"Mejiro McQueen, your speed has suddenly slowed down! Did you really run too fast at the beginning?"
Suddenly, Sakura Bakushin O, the commentator, shouted in utter shock.
Immediately, gasps of surprise echoed through the arena from many Tracen Academy Umamusume members.
This was the first time in a long time that they had seen Mejiro McQueen lose her pace and slow down.
"Was it because she ran too fast at the beginning?"
"For Mejiro McQueen, who excels in long-distance races, suddenly switching to a 2000-meter race will definitely affect her stamina distribution!"
"Flying Rabbit is finally closing the gap with Mejiro McQueen."
"Mejiro McQueen, only 200 meters left!"
At this moment, Mejiro McQueen in the arena was panting heavily, her eyes even becoming unfocused, and her brain was already in a state of oxygen deprivation.
After the frenzied leading, the dopamine released from the exercise definitely improved Mejiro McQueen's mood considerably.
However, the price she paid was that she lost momentum in the final stages of the race due to exhaustion.
Listening to Sakura Bakushin O's commentary and hearing faint footsteps behind her, Mejiro McQueen desperately tried to maintain her pace.
Finally, she reached the worried-looking Kitasan Black and handed her sash to her at the finish line.
"Go for it, Kita-chan!"
Mejiro McQueen spoke, and then watched as Kitasan Black sprinted off.
"Mejiro McQueen has completed the first baton exchange. She had built a significant lead, but lost momentum and was caught up considerably."
"Even so, Mejiro McQueen still holds a large advantage."
"Kitasan Black is a recent Umamusume; I have to admire her courage to take on challenges!"
"Flying Rabbit has also exchanged batons! Lily is chasing Kitasan Black!"
Mejiro McQueen stood there catching her breath for a while, finally feeling a bit of her resentment dissipate.
She glanced at Kitasan Black sprinting desperately in the arena, then turned to look at the stands, where she saw Sakura Baimu smiling and waving at her, as if urging her to come back quickly.
"Hmph."
Mejiro McQueen snorted, deciding to cheer for Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond from the sidelines.
--
Kitasan Black was now even faster than during her debut race.
But even so, Lily was rapidly closing the gap behind her.
"Wow, that's impressive!"
Kitasan Black accelerated desperately, trying to prolong the time before she was overtaken.
"Kitasan Black has already passed the second corner, and Lily is catching up right away! She still has about a seven-length advantage."
"Kitasan Black's speed is already quite good, but she still has a considerable gap compared to the veteran Umamusume."
"Oh, Kitasan Black slowed down slightly on the steep climb!"
Because her body hadn't undergone much training, Kitasan Black hadn't yet mastered the climbing techniques of Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen.
Sakura Baimu taught her and Satono Diamond a running style that minimized cardiac stress.
The main purpose was to prevent heart damage on steep slopes.
"Different, definitely different." Miracle Fantasy, responsible for the fourth leg exchange, observed Kitasan Black's climbing technique and confirmed that the Umamusume's approach differed from Mejiro McQueen's.
"Kitasan Black has entered the third turn, and Lily is getting closer!"
"She has overtaken! Lily has overtaken Kitasan Black!"
"Lily continues to accelerate! She has reached the slope before the finish line first and handed the relay to the single-player."
"Kitasan Black has finally exchanged with Satono Diamond, who is about seven lengths ahead!"
After receiving the relay strap, Satono Diamond quickly put it on and resolutely ran forward.
--
Meanwhile, Maruzensky approached Symboli Rudolf again.
"Oh dear, Air Groove, what's wrong? You look terrible. Shouldn't you go and rest?" Maruzensky asked with concern.
"No, it's nothing," Air Groove quickly replied.
"Eh? Air Groove, are you feeling unwell?" Symboli Rudolf turned around as well.
"No!!" Air Groove quickly perked up when she saw Symboli Rudolf looking at her.
Although she was often annoyed by Symboli Rudolf's lame jokes, she couldn't let the president find out.
"That's good." Symboli Rudolf smiled slightly and then looked at Maruzensky.
"Maruzensky, you're here."
"Yes." Maruzensky walked to Symboli Rudolf's side and whispered in her ear.
"Did you get the answer?"
"Ms. Sakura rejected me. Ms. Ogura has a special reason why she can't join our academy; it's a problem that even the chairman of the board can't solve. So now Ms. Ogura can only do something like logistics work at the school."
"Even the chairman of the board couldn't solve it?!"
Maruzensky was surprised; she knew what kind of status Akikawa Yayoi held in the Japanese uma racing world.
"Could she have offended someone? But if she has connections with the chairman, she shouldn't be afraid to go for a run." Maruzensky wondered. "Could she have broken the law?"
"I don't know. Ms. Sakura is very tight-lipped and won't reveal the reason at all."
"But surely she wouldn't hide her identity? How could someone with her skill remain unknown? I checked, and there's no record of this 'Okura' in any competitions," Maruzensky said, puzzled.
"Rudolf, look, Ogura was willing to step in and hit Golden Crown Eagle because an Umamusume from Tracen Academy was hurt. And she even held back, not turning Golden Crown Eagle into something like Rice Shower. That means she's probably a pretty kind-hearted Pony-chan."
"So it's unlikely she broke the law," Symboli Rudolf said. "I'm going to the hospital tonight to see Golden Crown Eagle. Want to come?"
"Oh right, her too! Okay, Rudolf, I'll go with you. Let's go early and come back early; we can't miss Ogura's training session tonight."
Maruzensky stroked her cheek, her blue eyes filled with curiosity.
"Aren't we scaring her so much that she'll never come to training again?" Symboli Rudolf sighed. "She seems quite shy."
"I don't think so," Maruzensky shook her head. "Since she gave us a name we can't find and didn't dare let us see her face, it's very likely that the identity of that 'Ogura' is completely fake."
"I'm getting more and more curious about that little Umamusume," Maruzensky chuckled.