214 Million Fan Votes!
The numbers were staggering, a digital testament that sent a jolt through the soul.
On the official tournament voting site, one could usually track the rankings of the Uma Musume, but the sheer weight of the actual figures was beyond imagination—especially when the gap between first place and the rest of the field was a staggering two digits wide.
Kitasan Black's mind went a bit blank, short-circuiting at the sight of a vote count nearly 200 times higher than the runners-up.
High on the central giant screen, Barbatos appeared in the pre-race footage, looking down as if she could actually see the fan votes tallying up beneath her.
"Hehe, I figured the fan vote might hit a hundred million this time, but this seems a bit overkill, doesn't it?"
"Don't take the voting too seriously," she continued with a lighthearted shrug.
"The overseas fans are incredibly supportive, so try not to lose sleep over how big that number gets."
"As for the Arima Kinen..."
"Well, it feels a bit like a heavyweight picking on the lightweights," Barbatos said with a sheepish grin, though her voice carried the absolute certainty of one who had already claimed the crown.
"I'll still give it my all. I just hope the confession trees at Tracen Academy are sturdy enough to handle everyone's venting afterward."
In the stands and behind the screens of the live stream, the audience thought the interview was over.
They accepted her confidence as something natural—something that simply was.
"One more thing."
Barbatos offered a slight, graceful bow to the camera. "About last year's sudden departure... I'm sorry. But we're back now."
With that, the curtain truly fell on the interview.
Watching the broadcast, more than a few fans felt a sting in their eyes.
They remembered waiting through the long seasons, wishing upon every star for the Arima Kinen and the Winter Dream Cup, only to receive news the day before the race: Barbatos, El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, Silence Suzuka, and King Halo were all heading to America.
Was that any way to treat them?!
Yet, with that single, casual apology from Barbatos, the resentment evaporated.
What else could they do? They forgave her, of course.
--+--
Barbatos's Dressing Room.
Inside her private dressing room, Barbatos scrolled through the live updates on her phone. Her lip twitched. She thought she had overestimated her popularity, but she had still missed the mark by a mile.
After dominating the American circuit and suppressing an entire generation of talent, her fan base had exploded.
As the undisputed strongest of the era, nearly every Uma Musume racing enthusiast in the States was her fan.
Combined with the American Racing Association's marketing machine, the vote count was bound to be absurd.
After all, she had practically steamrolled the American racing world. If the US officials didn't hype her up, wouldn't it make their own Uma Musume look weak?
That accounted for the bulk of the votes.
The rest, if she had to guess, came from the League of Legends community.
While in the States, she had been invited as a special guest commentator for S12, which happened to be hosted there. That stint had won her a massive following from the LCK and LEC regions.
Most notably, her already substantial Chinese fan base had expanded once more.
They might not follow racing day-to-day, but when it came to a "fandom" style voting blitz, their coordination was second to none.
"What kind of ending," she whispered, "could possibly justify the exhaustion of this long journey?"
"The championship, obviously."
Donning her cape, Barbatos pushed open the dressing room door. She might leave Teio and the others in her shadow, but she intended to win this Arima Kinen in her most powerful form.
--+--
Tokai Teio's Dressing Room.
Sitting before the vanity, Tokai Teio stared at her confident reflection. Last year, she could only cheer for Special Week and Suzuka from the stands. Now, she was finally stepping onto that same turf.
The "Undefeated Triple Crown"—a seed planted in her heart since watching the Student Council President's races as a child—was half-realized.
Now, only the "Undefeated" part remained.
Facing Barbatos, the woman recognized as the world's best, even Tokai Teio didn't have a hundred percent certainty of victory. Racing was inherently unpredictable, but that was exactly why she loved it.
"I'll win!"
"Just like I can beat Special Week!"
Teio pumped herself up. As members of Team Spica, she and Special Week hadn't raced officially against each other yet, but their private sparring sessions were frequent.
She considered them evenly matched—she won her fair share against her senior.
Last year, there was a gap between Special Week and Barbatos. But the Special Week of today was far stronger than she was back then.
If she could seize the crown at the Arima Kinen, she would be one step closer to her ultimate goal!
--+--
Mejiro McQueen's Dressing Room.
As the young lady of the Mejiro family and arguably the only "normal" person in Spica, Mejiro McQueen felt a prickle of anxiety.
Since her debut, she was finally facing Barbatos—the opponent who had defeated several Mejiro girls in a row, the reigning world champion.
But as a Mejiro, she refused to cower.
Sister Bright and the others must be watching, she thought.
The odds weren't in her favor today, but she wouldn't give up. She would run her own race, ignoring the distractions, and push through to the very end.
She knew the story of the Tortoise and the Hare; she would focus only on the finish line and refuse to let Barbatos drag her into a pace that wasn't her own.
--+--
The Paddock Tunnel
One of the contenders, Big Three, walked through the tunnel, her body enveloped in a faint blue shimmer.
It was invisible to humans, but to an Uma Musume, it looked like a high-end visual effect. Her face glowed with confidence; that blue aura was her ultimate trump card.
As she reached the end of the tunnel, she ran into the three favorites of this Arima Kinen.
"Battle Spirit?"
Barbatos noticed it immediately. In the dim light of the tunnel, the visual effects of a "Zone" or "Battle Spirit" were as obvious as a firefly in the dark.
"I guess past race footage really is just for reference. You only learn the truth when you're on the track together."
"Senior Barbatos has seen my old races?" Big Three asked, surprised. It wasn't shocking that Barbatos recognized her aura, but it sounded like she had actually studied her.
"Of course. To know your enemy is the first step to victory. It's a mandatory course for anyone trying to get stronger."
Barbatos nodded in praise. "New talents really do emerge in every generation. I still haven't managed to learn how to manifest the Battle Spirit myself."
It was the truth. In their generation, aside from Grass Wonder, no one had mastered it. Even among the legends, it seemed only Symboli Rudolf had truly grasped it.
A look of pure joy flashed across Big Three's face at the compliment.
"Senior, in this race, I'll be giving it everything I've got to take that first place!"
--+--
[The Radiant Stars: Golden Generation Arima Kinen Stats]
Attributes: [Speed / Stamina / Power / Intelligence (Skill)]
Tokai Teio: 1200 / 700 / 1000 / 600
Mejiro McQueen: 1100 / 1150 / 1000 / 750
Big Three: 1080 / 1100 / 900 / 900
Special Week: 1580 / 1400 / 1200 / 2001
Grass Wonder: 1600 / 1500 / 1300 / 1300
Barbatos: 1390 / ??? / 2000 / 2000
--+--
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.