Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement Chapter 318: Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [318]

On the surface, who knew how many ters above Gold Ship's underground base, a group of young Uma Musu in Tracen Academy uniforms were clustered around a patch of turf, its color just a shade off from the surrounding grass, clutching nervously at their bow ties.

Today, with the exception of Haru Urara—left behind because everyone was afraid she was too impressionable and might pick up bad habits—all the Uma Musu who had ever shared a bed with Mizuno were present.

At the head of the group, Student Council President Symboli Rudolf crouched down, stuck her fingers into the ground, and peeled away the fake turf, exposing a shiny new reddish-brown alloy security door.

"Just as I thought…" Rudolf frowned, casually tossing the turf aside, eyes sizing up the alloy door ant to keep outsiders out.

From her experience handling all kinds of Uma Pyoi incidents over the years, this was definitely a newly built basent specifically for locking soone up—only a few weeks old at most. Rudolf twitched her nose, sniffed for scents, but caught nothing—neither human nor Uma Musu.

If this was just so abandoned lot, having no trace of scent would be normal.

But for sothing that was clearly a basent entrance? It was a bit too deliberate—hiding things in plain sight.

"Rice Shower, you're sure Trainer Mizuno is in there?" Rudolf turned to the small, dark Uma Musu by her side.

"Mm." Rice Shower nodded, gripping the blue rose sachet in her hand and gazing at the entrance with determination. "I can sense it—Onii-sama sent a distress signal, and it's coming from here!"

"Very good." Rudolf nodded, satisfied.

She'd been worried they'd gotten the wrong place and wasted precious ti, only to rescue Mizuno after he already had kids…

Every ti she rescued a trainer locked in a basent by their beloved Uma Musu, it was the sa story…

"President, was it really Gold Ship who kidnapped Trainer Mizuno?" jiro McQueen asked from behind, her worry clear.

Knowing Gold Ship's usual antics and the way she always acted like sworn brothers with Mizuno, it just didn't seem like her to pull a kidnapping.

If even soone as abstract as Gold Ship could throw soone in a basent, then any of them might do the sa one day...

Rudolf glanced at jiro McQueen, then looked away and calmly explained:

"We still can't be certain exactly who kidnapped Trainer Mizuno, but right now the pri suspect is Gold Ship…"

"Whether or not it's really her, you should be prepared for the possibility that the culprit is your own friend."

Her words plunged the group into silence.

If it was a stranger who'd taken Mizuno, everyone would've gone all out—no rcy, ready to send that bastard flying and rescue their precious Trainer.

But if it was Gold Ship… None of them were sure they could do it.

"President, here." Air Groove walked over, handing out safety helts with headlamps attached.

Basents were always dark except for the cells. Flashlights were inconvenient—if the culprit had rigged any traps in the hallways, it would be even worse—so these headlamps were best, keeping hands free and heads protected.

"Thanks." Rudolf put on the helt, ears poking out through special slots—pop!—then gestured for the others to do the sa.

The rest followed suit, donning their helts.

"Okay, let's break through!" Rudolf crossed her arms, eyes focused, face going serious as she stared at the basent door.

It looked like it would need a key, but this kind of thing was no obstacle for Symboli Rudolf.

Bang!

She kicked the door hard, denting at least twenty centiters of alloy.

Another kick sent the basent door flying, tumbling down the staircase into the darkness below with a tallic crash.

"Whoa—" The younger Uma Musu behind her gawked at the scene.

This was the power of a seven-crown champion—the Emperor. Two kicks to bust down an alloy door? None of them could match that.

"Let's go." Rudolf switched on her headlamp and led the way down the stairs.

Air Groove said nothing, silently following her as vice-president.

"Right." The others exchanged glances, then mustered their courage and followed the two upperclassn.

The underground space was pitch dark—ten headlamps barely made a dent.

The only sound in the silent tunnel was the thud of shoes on the stairs, echoing, making the girls' hearts beat faster. For many, it was their first ti in a basent like this.

They descended about ten ters before finally reaching a flat corridor.

At the bottom, the battered alloy door Rudolf had kicked in lay quietly at the foot of the stairs.

"So deep…" Rudolf frowned. She'd never seen a basent built this far down.

Usually, the depth of a basent reflected how much an Uma Musu cared about her beloved.

Most basents were only two or three ters deep; the really serious ones maybe six or seven...

But this one? Fifteen ters or more!

It was hard for Rudolf to imagine just how obsessed the Uma Musu who'd dug this place was with Mizuno.

"Look!" El Condor Pasa's sharp eyes spotted a faintly glowing door at the end of the hallway.

Compared to the one at the entrance, this door looked even tougher, more high-tech, with a monitor set into its center and a cara above, clearly set up to recognize whether the person at the door was the owner.

With this much care (and expense) in the design, there could be no doubt—if nothing went wrong, Mizuno's cell was behind that door.

"Let's move." Rudolf waved everyone forward.

But as they approached, a red X flashed on the monitor, and from a speaker embedded in the door ca a digitally distorted voice, the original barely recognizable:

"Halt! Go no further! I am the ojou-sama of the jiro family, jiro McQueen. This is private jiro territory—leave at once, or I'll use my family's power to have you all thrown in jail!"

The Uma Musu all froze, then turned to look at the real jiro McQueen in the group.

"???" McQueen's head was full of question marks.

"I knew it was you, Gold Ship!"