(Some Uma Musume might differ from the Manga, since I use their real name horse. For example—Dyna Carpenter (RL) to Dynam Painter—Running Free (RL) to Long Live Free)
Running Free muttered inwardly, I have to hold back. I can't accelerate this early.I've suffered too many setbacks as a leading Uma Musume.
She understood her own limits all too clearly. After changing her racing style, her finishing kick was no longer top-tier among domestic Uma Musume. Abandoning the lead was never about pursuing victory—it was about survival, about securing a place within the top five.
In other words, Running Free no longer carried the resolve to win.
So I can't take risks. I'll just run steadily, according to this new rhythm. Suppressing her instinct, she resisted the urge to follow Super Creek's acceleration.
—
Just as the middle pack was about to exit the turn, Oguri Cap's eyes sharpened. The Uma Musume ahead of her—unwittingly—were opening a seam.
A fleeting gap, narrow yet decisive.
If she seized it now, she could cut straight through the middle pack in one burst—no lateral adjustment, no wasted steps.
Then…I'll accelerate early.
The decision was instantaneous. Driven by her overwhelming burst and the sharp, stimulating pain flaring in her right calf, Oguri Cap exploded forward. Her acceleration was terrifyingly clean, sharper than at any point earlier in the race.
Just as she had foreseen, there was no need to alter her line. She shot straight through the turn, cleaving the middle pack apart, surging from the inner rail to the outside in one breath.
And in doing so—
She placed herself directly in front of Inari One. This time, it was Oguri Cap who blocked the path.
Inari One sensed the movement barely a second late. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to accelerate immediately, refusing to yield ground. But it was already too late. Forced to detour around the Uma Musume in front of her, she lost the critical instant she needed.
By the time she cleared her path, Oguri Cap had already appeared before her—almost unnaturally so—cutting off her line.
Inari One had no choice but to accept it. She had been blocked.
"It's like she has a god's-eye view."
Watching Oguri Cap's near-impossible weaving acceleration through the latter half of the turn, Symboli Rudolf turned her gaze toward the wall of the private box. Beyond several layers of walls lay Shuta An's seat.
It truly makes one wonder how Shuta-kun trained her…
For a fleeting moment, another thought surfaced.
If she had gone to California…
"No," the Emperor murmured to herself, shaking her head. "That's all in the past."
—
And so, Oguri Cap and Inari One—one ahead, one behind—burst to the forefront of the middle pack, snapping at the heels of the leading group.
Maintaining this stretched formation, all sixteen Uma Musume exited the second turn and entered the straight farthest from the stands: the final straight of the first lap.
Here, the cheers faded. The commentator's voice thinned into the distance.
But tension thickened instead.
Every Uma Musume braced herself. Because once they crossed this straight and entered the final turn again, the race would reach its true decisive phase.
Who here would dare lower her guard?
—
Some Uma Musume, spurred by Oguri Cap's sudden advance, began considering an early acceleration—both in the leading group and the middle pack.
Yet Oguri Cap did not press further. She held her position firmly at the very front of the middle pack, posture steady, rhythm controlled. Seeing this, the leading group restrained themselves. No one dared accelerate prematurely to shake her off.
But that restraint was fragile.
As the pack approached the downhill sharp turn once more, eyes fell upon Dyna Carpenter—her speed visibly dropping, her form strained as she struggled to maintain the lead.
Super Creek, running closest behind her, finally reached her limit.
Now.Use the downhill.Overtake her here—decide the race in one move.
With resolve hardened, Super Creek accelerated. The response was immediate.
The remaining Uma Musume in the leading group surged as well, unwilling to let Super Creek create separation. At Nakayama, where the final straight was brutally short, no one could afford to gamble on closing a gap later.
As they crowded and overtook Dyna Carpenter, Super Creek seized the front.
Using the curvature of the turn, she glanced back—her eyes locking onto Oguri Cap.
If Oguri Cap doesn't move—then I will.
Her focus sharpened completely as the entrance to the final straight drew near.
—
At that very moment—
"It sounds like—waves."
Both Inari One and Oguri Cap widened their eyes in the same instant.
The roar rising from ahead was no illusion. The moment Super Creek unleashed her "Zone," both Inari One and Oguri Cap sensed it instantly.
Yet their reactions could not have been more different.
Inari One's pupils trembled, then sharpened.
As expected…Super Creek.Then I won't hold back anymore.
But before anything else, she had to do one crucial thing—
She had to bypass Oguri Cap.
From the far outside. From the strip of turf closest to the stands. She would tear open her own road to victory.
At the end of the downhill turn, Inari One stopped resisting the centrifugal force and instead surrendered herself to it. Her body was flung outward, violently yet decisively, carried toward the very edge of the course. For a fleeting instant, standing at the outermost line, she saw it—
The smile of the goddess of victory.
Inari One closed her eyes.
"Sorry," she murmured inwardly, resolve ironclad. "For true victory…you phantom should disappear from my sight."
An overwhelming aura erupted from her body, so intense that even Shuta An felt his focus dragged away against his will.
"What is that?".
"Such a powerful Zone," Maruzensky muttered, eyes gleaming. "Far stronger than what Oguri Cap showed in the Japan Cup. Just what did Inari One go through this past month?"
Even Inari One's Trainer didn't know.
Only Inari One herself understood.
After her crushing defeat in the Japan Cup, she had been consumed by regret. Her Trainer had given her time off, sending her back to her hometown to recover. Yet she could not stay still. Day after day, she ran alone—circling the crude training ground she had built with her own hands as a child.
She ran. And ran. And ran.
When she finally came to her senses, evening had already fallen. And in that moment of clarity, Inari One realized running was so much fun—then, she had grasped a new power.
Now is the time.Now is when I use this 'Zone' to fight Oguri Cap and Super Creek!I will never relinquish the honor of conquering the Spring and Autumn Grand Prix!
Her momentum surged, her sprint on the outer turf swelling as she prepared to unleash everything upon entering the final straight.
—
Oguri Cap, having cut to the very front of the trailing group, had made no unnecessary movements—
Until Super Creek released her "Zone."
Inari One heard waves.
But Oguri Cap was even closer.
Perhaps because Super Creek subconsciously acknowledged her as the greatest rival, the presence and pressure of the Zone bore down on Oguri Cap far more directly.
In the Gray Uma Musume's eyes, Nakayama Racecourse was no longer land. It had become a vast ocean, raging and surging from Super Creek's direction. If not for the solid sensation of turf beneath her feet, she might have believed the vision real.
"Then…I'll do it too."
Oguri Cap steeled herself, focusing her mind, attempting to summon her own Zone—that world of ice and snow—and carve a path through the sea like a modern-day Moses.
But—She failed.
As Super Creek's Zone expanded, her condition climbed yet another level.
So this is it… Super Creek marveled inwardly. No wonder I couldn't defeat Oguri Cap back then. She was already stronger than me. And with this…was this the gap that decided the Japan Cup?
Transformed into a raging torrent, Super Creek decisively cut into the innermost lane. Her speed did not falter even as she ran across turf nearly worn down to bare soil. Under the Zone's influence, no surface could slow her.
In this state—I can defeat Oguri Cap completely!Even if she activates her own, it won't matter!
Confidence filled her chest.
—
"Super Creek is accelerating!" the commentator shouted. "She's widening the gap with the pack! What about Oguri Cap?! Oguri Cap hasn't accelerated yet—what's going on?!"
"Is she planning to sprint only in the final 310 meters?! That won't be enough! She's already behind in position—does that mean her acceleration will be late too?! This doesn't make sense!"
It wasn't only the commentator.
Shuta An stared in disbelief.
"What's going on…? Oguri should know she needs to move before Super Creek!"
A memory stabbed into his mind—the abnormality at the start.
"Don't tell me" His breath caught. "Is she really injured?!"
He reached for the French window, only to stop as his hand pressed uselessly against the sealed glass.
"Damn it" He dragged a hand through his hair. "It's too late to stop her now."
Please… let the amulet work.Let this be nothing more than my paranoia.
—
At the same time, Oguri Cap's heart pounded with urgency.
I can't stay behind any longer.I have to accelerate—now!
Even suppressed by Super Creek's Zone, even unable to awaken her own, she had no choice. She shifted her position slightly—
And exploded forward, pouring everything into her final burst along the remaining downhill curve.
It hurts…every step with my right leg hurts.
Yet—
My speed hasn't dulled.
The realization startled her.
If that's the case…I can still catch up.
—
In the stands, Berno Light finally relaxed, eyes shining as she watched Oguri Cap's acceleration.
"That's incredible—it's even smoother than the Japan Cup," she whispered. "With this, winning the Arima Kinen won't be a problem at all."
—
In the Student Council's box, Tokai Teio said the same.
But Maruzensky shook her head slowly. "That's not necessarily true. Miss Oguri Cap is in a very dangerous position right now."
"No way!" Tokai Teio blurted out—yet doubt crept in despite herself.
Even if her acceleration looks good—Super Creek's looks just as terrifying.
Hands clasped tightly, Tokai Teio murmured, When I race on this stage someday… will my Trainer feel the same way I do now?
—
At the 200-meter marker, Super Creek had already pulled three lengths clear of the rest of the leading group. Yet she didn't dare relax.
Because second place now belonged to Inari One—and her outside charge was ferocious.
"It's incredible!" the commentator cried. "Super Creek has shaken off almost everyone! Truly worthy of a Long-distance Uma Musume! Even at this pace, she still has stamina!"
"Ahead lies Nakayama's final Slope Road! Aside from Inari One, can anyone stop Super Creek?!"
The commentator had already forgotten Oguri Cap entirely.
It's just me and Inari One now, Super Creek thought with certainty. I don't know why Oguri Cap isn't herself today—but my true battle is here!
Her will surged. Inari One felt the same oppressive force Oguri Cap had endured earlier—but she did not yield.
"Blaze through everything," she roared inwardly. "Victory is right in front of me! Do you think such illusions can shake my resolve?!"
—
And then—
As the two clashed head-on—
The world cheered.
—
When Oguri Cap was fifty meters short of the 200-meter marker, she ran in sixth place. Three Uma Musume from the leading group still struggled ahead of her—but it was clear they would not last.
As long as she maintained this pace, a top-three finish was guaranteed. A podium finish at the Arima Kinen was no small achievement. With 250 meters remaining, she was still seven lengths behind Super Creek.
Accept it.
Secure third place.
Or—
Try again.
Her answer was obvious.
"I won't accept defeat."
In a multimedia classroom at Central Tracen Academy, a Uma Musume famed for her chasing ability shook her head.
"She can't catch up. Not like this. There's still over 200 meters left—including the Slope Road. It's too difficult."
"If even CB says so…" another murmured, "then it really is impossible."
Oguri Cap knew it too. And yet—
"Let's try again."
She focused once more, gathering everything she had, attempting to summon her Zone a second time. And then—
A voice echoed in her ears, achingly familiar.
"I believe Oguri will definitely be an excellent Uma Musume in the future—run freely and be happy."