Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 490 Why don't you believe in yourself?
After looking at Hikari again, Yasui Makoto quickly organized his thoughts.

Instead of offering words of comfort, he continued, following his previous analysis:
"Your assessment of Xiao Bei is correct. Physical strength is indeed her advantage, and sustained acceleration over long distances is a common instruction I would give her."

"But just knowing these things is far from enough."

"I mean, knowing only this superficial level about our opponents is far from enough."

As he spoke, his tone became more serious, even a little solemn:
"Without being modest, Kobe's stamina and rhythm control are among the best in active female racehorses."

"No, perhaps it's not much worse than the racehorse girls of all time."

"More importantly, she is now able to flexibly adjust her running style according to the race situation and the opponent's condition."

"Just like in the match just now, she probably noticed your targeted pursuit, so she turned the tables and gave you a test."

Although still immersed in his own complicated emotions, Satomi Hikaru realized that what Yasui Makoto said was important, so he quickly controlled his emotions and regained his composure.

"Exam questions...?"

She asked, puzzled, and couldn't help but look at her sister:

"What...exam questions...?"

Satomi Takako's face initially showed a hint of confusion, but after a moment's thought, her eyes flickered:

"So... it's a test of how to handle the Great Escape?"

"Yes."

Yasui Makoto nodded approvingly.
"Or to be more precise, it tests your ability to respond to sudden changes in the game situation."

"This is true for almost all matches; the situation changes in an instant."

"As I just said, Guangzuan's choice is very conventional, and there is no problem under normal circumstances."

"But in a rapidly changing competition, this situation often becomes a problem."

He paused, then looked at the still somewhat bewildered Hikari Satomi, and emphasized:

"You didn't prepare much for these changes, so your following of Xiao Bei was actually very blind."

"This kind of blindness will make you pay too much attention to her every move, and you can easily fall into the rhythm trap and lose your own rhythm."

"You must remember that in any race, every horse should have its own rhythm and its own judgment."

"We must never let our opponents lead us by the nose."

At this point, Yasui Makoto turned to the computer screen in front of Yamato Akaki.

He gestured to Yamato Akaki, then picked up the mouse and brought up the match video he had just recorded.

Compared to more professional official match recordings, this video is not very clear and has fewer angles, but the overall match situation is still understandable.

The scene on screen shows the final sprint down the straight.

Judging from their posture, the leading Northern Black Horse has already entered a high-speed sprint stage.

According to the speed indicator on another program, her current speed is 16.7 meters per second.

Behind the Northern Black Horse, Almond Eye, Miki Rocket, and Satomi Hikari were all trying their best to catch up, but it was clear that the distance between them did not show any signs of shortening.

"See that? It's only 16.7 seconds."

Pointing to the data on the screen, Yasui Makoto gestured for Satomi Hikari to look over:
"This speed is definitely considered slow on the final straight, and many G3 top-tier teams are much faster than this."

"Of course, the data for the last three waves in a 3000-meter long distance are generally not particularly high."

"But don't forget, Koho won the Kikusho title last year with a time of 17.1 seconds in the third wave, and there are quite a few Kikusho racehorses that are faster than her."

"In other words, her actual speed in that race wasn't fast at all. The reason you couldn't catch up was because you got caught up in her rhythm, prematurely exhausting your energy and speed."

Having reached a conclusion, and seeing the look of astonishment and realization on Satomi Hikaru's face, Yasui Makoto then switched the video feed back to the middle:

"And most of the waste is here."

"You see, at this point, you could choose to ignore Xiao Bei, slow down, and wait for a better opportunity."

"For example, the final straight line."

"Xiao Bei's physical strength is limited, and her speed is also limited."

"If I remember correctly, your last step can reach 17.6 seconds, which is a speed that Little Arctic rarely runs."

"so……"

He looked at Riki Hikaru and shrugged:
Why don't you believe in yourself? Believe that no matter how far ahead Xiao Bei is, you will eventually catch up?

As he posed the somewhat stern question, Yasui Makoto couldn't help but look back at the runway.

Perhaps due to his daily training closely with the Northern Genko, Ange's strategy in this simulated race was in stark contrast to that of Satomi Kozumi.

In the early stages, Apricot Eyes also chose to actively pursue, but not in order to catch up with Northern Black Horse or seize the lead.

Instead, they were testing the waters, trying to figure out the rhythm and condition of the Northern Black Horse.

In the middle game, facing the increased speed of the northern black horse, she was able to calmly choose to slow down, conserve her energy, and wait for the right opportunity.

Throughout the entire process, she maintained a good grasp of the game and kept her own pace.

If one had to point out a problem, it would be that she is not yet fully developed and there is a clear gap between her and her predecessors in terms of hard skills.

Even so, judging from the rationality of the competition strategy and the ability to control the rhythm, Anzu's performance was actually better than Satomi Hikaru and even better than the seniors who participated in the competition.

If this trend continues, once Xingmu completes her professional training and truly enters the Shining Series arena, her future performance in the competition... is highly anticipated.

Thinking of this, a hint of relief and anticipation flashed in Yasui's eyes.

At this moment, Satomi Hikari also fully recovered from Yasui Makoto's analysis.

The confusion and resentment in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by an expression of sudden realization.

She looked at Yasui Makoto, her eyes filled with gratitude:

"Trainer Yasui, thank you so much. I... I understand completely."

"Ah? Oh... I understand now."

Turning his head, Yasui Makoto subconsciously responded with a smile and a nod, then looked somewhat apologetic:

"Actually... probably because I've never coached any of the racehorse girls other than Kobe and Almond, I might have been too harsh just now."

"I hope Guangzuan won't mind this."

"How could that be? Not at all. Your guidance and explanations were very helpful, and your attitude was also very appropriate."

While shaking his head hastily, Satomi Hikari's gaze passed over Yasui Makoto and landed on Kita Genko and Alimee, who were walking towards them.

The sunlight shone on them, giving them a warm golden edge. The two chatted and laughed, their steps light and quick, as if the fierce competition had never happened.

Withdrawing his gaze, and examining Yasui Makoto with a hint of curiosity, Satomi Hikaru suddenly sighed softly, a subtle envy in his voice:

"But if that's what Trainer Yasui said, then his usual teaching and training of Koho and Aki must have been quite gentle, right?"

"If that's the case, I'm even more envious of Xiao Bei now."

(End of this chapter)