As a reigning queen of the American turf and a cornerstone of its mightiest trio, she stood as one of the world's elite Uma Musume, boasting five G1 victories to her name.
Even though Fuma had burst from the starting gate on pure instinct, keeping pace with the pack without a single beat of delay, her mind was still struggling to process the reality unfolding before her eyes.
Full-coverage Zone.
This was the trump card that had made her one of America's strongest.
Since her debut, the only time she had witnessed someone utilizing the same running style was when she faced El Condor Pasa at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
She had only heard from Titas that Japan's Barbatos was a master of the Zone—an Uma Musume of the same caliber and type as herself.
Truth be told, Fuma had come to the Japan Cup specifically to show El Condor Pasa and Barbatos what a real "Zone" looked like!
But... why were there so many Uma Musume activating their Zones right from the getaway?
A whirlwind of thoughts surged through her mind, but in a flash, she centered herself and refocused on the track.
She realized her mistake; even if it was only for a split second, and even if her body hadn't technically lagged at the start, she had already conceded the psychological advantage.
She watched as the orange-haired Uma Musume pulled a full length ahead, already beginning to seize the lead position.
This has to be because I was distracted at the start, she thought.
Otherwise, how could anyone possibly have a better break than a King of America?
Putting power into her stride, she surged past Barbatos—whose Zone was a gaudy display of swirling wind and crackling lightning—and set her sights on the orange-haired runner at the front.
Regarding this "Number One in Japan," especially now that the heat of the race was on, Fuma felt a flicker of disdain.
Despite having her Zone active—and despite it being the flashiest, most over-the-top display on the entire field—Barbatos's speed was this mediocre?
Against such a blistering pace from the others, was this all the vaunted Barbatos could muster while in the Zone?
It was laughable.
If Fuma wanted to maintain that kind of pace, she could do it easily without even tapping into her Zone.
The thought flickered and died as Fuma stopped paying attention to Japan's supposed best.
Having lost her focus at the start, she knew she'd have to burn extra stamina to reach the front. But as a proud American champion, she hadn't activated her Zone just to sit back and wait in the rear!
Ignoring the cost to her endurance, Fuma's silhouette blurred as she overtook Grass Wonder and Treve.
She swept past Titas, Taiga, and King Halo. She blew past El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and Montjeu!
"Hm?"
Her explosive speed drew looks of surprise from El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky. Fuma was moving fast—she was gunning for Silence Suzuka!
But could she really sustain that kind of energy expenditure until the end of the race? Or had her stamina reached the monstrous levels of someone like Barbatos?
Montjeu, who knew Fuma better from their clashes on the world stage, watched thoughtfully.
She knew Fuma's "prideful" nature; there was no way she would let anyone else hold the lead while her Zone was active.
She was bound to trigger a dogfight for the front with Silence Suzuka.
By the time they hit the final straight, Fuma's stamina would likely be too depleted to maintain such speed. Even if she hung on, she wouldn't have a decent finishing kick left.
So, she's playing the team game now, Montjeu realized.
Even if Fuma gassed out, Silence Suzuka would be equally drained from defending her position, effectively neutralizing her and opening the door for Titas and Taiga to strike.
Behind them, the hoofbeats of another runner began to quicken. Was it Taiga or Titas moving up to take their spot?
Fuma continued her charge past El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and Montjeu. The American queen was slowly closing in on Silence Suzuka, whittling away the gap between them.
She knew very little about this orange-haired girl. Fuma hadn't bothered much with the Japanese circuit, let alone studying their race tapes.
The names she heard most were El Condor Pasa and Barbatos—and yet here was Barbatos, running at the back like a total amateur.
Even El Condor Pasa and Montjeu seemed to be activating their Zones while trying to conserve energy for a final burst.
In that case...
She would show these girls what real front-running looked like! Even if there was a risk of bottoming out later, Fuma didn't have a single care in the world!
Half a length away from Silence Suzuka!
As they rounded the first bend, the gap closed to a quarter-length.
Fuma recalled that the girl in front was called the "Pegasus" of Japan, or some kind of "Otherworldly Front-Runner." In her mind, that was just Japanese hype.
She could admit the girl had a bit of talent at the start—enough to catch her eye and earn a mental nod—which explained why she'd made it into the American racing magazines.
But that was it!
The lead was about to be hers.
Just as Fuma prepared to overtake Silence Suzuka in one decisive surge, the girl who had been right within her reach suddenly accelerated.
The sound of the wind rushing past her intensified into a roar as Silence Suzuka opened the gap once more, refusing to yield even an inch of the lead!
What?!
"?! "
As Silence Suzuka's figure pulled further away, Fuma's royal pride snapped.
Throwing caution to the wind, she lunged forward. Every ounce of her stamina, every bit of her finishing power—she ignited it all right then and there, just to reclaim the front!
Farther back in the pack, Barbatos calmly picked up her pace, activating her abilities to accelerate.
Even though she was confident she could win the Japan Cup with her final sprint—and that it wouldn't be as grueling as her encounter with Silence Suzuka at the Takarazuka Kinen—she still needed to keep the gap manageable.
From her vantage point, she could easily track everyone's movements, reading the flow of the battle with clinical clarity.
As for the international competitors behind her, they had practically lost their chance at the crown the moment Barbatos...
Wait. Special Week was starting to turn up the heat too?
An aura of the Zone erupted behind Barbatos.
Utilizing the running style she'd learned from Taiki Shuttle, Special Week began a grueling climb from the back of the pack.
It was clear that Special Week hadn't expected this.
Not only was Silence Suzuka—who had promised to take it easy before the race—running at a terrifying clip to hold the lead, but even the other girls and the overseas runners were burning their Zones from the jump.
The pace was simply too fast!
If things kept going like this, she could kiss the Japan Cup trophy goodbye.
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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.