Fist Splitting Pebble

The next morning when he saw Hokubu Genkoma, Yasui Makoto clearly noticed that his Uma Musume was more spirited than in the previous few days.

After a brief inquiry, he learned it was due to encouragement and support from a friend. He offered a few words of encouragement himself before starting today's morning training.

It began with a slow jog for a warm-up, followed by reviewing the homework left from last night: practicing hand gestures and sitting posture.

After confirming there were no issues, he taught her a few new gestures and a standing pose.

"Trainer, this pose... it feels so strange..."

She stood on tiptoe on one foot, with the other leg and calf held loosely behind her.

Her hands were held in front of her like a kangaroo's, her back and head stretched straight forward.

Maintaining this posture, Hokubu Genkoma felt like she looked like she was tiptoeing around trying to steal something.

The training session was taking place on the Academy grounds. Besides the two of them, other trainees were also practicing.

Seeing Hokubu Genkoma's peculiar pose, many trainees looked over strangely, some covering their mouths to stifle laughter.

"It is a bit strange."

He didn't deny the peculiarity of the pose he taught, Yasui Makoto casually said:

"But so what if it's strange? Are you not going to practice it?

"Or, are you going to look around like this during a race?"

Hokubu Genkoma jolted.

"That's right, I have to be completely focused during a race...

"I understand, Trainer, I'll train diligently!"

Yasui Makoto nodded secretly. After confirming Hokubu Genkoma was focused on her training, he flipped through his tablet and opened the Trainer-exclusive interface.

The Trainer interface was linked to the Uma Musume's race account, allowing him to see changes in follower count.

501... Over 100 more followers than yesterday?

It seemed that not only within the industry, but also among the fans, the evaluation of Xiao Bei... wasn't very high.

According to the established race procedures, once an Uma Musume and her Trainer sign an agreement, their Academy will immediately report it to the URA Association. The association will then create the race account within one to two business days.

Simultaneously, institutions affiliated with the association and its partners will push information about the Uma Musume to various platforms in real-time.

If fans find an Uma Musume appealing, or if she already has some fame, they can click to follow her, comment on various platforms, and interact by voting for her.

In comparison to her peers in the same year, Hokubu Genkoma's pre-debut evaluation was clearly not good.

Take the young lady from the Satomi Family, whom he saw yesterday, for example.

Although the Satomi Family only recently entered the Shining Series races, their vast wealth allowed them to invest heavily in training without hesitation.

Indeed, some of the family's Uma Musume had performed well in races. This resulted in Satono Crown having over 10,000 followers even before her debut match.

After two consecutive victories, her follower count had now surpassed 100,000.

A follower count of 100,000 is a threshold for races. Only with this many followers can one participate in OP class or higher races.

Otherwise, they would be stuck in Pre-OP, or transferred to dirt races, steeplechases, or local races.

In contrast, Hokubu Genkoma's follower count wasn't even a fraction of Satono Crown's, both before and after her debut.

However, looking at his Uma Musume's somewhat dismal follower count, Yasui Makoto didn't feel discouraged. He nodded and closed the linked interface, then brought up the training interface.

Hokubu Genkoma was not an Uma Musume who appeared to be a genius at first glance.

If one were to talk about genius, perhaps it would be someone like Tokai Teio, who debuted as the number one in popularity and number one in the starting gate, winning all the way to the Japanese Derby.

It wasn't that his Uma Musume lacked exceptional qualities. Many Trainers had noticed her unusual strength and healthy physique.

The problem was that converting such abilities into actual strength wasn't easy, which was why she hadn't received a high evaluation since enrolling.

In such a situation, it was normal to have little fan support.

However, he happened to know how to make that conversion and possessed foresight and training methods ahead of his time. Therefore, he wasn't worried about things like fan numbers at all.

"Alright, hold that pose."

While operating his tablet, Yasui Makoto was also monitoring Hokubu Genkoma's training. This time, he had specifically set a timer, and the tablet's alert prompted him to speak.

"Combine this pose with what I taught you yesterday. The training method is the same.

"Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening. Don't overdo it, and don't do too little.

"After this, I will gradually teach you the complete set of poses. Doing the full routine will take about half an hour.

"Once you've learned everything, I'll help you adjust the specific training schedule."

When Yasui Makoto called a halt, Hokubu Genkoma obediently straightened her body. She then briefly stretched her legs and arms, looking a little surprised.

"Trainer, this training method of yours... it's really peculiar.

"It felt uncomfortable and awkward at first, but I adapted quickly.

"And I maintained it for so long without feeling tired. This method..."

Tilting her head, she asked curiously:

"What exactly is the point of this?"

During yesterday's lesson, Yasui Makoto hadn't explained the purpose of the stances he'd taught.

Those stances were part of a special training regimen from his past life; they had no effect in short-term training and were only meaningful with long-term persistence.

However, he'd already thought of an explanation. Hokubu Genkoma had been too caught up in the novelty yesterday to ask, so he hadn't said anything.

"You can think of it as a special kind of cultivation."

He offered a casual explanation, then looked around. Seeing a flower bed nearby, Yasui Makoto gestured for the surprised Hokubu Genkoma to follow.

Walking to the edge of the flower bed, he rummaged for a moment before picking up a flat pebble about the size of his fist.

"Can you…"

He held the pebble up in front of Hokubu Genkoma, carefully choosing his words.

"Shatter this stone with one punch, or one kick?"

"…Are you kidding me, Trainer?"

Staring at Yasui Makoto in confusion for a moment, Hokubu Genkoma saw that he seemed somewhat serious. She became both astonished and troubled.

"This… such a large pebble. If it were a roof tile or something, I could shatter it, no problem, but a pebble like this…"

"Oh. Then watch this."

Nodding, he placed the pebble on the edge of the flower bed. He crouched down, gazing intently at the stone's centerline.

Then, with a sudden surge of energy, he raised his hand. With a low shout, he formed his hand into a blade and chopped down at the center of the pebble.

"T-Trainer?! You…"

Hesitantly watching Yasui Makoto's preparatory movements, Hokubu Genkoma only realized her Trainer was serious when he made his move. She let out a couple of startled cries before suddenly falling silent.

A moment later.

"Huh?! It… it split?!"

"Mm, it split."

Holding half of the pebble in each hand, Yasui Makoto looked at Hokubu Genkoma.

"My strength is certainly nowhere near yours, but my control over my strength undoubtedly far surpasses yours.

"There are many techniques involved in splitting this pebble, of course, but you don't need to learn any of them.

"You just need to know that the stances I taught you are meant to help you control your own terrifying strength.

"When the day comes that you've completely mastered that power, when you can concentrate your entire body's strength into your feet and legs…

"I can guarantee your speed will be unmatched."