Roughly twenty seconds had passed since the Satsuki Sho began, yet the competition on the track had already unfolded like a whirlwind of unexpected shifts and heart-pounding intensity.
It started with a blistering break from the gates, the field exploding forward in a thunderous surge of hooves and determination. Then came the relentless skirmishes for position, each Uma Musume fighting for every inch of track with calculated aggression. The steep slope battle that followed pitted Kitasan Black, Clarity Sky, and Wonder Acute against one another in a grueling test of will and stamina. In the end, Kitasan Black had seized the lead, only for Clarity Sky to surge forward in a lightning-fast chase and claim it right back.
That ferocious early pace had pushed the entire race to a visibly blistering speed. The field stretched out dramatically, the gaps between runners widening with every stride. By the time Clarity Sky powered along the straight toward the first turn, the last Uma Musume in the pack had only just cleared the midpoint of the straight. The contrast was stark and electrifying.
Up in the stands, both the commentator's voice and the roaring cheers of the crowd blended into one massive wave of excitement. Yasui Makoto stood directly opposite the straight, his earlier burst of adrenaline now giving way to a focused calm. He narrowed his eyes, watching every movement on the track with the sharp gaze of a trainer who had poured countless hours into preparing his girl for this exact moment.
"It's Clarity Sky? Did she suddenly change her running style…?" he murmured under his breath.
The live commentary and thunderous cheers echoing through the stadium were loud enough to shake the stands, but the Uma Musume gathered beside him caught his quiet words clearly.
Daiwa Scarlet reacted instantly, her sharp eyes narrowing in thought.
"Changing her running style… You mean Clarity Sky hasn't run in the lead position before? No wonder. Her breathing, her stride, the way she's pacing herself… none of it looks like something she does often as a leader."
From Special Week's phone came the thoughtful voice of Silence Suzuka.
"Hmm… And this speed is far too aggressive for someone taking the lead early. If I were out there on the track right now… I would only consider pushing this kind of pace once we reached the middle stage."
The two Uma Musume were without question among the finest leaders in the academy. Yasui Makoto and the others absorbed their analysis, nodding in understanding while their attention remained fixed on another pressing concern.
"But the way she's competing right now… this isn't good news for Kita-chan," Emperor said, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "If she's not careful and lets the opponent throw off her rhythm, her pacing and stamina management later in the race will definitely suffer."
"Kita-chan… Is she going to be okay?"
All eyes turned toward Yasui Makoto.
Emperor's worries were completely valid. After all, this very Uma Musume had tasted similar defeats in the past. Across her entire career she had only failed to win three races, and one of those losses in the Autumn Tenno Sho had come precisely because a leader unleashed an overwhelming high-speed burst too early.
Yet Yasui Makoto felt no real anxiety about Kitasan Black facing the same fate. His Uma Musume was already an expert at leading, and the current situation sat squarely within the realm of what they had anticipated and trained for. Unlike Wonder Acute, who had no history of leading performances, Clarity Sky had always preferred a front-running or closer style. The closest she had ever come to a true leading role was in the previous Yayoi Sho, where her passing order stayed locked at fourth throughout the entire race.
When an Uma Musume like that suddenly switched her approach, it usually meant one of two things: either the trainer had issued a specific order, or the horse herself had made a snap decision driven by nerves or instinct. Changing running styles always carried risk, but it could also shatter an opponent's carefully laid plans and open the door to an upset victory.
Still, one fact remained undeniable. A lack of dedicated leading training and real race experience in that position gave Kitasan Black a clear advantage. More importantly, among the specialized drills they had drilled for the Satsuki Sho, there was one tactic designed exactly for this kind of scenario.
Before Yasui Makoto could explain any of that to Emperor and the others, a sudden shift erupted on the track.
…
Kitasan Black stared straight ahead, her sharp eyes catching the faint glints of sweat beads sparkling on Clarity Sky's neck under the bright sunlight. The entrance to the turn drew closer with every heartbeat. She kept her nerves steel-tight while her mind raced through calculations at blinding speed.
When Clarity Sky had overtaken her moments earlier, a jolt of alarm had shot through her, but she had forced it down almost instantly. The opponent's desperate acceleration along the straight had caught her off guard, true. Yet this exact battle for the lead was something Yasui Makoto had discussed with her before the race. It was not the first time she had faced this kind of pressure. She had clashed with rivals in similar situations before, and more importantly, she had practiced this exact scenario with her seniors time and time again.
If that was the case, then all she needed to do was follow the instructions and trust the training. She still had every chance to overtake.
Just wait a little longer. It is not time yet. The opportunity has not arrived…
She kept repeating the reminder to herself, eyes locked forward. Then, suddenly, her gaze lit up with fierce determination.
Grass clippings and chunks of dirt flew back toward her from the front. A sharp, earthy scent filled her nostrils. Deep inside her wind-whipped ears, her heartbeat thundered in time with the roaring cheers that rolled over the stands like crashing ocean waves. The rapid, drum-like rhythm of hooves surrounded her from every direction. The wind whistled past. And right at the moment the turn entrance appeared within reach, the powerful beat inside her chest grew even stronger.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Thump, thump, thump…
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Now!
First Gradient!
Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her throat. The girl suddenly released her clenched jaw. Her breathing rhythm and stride transformed in perfect unison.
The instant the curve of the turn came into view, her right foot shot forward with pinpoint precision, planting firmly into the fresh, overturned grass indentation just ahead. From her legs through her hips, chest, and arms, the stored kinetic energy exploded outward in a single, controlled burst.
She used the centrifugal force of the turn to tilt her center of gravity slightly left, letting the wind resistance split smoothly along a subtle arc around her body before streaming behind her. The precise stride she had measured and practiced countless times during training now came alive. Her adjusted sprint steps crushed the shallow pits that her opponent had just kicked up.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, after only the very first step of Gradient Acceleration, Kitasan Black felt her fingertips brush against the strands of Clarity Sky's wind-blown hair as the rival's arm swung beside her.
Her peripheral vision caught the flash of astonishment on the other girl's face, but she paid it no mind. Gradient Acceleration had to remain continuous and perfectly connected, or it would lose all meaning. She kept her eyes fixed dead ahead, commanding every muscle in her body with total focus.
And then…
Second Gradient!
The moment she sensed herself reaching the heart of the turn, Kitasan Black caught a muffled buzz of surprise rippling through the crowd. In her peripheral vision she saw her opponent drifting outward under the turn's centrifugal force. She tightened her shoulders and sliced into the open inner path like a marlin cutting through water.
Crushed turf exploded behind her in emerald waves. Tiny beads of sweat formed on her left temple. A burning heat spread from her brow bone down to her cheekbone, as if the sunlight itself were pressing directly against her skin. The strong side wind she had felt upon entering the turn had now vanished completely behind her.
Finally…
Third Gradient!
At the transition back onto the straight, the girl who had already accelerated twice suddenly tensed her jawline once more. She clenched her teeth exactly as she had before the turn and unleashed the full explosive power stored throughout her body. She surged forward into the straight like a released arrow.
About a second later, her awareness of the world around her sharpened again.
Three or four horse lengths behind, she heard footsteps mixed with the sound of stumbling and struggling to recover. Farther back, other runners were still fighting to counteract the centrifugal force of the turn. Even farther away, the commentator's voice had already reached a fever pitch, blending with the audience's deafening cheers.
"Overtake! Overtake! Kitasan Black has completed the overtake!" The commentator's voice cracked with pure excitement. "Absolutely unwilling to be outdone! After being passed by Clarity Sky in the early stages, Kitasan Black has delivered a breathtaking counterattack on the turn! Now Kitasan Black is back in the lead! A four-horse-length advantage!"
Yasui Makoto felt his pulse quicken as he watched the scene unfold. A quiet smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. This was exactly what they had trained for. Every grueling session, every careful adjustment to her stride, every discussion late into the night about pacing and positioning… it was all paying off right here on the biggest stage of the classics.
Inside his chest, pride swelled for the girl who refused to stay behind. Kitasan Black had not only reclaimed the lead, she had done it with the kind of commanding presence that reminded everyone why she was the one he believed in most.
The race was far from over, but in this moment, the momentum had shifted decisively. The stands erupted once more as the field charged down the straight, and Yasui Makoto kept his eyes locked on the black mane flying at the front of the pack.
This was only the beginning of the real fight.