Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 279 A Simulation Match with Extremely High Gold Content
After hearing Takatoshi Inamami's arrangements, Makoto Yasui quickly agreed to the competition format.

He had noticed the grounds when he arrived. Although they weren't as grand as Treson Academy, the condition of the grass suggested that they were regularly and carefully maintained.

It's perfectly fine for a simple match like this.

Moreover, in such a relatively familiar environment, the female racehorses might be able to perform better, which would also make it easier for him to observe Wang Ziding's performance in actual races.

The Northern Black Horse also had no objections.

Although he has had many training experiences with predecessors such as the Gold Master and the Gold Ship.

But competing with so many racehorse girls from the Golden Family was a first for her, and a rare challenge and an excellent opportunity to improve herself.

So, looking forward to the journey, she changed into her workout clothes at the mansion and returned to the training ground in high spirits.

As Takatoshi Imamichi had said, a draw was conducted in accordance with the rules of an official competition, and soon a row of racehorse girls stood on the temporary starting line on the outermost lawn of the training ground.

The Northern Black Horse, with its agile physique, stood among them, its eyes firm and confident, revealing its anticipation and fighting spirit for the competition.

Wang Ziding stood beside her, maintaining her elegant and composed demeanor, but her slightly clenched fists revealed a hint of nervousness and excitement within her.

The Golden Master and the Golden Ship stood on either side of them. These sisters, who were usually bickering, had put away their playful expressions and were now serious, ready to show their skills in this mock competition.

Dream Journey and Zhongshan Celebration stood at the very edge, glancing at each other with eager anticipation in their eyes.

Seeing that the racehorse girls were ready, Takatoshi Imanami smiled and looked at Makoto Yasui. When Makoto Yasui smiled and bowed in return, Imanami took out a red handkerchief from his pocket.

Holding a red handkerchief in one hand, Takatoshi Imanami walked to the edge of the field and raised it high, while holding a stopwatch in the other. He shouted loudly:
"On your marks, get set..."

Upon hearing this, not only did the racehorse girls gather a powerful, ready-to-go aura, but Yasui Makoto also couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

This method of using the dropping of a handkerchief as a starting signal was something that Genko Kita had never used before.

But Yasui Makoto knew in his heart that this seemingly simple method actually had a lot of rationality, and was similar to the gate starting method.

The starting gate is controlled by a mechanical device that opens the gate. Upon hearing the starting signal, the racehorses rush out of the gate at the same instant. The competition is about reaction speed and explosive power at the start, as well as the control of the starting rhythm.

While this handkerchief-dropping starting method is free from the constraints of mechanical gates, it still requires the racehorses to maintain a high level of concentration, keeping a close eye on the red handkerchief in Imanami Takatoshi's hand.

The moment the handkerchief is waved or falls, the racehorses must react quickly, relying on their anticipation and reaction abilities to sprint off in the first instant.

Both of these starting methods require the racehorses to maintain a high level of focus and tension before the start, and to cultivate their ability to keenly detect starting signals.

So despite the different formats, both starting methods test the racehorses' mental fortitude, reaction speed, and starting skills.

Although the Northern Black Horse had not undergone this kind of training, he was not too worried.

After all, experiencing a new starting method is undoubtedly an opportunity to broaden one's experience, and in the long run, it will be very beneficial.

Besides, he held the stopwatch tightly in his hand, ready to start the timer, but a large part of his attention was on Wang Ziding, and he kept comparing her with Xingmu in his mind.

Compared to Almond Eyes' performance when running alongside Northern Black Horse, Wang Ziding is noticeably calmer and more composed at this moment.

From a competitive standpoint, Wang Ziding is clearly in a more advantageous position and has a better chance of seizing the initiative from the start. The primary reason for this difference, at present, appears to be personality.

Like Genko in the north, Almond-shaped eyes have a very cheerful and outgoing personality, and an even stronger competitive spirit.

In terms of sheer competitiveness, even if we include most of the racehorse girls here and those we've encountered before, there might not be many who can surpass Alimee.

This kind of personality and temperament naturally has both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside, as analyzed earlier, is that it can cause almond-shaped eyes to focus more on things related to winning and losing, such as referees and starting signals, thus distracting them.

On the other hand, when faced with adversity such as a significant gap in strength between oneself and one's seniors, Almond Eyes is able to unleash strength beyond what is usually possible.

So, how will Wang Ziding perform when she is also in a situation where she is running alongside her seniors and under pressure?

Yasui Makoto was filled with anticipation, his eyes fixed on the starting line, his breathing unconsciously becoming softer, afraid of missing any detail.

At this moment, the entire training ground was so quiet it was almost suffocating. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the moment when Takatoshi Imanami would swing the red handkerchief down.

After saying "Ready," Takatoshi Imanami did not continue speaking, but instead released his hand without warning.

A bright red handkerchief floated lightly down onto the grass, like a delicate maple leaf swirling in the air.

The moment the handkerchief left his hand, the Northern Black Steed, like a black lightning bolt, charged out first.

After more than a year of rigorous training day after day, her speed and momentum have already shown the sharpness that her senior, Gu Ma, should have.

That unstoppable momentum seemed to tear the air in front of them apart.

Following closely behind were Golden Master and Zhongshan Celebration. These two female racehorses had sharp eyes like eagles and did not let their guard down at all just because the leaders were juniors.

Judging from their fixed gazes straight ahead, they clearly regard the Northern Black Horse as a formidable opponent of the same level and are determined to compete against it in this match.

Their steps were quick and powerful, their breathing steady and even, each step marked by a firm rhythm, as they followed closely behind the Northern Black Horse.

Next came the Dream Journey and the Golden Journey. They did not blindly try to catch up, but cleverly took their positions in the middle row, calmly observing the actions of their opponents ahead, looking ready to pounce.

And in the end, unsurprisingly, one of the racehorse girls was Golden Ship.

Although she started behind the others, she looked as relaxed as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

A confident smile played on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation.

Her relaxed and carefree demeanor suggested that she was fully confident of easily overtaking the opponent in the later stages of the competition, showing no concern whatsoever about her current disadvantage.

The other one was Wang Ziding, who was slightly biting her lower lip.

Her originally elegant face was now slightly flushed, but her eyes revealed a hint of tension and determination.

Despite falling behind at the start, she remained calm and composed, adjusting her breathing and pace in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)