"Zone Expansion!"
"At the halfway point of the Takarazuka Kinen, three Uma Musume have already activated their Zones!"
Akasaka Misato's voice crackled with astonishment through the microphone.
As a celebrated announcer who'd called countless Takarazuka Kinen races, she'd certainly seen Zone clashes before. But those always happened on the final straight. Right now, though?
The race wasn't even half over!
Yet three Uma Musume had already unleashed their Zones.
Even the legendary matchups in the Dream Trophy Cup never saw something like this!
What she didn't know was that the actual number on the track wasn't three, but four.
Barbatos, with her presence so perfectly contained, remained invisible even to Akasaka Misato's seasoned eyes, despite her Zone being active.
Beside her, Yutaka nodded thoughtfully as he assessed the race's flow, acknowledging both Grass Wonder's and King Halo's decisions to activate their Zones.
If they held back now, victory might slip beyond their reach entirely.
Once the gap stretched too wide, no Zone in the world would make a difference.
--+--
In Rigil's private viewing section.
Toujou Hana stood with arms crossed, watching the track with knitted brows. "Grass Wonder..."
"Using her Zone this early might not be the wisest choice."
Fuji Kiseki's voice carried concern. After King Halo's Zone erupted, Grass Wonder had answered almost instantly, matching her rival's move.
But freshly recovered from injury, even with intensive rehabilitation, how could she possibly compare to King Halo?
The difference wasn't in talent, it was in stamina.
Grass Wonder's gifts ran deep, that's why she could unlock her Zone so early. But she simply didn't possess the monstrous endurance of King Halo, Seiun Sky, or Barbatos.
Not because Rigil's training lacked, not because she didn't work hard enough, but because she'd only just recovered!
"No. I'd say this is exactly the right move."
Toujou Hana's voice came soft despite her furrowed brow. "If she lets Silence Suzuka keep pulling away, activating her Zone later would accomplish nothing."
"Grass Wonder saw this long before Air Groove did."
"That Suzuka out there right now? She's completely evolved from the one we saw in the Autumn Tenno Sho."
"If Air Groove doesn't wake up to this soon, if she keeps running the same race as she did back then... she might very well lose this Takarazuka!"
The furrow in her brow came from worry, worry about Grass Wonder's body.
That previous injury had struck precisely when her Zone activated. As her trainer, this weighed heavily on Toujou Hana's mind, the fear of seeing her prized athlete suffer again.
Please, let her body hold up!
"Suzuka... completely evolved?"
Hishi Amazon leaned forward, studying the frontrunner with renewed intensity. "Still accelerating after a thousand meters? Is she planning to run the second half faster than 57.3 seconds?"
Her instincts as a legendary Uma Musume kicked in immediately.
Earlier, watching Suzuka's surge and Grass Wonder's Zone bloom, she'd shared Fuji Kiseki's concern, thinking perhaps Grass Wonder had acted rashly.
Drawing on her deep well of racing wisdom, she'd interpreted Suzuka's Zone-enhanced burst as a tactical ploy, meant to break the rhythm of those chasing behind.
But if Silence Suzuka truly maintained this blistering pace...
Air Groove was in serious trouble.
--+--
"57.3 seconds!"
Okino, Spica's trainer, whispered the number to himself, eyes fixed on the still-accelerating Silence Suzuka.
Yutaka's words echoed in his mind: "That Uma Musume... she's a monster!"
"Go on," he breathed. "Win this Takarazuka Kinen. Show everyone exactly what you're made of. Bring those dreams and that hope to every fan watching you."
Silence Suzuka had no G1 titles. She'd avoided the Yasuda Kinen.
The online chatter had grown increasingly vicious, questioning how anyone could rank her among today's prodigies, especially with El Condor Pasa already claiming victory in France's Prix d'Ispahan.
Time to silence every single doubter.
A sudden stream of muttering broke through his unusually serious thoughts.
He turned to find his entire team making exaggerated "Kamehameha" gestures.
Even Special Week had joined in, eyes wide open, channeling their encouragement and heartfelt wishes toward the distant figure of Silence Suzuka.
Guess with no one catching Suzuka yet, Special Week wasn't feeling anxious enough to cover her eyes, Okino mused.
As an adult, he'd always just smiled indulgently at these silly rituals Gold Ship cooked up, these attempts to "transmit feelings."
But this time, Okino found himself making the same gesture, joining the ranks of believers.
Ridiculous as it felt, watching this race unfold, that embarrassment slowly melted away.
--+--
"Grass Wonder and King Halo, both with Zones blazing, are launching their pursuit of the frontrunners! Can they close the gap on Silence Suzuka, who's already opened up a seven-length lead?!"
"Barbatos! Look at Barbatos!"
"Barbatos is making her move now too, and Mejiro Dober, running alongside her, is also kicking things into high gear!"
"It seems they've decided enough is enough! They're not letting Silence Suzuka get away, they're bearing down on her!"
"Can Silence Suzuka escape this gauntlet of champions?!"
"Nine hundred meters remaining!"
"Zone-enhanced Grass Wonder and King Halo are about to catch up to Barbatos!"
"Wait!"
"They're barely closing the gap on Silence Suzuka?!"
Misato's voice pitched with disbelief. Barbatos and Mejiro Dober, having surged forward, were about to be overtaken by the two Zone-wielding pursuers.
Yet even those two, burning with the power of their Zones, hadn't shaved off more than half a length from Silence Suzuka's lead!
--+--
"Air Groove still hasn't made her move?"
Mejiro Dober found herself surprised by her rival's patience. As a G1 champion herself, she didn't mythologize legendary Uma Musume the way the public did.
She held Symboli Rudolf in proper respect, certainly. But in her prime, she'd traded blows with legends just fine.
Her gaze flicked to Silence Suzuka's distant form. At this range, she'd probably run out of steam on the final straight. Still, better safe than sorry, she needed to mind the gap!
Two intense presences and approaching hoofbeats pressed close behind.
Time to accelerate again.
Her peripheral vision caught Barbatos, that streak of white lightning running beside her. What would you choose next?
But when her eyes snapped back to Suzuka, her pupils contracted violently.
"Silence Suzuka! Silence Suzuka!"
"The Otherworldly Front-Runner! Silence Suzuka is accelerating AGAIN! Is she about to leave every single competitor in her dust?!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.