In the field of view, Oguri Cap simply stared quietly at the many frontrunning Uma Musume.
Then, after a brief silence—
Bang!
With a heavy stomp, her jet-black running shoes dug deep into the turf of Hanshin Racecourse!
The silver beast — was about to accelerate!
They had now reached the final stretch.
Every Uma Musume unleashed their stored-up strength for the ultimate sprint, none willing to back down!
At the front of the pack, the top favorite Black El Condor still had stamina left. She overtook the fading front runners and moved into first place!
"Only 200 meters to go! Can Black El Condor stay in the lead to the finish?!" the commentator shouted.
"Pathetic!"
A wild smile spread across Black El Condor's face. She stretched her thighs forward, the finish line drawing nearer by the second!
"Good, still got fuel in the tank. Then I'll finish this in one—"
Her train of thought suddenly cut off. A gut instinct flared — a warning so intense her pupils shrank in alarm.
The very next second, a crushing aura thundered in from behind with overwhelming force!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The deep, thudding rumble in her ears sounded like a monster's footsteps.
"Wha..."
Before Black El Condor could react, the source of that monstrous sound flashed past her like a comet — all she could catch was the afterimage of the gray-haired Uma Musume now ahead!
"...What?!!"
She was stunned almost instantly.
What was that? Wind? Light?
A top-tier Central circuit racehorse, Black El Condor stared in disbelief at the back of Oguri Cap.
What kind of monstrous legs were those? What kind of overtake was that?!
Spending leg strength to loop to the far outside during the final stretch — then tearing through every barrier to blast past her with an unrivaled finishing kick?!
"How... is that even possible?!"
Black El Condor tried to catch up, but no matter how fast she moved her legs, all she could do was watch that white silhouette pull farther and farther away!
"She's here! Oguri Cap charges from the far outside and overtakes Black El Condor to take the lead! This is Kasamatsu's shining star — Oguri Cap! Her strength truly lives up to the hype!"
The electrifying closing burst from Oguri Cap sent Hanshin's atmosphere into an explosive climax!
There are two running styles in Uma Musume races that never fail to stir the crowd's emotions — bold escapists and stunning closers.
And right now, Oguri Cap was delivering the latter in full, cutting through six opponents with devastating visual impact — drawing everyone's attention to her alone!
"Can Black El Condor take it back? No, no chance — she's way too fast! Oguri Cap takes first place!!!"
As Oguri Cap's silhouette crossed the finish line, the commentator's voice thundered through the entire Hanshin Racecourse.
"A Central debut victory! Incredible! No one can call her a frog in a well anymore!"
The gray-haired girl's pace slowed down gradually before she came to a stop. She lifted her head slightly, her long hair fluttering in the wind.
Golden sunlight bathed her in brilliance — she was dazzling.
"Oguri won!"
Next to him, Fujimasa March's eyes sparkled.
Victory was inevitable.
Kuroha's eyes gleamed with the light of [Form Sense]. Though her breathing rhythm wasn't fully refined yet, her running posture and attributes completely overwhelmed the other racers.
As much as Kuroha hated to admit it — this was a victory of pure stats.
No tactics, just numbers!
"T-Trainer..." Just then, March tugged at Kuroha's sleeve and tilted her head a bit awkwardly.
"What is it? Want to go see Oguri Cap?" Kuroha knew his Uma Musume's personality inside and out by now.
"...Yeah."
"Then let's go." Kuroha nodded and left the stands with March.
...
Down below, Oguri Cap had just arrived at a section near the grandstand.
A smaller thunder-type Uma Musume suddenly rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
"Oguri, you won!"
"Yeah, I won," Oguri Cap replied with a soft smile.
Not far away, an elderly man leaned on his cane and watched the scene in silence. Even his usually stern expression softened into a smile.
"Hello, Roppai-senpai!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out nearby, startling the old man!
The speaker quickly moved to support him.
Roppai Ginjirou steadied himself and turned to see a youth of about eighteen or nineteen. He immediately grumbled, "Why do you youngsters walk without making a sound? Trying to scare old people like me?"
"Sorry, sorry! I thought you saw me."
Kuroha apologized sincerely — respecting the elderly had always been his principle. Besides, this was one of the top trainers at Central Tracen Academy.
"Hmph. So who are you, kid? What are you doing here?" Roppai asked gruffly.
He'd been driven half-mad by pesky reporters lately.
Kuroha didn't answer right away. Instead, he pulled Fujimasa March forward and smiled. "I'm a trainer from Oi Tracen Academy. This Uma Musume is Fujimasa March — the one I'm currently in charge of."
Seeing the same girl who had battled Oguri Cap in her final local race, Roppai Ginjirou immediately understood.
"March?!"
A surprised voice rang out. Oguri Cap, still glowing from victory, perked up and poked her head out from between her bouncing ears.
"Oguri!"
The two gray-haired rivals — both from Kasamatsu — gathered together once again.
As the three Kasamatsu girls chatted happily, the two trainers found a place nearby to sit.
"You're Fujimasa March's new trainer?" Roppai Ginjirou tapped his cane slowly as he asked.
"Yes. My name is Kuroha. March is now part of my team," Kuroha answered firmly.
"Hmm..."
A glint of sharpness flashed in Roppai's eyes. "You said you're from Oi Tracen? Transferring to Oi at this time... Kid, you've got big ambitions."
"Going for the South Kanto Triple Crown?"
Kuroha responded with a smile, but didn't deny it.
"I'll be blunt. If we're talking about the Fujimasa March from two months ago, she wasn't strong enough to challenge for it. You understand that, don't you, Trainer Kuroha?"
Pushing a Uma Musume into a race beyond her current capabilities wasn't a trial — it was destruction.
That was a lesson Roppai had learned through decades of training experience.
"You're right. Two months ago, she absolutely couldn't have done it..."
Kuroha glanced at March, his tone full of confidence. "But she's not the same Fujimasa March she was two months ago!"
Today's Pegasus Stakes had made that very clear — even if she still couldn't match a stat monster like Oguri Cap, Fujimasa March already had the strength of a Central-grade stakes racer!
"...As long as you're confident." Roppai Ginjirou looked deeply at Kuroha before falling silent.
In front of them, Kuroha leisurely watched the three beautiful Uma Musume play around, letting himself finally relax after the recent mental strain.
"By the way, March — why are you in Tokyo?"
Brand New Radiance seemed quick on the uptake. Shouldn't Fujimasa March be preparing for the Tokai Triple Crown right now?
"I transferred to Oi Tracen. I'm in Tokyo now," March answered with a smile.
"O-O-Oi Tracen?" Oguri was visibly surprised.
"So that means March can run with us too now!" Oguri Cap gasped, eyes sparkling.
"Sorry, not yet. I'm still a local circuit Uma Musume," March sighed helplessly.
"Ugh..." Oguri Cap slumped instantly at the bad news.
"Ah, but if everything goes smoothly, I'll be transferring to the Central circuit by the end of the year!" March quickly added to comfort her.
"Oooh!" Oguri Cap lit up again, fully revived.
The Kasamatsu reunion ended quickly.
After bidding farewell to Oguri Cap with a wave, Kuroha and March left Hanshin Racecourse together.
(End of Chapter)
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