Announcer: "Sixteen champions have gathered at the starting gate! The top favorite is the undefeated queen of the year, Air Groove! Second favorite is this year's Tiara Double Crown winner, Mejiro Dober! Third favorite is the senior-class powerhouse, Marvelous Sunday! What kind of race will unfold!?"
Commentator: "I expect Kanetsu Cross to take the early lead. Air Groove will likely sit just ahead of mid-pack, Mejiro Dober slightly behind, and Marvelous Sunday trailing from the rear. But Air Groove has never raced at Nakayama, so her timing to make a move will be critical."
The fanfare echoes through Nakayama at year's end, igniting the crowd. A staggering 140,000 spectators—a mind-blowing turnout.
Announcer: "Bathed in roaring cheers, the sixteen elite Uma Musume head to the gates! Number 12, Air Groove, is in! Dance Partner follows smoothly! Mejiro Dober and Marvelous Sunday enter without issue! And finally, the outermost Aloha Dream… slips right in!! All are set! Who will be the final star of this year's grand finale, the Arima Kinen!?"
Clang!!
Announcer: "The gates open—START!! Number 5, Dance Partner, stumbles and falls to the rear! Who takes the front!? Kanetsu Cross bolts into a solo lead! Taiki Blizzard follows in second. From the inside, Inter Unique, Sunday Branch, and Aloha Dream surge from the outside! Behind them, Mainel Max and Air Groove hold prime positions!! What kind of race will she show us today!? Trailing them are Mainel Bridge, Mountain Stone, and Mejiro Dober side by side! Marvelous Sunday, the third favorite, sits in the back with T.M. Oarashi and Silk Justice, while Osumi Tycoon brings up the rear as they charge toward the stands!"
Fuji Kiseki: "Air Groove's in a great spot. She can break out anytime from there."
"Yeah," I said. "But my instructions might've been a misstep."
Fuji Kiseki: "Huh? How so?"
"Being in a position to overtake means no one's ahead or she's on the outside," I said. "That means… she can't conserve stamina."
Fuji Kiseki: "But you trained her for stamina for this day, right? Then…"
"Sure, we trained for it," I said. "But distance aptitude doesn't change much. Air Groove's limit is probably 2400m, no matter how much stamina training she's done. The key is how far she can stretch in the final straight."
Dyna Car: "As expected, Trainer-san knew. Did you know she might lose?"
"No way," I said. "I want to see it—the moment she breaks the distance barrier. And I believe Air Groove can do it. I'm her trainer, after all."
Announcer: "Into the first corner! Kanetsu Cross still sets the pace. Mainel Max surges to second on the outside! Inter Unique and Taiki Blizzard run side by side on the inside. Rounding the first corner, Sunday Branch is there, with Air Groove alongside! Mid-pack, Mainel Bridge and Aloha Dream! Two lengths back, Mejiro Dober holds her ground! Followed by T.M. Oarashi and Mountain Stone, then Marvelous Sunday, Silk Justice, and Osumi Tycoon in the rear group! Further back, Dance Partner and Rozen Cavalry trail as they head to the next phase!"
Mejiro Dober: (When will Senpai make her move? It's my first long-distance race, so I need to be cautious.)
Air Groove: (…)
Announcer: "The front-runners push forward!! Kanetsu Cross's lead vanishes as Mainel Max takes the front! Taiki Blizzard, Sunday Branch, and Inter Unique line up behind! Air Groove and Mejiro Dober hold steady! When will they strike!? Rounding the third corner, they head toward the midpoint!!"
Air Groove / Mejiro Dober: (Here!! / Now!!)
Zsshh!!
Announcer: "Whoa!! Air Groove makes her move!! She surges past the leaders with incredible force… and look! Mejiro Dober follows, charging up!! Both with blazing speed!! Air Groove overtakes the front-runners with ease, claiming the lead!! Mejiro Dober passes the pack, now in sole second!! They round the fourth corner, heading to the final straight!!"
Air Groove: (This is it, Dober—let's settle this!!)
Mejiro Dober: (Finally caught up—here I come, Senpai!!)
Announcer: "Is this a duel between the two already!? Mejiro Dober closes in!! She's half a length behind Air Groove!! Now comes Nakayama's brutal hill—the heartbreaker slope!!"
Air Groove: "Haaaaaa!!!"
Mejiro Dober: "Yaaaaaa!!!"
Announcer: "Neither gives an inch!! Neck and neck, neck and neck!! 150 meters left!!! Who will it be!? The Empress!? The new queen!?"
Mejiro Dober: "I… I…"
Mejiro Dober: "I… will reach my goal!!" WHOOSH!!
Announcer: "Mejiro Dober surges again!! Is this the end for Air Groove!? Is Mejiro Dober taking the lead!?"
Air Groove: (Give up…? Never!! For Hachiman, who believed in me and sent me to this stage, I can't lose!! I absolutely… absolutely won't lose!! Absolutely…! That's…)
Hachiman: "…"
Air Groove: "…That's right. I remember now."
Mejiro Dober: "!?"
Air Groove: "Now I'll show you…
…The true power of the Empress!!!!" WHOOSH!!
Announcer: "Air Groove surges from the inside!! Neither yields!! Air Groove or Mejiro Dober!? Air!? Mejiro!? Air or Mejiro!!? Who's it gonna be!?! Air Groove for the autumn Senior Triple Crown!? Mejiro Dober to fulfill the classic Uma Musume's Arima Kinen dream!?"
Afterword
A heart-pounding one-on-one duel, as you noted! Air Groove and Mejiro Dober unleash their "domains" in a breathtaking showdown, leaving the Arima Kinen's outcome on a knife's edge. The Yahari crossover fuels Hachiman's quiet faith and Air Groove's unyielding spirit, setting up an epic cliffhanger!
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