Belno Light took a careful breath as she stood at the end of the athlete's tunnel, just seconds away from stepping out into the racetrack outside.
Her heart was beating like drums, and for good reason. This was her first G2 race after all! It was a completely different ballpark compared to the G3 races she'd participated in before. The crowd that'd gathered to watch today's race was so much bigger, and it only really sunk in right now, when she could hear their roars even from here.
But it wasn't just the crowd that made her afraid.
It was the thought of what'd happen if she lost.
It wasn't something she often considered. Loss was an inevitable part of these races—there would always come a day when she'd soon fail to reach the finish line first. But she hadn't thought about losing in a while—she mostly stopped considering it after her fifth consecutive win.
Yet, now she couldn't stop thinking about it. Not just because this was a G2, not just because some of the umamusume she'd run against were genuine threats she'd spent days planning around,
But because she didn't want to disappoint the team she'd come to see as--
Her ears flicked, and she quickly turned around only to find no one. She blinked for a moment before she giggled. She was half-expecting Blossom Star to be there, considering she liked showing up before her races despite it not being allowed.
And then someone poked her shoulder, and Belno shrieked.
"You're not catching me that easily." Star said with a playful wink.
"Y-You're amazing, Star-san…" Belno let loose a weak sigh.
Star tipped an invisible hat. "I aim to deliver."
Belno giggled, before she smiled fondly.
Star truly was amazing. She wasn't sure if Star had noticed or not, but her playful attitude never failed to calm her. Even now, whatever fears she'd held were gone, and she felt a little foolish to have ever worried so much about it in the first place. Her quiet confidence felt unshakable, and it made her want to meet her expectations.
"So, how're you feeling?" Star asked. "This won't be easy. Mejiro Ardan's going to be the most dangerous." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Not only does her style match your's, but she's been backed by the Mejiro family as well." She shrugged easily. "Expect most of your older tactics to have been studied to death already."
"Our second favorite, who recently won the [Yamafuji Sho] with an incredible lead of nearly 9 lengths-"
"No. 4, Mejiro Ardan!"
Belno slowly clenched her fists as the announcer's words echoed into the tunnel. "I know." She whispered.
She knew full well that this wouldn't only be a race against Ardan, but a fight against the entire Mejiro family itself. Could she, an umamusume from Kasamatsu, truly match the combined might of a household that'd existed for far longer than she had?
She didn't know. But she wanted to try anyway.
She took a deep breath, and then smiled. "I'm off, Star-san."
Yet, just as she was about to step into the light, Star called out to her. "Yes?" Belno turned around, and blinked when she saw the serious expression she had. There, with most of her body shrouded in shadow, Star's bright blue eyes seemed to shrine with an almost eerie light.
"Belno. This will be hard." She said softly. "The hardest race you've run so far. This time, you'll really see what makes Central so different." She closed her eyes. "There's a significant possibility that all the tactics you planned—all those hours you spent brainstorming on ways to control this race-"
"Will be entirely useless."
Belno found herself frozen. She'd never really understood why people called Star scary at times—why she inspired the same fear Oguri did in others. Sure, Star got serious at times, but she was always so playful and kind that it didn't seem all that terrifying.
She felt she could understand them a little better now.
"I'm sure you've thought about this as well." She stepped forward, finally stepping out of the shadows.
"But just remember,"
Smiling gently, Star gave Belno's forehead a playful poke.
"You are a member of Team Kitahara, and an umamusume." She said. "As long as you don't give up, as long as your legs can still run, there will always be a chance for victory." She grinned. "You keep that in mind, yeah?"
Belno's lips shook for a moment, before she returned a determined smile. "I will!"
Star chuckled. "Then go on, our dear Tactician!"
Belno turned around, subtly wiped her eyes, and with her head held high she stepped out of the athlete's tunnel.
…
"And here she comes!"
"Having won 2 G3 races since she came to Central, the Tactician of Kasamatsu who manipulates the race to her own designs-!"
"No. 5, Belno Light!"
Mejiro Ardan smiled as Belno stepped out onto the parade stage, her eyes burning with determination.
The Tactician of Kasamatsu. Her ability to control the pace of the entire race was terrifying, and even the personal trainers of her family admitted that Belno was a genius that rarely appeared.
"Mejiro-san." Belno greeted as she approached, smiling slightly.
Ardan returned a small smile of her own. "Belno-san."
Belno nodded, before her eyes narrowed. "You're strong, Mejiro-san." She said, and clenching her fists, she smiled sharply. "But I won't lose!"
"All runners are to head for their gates!"
Ardan hummed. "I won't either."
They stepped off the parade stage together, heading straight for the gates at the starting line. Neither noticed the way the other runners turned towards them as they walked past; not that neither of them would've cared. Belno had long grown used to such stares, and Ardan had long been prepared for the fame and attention that would come as a member of the Mejiro family.
Belno took a slow breath as she stood within her gate. This was it. There was nothing else to do but wait for the race to begin.
Ardan closed her eyes, mentally rehearsing everything she'd prepared for this race. Her family had provided her with everything she needed; and so she must pay it back.
"All runners have entered their gates!"
"Hoo…" Belno let out the breath she'd taken. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear all other thoughts.
Ardan opened her eyes, and she gently dug her foot into the turf, readying herself to charge forward the moment the gates opened.
"The race is about to begin!"
The world turned quiet, filled only by the whistling of the passing winds. The short grass of the course's turf swayed beneath their feet. All while sunlight fell from high above, uncovered by any clouds.
Then,
Bang!
The gates slammed open, and two umamusume immediately charged forward, aiming to be first.
"The gates have opened!"
"Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light are immediately vying for the lead!"
Belno narrowed her eyes. As she'd expected, Ardan had immediately charged forward to stop her from getting the lead. Considering that she was one gate further away from the railing, it was unlikely for her to ever take the lead this early on. At least without burning through the stamina she'd need to clear the whole 2400m.
In that case--
"Mejiro Ardan takes the lead!"
Ardan narrowed her eyes. She'd taken the lead before Belno could; that was good. In that case, what she needed to do now was ensure Belno couldn't take the lead, at least not this early.
Which was why she immediately drifted slightly away from the railing, just enough to stop Belno who was about to accelerate to take the lead.
Belno's eyes widened slightly as Ardan moved just enough to stop her. She'd purposely stopped herself from hugging the railing to try and take the lead, but it seemed that'd been seen through as well!
"We're entering the second corner!"
Belno grit her teeth.
It wasn't working. She'd used the maneuvering technique Kitahara taught her to try and confuse Ardan and slip forward, but Ardan caught her every time. Whenever she swerved to try and overtake, her ears would twitch, and Ardan would immediately adjust her position just enough to block her from moving forward.
This wasn't good. If she still remained in second the moment they entered the-
"We've entered the second straight!"
"Mejiro Ardan remains in the lead, but Belno Light continues to shadow her!"
Her expression became severe. Not good! At this point, the lead was essentially impossible to get. It was better to shadow Ardan and save her stamina to prepare for her acceleration during the last few hundred meters of the race.
Decision made, Belno took a deep breath as she focused on maintaining her current speed. Ardan, sensing that Belno was no longer attempting to take the lead, stopped attempting to block her.
Instead, she began accelerating. Slow enough that most wouldn't notice, but Belno certainly could.
Her eyes widened slightly. Was Ardan that confident in her stamina? They were only half-way through the second straight, and she was already beginning to move forward? This was a 2400m race!
But there was no helping it. If she wanted to continue shadowing Ardan, she needed to begin accelerating herself.
"Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light are nearly 4 lengths ahead of everyone else!"
"Just what are they trying to do!?"
Ardan pursed her lips. She'd been hoping Belno would maintain her previous speed while she slowly advanced to build her lead, but it seemed she'd seen through her plan. Belno had maintained half a length between them, just enough for Belno to swerve outward and overtake her when they approached the final straight.
Moreover, she had to admit that constantly being shadowed like this was incredibly uncomfortable. Her instincts were screaming at her to immediately charge forward to escape, and it took her far more stamina than she'd like to admit to restrain herself.
But that wouldn't remain for long, because they were about to enter the fourth corner!
Ardan narrowed her eyes, and she took a deep breath as-
Belno grit her teeth, and pushing all her power she could into her legs-
Bam!
"We're entering the fourth-"
"Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light have accelerated!"
"...!?"
Ardan's expression turned severe. To think that Belno would accelerate at the same moment she did! It was far earlier compared to when Belno would usually begin her advance.
But it was fine, because she was still in the lead!
Meanwhile, Belno could only clench her fists as she tried to close the gap between them. She hadn't expected Ardan to begin her last spurt during the fourth corner like she did.
But it was fine. She still had the final straight to close the gap!
"We're entering the final straight!"
"Can Belno take the lead!?"
They both surged forward with all their might. Their legs stomped into the turf like ballistas, sending tufts of grass flying back as they ran. Neither of them had any plans left to execute; all that was left was to run as fast as they could and cross the finish line first.
And yet-!
Belno screamed as she ran, but no matter how much she sped up, she couldn't close the gap between her and Ardan. A measly half a length remained between them, but as they both passed the 200m mark, that small gap felt like a massive uncrossable gorge.
"200m is left!"
"Will Mejiro Ardan defeat Belno Light…!?"
Ardan gasped as she ran. She could see it—the finish line was right there! She just had to keep running a little more!
But her lungs were burning. Her legs felt like they were about to give up. The pace she'd unknowingly set up herself ended up burning through all her stamina, and she was left gasping and reeling as she did all she could to maintain her speed.
Belno was much the same. Her whole body felt heavy, and she didn't have any strength left to even scream our her frustrations. All she could do was watch with bleary eyes as the finish line approached, all while she remained stuck in second place.
200 meters-
175 meters-
150 meters-
The gap didn't close. Belno remained just half a length behind Ardan. At this point, defeat was guaranteed. There was no way she could-
"As long as your legs can still run, there will always be a chance for victory."
Clarity returned to her mind as she remembered the words Star had told her. And for a brief moment, the world around her seemed to fall away, leaving behind only her and the track she ran upon.
No, that wasn't quite right.
There, running in front of her, was an umamusume. Their hair long and wavy, colored like the glimmering ocean. There was something intimately familiar about, as if she'd somehow known that umamusume all her life.
Then, she looked back, and her smile curved with a gentle smile.
"You can go a little farther, can't you?"
The moment faded. The world shot back into view. Her eyes barely caught the 100m mark that she and Ardan had just passed.
And Belno Light screamed as she made her {Final Gambit}.
"Belno Light accelerates again!?"
"The gap is closing!"
"Can she take the lead!?"
Ardan felt a chill up her spine as she heard the roar that left Belno's lips. It was guttural, powerful, and completely unlike the usually gentle voice Belno had. Her whole body trembled, and spurned on by a deep-seated terror, she grit her teeth as she charged forward with all her might.
Then-
"Mejiro Ardan and Belno Line cross the finish line!"
They both turned towards the scoreboard. It remained unlit, which meant--
"Please wait as we check our cameras!"