"The race has begun. This is the first time in so many days that a newly enrolled Umamusume has accepted a challenge from Pluto Academy."
"Skitty looks very confident. She chose to lead from the very beginning, seemingly aiming to leave Duramente far behind."
"Skitty is in the lead, 6 lengths!"
"Duramente is keeping up with Skitty's pace. Is her stamina okay?"
The 1800-meter turf mile race starts abruptly between the first and second turns. Skitty quickly entered the straight.
Duramente followed closely behind Skitty. Although the gap was significant, it was quite impressive for a newly enrolled Umamusume.
"Skitty is still in the lead. She's the first to reach the steep slope, losing a bit of speed, but it's not a big problem!"
"Duramente has also reached the slope. How will she handle this steep incline?"
Sakura Bakushin O's words were barely out of her mouth when gasps of surprise erupted around the track.
They noticed that Duramente had changed her running style, switching to a very fast stride.
She climbed the steep slope without losing much speed.
"Oh! It's the 'small stride' technique!"
'As expected of an Umamusume who made it into Rigil. It seems Duramente has already mastered the essence of Daiki Shuttle's hill-climbing method despite only recently joining the team!'
'Such outstanding talent! Falco is so envious~'
There were no races on TCB today, so Smart Falcon returned to her commentary seat to take on the role of commentator.
Upon hearing Smart Falcon's adorable voice, several Umamusumes watching from Abyss, along with Miracle Fantasy and USA Durian from yesterday's BH, all twitched their eyes reflexively.
They all had PTSD about Smart Falcon.
"The short stride technique is working well. Although she looks a little rusty, Duramente has effectively reduced the speed lost on the uphill sections."
"Duramente is now about 5 lengths behind Skitty, who is leading ahead."
"Skitty is entering the third turn."
"Skitty is accelerating again; it seems she wants to widen the gap with Duramente behind her."
Just as Sakura Bakushin O had guessed.
Leading at the front, Skitty wasn't considered particularly outstanding among the exchange students from Pluto Academy.
However, she didn't believe she would lose to an Umamusume who had only been enrolled for three months and had even lost her debut match.
"Skitty, you've already pulled 7 lengths ahead of Duramente, and the gap is widening."
'For a newly enrolled Umamusume, Duramente has done remarkably well to maintain that lead in the early stages. Keep it up, don't give up!☆'
"It's all your fault for accepting the challenge. After today, I'll finally have a record of defeating Rigil, the top team from Tracen Academy," Skitty thought smugly, her pace accelerating.
"Skitty has entered the final corner and is heading towards the final straight."
"Duramente has finally started accelerating, but the gap is quite large. Can she catch up?"
"Duramente, she's fast!"
Hearing this, Skitty glanced back and saw that Duramente, who had initially been more than 7 lengths behind, had actually closed the gap considerably. She was immediately alarmed.
"Duramente, still accelerating! Now only a 5-length difference!"
"Skitty has reached the final straight. She seems a bit desperate. Can she continue accelerating?"
"The second uphill—Skitty's speed has decreased again!"
"Damn it!"
Upon reaching the final straight, Skitty wanted to accelerate again, but after the final corner, there was another uphill section, forcing her to slow down once more.
"Duramente is still using the short stride! The gap is closing!"
'It seems Skitty hasn't practiced climbing hills; her pace is noticeably slowing down.'
'On the other hand, Duramente's short stride is a huge advantage uphill.'
Smart Falcon thought smugly:
'Although it's not as good as the climbing technique Trainer-san taught McQueen and Ms. Teio.'
"Skitty has finally climbed up, but she's less than 3 lengths ahead of Duramente!"
'Duramente, can you catch up?'
'She's catching up—Duramente, right behind Skitty!'
'Skitty has sped up again! But she hasn't shaken off Duramente!'
'The last 200 meters!'
"Oh no, I accelerated too early to widen the gap. Now I can't accelerate anymore…"
Skitty looked at Duramente, who was closely following behind her, with a hint of alarm.
"Is the stamina of a new Umamusume really that good? She can still accelerate?"
"Skitty doesn't seem to be able to accelerate anymore. Duramente is still closely following behind her. Does she not intend to overtake?"
"Hey! Duramente accelerated! Duramente still has the stamina to accelerate!! She's starting to overtake from the side!"
"What's going on? Duramente still has stamina!"
"Wow—!"
The onlookers from the Umamusume community exclaimed in unison. Skitty was already out of stamina, yet this newcomer, Umamusume Duramente, could still accelerate further.
"Falco understands!"
Smart Falcon suddenly shouted.
"Skitty used up too much energy accelerating in the early stages, and coupled with her lack of experience climbing hills, she lost a lot of speed."
"Duramente, on the other hand, has been running in Skitty's 'wake' since the climb, where wind resistance is lowest, thus conserving energy in the final stages."
"Duramente, she's so smart! She doesn't seem like a rookie Umamusume at all!"
"I see! Duramente has caught up with Skitty now!"
"Last 100 meters!"
"Can she overtake her? Is Skitty going to be defeated by an Umamusume who hasn't even won her debut?!"
This is supposed to be just an active-duty Umamusume versus a rookie Umamusume who lost her debut.
But the Umamusumes watching aren't bored at all; on the contrary, they're watching with great tension, even trying to hold their breath.
"She's overtaken! She's overtaken!"
"Duramente—"
"Crossing the finish line!"
"Duramente really won! It's a miracle!"
"Duramente, by a single length, defeated Skitty!"
As Duramente crossed the finish line, gasps of amazement echoed around the Tracen Academy track.
"Is this really the strength of a rookie Umamusume? How did she lose her debut race?!"
Such doubts resonated in the minds of countless Umamusumes.
Standing at the very back of the stands, Tojo Hana nodded in satisfaction after seeing Duramente cross the finish line.
"Duramente has a good chance of becoming the second Teio."
--