The roar that greeted them was deafening. Silence Suzuka took her position center stage, Fight Gulliver and Air Groove flanking her.
The opening notes of GIRLS' LEGEND U began.
That iconic intro washed over the stadium, and the crowd recognized it instantly. The cheering somehow got even louder.
They started with the opening choreography. Arms sweeping in graceful arcs, bodies swaying to the rhythm. Simple movements that let them warm up, nothing too complicated yet. Just three Uma Musume moving in sync, letting the music build.
Then they sang together, voices harmonizing:
"Don't stop! No, don't stop 'til finish!!"
Behind them, the massive screen flickered to life. Race footage filled the display. All three of them are charging toward the finish line from different angles. Silence Suzuka's lead. Air Groove and Fight Gulliver locked together in their desperate battle for second. None of them is holding anything back.
The crowd went wild seeing it again.
The choreography flowed into the next formation. They spread out across the stage in a triangular formation, each taking their section while maintaining visual harmony. Steps perfectly timed, arm movements synchronized.
"Taka tatta zenryoku hashiritai!"
Want to run with all my might!
All three of them poured everything into that line. The screen showed the backstretch, Silence Suzuka impossibly far ahead, the gap looking insurmountable. Ten, twelve, fifteen lengths of daylight between the first and the rest of the field.
Fight Gulliver took center stage for her solo section. The other two stepped back, giving her the spotlight. Her voice rang out, powerful despite the exhaustion weighing on her:
"Yuzurenai yume no tochuu!"
In the middle of a dream, I can't give up!
The choreography had her reaching forward with both arms, then pulling them back to her chest. A gesture of determination, of refusing to surrender. Simple but effective.
On the screen behind her, the replay showed her perspective. The view from the back of the pack at the second corner. Runner after runner ahead of her. Then her sudden acceleration. The camera had captured it perfectly, her expression sharpening, her stride lengthening, her body moving like a weapon. Passing three competitors. Five. Ten. Swallowing the field like a tidal wave.
The crowd roared. They remembered that moment. The commentator's shocked voice as Fight Gulliver went from nowhere to contention in a single devastating charge. Even if she'd finished third, that charge had been legendary.
Fight Gulliver stepped back, and Air Groove moved forward. The yellow lights intensified around her as she took her solo.
"Akogare no chi e!"
To the place I've yearned for!
Her choreography was more controlled. One hand over her heart, the other extended toward the sky. Every movement precise and graceful, befitting the Heisei Empress.
The screen shifted to show her move. That moment in the third corner when she'd activated her skill and broken from the mid-pack. The footage captured it in beautiful detail, her eyes sharpening as her vision-enhancing ability kicked in, seeing the gaps in the pack that others couldn't. Her sudden burst of speed. The gap to Silence Suzuka closed from fifteen lengths to fourteen, thirteen, and twelve.
Then the final stretch. The replay showed her holding off on Fight Gulliver's desperate challenge. Matching the younger competitor stride for stride. The photo finish that had separated them by fractions of a second, with Air Groove edging ahead to secure second place.
Air Groove's voice carried authority even while singing. Every note is controlled and placed. Second place, and she'd earned it.
Air Groove stepped back, and Silence Suzuka took center stage. Green lights washed over her as the spotlight found her.
"Ano hi kimi ni kanjita nanika wo shinjite!"
Believing in something I felt from you that day!
Her choreography was simpler than the others. Hands clasped in front of her chest, then slowly raised them up as if offering something to the sky. Gentle. Sincere.
The screen showed the moment her skill had evolved. The race camera had somehow captured it. That instant when fatigue had been crushing her, when Air Groove's imperial authority had been pressing down like a physical weight, when doubt had started creeping in.
Then the change. Her expression shifted from strained to determined. Her stride steadied. Power flooding back. The gap that had been shrinking to eight, seven, six lengths suddenly held steady, then grew again. Nine lengths. Ten.
Silence Suzuka's voice was quieter than the others, but it carried across the stadium. Soft but unwavering.
The three of them came back together, forming a line across the stage. The choreography shifted into more dynamic movements now. Synchronized steps, spins, and arm movements that required perfect timing.
"Kimi to hashiri kisoi gooru mezashi!"
Running and competing with you, aiming for the goal!
On the screen, the race footage showed all three converging on the final corner. Silence Suzuka ahead but being chased. Air Groove and Fight Gulliver locked in their own desperate battle for second, matching each other stride for stride. The camera angle switched rapidly, Silence Suzuka glancing back, Air Groove's determined expression, Fight Gulliver's fierce focus trying to find one more gear.
The harmony was perfect. Silence Suzuka's clear tone, Air Groove's rich alto, Fight Gulliver's powerful belt. Three completely different voices creating something greater than any of them alone.
The crowd was loud. Light sticks waved frantically. People were jumping, screaming, and crying.
The tempo picked up. They moved into the final chorus with renewed energy. The choreography became more intense, sharper movements, bigger gestures, and more dynamic formations.
"Haru mo natsu mo aki mo fuyu mo!"
Through spring, summer, fall, and winter!
The screen showed the home stretch. Three hundred meters to go. The replay had been edited to show multiple angles at once, a split screen of all three perspectives. Silence Suzuka fighting to maintain her lead. Air Groove's skill activating, imperial authority radiating as she tried to force Silence Suzuka to slow while simultaneously holding off Fight Gulliver. Fight Gulliver's predatory focus locked on both of them, trying desperately to catch Air Groove.
"Koe negai kogare hashire!"
Overcome, wish, yearn, and run!
Two hundred meters. The gap to Silence Suzuka is holding steady at seven, eight lengths. But behind her, Air Groove and Fight Gulliver remained inseparable. The footage captured it in slow motion, two Uma Musume burning so bright, pushing each other to the absolute limit.
Some fans in the crowd were sobbing. They'd witnessed it live, but seeing it again with this music, with all three performers right there in front of them, it hit different.
"Don't stop! No, don't stop 'til finish!!"
All three voices are building to a crescendo. The choreography had them moving in perfect sync, arms raised high, bodies angled forward like they were still running toward that finish line.
On the screen, the final meters played out. Silence Suzuka crossing first, seven lengths ahead. Air Groove and Fight Gulliver were so close together that the photo finish initially couldn't separate them. The replay showed it from every angle, ground level, aerial view, and head-on. Then the final image: the photo finish frozen on screen, Air Groove ahead by the smallest margin, all three of them captured mid-stride.
The music hit its peak. They struck the final pose together. Silence Suzuka center with both arms raised high. Fight Gulliver and Air Groove on either side, mirroring her pose, all three reaching for the sky.
The screen behind them displayed the podium shot. First, second, third. But also the finish times, separated by fractions of a second. A visual reminder of how close this battle had been.
Then the music ended.
The stadium erupted.
The roar was loud. People were on their feet, screaming, crying, waving light sticks.
Silence Suzuka broke the pose first, breathing hard. The performance combined with the race had taken everything out of her. Her legs shook.
Air Groove was noticed immediately. Her hand found Silence Suzuka's shoulder, steadying her. Fight Gulliver did the same from the other side.
The camera caught the moment. Three rivals supporting each other.
Silence Suzuka looked at Air Groove. The older Uma Musume looked back. Pride and relief in her eyes.
"Next time," Fight Gulliver said, loud enough for both of them to hear over the crowd, voice rough with emotion, "I'm taking the lead. At a minimum is the second place."
"You're welcome to try," Air Groove replied. There was no heat in it. Just acknowledgment and respect.
Silence Suzuka smiled.
Because there would be a next time.
They stepped forward together and bowed to the crowd. The cheering was deafening.
Confetti started falling. Green, yellow, and gold mix together.
The screen behind them switched to a montage of the race's best moments. The start. The backstretch with Silence Suzuka's massive lead. Air Groove's charge. Fight Gulliver's hunt. The converging final turn. The photo finish shows Air Groove edging Fight Gulliver by the smallest margin. Then it faded to show all three of them now, on stage, supporting each other.
The crowd started a new chant. Not individual names. Just three words, over and over:
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
Silence Suzuka felt gratitude. She'd given them a race worth remembering.
In the VIP section, Hayato was being congratulated from all sides.
"She really did it," Maruzensky said beside him. "Made that impossible running style work against the absolute best."
"She did," Hayato agreed.
On stage, the three Uma Musume waved one final time.
Then the lights began to dim. The music faded. They walked off stage together, still supporting each other, still rivals, still friends in the way only competitors who'd pushed each other to greatness could be.
The last thing the cameras caught before they disappeared backstage was all three of them laughing. Exhausted, emotional, riding the high of a performance that matched the intensity of the race itself.
The winning live was over. But the legend of this race was just beginning.