Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 402 Then let's stay ahead until the finish line!

For the Northern Black Horse, the primary goal of this training match was not victory, but rather to experience and even master the field.

To achieve this, we need to use a carefully designed "scenario simulation".

She is not good at making long escapes; this running style can only be used as a strategic tactic to lure opponents, deal with "multiple escape situations," or control the route in the early stages of the game.

Generally, when a racer discovers that an opponent is using a runaway style, most race girls' first reaction is to try to disrupt the runaway racer by pressing forward and taking a positional advantage, thus affecting the runaway racer's rhythm and causing the opponent to waste their already precious stamina.

She happens to have plenty of stamina, and if an opponent were to do that, the opponent would most likely be the one to suffer, not herself.

With ample stamina, if facing multiple runaway horses, she can switch her lead strategy from a long run back to her preferred slow run, maintaining a lead of three to five horse lengths in the early stages, rather than the longer lead required for a long run.

This approach avoids the energy drain caused by competing with other fleeing horses in the escape strategy, while also allowing for sustained acceleration in the mid-game using stamina and skill, thus maintaining control over subsequent pursuit.

Route control is actually the advantage of a slow escape, which is the advantage after a lead transition.

In "multiple escape situations," especially "double escape situations," by feigning a large-scale escape at the beginning to seize the rhythm, you can gain more time to adjust your pace, thus avoiding exhaustion and prioritizing the best route to avoid the risk of being stuck or competing from the start.

"Scenario simulation" is an extension of this series of escape theories.

Based on the pre-match analysis, the ideal scenario would be for the team to immediately launch a retreat, prompting opponents to close in. This would allow the team to enter a fast-paced state while also expending sufficient energy on the team itself.

If it's not a forced competition but a contest between fleeing horses, the effect is the same: both can achieve the goal of exhausting physical strength.

Once physical strength is depleted to a certain extent, there is a high probability of experiencing the intense competition again, thus giving one another chance to experience the field.

However, the current situation does not fall under any of the scenarios in the "situation simulation".

Even after surging out of the bend and cutting back onto the straight, she was still leading the pack.

The difference of ten horse lengths is still maintained; no, it should be said that even slowly, this gap is still widening, and she is still increasing the distance.

If you look closely and your perception isn't mistaken, the lead is definitely already twelve horse lengths and it's still increasing.

Under these circumstances, she couldn't help but feel lost.

"So, all the analysis I did with the trainer... was completely wrong? Does this mean we're going to keep leading like this and... just win?"

But this confusion lasted only a moment.

Maintaining his rhythm, the slightly unfocused gaze settled on the dark brown track, feeling every bit of resistance beneath his feet, and Northern Black Horse took a deep breath.

She didn't know how her opponents judged and made decisions, nor did she know whether the pre-match goals could be achieved or whether the "scenario simulation" had backfired.

But this is, after all, a race, and she is, after all, a racehorse girl, a runaway horse.

Since no one is willing to catch up, let's maintain this momentum and keep leading!
We're almost at the 1000-meter mark now, which is about halfway through the 2400-meter race, so let's just prepare for a long-distance sustained acceleration!
The moment the thought flashed through his mind, Beifang Xuanju felt as if his muscles were being ignited by explosives, and a surge of power suddenly erupted from his body.

Her eyes were fixed on the approaching signpost, a resolute and determined glint in them. Her arm swings became increasingly rapid, each strike like a powerful hammer blow, the whooshing sound seeming to tear the surrounding air apart, carving a path to victory for herself.

At the same time, her pace suddenly quickened, and with each step, it was as if the resistance and slipperiness of the mud beneath her feet did not exist; every step was filled with unrestrained speed and power.

The signs and the track began to blur as she accelerated, and she could feel her body flying forward.

As she accelerated, the gap between her and the second-place finisher continued to widen.

Twelve horse bodies, thirteen horse bodies, fourteen horse bodies...

Every moment, she was creating new advantages, making her figure appear increasingly lonely on the track, as if she were the only racehorse girl left on the field.

On the sidelines, both the female racehorses and the trainers stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing, their eyes fixed on the track, all focused on the Northern Black Horse that was pulling away in the dust.

The number of people allowed into this training match was already small, and the venue was much quieter than on a real match day. Now, because of everyone's surprise, it became even more silent.

In this deathly silence, the scene of the black-haired girl walking alone on the track while the rest of the team lagged far behind continued, with only the dense and muffled footsteps faintly heard across most of the stadium.

The silence was broken only when the former's figure had passed most of the straight line on the opposite side and was gradually approaching the iconic beech tree of the Tokyo stadium. A voice filled with shock and confusion broke the silence.

"Hey, wait, wait!"

She clutched her head and screamed. Golden Boat grabbed to the side, feeling a shoulder she was holding, and shook it violently, then shouted:
"Ah Tong, don't you... find this inexplicable?"
"What is that master craftsman doing? And what is she doing at the celebration? And where are the others? Are they... just leaving Xiao Beiling here?"

"It's almost fifteen horse lengths long, isn't it?"

The ship being violently rocked by the golden ship was Yi Lu Tong.

After being shaken and making a strange "uh uh uh" sound, Yi Lutong shrugged and glared at the Golden Ship with dissatisfaction.

Then she frowned, quickly looked at the track, and nodded:

"It's about... about fifteen horse lengths."

Then, she frowned and shook her head, saying, "But even if you ask me, I don't know what the seniors were thinking."

"The instructions the seniors received from President Emperor and President Great Shock... should be the same as those for us sparring partners: win the match, right?"
"If that's the case, with Beifang Xuanju leading by so much, shouldn't the seniors... have a good chance of winning?"

He said something somewhat uncertainly, and then Yi Lutong's expression suddenly changed.

On the track, just like when he was practicing alone, the leading Northern Black Horse was blocked by a large beech tree near the final bend of the track.

At that very moment, as if receiving some kind of command, the teams that were still visible to the naked eye and far from the big beech tree suddenly began to stir.

(End of this chapter)