The day of the L'Arc representative race arrived. A total of sixteen teams entered, and the matchups were decided by drawing lots. The winning side would advance to the next round.
They were all young trainers of the new generation. Some were full of ambition, giving speeches in front of their teams as they fought for the right to enter the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Others showed little emotional fluctuation and did not seem particularly interested in the race.
That was understandable. Not every trainer wanted to enter the Arc, and not every Uma Musume wanted to challenge a world-class race. Some Uma Musume understood their own ability and only wanted to run ordinary unrated races, earn a few victories, and then retire once their growth period had mostly passed.
Uma Musume who could win graded races were always a minority. Most would not even leave their names behind. It was cruel, but that was racing. The weak were prey to the strong.
Fujiwara Chiya let out a light breath.
He had already said what needed to be said. Now, all that remained was to wait for the result.
"Guinea pig, remember not to let Shirayuki get too close to anyone after the race," Agnes Tachyon whispered from beside him.
"Mm, I understand."
Fujiwara Chiya looked at Fujiwara Shirayuki. Her body contained hormones that could affect the emotions of other Uma Musume. It was probably a special phenomenon caused by her growth period. It did no harm to her body, but it could influence the emotions of others, making them unusually excited.
Because of that, Chiya needed to prevent a sweaty Shirayuki from getting too close to other Uma Musume. No one knew what an overly excited Uma Musume might do.
As the selection race proceeded, Fujiwara Chiya's team arrived at the track. His opponent was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a yellowish-brown hat and sporting a beard. The two stood facing each other and bowed.
"The first round of the L'Arc representative selection race officially begins. All runners, please prepare!"
The announcer's voice rang across the racecourse. The Uma Musume arrived in front of the gates. Fujiwara Shirayuki wrapped bandages around her legs, and a cool sensation spread through them.
After everyone entered the gates, the indicator lights flashed. With a loud clang, the Uma Musume burst out.
A 2,000-metre race was already not short for Uma Musume at their current stage. They needed to pay attention to stamina distribution as well as breathing rhythm.
However, in this race, Fujiwara Chiya was not relying on individual fighting. He had already prepared a tactic.
"A beautiful start! The first to rush out is number three, Agnes Tachyon. What incredible speed! In an instant, she has opened a two-length gap from the Uma Musume behind her!"
In terms of starting speed alone, Agnes Tachyon was the fastest in the team, followed by Shirayuki. Fujiwara Chiya intended to let Tachyon lead, not only because of her starting speed, but also because of her breathing style.
Agnes Tachyon could maintain a stable breathing rhythm while running at high speed. She would not panic because of changes in the surrounding environment, being blocked, or being chased. This allowed her to maintain steady stamina consumption.
A strong start and gradual consumption made Agnes Tachyon the ideal choice to lead.
Following Agnes Tachyon was an Uma Musume named Shaping Meek. She had a prominent arrow-shaped patch in her hair, and a beautiful anemone flower tied to her right ear. If Chiya was not mistaken, she had probably intended to lead, but because Agnes Tachyon's speed was too fast, she was pushed behind and ended up directly behind Tachyon.
Behind Shaping Meek were Rice Shower and an Uma Musume named Tree Energy. During the fight for position, Rice failed to beat the other runner and was forced onto the outer lane, where stamina consumption was greater.
If this were an individual race, Rice's current position would be very disadvantageous. But this was a team race, and the outer lane was actually easier to use tactically.
Fujiwara Shirayuki ran in the middle of the pack. She needed to constantly pay attention to movements both ahead and behind. Of course, the one maintaining that observation was not only her, but also Chiya, who was watching the whole race.
Soon, the race reached the final corner. Matikanefukukitaru's ears stood upright.
"I hear it. I hear it!"
Matikanefukukitaru looked excited.
It was the sound that symbolized luck, the guidance sent to her by Lord Shiraki. Today was her lucky day. Soon, she saw the Uma Musume ahead of her drift away from the inner lane due to centrifugal force while entering the corner, creating an opening. Not letting the chance slip away, Matikanefukukitaru accelerated and ran up beside Shirayuki.
"Keep going!" Shirayuki called.
Matikanefukukitaru's ears stood tall. Following Shirayuki's instruction, she pushed forward with all her strength. After Fukukitaru passed, Fujiwara Shirayuki changed lanes toward the outside and followed behind. But just as she was about to overtake the opponent ahead, Fujiwara Shirayuki suddenly slowed down.
This was her tactic. She would force the opponents behind who wanted to accelerate to go around her and take the far outside, thereby consuming their stamina. If they did not want to go around, then she would block them here and make them miss their acceleration timing.
The biggest difference between a team race and an individual race was that an Uma Musume could sacrifice her own acceleration timing to create opportunities for others and increase the team's chance of winning. Just like now, at least three opponents were being held back by her.
Matikanefukukitaru continued sprinting forward. Shaping Meek, who was in second place, noticed her. She wanted to accelerate, but Agnes Tachyon was blocking the front. If she wanted to accelerate, she had to move to the outer lane. However, a black figure ran up beside her and cut off that route.
That small body glanced at her, then turned its eyes seriously toward the finish line.
What!?
Shaping Meek was shocked. She was in second place, but the runners in front and to her right had firmly boxed her in, forming a sealed wall. At this point, getting out would be difficult.
Training did include instruction on how to handle this kind of situation, but that belonged to advanced coursework, and they had not reached that level yet.
Cursing inwardly, Shaping Meek could only remain blocked in the pack and search for an opening. Forcing her way out during the acceleration phase at the final corner would be judged as interference.
Fortunately, Tree Energy was still behind her and had not been blocked.
Finally, the race reached the final straight. The Uma Musume began pushing forward one after another. Behind them, Fujiwara Shirayuki breathed heavily. Because she had held back the opponents, she had also missed her own acceleration timing. Trying to reach the front now would be difficult.
Fortunately, the runners in front were Agnes Tachyon and Rice Shower, while the two opposing Uma Musume were positioned a little farther back.
Pay attention to your teammates. Pay attention to your opponents. Before the race, Fujiwara Chiya had reminded them of this.
During the final sprint, Agnes Tachyon and Rice Shower maintained a subtle distance from each other, making it difficult for anyone to overtake through the middle.
In this race, their opponents were suppressed so thoroughly that they could not even display eighty percent of their ability. They had been kept in the most uncomfortable state the entire time.
With the announcer's cry of "They cross the line!", the race came to an end.
Agnes Tachyon crossed the finish line first.
In the first L'Arc selection race, Fujiwara Chiya's team advanced.