"Ladies, gentlemen, and the viewers watching the broadcast, welcome to the Kyoto Racecourse! Today's weather is a bit bad for the Uma Musume running. It has started raining; let's hope the rain doesn't get too heavy."
"Alright, the Kyoto Shimbun Hai, a GII 2200-meter turf race, is about to begin. Today's weather and track conditions are enough to be counted as heavy. I hope the Uma Musume can be careful and avoid any accidents during the race."
"Now, let's focus our attention back on the Racecourse. The top favorite for this race is, of course, Mejiro Ryan from the Mejiro Family! She is the Mejiro Family's biggest pride and joy, and the result of this Kyoto Shimbun Hai will determine her qualification for the Kikuka Sho."
"It's worth mentioning that the fourth favorite also comes from the Mejiro Family. It is the Mejiro Family's new rising star, Mejiro McQueen, who won the Ayame Sho and fearlessly charged onto the GII stage! If she wins this race, she will directly qualify for the Japanese Derby!"
"Now, the Uma Musume are starting to enter their respective gates."
As the commentator's voice faded, Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Ryan, and the rest of the Uma Musume entered their gates one after another. Their gates were just next to each other, so they were able to talk to each other.
"McQueen, be careful. Besides us two, only five other Uma Musume are participating in this race, a total of seven. But I feel that all five of them have been subtly staring at you."
"Don't push yourself too hard. Although I'm not good as a Front Runner, I've learned a few tricks from Palmer. Attracting their attention a little should…"
"—Ryan-nee, right now we are Uma Musume, competitors in the same race."
However, before Mejiro Ryan could finish speaking, McQueen's serious tone interrupted her. Then, Ryan heard her beloved younger sister say, word by word, in a very calm tone:
"All we need to do now is have a raw state of mind of giving our all. No matter what tricks you or the other five throw at me, I will take them all head-on."
"I will let everyone know what the consequences are for underestimating me and my Trainer."
"Clang!" The sound of the gate opening came immediately after they talked. The very next moment, Mejiro McQueen and Ryan, who had just come to her senses, both dashed out without any delay!
"A perfect start! Even on such a heavy track, all seven Uma Musume started the race off without a hitch. Should we say they are all indeed Uma Musume capable of participating in a GII-level race? They certainly won't make such small mistakes."
"So, the Uma Musume currently in first is—this is unexpected! Mejiro McQueen is at the very front! Is she running as a Front Runner—no... a Runaway this time?! On such a heavy track, will she have enough stamina to lead all the way to the finish line?"
"McQueen is running as a Runaway?" At this moment, not only Ryan on the Racecourse but also the people in the stands were somewhat surprised. Choosing the Runaway tactic on such a heavy track was not a wise move.
Runaway, or "The Great Escape," is a running style that consumes the most stamina and places the greatest physical strain among all the running styles an Uma Musume could choose, and the current weather is also quite bad. Although Ikezoe and Wada both knew that Mejiro McQueen performs very stably on a heavy track, they still didn't understand why McQueen would choose to run as a Runaway this time.
Only Imanami, upon seeing McQueen's choice, showed a faint trace of worry on his face, but then quickly regained his composure... "McQueen, today I will teach you the strategies for the situations you might face in a race. There are many things I can't immediately teach you right now, with you also needing to judge the situation of the race yourself and adjusting accordingly."
"Therefore, this time we will train for several situations that you might encounter in the upcoming Kyoto Shimbun Hai. Are you ready?"
"I am ready." McQueen also nodded solemnly, then asked with a puzzled expression: "But, Trainer, how should we analyze different situations and what tactics should I use?"
"First, the weather during this time of the year is usually rainy, but the sun is still strong. Based on my experience, a heavy rain is likely to come within a week."
Imanami first held up a finger, analyzing the impact of the weather: "But whether it rains or not, such bad weather will definitely have a huge impact on the Racecourse—if it doesn't rain, then just run as you usually do, but what we need to focus on training is how to cope in heavy track conditions."
"We will conduct two types of training: one is an End Closer tactic where you conserve stamina at the back of the pack and quickly overtake the Uma Musume in the front after they are exhausted—this is a very suitable tactic for heavy track conditions."
"There is another one that I actually don't recommend, which is to run as a Runaway where you try to open up as much distance as possible from the rest, leaving them without a barrier to block the air pressure, thereby exhausting their stamina."
Speaking of this, McQueen clearly remembered that Imanami's expression at the time still showed some hesitation, but in the end, it was his professional dedication as a Trainer that made him inform McQueen of this option.
"McQueen, your stamina and endurance are your greatest weapons. Your strides are also steady and powerful, making you extremely suitable for heavy tracks where you are less affected. Therefore, for you, it can be said that heavy tracks are where you can perform at your absolute best."
"However, running as a Runaway combined with a heavy track places too great a burden on your body. Therefore, we are only doing a simulated training, but if such a situation truly arises, I hope you will consider it only after careful deliberation."
"…To be so concerned about my safety, I am very happy to have such a Trainer."
And McQueen, hearing this, also smiled slightly. At that time, she readily agreed, saying gently: "Please rest assured, Trainer, I will definitely bring you a splendid victory."
"I will absolutely not let down your teaching and training."
..."It seems McQueen didn't heed my warning." At this moment, Imanami, wearing a raincoat, looked at Mejiro McQueen, who was running at the front of the Racecourse with a powerful, unyielding presence, and sighed helplessly.
"The pressure from a prestigious family is indeed immense. Victory and health are very difficult to achieve completely simultaneously."
Saying this, Imanami unconsciously looked at Gold Ship beside him, then silently reached out and stroked Gold Ship's hair.
"What is it, old man? That tickles." Gold Ship was startled by Imanami's sudden action, but a gentle smile quickly appeared on her face. Although she seemed a little resistant verbally, she still bent down slightly, allowing Imanami to smoothly pat her head.
"So, what happened old man? Why are you suddenly so nice to me? Did I do something to make you happy?" Although Gold Ship liked Imanami very much, she also knew that her pranks a while ago had caused the old man a little trouble. She had been quite well-behaved during this period, not getting involved in any mischief.
But even so, Imanami's sudden gentleness made her a little startled, so she asked curiously.
"Nothing." Imanami, hearing this, smiled gently as usual: "Seeing you still so healthy is better than anything else."
"I truly hope McQueen can also understand this principle soon. The victory gained by overdrawing one's future, although it brings honor, is not worth it. The mission she carries is too heavy, but her body does not allow her ideals to extend too far."
"Old man, are you saying something will happen to McQueen in this race?" Gold Ship, hearing this, asked with a rare seriousness.
"…Not this race, but maybe in a few more races, this drawback will become apparent."
Imanami watched McQueen on the Racecourse. At this moment, she was already two lengths ahead of the second-place Uma Musume. Under the heavy rain, every Uma Musume was struggling, but no one gave up running.
And Mejiro McQueen, leading the way, had steady and powerful strides. In the rain, she was not running solely for victory; but to prove something.
With this victory, she would show those who belittled her and her Trainer—that they are the strongest combination!
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Imagine Yuji as an Uma and Todo as his Trainer, their combo would genuinely be insane.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.