Chapter 43. Desperate Japanese Oaks Part 2
As Mejiro Dober entered the corner, the atmosphere at the Mejiro family's ancestral home was heavy. The Old Madam Mejiro sat on the sofa, eyes narrowed as she stared intently at the television screen.
"Everything looks like it's going smoothly for now," she remarked.
While the family's ultimate goal was always the Tenno Sho (Spring), the fact that Mejiro Dober was currently challenging for the Triple Tiara kept the household in a state of serious tension. Until the Old Madam spoke, no one else dared to make a sound.
Seeing her grandmother open the conversation, the ever gentlest, Mejiro Ardan chimed in,
"The track at Tokyo Racecourse is listed as Heavy today, yet Kyoei March is attempting to set a fast pace again. Dober's sense of positioning seems very sharp and alert."
"This was likely planned out by her trainer," the Old Madam said, shaking her head.
"It's a pity. I previously wanted to use Symboli Rudolf as an intermediary to tuck another of our family's outstanding children into Team Sadalsuud, but that 'Emperor' lady flatly refused. She didn't even give me a chance to speak. She said that to join Team Sadalsuud, only the trainer's approval matters, and even she cannot force someone in."
Mejiro Ardan understood this. Although Symboli Rudolf had helped twice before, it was because those two Uma Musumes had the talent and ability to back it up. Furthermore, Symboli Rudolf highly valued the favors she held with Shuta Ann, and such favors were a finite resource. To move Rudolf for the sake of the Mejiro family required more than just the grandmother's requests.
"That's only natural—everyone knows what it means to enter Team Sadalsuud and debut successfully,"
Ardan added, taking over the conversation. She paused for a moment before sharing a piece of news: "Moreover, I've heard that the one in their team who has been under the spotlight at Tracen Academy for the past few years, Tokai Teio, is preparing for her debut."
"If both Dober and Tokai Teio smoothly complete their Classic years—"
The Old Madam's eyebrows twitched.
"One year a Triple Tiara, the next a Triple Crown—the Uma Musumes at the Academy will surely try every means possible to apply for that team, won't they?"
Ardan felt too embarrassed to point out her grandmother's mistake—in reality, she heard that the Uma Musumes at Tracen Academy were already discussing how to enter "clubs" recognized as strong teams like Sadalsuud.
—
Meanwhile, Mejiro Dober turned out of the first corner and reached the backstretch straight opposite the stands. Although she maintained her cruising state, her rank moved up by two spots. This was because, during the corner section, Spring Diana and Eishin Kachita both decelerated and fell behind her.
"We haven't even reached 1,000 meters yet, and they're already losing speed?" Dober muttered to herself.
"Even though it's a heavy track today, it shouldn't be happening this early, right?"
After making this judgment, Dober realized that the only reason Spring Diana and Eishin Kachita were performing like this was that they had just read the likely fast pace of the race. Therefore, they chose to drop back to conserve a bit of stamina.
"But decelerating to save stamina means you'll have to pay with even more explosive power later to close the gap created by slowing down now,"
Shuta Ann muttered to himself while watching Eishin Kachita's figure from the stands. "Is the explosive power of you two actually enough?"
The young man didn't need to think deeply to know the answer—if their explosive power were sufficiently outstanding, their primary winning races wouldn't currently be limited to Open-class and Maiden races.
—
Mejiro Dober stopped paying attention to the two opponents who had fallen behind. She continued to maintain her cruising state, galloping across the turf of Tokyo Racecourse with an extremely relaxed and graceful posture.
Compared to Mejiro Dober, who seemed to be running with ease, Kyoei March—who was still maintaining her lead at the very front—looked much more strained. The expression on her face was already starting to gradually crumble.
"I need to go even faster!" she thought.
Although Kyoei March could no longer hear footsteps behind her, she had concluded after the Oka Sho that her defeat was due to her pace being too slow. She absolutely would not allow herself to show any signs of slackening now.
"I'm going to create a gap so large that Mejiro Dober can't catch up!"
Kyoei March tightened her nerves and forcefully chose to accelerate once again. This scene was captured by the commentary booth, and both Ryuu Nishizaki and the announcer couldn't help but express their admiration for her desperation.
Just as the commentator finished speaking, Kyoei March crossed the 1,000-meter marker. The giant screen quickly displayed her time for the first 1,000 meters: 60.1 seconds.
"1,000 meters in 60.1 seconds! That data tells a different story than what we're seeing!" the live commentator cried out. When Shuta Ann noticed this data, he also raised an eyebrow.
"Kyoei March's expression doesn't look fake, so this high-speed rhythm she's pushing is likely the best she can manage here," the young man muttered.
"However, at this pace, Dober will also need to start moving forward a bit earlier."
The moment those words left his mouth, Mejiro Dober's speed suddenly increased by a notch. After turning onto the backstretch, she checked her stamina reserves and discovered an unexpected issue.
"When I was chasing alongside Teio, my physical consumption after 1,000 meters was much greater than it is now—"
She knitted her brows.
"Does this mean the opponents behind Kyoei March are intentionally controlling a slow pace?"
Realizing the abnormality, Mejiro Dober decided to accelerate slightly, intending to overtake Fumino Paradise and Air Wings to become the pace-chaser of the Late-surger group herself.
"I need to follow right behind the opponents in the Pace-chaser group to see if they are intentionally controlling the pace."
She had no desire to become a victim of a "pace trap."
Since they were still on the backstretch and the race was only halfway through, none of the other Uma Musumes in the Late-surger group chose to accelerate. Consequently, after pulling out into her acceleration path, Mejiro Dober easily overtook her immediate opponents and settled in behind Yamanin Xanadu.
After settling one length behind Yamanin Xanadu, Mejiro Dober regained control of her pace and began carefully observing the condition of the leading group.
"They don't seem to be deliberately controlling their pace—"
She couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Am I overthinking it? Then why did Kyoei March push the pace so hard, and the others still tried to follow, resulting in that kind of split for the first 1000 meters?"
Although confused, Mejiro Dober did not let it affect her rhythm. She continued maintaining her cruising state, but decided that after the race, she would ask her Trainer for his thoughts.
What she didn't know was that Shuta An, standing by the railing in the stands, had already seen through the situation.
"Before the race, I overestimated the other runners."
The young man spoke quietly to himself.
"It looks like, apart from Dober, none of them have the distance adaptability for 2400 meters."
Shuta An was certain of his conclusion.
Because at this point, with 1000 meters remaining, both Kyoei March and the Uma Musume in the leading group behind her were already showing signs of strain.
"Their stride frequency is becoming unstable. That's not what a runner with sufficient stamina should look like."
He continued observing.
"Meanwhile, Dober is still running steadily."
After noticing this clear contrast, Shuta An became even more confident in Mejiro Dober's chances of winning the Japanese Oaks.
"If I were riding on the track, I could even have her move into the leading group early, begin accelerating before entering the final straight, and leave everyone behind."
As this thought surfaced, the image that appeared in his mind was himself riding Mejiro Dober in the Dream World.
—
At the same time, as if sensing something, Mejiro Dober also noticed the condition of the leading group when she entered the final bend.
Through the track layout, she could clearly see that both Kyoei March and the other runners ahead were already showing signs of fatigue.
She gritted her teeth slightly and adjusted her stride frequency.
"If I feel this way—then I'll accelerate early."
One or two runners losing pace might be a trap. But when every runner ahead showed similar signs—
Mejiro Dober trusted her judgment.
While adjusting her stride in preparation for acceleration, she also moved outward to create space, avoiding being blocked after making her move.
These actions were already instinctive to her after many races.
She didn't need to think about them.
Her body responded naturally.
"I still have plenty of stamina left."
She reassessed her condition once more. Even if she accelerated now— she would still have enough to sprint all the way to the finish.
"It feels like I don't even need to pursue that 'state' from the final stage of the Oka Sho to defeat all my opponents."
She lowered her center of gravity.
"Have I really become stronger over this past month?"
No. In the next moment, Mejiro Dober rejected her own thought.
"Everyone is getting stronger. It can't be because of that."
That left only one answer in her mind—her distance adaptability.
"It's because of my background, isn't it?"
She understood it clearly. No matter what, the Mejiro Family's "stamina" was already the most famous in Japan.
"I have to make good use of this advantage."
With that thought, Mejiro Dober gradually adjusted her position, preparing to move forward, catch up to the leading group, and then surpass them all.
In the latter half of the final bend, she suddenly felt something.
"This is the perfect place to accelerate."
Although Shuta Trainer had instructed her to accelerate in the final straight, Mejiro Dober had a strong premonition that if she accelerated now, she could achieve an unimaginable result.
For a brief moment, she hesitated between her own instincts and her Trainer's instructions. Then she remembered something Oguri Cap-senpai had once told her.
Trainer would carefully lay out every detail before the race. But at the most critical moment—the final decision belonged to the Uma Musume herself. No matter the outcome, he would never blame her.
"So this is the moment? To prove whether I can catch up to Oguri-senpai experience?"
That thought flashed through Mejiro Dober's mind, and the next instant—
She made her choice.
"I know my talent isn't as good as Oguri-senpai's, or Teio's."
"But even so—"
"I still want to become someone like Oguri-senpai. Someone whose name can be engraved in the history even Hall of Fame of the Twinkle Series."
The hesitation in her heart disappeared completely.
In the next moment, Mejiro Dober's aura exploded, her speed surged, and she swept through the leading group with overwhelming force.
Even Kyoei March, who was struggling at the front, was overtaken by Mejiro Dober before they even entered the final straight.
"…Damn it…"
Kyoei March clenched her teeth, staring at Mejiro Dober's back as it pulled away.
"She overtook me before 1800 meters… Is this really my limit against her…?"
Her thoughts were filled with unwillingness.
When Mejiro Dober passed the 400-meter mark, no one in the stands could remain seated.
Nishizaki Ryu stood up.
The commentator's voice rose sharply.
The audience erupted.
The entire Tokyo Racecourse seemed to shake under the roar of the crowd, as if the world itself had fallen into frenzy.
Shuta An stood by the railing, feeling the noise crash over him like a storm.
But instead of being overwhelmed, he felt even more excited than anyone else in the stands.
Because right now—
At the center of everything—
Mejiro Dober had already opened a gap of six lengths over Kyoei March.
"Go, Dober!"
Shuta An shouted her name along with the crowd.
At this moment, Mejiro Dober could no longer hear anything.
Not the cheers.
Not the commentator.
Not the world.
She could only hear her own breathing, her heartbeat, and her footsteps. It was as if the entire world contained only herself.
"Unbelievable! Mejiro Dober has completely shaken off all her opponents!"
The commentator shouted at full volume.
"This is insane! She's still widening the gap! There are still 100 meters to the finish line! No one can catch her! No one can catch Mejiro Dober! On the 2400-meter turf at Tokyo Racecourse—"
"She has delivered the most outrageous performance in the history of the Twinkle Series!"
"Is this really the stage of the Triple Tiara?!"
Nishizaki Ryu's eyes widened as he watched.
In his mind, he compared Special Week from last year with Mejiro Dober at this moment.
And he had to admit—Mejiro Dober's performance was stronger. Significantly stronger.
"How exactly did Shuta-kun train her…"
He muttered unconsciously. The microphone caught every word.
When Mejiro Dober was only 50 meters from the finish line, the commentator adjusted his tone and shouted:
"Just one week before Mejiro Ryan challenges the Japanese Derby—Mejiro Dober, from the same prestigious Mejiro Family, has secured an undefeated Double Crown at Tokyo Racecourse!"
"She has claimed the throne of the Oka Queen—and refuses to yield the crown of the Oaks Queen! Congratulations! Mejiro Dober!"
"The second Double Crown winner after Mejiro Ramonu! Fly toward the unprecedented undefeated Triple Tiara! Today—Japan offers you its loudest applause!"
As the prepared commentary echoed through the racecourse, the Uma Musume left far behind could only lower their heads.
"Was my decision wrong…"
Kyoei March's Trainer stood motionless by the window, murmuring to herself.
"Where exactly is Kyoei March's path?"
And she was not alone.
At this moment, every Trainer of the same generation's Triple Tiara contenders was asking the same question—
With such a dominant existence in the same generation, what path was left for everyone else?
(I think this was true, if we talk about Dober's generation in 1997 limited to Tiara route. The one who worth noting was only Kyoei March, the real winner in Oka Sho 1997. Unfortunately for Dober though, her path also limited to mare only race; since the stallion path was dominated by Fukukitaru, Suzuka, Bright, and Sunny Brian and then following generation of Special Week and others.)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested for some advanced chapters, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens