"Speaking of which, that Ogura wasn't a Umamusume from Tracen Academy, but she was lured there because a Umamusume from Tracen Academy was injured…"
"So, it was Ms. Sakura who called Ogura to the academy to compete with that Golden Crown Eagle?"
"How did Golden Crown Eagle know that injuring a Umamusume from the academy would lure Ogura out? Does she know Ms. Sakura? Or does she know Ogura's identity?"
Symboli Rudolf felt like she had grasped some clue.
She suddenly made a decision.
That was to meet that Golden Crown Eagle.
She was so shocked by the strength "Ogura" displayed in her match against Golden Crown Eagle last night that she was quite curious about "Ogura."
"Alright, then you all prepare well. I'll go back and inform the Umamusume from Pluto Academy that you accepted the challenge."
Air Groove nodded to Sakura Baimu and the others, then prepared to follow Symboli Rudolf back.
"Wait a minute, Symboli Rudolf!"
Sakura Baimu suddenly called out to Symboli Rudolf again.
With this loud call, a bad premonition rose in the hearts of everyone, including Air Groove, the TCB members, and the four Umamusumes from Canopus standing nearby.
Sakura Baimu then turned to Nice Nature and asked with a smile.
"Seriously, do you have any younger siblings?"
"Yes…yes, what do you want?" Nice Nature asked warily.
"Oh, then Nice Nature, you really are a nice nee-chan."
"Pfft—" Symboli Rudolf burst out laughing.
"That's a good joke, I'll remember it."
At this moment, her imposing manner softened considerably, replaced by a gentler demeanor.
"Me too…"
Symboli Rudolf watched with amusement as Nice Nature stared blankly at Sakura Baimu's lame joke, then her gaze shifted.
She pointed at Nice Nature and the blue-haired, twin-tailed Twin Turbo and said softly.
"Nice Turbo!"
"Haha." Sakura Baimu laughed heartily.
"Haha." Symboli Rudolf narrowed her eyes and laughed elegantly.
Instantly, a joyful atmosphere filled the space between Sakura Baimu and Symboli Rudolf.
However, everyone around the two, laughing happily, felt a chill run down their spines in the sweltering July heat.
Apart from Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, and Air Groove, all three's mood were [Great].
Now, Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, and Air Groove's moods we're all instantly [Awful].
[Mission Accomplished: Make Symboli Rudolf laugh, +100 System Points]
[Mission Accomplished: Make Air Groove have an Awful Mood, +50 System Points]
With the daily mission notification appearing again, Sakura Baimu was quite satisfied.
Although the points weren't many, every little bit helps.
Little by little, it adds up.
After seeing off Symboli Rudolf, who was in a wonderful mood, Sakura Baimu felt her own mood improve considerably.
She turned around. "Alright, you all heard that, right? The relay race is starting soon! Go get ready; it's our turn soon! Good luck!"
Sakura Baimu encouraged her team, only to find that her Umamusumes were in extremely poor spirits.
A group of them stood there dejectedly, radiating a strong sense of gloom.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
"Trainer-san, don't you know what's going on?!" the TCB Umamusumes shouted in unison.
"Oh no, we forgot we have a race soon."
Sakura Baimu was startled. With such poor morale, the race was going to be a disaster!
"Let's go, I'll treat the whole team to a cream parfait!"
"The match is about to start, what's the point of eating?!" several team members shouted again, finding Sakura Baimu's thought process unbelievable.
Sakura Baimu's intermittent bouts of illness were incurable.
A moment later, Sakura Baimu's phone suddenly received a message.
She opened it and saw it was from Symboli Rudolf, listing the names of the five contestants and their rankings.
Three of their names were specially marked, apparently belonging to those who had mastered the Zone of Umamusume.
"Alright, we know the opponents' situation. Their first, fourth, and fifth batters are all Umamusumes with a Zone. Kita-chan and Dia-chan, you two will be the second and third batters respectively. The rest of you three can decide among yourselves."
"Eh, wait! Falco doesn't have a Zone either!" Smart Falcon exclaimed.
"No problem. Even if you don't have a Zone, you're still a Umamusume in the advanced division. It's fine!"
"Then… Falco will be the fourth batter?" Smart Falcon hesitated.
She didn't dare accept the responsibility of the first or last batter, so she chose a compromise.
"Then I'll be the first batter," Mejiro McQueen said leisurely.
"I'll run the last batter," Tokai Teio said with a smile.
Sakura Baimu nodded, edited her assigned batter order, and sent it to Symboli Rudolf.
"Let's use this last bit of time to talk to Kita-chan and Dia-chan, who haven't participated in relays before. The main thing to pay attention to in relays is…"
Sakura Baimu pulled out a map from her phone and explained the relay race rules to Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, who had just joined the team.
Smart Falcon had previously hosted BNW relay races, but she still took this opportunity to catch up, listening carefully to Sakura Baimu's explanation.
…
"Alright, that's it. Kita-chan and Dia-chan, you two don't need to feel too much pressure. Competing against strong opponents will help you improve very quickly. Even if you fall behind, it's okay; just make sure you finish the race."
"Got it, Trainer-san!"
"I understand."
Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond nodded in unison.
"I won't even mention McQueen and Teio, but you… don't always be so insecure. You're clearly very strong."
Sakura Baimu patted Smart Falcon on the shoulder again, encouraging her.
"Yeah, Falco will do her best." Smart Falcon nodded emphatically, her two chestnut-colored pigtails bouncing merrily.
--
"The highly anticipated team relay friendly match is about to begin!"
"The Pluto Academy team BlackHole (BH) will face off against Tracen Academy's TCB."
"Now, the five members of both teams are standing in their starting positions."
"The first leg is between TCB's Mejiro McQueen and BH's Flying Rabbit."
"Team relay friendly match, now—"
"Start!"