Biwa Heidi barely had time to respond before Fight Gulliver was already meters ahead and pulling away. "What the hell was that?!"
Up ahead, Fight Gulliver's Zone-sharpened vision locked onto every microscopic detail. The way Suzuka's hair shifted in the wind. The exact rhythm of her breathing was steady, controlled, and infuriatingly calm. The slight angle of her ears beneath those earmuffs.
Seven lengths. Six. Five and a half.
I CAN SEE YOU! Every movement! Every breath! You're RIGHT THERE, Silence Suzuka!
The world had narrowed to a single burning point: Suzuka's back. Getting closer. Closer. Her predator instincts screamed that the kill was within reach.
COME ON! COME ON! JUST A LITTLE MORE! I'LL RIP THAT CROWN FROM YOUR HANDS!
But at this time, Silence Suzuka glanced back.
For one crystalline instant, their eyes locked.
And Suzuka's expression, it wasn't fear. Wasn't even surprised.
Is something chasing me?
This aura is like Oguri-senpai...
No... Although this pressure makes me feel threatened, it's not as terrifying as Oguri-senpai.
The thought drifted through Suzuka's mind, cold and sharp. She could feel it, that predatory intent on her back like physical pressure. The sensation crawled up her spine, primal and unmistakable.
If I didn't often practice matches with Oguri-senpai, maybe pressure like this would make me lose sight of the beautiful view in front of me...
Her eyes narrowed slightly, the only outward sign of her reaction. But inside, something shifted. Something fundamental.
You think you can hunt me? You think I'm prey?
The audacity of it almost made her laugh.
'The view ahead is mine, and I'll never let anyone take it!!'
Brilliant golden light exploded around Suzuka's form, so intense it seemed to bleach the color from everything around her. The power that surged through her body was absolutely overwhelming, crushing, and inevitable.
The View from the Lead Is Mine!
Silence Suzuka's right leg pistoned into the wet turf with enough force to spray dirt three meters high.
BOOM!
The sound cracked across the track like a gunshot.
Unlike Narita Brian's explosive finish, Suzuka's acceleration built like an avalanche, gaining mass first pulling away, then surging forward with speed that defied physics. By the time Fight Gulliver's brain processed what was happening, Silence Suzuka was already gone.
Six lengths became seven. Eight. Nine. TEN.
NO! NONONO—WAIT!
Fight Gulliver's Zone-enhanced perception captured it all in horrifying detail. Every microsecond of Suzuka pulling away played out in crystal clarity. Her predator focus, that absolute certainty she could catch her prey, shattered like glass against the reality of what Suzuka actually was.
DON'T YOU DARE! I GAVE EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING JUST FOR THIS RACE!!!
Fight Gulliver's legs screamed. Her lungs felt like they were tearing apart. The absolute edge of physical breakdown was right there, one more stride from total collapse. She could feel her body starting to come apart at the seams.
She pushed anyway. Threw every last fragment of strength into the chase, burned through willpower itself trying to close that gap.
NOT ENOUGH! MORE! I NEED MORE!
But there was nothing left to give. Her body had hit the wall and smashed through it, and now she was running on something beyond stamina, beyond guts, running on pure refusal to accept reality.
The gap kept growing.
"SUZUKA FIRES BACK! OH MY, LOOK AT THAT EXPLOSION OF SPEED! FIGHT GULLIVER GAVE IT EVERYTHING, BUT SILENCE SUZUKA IS PULLING AHEAD WITH ABSOLUTE SPEED! ELEVEN LENGTHS! TWELVE! FIGHT GULLIVER IS STILL STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP, BUT SUZUKA IS LEAVING HER FAR BEHIND!"
Suzuka crested the slope, the finish line fifty meters ahead. Behind her, Fight Gulliver finally hit the top with Biwa Heidi right behind, both of them pushing past Uma Musume's limits for scraps of glory.
Eleven lengths. Over twenty-six meters of empty track between first and second place.
Suzuka was already halfway to the finish when Fight Gulliver reached the crest.
The finish line approached. Thirty meters. Twenty meters. Ten meters.
"HERE IT COMES! SILENCE SUZUKA—NEW COURSE RECORD—THIS YEAR'S OKA SHO CHAMPION IS—!"
"SILENCE SUZUUUUUKA!"
The crowd's roar hit like a physical wall of sound, thousands of voices merging into one massive wave of noise that shook the entire venue. The stands erupted, people on their feet, screaming themselves hoarse.
"SUZUKAAA!!!"
Suzuka slowed gradually, her breathing still controlled despite the sweat now coating her skin. She wiped her forehead with one hand, then looked back at the finish line.
Fight Gulliver crossed second, then immediately collapsed to her hands and knees, body shaking violently. Every muscle was screaming. Her lungs burned like she'd inhaled fire. The Zone had faded, leaving her feeling like a puppet with cut strings.
Biwa Heidi crossed third, then bent over with her hands on her knees, gasping for air.
Suzuka stood in the middle of the track, her uniform streaked with mud. She lifted her gaze to the dark clouds rolling across the midday sky, eyes sharp and unyielding, as if daring the storm itself.
"I managed to meet everyone's expectations."
First G1 of the year! New course record! This would dominate every sports page tomorrow!
Fight Gulliver forced herself back onto her feet, legs still trembling as she crossed the last few steps toward Suzuka. Every breath scraped her lungs raw, chest rising and falling too fast, too hard.
When she stopped in front of Silence Suzuka, mud streaked her uniform, and sweat clung to her skin, her mouth tugged upward on instinct.
Just for a second.
Her lips pulled back, teeth showing as if she meant to laugh it off, as if she could pretend this didn't hurt. But the effort didn't last. The tension drained from her face almost immediately, the smile collapsing in on itself.
Her jaw clenched. Her mouth closed. What remained wasn't defeat, not quite, just exhaustion laid bare, and something heavy settling behind her eyes.
She swallowed, breath shuddering once, gaze still locked on Suzuka.
"Congratulations… Suzuka."
The words scraped their way out between breaths, uneven and hoarse. "That was… that was the most insane race I've ever run."
A sound slipped out of Fight Gulliver's throat. It might've been a laugh once, if she'd had any strength left to give it shape. It came out short, breathless, and never quite became a laugh at all.
"I burned everything out there." Fight Gulliver swallowed hard, her throat tightening.
"Everything I had. Everything I am."
She drew a shallow breath, then let it out slowly. "I pushed it all onto that track… just to get close some monster..."
Her mouth twitched, not quite a smile, not quite anything at all. The expression faded before it could settle, leaving only raw exhaustion behind.
The words should've tasted bitter. Losing after giving everything usually left her hollow, sick with the thought that it still hadn't been enough.
But this race was different.
Fight Gulliver knew it the moment the thought settled in her mind. This wasn't something she'd forget. This was the kind of race that stayed with her, etched into her muscle and memory for the rest of her life.
---
The illustration is in the comments.
Actually, if it weren't for Silence Suzuka being accustomed to the pressure of being chased by predators from behind because of the oguri cap aura, this race might have been a close difference. Besides, Fight Gulliver got 1 crown in the Triple Tiara Cup(Oka Sho G1). But unfortunately, her competition history does not appear on Wikipedia.
This is what you should do when writing fanfic: the fate of a character that is supposed to be their glory is taken by the writer's character. Even I feel hesitant when reading about her information haha, whatever, I hope u all enjoy it~