"And there she is! The much-anticipated T.M. Opera O has finally arrived on the Racecourse!"
Akasaka Misato, as the commentator, immediately noticed T.M. Opera O's emerging figure.
She had been worried that something might have happened due to the delay, but now, she excitedly shouted:
"T.M. Opera O steps onto the track with confident strides befitting her title of 'Overlord'!"
"Truly worthy of her title, a confidence that shines brightly even among other GI level Uma Musumes!"
"Without a doubt, she is confident in winning this race! She will surely bring everyone a spectacular performance today!"
"Phew... he managed to make it in time."
Meanwhile, Imanami and the others, waiting in the stands, knew that Wada must have arrived in time after seeing T.M. Opera O finally appear.
This was evident from T.M. Opera O's demeanour; if Wada hadn't arrived, she would never have been in such high spirits.
Not only Imanami, but Hana Toujou, Okino, and all their Uma Musume also breathed a sigh of relief.
Standing up from her seat, Special Week also shouted with all her might:
"T.M. OPERA O!!!! YOU MUST WIN!!!!!"
"Spe-chan, she might become your opponent later, you know?"
Silence Suzuka, beside her, chuckled softly: "Are you really willing to cheer for your opponent?"
"Huh? Even if we'll be opponents later, T.M. Opera O probably wants everyone to cheer for her right now, don't you think?"
Special Week rubbed her carrot-filled head and smiled ingenuously:
"Plus, I won't lose to T.M. Opera O either! Everyone, let's cheer for T.M. Opera O and McQueen!"
"That's right."
Beside her, Grass Wonder, from Team Rigil, also replied with a smile:
"Cheering for your opponent, that's very you, Spe-chan~"
"Then let's all cheer together!" El Condor Pasa also enthusiastically stepped forward and shouted:
"DON'T LOSE T.M. OPERA O!! GO BEAT SHADA— ouch!"
"Idiot El, wouldn't it be over if you shouted it out?"
Hishi Amazon quickly stomped on El Condor Pasa's shoes and covered her mouth to stop her from saying anything more.
Although everyone present knew full well that Shadai was going to sabotage this race, shouting it out in public was completely different from just knowing it!
On the track, T.M. Opera O's steps, though slow, were still very smooth as she entered her gate.
At this moment, her gaze was not on the other Uma Musume in the gates beside her, but directly forward.
And by T.M. Opera O's side, clipping in between the gates, "T.M. Opera O" also silently assumed a running posture beside her.
In both their eyes, there was only one goal—the finish line.
On the other side, Mejiro McQueen, Admire Vega, Narita Top Road, and Mejiro Ryan also entered their gates one after another.
As they entered, the four of them exchanged glances, clearly understanding what they needed to do in this race.
"This time, I won't go easy on you."
T.M. Opera O murmured to her other self beside her, startling one of the Shadai Uma Musume next to her.
She thought T.M. Opera O was talking to her, and that T.M. Opera O had seen through their scheme. For a moment, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Save the boasting for when you win, my other self."
But "T.M. Opera O" merely smiled faintly: "You'll stay a failure until you surpass me."
"So, let me see how you win."
—Clang!
"And they're off! Oh, number 2 had a slightly late start, unlucky... Okay, T.M. Opera O immediately takes an advantageous position!"
"Mejiro McQueen is right behind! Narita Top Road also had a perfect start, but is still slightly behind the two."
"Mejiro Ryan has chosen to run as a Late Surger, while Admire Vega, as always, chose to run as an End Closer, conserving her stamina at the back of the group."
"Is she planning a final spurt showdown with T.M. Opera O?"
"What a good start, T.M. Opera O is really in great form today."
In the stands, Amazon also nodded with satisfaction, arms crossed, and said.
"McQueen and Narita Top Road are also performing well—but, surprisingly, Narita Top Road was only slightly behind McQueen in the start."
Air Groove, beside her, also noticed this, her gaze fixed on Narita Top Road, who was slightly behind McQueen in the Pace Chaser pack, and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Her strength far eclipses the one she showed during the Japanese Derby, I didn't expect her to grow so rapidly in just these few short months."
"—I heard that Trainer Fumino Nase gave Narita Top Road and Admire Vega some help for a period before the Kikuka Sho,"
Narita Brian, still chewing on a blade of grass beside her, said calmly:
"It's very likely that Narita Top Road's growth is directly corelated to Trainer Fumino Nase."
"Eh? But why would Trainer Nase do that?"
The conversation of the others made Special Week, who was nearby, ask in confusion:
"Trainer Nase is a part of Team Miracle, right? Why would she help Narita Top Road and Admire Vega?"
"...They must've reached some kind of consensus?" Symboli Rudolf, beside her, speculated after a moment of silence:
"After all, if they want to compete fairly this time, they must first eliminate the one that threatens that fairness, which is Shadai."
"Then, there must be a few Uma Musume who will sacrifice victory in this Kikuka Sho to create an opportunity for the remaining Uma Musume to challenge T.M. Opera O."
"President, you mean…"
Air Groove and Narita Brian also realized something after hearing her words, looking incredulously at the calm Symboli Rudolf.
Symboli Rudolf did not speak any further; she merely quietly watched the track.
Maruzensky, beside her, was also uncharacteristically not participating in the conversation, instead looking at the Uma Musume running on the track with a rather caring gaze.
"Goodness… It seems our lovely juniors really do create surprises for their seniors~"
'...My start—still too slow.'
However, while everyone else thought T.M. Opera O's start was nearly perfect, she alone bit her lip, a tiny bit annoyed.
She stared at the phantom of herself that was half a length faster, feeling it wasn't enough.
I'm not fast enough—I need to accelerate now!... This thought flashed through T.M. Opera O's mind, but she quickly stifled it.
Of course, she could accelerate in a fit of rage now, but that would undoubtedly consume more of her stamina.
By the time the final straight came, she would have no stamina left.
A distance of 3000 meters might still be within T.M. Opera O's preferred adaptive distance, but T.M. Opera O also had her limits.
She didn't have bottomless stamina, nor did she possess the terrifying endurance to unleash her final spurt directly when they were only halfway through the race like Orfevre.
Therefore, in a race like this, she had to remain calm and calculate her stamina consumption with precise judgment.
"Be careful, me, they're closing in."
"!"
The voice of the other "T.M. Opera O" echoed in T.M. Opera O's mind, and she instinctively looked towards the outer lane.
Indeed, just as she said, two Uma Musume who had accelerated from the outer lane were now approaching T.M. Opera O in the inner lane.
They were trying to block T.M. Opera O's outer lane, preventing her from overtaking the Front Runners from the outside.
If all went as expected, these two Uma Musume should also be arranged by Shadai.
These Uma Musume were clearly much stronger than the ones Meisho Doto encountered in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), and in terms of endurance, they were indeed powerful Uma Musume, capable of temporarily blocking T.M. Opera O and the others.
"Oh! number 7 and 8 are accelerating from the outer lane!"
"Is this really a good time to accelerate? They are moving towards T.M. Opera O's inner lane... and they have caught up! They are now running parallel with T.M. Opera O!"
"Are they here?"
Under the voice of commentator Akasaka Misato, the Uma Musume and Trainers from Tracen Academy in the stands grew tense, all turning their gaze towards the track.
Fumino Nase and Wada also arrived at the stands.
Both of them stared intently at the changes on the track, but unlike Wada, who was worried about T.M. Opera O, Fumino Nase was looking at Admire Vega.
Fumino Nase gripped the railing tightly with nervous hands, while on the other side, Admire Vega's Trainer at this moment couldn't help but murmur:
"Make your choice, Vega, what will you choose to do?"
However, no sooner had Admire Vega's Trainer finished speaking, Admire Vega's actions on the track at this moment already demonstrated her choice.
BANG!
"Oh? Oh, OHHHH! Amazing! This is astonishing! Admire Vega has begun accelerating!"
"The race has only just passed the first corner, and Admire Vega has already begun accelerating from the outer lane!"
On the track, Admire Vega unleashed all her strength.
She swiftly broke through the Late Surger pack with astonishing speed, running directly towards the two Uma Musume who were attempting to block T.M. Opera O.
And from Admire Vega, her unique "double" Aura immediately erupted, instantly causing the two Uma Musume to falter, forcibly tearing open a breakthrough gap for T.M. Opera O.
"Don't just blankly stare like that, T.M. Opera O, run out now."
Admire Vega glanced at T.M. Opera O, who was slightly stunned at the moment, and said calmly:
"I'm not helping you; I'm just doing what I think is right."
"Someone will challenge you fair and square later. For now, get out of the encirclement and let me deal with them."
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Shadai is getting reverse jumped, as in literally. Everyone's ganking them 💀💀💀💀.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.