All the runners have entered the field.
The commentator is ready. The voice of the announcer comes over the speakers: "Everyone is now watching the Hanshin 2200-meter mid-distance turf race, the Takarazuka Kinen. All fifteen competitors are ready. Carrying the expectations of their fans, who will be the one to take the crown in this race? All runners are in the gates. The countdown begins..."
"Bang!"
The countdown is over.
All the horse girls burst from the gates.
"The race is on! All runners are off to a clean start!"
The commentator's voice hadn't even finished.
On the track, a purple figure burst from the pack, wreathed in an aura, and sprinted forward at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, she had pulled a significant distance from the runners behind her. Mejiro McQueen just glanced sideways at Tokai Teio, then activated her "Wave" and "Aura", taking the lead on the track with incredible steps. She had no intention of waiting for Teio to get ready. Since she had already shown Teio these abilities in the Tenno Sho, if Teio couldn't even handle this, it just meant her delusion was impossible from the start.
"Number 8, the number one favorite, Mejiro McQueen, has begun her signature move! The pace of the race is already accelerating! Mejiro McQueen is pulling away from the others! What will the other runners do? Will they give chase? It's a huge risk... No hesitation! The runners have all chosen to accelerate!" The female commentator was a bit surprised. Although this wasn't her first time watching a McQueen race, it was her first time commentating one. She never expected this level of competition right from the start. This was a completely different rhythm from past races; the passion had exploded right from the beginning.
The moment they saw Mejiro McQueen accelerate, all the runners in this race decisively abandoned their original strategies and used all their strength to chase her. Although they knew they had no chance of winning, they didn't want to just give up. At the very least, they wanted to put on a good show, to at least run with all their might.
Mejiro McQueen felt the fighting spirit of the many runners behind her and was a little surprised. She had seen many of them crying before the race and thought they had given up. She didn't expect them to regain their spirit after hitting rock bottom. She didn't know that it was precisely because the skill gap was so huge that the other runners could abandon all caution, not even caring about their original strategies, just wanting to get some kind of result in this race.
But their performance only surprised McQueen for a moment. It had no effect on the outcome. Catching her was impossible. The gap McQueen had opened at the start wasn't shrinking at all, even with them running at full power. Everyone knew McQueen's stamina was a bottomless pit; she had never gassed out in an official race. They couldn't do that. So, unable to close the distance, no matter how they burst forward now, they would eventually gas out and be left behind. This race was destined to be another of McQueen's solo performances. That was the cruel reality!
Just as everyone was thinking this.
"...McQueen!"
Suddenly, a deep crimson aura exploded from the pack. Tokai Teio burst out with astonishing steps, breaking through the shockwave, her whole body sprinting as if on fire. That terrifying aura was like a gale, forcing the other runners to make way for her. Her eyes didn't look like she was racing; she looked like she wanted to kill. Even if an aura is just a feeling and not a physical thing, the other runners felt they were physically pushed aside by Teio's presence. They couldn't understand this power. First Mejiro McQueen, and
now Tokai Teio... why did they possess this power? All the other runners could do was fall behind them, their faces filled with frustration and despair.
"No way..."
Nice Nature and Biwa Hayahide stared in shock at Tokai Teio's figure. They thought Teio was just another supporting character in this race, like them. But now, Teio had unleashed an incredible burst of speed, announcing the return of the "Indomitable Hero" and challenging for the protagonist's spot. They couldn't just stand by and watch. They grit their teeth and tried to follow, but the two figures mercilessly left them behind, pulling further and further
away.
"Tokai Teio is catching up!"
The commentator said in surprise.
When the audience saw this, the noisy crowd fell silent, their faces filled with disbelief.
No way... In Mejiro McQueen's prime, another rival can actually catch up?
And that rival is Tokai Teio, who already has three losses?
"Tokai Teio is seriously trying to challenge the Young Lady's undefeated career."
"What a joke. A rival who's lost three times... how can she make a comeback? The Young Lady will definitely not lose."
Although some spectators enjoy a fierce competition, as Mejiro McQueen's fans, they just wanted to see her achieve a perfect, undefeated career. So when they saw Teio's burst, they didn't feel excitement, but rather annoyance. Their thoughts, however, clearly had no effect on Tokai Teio.
In the special seating, Symboli Rudolf watched the race with a grave expression.
In the Team Sirius section, Narita Brian's eyes widened slightly. She glanced at Symboli Rudolf in the special seating. She had thought Rudolf was just teaching Teio how to control ZONE. But that wasn't it at all. Teio's ZONE was clearly not normal. It could only be called a ZONE berserk. That was not what ZONE was supposed to look like. Does Symboli Rudolf really know what she is doing to Tokai Teio?!
Oguri Cap also stopped eating, looking seriously at P.
"Trainer?"
"...Let's watch a bit longer. I believe in McQueen."
Trainer P clenched his hands nervously, his eyes fixed on McQueen. He believed this situation was not outside of McQueen's control. From his observation, both McQueen's and Teio's running speeds were actually slowing down, little by little.
Oguri Cap nodded and then watched the race intently.
On the outer edge of the stands, a hat-wearing Hishi Akebono watched Teio's performance. She glanced doubtfully at Rudolf's location, then looked at the big screen's close-up of McQueen's face. Seeing that McQueen's expression was unshaken, Hishi Akebono's lips curved slightly upward.
She knew her McQueen wouldn't be shaken by something like this. She didn't know why Rudolf hadn't stopped Teio, but in her eyes, that "un-beautiful" running style was not even worth mentioning.
That kind of twisted domain (Zone)... it was an insult to this sacred track.
Tokai Teio, with her ZONE active, continued to accelerate. Her speed was still rising, her body temperature climbing rapidly. The aura around her was no longer just a display of spiritual power, but also heat radiating from her body. With this power, the gap between her and McQueen shrank. The moment she got close, a dark red light shone in her eyes. A strong psychic pressure shot toward Mejiro McQueen.
Mejiro McQueen's vision instinctively went dark for a moment.
The next moment, the space around her lost all color. The turf beneath her feet turned into a swamp, and countless chains shot up to bind her. In the sky, Teio's dark red eyes appeared. This was clearly the aura unleashed by Teio's Zone. It was the same type of ability as Oguri Cap's dark aura, only Oguri's was "Intimidation," while Teio's was "Restraint."
Just as McQueen's mind was about to be controlled, a faint light flashed on her body. Her mind instantly escaped Teio's aura, her steps completely unaffected.
"How...?"
The red light in Teio's eyes faded. She looked at McQueen in shock.
Is that McQueen's domain (Zone)? It can nullify an aura's effect?
But if it's only this much—
'I can win!'
Tokai Teio's expression became excited. She could finally catch up to Mejiro McQueen!
"Tokai Teio has successfully closed the distance with Mejiro McQueen! But is it really okay to run like this?"
The commentator asked, confused, as he watched both of their speeds decrease.
But Tokai Teio didn't notice this.
She came up behind Mejiro McQueen, panting, and said, "McQueen, I've caught up."
Tokai Teio looked like she desperately wanted to prove herself and show off to McQueen.
But she couldn't see Mejiro McQueen's cold expression, nor did she realize that from the moment Teio had activated her ZONE, McQueen had intentionally slowed
down. If one looked closely, they would see that not only Teio, but the other runners were also slowly closing the gap. This was the result of McQueen deliberately reducing her speed.
The reason she did this was because she had discovered something, and she wanted to verify it.
And now, she had her answer.
'As I thought. Tokai Teio's ZONE... its burst is based on me.'
Even Tokai Teio herself hadn't realized that she wasn't actually running at a terrifying speed.
At the very beginning, Teio's burst speed had been close to McQueen's (who was using 'Aura'), or even slightly faster—a speed that would make other runners despair.
But as Mejiro McQueen slowed down, Tokai Teio's speed also slowed down. Yet she still felt like she was running at full power, completely unaware of this subtle change.
...
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