[After a bit of reluctance, Number 7, Lüger Gyakuhai O, finally entered her gate. Gate-in complete!]
Surrounded by this metal cage, this feeling of anticipation and excitement that was already on a razor's edge couldn't be subsided. I couldn't wait even a second longer.
My body was a coiled spring. My mind was already simulating the early chaos of the break. My heart was a drum, beating in time with the thunderous roar of the spectators..
Come on. Quick. Open the gate for me, I thought, my knuckles white as I gripped my gloves very tightly.
[With a cold air enveloping 100,000 spectators and fourteen hopefuls here at Nakayama Racecourse, the 2000-meter race on the 'Good' going turf that will decide the Junior Champion of this generation is...]
The noise of the crowd began to recede, the world narrowing to a single point of absolute focus as the start drew near.
Clang!
Finally! I screamed inwardly as I dashed forward, my eyes immediately scanning the runners on both sides. No one had a bad start. The battle for position raged right out of the gate. I steadied myself, deliberately easing back from the initial scrum, and quickly began to track the HVTs. I couldn't let them out of my sight.
[Underway! And they're off!]
[An excellent start from every runner, but as expected, Number 2, Seiun Sky, is leading the way!]
Seiun Sky was within my predictions. She even purposefully avoided the damaged inner railings and immediately began to widen the gap. Did she really intend to set a blazing pace from the get-go? Even the other frontrunner couldn't catch her.
[Behind her on the outside is Number 5 Sunset Senryu, and she's struggling to keep up with the runaway Seiun Sky! One length behind is Number 3 Courageous Monarch, and Number 11 Silver Miracle, side by side, followed by Number 1 Bright Mark, on the railing and this girl, the first favorite, Number 14 King Halo!]
[The runners are passing the grandstand for the first time, still being led by Seiun Sky. All the while, King Halo is staying in the middle of the pack, just like in her previous races. A tried and tested strategy. Can she show us the dignity of the first favorite today?]
King was there, sitting nicely in a prime position. I could see her vigilance, the subtle awareness of the space around her. It was like she was barricading her own absolute territory. It would be difficult to even hope she could be easily boxed in.
Alright, the first uphill slope was coming. Seiun Sky should slow down around now. She had no significant challenge up front, so she should be looking to conserve her energy on this incline.
[Number 13 Ribbon Humming, and Number 4 Blue Chouchou, are trailing King Halo, two lengths ahead of the rear pack. The rear pack is formed by Number 9 Special Week, with Number 7 Lüger Gyakuhai O, on her outside, followed by Number 12 Homura Tenjin, and Number 10 Highly Classified, side by side. One length behind them is Number 8 Kurokita Trouble, while observing from dead last, leisurely, is Number 6 Copenhagen.]
Special Week was leading the rear pack. But it seemed she was being forced to run on the chewed-up turf by Lüger Gyakuhai O on her side.
Good. Keep grinding your stamina. Your last kick is also dangerous if it isn't neutralized early. I thought.
As I looked forward again, my eyes widened slightly. Seiun Sky didn't slow down at all on the slope. I see. She was serious. She was setting a genuine, punishingly high pace. If the others were pulled along by her, that would be the best-case scenario for both of us. Their stamina would be ground down, and only those with the vastest reserves could do something in the later stages. But no matter how you looked at it... wasn't this pace too high, even for her?
[Entering the first corner, the field has been stretched nicely by Seiun Sky at the top! What is the trick she has prepared for us today?]
Great. She had brought the entire field with her. But with such an unsustainable pace, even for a runner like her, there had to be a plan to slow down. But where?
[Exiting the first corner, the gap is shrinking!? Did Seiun Sky suddenly hit the brakes? Is she changing her mind after considering the blazing pace she set early isn't sustainable?]
There it was. I thought, a small, grim smile forming on my lips. It was time to move up. It would be a problem if I couldn't close the gap and let myself get left too far behind.
I doubted Seiun Sky would falter at the end.
Special Week was already out of the inner railings, moving sideways to prevent herself from getting boxed in. Or was she already trying to move up?
Plus, King Halo was further ahead. The closer I was to her, the better my position would be.
[The gap is shrinking, but not enough to make the field jumbled. She was running away even on the uphills of the homestretch; she has to compensate for that stamina somewhere.]
[The runners are now entering the second corner and the 400-meter downhill that follows. But look! Copenhagen is moving up, overtaking Kurokita Trouble from the outside and approaching the rear pack! She's not the only one! King Halo and Special Week are also gaining! They've moved into 5th and 8th place, respectively!]
Alright. Let the gravity pulled me down. Let inertia maintained my speed. I focused on my breathing, taking in enough air to recover, to steady myself. Fuuuh. That was better.
I scanned the runners ahead. They really were slowing down. Seiun Sky's ability to pull the entire field along and then dictate the pace was exquisite. I didn't understand why the other Pace Chasers, or even King, didn't just let her go and set their own pace rather than letting her conduct the entire orchestra. "The Trickster" wasn't just an empty title, huh?
[And now, the backstretch! Seiun Sky is picking up speed again! She's running away! And so are the runners behind her!]
Of course she would do that. She was attacking me on the straight.. my greatest weakness. If I tried to keep up with the now-speeding field, I would have to engage Gear Two for the entirety of the long backstretch. And if I did that... I wouldn't have enough stamina left for that. For the only weapon I had that could truly win this race.
My heart felt a jolt of pressure. It was a classic pincer movement. Option one: maintain a manageable gap now, but gamble on whether having enough stamina left for later. Option two: let her go, but gamble everything on my last spurt.
...
Take a more conservative approach?
...
Or..
Haha.. what am I even thinking? The choice was obvious. Of course, I had to double down on my last spurt. My Gear Two alone wasn't enough to win against them. I had to unleash 'it' if I wanted to catch them.
[Copenhagen is struggling to keep her position! And Kurokita Trouble is coming back at her on the inside, while the rear pack is getting farther and farther away!]
What a pain. Very well, I'll let you go for now. I sighed inwardly with my frustration a cold, hard knot.
[Seiun Sky is really playing her cards well. She's striking at Copenhagen where it hurts the most: the straight. Let's see if the gap will be enough to contain Copenhagen's final kick.]
[The 1000-meter split is exactly 1 minute! A seemingly normal pace for those who don't know, but the tempo across this 1000 meters was erratic! And the mad dash on the backstretch continues!]
[Copenhagen isn't reacting! She's letting them go! She seems confident she can still catch up.]
I had to keep my wits. If they really wanted to get away, then I would hold my pace steady. I would use this time to recover even more, synergizing my breathing and my tempo just as Taishin-san had taught me. I would save this tank of stamina for where it truly mattered.
[The stretched-out field is now entering the third corner! Seiun Sky is leading the way with a two-length gap from the second-place runner, Number 5, Sunset Senryu. And one length behind her is Courageous Monarch, followed by King Halo, who has a slight advantage over Silver Miracle on the inside.]
Right. I hated to see it, but they really were getting away. As per our plan, I had to start moving up now at this corner. With the gap they had created, all I could do was try to shorten it.. for now.
[At the further behind is Copenhagen, who has just taken over Kurokita Trouble. Copenhagen is accelerating along the third corner! She's trying to make up for the deficit!]
Alright, good to go! A sharp smirk plastered itself on my lips. I cranked my Gear One to its absolute limit, sweeping through the curve without losing an ounce of speed. The gap was shortening with every powerful stride. Kurokita Trouble was now clear from my six. Come on! I'm coming for all of you!
[Now we come to the fourth corner! King Halo is prepping up, overtaking Courageous Monarch for third place! The same is true for Special Week, who has already positioned herself on the outside of the main pack! She's ready to strike! Copenhagen, meanwhile, is still gaining! She's already just behind the rear pack!]
400 meters to go, and I was still in thirteenth place. The gap to Seiun Sky at the front was around... nine, maybe ten lengths. My positioning was good, though even further outside than Special Week. The other runners really were avoiding the damaged inner lane like it was a plague, so the entire field was shifted slightly wider than the most efficient racing line. This meant that not only did I have a literal gap to close, but the extra distance I had to cover was also much more than them. In the end, it all came down to a single question: could my Ideal Strides catch them, or not?
[The entire field is now rearing for the short Nakayama homestretch! Who will make a move first!?]
[And it's King Halo! She's taking over Sunset Senryu! Her objective is now only Seiun Sky, 2.5 lengths ahead!]
King had finally made her move. The field would be forced to respond now. I primed my angle, preparing to enter the homestretch. I had to make sure my very first step onto that straight was in Gear Two. The Nakayama homestretch was short. I couldn't afford to waste even a split second on the transition.
[From the outside, it's Special Week! The rest of the field is also entering their last spurt, but it's Special Week who comes up first!]
Gear Two engaged. Revving up. Lane ahead: clear. Proceed to increase frequency. Tap. Tap. Tap. Pat. Pat. Faster. Faster. Faster.
Alright. Lean forward. Peg the arm swings to the increasing turnover rate. Lock down the core muscles. Tuck in the ears.
Fuuuh.. The stamina reserve should be enough. It had to be enough.
I will win this!
[On the outermost lane! The black and gold monster is eating up the turf and overtaking runners ahead like it's nothing! Copenhagen is here!]
[With the erratic pace set earlier, many runners unknowingly ground down more stamina than they'd expected. They are struggling to make an impact.]
Finally. I could see them clearly now. Seiun Sky, in her white and green, far ahead. King Halo, in her deep emerald green, chasing her down. And Special Week, in her white and pink, just ahead of me.
Haha! Hahaha!
Great! Finally, we are all here! On this final straight that used to be my graveyard. The place where I had lost again and again. Where I had been buried again and again. Where my dreams had vanished again and again.
But now... now it is different.
I'll make this homestretch into my battlefield! This will be the place where I defeat you!
"ARRRRGGGHHHH!" A raw, guttural scream ripped from my lungs, a desperate command to push myself faster, to catch them, to win!
[200 meters left and Copenhagen is coming to the fourth place! Ahead is Special Week! Can Special Week hold on? But just holding on is no use! Can she go even faster!? Copenhagen shows no sign of slowing down! Even against the final, brutal uphill slopes, she's getting faster and faster!]
[Special Week can't go any faster! Copenhagen is now third!]
One down, Two to go.
[King Halo isn't going to let us down either! She's unleashed her sharp kick while Seiun Sky is trying to use the vast gap she created earlier!]
Gear Two had been maxed out. Now... engaging Gear Three.
I felt the bounce back from the yielding turf, that explosive return of energy, and used it to reduce my ground contact time. I pulled my legs up faster in conjunction with cycling them forward, my entire lower body becoming a swift, powerful mechanism. Soften the impacts. Focus on reducing the contact time even further.
All systems green. Carry on.
[100 meters to go, and Copenhagen is still accelerating! But will it be enough!?]
Almost there! I could catch them! I could win this!
In that moment of hyper-focus, I saw it all. I saw Seiun Sky glance back, her usual lazy smirk gone, replaced by a look of startled disbelief. I saw King Halo, a blur of emerald green, finally surging past her. And I was almost there, just a few lengths behind Seiun Sky.
[It's King Halo taking over! Look at that powerful stride, she's not faltering! She's the leader now!]
[Can Seiun Sky retake the lead!? Will there be any second wind for her!?]
[It's a three-way war to the finish! Who'll win!? Copenhagen!? King Halo!? Seiun Sky!?]
[Copenhagen is approaching! The gap is shrinking! Fast! Three lengths, Two lengths, and what are those strides!? The finish line is just ahead!]
My legs were burning. My lungs were on fire. My entire body was moving so fast I felt like I was overheating, even in this frigid winter air. But my breath was enough to last to the finish. My legs were still sturdy. Just give me more meters! Give me ten more meters, and I will defeat them!
[But King Halo digs deep! She refuses to yield! Her form is still perfect! She's holding off the little monster's incredible charge!]
[No way! The vast gap Seiun Sky created was just enough to escape from the monster!]
What?
[And Goal-In!]
Are you kidding me?
[We have our Junior champion! It's King Halo!]
[What a race! What a champion! She faced down the onslaught of the monster and the manipulation of the trickster to prove she is the undisputed number one! A victory earned through pure class, power, and an unshakeable will to win! Whether it's the Crown or the Halo, she deserves them all! That's King Halo!]
Even... even after I reached Gear Three... it wasn't enough?
[Just at a slight disadvantage is the valiant Seiun Sky in second! Copenhagen is third, just a neck behind! The homestretch was just not long enough for her to win!]
My breath came in ragged, tearing gasps. I slowed to a stop, my body screaming in protest. I turned my back to the finish line and looked up at the massive tote board. King had won. Again. Seiun Sky was second, just half a length behind her. And I was third, a mere neck's difference from Seiun Sky.
I stared up at the vast, gray winter sky, trying to find refuge in its emptiness, while my mind was a chaotic storm of self-recrimination.
What was wrong with my race? I had reached Gear Three, but I still couldn't catch them. Did the uphill slope eat more of my speed than I'd calculated? Was the gap on the backstretch really too far to close? Had I been wrong in my measurement of our gaps? Should I have spent more stamina on the final corner? Was my decision to let them go on the backstretch the wrong one?
My attention instinctively turned back to the track. King Halo was already in front of the grandstand, waving to the jam-packed crowd as they showered her with praise, applause, and congratulations. I watched as a staff member draped the brilliant red sash of the Hopeful Stakes winner over her shoulders.
Was our difference still that vast? Was all my effort, all this time, still not enough?
"How can.. you.. still be standing up.. after all of that..?"
A weak, breathy voice came from behind me. I turned and saw Seiun Sky, sprawled out on the cold turf, her chest heaving, her face flushed red with exertion and from her body, thick mist evaporated.
I just stared at her while within my head, questions after questions popped up waiting to be answered. But one question had been answered, I was still behind King Halo.
"It seems... you can't catch me if I'm far enough away... nyahaha," she laughed, a weak, wheezing sound. "Too bad I still couldn't get away from King-chan, though~"
I kept letting her talk as I scanned the other runners. I saw Special Week, breathing heavily, grabbing onto the inner railing for support while clutching her chest. I looked back at the tote board and saw she had finished fourth, one and a half lengths behind me.
"Hey," Seiun Sky said, her voice pulling me back. "Can you... help me stand up?"
I looked back down at her. She was still smiling, even though she had lost.
"Sure," I nodded. I reached down and pulled her up, supporting her as her legs shook beneath her.
"Ya~ Thank you, Ko-chan," she smirked at me, leaning on my shoulder for support.
"No thanks necessa—." I stopped, my brain catching up to her words. I stared at her.
"What? That's what you're called, right?" she said, still wearing that silly, triumphant smile.
"Affirmative, but—"
"Then, Ko-chan, you can call me Sei-chan or Sky-chan, or whatever," she declared. "Let's get along from now on."
"Hah.. roger that, Whatever-san," I replied flatly with a sigh.
"Nyahaha~ Kaicho will be happy to hear that," she laughed, a genuine, wheezing sound.
"Sei-chan! Are you okay!?" Another voice joined up, full of frantic energy.
In stark contrast to her state just seconds ago, Special Week rushed up to us, her eyes wide with concern.
"Spe-chan, I'm fine~" Sei-san said. "But are you good?"
"I'm good! Hehe, too bad I got fourth, but in the next race, I'll win! I will become the number 1 Umamusume in Japan!" Special Week declared, her spirit seemingly uncrushed.
Right. Maybe adopting such a positive outlook was good. Though, that didn't erase the fact that I had lost.
"Copenhagen-san! So that's your late kick!?" Special Week's attention snapped to me, her eyes practically sparkling. "No wonder others call you a monster!"
"Right?" Sei-san chimed in, punching my stomach teasingly. "Just watching it and experiencing it yourself are two different things. Those loud thumps are hella scary~ No, that pattering sound in the last 100 meters was even more scary! Just what was that!?"
"Yeah! I've never seen anything like that before!" Special Week shouted, her enthusiasm making her bounce on her feet.
"Apologies, but that's classified," I said. I then turned to Special Week. "And Special Week-san, you can call me Ko. My full name is rather long."
"Alright! Ko-chan! Just call me Spe!" she grabbed my free hand and shook it happily, her grip surprisingly strong.
"But no doubt, your plan worked wonders against me, Sei-san," I said, my gaze shifting between the two of them. "Next time, I'll be more prepared. So let's have a rematch, you too, Spe."
"Nyahaha~ Of course! And next time, you won't be able to catch me again," Sei-san said, her confidence returning.
"Let's have a rematch, Ko-chan, Sei-chan! Next time, I'll win!" Spe declared.
"Alright, I can stand on my own now," Sei-san said, finally releasing my shoulder. "Thank you, Ko-chan."
I just nodded and looked in the direction of Chief and the others. They must have been waiting.
"I'll go first," I said shortly, turning and walking towards them. Each step felt heavy, the weight of the loss pressing down on my shoulders. I could see them as I approached.. a small, supportive crowd of my closest allies. And I had failed them.
There, I was welcomed by smiles, not disappointment. By applause, not silence. I didn't deserve any of those.
"Apologies, Chief. Apologies, everyone," I said, my voice low as I arrived, my eyes fixed on the trampled turf at my feet. I couldn't bear to see their warm smiles. "The battle... was lost."
A long moment of silence hung in the air. Then, the Chief's voice, firm but kind, cut through it.
"Hold your head up, Copenhagen."
I hesitated, then slowly lifted my gaze. He wasn't smiling his usual wide, carefree grin. This was something else. A look of profound, unwavering pride. "It was a great race," he said. "We lost. That's a fact. But we'll do better next time."
Oguri-san reached out to me and placed a hand gently on my shoulder. "That was your best run so far, Ko-chan," she said, her voice quiet but absolute. "And it will only get better from here."
The words from my trainer and my senior, the two pillars of my new life on track, began to chip away at the cold despair in my chest. Then, Tamamo-san's energetic shout shattered the remaining silence.
"Yeah! That was one hell of a last spurt! If you'd had another 20 meters, you would've won! No doubt!"
"Right! Right! You can stage your revenge in the Classic Triple Crown next year!" Inari-san added.
"That was a great fight. I'm entertained," Taishin-san's smiled satisfactorily.
Their supports were a rising tide in my heart, but it was the voices from the crowd behind them that finally broke the dam.
"You did a great job, Copenhagen!"
"That was one of the best races I've ever watched! Thank you!"
"Yeah! Hunt them down next time, little monster-chan!"
"You really put us on the edge until the end! I don't think I can watch other races without Copenhagen anymore! Hahaha"
I looked past my team, past my friends, and saw the faces of the strangers in the crowd. They weren't disappointed. They were thrilled. They had seen my struggle, my final, desperate charge, and they had cheered for it.
Right. The Hopeful Stakes was lost. But the next one wasn't. Nor the one after that. With better preparation, with better weapons... next time, the results would be different.
The words finally came, my voice thick with an emotion I couldn't name. "Thank you... everyone." I bowed deeply, a single gesture to convey the depth of my gratitude. "I will always do my best! Thank you for supporting me!"
Yeah. Next time, the results will be different. I will make sure of it.
---