Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 226 Kitahara's Ambition

Rudo's symbolic words did not surprise the other horse girls on the bus too much. They had heard similar words when they agreed to come to Nagoya with her.

They didn't ask too many questions because when they agreed, they asked Luduo what he thought and got a similar answer as now.

The answer did not say that they hoped for their cooperation or assistance.

However, due to their years of understanding and friendship, as well as the fact that several of them had experienced fighting against Rudo in competitions like this, Katsuragi Ace and the others had some guesses.

They probably talked about things related to the development of the horse racing girl industry. Although they were not as good at these as Luduo, they also had an instinctive concern, so they agreed very readily.

Even though there is still no more detailed answer, several horse racing girls have made further guesses.

"It seems that the reason you brought us here is more or less related to the relay race that the trainer mentioned. Otherwise, you wouldn't have agreed so readily and even specifically asked us to participate."

With a speculative tone, Katsuragi Ace, who had teased Rudo's symbol at the beginning, intertwined his fingers with his hands, exerted a little force, and his knuckles made a crackling sound.

"Of course I may be wrong, but it doesn't matter. As long as I can compete with you again, it's fine!"

"If it weren't for my physical condition, I would never have retired after the Arima Kinen. I might not only be able to compete with Chiaki a few more times, but also go overseas like you, Luduo."

"To be honest, it's a pity that I can't compete with you guys again."

"It's okay now. Even though it's just a relay race, I definitely won't hold back."

"Just look forward to the results of my practice over the past few years!"

Whether in his victory suit or his usual casual clothes, Katsuragi Ace always wears a pair of gloves commonly used by boxers, and his other attire is also mainly in a capable style.

This makes her look more like a boxer or an ascetic practitioner than a race walker.

Especially with her words at this moment, the feeling of hard training day after day became even stronger.

The other horse girls in the car also knew her habit.

Because his physical fitness before his debut was not outstanding, especially his waist strength was not strong enough, Katsuragi Ace's training before his debut game was not smooth.

Her trainers and team even considered the idea of ​​a clay track event at first.

It was not until later that she performed brilliantly on the field, through intensive training and finding two running methods that she was good at: escaping and running ahead.

"You're not going to hold back? That's amazing, Katsuragi. I'm looking forward to your performance."

It was Representative Chiaki who responded to Katsuragi's trump card.

Qianming Representative is well-known among friends and acquaintances for his free personality. He does not like to be bound by common sense and will show unimaginable stubbornness when faced with things he does not like or accept.

Because of this, she always looks casual whether in the student union or outside the school.

And now the tone of her response was as casual and informal as ever, but the passion and fighting spirit revealed in it could be heard clearly by the racing ladies in the car.

This is not difficult to understand. In the eight competitions that year, including the Satsuki Sho, Japan Derby, Kobe Shimbun Cup, Chrysanthemum Sho, Mainichi Crown, Emperor's Autumn Viewing, Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen, she and Katsuragi Ace had eight duels.

In the impression of most people outside, the duel between Qianming and Luduo, the two Triple Crown horse girls, is naturally more eye-catching and exciting.

However, among these horse girls who are familiar with each other, it is very clear that the ones who are actually more confrontational on the field are Ace Katsuragi and Representative Chiaki.

That is why, even though Katsuragi's ace at this moment did not indicate any targeted intention, Chiaki's representative's words were clearly referring to the former.

"Ah? Are you looking forward to me? Hehe, don't worry, I will never let you down, Qianming!"

Rubbing his hands together again, Katsuragi Ace said with a smile: "Not just you, all of you, I won't let you down!"

At this moment, not only Representative Chiaki, but also Maruzenski and Mejiro Takamine, who had been smiling and keeping silent before, were stunned for a moment, and their demeanor gradually changed.

"Okay, I really want to see if an outstanding junior like Katsuragi can really let me run normally first."

If other people heard Maruzenski say this, they would probably be confused, because her performance on the court when she was active in the league was not "ahead of the times" at all.

None of the horse racing girls present had poor talent or vision. They all knew that the running style that Maruzenski was good at was not the so-called leading or escaping, but just the conventional leading style.

It's just because she's so fast.

Not only did they know the running style that their senior and friend was truly good at, but Katsuragi Ace and the others also heard from her, which was a rare opportunity, her yearning for, passion for, and fighting spirit in the competition.

“Even Maruzen-senpai is so enthusiastic…”

As if very surprised, Mejiro Takamine covered his lips with his hands, slightly widened his eyes, then curved his eyes into a pair of crescents and chuckled.

"Then I'd better be more positive."

"I just hope that the seniors won't become rusty in their skills because they haven't played in the arena for too long."

Mejiro Takamine is indeed a junior. She is a whole generation away from the horse girls of this generation, including the symbol of Rudo, the representative of Chiaki, and the ace of Katsuragi, and she is even more behind Maruzenski.

This is exactly what she was referring to.

After retiring, the horse girls naturally have no experience in formal competitions, and even have much less training.

People like Lu Duo often deal with student union affairs, so it is difficult for them to find time for training.

Mejiro Takamine has just retired, and she retired as a triple crown female and hall of fame horse girl.

After retiring, she did not immediately give up her previous training habits. She still spends a lot of time every day running and exercising at school or at home.

So, in terms of time, he is more familiar with the competition field and has more training on weekdays. As Mejiro Takamine spoke, the confidence in his tone was evident.

As the atmosphere in the car was heating up due to an informal relay race, Luduo, who had said a lot at the beginning, became silent.

With both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel and her eyes fixed through the windshield in front of her at a car more than a hundred meters away, she gradually felt relieved in her heart.

If this situation can continue, then all horse girls can live happily in this world, and Japanese horse girls will have the opportunity to conquer the world...

These are all achievable, right?
Perhaps, the old me could not have imagined how to get to that point, but you, Kitahara, have changed a lot without realizing it, so you should have the ability to do this, right?

So, no matter what happens next, I hope you can keep going...

Kitahara had no experience in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, so he didn't notice that Luduo was waiting for the horse girl to drive behind him.

But if he had heard the conversation of the horse racing ladies behind and knew their thoughts, especially what Ludo symbolized, he would most likely give a positive answer.

Even give a rare confident response.

In the past few days, or to be more precise, the time surrounding the three Meitetsu Cup events was very short, but Kitahara not only came up with new development ideas, but also had new thoughts, or memories.

He thought that in another world, it was Oguri who prompted the Japanese JRA Association to change the rules.

So why can't I in this world?
Once the idea appears, it grows wildly like a seed that takes root and sprouts when it encounters spring rain, and may even blossom and bear fruit in an instant.

In another world, with his consecutive victories and immense popularity, Oguruma is undoubtedly a genius among geniuses and a strong one among the strong.

But such a talented and powerful person cannot participate in the top competitions because of the rules. Isn’t this a problem of rules?

Oguri's regret made JRA realize the backwardness of the rules and thus changed them.

This change also benefited a group of later generations represented by good opera, allowing more horse girls to fully display their talents and inspire more people through their gorgeous figures.

In this world, due to her own intervention and various coincidences, Ogurtima has embarked on the journey of the "Classic Triple Crown", which she missed in another world.

So, doesn’t this change the rules of this world?
It’s true that big shots like Chairman Akikawa are already doing it, but can I only follow in her footsteps instead of fighting alongside her and more horse girls and people of insight like her?

In addition, aren’t the trainers and many other people related to Uma Musume bound by the rules?
Doctor Gu Jiu obviously has superb medical skills, rich experience, and advanced ideas. He also continues to study for the sake of Uma Musume and the industry.

However, due to restrictions of rules and this backward era, his achievements cannot be fully recognized and popularized. He has to rely on local trainers to slowly promote them. Isn't this a loss?
Taro Yusuhara is a more specific example.

He studied hard for Umamusume, even going abroad alone to study, and after returning, he worked hard to train Inariichi, but he couldn't have the glory he deserved at the beginning. Who could accept this? Kitahara also thought of a legendary rider from another world who was also affected by the backward and flawed rules.

Katsuki Ando.

Katsuki Ando was one of the main riders when Oguri was in the local area.

Later, after transferring to the central government, he achieved extremely outstanding results.

He has won 1 G28s and 117 G-class races, and has won the JRA Outstanding Rider Award for eight consecutive years, being the rider with the highest winning rate in two years.

It was such a rider who, when he first took the central rider exam, was unable to pass it.

It cannot be said that Katsuki Ando has poor learning ability.

On the contrary, after he joined the Central Team, he quickly learned the various advantages of the Central Team riders, which enabled him to achieve his later legendary results.

What prevented him from passing the exam was entirely due to problems with the design of the exam paper at that time.

A lot of theoretical knowledge, whether useful or not, was designed as test points, which was really not something Ando Katsuki was good at as he was past the age of rote memorization.

What's more, he had to participate in local competitions at that time, and he had very little time to memorize and practice questions.

That kind of examination method is not only disadvantageous to Katsuki Ando, ​​but also to young trainers, the association, and the entire industry.

Now that everyone is doing practice questions, how do we arrange the time for training and actual practice?

You passed the test with a lot of theoretical knowledge, but now you have to take a book with you to the competition?

Use a book to stun your opponent? Because knowledge is power?
Because of this obviously unreasonable situation, the industry gradually realized the unreasonableness of the assessment. Many people spoke up for Katsuki Ando, ​​and the JRA Association finally decided to change the rules.

After the rules were changed, Katsuki Ando passed the test in one go, and he was the only one who passed the test that year.

This certainly speaks to the strength of this rider, and he has earned a nickname because of it.

"Ando's Rule".

Ando Katsuki's experience was the key that made Kitahara determined to do something and change some rules.

Because he had also experienced such an exam.

It was by passing such an examination that he entered the Central Tresen Academy in Tokyo.

But passing the assessment doesn't mean he has no opinions on these things.

He had the advantage of foresight and a lot of luck to pass the exam. You can imagine how difficult it is for others to pass the same exam.

More importantly, he thought that what Katsuki Ando missed was exactly what he had now.

In another world, Katsuki Ando is the main rider of the Oguruma region, and they work together to win consecutive battles in the region.

In this world, he is the trainer of Oguruma, and they also work side by side. He has made his way from the local area to the center, and has continuously achieved victory.

It’s a pity that after Katsuki Ando and Oguruma won their 10th local victory, they never had the chance to fight side by side again.

The reason for this, of course, is that he was limited by the assessment method and had not been able to reach the center. The rider has always considered this to be one of his biggest regrets.

However, Kitahara passed the test and has been with Oguruma ever since.

In addition to experience, there is also influence.

It was because of the Oguri hat that Katsuki Ando saw another sky, a sky called "one horse in the lead, all other horses are obscured", so he sprinted towards the center again and again.

The same goes for Kitahara. Isn't it all because of Oguruma that he has everything he has now?
Whether it was when he first became famous in Kasamatsu, or when he won consecutive battles after arriving in Kasamatsu.

Or they may set up a team, fight in various arenas, or even detect key points in time during the development process.

All of this is because Oguruma is obviously a bit exaggerated, but if Kitahara were asked to choose the person who deserves the most gratitude, it would obviously be him, the horse girl.

How can they be so similar?

If they are so similar, Ando Katsuki can become "Ando Rule"...

Why can't I be "Kitahara Rules"?
I can and must be able to. Perhaps it will take a long time to achieve this, but isn’t it because of goals that we can climb the mountain?

If it was in Kasamatsu, when he had just entered Central Academy, Kitahara would never have had such thoughts.

At that time, he just thought about teaching the horse girls in the team well and realizing his and their dreams step by step.

As he got closer to his dream step by step, especially at this recent time point, he unknowingly realized that his dream had gradually changed.

It was not a change in direction. To put it more directly, he realized that his ambitions were growing.

As the Japanese say, ambitions are growing.

He didn't think this was a bad thing, nor did he think there was anything unreasonable about it. Everything he and his team had was enough to support him to do more, and he already had more abilities.

My dream of creating a better Uma Musume world is still there, so with more abilities, I will naturally be more proactive in doing more things.

For example, the relay race that Ludo mentioned to them, which seemed like an entertainment event, might have been driven by their own growing ambitions.

Allowing more horse girls to step onto the stage was part of his original dream.

I didn’t have the ability to do it then, but now that I have the ability and the opportunity, I must give it a try.

It was with this idea in mind that he started investigating the competition venue the day after the game. He hoped to organize the game faster and more perfectly.

However, this idea was a little too strong. After he was busy for most of the day and confirmed some suitable venues with the help of the Nagoya Transportation Bureau, he realized that he had neglected something.

"...Ah, sorry, I was so busy with work that I forgot about you two..."

Around three in the afternoon, when Kitahara came out of the Transportation Bureau, he realized that there were two little guys following him whom he had forgotten, and he instantly felt embarrassed.

"Um, you guys...are you hungry? I remember you guys have a big appetite, so you didn't eat enough at the Transportation Department cafeteria at noon? How about I take you guys to eat something delicious?"

After several questions, he scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

The people he was asking were, of course, Miura Bourbon and Miyu, who had come out with him early in the morning and had been following him silently ever since.

"Don't worry, Master Kitahara, I'm still okay."

"Mi, Mi, I'm not that hungry..."

In response to Kitahara's question, the two horse girls responded, one with a blank expression and the other with her head slightly lowered.

However, just as they finished speaking, two "gurgling" sounds came from their stomachs.

…Ah, I said I wanted to change, but I was so busy with work that I couldn’t even take care of the horse girls. I’m such an incompetent trainer…

He suddenly blamed himself, and the embarrassment on Kitahara's face was mixed with apology, and he scratched the back of his head more frequently.

There is nothing wrong with doing your best for future development, but this is not a reason to ignore the present.

Especially when I brought Miura Bourbon and Miyu out today, I originally wanted to talk to them more and help them better integrate into the team and the upcoming training camp.

If your negligence causes them to mistakenly think that you are not paying attention to them, that would be counterproductive.

"Well, I've been busy for too long and I'm a little hungry. How about you two come with me to eat something delicious?"

In order to remedy the situation and avoid embarrassing the two horse girls, Kitahara suggested this.

(End of this chapter)