Obey Your Master watched as Mejiro Sakura crossed the finish line past Tamamo Cross on the screen, completely stunned and frozen in place.
Her mouth, eyes, and nostrils all gaped open in an "O" shape.
Her hands covered her mouth, refusing to come down.
Even after seeing the video with her own eyes, Obey Your Master still couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Both reason and emotion prevented her from accepting this fact.
That Tamamo Cross who had unlocked the Zone.
Before she and Oguri Cap appeared.
Known as the strongest Tamamo Cross.
It happened at the Spring Tenno Sho tournament that gave her the title "White Inazuma."
The tournament where she unlocked her Zone.
She was surpassed?!
Surpassed her.
And by someone who had only debuted a year prior.
Her first G1 tournament.
Not even having mastered her Zone yet.
A regular Umamusume?!
This is shocking.
Obey Your Master was utterly shocked!
Even when she learned that her friend's mother, by lineage was actually her friend's daughter, she wasn't this shocked.
First of all.
Tamamo Cross had always held one achievement:
That is, never being surpassed from behind.
Obey Your Master had always believed that she was the one who broke Tamamo Cross's record.
But today she learned the truth.
It turns out that Tamamo Cross had been surpassed from behind six months ago.
You see, a Umamusume who has activated a Zone, defeating another Zone without using the Zone is completely different from a Umamusume without a Zone defeating another Zone.
Just like the undefeated "Hotrod"—Maruzensky—never used a Zone, yet still defeated countless Umamusumes with Zones.
The enhancement a Zone provides to a Umamusume goes far beyond just the instantaneous increase in speed and momentum.
It can also help Umamusumes break through their power limitations, allowing them to continue improving.
Secondly.
Obey Your Master knows that in Umamusume racing history, the instances where ordinary Umamusumes who haven't yet mastered their Zones defeated Zone Umamusumes all happened in Japan.
The second instance was last spring at Tenno Sho, when Mejiro McQueen defeated Rice Shower.
But she never expected this.
This first instance occurred in a match during the Spring Tenno Sho tournament, featuring Mejiro Sakura, also from the Mejiro family, who earned the nickname "White Inazuma."
If Mejiro Sakura hadn't been disqualified for a diagonal movement, Tamamo Cross would have actually lost the match.
"This...how is this possible?!"
Obey Your Master suddenly roared at the top of her lungs.
The sound was so loud that the water glass on the table shook.
The strength of a Zone isn't the same for every Umamusume.
For example, Tokai Teio's roommate, Mayano Top Gun, also possesses a Zone.
However, she lost to Narita Brian, who had suffered injuries from overusing her Zone, resulting in all her matches being lost for a year.
In that Hanshin Grand Prix match, Narita Brian was clearly not yet at her peak, yet Mayano Top Gun, using her Zone, still couldn't defeat her.
Due to the varying strengths of Umamusumes, their power levels after unlocking their Zones also differed.
But Tamamo Cross was different.
Tamamo Cross was the strongest of her era.
At the time, Tamamo Cross participated in the Spring Tenno Sho with a terrifying five-game winning streak, including three consecutive big wins with heavy rewards.
Tamamo Cross, who broke through her Zone at the Spring Tenno Sho, made no secret of the fact that besides herself and Oguri Cap, since that Spring Tenno Sho, no Umamusume has surpassed Tamamo Cross's strength when she first unlocked her Zone.
But even with such a terrifying Zone, she still lost to Mejiro Sakura.
Obey Your Master thought that the first Umamusume whose Zone myth was shattered would be a rather weak one.
But unexpectedly, she turned out to be the strongest of that era.
The shock in Obey Your Master's eyes gradually faded.
Slowly...
The curve of her lips began to widen.
"Hahahaha, this is interesting! So interesting! Defeating the strongest Zone of our time, Umamusume, in just one year since her debut, hahahahahahaha!"
Obey Your Master began to burst into hysterical, maniacal laughter.
"Mejiro Sakura, Mejiro Sakura! I'll remember that! Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, they're all defeated opponents!"
"Mejiro Sakura, now that's someone worth challenging!"
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
Obey Your Master laughed maniacally, feeling a surge of joy she hadn't felt in a long time.
She was clearly the strongest Umamusume leading the Pluto Academy team this time.
Her record was just not impressive.
(5 wins out of 35)
Everyone thought she was weaker than Urban Sea and refused her challenge.
Obey Your Master no longer wanted to fight Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, or any other Umamusume.
Now, she only wanted to fight Mejiro Sakura.
"She'll accept it, she definitely will. Because she doesn't want her identity to be exposed, she'll definitely accept it!"
After a burst of maniacal laughter, Obey Your Master glanced at the darkening sky and immediately decided to stake out the Tracen Academy track.
She wouldn't give up until she caught Mejiro Sakura.
...
An hour later.
Mejiro Sakura hadn't come.
Obey Your Master's excitement subsided somewhat.
...
Two hours later.
Mejiro Sakura still hadn't come.
Obey Your Master began to feel impatient.
...
Three hours later.
Mejiro Sakura still hadn't come.
Obey Your Master had practically stripped the grass off the lawn around her.
...
Four hours...
Obey Your Master couldn't take it anymore.
If she didn't run with someone soon, she might go completely insane.
Obey Your Master yelled at the top of her lungs across the track:
"Emperor! Hotrod! Are you there? Come out now!"
"…"
Just when Obey Your Master thought Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky hadn't been spying on her at all that night, a voluptuous figure with long, curly brown hair appeared at the track entrance.
"Hey, what are you yelling about in the middle of the night? How did you know I was here?"
"Hotrod!"
Obey Your Master became excited upon seeing the newcomer.
A wide grin spread across her face, and her Zone erupted instantly.
The next moment, she was in front of Maruzensky, her eyes blazing with golden flames, fixed on her face.
"Hotrod, hurry, fight me! I can't wait!"
Obey Your Master's face was very close to Maruzensky's, her explosive aura surging towards her.
However, Maruzensky merely smiled, completely unmoved.
"With your strength, you can't even entertain me~"
"Nobody has ever seen you activate your Zone. Could it be that your Zone is completely weak? Rejecting everyone's challenges to maintain your undefeated record?" Obey Your Master chuckled.
"Provocation won't work on me. Give me a reason to accept your challenge." Maruzensky crossed her arms and smiled softly.
Upon hearing this, Obey Your Master burst into laughter again.
This afternoon, she didn't have one.
But now, she does.
"How about the identity of the Umamusume who defeated Golden Crown Eagle two days ago?"
--