"The pack has now entered the second corner! T.M. Opera O is still leading the Pace Chasers, with Mejiro McQueen close behind. Narita Top Road is also steadily closing the distance to Mejiro McQueen! They are now only about one length apart!"
"Tsk." Mejiro McQueen became more attentive after hearing the commentator's voice. In her peripheral vision, she could see Narita Top Road attempting to overtake her from the outside. Fortunately, her final spurt was currently on the same level as Mejiro McQueen's, making it impossible for her to overtake Mejiro McQueen for now. But the threat she posed was not to be underestimated. Mejiro McQueen was affected by Narita Top Road's pressure, but she quickly calmed herself down.
"Calm down, Mejiro McQueen. Don't forget what Trainer taught you. No matter what happens on the track, you must remain calm… Your biggest opponent right now is T.M. Opera O. Focus on her, maintain your own rhythm, and don't be influenced by external factors."
Thinking this, Mejiro McQueen suppressed her unease and did not accelerate, simply taking each step steadily, temporarily ignoring Narita Top Road, who was constantly trying to overtake her.
"Waaaahhhh, why isn't McQueen accelerating?! She's about to be overtaken by Narita Top Road!" Tokai Teio, in the stands, anxiously asked Imanami beside her. She was very worried that McQueen would be overtaken.
"No, maintaining her speed at this time is actually the correct move." Imanami shook his head at her words, taking the opportunity to lecture Tokai Teio. "In the second corner, most Uma Musume will still have plenty of stamina. Everyone is still conserving energy. Accelerating this early is not a good choice; it will deplete your stamina too early, leaving you no stamina for the final straight."
"Narita Top Road and McQueen's final spurt are not too different, but overall, McQueen holds a better position. If Narita Top Road accelerates prematurely to overtake McQueen, she can overtake her back, but such repeated actions would only waste each other's stamina, and T.M. Opera O would be the only one who benefits in the end. Narita Top Road definitely won't choose to overtake McQueen now; she just wants to disrupt her rhythm."
"Is that so?" Tokai Teio was slightly stunned by his words, but then the commentator's voice quickly followed:
"Narita Top Road failed to overtake Mejiro McQueen and retreated to her original position! Mejiro McQueen has managed to defend against Narita Top Road!"
"It's true…" Tokai Teio was surprised and instinctively glanced at Imanami, whose expression remained calm. She now felt again that Symboli Rudolf's decision to make her train under Trainer Imanami was the correct choice. If she was in McQueen's position, she definitely would have used her flexibility to accelerate past Narita Top Road's attempt to overtake. But McQueen couldn't do that. She didn't have Tokai Teio's flexible knees and ankles, and thus lacked the leg power necessary to attempt such a thing. If she wasted stamina for nothing, she would probably only have the option of losing with regret.
Tokai Teio also realized that some tactics, which she regularly used due to her unique talent, could not be replicated by other Uma Musume.
"Hehe, Teio, do you trust the old man's judgment now? You still have a lot to learn from the old man." Gold Ship, at this moment, said to Tokai Teio with a playful grin. Although she wasn't very interested in race talk, she was always the first to support Imanami's judgment. Furthermore, Imanami's race judgment had been proven many times. From McQueen's Debut Race to the current Japanese Derby, Imanami could grasp almost every change on the track, making Gold Ship even suspect that if Imanami could ride on McQueen's back, her win would be guaranteed!
Of course, the prerequisite was that the other Trainers also had to ride on the backs of their Uma Musume; otherwise, it wouldn't be fair due to the extra weight!
"Now we've entered the third corner! T.M. Opera O is holding her positio—oh?! Some of the Front Runners are starting to lose steam! Is T.M. Opera O going to accelerate?!"
'This is my chance!' x3
Upon hearing that some of the Front Runners had run out of stamina, Narita Top Road, Mejiro McQueen, and Admire Vega's eyes all narrowed simultaneously. Almost in that instant, they all fixed their gaze on T.M. Opera O in front of them! They knew that this was the time to accelerate, and it was the best moment to beat T.M. Opera O!
"BANG!"
The three Uma Musume all accelerated simultaneously. In an instant, three powerful Auras of different colors were emitted! They only had one singular goal—T.M. Opera O in front! She was their greatest enemy! Only by surpassing her could they possibly achieve victory!
"THEY'VE ALL ACCELERATED SIMULTANEOUSLY! THIS IS INCREDIBLE! Mejiro McQueen, Narita Top Road, and Admire Vega have all started to fly toward the front! They're now closing in on T.M. Opera O's position!"
"Oh dear, oh dear, hey me, it looks like your time of running with your head down is over."
At this moment, "T.M. Opera O," noticing the three Uma Musume chasing from behind, spoke to T.M. Opera O in a teasing manner—she felt no strain at all during the race, and how much power she used depended on how much she wanted to use. It was almost as if the concept of 'stamina' didn't exist for her, performing these actions without having to consider it.
She was like a phantom that T.M. Opera O had always chased but could not surpass, but "T.M. Opera O" had no personal thoughts on this, merely saying to T.M. Opera O:
"Three of the four are now rushing towards you. Each one is capable of winning the Japanese Derby. What do you plan to do now?"
"—HAHAHAHA! Let them come! As the Overlord, I FEAR NO ONE!"
T.M. Opera O, of course, also noticed the three formidable Uma Musume behind her, like three sharp blades intending to pierce her back. But at this moment, her confidence remained undiminished; instead, it further stimulated her competitive spirit.
"The path to becoming the Overlord was always destined to be filled with thorns! Now, I, with my bare legs, shall crush all of these thorns and send them off in regret! This era belongs to me, THE OVERLORD!"
"T.M. OPERA O IS ACCELERATING! Just as the others were about to catch up, she accelerateeeeddd!!!! Their distance has widened again! Now T.M. Opera O is in the lead!"
"Do you think I'll let you run off like that!" Narita Top Road gritted her teeth, accelerating with her final spurt and immediately catching up. Mejiro McQueen also chose to accelerate on the inside, not falling behind in the slightest.
Admire Vega, however, noticed their positions. The entire pack was now approaching the final corner. If she wanted to overtake T.M. Opera O, she had to do so from the outside. Mejiro McQueen and Narita Top Road were on the inside. It would be almost impossible for them to overtake T.M. Opera O, who was now starting to sprint. Only from the outside would she have a chance to get in front of T.M. Opera O.
Thinking this, Admire Vega seized the opportunity, slowly moving towards the outside, planning to unleash her final spurt in the fourth and final corner, striving to overtake T.M. Opera O in one go. She still had a chance; she still had one last burst of power, the power shared with her sister, that had not yet been unleashed—as long as she could unleash it in the final corner, she would be able to suppress T.M. Opera O!
But just as Admire Vega was thinking this, and Mejiro McQueen and Narita Top Road were still clinging to T.M. Opera O, searching for a breakthrough… none of them noticed that Meisho Doto, who had been closely following at the back, finally raised her head and seized her moment to enter the fray.
'Now is the time!'
"BANG!" Meisho Doto exerted every single muscle in her legs the moment she accelerated. A familiar phantom instantly coalesced around her. She had held back, but this was now the time to go all out! While Meisho Doto might not be the strongest in terms of Aura among those present, when it came to control, Meisho Doto's mastery over her own Aura was far superior to everyone else on the track!
"MEISHO DOTO IS NOW ACCELERATING! Just before the final corner! Meisho Doto has accelerated! It's almost as if she's a bullet, shooting towards the front!"
"WHAT?!" x4
At this moment, the Uma Musume who were still locked in a fierce struggle at the front all paused. They belatedly realized that while they were stalemating and hindering each other, they had overlooked someone who also had the potential to contend for the crown.
Meisho Doto, this Uma Musume who had remained low-key since the start, now, like a sharp dagger, burst into the battle with an intense Aura, instantly disrupting the entire showdown between the four! At this moment, facing Meisho Doto's sudden surge from behind, even if the other Uma Musume didn't want to go all out, they were instinctually forced to accelerate prematurely due to fear.
The rhythm of the entire race was broken. This was what Meisho Doto had been scheming towards all along!
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Meisho Doto is locking in.
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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.