Nakayama, 2000 meters, the Satsuki Sho. The first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, a gathering of talents.
"The fan favorite, Number 6, Mejiro McQueen..."
Just from her entrance, the entire venue erupted in fervent cheers.
This was the popularity she had gained from winning a GI race right after her debut.
Winning a GI right after debuting—this was practically the birth of another legend.
When the fans saw Mejiro McQueen register for the Satsuki Sho, they all knew she was planning to compete for the Triple Crown honor.
On the track, Mejiro McQueen was sizing up her fated rival—Tokai Teio. Although Teio had only just debuted, McQueen felt that Teio's physical abilities were probably not much worse than her own. A true genius, indeed.
Tokai Teio, who was in the middle of her "Teio Step" warm-up dance, noticed her gaze and shot her a challenging smile. "I will win this race."
"..."
Mejiro McQueen turned her head away. This level of provocation didn't faze her in the slightest.
Want to win?
Then try and catch me in the race.
Seeing Mejiro McQueen's reaction, Tokai Teio didn't approach.
Because she was paying close attention to this 'rival', she had already investigated Mejiro McQueen's personal info beforehand.
She knew exactly what she had to do to make Mejiro McQueen look her way.
That was, in the race—to surpass McQueen, fair and square!
While Tokai Teio was watching Mejiro McQueen intently, several other horse girls were watching both of them.
As the two brightest geniuses of this era, it was hard not to pay attention to them.
In their eyes, Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio were the same: geniuses born with a natural 'leg quality'.
Mejiro McQueen's brilliant footwork and Tokai Teio's Teio Step were, in their view, the same kind of thing.
In reality, they weren't far off.
It was just that Mejiro McQueen possessed multiple skills.
Whereas Tokai Teio only had her Teio Step.
...
As the warm-up time ended, the horse girls began to enter the gates.
The countdown began. Three, two, one!
The horse girls completed their start.
Mejiro McQueen, as always, ran at the very front.
Because her start was so fast with the boost from her skills, the other horse girls simply couldn't stop her escape.
Seiun Sky was a step behind, her expression not looking good.
She had originally planned to fight McQueen for the lead position.
She felt that if Mejiro McQueen took the lead in this race, it would be very bad. From watching the recordings of McQueen's previous two races, McQueen's running style was always to use a Great Escape at the start to open a huge gap, then recover stamina in the middle leg, and finally unleash a terrifying burst of speed in the final leg.
Therefore, to stop McQueen's Great Escape, it was best to break her rhythm right at the start.
But after actually trying it, Seiun Sky realized how difficult that was.
'Is this starting speed something a horse girl can even achieve?'
When the runners behind saw that Seiun Sky had failed to break Mejiro McQueen's rhythm, their expressions all changed.
Seeing that Mejiro McQueen was planning to pull a huge gap again, all the runners chose to accelerate in unison.
They absolutely could not let Mejiro McQueen open up a huge lead at the start like in her previous races!
Because once they let her escape, it would be extremely difficult to catch her later.
It might seem like there was a chance in the middle leg, but a 2000-meter track was simply too short for Mejiro McQueen!
'Everyone is so tense.'
Tokai Teio, following in the middle of the pack, silently observed the other runners' conditions. It was clear that McQueen was putting a lot of pressure on all of them.
"Currently
in the lead is Number 6, Mejiro McQueen. The runners behind seem to be affected by Number 6's pace."
"In second place is Number 3, Seiun Sky. She is currently six horse lengths behind the leader..."
"Number 11, Biwa Hayahide, Number 1, Tokai Teio..."
...
Passing through the corner.
Mejiro McQueen frowned.
The lead she had built in the early stage wasn't big enough; she was a bit dissatisfied.
However, this wasn't a 3000-meter long-distance race. She didn't need to conserve too much stamina in the middle leg. In her previous races, she chose to run that way, one, because her opponents weren't strong enough, so there was no pressure, and two, to prepare for this exact situation, holding this card up her sleeve.
Reaching the middle leg, all the runners were waiting for the figure in front to slow down.
But Mejiro McQueen didn't slow down as much as she had in the past. Although she wasn't as fast as before, her speed was still considerable.
'How is that possible?!'
The runners behind were all stunned.
Even Tokai Teio, who had been prepared for this, was a bit dumbfounded at this moment.
Her original plan was to catch up in the middle leg, overtake on the second corner, and then use her final burst to shake McQueen off.
But now, if she didn't use her burst, she had no way of catching up to McQueen in the middle leg.
'Damn it!'
A blue light flashed in Seiun Sky's eyes up ahead. She decisively used a skill and gave chase.
Although Mejiro McQueen's performance had exceeded her expectations, her intuition told her that her only remaining chance to win was at this very moment!
Mejiro McQueen felt the pressure from behind.
Seiun Sky's burst was unexpected, but she wasn't surprised that Seiun Sky had skills.
'It's too late.'
Entering the final corner, Mejiro McQueen activated her skill, and her speed began to increase.
When Seiun Sky saw the slipstream appearing around McQueen, she could no longer remain calm.
No!
She had to catch up on this corner!
"Guwaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Aaaaaaaaah—" x2
Seiun Sky watched in shock as the two people overtook her, her voice catching in her throat.
Biwa Hayahide and Tokai Teio had both unleashed their own slipstreams, instantly passing Seiun Sky and chasing after Mejiro McQueen's back.
Ten horse lengths!
Seven horse lengths!
Three horse lengths!
The two of them were practically bursting with potential at this moment, and the slipstreams around them were the best proof.
The commentator shouted excitedly: "Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio! Biwa Hayahide! Biwa Hayahide! They're catching up! They are catching up!"
Mejiro McQueen heard the broadcast and couldn't help but grit her teeth.
Damn it, as expected, having only one skill isn't reliable enough.
Although her "Last Spurt" skill could activate as long as she was in the front group, not just in first, she had no intention of giving up the lead!
Besides, if Tokai Teio and the others could unleash this skill-like acceleration through sheer willpower, was she, Mejiro McQueen, incapable of doing the same?
At this thought, Mejiro McQueen's gaze turned even colder.
A deep purple flame flickered in her left eye.
In the stands, some of the horse girls seemed to sense something.
Bang!
With the sound of a slipstream exploding, Mejiro McQueen's speed increased once again.
The pure white figure seemed to leave an afterimage, and in the blink of an eye, she had opened a one-horse-length gap on the two behind her.
"!"
Tokai Teio's expression faltered for an instant. Her foot almost missed a step, and she was immediately overtaken by Biwa Hayahide.
But after only a moment's distraction, she slammed her foot back down on the ground and burst into a third stage of acceleration!
Tokai Teio, re-ignited!
At this moment, a crimson flame seemed to appear in her slipstream.
Spurred on by her fated rival, Mejiro McQueen, Tokai Teio's potential had blossomed early in this race.
...
In the premium spectator box.
Symboli Rudolf watched Teio's figure, her expression not looking so good.
Tokai Teio had not touched the threshold of the ZONE.
But the way she was overdrafting her potential now was no different from having opened the ZONE.
And what Tokai Teio was doing now was even more life-threatening than actually entering the ZONE.
But at this moment, Symboli Rudolf couldn't do anything for Tokai Teio, except pull out her phone and call the medical team.
...
On the track, Biwa Hayahide just felt that the two people in front of her were monsters, each one more ridiculous than the last!
She wasn't surprised by McQueen's burst; after all, McQueen's track record was right there.
In the previous GI race, McQueen's performance was just as strong.
But Tokai Teio's burst was just too strange.
She had clearly sensed that Teio was about to falter, and Teio had even made a mistake. How on earth was she able to burst again?
...
Although Mejiro McQueen had unconsciously touched the threshold of the ZONE.
Right now, she hadn't even touched the door, let alone opened it. So, her current burst was completely incomparable to the burning Tokai Teio.
The heat coming from behind her almost made Mejiro McQueen's expression twist. Tokai Teio's performance had shocked her.
'Don't even think about it!'
Seeing the exit of the corner
ahead, Mejiro McQueen erupted with a deep purple slipstream and instantly charged through.
But behind her, Tokai Teio's crimson flame slipstream was far more intense than her deep purple one.
Tokai Teio closed the gap to half a horse length.
They were now just two or three steps away from the corner's exit.
If Tokai Teio were to pass Mejiro McQueen at this moment, McQueen wouldn't have much confidence in overtaking Teio in this state.
But Tokai Teio was, in the end, just one or two steps too short.
Mejiro McQueen maintained her lead as she passed through the corner.
A brilliant light shone from beneath her feet. White light wrapped around her body, and in that instant, she shot out like a bullet.
'Victory belongs to me!'
In the blink of an eye, one horse length! Three horse lengths! Five horse lengths!
Mejiro McQueen was still accelerating!
In the final 200-meter straight, in just a brief moment, the distance that Tokai Teio had fought so hard to close was opened up again.
And that distance was still growing with Mejiro McQueen's acceleration!
...Until she reached the finish line.
"She crosses the line!"
"The one to conquer the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown is Mejiro McQueen! What an exciting race! Let's congratulate her!"
"Crossing the line right after is Tokai Teio!"
"The race is over!"
Mejiro McQueen, having stopped, turned around and looked at Tokai Teio, whose face was a little pale but who was still forcing herself to wave to the crowd.
"Hmph!"