Wait, was that the trainer's voice just now?
King Halo's ears twitched. She could've sworn she heard Hayato's voice cutting through the ambient noise of the track. How the hell did he end up in the commentator booth?
A smile tugged at her lips. Oh-ho-ho-ho... as you wish, trainer. Let me show everyone what a true first-class uma musume looks like.
Her body lit up with golden light as two skills fired in rapid succession. Prudent Positioning activated! Straight Acceleration activated!
The surge of power hit immediately. King Halo's speed jumped, her hooves barely seeming to touch the ground as she moved with steps so nimble and precise they looked choreographed. Like a serpent weaving through grass, she slipped between two uma musume and seized a forward position in an instant.
"KING HALO'S MAKING HER MOVE! Look at that footwork! She's adjusting position, is this it?! Is she going for the great escape as we saw in her previous races?!"
The crowd erupted, voices rising in anticipation. Everyone who didn't know the real plan thought this was the moment King Halo broke to the front to dominate as she'd done before.
"Here it comes?" Biwa Hayahide felt the movement behind her, those agile steps leaving her genuinely impressed. The precision of that weaving, the control, yeah, King Halo would break through successfully with a technique like that.
"Perfect position! King Halo should be able to take the lead smoothly from here..."
Even more flexible than Tickezo in the middle of the pack? How is she doing that? Isn't she supposed to be a Front Runner?
But at this time, King Halo's acceleration stopped.
Just like that. She'd passed two uma musume and settled into fifth place, right behind Winning Ticket, and then... nothing.
That's it?
The entire venue went dead silent for three full seconds. The great escape everyone expected, the signature King Halo move didn't come.
She stopped? Was she blocked? Did she miss her timing?
Confused murmurs rippled through the stands, people turning to each other with bewildered expressions.
"The early stage is wrapping up now. We're... predicting King Halo might attempt her great escape in the middle stage instead?"
The commentator's voice had lost its earlier confidence, the statement coming out more like a question.
What are they all talking about? King Halo thought with barely concealed amusement. You'll never figure out my trainer's tactics. Oh-ho-ho-ho...
From her body, a faint gray-white aura began emanating, barely visible in the afternoon light. Her eyes sharpened, pupils contracting as her focus narrowed to a laser point on the track ahead.
Calm+Focus= Concentration.
When King Halo got serious, it was a different game entirely. Her ultimate skill either didn't activate at all, or when it did, it could match most Uma Musume out there. And hers came with a domain effect that changed everything around her.
"She seems to have missed her opportunity there, but that's alright. If she can break to the outside, there should still be a chance for—"
The commentator's voice grew weaker with each failed prediction, uncertainty bleeding into every word.
King Halo kept "missing" opportunities to take the lead, and the confusion in the stands was palpable. What is she doing? Why isn't she running like before?
Some of the more experienced trainers were starting to notice something, though. Tōjō Hana leaned forward in her seat, eyes narrowed. "Can't you all see it? From the moment those gates opened, she's been running in stamina-conserving mode. It's not that she can't take the lead, she's changed her entire running style."
She'd always believed King Halo wasn't suited for front-runner tactics anyway. After that simulation race, she hadn't seen King Halo use that late-acceleration style again. This development was still within her expectations as a first-class trainer, but seeing it confirmed was something else.
"Yeah, exactly." Air Groove was analyzing it too, her voice thoughtful. "She never intended to burn stamina from the start. This isn't about whether she'll escape or not, this was planned from the beginning. If that's the case..." Her eyes widened slightly. "King Halo's final burst is going to be terrifying."
Narita Brian's mouth opened, then closed without saying anything. She knew. Everything King Halo was doing might be aimed straight at her older sister.
Down on the track, Biwa Hayahide had figured it out too. The realization hit her like cold water. King Halo wouldn't attempt a front-runner strategy at all.
From the speed she'd shown during that position fight earlier, Hayahide could tell, King Halo was running as a Late-Surger now. And if she were this controlled, this patient, her closing kick might be even stronger than expected. This was way beyond anything she'd prepared for.
Are you kidding me? She'd been racing with a style she wasn't even good at before?
Only showing her true potential now?
Not getting accurate information on King Halo's actual running style meant her self-proclaimed "victory equation" had just gained unexpected variables. In any equation, each new variable exponentially increased the difficulty of solving it.
This unexpected variable made her equation completely unsolvable.
After analyzing it calmly, Hayahide reached a simple conclusion: her chances of beating King Halo had just dropped below 50%.
Think about it, King Halo using a running style she wasn't suited for was already strong enough to win G2 and G3 races. What happens when she's running her actual specialty?
Even so... I won't lose.
Biwa Hayahide pushed the equation aside. The most important thing right now was winning this race, period. Numbers and calculations could go to hell.
"THE PACK'S ENTERED THE MIDDLE STAGE CORNERS! But King Halo's great escape still hasn't come! Could it be—, King Halo really not using her signature strategy?!"
Up in the booth, Hayato's eye twitched. "Stop predicting already," he muttered, loud enough for the mic to catch. "King Halo won't do a great escape. I said a long time ago, I didn't train my uma musume to only run one way. Yeah, I had her run Great Escape to win races in G2 and G3. You know why? Because that's what worked for those races. What's the point of sticking to one strategy if it won't get you win the race?"
The frustration in his voice was clear. Even an idiot should've figured it out by now.
Hosoe Junko turned to him with a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. She waved at the empty seat beside her. "Trainer Hayato, come here. I think this position suits you way better than standing back there."
She stood up and vacated her seat without another word.
Hayato sat down without ceremony and picked up the microphone. This position was definitely better for watching the race, he had to admit.
Getting inexplicably dragged here and tied up in commentary duty, he hadn't expected to actually end up doing this job.
Unlike the announcer who just reported positions and times, commentators needed to provide insight, analysis, and some actual skill to do the job properly. Hosoe Junko rarely spoke much in her role, only occasionally dropping comments that seemed insightful.
Today she'd thought the protagonist would still be King Halo running her great escape, had spent the whole night writing material for that exact scenario. All that preparation was completely wasted. She could smile for the cameras while secretly cursing Hayato in her heart.
"Seems Hosoe-san's headache has flared up again, haha." Hayato's voice came through smooth and natural. "So I'll take over the commentary from here."
Hayato leaned forward, eyes tracking the pack as they rounded the turn.
"The uma musume have passed the first and second corners one after another. The race has reached the middle stage, and—oh! Winning Ticket is surging forward now! Her eyes are locked on Biwa Hayahide. She's preparing to compete for the front positions!"
Hayato fell into the rhythm easily, mimicking the style he'd heard a thousand times before.
"Winning Ticket's raised her speed another notch! She's closing in on Biwa Hayahide fast—wait, in this race, has she planned to adopt a Pace-Chaser style? She's never used that before!"
Down on the track, Winning Ticket's thoughts raced almost as fast as her hooves. Does Taishin want to copy her running style again, like in the Yayoi Sho? I didn't think Hayahide would rush to the front so easily.
She couldn't run like she had before. Not with Biwa Hayahide right there in the pack ahead of her. Winning Ticket had always looked up to Hayahide's abilities and respected her strength. She knew it'd be tough to beat her using the old approach, worried that her late acceleration wouldn't be enough against Biwa Hayahide.
So she'd changed strategies completely. Adapt or lose.
With King Halo failing to pull off a frontrunner move, she'd been thrown to the back of everyone's minds. Several other uma musume shared this exact line of thinking, their focus shifting away from her entirely.
They all figured King Halo had been blocked, had missed the best timing for a front-running escape.
King Halo without a frontrunner position? No longer a concern.
Up in the booth, Hayato sat back slightly, allowing himself a small smile. Watching the race from up here was honestly fantastic. Unlike down below, where you'd miss so many details, couldn't catch the subtle movements and positioning battles at all.
With King Halo out of the spotlight, their focus is no longer on her. Everything's going according to plan.
What needs to be watched now is how powerful the Zone owned by first-rate uma musume like BNW really is...
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Btw, the illustration will be on the comment.