It was as though every Uma Musume had been running with a burden weighing her down.
If they had once been able to unleash their full power and reach 100 m/s, then now they might only manage 30 m/s, or even 20 m/s.
Why suppress them?
The answer was simple.
If they did not suppress them, then even on the longest, three-thousand-plus-meter tracks, with all the boosts from the Uma Musumes' various skills, the race would last no more than a dozen or twenty seconds.
That was far too fast.
By the time everyone realized what was happening, the race would already be over.
Then what the hell were people watching?
A race was indeed a competition!
However, it also needed to be entertaining.
In the world of the Uma Musume, whether it was an ordinary race or the subsequent Winners' Stage, it was not merely a reward for the audience. It was also a ritual, much like a festival, dedicated to the Great Three Goddesses.
It had to be taken seriously. It had to be spectacular!
Thus, even an Uma Musume who was terrible at dancing would not run away when she needed to take the stage.
The suppression imposed by the track was the same for every competitor! Everyone's speed was suppressed, so in itself, it was not really a problem...
The green skills, known as track aptitude, could genuinely alleviate this pressure to a certain extent.
This allowed them to achieve a boost in their own performance by indirect means.
Almost every Uma Musume had at least a little of it. As a result, home-track advantage could emerge.
The same principle applied.
If someone was truly unsuited to something, the purple skills were debuffs. They were rare, but they did exist.
Once one appeared on her, it