Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 481 Your Greatest Challenge in the Future
At one end of the track, Kita Genko and Apricot were increasingly excited as they discussed their racing strategies.

A little further away on the other side, looking over here, Mitsuzumi Satomi was also talking about the same thing with her sister.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Bei will still be able to grab the lead position later."

With his gaze fixed on his childhood friend, Hikaru Satomi frowned slightly, his expression extremely focused, and whispered:
"Don't even mention that none of our best students in this year's class are here right now. Even if they came to participate in the competition, I don't think there would be a single one who could snatch the lead position from her."

"Occupying her most advantageous position, she will most likely perform similarly to her performances in Chrysanthemum Appreciation and Emperor Appreciation, suppressing and leading the pace as much as possible throughout, and then using her amazing stamina to drag all her opponents into a quagmire of attrition warfare..."

She spoke eloquently, her cheeks flushed with excitement, her eyes growing increasingly serious, glancing every now and then at the distant race track, as if she could already foresee the fierce competition that was about to begin:
"Therefore, we must never underestimate her level of endurance."

“In previous competitions, she almost always looked exhausted, yet she was able to maintain an extremely high speed.”

"This shows that her physical reserves, rhythm control, and perception of the game situation are much stronger than most people think."

"With Xiao Bei like this... I must come up with enough ways to take the initiative in the game."

"but……"

She suddenly bit her lip, and her speech unconsciously quickened:

“I watched all of her match videos repeatedly. If I want to keep up with or even surpass her, I have to keep up with her rhythm from the middle game onwards. Otherwise, I probably won’t be able to catch up with her by rushing in the end game alone.”

"But if we really decide to do that, the stamina we have for the final kick... might not be enough..."

As her voice grew lower, her brows furrowed even more, clearly caught in a difficult decision.

"Little Drill, you... wait a minute!"

The sudden voice from beside her interrupted Hikari Satomi's train of thought. Startled, she snapped out of her focused analysis and looked at the person beside her with surprise:

"Sister...?"

"I admit, in the match later..."

Looking at his sister, Satomi Takako frowned deeply, took a serious breath, and said:
"Xiao Bei is undoubtedly the strongest opponent. Having faced her so many times on the field, I can be sure of that."

She paused slightly, as if considering how to phrase her words, then continued in a heavy tone:
"Not only in the race later, but also after you finish running the classic course, it will be the biggest challenge on your future path."

"Of course...it's mine too."

"elder sister……"

He murmured something again, and Satomi Hikaru's eyes gradually became complicated, containing both his agreement with Satomi Crown and a trace of worry about those conclusions.

"However, what I want to talk about now is the upcoming match."

Gently shaking his head, Satomi Crown brought the topic back to the present:
"Or rather... to appreciate chrysanthemums."

"Xiao Zuan, have you forgotten that in three months you will be facing not Xiao Bei, but them?"

As she spoke, she slowly turned her head, her gaze fixed on the other side of the arena.

Scattered around were the racehorse girls who had come with them. Among them, the one named Miki Rocket was currently focused on doing her final stretching exercises.

She first raised one leg and placed her foot on a slightly higher platform. She leaned forward slightly and tried to touch her toes with both hands. The muscles in her long, slender legs were taut, and every muscle seemed to be ready for the upcoming competition.

Then, she switched to the other leg and repeated the same movement, muttering to herself as if to encourage herself. Next to the Miki Rocket, another racehorse girl with a high ponytail was doing joint exercises.

She quickly rotated her ankles, round and round, her movements agile and fluid. Then she began to move her wrists, her arms drawing graceful arcs in the air.

Further away, there was a racehorse girl gently hopping in place.

With her light and graceful movements, her ears and tail swayed merrily, her eyes filled with anticipation and fighting spirit for the match.

"You've fought them more than once, so you should know their strength very well."

Turning her gaze away, Satomi Crown emphasized as she continued speaking to Satomi Hikaru:

"The performance of the Miki Rockets after their debut was definitely not bad, but they probably did not expect the intensity of the Satsuki Sho competition, and they only got 13th place."

"But in the subsequent conditional matches, she gradually demonstrated her strengths and has regained her eligibility to participate in the classic battlefront."

"Then she exudes an awe-inspiring presence. Her last kick is almost as good as yours, and her stamina might even be slightly better. You should have experienced this firsthand in the Satsuki Prize and the Japanese Derby."

"And the Celestial Dragon Horse, the Seven-Colored Thread..."

Gangsman Hikaru analyzed the opponents one by one, while Satomi Crown watched the changes on his sister's face.

After realizing the sudden realization and the emerging thoughtfulness, she nodded silently, her tone filled with relief:

"That's right, Xiaozuan, before your debut, you were the most outstanding and eye-catching among all your peers."

"Not only the family, but I... have gradually come to believe that if it is you who can win the G1 race and fulfill the Satomi family's long-cherished wish, it may not be me, nor any other Satomi Uma Musume, but you."

"But the Shining Series... isn't that simple."

"Powerful, incredibly talented, constantly growing, capable of creating miracles..."

"There are too many strong people."

"So in fact, the powerful obstacles you encounter on this path are not only your rivals in the Chrysanthemum Appreciation, not only Koki, but many, many more."

Satomi Hikari instantly understood her sister's good intentions, and her heart was filled with gratitude. She quickly brought her thoughts back to the match in front of her.

She didn't come up with the idea for this mock race, but she overheard other female racehorses mentioning it on the way here, and that's when she got the idea.

With this simulation of the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Competition, she can not only test her own strength, but also accumulate valuable experience for the competition three months later. In particular, she can analyze the characteristics of each opponent and every possible tactic from the actual situation.

She understood this from the beginning; she had only been distracted by her friend. Now, having adjusted her thoughts, she spoke again with complete focus, discussing strategies and key points to observe during the competition with her sister.

As the race time drew near, the racehorses, having finished their warm-up, walked methodically toward the temporary gate under the careful guidance of Yamato Akaki.

Although it was just a simulated race, every female horse racer's eyes sparkled with anticipation and longing for the competition.

More and more female racehorses gathered around the training ground, some of whom had clearly come from afar, likely summoned by friends via phone or text message to watch this impromptu race.

In an instant, the atmosphere on the entire training ground became tense and intense, as if an invisible gunpowder smoke filled the air.

(End of this chapter)