Mejiro Ryan, who was at the back of the pack, watched the horse girls in front of her start to lose speed, an "I knew it" expression on her face.
It might seem a bit unambitious, but she had no intention of fighting for first place this time. Her goal was the top three. So, when she saw the other runners getting swept up in McQueen's pace, she just calmly hung back.
In the stands, Tokai Teio also spoke with a sympathetic tone, "I knew it would turn out like this. It's true you can't just let McQueen run away, but it's not worth it if you mess up your body's natural rhythm. They must be starting to feel their strength fading by now." This was her speaking from personal experience.
"Yes, this must be the 'Great Escape' tactic. By successfully disrupting the opponents' pace, by the time they reach the middle leg, they won't have the stamina to catch up because they burned too much at the start. This way, she can maintain the lead all the way to the end," P analyzed seriously.
Silence Suzuka was diligently taking notes on what the trainer was saying. However, she felt this tactic would be difficult for her to pull off. Compared to McQueen, she had two major disadvantages.
First, a lack of stamina. McQueen was a horse girl naturally suited for long-distance races, and her stamina was excellent.
In contrast, Silence Suzuka was better at short-distance races. Her stamina wasn't especially suited for long distances, but the "Great Escape" running style was one that inherently required more stamina.
Second, a lack of explosive power. That burst of speed McQueen had in the final leg was what guaranteed the tactic's success. While Silence Suzuka's final spurt wasn't bad, it couldn't compare to McQueen's monster-level kick. Therefore, McQueen's tactic was not suitable for Silence Suzuka.
Back to the race.
The race had already reached the middle leg. Mejiro McQueen was still leading all competitors with an overwhelming advantage.
Although she did slow down slightly upon entering the middle leg, her opponents, who had been affected by her initial pace, also began to lose speed.
As a result, the gap between them didn't shrink; instead, it grew larger and larger, making one feel a sense of despair.
"Incredible!"
"Mejiro McQueen! This horse girl is just too strong! She's miles ahead! Uncatchable! Is there really no one among the horse girls here who can stop her?!"
The commentator had, at this point, completely become Mejiro McQueen's personal announcer. Anyone with eyes could see that the race was already decided!
Mejiro McQueen's opponents had made the wrong choice from the very beginning, and now they had to taste the bitter consequences.
Many of the runners already had looks of despair. It didn't feel real watching the recordings, but after facing her directly, they had only one simple thought—Mejiro McQueen is a monster!
How could anyone win against a monster like that? It was completely impossible.
And Tokai Teio, who had come close to catching Mejiro McQueen in the Satsuki Sho, was now also considered one of the monsters by these horse girls.
After all, they now understood just how difficult it was to even try to catch up to Mejiro McQueen.
In the special viewing seats, a few horse girls looked dissatisfied. They had wanted to confirm whether Mejiro McQueen had opened "that door," but they didn't expect her to win without even using the same level of strength she had last time.
"There's no need to watch anymore."
Air Groove closed her eyes, unable to bear it. She found it hard to imagine what the other runners were feeling right now. Just putting herself in their shoes made her feel a sense of dread.
Those horse girls had probably lost even the right to compete with Mejiro McQueen. It was as if McQueen was a runner on a completely different track, an existence soaring arrogantly in the clouds. Air Groove couldn't see even a glimmer of hope of defeating Mejiro McQueen in this race.
"Little McQueen really is strong," Maruzensky said with a smile.
She had to admit, even she thought this junior's performance was just too exaggerated.
And the most ridiculous part was that Mejiro McQueen hadn't even entered the "ZONE." If they entered the "ZONE," they could probably do something similar, but in reality, that was impossible. Even in a short-distance race, no one could maintain the "ZONE" from start to finish.
Generally, the "ZONE" was a finishing move used in the final leg because the stamina drain was too great. But if they didn't use the "ZONE" from the very beginning, even these seniors couldn't achieve what Mejiro McQueen was doing right now.
So, one could only imagine how terrifying Mejiro McQueen's strength truly was.
"Yes, she hasn't used the 'ZONE' like she did in the Satsuki Sho," said Symboli Rudolf.
Don't be fooled by her calm expression; her surprise was no less than anyone else's. She had tried to mentally simulate a race with Mejiro McQueen, and the result was that she would have to enter the "ZONE" in the second half of the race to just barely overtake McQueen before the finish line.
And that was just a mental simulation. If they were to truly face off, she didn't have much confidence. Besides, no one even knew the nature of Mejiro McQueen's "ZONE" yet.
Is this the wave of the new era? For a moment, Symboli Rudolf felt as if she had already gotten old. In Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio, she saw the future of horse girls.
With the debut of Mejiro McQueen, and the blossoming of Tokai Teio, who was spurred on by her, she had a premonition that the world of horse girls was about to undergo a massive change!
Reaching the final corner!
Mejiro McQueen began to accelerate!
A white shockwave broke through the air resistance!
At this point, the only ones who could still steadily follow behind Mejiro McQueen were Mejiro Ryan, Biwa Hayahide, and El Condor Pasa.
That being said, the gap between second place and Mejiro McQueen had already widened to nine horse lengths.
And now was when Mejiro McQueen's real burst of speed began!
'This is just too much.' El Condor Pasa had thought that McQueen would at least lose some speed at the final corner. But she didn't expect that, far from slowing down, she was actually accelerating. How was anyone supposed to catch her?!
Even for runners like El Condor Pasa, their speed in the corners was slower than on the straights, but Mejiro McQueen was an exception.
She began to build up momentum from the corner, and the instant she hit the final 200-meter straight, she unleashed her final burst!
A rainbow-colored light flashed under Mejiro McQueen's feet. For a second, it was as if she had used some kind of finishing move. She vanished, and in the next instant, appeared far ahead!
'Unbelievable.' El Condor Pasa decided she could give up on first place.
At this moment, these few horse girls tacitly began to compete for second and third place. But El Condor Pasa and Biwa Hayahide had clearly underestimated Mejiro Ryan. The finishing kick she had been saving since the middle leg was terrifying.
The two of them, having had their rhythm disrupted twice by Mejiro McQueen during the race, could only watch as Mejiro Ryan overtook them.
The only problem was, just as Mejiro Ryan entered the final straight, the sound of Mejiro McQueen crossing the finish line rang out. In an instant, her eyes, which had been full of fighting spirit, suddenly became a little dazed.
Mejiro Ryan: "Huh?"
A race with no suspense!
Mejiro McQueen had claimed the second crown of her Undefeated Triple Crown, and all eyes were focused on her.
"Congratulations to Mejiro McQueen for successfully winning the Japan Derby! This horse girl is now an Undefeated Two-Crown champion, just one step away from the honor of conquering the Triple Crown! Can she take the final crown? Is a new legend about to be born here?!"
Nearly all the spectators were shouting. The glory of victory was truly an unparalleled delicacy. Mejiro McQueen showed a genuine smile. In that instant, it was as if the gentle, bright sunshine of spring had appeared on the turf.
The view from the lead, the cheers after victory—all of it was her treasure. This was her reason for being a horse girl.
However, the "Winner's Stage" performance afterward didn't make her very happy. She couldn't understand what the point of it was. Having just finished a race, all she wanted was to go back and take a shower.
It was just singing a song that had been covered countless times and dancing a dance that had been repeated countless times. Why were these spectators still so excited? Besides, she wasn't putting any heart into the performance at all. Were they satisfied with just this?
Fans really are an easy bunch to fool.
As Mejiro McQueen finished her performance and walked backstage, her business-like smile vanished in an instant.
The staff members just watched this scene, unfazed. This was already Mejiro McQueen's third Winner's Stage.
They watched the girl's departing figure, still filled with admiration.
Truly amazing.
There had been three Winner's Stages in total, but all three were her solo performances because every other competitor had been eliminated by her.
In the locker room, Mejiro McQueen, having changed her clothes, was preparing to head back.
The moment she opened the dressing room door, she saw the members of Team Sirius. Her gaze immediately fell on Tokai Teio, who was sitting in a wheelchair, signing an art board for a little horse girl in front of her.
Mejiro McQueen recognized the two little horse girls at first glance. Her mind then drifted to the third season of the horse girl anime, with its "nosedive-like" quality. The protagonists of that season's plot were these two little horse girls. She had actually quite liked them in the game.
Not only were they cute, but their in-game skills were quite strong. At least, compared to her and Tokai Teio's strength in that game, these two were much stronger.
But the anime was a real disappointment. They had even nerfed the special effects.
Forget the "ZONE," there were barely any skill animations. In the first few episodes, a horse girl appeared who seemed to enter the "ZONE," but after just a few races, she was forced to retire due to a bone fracture, and had no significant role after that.
"McQueen-oneechan! I'm your fan! Can you please give me an autograph?"
Upon seeing Mejiro McQueen, Satono Diamond's eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically hurried over.
Although a bunch of random thoughts were running through her head, Mejiro McQueen maintained her usual aloof elegance.
"You may."
She casually signed her name. Mejiro McQueen had no intention of getting close to her little fans, giving off an unapproachable aura.
Seeing this, Tokai Teio helplessly stepped in. "Look, McQueen! These two are fans of both of us! In everyone's eyes, the great Teio is already your fated rival! The 'Crimson Phoenix Hero!' How about that? That's a new title the great Teio just got. Cool, right?"
"..." Mejiro McQueen was speechless. "Whatever you say. I'm going back."
She had originally planned to ride back to the academy with her teammates, but she wasn't in the mood anymore. Seeing Tokai Teio in a wheelchair just inexplicably irritated her.
That girl will definitely return to the racetrack, won't she?