"Another one... overdoing True Blooming again..."
Kuroha felt a bit of a headache coming on.
These newly debuted young Uma Musume had minds that were far too prone to extremes. At the slightest thing they wanted to overdo their True Blooming and blow themselves up against everyone else.
White Greatness, in the original history, was the Satsuki Sho winner of this generation.
This year's Classic Triple Crown [was originally supposed to be taken by the "Battle for the Throne" bloodline] Ines Fujin, White Greatness, McQueen.
Among them.
Mejiro McQueen, because in the original timeline her True Blooming was late by a few months, did not participate in the first two crowns, and only ran once, in the Kikuka Sho.
But White Greatness and Ines Fujin also did not run the Kikuka Sho.
A perfectly misaligned pattern.
As for the reason... it was very simple.
They all suffered severe injuries and retired.
Yes, those two star Uma Musume, praised and lauded by the world, hailed as part of the "Big Three" of the new generation, both took extremely serious injuries after running the Japan Derby and were forced into retirement.
"Same cause as Chiyono O..."
Kuroha stared down at the track below, dim light rising in his eyes, a faint look of understanding there.
One burned herself out in the Satsuki Sho. The other burned herself out in the Japan Derby.
At this point in time, when top peers like White Shining Rock and Ryan only had around 500 points in their attributes, and most others were even worse,
White Greatness actually had over 600 points in her physical stats.
She was completely a replay of Sakura Chiyono O after the Satsuki Sho two years ago!
If, in such a state where her body was already under immense strain, she encountered a powerful enemy and was forced to explode once more...
"Sigh—"
What a headache.
After overdoing True Blooming, White Greatness's strength had indeed soared sharply in a short span of time.
Strong enemies... there truly weren't any in this race.
But there was an unbeatable one...
Before him, the semi-transparent panel visible only to himself was shining brilliantly.
[Mejiro McQueen]
[Track aptitude: Turf A, Dirt E]
[Distance aptitude: Short G, Mile F, Medium S, Long S]
[Running style aptitude: Front Runner A, Pace Chaser S, Late Surger D, End Closer F]
[Unique skill: Fulfilling your noble duty Lv 4]
[Domain: End of the Skies!]
[Skills: Prudent Positioning, Concentration, Wet Conditions ○, Professor of Curvature, Hydrate, Spring Runner, Stamina to Spare, Keeping the Lead, Highlander, Long-Distance Straightaways ○...]
[Speed: 964, Stamina: 1051, Power: 918, Gut: 952, Wit: 1035]
If Kuroha had to describe McQueen at this point.
She was basically Fujimasa March's early senior-year trackcraft, fused with Inari One's early senior-year physical specs.
The final result was this absolute monster standing on this track in the very first phase of the Classic year!
With such terrifying strength, if not for her still somewhat lacking race-course experience, Kuroha believed McQueen might very well be capable of beating Tamamo Cross in her retirement race back then!
...
On the track.
"Alright, all Uma Musume are now loaded into the gates!"
The commentator spoke in a low, steady tone. "Early spring at Nakayama Racecourse, cloudy weather, turf condition: good."
"Now then, the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, G1 graded race, the Satsuki Sho, turf 2000 meters—"
For an instant, all of Nakayama Racecourse seemed to fall silent.
The next second.
Click—!
The lighting shifted, and the gates flew open!
"The race has begun—!!!"
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!...
In a flash, eighteen figures shot out of the gates like eighteen arrows!
"Uooooooh—!"
The cheers that had been held back burst forth completely in that moment!
"The race has begun! Everyone's start was very clean!"
The commentator excitedly described the situation on the field. "All the Uma Musume are fanned out in a line, settling into their respective front-running positions."
"Who will take the lead first?"
Boom—!
Right then, a strong rhythm of hoofbeats sounded, turf and grass clippings flying as Ines Fujin was the first to break free of the pack!
Who would take the lead?
Obviously, me!
Ines was all smiles, the gale created by her high speed whipping against her cheeks, but unable to conceal the joy rising from deep inside her.
Her stride quickened, and her figure gradually opened up a gap from the Uma Musume behind her.
"First place right now is Ines Fujin! She's going all-in on her Front Runner strategy!"
"Behind her, McQueen is right on her heels! In third we have White Shining Rock, in fourth is Nichikei..."
On the track.
"..."
McQueen quietly watched Ines ahead of her running at the head of the two-horse group, then glanced back at the two Uma Musume behind her whose gazes were locked dead onto her. Her willow brows drew together slightly.
"Isn't this... a bit too slow?"
The girl muttered in her heart.
In her past parallel-run training with the seniors in the team.
For a 2000-meter course, even at her most standard pace, she was still far faster than that brief burst Ines had just shown.
If she got serious, her speed would certainly not be lower.
"A slow race tempo is very unfavorable for me."
McQueen understood her own shortcomings.
Kuroha had told her more than once during training that her on-paper numbers were indeed outstanding.
So outstanding that across the whole of Central, there was basically no one among the usual crowd of Uma Musume she saw who could match her.
But since debut, she had only run four races.
Her race experience, race sense, and situational reading were all still at the theory-on-paper level.
"No matter what race it is, don't always think about only fighting for the final-leg sprint."
"Before you crush them with absolute strength, you must carefully think about how to leverage your own advantages to neutralize potential risks. Only then will you not end up getting overwhelmed when the field gangs up on you."
In her mind, her trainer's voice seemed to still echo by her ears.
Because of that, regardless of the race, McQueen would never hold even the slightest trace of carelessness toward it.
"If you still don't want to speed up, then let me force you a bit!"
"If you still don't want to speed up, then let me be the one to push you!"
As an Uma Musume whose Front Runner and Pace Chaser aptitudes were A and S respectively, and especially with a senior in the team who was the "strongest active" Front Runner.
McQueen was a double-master of the front-of-pack styles!
"Fuu—!"
Her body moved with her thought. The purple-haired girl galloped over the turf, the wind roaring around her. In her eyes at that moment, a dazzling trace of light was rising.
...
[Domain] first step: "True Self Mode" in its permanent state!
It did not boost any of her base physical stats; it only sharpened the clarity of her thoughts.
A secret technique shared by all Uma Musume under Chasing Light.
"Mm."
McQueen's hoof crashed down hard onto the soft turf, letting out a crisp and powerful sound.
Then—
Boom—!
Her body, like a spring compressed to its limit, suddenly released, erupting in speed far beyond what she had shown just moments before!
"W-what...?!"
Ines suddenly felt a fierce pressure surge in from diagonally behind her.
She turned her head in shock, locking eyes with McQueen's calm yet power-laden amethyst gaze.
"Why?"
Warning bells blared in Ines's mind, but she truly couldn't understand.
To unleash such speed this early in the opening leg, was she trying to fight her for the Front Runner position?
But there was absolutely no need.
Up to now, based on the habits McQueen had shown in her four prior races, she had never accelerated early to fight Ines for the lead.
So why was she suddenly pouring on the speed after the initial battle for position was basically over?
Even though she didn't get it, Ines still clenched her teeth.
She absolutely refused to lose!
"Haaah—!"
A low growl ripped from the girl's throat as the speed that had just begun to ease off was once again forced up a notch to respond to McQueen's renewed surge.
She managed to hold onto her Front Runner position.
Behind her.
The purple-haired girl's brows and eyes were shrouded in shadow, leaving only the faint curve at the corner of her lips.
"This is enough."
Her footwork shifted subtly; every step McQueen took carried immense power and perfect rhythm as she locked onto the spot right behind Ines, maintaining just the right distance.
Very soon, once the prime spots for the front-of-pack styles were fully claimed, the bloated group formation began to stretch out, transforming into a neat vertical line.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]