Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 43 Lead the whole game by yourself

As before, we arranged one set of running training in the early morning and one in the evening.

It’s a bit regrettable that Yamato Akagi has now officially become an administrator and can’t come to every training like before. Only Vodka helps with the evening training.

Fortunately, before the conditional competition, the help provided by Yamato Akagi had already met the initial expectations. There is naturally room for improvement in the subsequent effects, but there is no need to rush.

In terms of adaptability to opponents and the overall situation, it is better to practice with opponents who have different running styles.

Vodka happens to be one of the best choices, so in a sense, the help of this horse girl can be said to have solved the urgent problem.

Yasui Makoto did not waste this precious opportunity. After the special training ended in the evening, he took the opportunity to start training explanations and game review in the dance hall and Northern Xuanju.

“I mentioned to you that in the conditional competition that just ended, you were the only one who debuted this year, and one of the only two horse girls who only had one debut battle experience.

"You may not have felt it very clearly before, but now you should have discovered that the gap between the opponents in the two games is actually quite large."

"Yeah! That's right."

Beibu Xuanju nodded repeatedly and said, “Especially when running with Benteng classmate, it’s much easier than the debut battle.

“During my debut match, I followed the trainer’s instructions and initially ran after the opponent next to me.

“I soon felt that her rhythm was strange, so I changed my opponent.

“After that, it was the same. I felt like everyone’s rhythm was very chaotic, so I just ran at my own pace.

"That was exactly the position the trainer said I should be in, so I just rushed over and won."

Upon hearing this, Yasui Zhen hadn't spoken yet, and Vodka, who followed out of curiosity, was a little surprised.

"Hey, hey, are you serious? I know you're amazing, Yasui-kun, but to be able to do this with absolutely no coaching experience... isn't that a bit too much?"

"It shouldn't be too outrageous, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Yasui Zhen smiled and said, "I've compared a lot of debut matches, and these novice matches are all like this.

“Many horse girls perform very well in training, but they may not be able to perform to their full potential in competitions.

“So to win a game like this, the less you think about it, the better.

"Xiaobei happened to be quite simple, so I assigned her two simple tasks.

“She only needs to think about finding a suitable person to follow based on the rhythm most of the time.

"However, I've researched her debut opponents and none had a better sense of rhythm than her.

"Once she realizes this, it's almost time to make a move.

"At this point, her only concern is to give it her all and go all the way. Her opponents won't be able to react in time."

Northern Black Horse suddenly woke up.

"Is that how you win? It seems so easy."

Vodka didn't say anything, but his thoughts were more complicated than before.

Yasui said it simply, and it sounded easy too.

But as one of the strongest active players in the past, she knew how difficult it was to master a game to that level.

Especially before the game starts.

Uma girls look the same as human girls and have many similar psychological characteristics, but they are not the same species after all.

In comparison, horse girls usually have simpler thoughts, but when it comes to competitions, they become more sensitive to external feelings and their corresponding psychology becomes more complicated.

Therefore, how to accurately grasp the psychology of horse racing girls and their opponents has always been a major problem in the industry.

Preparation the night before, sleep quality, pre-race diet, the atmosphere at the arena, the opponent's temperament and compatibility, the weather, temperature, humidity, even the texture of the track...

All of these will affect your performance. If it is a negative impact, the least you can do is refuse to play.

Vodka has seen this happen many times over the years.

Whether they are predecessors, peers or juniors, many horse racing girls refuse to enter the gate or even refuse to participate in the competition because of obvious or subtle discomfort.

If the trainer fails to appease the horsewoman at this time, she may even withdraw from the competition.

Moreover, if the athlete is not properly appeased, even if he or she is able to enter the gate, his or her condition in the subsequent race will decline to varying degrees and he or she will not be able to exert his or her full strength.

She remembered that Qicao-senpai's Qiuhua Award was like this.

Before that game, this senior had a record of 3 championships and 2 runner-ups, including the G1 Oaks Stakes, which was a very impressive achievement.

As a result, he was frightened by the flash lights before the Qiuhua Shooting Competition and lost all his competitive form. Not only was he defeated in 10 moves, but after the game he was also diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot and had to take an 8-month rest.

Because of this situation, trainers who can grasp the temperament of Uma Musume in actual combat are all first-class without exception.

If one can even grasp the opponent's condition and can do this before the game, it is no exaggeration to say that he is top-notch.

So, at Yasui-kun's age...how did he develop such vision and judgment? It must be more than just the teachings at home, right?

While Vodka was secretly amazed, An Jingzhen had been reviewing the previous events with Kita no Xuanju.

"...I specifically mentioned Satomi Pentium in the last game because of her excellent adaptability."

As he said this, Yasui Shin signaled his horse racing girl to pay attention to the analytical data on the laptop.

“I mentioned to you before the game that her first three games were in Sapporo, and then she went to Chukyo and Kyoto.

"Sapporo is in Hokkaido, Chukyo is in Nagoya, and Kyoto is also in Kansai. You can imagine how different the venues are."

"Besides that, her first three races were 1800 meters, and her last two were 2000 meters, which are miles and middle distances respectively, so there are also significant differences in running style and tactics.

"Yet her performance keeps getting better and better, which is a testament to her adaptability.

"Of course, there's talent involved, but she also debuted earlier and had more training, and the Satomi family must have poured a lot of resources into her.

"The opponents in the last match were very complex. In addition to those who have excellent adaptability, such as Satomi Benten, there were also those who were used to the 1400m and unconsciously sped up their pace, and some who had a strong last-minute sprint.

"Xiaobei, you only have one game experience, which is not enough to handle the changes in this complex schedule immediately.

“That’s why I asked you to follow Satomi and run to the middle. Then, as long as you accelerate earlier than her, it won’t be easy for her to close the gap and overtake.

"You should have realized that."

While An Jingzhen was explaining, Kita no Xuanju kept nodding with a look of realization on his face.

After hearing the last part, she said excitedly:

"Since this method can win the game, can I do the same in the future, trainer?"

Then, in her surprised look, Yasui Zhen smiled and shook his head.

"It's not that easy, Xiaobei.

"Strictly speaking, the level of your two matches was not very high, and your opponents were only relatively strong and experienced.

“The further you go, the stronger your opponents will be.

"The opponents you defeat now will also grow, and there is a possibility that they will defeat you in the future.

"Therefore, handing over the rhythm to the opponent can only occasionally lead to a surprise victory, but it should never be relied upon as the golden rule.

"Your next training goal will be to gradually establish a formal running method and slowly learn to lead the entire race yourself."

(End of this chapter)