Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 581 A Chaotic Rhythm

On the track, the situation on the straight section opposite the stands suddenly changed.

Affected by the continued impact of California Shining's violent attack, the only one under heaven and the golden performer, who were originally closely following the northern black horse, became more disordered and had to spend more energy to stabilize their rhythm and position. The distance between them and the leader was unknowingly widened.

Meanwhile, to their side and behind, the Thunderous Roar and Frostfall, which were originally several people away, had to make emergency evasive maneuvers and adjustments.

The giant screen at the scene captured a close-up of the two people:
The thunderous roar caused his spirited brows to furrow tightly, and his face was filled with discomfort.
Shuangjiang glanced at the golden figure on the outside without any politeness, and curled her lips downwards in displeasure, clearly extremely dissatisfied with that domineering and unreasonable running style.

Amidst the chaos, a figure moved silently, like a shark that had smelled blood.

By cleverly utilizing the gaps created by California Shining and the momentary slowdowns in his opponents' rhythm, he overtook several people with astonishing efficiency, quietly climbing into the top ten.

Her figure appeared on another large screen, her eyes frighteningly calm, as if the chaos around her had nothing to do with her.

Everything was going according to plan; she was simply calmly and methodically approaching her prey further ahead.

All the remaining players were more or less caught up in the situation, forced to adjust their rhythm and position.

The entire team was thrown into the biggest chaos since the start of the season due to the arrival of the "bombshell" California Shining.

In the front row of the stands, Yasui Makoto and Alice Soko's expressions were still somber.

Xingmu nervously covered her mouth, her eyes wide open, and her other hand unconsciously gripped the railing beside her.

Yamato Akaki gasped, nearly dropping his tablet.

The commentator's voice became even more excited, even tinged with disbelief:

"It's chaotic!"
"Everything's in chaos!"

"The shockwave from the California Shining players swept through the entire Pioneer Group and the entire team!"
"The course of this Japan Cup match... has completely exceeded expectations!"

The roar from the audience reached a new peak, with exclamations, shouts, and discussions mingling together to form a restless torrent.

Inside the VIP box at the very top, Zhuo Fu looked down at the chaotic arena, rested her chin on her hand, and nodded thoughtfully.

"I see... By indiscriminately disrupting the team's stable rhythm, forcing the leader and all competitors out of their familiar rhythm range..."

"It's really... quite reckless, but also very 'American' liberal tactics."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly:
"You agree, right, President of the Emperor Association?"

Beside her, the Emperor of the East Sea crossed his arms, one finger tapping unconsciously against his elbow, his gaze and expression unusually somber.

Hearing Zhuo Fu's words, she narrowed her eyes, but her gaze did not leave the green lawn below.

“…Indeed,” she admitted, her voice lower than usual.
"In this way, although she will lose some of her rhythm, she is better at finding opportunities in this kind of chaos and confrontation, which is equivalent to forcibly pulling the game into her comfort zone to a certain extent."

"This kind of tactical thinking...is indeed very American."

"Well, so... oh?"

Zhuo Fu shrugged, about to continue, when suddenly her eyes lit up and she noticed another detail in the fiercely competitive team:
"Frostfall... also squeezed in. If they're all from America, they're definitely more familiar with this situation."

She shook her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of teasing and distance:

"That's why I don't really like competing against American female racehorses. Of course, the competitive environment in Europe isn't always much better either."

"But at least... it won't be this 'rude' all the time, that would be too unladylike."

"In that case, if you want to regain control of the game after the chaos, your admirer, Emperor President, will probably have to face... eh?"

She suddenly stopped speaking and her eyes widened slightly.

Following suit, the Emperor of the East Sea suddenly stopped tapping his elbow with his fingers, his narrowed eyes snapped open, and his sharp gaze was fixed on a certain spot on the field.

At the same time, her tense expression melted away like spring snow.

An unconscious upturn of the corners of her mouth led to her eyes, which once again curved into her signature playful smile, tinged with a touch of childlike innocence and boundless confidence. "Well, to be honest, I don't really... enjoy racing with American racehorses."

Her tone lightened, as if the previous seriousness had never existed:
"That Japan Cup match I played back then... well, it was a complete nightmare."

"My admirer probably... doesn't like it very much either?"

"But fortunately..."

Her gaze followed the black figure that had begun to move, her voice filled with certainty:
"This is... the venue in Tokyo."

Before the Emperor of the East Sea had even finished speaking, the VIP box, and indeed the entire Tokyo Racecourse, was engulfed by the commentator's suddenly rising, exhilarated roar and the enormous cheers erupting from the stands:

It moved! It moved!

"The Northern Black Steed! The Northern Black Steed has moved!"

"The Northern Black Steed has accelerated! Beautiful! Absolutely stunning!"
"Perfect timing!"

Instead of getting bogged down in a fight with her opponents on the outside, she seized the moment when the entire team momentarily froze due to the chaos... and accelerated decisively!
"Advantages..."

"The advantage of the Northern Black Steed has expanded!"

On the field, where thousands of eyes were focused, just a second before the chaotic vortex seemed about to swallow and engulf the figure at the very front, the black and gold figure moved!

Without the slightest hesitation or delay, the acceleration was decisive and clear!
This is the second substantial acceleration for the Northern Black Horse since it took its place after leaving the gate!
She suddenly increased her stride, pushing off the ground with power and fullness, and her arm swing widened accordingly. Her center of gravity lowered, as if she had transformed into a black lightning bolt flying close to the ground. In the blink of an eye, she seemed to have rapidly expanded her lead, which was originally only one horse length, to two and a half, or even... three horse lengths!
And here... is precisely the section of the track where the third bend is about to begin, and where a downhill section starts!

Feeling the thrill and excitement of walking a tightrope due to the combination of extreme speed and downhill curves, and the illusion that she was about to lose control and fall off the track at any moment, Northern Black Horse's heart pounded wildly in her chest, and a suffocating scream echoed in her mind.

This is it... right here!
Right here... the gap widens!

Here, at the 'safe distance' calculated by the trainers and their senior, Hayate!
She knew exactly what she was doing, and she understood that all of this had occurred in a "rehearsal".

She and her team had rehearsed this Japan Cup match countless times, from the scramble for position at the gate to the potential close-quarters combat and even more intense clashes.

Using downhill momentum to consolidate an advantage is standard practice, something all racehorses do, especially since the slope before the corner on the opposite side of the Japan Cup is no secret.

But this almost insane, dive-like acceleration is her unique weapon for turning danger into victory.

The number of times might be an exaggeration, but during her "chasing training" with Yasui, she chased and escaped with all her might, and had done countless crazy "dives" like the one she was doing now, like walking a tightrope.

There are also dives, slide tackles, side rolls, and leaps...

If the venue had been available, she could have performed even more thrilling, exciting, and faster "stunts".

So this was just a small, trial application.

But that's enough to completely disrupt any plans of her opponents who try to interfere with her.

So, Shining-chan, your plan is probably... um?

The crimson pupils of the Northern Black Steed suddenly flickered slightly.

In her mind, California's aggressive advance was primarily aimed at disrupting her and forcing her into a war of attrition ahead of schedule.

My unexpected acceleration should disrupt the opponent's plans, forcing them into a passive pursuit and thus greatly depleting their stamina.

However, this does not seem to be the case.

Whether it was the rhythm caught by sound or the fleeting glimpse obtained from the corner of her eye when entering the bend, Northern Black Horse keenly sensed that California Shining, and the herd of racehorses behind her that had just experienced chaos, did not show any obvious signs of panic or forced pursuit as expected.

Instead, an eerie "calm" quickly replaced the previous commotion.

They seemed to have suddenly accepted the new order, and then, "calmly," with a dull yet exceptionally swift and unified pace, began to proceed in an orderly and highly efficient manner...

...nibbling away at the precious distance she had just created.

(End of this chapter)