Maruzensky's teasing was getting more outrageous by the second, but that was just how she was. She loved teasing trainers, especially the newer ones who'd actually react.
Hayato had learned not to take it seriously.
Hayato turned his attention back to the race. While they'd been talking, Silence Suzuka had already burst out of the corner, her form flowing through the corner like water finding its path.
Silence Suzuka had picked up a corner recovery skill recently, something that should've helped her maintain stamina through the turns. The problem was that actually using it required conscious thought and focus, which would immediately yank her out of the Silent Domain state she ran in. She hated thinking while running. Found it annoying, distracting. So the skill barely activated, sitting there unused more often than not.
That's why Hayato had focused on giving her speed-boosting skills instead. Recovery skills would have to be situational at best, and that's why she'd probably never be able to handle truly long distances.
"Silence SUZUKA'S THROUGH THE CORNER! She makes it look effortless while everyone else is FIGHTING for every meter! Can anyone close this gap?!"
The pack behind her was giving everything they had. Someone could see it in their faces, the strain in every stride as they pushed through the turn. Teeth clenched, breathing ragged, legs burning. They wanted to close that gap so badly it hurt.
But their stamina was draining faster than they'd expected. The wet track demanded more from every step, and trying to match Suzuka's pace was bleeding them dry.
Coming out of the corner, Suzuka glanced back over her shoulder. Her ears were covered by earmuffs, cutting out the announcer's voice and the crowd's roar completely. She existed in her own world of silence and rhythm.
Where are they?
She hadn't realized just how far ahead she'd pulled. It wasn't until she fully cleared the corner and entered the straight that she finally spotted the pack emerging from the turn, still way back there.
"Silence Suzuka, what the hell are you..." Biwa Heidi's voice came out between gasps. She was regretting everything about her early race strategy. Fighting for the lead position with Suzuka at the start had left her running on fumes, her stamina almost completely gone.
The final straight opened up ahead. Every uma musume launched into their sprint without hesitation, not even thinking about winning anymore. They just didn't want to lose by too much, didn't want to get lapped by that ridiculous margin.
Fight Gulliver had the power stats to thrive in these soft conditions. She'd been holding second, and the moment they hit the straight, she launched first. Her speed suddenly jumped, surpassing even Suzuka's current pace as she started closing the gap.
Behind her, Biwa Heidi struggled to keep up, her breathing already labored and uneven.
The gap that had been over ten lengths started shrinking. Nine lengths. Eight.
"Suzuka..." Biwa Heidi broke away from Fight Gulliver's slipstream and launched her own attack, overtaking her with a desperate burst of speed. Fight Gulliver immediately responded, accelerating past her again.
Their speeds kept climbing, both of them risking complete burnout. Their strides were getting ragged, balance wavering, bodies pushed right to the edge.
"AND HERE COMES THE CHARGE! Fight Gulliver and Biwa Heidi are FLYING down the stretch! They're chasing into Suzuka's lead, ten lengths, nine, EIGHT! This is insane!"
Up ahead, Suzuka was still running comfortably, her breathing steady. Behind her, the race had turned into chaos, a desperate, all-out war for second place. Vega was fighting to hold onto third, her own stamina reserves running dangerously low as she tried to fend off challenges from the pack still surging behind.
Then something changed in the middle of the pack, it was Fight Gulliver's Uma Musume eyes.
Her pupils dilated. The world around her sharpened into razor-sharp clarity, every sound crystallized, every movement slowed into perfect detail. The roaring crowd faded to nothing. The other uma musume disappeared. There was only one thing left in her vision: that black silhouette running ahead.
Target acquired!
Heat surged through her veins, setting every nerve alight. Her breathing deepened and steadied, settling into a predatory rhythm as Late Surger.
'Japanese Ace?' The thought ripped through her mind like a snarl.
'Greatest Escaper of this generation?'
'FUCK THAT! I don't care about your titles!'
'I don't care about your records!'
'THIS RACE, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW—IT'S MINE!'
Her body moved before her mind could catch up. Muscles coiled and struck with ruthless precision, senses sharpening until the world narrowed to the scent, the sound, the pulse of the hunt. Thought evaporated.
There was only one goal for her, and it was to be in first place!
'Every glory! Every headline! Every single person is watching this race! They'll all remember MY name when I tear you down!'
Golden light detonated around her frame as the Shifting Gear skill ignited. Her blonde hair blazed in the sun like a war banner. Power, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, flooded through her body, drowning out pain, exhaustion, every limit she thought she had.
'I'm not a legend! I can't create an era! I'm not the Grey Monster who ruled for years. I'm not the Emperor who rewrote history like Symboli Rudolf. This might be my only shot at greatness, my one chance to be remembered. But you know what? I DON'T NEED A WHOLE ERA! Just for this sakura crown title! Just THIS MOMENT! And I'll burn everything I have, EVERYTHING I AM—to take it from you!'
'Even if my legs shatter! Even if my body breaks into pieces! EVEN IF I CAN'T RACE AGAIN AFTER THIS RACE—I'LL STEAL THIS SAKURA CROWN FOR MYSELF!'
Fight Gulliver hit the uphill slope like a cannonball, her speed increasing where gravity should slow her down. The stamina she'd hoarded, that precious reserve saved for exactly this moment, all ignited at once in a blaze of desperate fury.
Three lengths behind Biwa Heidi. Then two. Then she surged past her.
"FIGHT GULLIVER is unstoppable! That burst of speed, she's already catching up to Biwa Heidi! And she's coming for Silence Suzuka!!!"
"Did Fight Gulliver manage to catch up to Silence Suzuka at that distance?!"
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The illustration is in the comments.