"The Uma Musume are starting to enter their gates. The race hasn't even started yet, but it's already making everyone pumped up in excitement!"
"Though it's not really a surprise—after all, this is Mejiro McQueen's first GI race." Next to the commentator, the man responsible for the live broadcast chimed in, saying, "And this time, besides T.M. Opera O, who won the Satsuki Sho, the so-called 'Three Musketeers'—Meisho Doto, Admire Vega, and Narita Top Road—are all present. It has been a full month; can the three redeem themselves?"
"Not only that, if T.M. Opera O wins the Japanese Derby, she will become an Uma Musume who possesses two of the Classic Triple Crowns. Then, if she wins the Kikuka Sho in October, she will officially become the next Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume!"
"That certainly sounds thrilling—but now, let's return our focus to the race. All the Uma Musume have entered their gates, and the race is about to begin."
The commentator and live broadcaster commented on the situation with the audience, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the outcome of this showdown between T.M. Opera O and Mejiro McQueen. This race would determine whether the highly-anticipated star of the Mejiro Family, the one who had the superior bloodline, or T.M. Opera O, the one who had won the Satsuki Sho through her own merit, would prove to be better. (T/N: Talent vs. Hard work ass matchup)
At this moment, all the Uma Musume had already entered their gates. They all wore their respective eye-catching GI winning outfits, having made thorough preparations over the past month with only a single objective: to win the Japanese Derby, the race considered the most important one out of the three Classic Triple Crown races.
"Heh heh, this time, I'm fully prepared! Thanks to Doto-san inviting us to train together this past week, I now completely understand how the others run."
Narita Top Road was filled with confidence this time. She hadn't been idle this past week. In the last week of running mock races, she specifically paid attention to Mejiro McQueen and T.M. Opera O. Finally, she and her Trainer made tactical adjustments, completely ready to bring home a win!
On the other side, Admire Vega had the same thoughts as Narita Top Road, but the difference was that this past week, she hadn't just made some adjustments to her tactics; rather, she had focused more on strengthening her inner resolve. This time, she would race with an even stronger conviction than she had at the Satsuki Sho… together with her sister.
"T.M. Opera O, this time, get ready to face the assault from both me and my sister."
Admire Vega's eyes slowly grew cold. She had only one goal in this race: to surpass T.M. Opera O and win the Japanese Derby!
"On the honor of the Mejiro Family, the Japanese Derby is mine to win."
Mejiro McQueen was the same. This was her first GI race, and it was even against T.M. Opera O, who was arguably the strongest in their team at the moment. The pressure she was feeling right now was immense. Although Imanami repeatedly reminded McQueen not to do anything beyond her capabilities, if it truly came down to McQueen having to go all out, McQueen felt she still had to go beyond her limits to have a chance at beating T.M. Opera O.
Among all the Uma Musume, only Meisho Doto remained silent, quietly entering the gate. No one knew what she was thinking, just as she herself didn't know why she was even stepping onto this racecourse in the first place. To fight against an opponent who was impossible to defeat at her level? She probably wouldn't succeed even if she ran until her legs ripped off. But Meisho Doto had clearly found her purpose. All of this… was to fulfill her Trainer's wish, to match up to his expectations.
"It seems everyone has grown stronger than I expected. My other self, if you're not careful, you might actually lose this time."
And at this moment, beside T.M. Opera O, the other "T.M. Opera O" appeared beside her once again for the first time in a long while. After a slight surprise, T.M. Opera O subconsciously said: "I thought you had disappeared. Will you only reappear during races like this?"
"Heh heh, I won't disappear, not until you surpass me." "T.M. Opera O" showed a half-smile, then took a ready-to-run pose beside T.M. Opera O, saying faintly: "In this Japanese Derby, everyone is an actual threat to you. And now, you are seen by everyone as the target to surpass. What do you think are your chances of winning?"
"—The path of the Overlord is destined to be solitary; that will never change."
T.M. Opera O had clearly anticipated all of this. With a confident smile still on her face, she replied, "Since I have been given the mission of an 'Overlord,' then this era is the era of T.M. Opera O. I will stand at the peak, looking down on everyone, letting them freely try to overcome me, to surpass me. The Overlord needs no friends, only my most loyal subjects—we will conquer everything; even if it's the exalted 'Emperor,' we can surpass anything together."
"…Perhaps." Hearing this, "T.M. Opera O" maintained a subtle smile on her face and refocused her gaze on the racecourse.
For "T.M. Opera O," the scent of the racecourse was both long-missed and familiar. Even though she could only appear in this form now, stepping onto this racecourse again, she would, of course, give her all—with the strength she possessed during the Japanese Derby back then, it would be impossible for her to defeat the current T.M. Opera O. She'll have to take her on with an even stronger form. If T.M. Opera O couldn't surpass her in this form, then victory in the Japanese Derby would be even more out of the question—this race was infinitely more intense than the one she ran in.
"But, without friends, do you have the strength to stand proudly alone at the top?"
"Clang!"
"And all the Uma Musume are off, a perfect start! There's not a hint of hesitation; they are all truly Uma Musume fit for the Japanese Derby. They won't commit such basic mistakes."
"T.M. Opera O is running as a Pace Chaser, employing the same tactic she used during the Satsuki Sho, closely following her with the same running style is Mejiro McQueen! Fiercely chasing T.M. Opera O's back!"
A very normal start. This time, Mejiro McQueen did not choose to run as a Runaway as she did in the Kyoto Shimbun Hai. The distance of the Kyoto Shimbun Hai was quite short, prompting Mejiro McQueen to run as a Runaway to prevent encountering an awkward situation where she couldn't break through because she got targeted. (T/N: If you get blocked, you're blocked)
But this time around, Mejiro McQueen could confidently run with her most familiar Pace Chaser style. While her skill level and leg strength might not be as strong as T.M. Opera O's, they definitely weren't weak either!
"What's unexpected this time is Meisho Doto; she actually didn't choose to run as a Pace Chaser but chose to run as a Late Surger instead. However, as there aren't any other Uma Musume who are running as a Late Surger this race, Meisho Doto's position is just ahead of Admire Vega, who is running as an End Closer."
Meisho Doto didn't choose to run as a Pace Chaser? The commentator's voice made all the Uma Musume pause in unison, but they didn't look back. Just by the commentator's voice, they could mentally determine their respective positions.
As for Meisho Doto's decision, even during the mock race training this past week, she hadn't used the Late Surger running style once. Using a running style she has never tried before in the Japanese Derby was somewhat illogical. Either Meisho Doto had been hiding her skill the entire time, and none of them knew that her best style was actually Late Surger the whole time, or… Meisho Doto is scheming something. Although they didn't know what she intended to do, at least several Uma Musume had noted Meisho Doto's unusual behavior.
"Meisho Doto… what are you trying to do?"
Meanwhile, in the stands, Wada also noticed Meisho Doto's current state. The Late Surger running style—he had explained it to Meisho Doto before. After all, as an Uma Musume, mastering only one running style wasn't enough; they also needed to adapt depending on the situation they face, especially when facing Uma Musume that came prepared with unexpected tactics, with those tactics also varying from each other.
But Wada had never trained Meisho Doto to run as a Late Surger. Although Meisho Doto did indeed have a talent as a Late Surger, compared to her Pace Chaser talent, it was still slightly inferior. What Meisho Doto was doing right now was also quite different from what Wada had discussed with her, so Wada couldn't help but feel a little worried about what Meisho Doto intended to do at this moment.
"Whatever you do… Meisho Doto… the track conditions are incredibly heavy. Please don't let anything happen…"
Wada's heart began to beat with anxiety. Facing Meisho Doto, who seemed to have lost control, Wada gradually began to feel the uncontrollability that came from an Uma Musume. Perhaps, sometimes, an Uma Musume could cause more trouble than a Racehorse.
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Waiter, waiter! More Uma's crashing out please!
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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.