The Stands.
Toujou Hana watched the race unfold in silence. So far, Inari One was leading, with El Condor Pasa close behind.
"So, what's your prediction for the win?"
The trainer from Spica, a lollipop dangling from his lips, strolled over.
"As much as I'd like to say El Condor Pasa and her team…"
"If Tamamo Cross is there, she might just push beyond her limits."
"That's precisely the issue."
Toujou Hana's brow furrowed slightly. Replacing Oguri Cap with Tamamo Cross had significantly increased the chances of victory for El Condor Pasa's team.
But with Barbatos joining the fray for the third leg, those odds were dropping again.
When an Uma Musume encounters a rival from her past, her abilities can transcend their current limits.
"Since Symboli Rudolf proposed this relay between El Condor Pasa's team and the Three Titans of the Heisei Era, it means she believes El Condor Pasa's team has a real shot at winning. Rudolf wouldn't arrange a match with a foregone conclusion."
"At least for the first two legs, anyway."
Okino added.
"If we consider that Inari One and Super Creek were truly world-class, top-of-the-pyramid competitors on par with Oguri Cap during their active years…"
"But after being retired for so many years, how much of their former strength can they possibly retain?"
Win or lose, this race would undoubtedly push El Condor Pasa and her teammates to new heights.
"Will you look at that?!"
Okino, who had been watching the central screen, gasped in shock, his lollipop tumbling from his mouth.
"They've reached the road course! Inari One is picking up speed! Inari One has overtaken El Condor Pasa!"
The voice of Sakura Bakushin O echoed through the venue.
"Is this the true speed of Inari One-senpai?!"
On the track, El Condor Pasa and Inari One had burst out from the initial dirt track within the academy grounds.
Feeling Inari One surge past her and rapidly opening up the distance, El Condor Pasa acutely sensed the difference between this and the opponents she'd faced in debut races and G3 events.
"So this is the Three Titans of the Heisei Era? This is the caliber of world-class Uma Musume from back then?"
Being overtaken didn't discourage her in the slightest; instead, it ignited her fighting spirit. A grin spread across her face. "If I lose here, how can I ever talk about conquering the world?!"
Her hooves pounded the ground fiercely, her overall speed leaping forward just like Inari One's. With 800 meters left, it was time for an all-out sprint.
The Three Titans were undoubtedly strong in their prime, but the one El Condor Pasa trained alongside was one of the legendary Uma Musume herself – Maruzensky!
"Inari One-senpai, let's duel!"
"And there it is! The Phantom Bird! El Condor Pasa is catching up!"
Sakura Bakushin O's excited commentary ignited the atmosphere. The cheers from the older generation of fans and the younger generation, rooting for the Uma Musume of their respective eras, created a dreamlike scene.
Okino watched the race unfold. "El Condor Pasa's speed has increased significantly since that G3 race."
"She's a member of our Rigil team. She's the most naturally gifted Uma Musume I've seen in this generation."
"And what about Barbatos?"
Okino almost quipped back.
But the image on the central screen changed again. Just as El Condor Pasa was about to catch Inari One, the gap widened once more. Inari One was still accelerating!
"Go, El Condor Pasa! You have to win! Show her the results of all your extra training!"
Toujou Hana's shout rang out.
Okino, standing beside her, instinctively shrunk his neck back. It was rare to see Hana this worked up.
"My god! Not only Inari One, but El Condor Pasa is accelerating again to close the gap!"
"This is the kind of speed contest you'd normally only see in G1 level races! El Condor Pasa is narrowing the distance, now just one length behind!"
"Only 300 meters to the second leg handoff zone!"
"Will Inari One maintain her lead all the way, or will El Condor Pasa come from behind?!"
"She's about to catch me. I'm giving it my all, but my body feels so rusty."
Inari One, leading the pack, glanced back slightly and saw El Condor Pasa poised to overtake her. These new-generation girls are real monsters, aren't they?
"But if you think this is enough to win, you're still far from it!"
An aura, invisible to ordinary people and most Uma Musume, enveloped her. An extraordinary pressure began to emanate from her form.
The movements of the spectators in her vision and even El Condor Pasa, who was about to pass her, began to seem sluggish.
"Can I only manage this much now?"
--+--
"Zone?! Has El Condor Pasa really pushed Inari One to this point?"
From the student council seats, the Empress, Air Groove, sounded surprised.
For legendary Uma Musume like them, using their Zone in any race outside the Dream Cup was generally unheard of. Who would have thought that El Condor Pasa, who hadn't been on the team long, could force Inari One to this extent?
Using a Zone always placed a certain strain on the body, easily shortening an active career or even leading to injuries, just like Grass Wonder, who had suffered injuries after entering his Zone.
"Decades away from the track… that sense of physical rustiness can't be erased with just a few days of practice."
"Even if it's an incomplete Zone now, Inari One's willpower is truly commendable."
Symboli Rudolf, seated in the main position, offered her assessment.
Inari One's Zone now could be considered incomplete, not comparable to the one she possessed at her peak. But facing even this level of Zone, unless El Condor Pasa could create a miracle…
On the other side, Toujou Hana was far from her usual calm self.
Her cheers mingled with the voices of the crowd. "El Condor Pasa! You absolutely cannot lose!"
--+--
But out on the track, El Condor Pasa could feel the oppressive pressure. It felt as if the figure ahead wasn't an Uma Musume, but a raging flood or a ferocious beast.
The distance between them began to stretch again. Even though she was giving her all, the gap between her and the senior seemed insurmountable.
And this senior had been retired for decades!
"How can I fall here?!"
Under the pressure of Inari One's aura, El Condor Pasa could clearly feel her legs growing heavier, her breath becoming ragged. Her body seemed to have reached its limit, but "How can I fall here?!"
If she lost here, how could she ever talk about conquering the world?
Her confident expression was gone. If that was the case, then all she could do was fight with her life!
Whether in her debut race, or the subsequent novice and G3 races, she had always run with something to spare. But this time, she felt an unprecedented pressure.
Gritting her teeth, she forced power into her already leaden legs.
She hadn't even had her G1 showdown with Barbatos yet! How could she fall here?
The speed of the Phantom Bird surged once more, striving to close the distance with Inari One.
"Why?!"
"Why can't I catch up?!"
"It seemed El Condor Pasa was about to catch Inari One! But the gap! The gap isn't closing at all!"
"Inari One has reached the second leg handoff zone! Super Creek is waiting for her there! Handoff successful!"
"Super Creek is off!"
"Rigil's El Condor Pasa reaches the handoff zone three lengths behind! Seiun Sky is off!"
"And now! The 3000-meter long-distance run! Will Kikuka Sho winner Super Creek maintain her lead, or will Seiun Sky come from behind?!"
--+--
Second Leg Handoff Zone.
El Condor Pasa stood, hands on her knees, gasping for air. Unbidden tears welled in her eyes and traced down her cheeks.
"I lost… My first time…"
Bitterness and frustration welled up from the depths of her heart.
Why did she have to lose here? She had given it her absolute all.
"You ran well, El Condor Pasa."
Inari One walked over to El Condor Pasa and rubbed her own nose, sweat dripping down her face. She, too, had pushed herself to the limit in that run.
She thought it would be a case of bullying a junior, never expecting she'd have to resort to using her Zone.
Watching El Condor Pasa straighten up, seeing the tears at the corner of her eyes, Inari One paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.
It wasn't a mocking smile. Many Uma Musume reacted this way after losing a race during the peak of their youthful confidence.
"Thank you. You made me feel like I was back on the track again."
"If we ever meet again, I won't lose next time. I don't lose to the same person twice."
El Condor Pasa said with utter seriousness.
Since she lost, all she could do was train even harder. She absolutely could not let this defeat break her!
"Haha, you've still got a long way to go."
Inari One placed her hands on her hips. "If you ever want to challenge me again, you're always welcome. But don't forget, this race isn't over yet."
This is a three-person relay, after all!
"Yeah. Sei-chan, B-chan, it's up to you now."
El Condor Pasa lifted her head, and together with Inari One, she looked towards the broadcast screen for the second leg, watching Super Creek running on the screen.
Where was Seiun Sky?
This question arose in both El Condor Pasa and Inari One's minds.
Even though El Condor Pasa had been three lengths behind, they should still both be visible on the same screen.
Even if Seiun Sky had used a front-running strategy in her debut race, starting with a three-length deficit, she shouldn't be able to overtake in one go.
Just then, Sakura Bakushin O's commentary voice came through.
"Seiun Sky! Seiun Sky has fallen ten lengths behind! She seems to be running leisurely! Has she already given up on this race?"
--+--
"Seiun Sky! Run faster! What are you thinking?!"
Toujou Hana's emotions hadn't subsided yet.
Okino couldn't help but mutter beside her, "Seiun Sky isn't exactly a member of your Rigil team, is she?"
"So what? Seiun Sky, go! Charge!"
--+--
"What is Sei-chan thinking?"
Special Week, Urara, Grass Wonder, King Halo, Twin Turbo, and other friends familiar with Seiun Sky were all puzzled.
Even if she always said she would run leisurely, given her debut performance and how seriously she trained for this, she couldn't possibly be actually running this relay leisurely, right?
If the gap widened any further, there would be no chance of victory left.
Even if Barbatos originally had a chance to beat Tamamo Cross, if Tamamo Cross got too big a head start over the long distance…
Trainer Minamizaka was also watching the race's progress, but he didn't seem too flustered.
Drawing on his talent and intellect as a top-tier computer expert, he had more or less guessed Seiun Sky's plan. For now, let her run leisurely and conserve her energy.
"Wait! There's a railroad crossing ahead of Super Creek!"
"And, due to an approaching train, the crossing is currently closed!"
"Super Creek is forced to stop!"
"This will take nearly a minute! Seiun Sky is still running leisurely! Could this be part of Seiun Sky's strategy?!"
Super Creek stared at the railroad crossing ahead, completely unprepared for this situation.
Since this wasn't an official race, such unexpected circumstances could occur. Did Seiun Sky calculate this exact point? Was that why she was leisurely hanging back from the start, conserving her energy?
"The lead Inari-chan fought so hard for has been negated."
"Now it's all up to me."
--+--
Student Council Seats.
Narita Brian, who hadn't gone to work as a Prince at the Prince Café today, remarked with feeling, "Employing a strategy unique to an unofficial race is quite fascinating."
"It might become a standard tactic."
Symboli Rudolf nodded. "But Super Creek's judgment and her grasp of timing are top-notch."
"If she were in her active years, she probably would have noticed this issue earlier and either accelerated through or chosen the same strategy as Seiun Sky."
"Has the decades-long hiatus ultimately taken its toll?"
--+--
The railroad crossing barriers slowly began to rise. Seiun Sky, who had been jogging leisurely towards Super Creek, suddenly exploded into action, shifting directly into top speed.
She intended to run the remaining 2400 meters using a front-running strategy!
"Here she comes?"
"Then the real contest begins now!"
Swearing on her title as a Kikuka Sho-winning Uma Musume, she couldn't let Inari One's efforts be in vain. She absolutely had to be the first to reach the third leg and pass the baton to Tama-chan.
The moment the crossing opened, Super Creek shot forward.
Her sudden burst caused the fully sprinting Seiun Sky to momentarily adjust her pace. A voice, that of Symboli Rudolf, emanated from the speakers connected to Tracen Academy near the railroad crossing for the race.
"Super Creek, interference foul! Stop-and-go penalty, 15 seconds!"
Normally, interference didn't result in an immediate stop-and-go penalty; it would lead to disqualification or a demotion in placement after the race.
But this relay wasn't an official race, and with only two teams running, if Super Creek committed an interference foul, no matter what happened, the Three Titans team would inevitably lose.
So, Symboli Rudolf had no other choice.
Sitting in her seat, Symboli Rudolf couldn't help but facepalm and sigh.
Decades of hiatus naturally led to a decline in physical conditioning, endurance, judgment, and ability to seize opportunities. That was understandable.
But… how did Super Creek manage to carry over her tendency for interference fouls all the way to the present?
In the stands, as the younger generation of spectators cheered for Seiun Sky's clever strategy and Super Creek's penalty…
A few of the older generation spectators nearby had tears streaming down their faces.
A young spectator, seeing the elderly man crying beside him, tried to console him. "Sir, although she got a 15-second penalty, it's better than disqualification. And maybe Super Creek can still catch up?"
The old man, tears in his eyes, patted the young man's shoulder. "Son, you don't understand. These are tears of joy."
"To think I'd live to see Creek-chan's interference foul again… It was worth it. This trip was truly worth it."
"This…"
"Seiun Sky is rapidly widening the gap between herself and Super Creek!"
"Twenty lengths! Thirty lengths!"
"The penalty is over! Does Super Creek still have a chance?!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.