Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

Even as an adult, seeing a shadow while running can still terrify her, and for a time she even had to wear a shadow mask to prevent these things from affecting her concentration.

After watching the movie yesterday, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she could think of the mysterious Sega Racer Girl who chased after the protagonist's trainer with a chainsaw.

Exhausted from not sleeping all night, coupled with the lingering fear in his heart, made it difficult for Narita Shirahito to even take a proper step.

Even though she is making every effort to adjust, in such a high-quality match, even the slightest difference can be enough to determine the outcome!

Looking at the other two racehorses ahead of him, Daiki Express and Mejiro McQueen, Narita Shirahito gritted his teeth.

We can only stabilize our rhythm for now and wait until our bodies are in the right state before considering surpassing our opponents.

The two leading racehorses further ahead shared a similar view with Taiki Express: a rookie leading was the least threatening race for them, and even easier to handle than chasing from behind.

The most likely opponents in this match are Mejiro McQueen and Daiki Express. Both the Mejiro family, known for their exceptional endurance, and Daiki Express, a mile-race champion, possess incredible late-game explosiveness. It's fair to say that Narita Shirajin has no advantage whatsoever, but…

Could it be that I have already lost the right to win because of those external factors...? Is it possible that I can give up now, even though it's only the beginning of the game?

No, that's a complete joke!

There is no reason to give up. Even temporary setbacks cannot stop me. Victory is never something that can be simply decided by each side presenting an advantage.

If there is a high wall blocking your path to victory, then use these legs to break it down!

Before he knew it, Narita Shirahito's fear had vanished, and his steps became increasingly even.

Even though she wasn't in top physical condition, she had completely recovered from her early mistake and was closely following the two leading racehorses.

She looked up slightly and saw that the Big Tree Express was right behind the two leading runners, always in the same line as them, and together with the three people from Meipu Bourbon in front, they formed a straight line running on the track.

Let's maintain this pace for the first half of the season, and then force a breakthrough after that... What?

Before Narita Shirahito's eyes, the two at the very front of the track showed no intention of controlling their speed. They poured all their energy into each step, increasing their speed without reservation, and thus they watched as they moved further and further away.

Seeing this scene, Bai Ren couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt:

What are they doing? The escaped horse's early acceleration is simply to seize the lead and gain the right to choose the best track.

But now that no one else is competing with them for the lead, why speed up...?

—No, they're not leading at all!

----------------------

"A mass exodus!?"

Nishizaki Ryu stared in disbelief at the match scene, then suddenly turned to look at Toyama Hiren standing beside him.

"You actually made them run away when they were facing a giant tree and a fast car?! That's the kind of race that demands the most endurance, and the opponent was that King of Miles... Do you want to ruin these two racehorses?!"

Nishizaki Ryu had every reason to be excited. The Great Escape was a race that required all-out effort from the very beginning, squeezing every last bit of potential out of the body to gain a distance advantage.

In the later stages of the race, having already exhausted themselves, they also had to withstand the pressure from the chasing Uma Musume from behind. If they panicked even slightly, their already near-limited bodies could easily suffer an accident.

An accident during such high-speed running often means an irreparable price to pay!

Even without any unforeseen circumstances, the Great Escape is the most physically demanding type of race for a racehorse girl, especially since one of the Nishizaki Ryu team members had to go to the United States to recuperate due to a Great Escape.

"Destroy them? Pshaw, I wouldn't do something that stupid."

Hikari Toyama pouted, "Do you know how good their stamina is now? Don't judge people with old eyes, Ryu."

"The double escape is a tactic that the three of us have been preparing for a week. You'll see what happens—Bourbon and Stardust will destroy you and Ahua's horse girl!"

She grinned, revealing a set of shark-like sharp teeth.

Behind the two trainers, the spectators in the stands also heard their conversation. He turned to look at the pink-haired racehorse girl next to him who had a lovesick look on her face.

This pink-haired little girl had a band-aid on her forehead. From the very beginning, she stared intently at the contestants in the arena, emitting suspicious laughter, while the clicking of her camera was incessant.

Although the staff didn't understand what the racehorse was laughing about, that didn't stop them from asking her for professional advice:

"You're the Central Racehorse Girl from the academy, right? Can you explain to me what 'double escape' means? Does it refer to a horse race where two people run together?"

"Hey, a double escape is a special case of a great escape, which means that two racehorse girls escape together."

Aili Digital recognized the person asking the question as a staff member from the academy, so they temporarily stopped filming and kindly explained:

"Under normal circumstances, a solo run is a race where the female horse completely controls the rhythm, takes the lead in the first three waves of the race, and continues to accelerate to establish an absolute advantage, making it impossible for the remaining female horses to catch up in time."

"The downside is that the escape requires constant acceleration from the very beginning, which will consume a lot of energy and require you to fight against wind resistance entirely on your own."

"But the two-person escape is different, because the two escapers can also form a running team. That is to say, as long as the racehorse in the lead is willing to help the other escaper break the wind and run faster in line with the other's rhythm, then the escaper behind will save a lot of energy for the second half of the race!"

As she spoke, Aili Digital's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She loved watching the racehorses race and compete on the track, and this special kind of double escape was something she rarely saw even once in a few years.

She managed to sneak out of the hospital; she really got her money's worth even if she died!

"But if that's the case, the other female racehorses won't be affected, right? Won't they be caught up again in the second half of the race?"

The staff member next to him asked another question.

"No, you have to understand... the most terrifying aspect of the Great Escape is never speed or acceleration."

Aili Digital replied:

"This race is a short track. Once the two runners create enough distance to close the gap, even if they don't have enough acceleration in the second half, the other runners won't have enough distance to catch up."

"So watch out, this match is going to be so exciting you won't be able to blink!"

Chapter Forty-Three: The Anxious Star

The opponent is strong!

This was Stardust Illusion's first impression of the game.

Although she participated in a training match a few days after arriving at Central Teresen Academy, it was a training session organized by Toyama Hiren for Miura Bourbon, mainly for mutual learning.

So even though the participants were all top-tier racehorses, most of them didn't give it their all; only a few runaway idiots were fully committed.

But this time it's completely different. The participants are all top-tier players even in the classic level. In addition, the three teams have staked their chance to learn from the French team. This training match, which is limited to the academy, is essentially the same level as any open tournament.

No one would treat this kind of competition with a playful attitude... no, maybe not.

Thinking of the grinning golden ship he had just seen after exiting the gate, Stardust Illusion mentally corrected a sentence.

However, this does not affect the pressure she feels now. Even after the start of the race, thanks to the high-speed start advantage she gained by using the ground solidity, no one else has been able to take away her and Miura Bourbon's leading position.

But this doesn't mean everything is fine!

On the contrary, even though she had joined Bourbon in the leading group, the pricking feeling on her back was getting stronger and stronger. Stardust Illusion didn't even need to turn around to know that several racehorses that had taken the lead were following closely behind the two of them.

More importantly, according to the data collected by Toyama Hikaru before the race, whether it was Daiki Express, Mejiro McQueen, or Narita Shirohito, these three runners who specialized in the race all exceeded their own test data in the final acceleration of the last three waves.

In other words, if she maintains her lead and battles until the end, she is likely to be overtaken by another runner due to insufficient acceleration.

In this short-distance race, the short distance means there are not many opportunities to turn the tide, which means that being overtaken in the final round is almost equivalent to losing the victory!

fine……

Stardust Illusion followed closely behind Miura Bopang, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Trainer Hikari Toyama and she had anticipated this situation. Although she believed she was no less capable than any of her rivals, as a newcomer, she was indeed at a disadvantage in terms of physical attributes compared to other female racehorses.

But so what?

To deal with this situation, Scarlet Toyama has devised a tactic based on the racing styles of Stardust Illusion and Miura Bourbon, as well as their own wishes.

Its name is—Heart Damage.

With the most standard running technique perfectly executed, the Mipu Bourbon team was currently in first place with nothing in front of them.

However, there was no trace of pride in her newly secured lead in her eyes; her face was completely expressionless. At that moment, her mind was constantly processing massive amounts of data.

Having precisely reached the starting position, the instant she took that step, Miura Bourbon suddenly lowered her body, shifting her entire weight forward onto her right leg—

As if telepathically connected, the Stardust Illusion following closely behind changed its running posture at this moment, and the two of them simultaneously took a big step, increasing their speed once again!

Miura Bourbon seemed to transform into the locomotive of a Shinkansen bullet train, roaring out in that instant and breaking through all wind resistance in front of it, while Stardust Illusion was the carriage being pulled by the locomotive, completely parallel to Miura Bourbon and only half a horse's length away.

It can be said that with every step Miura Bourbon takes, her heel is almost touching Stardust Illusion's face. If her pace doesn't slow down by even 0.1 seconds on the Shinkansen track, Stardust Illusion, who is almost right next to her, will definitely suffer an unprecedented blow.

But Stardust Illusion showed no fear and hesitated in the slightest. During this week of special training, the racehorse girl Miura Bourbon did not experience a single moment of rhythm disorder.

She's like a perfectly tuned running machine, and she'll never make the kind of mistakes that ordinary people make!

At that moment, the two, completely in sync, roared off towards the front of the track...

The Shinkansen Draco train has departed!

----------------

Are they crazy...? No!

Megumi McQueen, who was running gracefully, also noticed the acceleration of the two leaders. She only paused for a few moments before reacting.

A great escape, a great escape!!!

McQueen, who was running in fourth place, panicked. Although she was good at running on long-distance tracks and had encountered leading opponents, it was extremely rare for her to escape.

After all, attempting a long-distance escape on a track where endurance is already extremely demanding is practically suicidal. Unless someone is truly out of their mind or exceptionally skilled, they wouldn't do something so strenuous and unrewarding.

But this race is different. The short 1400m track means that since the opponents chose to use a sprint strategy from the start, they must have plenty of stamina and at least won't completely lose speed by the end.

So what should she do in this situation?

The trainer's instructions were to ignore the two runaway racehorses and conserve their energy for the second half of the race before putting out their full potential.

We still need to fight back directly, at least not let them pull too far ahead so that we can't catch up even if we make a final sprint.

No, in this situation, it's even more important to maintain your own rhythm!

After a moment's thought, McQueen made a decision immediately.

Even if the opponent is desperately trying to escape, the stamina of a racehorse girl is fixed. It's impossible for the opponent to accelerate in the early stage and then burst into another high-level acceleration in the final stage.

Therefore, as long as the other contestants are not affected by the opponent's escape, she is fully confident that she can defeat all the enemies with the super endurance brought by the excellent bloodline of the Meguro family!

however……