The gates slammed open, and twelve umamusume came rushing forward.
They had all started beautifully, and some quickly began fighting for their preferred positions. But their struggles were quickly overshadowed as a white blur shot forward like a blazing comet.
"Blossom Star immediately takes first!"
"Once again, she runs as an Escape Artist!"
"Oi, seriously…?" Dicta Striker whispered. Her previous relaxed demeanour was no longer present; instead replaced by a growing horror as she leaned forward. She'd unconsciously began gripping her knees, digging her fingers with such force that it turned the skin beneath a pale white.
Dicta wasn't the only one. Mejiro Ardan had stopped drinking from her tea cup entirely, and her pupils trembled as she saw the incredible scene before her. "Oh my." She said, though her voice had none of the usual regality it usually had.
Here's the thing,
Blossom Star's Great Escape was relatively simple. She'd begin accelerating from the start, reach her maximum speed by the time she reached the first corner, continue running at maximum speed, and then accelerate further during the final corner to achieve a dominating victory.
Or at least, that was how it'd been like 5 months ago.
"B-Blossom Star is still accelerating!?"
"She's reached the first corner, but she continues to accelerate!"
Sakura Chiyono O heaved as she did her best to shadow Blossom Star. And to be fair, she managed to do just that—remaining barely 3 lengths behind the soaring Comet. However, the pace she'd inevitably dragged herself into was far more grueling compared to what she felt back in the [Japanese Oaks].
And to make matters worse, she could see the gap widening. Despite them already nearing the second corner, Blossom Star had yet to cease accelerating. Which brought forth a horrifying possibility.
That Star would continue accelerating all the way until the race's end!
"I-It's the second corner! She's now in the second corner…!"
Not far behind Chiyono O was Yaeno Muteki, who'd silently remained in 3rd after a brief struggle during the beginning of the race. Her expression remained remarkably composed despite the situation.
Why should she be surprised? After all, she and Star were fellow trainees under her master; she'd raced together with Star during training dozens of times by this point. She'd already seen this new Great Escape Star had cultivated all throughout her summer camp.
And the reason was simple; in this race, there was only one person Blossom Star was truly racing against. A phantom whose power she had to match.
"Incredible! Blossom Star has entered the second straight!"
"Sakura Chiyono O is over 4 lengths behind, with Yaeno Muteki just behind her!"
The crowd went wild.
It was to be expected. Blossom Star had already entered the second straight, with Sakura Chiyono O and Yaeno Muteki not too far away. Meanwhile, the other nine runners were completely left in the dust, having only reached the first corner.
In what felt like moments, the race had suddenly become only for the three members of the Generation of Miracles.
All the while, Blossom Star continued to accelerate, though at a far slower pace compared to before. She was nearing her limit at this point, as if she continued to accelerate at this pace, she'd reach her maximum speed by around the halfway point of the second straight.
Of course, that was assuming she didn't use any of her Skills. Because the only Skill that she'd activated was her {Front Runner Savvy ◎}, and even then she hadn't utilized most of its effects. This was just her using her base speed.
And she certainly could. One of her newest Skills was {Playtime's Over!}, which allowed her to increase her velocity after being directly shadowed by an umamusume for at least 3 seconds. By this point, Sakura Chiyono O had long surpassed that requirement, and if she wanted to, she could easily begin pulling away.
But she didn't. In fact, she didn't plan on using any of her newer Skills at all.
They were her secret weapons for the [Japan Cup]. No reason in showing them off here.
"Blossom Star's reached the third corner! Can Sakura Chiyono O bridge the-"
"Oh!? Yaeno Muteki has gone outside!"
Muteki took a breath through gritted teeth, and pumping all her strength into her legs, she shot into the outer lanes. She caught the surprised look Chiyono O sent her way, but before she could react, Muteki quickly dashed forward, quickly taking 2nd place.
Normally, something like this wasn't advised. Heading to the outer lanes during the corners meant needing to cover more distance, wasting both stamina and time.
But that was fine. She'd prepared for this. Chiyono O had exhausted herself trying to keep up with Star's pace, while Muteki had strictly followed her own. Moreover, she'd been preparing for her acceleration from the very beginning.
And now was the time!
She grit her teeth, leaned forward, and moved.
"Yaeno Muteki begins to accelera-"
"A-Amazing! She's taken 2nd place!"
"She's catching up to Blossom Star!"
Muteki roared as she ran forward. Her eyes, normally pale brown, now burnt bright silver like the reflected moonlight.
Now that she was outside, she could accelerate as drastically as she wanted, and under Chiyono O's shocked gaze, she blasted right past her. But even after that, she kept going, pushing further and further, pulling everything she had left for this opportune moment.
But Chiyono O didn't remain shocked for too long, and soon she too began accelerating. She quickly sped forward, and soon both she and Muteki were closing the gap between them and Star.
And Star…did nothing. She continued slowly accelerating as she'd been throughout the entire race, uncaring for the two's swift approach.
Well, that wouldn't be true.
Muteki wasn't quite sure why, but she knew this was planned. Star was waiting for them to pass her, and the moment one of them did, that was when her famed 'second burst' would come into play. She'd tried asking multiple times why exactly she did that, but Star had never fully explained.
"They've reached the final straight! Yaeno Muteki remains in 2nd, with Sakura Chiyono O hot on her tail!"
"They're about to overtake Blossom Star!"
4 lengths. 3 lengths. 2 lengths.
The gap was growing smaller and smaller. Each moment another tick on the inevitable doomsday clock. But despite the shrinking gap, neither Muteki or Chiyono O dared to feel any sense of satisfaction.
Because the moment Muteki finally overtook the lead for even a moment--
Blossom Star took a deep breath, and as her eyes burnt bright blue, her foot slammed onto the turf with such strength that her shoes left an indent inches deep into the earth. The air around her legs seemed to warp, seemingly heated to intense temperatures by some invisible source.
Then, her Skills finally activated.
{Competitive Spirit ◎}, {In Body and Mind}, {Front Runner Savvy ◎}, {Leading Charge}-
And lastly,
{Starlit Crown}!
Her G1 outfit sparkled like twinkling stars. Gravity seemed to deactivate. Star leaned forward, her legs stretched, and the ground exploded as Star shot forward.
"Blossom Star retakes the lea-"
"She's accelera-, she's going faster-!"
"By the Goddesses! She's incredible-!"
In just moments, Star not only took the lead, but extended the gap between her and Muteki by nearly 3 lengths! And not only that, but her speed continued to increase as she ran down the final straight—the already massive gap continuing to widen with every powerful step she delivered onto the track.
Muteki and Chiyono O didn't fear. They were prepared for this, and they quickly responded by pouring every ounce of strength they had left. They surged forward, breaking past their previous records they'd set during training.
Yet, it wasn't enough. Star's back continued to shrink as the gap grew and grew.
3 lengths. 5 lengths. 8 lengths.
And finally, Sakura Chiyono O felt despair. Because even though she was running with all her strength, even after months and months of training, she couldn't catch up. Blossom Star had turned into a comet she could no longer shadow.
But just as she was giving up, a blur ran past her, and Chiyono O's eyes went wide as she saw Muteki rush forward. It wasn't the fact that Muteki had overtaken her, nor was it the fact that Muteki was still capable of that.
No, that wasn't what shocked her the most.
It was the fact that Muteki was smiling.
"200 meters left! Blossom Star continues to pull away!"
"The Comet just can't be stopped!"
Muteki couldn't quite explain it either. She wasn't quite sure why she was smiling, nor why her chest felt so light despite knowing that her loss was inevitable. Instead, her eyes remained at the fleeting figure—at the dashing Hero that surged forward like a shooting star.
She knew, deep down, that she could never stand by her side. Her talent was far too mediocre compared to Star's. And besides, Star only had one true rival in her heart—one that had begun this journey together from the very start.
And…that was fine. It was fine that she could only watch as the star soared to the heavens.
Because at least she could be the fabled {Stargazer} that watched its soar to the skies!
"I-Incredible! Yaeno Muteki accelerates again!"
"Is her stamina truly that endless!?"
It wasn't. In fact, Muteki was practically running on fumes. She had no doubt that she'd have to abstain from any training for the next week or so. She probably wouldn't even have the energy to make it to the Winning Concert.
But that was fine.
She was happy enough to see Star's victory from afar.
"Blossom Star crosses the finish line first!"
The world turned quiet as Star slowly came to a stop. She turned towards the audience, her blue cape fluttering behind her. She took a breath as she gazed at the people who'd cheered her on, and with a small smile, she raised three fingers into the air.
And finally, the audience exploded with cheers.
"Another historic moment has occurred! And it is my greatest honor to now say this!"
"Congratulations to Blossom Star for achieving the Undefeated Triple Tiara!"
The audience's cheers grew even louder, and soon hundreds of cameras flashed all across the stadium. Hundreds of reporters quickly snapped an image of the historic moment, eager to share this momentous occasion with the rest of Japan. For they were certain that this would be a moment forever remembered by history.
For in just a week, a new holder of both the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara had appeared!
.
.
.
Through it all, one old man watched with a detached expression, his utter calm a complete contrast to the crowd's excitement.
And meanwhile, the seat next to his was inconspicuously empty.