This is the longest chapter yet.
A lot of mistakes, probably.
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"-out of the 12 racers today," Ego's voice spread throughout the private room. ",the most dangerous are Araki Katsuo and Stern Love."
North perked up from the full name of Araki, he didn't speak up in favor of listening to what Ego was saying.
"As I told you on the way here, it is important that you win this race. This is a race at the G3 level, we need the money earned and to show your capabilities in this race to be able to go into higher level races." Ego said before taking out his paper.
Ego handed it over to North, who quickly skimmed through it. The paper was filled with information of Araki and Stern, it was compiled into a simple manure but yet was still extremely detailed. The forms, past strategies, stats, and other things were explained and had plans to counter them.
"Araki Katsuo, he likes to use plans against his opponents or use his front running to escape. Stern is also a front runner, she uses her large stamina to keep the front throughout the entire race or to keep pressure on the other racers by purposely creating a large gap before stopping. It is to create a pressure on the racers, forcing them to speed up, the gap is purposely created to look large enough to create pressure but also small enough that the others believe that they can close it."
North nodded as Ego explained all the plans he created for both of them, he also silently created his own thoughts on how to execute things if needed.
Time would pass with Ego's words, the clock in the room finally doing its final churn with the time striking the moment of the race. Ego gave one final run down before North left the room. Opening the door would expose the long hall that took a while to walk through but North eventually reached the end, light shone through the end with fine grace. Walking into the field let the sounds of cheering and chattering become audible from where he was, not needing to even concentrate to hear the people.
The announcer was introducing each of the racers, talking about their accomplishments and titles they had earned. As North walked out, the announcer started the introduction of this racer.
"Hayate North, he lost his debut race to Stern Love, is there a chance that he will get revenge?" The announcer quickly created a story between the 2, hoping to create more tension in the race.
North, turned his gaze to the tall Uma who was stretching, Stern. Her tall body was lean and it was easy to see that there was a lot of power in her, her stretching allowed for her muscles to peak through.
Stern noticed the feeling of someone staring at her, she quickled looked over to North. The 2 now were looking at each other, gauging the others strength and possible weaknesses. North was looking at her, using his brain to quickly create scenarios where he uses one of the plans.
A good portion of the plans were failures, the strength of Stern was greater than what was thought and guessed.
Stern was quick to do the same, using the information to see if she could out pace or out run North. Her answer was hard to see.
Araki was watching as the 2 were looking at each other, making sure to not get their attention. They both had analytical skills, so letting them see him would let them see his strengths and he would rather keep himself as a wildcard.
It didn't take long for the last racer to arrive. With all the racers now present, they slowly entered the gates as the announcer did his job.
"With a fast spurt and tenacious running, Hayate North has made himself a spot as the 3rd favorite for today."
North looked at the crowd as he saw people cheering for him, it was rather unusual for him to have people cheering for him. The last race being the 7th favorite, this was the first race he was one of the top favorites.
A small smirk appeared on his face before quickly disappearing.
"A steam that never ends and the steadiness of a mountain, Stern Love is the 2nd favorite for today."
Stern kept her gaze forward, waiting for the race to begin. She ignored the sound of people that were cheering for her, focusing more on the grass of the track.
"And the favorite for today, with plans for everything and a stamina to rival Stern Love, Araki Katsuo!" The voice of the announcer blasted with the excitement of the sun, his voice matching the people in the crowd.
Araki looked at the crowd in the distance, waving at them. He turned his gaze back to the track, taking in a deep breath.
"All the racers are now at their gates...."
Taking in a deep breath.
North let his gaze linger on the crowd for a second longer before getting in position. His breath trembled for a second before steadying. The sound of the people faded into the background, his attention on the mechanism of the machine as he got into position.
Taking in a deep breath.
Stern got herself ready, she remembered the race she had with North once more. She was sure to not make the same mistake as before, there was also Araki. She had seen how they raced, the planning they had for each racer, it was granted that they had a plan. The sound of the world around her seemed to fade as she got into position, her focus tunneled.
"Haaaa~…" They let the air of their lungs slowly exit the body. The world of sound became empty by their breaths, their gaze focused on the gates in front of them.
'Click'
"....and they're out!"
The thundering sound of footsteps sounded out as the racers left the gates, the fighting for positions followed as the 3 quickly went to their favored positions.
Araki was the first to gain their favored position, he took the front of the pack as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps following behind him. He did a quick look to see that Stern was following behind him, he was worried for a second before quickly noticing that she was staying in 2nd position.
'Why is she not trying to take first?'
The thought continued to linger in his thoughts as they continued forward.
North was watching from his position of 5th before the sound of someone approaching him from the right caught his attention. He quickly looked behind his shoulders and saw that the Uma behind him moved up slightly.
He moved to the side, blocking their passage way up. The Uma snarled as they kept their pace. North turned his gaze to the front, watching for opportunities.
The front pack quickly entered the first corner with the second pack following after. Each of the racers used their skills to either accelerate or get their stamina back, the skill of each racer became visible from this moment. The most skilled being Araki with North a close second.
Stern used this as a moment to gain acceleration, closing the gap between her and Araki, which he noticed. Araki kept his pace, knowing that she wasn't going to attempt to pass him, instead he let the centrifugal force carry him slightly out. He left a gap that Stern could've used from this but she didn't go through. This let him gain some stamina back.
'Is she planning to let me use my stamina, hoping that I would run out at the last corner?' Araki quickly formed ideas in his mind, trying to quickly create a plan to shut her out. 'And if so, she is most likely going to use her reserved stamina at that moment.'
Araki quickly glanced at her as he left the first corner, something which she caught. 'Did they notice something?' Stern squinted her eyes slightly, her instincts telling her that he figured her plan out.
'Even if they did figure it out-' a smirk appeared on her face, "I'll still win in the end."
Her words came out with a small gnarl as the smirk on her face became predatory. North was quick to notice the change in her presence, a cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
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In the stands, Ego and Charles were watching as the race started. Ego was wearing his usual clothing while Charles wore his gray hoodie with black pants.
On the track they saw the racers use their skills on the second corner, using it to accelerate or gain stamina. They watched North with a studious gaze.
"He had a good start." Ego said, writing on the clipboard he brought. He was sitting on one of the chairs near the front. Charles, who was beside him, nodded his head, his ears slightly bouncing from the movement.
"hm~?" Charles let out a sound of interest as he watched the race, he noticed the presence of the 2nd favorite seemed to increase with intensity. It became a torrent of hunger and gave the sense of an animal looking at prey.
Ego turned his gaze at Charles, his eyes squinting at the face that Charles was making. "Did you notice something?"
"Indeed~, and if I am correct. It will make things a lot more interesting." Charles said, an amused smile appeared on his face, he didn't care about the tone that Ego had used when questioning.
Hearing the joy and excitement that was coming from the voice of Charles, Ego silently turned his gaze back to the front pack. He watched as they soon entered the straight. '1600 meters left, lets hope that he can figure things out.'
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[Today's race is a 2200M race, it is something that North had never done. I am hoping that having him race in these longer races would help him get the feel for it before the more important races. His stamina should be enough for it but I am more worried about his ability to use his skills or have the right timing for his spurt.]
End of exert.
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'It is important for me to keep the front.'
Araki was slightly picking his pace, the ground vibrated with each step. He looked behind him to see that Stern was less than a half-length away from him. His face slightly grimaced as he continued to slowly pick up.
'It is also important for me to keep a half-length lead from her.'
Stern watched as Araki slowly sped up, her mind was working on overtime as she thought of the plans that he possibly could have. 'Are they trying to escape, no, they would've tried to create a bigger lead than this and it is still too early to do so.'
Stern's ear twitched from the sudden sound of something coming behind her. She quickly moved to the left, blocking an Uma that was trying to move up. She didn't put much thought into the racer behind her, instead placing her efforts to understand what Araki was thinking.
With North, he was watching the front, keeping track of each racer and their movements. His ears twitch with each soundwave that entered from behind him. The 6th place Uma was not trying to move anymore, instead getting into a comfortable pace.
North, seeing that the straight was going to end soon, decided to move up. The 4th place racer noticed this and moved in front of North, blocking him, he didn't mind as he was only trying to get closer.
"They are now entering the third corner, Araki-" The announcer spoke to the crowd that was watching.
The crowd watched as Araki kept his place, taking the moment to gain stamina back and accelerate while he kept track of the racer behind him. Stern was quick to follow, using the moment to gain acceleration, trying to keep the distance between.
The racer behind was watching, seeming to be waiting for the moment to strike. Her gaze watched as Stern kept her block. Glancing behind her, she saw as the racer behind her was keeping North on a leash.
The entire group was close together with a total distance, from Araki to 6th place, of 4 lengths. The group behind was a length from the front group, the uma that was at the front was watching North, seeming to be waiting for him to do something.
'It is almost time.' Araki thought as he entered the last corner. The distance to the finish line was less than 1100M, the final straight being about 430M by itself. 'I have to spurt when there is 800M left, I also have to keep Stern in check.'
As he thought this, Stern was watching Araki as he thought of his plan, the instincts she had were telling her that something was going to happen. With this, she instinctively shot herself forward, closing the delicate distance that Araki was creating.
'Sh!t!' A panicked look appeared on Araki's face as he heard the sound of Stern rapidly approaching. He took a quick glance behind him to see that she was now beside him, her face telling him that she wasn't going to let him do his plan.
As panic filled his mind, he took quick deep breaths, calming himself down. 'Plan B it is.'
Araki, without a second of hesitation, planted his foot on the ground before pushing himself forward at the 900M mark. The turf of the track got crushed as he sped himself up, using his spurt at that moment.
Stern was quick to follow after him, not letting the pressure up. She stomped on the ground with each step, making sure that her presence was known to him. Each step was silently telling Araki that she was going to beat him.
As the 2 sped up, the racers behind them looked in shock with the sudden spurts of their competitors. North was quick to notice this and used this moment to quickly get past the uma in front of him, catching up to the 3rd place uma.
She was quick to catch on to what the Araki and Stern were doing, and with North closing in, she pushed herself forward as well. She was determined to not let them get away or for North to get past her.
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"Why did Araki suddenly spurt, weren't they going to do a Great Escape?" Charles asked, his eyes glancing to Ego who was watching the situation with interest.
"They were, until Stern suddenly launched herself." Ego said, "Araki was hoping to create a small enough distance to not gain any suspicion but enough space to have a small advantage."
"There was also the style they were using, it is something that you don't usually see with an escape strategy." Charles said, remembering the style Araki was using.
Ego nodded his head, his eyes were watching as Stern and Araki raced each other to the finish line. "Stern has seemed to notice this which caused her to create the situation they are in. She is forcing Araki into a competition of stamina and top speed."
As the words exited Ego's mouth, Stern and Araki would quickly near the end of the last corner. The announcer's voice sounded out with each movement of the racers.
'What is North going to do?' Charles looked at North, his eyes slightly glinting.
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With Stern and Araki suddenly having a race against each other, the pace of the others had to be picked up so they could keep up with the 2. North was watching as he heard the sounds of the Uma's behind him starting to pick up their speeds.
In front of him, the 3rd place Uma was rushing forward, trying to keep up with Stern and Araki. He was waiting for a moment to strike until he heard the sound of someone quickly catching up to him.
He quickly glanced behind him to see that there were 2 different Uma's that were moving up, behind them was the sight of the others quickly following suit. 'Everyone is spurting early.'
'There is about 800M left, that is more than enough space to reach my max.'
"With the sudden spurt of Stern Love, the other racers had decided to pick up their paces with some even doing their spurts!" The announcer spoke with a slight fever coming into their voice, the echoes of people cheering making it hard to hear.
As the sound of crowds reached the racers, it was suddenly drowned out by the sound of a foot stepping onto the ground, declaring itself known. Araki and Stern quickly turned around to see North quickly picking his speed up, closing the delicate gap between them.
'North has a higher max speed than me and Stern, if he were allowed to reach said speed then neither of us could win.' Araki quickly thought of the information he had learned, a smile appeared on his face as he thought of something.
Stern and the racer behind her notice North rapidly approaching them, and instinctively move into a position of blocking North. North was quick to notice their block, his eyes looked around, trying to find a weak point.
"North quickly tried to close the gap but Stern Love and Storm Sea quickly blocked him from moving up!"
With the distance to the finish line quickly closing in, the racers left the final corner, leaving them the final straight. A distance of 500M that would be quick to close.
The sound of excitement from the crowd grew as they watched the racers rush to the finish line, their footsteps stomping onto the stage with the same intensity of the racers' own.
With North closing in, the 3rd place Uma, Storm Sea, quickly picked up their pace in accordance to North's. The gap between the 4 Uma's now being less than a length, North being blocked and forced to stay in the back while the 3 faced each other.
North watched as the distance to the finish line kept shrinking, his eyes now rushing with panic as he tried to find a way to get through. He had watched Oguri's races and knew he could try and go around but he didn't have the abnormal strength to do that, nor the insane closing speed.
There was now 300M left, his legs were starting to feel heavy with the impending feeling of failure, the feeling of being forgotten started to erupt in his gut as he continued to try and force through with no avail.
250M, the finish line was closer, the sense of his eyes started to feel heavy as he tried to analyze the situation, trying to find something to get through.
'THINK YOU PIECE OF SH!T, THINK!' He roared to himself in his mind, forcing himself to continue looking for a way forward. 'Oguri wouldn't have struggled like this.'
The thoughts continued as each second passed, the end getting closer and closer. The feeling practically touching his flesh and bones, its cold grasp holding onto North with a sensation that's not its own.
The thought of Oguri, how she wouldn't struggle with this, how she would've gotten through, how she was strong. The faint touch of this reality strangled his mind, drowning it with its fears.
'If only….I could be…' The thoughts of being someone else inevitably came, it was a source of desperation. That if you were someone else, someone strong, than you could have done something different
The fear of losing, death, being forgotten by the people of this world. It was a fear that never truly leaves, it was a fear that Hayate North had, and as each second passed. The view of the finish line eventually turned asunder, his will finally giving up.
With his will now gone, this race would only lead him to failure. Failure meant to be forgotten, and being forgotten was equal to death.
With the sudden feeling of giving up, the words told him something. His legs instinctively moved, seeming to be free from its shackles that had bound it, while his eyes squirmed onto each racer before it locked onto Storm Sea. The feeling of understanding filled his mind as something formed in his brain.
As this was happening, Araki was feeling as if his legs were starting to burn out. The high pace running was starting to have its effects kicking in, the sweat on his forehead beaming down with the wind that was pushing on him.
He was listening to everything around him, the sound of the other 3 being prevalent. His ears locked on to the sudden disappearance of one. He instantly looked to his sides, looking for who was missing.
'The person to fallout would most likely be Storm Sea.' That was his thoughts as he looked to his right only to see Storm Sea who was struggling to keep up. 'Than who..'
As he turned his head to the left, the expected sight of Stern Love was now replaced by North who was closing in.
'What the h3ll!? Where is Stern?!' Araki's eyes glanced around the place before finding the person he was looking for. Stern, who was originally right behind him, was suddenly behind North.
The distance between the 2 was a noise hair apart but North was able to break through and was now the closest to him.
100M Left before the finish line.
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Cliffhanger, ha.
I was rushing with this, my lazy ahh decided not to do this early despite having 2 weeks to do it.
Hope you enjoyed