The moment the gate opened, Little Cocon darted forward, her unwavering focus ensuring she wouldn't be delayed.
Even so, Little Cocon sensed something was off. Despite her usual reaction time, her initial burst from the gate felt slightly weaker than usual. This was likely due to the dirt track; the discomfort radiating from her hooves was limiting her speed to some extent.
Damn it! To be at a disadvantage right from the start!
Little Cocon clicked her tongue inwardly, immediately scanning for Urara's position. To her surprise, instead of Urara seizing the lead as Little Cocon had expected after her perceived misstep, she found Urara trailing slightly behind her.
From Urara's confident expression, Little Cocon deduced that her rival hadn't been slow off the mark at all; on the contrary, Urara seemed perfectly satisfied with her start.
Little Cocon's face twisted in confusion. What's going on? Isn't this Urara's specialty track?
Seeing Little Cocon take an early lead, the stands erupted in a frenzy.
"Whoa! That icy Umamusume has some tricks up her sleeve!"
"Whoa, she's actually running a Dirt race? That's a surprise!"
"I never thought an Umamusume like her would even participate in this kind of event."
The crowd buzzed with speculation, but Little Cocon stood there, completely bewildered.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with me! My dirt adaptability is average at best. It's just that Urara is too slow!" The sudden attention made Little Cocon blurt out a retort.
"Alright! Urara's gonna go now!"
Urara's voice snapped Little Cocon back to reality.
"No! I can't let my guard down! This might be a feint! Maybe she's a Power-type Chaser, conserving her stamina to strike when I least expect it."
Little Cocon vigilantly tracked Urara's movements while launching her own attack. Unsure of her opponent's strategy, she seized the lead and hugged the inner rail.
Maintain speed, adapt to whatever comes.
"Come on, Urara! Show me what you've got!"
"Little Cocon is amazing! But Urara's been trained by her Trainer too, you know!"
Urara stomped her hoof, accelerating several gears at once as she swiftly closed in on Little Cocon. Though she had lost the initial burst from the gate, Urara would never yield in a test of speed.
"Just as I thought! She wasn't bluffing!"
Seeing Urara closing in so quickly, Little Cocon instinctively tried to accelerate, digging her hooves into the ground. But the moment she pushed off, she felt something was wrong.
As she exerted force with her foot, her hoof dislodged along with a cloud of sand and dust. Each stride Little Cocon took kicked up more sand, creating a swirling mist that intensified with every step.
This was one of the defining challenges of Dirt track racing: the harsh racing environment.
Unlike Heavy Tracks, where the mud's consistency dictates the difficulties—slipping, sinking, and other foot-related issues—Dirt tracks primarily target a crucial element of an Umamusume's performance: breathing.
Breathing is fundamental to an Umamusume's running. Elite racers even develop their own breathing techniques, synchronizing their stride frequency and body posture to serve this essential function.
Once their breathing is disrupted, an Umamusume's performance plummets dramatically.
This is no ordinary racetrack—it's a perfect arena to dethrone even the strongest contenders. Here, their vaunted talents count for little.
In this brutal, sandy Hell, geniuses and mediocrities alike are treated equally.
The scale of the dust cloud kicked up by Little Cocon alone is staggering. Imagine the spectacle when multiple Umamusume race together on this track.
Little Cocon glanced back, but the swirling sand had already obscured everything behind her. Her expression darkened at the thought of Urara trailing behind.
Obstacle 2: Narrowed Vision
The narrow field of vision hampers both sides equally. Ordinary visual acuity yields little useful information here. You can't predict when your opponent behind you might strike, nor gauge the true distance to the one ahead.
Conventional racing strategies are upended. For example, the tactic of staying close behind the lead group to reduce wind resistance is futile; the choking sand will force you to falter.
At this pace, Urara should be right behind me... Has the sandstorm blocked her path?
A thought flashed through her mind as the sand tore open, and Urara burst through with a gleeful expression.
"What?!"
"So fast! I'm running so fast!"
Urara charged out from the side, astonishingly unaffected by the sandstorm.
"Impossible! Doesn't she feel anything at all?"
Not just Little Cocon, but the entire audience gaped in disbelief.
"Look! Urara is breezing through the sandstorm like it's a grassy field!"
Tokai Teio's lips curled into a grin. "Heh heh~ Surprised? That harmless little bird possesses a talent none of us have."
Tokai Teio relished the world's astonishment, the moment of shock bringing her immense satisfaction.
Adaptability—a skill often overlooked.
Classic Triple Crown, Triple Tiara.
Before Umamusume decide which path to pursue, the adaptability test is the first hurdle. Without the required level of adaptability, no amount of effort can change the outcome.
In typical races, the adaptability of Umamusume varied only slightly, and any minor differences could be compensated for through training.
The Classic Triple Crown, Triple Tiara, and other top-tier races placed significant emphasis on grass track adaptability.
Therefore, when evaluating Umamusume, as long as they could run on grass, they were deemed sufficient to compete on the main racing circuit.
This narrow focus naturally led people to forget that there existed another type of adaptability among Umamusume.
The Trainer administered another adaptability test to Urara. Her grass track adaptability was extremely low, which explained why she consistently ran slowly and failed to achieve good results.
This was an exceptionally rare case. After all, Umamusume were inherently regarded as free-spirited runners on grass tracks.
Urara's case completely contradicted this norm. While she was ill-suited for grass, she possessed remarkably high adaptability to dirt tracks.
Though petite in stature, Urara possessed remarkable physical strength. According to her, she had participated in numerous races without ever suffering an injury or even fatigue.
After each competition, she would stay and play in the area, and regardless of her racing prowess, Urara was undoubtedly the healthiest child around—even healthier than Kousei.
While the intensity of her races might play a role, the sheer number of competitions Urara had participated in served as compelling evidence.
A pure, honed body thrived on the battlefield, moving as naturally as a fish in water.
Even in the harshest environments, the most vibrant blossoms bloom.
"Alright! Let's go with this strategy!"
"Go get 'em, Urara!"
Though uncertain of the situation, everyone instinctively cheered for Urara.
After all, she ran across the racetrack with a radiant smile.
"Go, Urara.
Go and fight those strong opponents on equal terms."