The sun was shining brightly over the training grounds of the American Tracen Academy.
After spending two or three days together following the Kentucky Derby, Myriad Dreams and Touch Gold had become quite well-acquainted.
Myriad Dreams admired Touch Gold's steady yet powerful running style, while Touch Gold had developed a genuine fondness for this powerful, surprisingly blunt Uma Musume from the East.
"So, Touch Gold, you're definitely participating in the Belmont Stakes then?"
Myriad Dreams' eyes lit up. She expertly blew a bubble with her gum while confirming the news with excitement.
"Yes, the schedule has been adjusted, and my physical condition is fine," Touch Gold replied with a nod and a smile.
"That's great!" Myriad Dreams popped her bubble with a loud snap and chewed it back down, her face overflowing with pure anticipation.
"Then we finally get to face off on the racetrack! I'm really looking forward to it!"
Her joy was undisguised. It was the pure desire of a competitor looking to clash with a strong opponent.
Watching Myriad Dreams puff out her cheeks and chew her gum like a little hamster storing food while staying so high-spirited, Touch Gold couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish internally.
'Myriad Dreams-san... she really does love that chewing gum...'
Just then, Myriad Dreams seemed to remember something. Her chewing slowed down, and a hint of doubt flashed in her large blue eyes.
"By the way, Touch Gold, have you seen Silver Charm these past few days?"
"Silver Charm?"
Hearing the name, Touch Gold's smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
"Now that you mention it... I really haven't seen her at the training grounds since the Kentucky Derby."
Myriad Dreams tilted her head, reminiscing.
"It's strange, right? When I first arrived in America, I saw her at the training grounds almost every single day."
"She always arrived incredibly early, she'd be on the track just as dawn was breaking. Often, when I was leaving, she'd still be doing extra training... So why is it that after she lost— ah, no, I mean, after the race— she's nowhere to be found?"
She nearly let a slip of the tongue happen and quickly swallowed the words "lost the race," but the meaning was clear.
Given Silver Charm's competitive nature and hardworking personality, after experiencing such a humiliating defeat, she should have been training more frantically than ever.
Why would she suddenly vanish?
Touch Gold also realized the gravity of the situation. She knit her brows slightly.
"It is indeed abnormal. Logically, the Preakness Stakes is only a few days away. It's the second leg of the Dirt Triple Crown, and its importance goes without saying."
"With her personality, there's no way she would slack off on training at such a critical moment..."
A troubling theory surfaced in both of their minds. Touch Gold looked at Myriad Dreams, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Could it be... that the blow from losing the Kentucky Derby was truly too much for her?"
Myriad Dreams stopped chewing her gum entirely.
She recalled the look in Silver Charm's eyes after crossing the finish line, filled with frustration and disbelief, and her own massive six-length lead...
For a proud Uma Musume like Silver Charm, who had enjoyed smooth sailing until then, such a crushing defeat was likely an unprecedented shock.
"No way..." Myriad Dreams muttered, feeling a bit uneasy.
She hungered for victory and looked forward to competing against the best, but if an opponent were to lose their spirit entirely because they lost to her...
That was the last thing she wanted to see.