The arrow was on the bowstring, ready to fly at the slightest touch.
...
Garden Gale stood by the track, staring into the distance at Tokai Teio.
The prodigy of the Junior Division slowly shifted into her starting stance, carefully adjusting every muscle, warming up until her body gradually revived, reaching the perfect state for running. Her exceptional flexibility made her look as graceful as a fish in water.
After finishing her warm-up, Air Shakur also took her position.
Fine Motion temporarily acted as referee, taking out her trainer's stopwatch to prepare timing the two runners.
"Ready—"
"3."
"2."
"1."
"—Start!"
Whoosh—!!!
The sound of air being torn apart rang out. At the very start, Tokai Teio moved as if in slow motion: her toes gently touched the ground, the entire world's focus zeroing in on her, and then—with a burst of power from her toes—the slow motion suddenly turned into fast-forward! She dashed out so explosively that the image blurred!
…Pure speed combined with talent, honed through countless hours of rigorous practice—
It allowed Tokai Teio to achieve a near-perfect start.
But that was just the beginning…
There was still a full 2000 meters left.
After the initial burst, Tokai Teio rapidly accelerated on flat ground, gaining speed, faster and faster.
Garden Gale watched in awe, suddenly reminded of a phrase—even though it had nothing to do with Umamusume at all.
Zero-to-hundred acceleration.
It was a term used for race cars. Simply put, it referred to the time it took a stationary car to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h—the most direct indicator of a vehicle's power and acceleration performance.
Right now, Tokai Teio was that supercar.
Her acceleration was unmatched; rather than running, it was more accurate to call it low-altitude flying. Why describe it like this? Because of talent, of course. Her extraordinary flexibility allowed her to run at a lower center of gravity, not needing the same strenuous effort as other Umamusume. Calm yet incredibly elegant, her running posture could even be called graceful—but far from simply refined, her sheer speed carried the predatory aggression of a wild beast.
All these contradictions...
Perfectly blended into one.
Standing by the corridor, Garden Gale stared wide-eyed at Tokai Teio's flight, unable to close her mouth. She didn't dare blink—not even for a second, nor did she want to. Because it was simply too beautiful. Beautiful!
This wasn't exaggerated praise. When someone's skill reached a certain level, you'd genuinely find their actions mesmerizing. Just like Kipchoge's running form, NiKo's aim, or Usain Bolt's speed—Tokai Teio's running right now was exactly that kind of beauty, something you could watch all day, forgetting time, forgetting everything else.
The beauty of mastery.
In comparison...
Air Shakur running beside her was much duller.
She had already reached her limit. Air Shakur was the calculating type, someone who loved breaking everything down into visualizable data, then repeatedly recalculating it, filling her weaknesses and optimizing every aspect of her running style.
Logically speaking, a race is merely a collection of numbers.
That was Air Shakur's famous quote.
She was already extremely strong.
But there was still a distinct gap between a skilled genius and a prodigious monster.
The race reached the third corner! Tokai Teio still led, though not by a large margin. After this corner was the final straight. Fine Motion believed that Air Shakur still had a chance, because her final kick was famously astonishing—her finishing sprint was extraordinary, rivaling even these prodigies.
Go for it. Shakur!
Fine Motion quietly cheered for her best friend, hands clasped at her chest—not merely cheering, but praying.
Both racers beautifully leaned into the corner—and entered the final straight.
Air Shakur suddenly gritted her shark-like teeth, a grinding sound loud enough for even Tokai Teio to hear.
Honestly, she'd wanted to say this for a long time… Prodigies like her were really too arrogant. That look in her eyes—maybe Tokai Teio didn't even notice it herself—but that proud gaze looking down from above, Air Shakur desperately wanted to shatter it. She wanted to prove that even an ordinary person could have pride, glory, and strength enough to defeat those unreachable prodigies.
Charge!
Air Shakur accelerated again! Attempting to overtake Tokai Teio right in front of her!!!
However—
She wasn't the only one planning to accelerate!
"Watch carefully," Tokai Teio murmured softly, smiling to herself. "Teio-sama's finishing move..."
SKY-HIGH TEIO STEP!
…Zero-to-hundred acceleration? Low-altitude flight? These metaphors were no longer necessary.
Fast.
That was the simplest description—right now, Tokai Teio's momentum and sheer overwhelming force had been pushed to their absolute peak. Her already high speed surged into lightning itself after a second burst! She was practically running lightning, her body swaying so dangerously that it seemed she'd fall any second—yet each swing of her arms only propelled her faster. Like dancing atop a blade, a dangerous waltz upon the track.
This was the pride of a prodigy.
True geniuses were fundamentally different from mere mortals. That was their right to arrogance.
Initially, Air Shakur had begun closing the gap between her and Tokai Teio…
She was even about to overtake.
But after Tokai Teio's explosive acceleration, the gap instead grew wider and wider. Even as Air Shakur pushed her body to the brink, she could only watch Tokai Teio's receding back, feeling the fierce wind resistance slice past her face like a blade.
Impossible to catch.
In the end...
The result was obvious. It didn't even need saying.
It was a race without suspense from start to finish.
TOKAI TEIO—Victory!
Fine Motion pressed the stopwatch as she crossed the finish line. Slowly raising the stopwatch, she stared at the numbers in disbelief.
...
Watching an Umamusume race up close for the very first time, Garden Gale stared...
She was watching…
Watching Tokai Teio as she ran.
…She could hear her heart pounding.
Garden Gale felt flames igniting deep within her, bit by bit. Her heart burned fiercely, pulsing with undeniable intensity. An emotion called DESIRE took root, like a seed buried deep within, waiting for the day it could burst through the soil and bloom.
I want it.
I want to run like Tokai Teio-san…
She no longer wanted to hide in fear every day due to lack of strength, afraid of exposure, locked in a cycle of anxiety, trapped in unease. That kind of pressure could suffocate a person forever. If you lacked courage, you'd be crushed beneath it for a lifetime—yes, a whole lifetime. Only when you're ready to challenge it head-on would things gradually improve.
…She also wanted to get clingy.
Because Tokai Teio was just too cool!!
Running…
So running was actually this cool!?