Chapter 89. Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Part 4
When Tokai Teio's "Zone" fully unfurled, the air over the Longchamp turf grew suffocatingly heavy. Subotica felt a sudden tremor seize her heart, a primal dread sweeping over her instincts from an untraceable direction.
But Subotica was a champion of Europe; she was not built to simply yield.
As the intense pressure of the Japanese invader washed over her, survival instinct and sheer pride ignited. Subotica's eyes dilated, her focus narrowing to a razor's edge, and a fierce, azure aura erupted from her frame.
She, too, pushed past her mental limiters and stepped directly into the Zone.
Sensing the dramatic shift in the atmosphere, Vert Amande refused to be swallowed by the pressure. Gritting her teeth against the burning in her lungs, an emerald flare of absolute concentration ignited around her.
Two European champions had plunged into the depths of the Zone, synchronizing their desperate drive to drag the Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume down.
High above in the VIP suite, Dominique grinned through the panoramic glass.
"The turf at Longchamp is a swamp today, and Tokai Teio was forced to run wide, wasting precious stamina on the bend. She hasn't even accelerated yet; she likely doesn't have enough left."
The manager of Longchamp Racecourse frowned in deep silence.
A profound unease twisted in his gut. He knew exactly how treacherous the turf was today, but objectively, the grueling elevation changes at Ascot were still vastly more punishing.
Tokai Teio easily won the Epsom Derby; could this race truly break her?
The manager analyzed the field.
Holding back her acceleration until clearing the false straight is the textbook, correct strategy for Longchamp's 2,400-meter course. She clearly prepared thoroughly for this layout.
Realizing that Dominique's confidence was misplaced, the manager took a deliberate step backward, quietly widening the distance between himself and the President. Dominique noticed the movement, but simply took it as a gesture of deep respect.
An unexpected gain in securing Longchamp's support, Dominique thought, his smile deepening.
Down on the turf, Tokai Teio finally reached the true final straight she had been eagerly anticipating.
"This is it!"
She no longer held back her momentum, instantly extending her stride to its absolute limit.
"TOKAI TEIO BEGINS TO ACCELERATE!"
The live commentator shrieked over the stadium speakers.
"BUT LOOK AT SUBOTICA AND VERT AMANDE! THEY ARE MATCHING HER! A FIERCE CLASH OF AURAS ON THE LONGCHAMP STRAIGHT! WHO CAN STOP THE TEIO FROM JAPAN?!"
From their respective vantage points in the stands, Whiteley and André Fabre watched with bated breath.
Under normal circumstances, accelerating here is fine, but with such heavy ground today, if Tokai Teio accelerates this early while locked in a duel against two opponents in the Zone, can she genuinely maintain a 500-meter sprint?!
Fabre turned to look at Trainer Shuta An nearby, hoping to find a flicker of tension on the young man's face to help him make a judgment. But to Fabre's dismay, Shuta An exhibited zero panic. On the contrary, he was smiling brightly.
Did I underestimate Tokai Teio's strength?
Fabre turned his head back, unable to tear his eyes away from the group approaching the final stretch. Tokai Teio's figure was incredibly striking.
She ran on the side closest to the stands. For a fleeting, heart-stopping moment, the azure and emerald Zones of Subotica and Vert Amande ground against hers, the European champions pushing their physical forms to the very brink to keep pace. St. Jovite and User Friendly were already falling behind, mere accompaniments to the three-way clash tearing up the turf.
"TOKAI TEIO HAS REACHED THE FRONT OF THE PACK! USER FRIENDLY IS STRUGGLING TO PUT UP A SOFT RESISTANCE! SUBOTICA AND VERT AMANDE ARE ALSO ACCELERATING, BUT COMPARED TO TOKAI TEIO, THEY LOOK LIKE FALL SHORT!"
Hearing the commentary, Shuta An simply shook his head. He felt the words used were incorrect. Subotica and the others were actually trying very hard, burning their very souls just to stay in the frame. It was just that—
On a stage this grand, there will always be an Uma Musume so great that she simply overshadows the light of other existences.
With 300 meters left to the finish line, Tokai Teio felt a profound, incandescent warmth bloom within her limbs. This feeling urged her to find another gear. She wanted to take Subotica, Vert Amande, and Jolypha—the champions who dared to pressure her on the bend—and sweep them into the dim corners.
Tokai Teio vigorously swung her legs, her aura cleanly piercing the Zones of her pursuers. The autumn wind blowing in her face was powerless to stop her strides.
The European champions, having burned their engines entirely just to briefly match her, were left gasping for air.
User Friendly had completely lost her fighting spirit, relying only on instinct to display a pace that could barely be called a sprint.
Subotica still possessed the will and the strength, but as her azure Zone flickered, she watched Tokai Teio become even more out of reach.
Damn it, is this not enough?!
Subotica clenched her fists, swinging her arms fiercely as if venting her frustration. She had reached the front of the pack; if Tokai Teio hadn't been there, she could leisurely contemplate her victory pose right now. But the existence of that figure, already so small she had to strain to distinguish it, made Subotica feel only shame.
In the stands of Longchamp Racecourse, the audience had become incredibly excited. Everyone had a premonition they were witnessing a performance that would not be forgotten.
Dominique, standing at the highest point, had a face flushed crimson, and the manager of Longchamp Racecourse had already discreetly left.
Opera House, who was watching the race with her Trainer and cheering on her teammate Saddlers' Hall, breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.
"It's a good thing I planned to go to the Champion Stakes; coming here to challenge Tokai Teio is too hard on a person. Saddlers' Hall took this defeat for me. I'll treat her to good food for a month when we get back."
—
Meanwhile, in the dormitories and team activity rooms of Central Tracen Academy, the fact that everyone was watching the broadcast was no longer hidden, and the atmosphere gradually became restless.
The two dormitory leaders, Fuji Kiseki and Hishi Amazon, exchanged smiles and made a magnanimous decision:
Just for today, let everyone relax a little.
—
But Tokai Teio on the racecourse and Trainer Shuta An on the sidelines were oblivious to all of this. The former's attention was entirely on the race, while the latter's attention was completely on the former.
Maintaining this state, Tokai Teio and Trainer Shuta An's heartstrings gradually resonated. If the young man were to open his attribute viewer at this moment, he would see the passive skill [One Heart, One Body] glowing with a steady, ethereal light.
When she was less than 20 meters from the finish line, Tokai Teio—who normally would have had time to look back at the field—chose to turn her head and glance at the sidelines.
In that instant, through the blur of speed, she and the young man met each other's gaze.
In that fraction of a second, Trainer Shuta An seemed to feel the heavy, burning weight of Tokai Teio's exhaustion. In that exact same instant, Tokai Teio seemed to hear the boundless joy erupting in her lover's heart.
Ann, I'm going to help you fulfill your wish.
She murmured in her heart.
In Shuta's eyes, Tokai Teio at this moment looked as if all three Goddesses had possessed her.
In the eyes of the Twinkle Series fans in Japan and the Uma Musumes of Central Tracen Academy, Tokai Teio now was practically the fourth Goddess—responsible for redemption, turning goals once thought impossible into reality today.
But in the eyes of her competitors, today's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was not a race, but a judgment, and the only consolation was that this judgment was about to conclude.
In the next instant, Tokai Teio's figure transcended over thirty years of time, over the regrets and unwillingness of millions, and over her own long-held obsession, crossing the wire.
Now, I shouldn't be worse than Oguri-senpai's record, right?
This was Tokai Teio's first thought after finishing.
"2:36.9! TOKAI TEIO RESPONDED TO THE FERVENT EXPECTATIONS BEFORE THE RACE! SHE DID IT!"
The Green Channel commentator was incredibly excited.
But even more ecstatic than him was the live French commentator.
"A GAP OF AT LEAST THREE AND A HALF LENGTHS! TOKAI TEIO DEFEATED ALL HER OPPONENTS! AND SHE SEEMS TO HAVE JUST COMPLETED AN ORDINARY RACE!"
When Trainer Shuta An heard this finishing time, he was stunned. The finishing time when Mother won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was also 2:36.9.
Is it destiny, or a coincidence?
The young man couldn't quite sort it out in his mind for a moment.
But one thing he was clear about.
Shuta decided to put that thought aside for now. He turned towards the roaring stands, clenched his fists, raised his arms high, and shouted.
"ONLY US, OURSELF, AND WE!"
Then, a wide, unrestrained grin split his face. He propped himself on the railing with one hand and vaulted cleanly over the fence. Even if he had to pay a fine of 100,000 or more later, the young man gladly accepted it!
Because he just wanted to hug her, gasping for breath, hands on her knees, not far ahead on the turf.
Because she was the only queen in the whole world at this moment. And he was the queen's man. What could be more satisfying than this?
In front of all the cameras, Shuta embraced Tokai Teio in full view of everyone.
It wasn't until the Uma Musume's petite body crashed into his arms that the young man realized his vision had blurred.
"Ann, now is a time for joy." Tokai Teio looked up, smiling as she reminded him. "Don't cry."
"Yes, now is a time for joy."
Shuta was so happy that, under the gaze of the entire crowd, he bent down and kissed the slightly pale face of the Uma Musume in his arms.
Tokai Teio blinked, gently patting her lover's back, and slowly began to enjoy this unique, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience that belonged only to her.