, was determined to seize the title.
Because she had a reason she absolutely couldn't lose.
Curren Chan opened her mouth, watching Admire Vega's departing figure, but ultimately said nothing. She let Admire Vega leave quietly, though she knew exactly where the girl was headed—and exactly what weight rested on her shoulders.
...
Back on the field Garden Gale gradually slowed, coming to a stop on the grass.
She had just heard the Selas System's voice echoing in her head.
[Host Has Independently Learned Silence Suzuka's Running Style.]
[Reward]: Pegasus Soul (Skill)
...
[Mission]: Versatility
[Time Limit]: N/A
[Objective]: Learn and assimilate the running styles of three different Umamusume. (3/3) ✔
[Reward]: Character Color Change Card x1
Looks like the Satsuki Sho victory is mine!
Garden Gale's lips curled slightly upward in satisfaction, confidence blossoming as she sensed victory within her grasp.
[Detected Host's First Instance Of Independent Learning…]
[System Will Now Upgrade To Selas Version 1.1.]
…Wait, what?
She'd just successfully learned Suzuka's running style independently, and now the system decided it needed an upgrade?
Was it afraid she'd outgrown it, forcing itself to quickly evolve? Did she actually just put pressure on the Selas System? Garden Gale frowned deeply, caught in bewildered contemplation—but the answer was obvious.
If there hadn't been pressure—the Selas System wouldn't have upgraded at all.
Before maintenance kicked in, she hurriedly tapped open [Pegasus Soul], eager to examine its details.
[Pegasus Soul]: Embodies the essence of Great Escape, condensed from the legacies of legendary front-runners. When Host executes a Runaway, all attributes moderately increase, greatly mitigating negative effects.
This was easily the most powerful skill Garden Gale had ever obtained.
Her jaw dropped slightly.
But before she could say anything—
[System Upgrade Detected.]
[Selas System Temporarily Offline.]
An electronic voice swiftly announced the interruption.
Garden Gale barely had time to react before the translucent blue panel vanished, taking with it the random Character Card she hadn't even had the chance to draw. Its icon faded to a dull gray.
Hold on a second—!
She was dumbfounded.
All this hard work, studying and training so intensely, was precisely for this [Character Color Change Card]—to secure victory at the Satsuki Sho!
No way…
An ominous premonition rose within her.
During maintenance…can I still use my [Character Color Change Card]?
[Negative.]
The reply was crisp and decisive.
[Not only are Character Cards unusable, but Chameleon is also temporarily disabled. All active functionalities will be sealed until maintenance concludes.
[Passive Skills remain unaffected.]
[Please be patient, Host.]
…
"…?"
So, after training this diligently, her abilities were actually weakened?
---
T/N: oughh head hurty anyway pegasus soul is og skill
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