Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement Chapter 37 37: Uma Musume Pretty Derby: To The Basement [37]

After several days of friendship training, Urara was already a far cry from her forr self.

Firstly, she'd gained much better control over her body. Her legs no longer felt stiff when running; instead, she now moved with agility, significantly reducing unnecessary strain.

Secondly, thanks to a balanced diet and regular nourishnt from the S-grade honey drinks, her physical stamina had notably improved, allowing her to handle higher-intensity running with increased speed.

Mizuno had carefully observed her progress, discovering that Urara was improving nearly twice—or perhaps even 1.9 tis—faster than he'd initially expected!

It was finally ti to test Urara's true strength.

However, racing against powerful Uma Musu like Tokai Teio wouldn't yield aningful results; the gap between them and Urara was still far too large. Mizuno needed opponents closer to her current ability.

Ding!

Mizuno's phone vibrated, alerting him to a ssage in the [Tracen 114th Class Trainer Chat Group].

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Hey, everyone.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: You all know who I am, so I won't waste ti with introductions. Just call Baoza-san.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: As trainers, we all aim for our Uma Musu to win first place. Sotis, we need an actual race to test if our training thods are effective.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Tomorrow's Saturday—a rest day—and everyone should be free, so I propose holding a friendly match. Who wants in?

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Of course, since it's just a friendly match, I'll make sure to go easy on everyone.

Talk about perfect timing. Just as Mizuno was looking for suitable opponents, soone had conveniently suggested a friendly match.

Though he clearly knew Hiroshima Baoza was just trying to show off among his peers, Mizuno wasn't concerned with petty pride. All he cared about was finding enough participants to compete against Urara.

[Tracen 114th Class Trainer Chat Group]

[Kiryuin Aoi]: That's a good idea. Count in.

[Kaneshiro Takeru]: I'll join too.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Anyone else?

[Rookie Trainer A]: I'll pass; I don't even have a trainee yet.

[Rookie Trainer B]: My Uma Musu isn't in great condition today, so I'll sit this one out.

(More refusals followed.)

...

Only three trainers, huh? Well, that's good enough.

"Urara, are you free tomorrow morning?" Mizuno asked, setting down his phone and turning toward Urara, who was resting beside him after finishing her training.

At Mizuno's casual question, Rice Shower and King Halo, sitting nearby, perked up their ears, subtly listening in.

"Is sothing happening, Mizuno-san? Urara's always free~!" Urara replied happily.

"Nothing major," Mizuno waved dismissively. "There's a friendly race tomorrow, and I'd like you to participate so we can see how much you've improved."

After hearing it was only an invitation for Urara to join a friendly race, Rice Shower and King Halo relaxed and returned to enjoying their daily honey drinks.

"A race? Urara loves racing the most~!" Urara sprang up eagerly, eyes sparkling with excitent. "Urara will definitely co first this ti!"

"Alright, it's settled then," Mizuno confird, looking back at his phone.

[Tracen 114th Class Trainer Chat Group]

[Mizuno Sora]: I'll participate as well.

[Hayakawa Tazuna]: Do you need a referee? I'd be happy to help.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Great! Thanks, Hayakawa-san.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: Including , that makes four trainers in total. Good enough.

[Hiroshima Baoza]: I'll see you all at the training ground tomorrow at 8 AM sharp.

...

Mizuno arrived an hour early, sitting alone on the grassy slope, absorbed in his book.

Indeed, he was rereading [From Getting Started as a Trainer! (Basent Ending)].

About forty minutes before the appointed ti, a cute girl with short black hair dressed neatly in a trainer's uniform arrived alongside her white-haired Uma Musu.

Kiryuin Aoi, one of today's participants. Her Uma Musu was Happy ek, who had placed first in the previous selection trials.

Not noticing Mizuno, she began warming up with Happy ek, carefully going over ntal preparations and race-day details.

Twenty minutes before the start, Kaneshiro Takeru arrived with his trainee, Hinagiku. He exchanged a few polite greetings with Kiryuin Aoi before quickly moving on to warm-up exercises.

Ten minutes before the start, King Halo pushed a sleepy-eyed Urara onto the field. Spotting Mizuno, they quickly approached his position.

"Sorry, Mizuno-san… Urara's a little sleepy…" Urara mumbled, her head swaying drowsily.

"If I hadn't woken her up, Urara-chan would still be back in bed," King Halo sighed like a tired mother.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's fine. Let's warm up; you'll feel more awake afterward," Mizuno reassured her gently, setting aside his book and guiding Urara through warm-ups.

Only then did Kiryuin Aoi and Kaneshiro Takeru notice Mizuno, greeting him politely, to which he courteously responded.

Five minutes before the start, Hayakawa Tazuna arrived, bringing along a starter pistol, water, towels, and an adorable life-sized cardboard cutout of Hishi Amazon to mark the finish line.

"Good morning, everyone~!" Tazuna greeted everyone cheerfully, though Mizuno couldn't shake a vague unease.

Everyone had arrived punctually except Hiroshima Baoza—the very person who had organized this event.

Only ten minutes after the scheduled start ti did Hiroshima Baoza finally rush in, accompanied by his trainee, Konankai.

"Sorry, sorry! My driver was absolutely hopeless today, which made late. My deepest apologies," Hiroshima Baoza laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe." Everyone rely smiled politely, staying silent.

Blaming the driver? What a joke.

With this simple excuse, everyone clearly saw Hiroshima Baoza's true colors.

However, Baoza himself seed blissfully unaware of it.

"Well then, let's begin today's friendly match!" Hiroshima Baoza scanned everyone present, silently assigning roles to each of them.

Obviously, he himself was the protagonist—there was no doubt about it.

Kiryuin Aoi-san? She's cute and from a prestigious training family. Clearly, she's destined to be my fierce rival, competing fiercely until our rivalry blossoms into love, ultimately joining my future harem!

The lovely Hayakawa Tazuna-san? Volunteering to be referee the mont I proposed the race obviously ans she has a crush on —another future harem mber!

Kaneshiro Takeru? He's just my lackey, a background character forever trailing behind , shouting praises.

And that gloomy guy in the black coat with zero presence? Definitely just an extra—an insignificant nobody here purely to highlight my charisma and power.

"Hahaha! Today, I'll show you all just how strong Hiroshima Baoza and his magnificent Uma Musu truly are!" Hiroshima Baoza declared arrogantly.