"Ladies and gentlemen!!!! Welcome to this year's Mile Championship—"
"I am your commentator, Akasaka, and beside me is..."
Wearing a headset, the green-haired Akasaka waved to the crowd.
"Hello everyone, I'm Shizuka."
"The venue is packed to capacity today. I'm sure Shizuka-san already knows why it's so popular."
"Of course. It's because the Uma Musume with the most momentum right now is the number one favorite of this race— Divine Starlight."
Holding her notes, Shizuka spoke with a smile.
"Along with Fine Motion, who comes from royalty! And the sprinting genius, Sakura Bakushin O!"
"The clash between these three is bound to be intense. Alright, let's send the camera over to the inspection paddock."
Nodding, Akasaka adjusted her microphone and looked toward the nearby paddock.
"First to appear is our contestant, Divine Starlight. She currently holds a consecutive winning streak and a legend of being undefeated since her debut."
"I was there during the press conference, her condition back then was quite excellent. Let's look forward to her performance today with high expectations."
...
Hearing the constant stream of praise in her ears, Starlight was, truth be told, quite happy.
After leaving the inspection paddock, she arrived at the starting gate in high spirits to warm up.
"Bakushin! Bakushin!"
Two spirited shouts rang out. Seeing Sakura Bakushin O walking out with her usual boisterous attitude, Starlight curled her lip.
'That stubborn Class Rep... today I'll settle things quickly and take you down.'
Soon, after the inspections were complete, all the Uma Musume entered their gates.
Ding, ding, ding—!
As the green light flashed, the gates snapped open with a bang!
Divine Starlight immediately utilized the techniques she had long since mastered.
Thump, thump, thump!
Her crisp footsteps left a trail of prints on the turf. Wrapped in a golden slipstream, the silver-white figure was the first to burst out of the gate.
She left the crowd of Uma Musume behind.
Fine Motion, who had executed a perfect start behind her, was only half a second slower, yet a gap of three lengths had already opened up.
Staring at Starlight's back, a red light flickered within Fine Motion's turquoise eyes.
'Sorry, Starlight-chan—'
After whispering those words in her heart, three red chains suddenly erupted from the turf, darting straight toward Divine Starlight ahead.
Sensing something, Starlight tilted her head slightly just as the chains were about to bind her legs.
Golden light began to shimmer, and a pair of small wings manifested behind her feet.
With a brief burst of speed, Starlight directly evaded the red debuff skill.
A mere length behind Fine Motion, a smile played on Sakura Bakushin O's lips.
"Haha—! Looks like this one is going to be intense, then I'll give it my all too!"
Her pink eyes constricted slightly as flames began to rise beneath Bakushin O's feet.
An invisible aura radiated from her body.
The other Uma Musume who were originally vying for the lead wanted to take the front position, but they were directly repelled by the exchange between these three.
Helplessly, they were forced to switch to a Late Surger tactic.
"The three of them are in such a deadlock right from the start?!"
Ryo Nishizaki's eyes widened, and the lollipop in his mouth nearly fell out.
"Starlight-chan, do your best!"
Kiryuu and several other Uma Musume who had come to watch the race began to cheer.
'Divine Starlight is likely using a Pace Chaser-to-Late Surger strategy. One red skill was enough of a probe, I should focus on fighting Sakura Bakushin O for the lead position first.'
Seeing the gap widening, Fine Motion decisively pulled back her skill and looked at Sakura Bakushin O nearby.
As she thought this, phantoms of countless flower petals began to manifest behind her, and pale blue energy radiated from her person.
A cold wind swept through.
It was assumed that Sakura Bakushin O would choose to lead herself in an attempt to overtake Starlight— after all, she had done so in all her recent races.
But to everyone's surprise, she chose to go head-to-head with Fine Motion.
Pink cherry blossoms abruptly appeared behind her, pushing back Fine Motion's petals.
Both Uma Musume were at full power, neither willing to yield the lead position.
By the middle of the race, Divine Starlight's speed had not decreased in the slightest. The two locked in combat gradually noticed something was wrong.
'Something's wrong! x2'
'How has she not slowed down? Could it be—'
The two Uma Musume realized something was amiss. After a quick exchange of looks, they decisively deactivated their respective domains.
Blue waves of energy surged as both girls began using Blue Skills to recover their stamina.
Immediately following that, they activated Gold Skills to boost their speed.
The chaos caused by these three made life miserable for the other contestants.
Can you imagine it?
You are just an ordinary Uma Musume who was lucky enough to qualify for a G1 race.
The moment the gates open, two top-tier Uma Musume start clashing with skills. The leader manages to dodge them through sheer ability, meaning you end up "accidentally eating" the Red Skill meant for her.
Just as you finally shake off the negative effects and prepare to give chase, you look up.
Two powerhouses have started a "Domain War," and the pressure radiating from them makes it impossible for you to even lift your head.
You are forced to stay suppressed at the back.
Aside from Starlight and the other two, this was the reality for the remaining 15 Uma Musume on the field.
"We are halfway through the race! Currently in the lead is Divine Starlight, with a staggering eight-length lead over the second-place Sakura Bakushin O!"
"It seems she isn't using her usual 'Pace Chaser-to-Late Surger' strategy today."
"Yes, it looks like she intends to lead from start to finish. It seems Miss Starlight has prepared extensively to tackle this Championship," Shizuka remarked to Akasaka beside her.
The race officially entered its final half the moment Starlight entered the corner.
Sakura Bakushin O and Fine Motion simultaneously began to emit a red flash.
Countless thorns sprouted from the ground ahead, and a crimson rain— visible only to Uma Musume— began to fall from the sky.
Both of them unleashed powerful Red Skills at Divine Starlight at the same time.
Screech!
The sound of stockings being torn rang out. Tiny red scratches began to appear on Starlight's thighs.
Her speed dropped, and a thick mist appeared before her eyes.
However, green energy suddenly radiated from her body.
She stomped her lead foot down with all her might, and the moment the shockwave dispersed...
The red thorns were purified by this energy, white flowers even began to bloom upon the brambles.
'This is... a Green Skill!!'
Fine Motion's pupils constricted. Her Red Skill had been purified.
The failure of her opening move and the tactical miscalculation caused a flicker of panic in her heart.
Beside her, she still had to contend with the aggressive Sakura Bakushin O.
In such a critical situation, Fine Motion couldn't afford to hold back anymore.
She activated her Unique Skill right in the middle of the corner.
Her turquoise eyes shimmered with a pale golden light.
Within them, a magnificent and romantic white-gold castle was reflected.
Countless rose petals scattered as a princess in a romantic gown danced gracefully in a garden.
The vines appearing beneath her feet were like leaping spirits, helping her and propelling her forward.
Unique Skill: Fairy Tale!
Watching Fine Motion overtake her and close in on Divine Starlight, Sakura Bakushin O let out a smile that suggested her plan had succeeded.
'Hmph hmph! You two go ahead and fight for it. I have two trump cards!'
That's right. As the Class Rep and a model student, Sakura Bakushin O possessed two Unique Skills.
This was one of the assets that allowed her to dominate short distances.
Pink cherry blossom trees began to grow along both sides of the track, and a faint pink flame burned in front of Bakushin O.
Just as Starlight and Fine Motion were about to enter the final 200-meter straight, Sakura Bakushin O laughed loudly.
"Bakushin! Charge!!!!"
Unique Skill: Class Rep + Fast = Bakushin, ACTIVATE!
Unique Skill: Model Student x Bakushin = Total Victory! ACTIVATE!
Sustained by two Unique Skills, Sakura Bakushin O's speed shot up like a rocket, her sights locked onto the finish line ahead.
Sensing the threat closing in from behind, the leading Divine Starlight didn't panic at all. She simply offered a calm smile.
Special Gold Skill: Overwhelming Lead
The golden gradient at the tips of Starlight's hair began to spread. A wild wind blew the dark clouds from the sky.
The Uma Musume's aura began to expand rapidly, eventually covering the entire racecourse.