"The competitors are spread out wide under Silence Suzuka's leadership from the front!"
"Back in mid-pack, Barbatos still trails Silence Suzuka by a solid six or seven lengths!"
"Two lengths behind Barbatos, we have Mejiro Dober!"
"And further back, trailing Mejiro Dober by more than three lengths, it's the Empress, Air Groove!"
"While nothing's absolute in Uma Musume races, I'm sure all you fans had your own predictions before the race started."
"But this Takarazuka Kinen, as it stands right now, has become a race where absolutely no one can predict the outcome!"
Akasaka Misato's voice crackled with intense excitement.
Having watched races for so many years, knowing more about Uma Musume than most people, this Takarazuka Kinen was shaping up to be a clash absolutely destined for the history books!
This race could easily be called the highest competition in Japan, second only to the extraordinary Dream Cup!
The Empress Air Groove, originally considered the biggest favorite, the one everyone thought would definitely take the Takarazuka Kinen, no longer had that sure grip on victory. The gears of the era were slowly turning.
This generation of Uma Musume was showing their strength, telling the world they now possessed power rivaling the legendary racers of the past!
--+--
"Why isn't Air Groove-senpai catching up yet!"
Seeing Grass Wonder losing speed and falling behind, Taiki Shuttle, a member of Rigil who had just won the Yasuda Kinen, was getting anxious.
Rigil's internal rules might be strict, and their trainer Toujou Hana was usually pretty tough on them.
But the sense of unity in Rigil was strong.
Taiki Shuttle was getting that urgent feeling like she was the one in the race herself.
"Rigil must win! Go Air Groove-senpai! Go Grass Wonder!"
Right now, though, all she could do was cheer for Air Groove and Grass Wonder.
"At this rate, Air Groove's going to lose."
Narita Brian stared at the track, assessing the situation. Though she tried to look calm, you could still see the tension she felt for Air Groove's race.
"No way?"
Taiki Shuttle couldn't quite believe it. Honestly, she'd kinda thought Air Groove-senpai might lose earlier too, but she chose to believe in her teammate.
Now, Narita Brian-senpai, a legendary Triple Crown winner, was saying the same thing.
But her emotions made her not want to accept it.
Toujou Hana, standing nearby, bit her lip. Her arms were crossed, hands clenched a little tighter. She said, her voice heavy.
"After Air Groove activated her Zone, she passed Grass Wonder and King Halo pretty quickly. But you all know Grass Wonder's only just recovered."
"And if King Halo wasn't dealing with her injury, before she even made that gesture, the speed she showed would've taken Air Groove a while to catch up to."
"In this race, Air Groove's still treating Suzuka like she was during last year's Tenno Sho (Autumn)."
"But Suzuka now... you could say she's in her perfect form."
"Even though Air Groove looks like she's closing the gap, Suzuka's already about to hit the final straight. There's just no time left."
Even if she didn't want to admit it.
Toujou Hana knew perfectly well that Spica's environment really was better for Suzuka's growth, and that runaway style definitely suited Suzuka more.
Compared to Suzuka's last race, the level she was showing now was way, way higher.
Knowing Okino the way she did, Suzuka must have gotten pointers or help from someone.
Her gaze shifted towards the announcer's booth.
Toujou Hana murmured to herself. Take Yutaka-sensei, is that you?
--+--
On the track.
Air Groove, with her Zone active, was still chasing. But ahead of her, the already-retired Mejiro Dober was showing incredible strength.
Even with her own Zone active, the Empress couldn't close the distance between them.
The gap to Suzuka was shrinking, but far too slowly. At this rate, there was no way she'd catch her before the finish line.
Ever since she left Rigil, she'd gotten so much stronger!
Even though Suzuka left Rigil, she'd always stayed on good terms with its members.
"But, I'm not gonna let you win this easily!"
Air Groove cast aside all distractions. The aura of her Zone became purer, more intense.
The whole world around her seemed to freeze. She couldn't hear a single sound. She was ready to give it everything she had!
--+--
[Ghost] had worn off long ago. Barbatos kept up her acceleration with [Highlander].
Back when she'd first entered Tracen Academy, she'd been sure that Silence Suzuka's running style countered her own.
Against a runaway of this level, the old her would've had zero chance of winning.
If she'd faced Silence Suzuka before the Winter Cup, she might've even needed to activate her skills immediately just to avoid getting left behind, leading to a crushing early defeat!
But after all that training, after pushing her speed limit higher and higher, she finally had a chance to catch up!
This time, there was no way she'd lose!
Barbatos had long since abandoned any plan relying on making the other competitors "cramp up" or falter.
In a regular G1, she could win easily with her current level. But in a race like the Takarazuka Kinen, her opponents were all G1 monsters too, with unwavering spirits.
Even if victory seemed impossible, they'd never give up. They'd fight to the very last moment.
They wouldn't give Barbatos any chance for an easy "cramp up."
[Highlander]'s duration ended. Barbatos, honed by countless practice runs, kept running on pure momentum.
Then, cherry blossom petals seemed to materialize around her. She'd activated [Youmuu's Ghostblade] to keep the acceleration going!
"Silence Suzuka! Silence Suzuka is entering the final straight!"
"Just 400 meters left to the finish line!"
"The Otherworldly Front-Runner! Can she claim her first G1 victory here at Hanshin Racecourse?!"
In the stands, fans who'd been sitting were now on their feet!
Viewers watching the live broadcast on their computers had let go of their keyboards, arguments forgotten, eyes glued to the final moments of the Takarazuka Kinen!
Even a total newbie just getting into Uma Musume could tell, with a gap like this—Barbatos in second still nearly four and a half lengths behind—the outcome of this Takarazuka Kinen was pretty much sealed.
Silence Suzuka, the one nobody expected much from, had practically locked in the championship with her dazzling runaway!
--+--
On the final straight, Barbatos flew up the slope at incredible speed. The cherry blossoms around her scattered, the bloody gleam over the lightning dimmed. [Devastating Charge] was about to run out.
But Barbatos wasn't slowing down; she was speeding up.
A final burst that defied all common sense blazed forth, closing the distance to Silence Suzuka in a flash!
"The race... has only just begun!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.