As the two remained on the field, Rush began her warm-ups—stretching her legs, rolling her shoulders, loosening her joints with definitive movements.
Meanwhile, Urara followed every movement with full enthusiasm… except it was with zero accuracy.
Her stretches looked more like goofy dancing than actual warm-ups, but she mimicked with absolute confidence. Thinking she actually nailed it rather than fumbling it.
...
...
After a few rounds of stretches...
Rush exhaled, finishing up her warm-up and completely unaware of that derailed creature.
She turned to her.
"Well… Urara, here goes nothing. This probably isn't going to be great for me," Rush admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
"You see, I was never a fast horse girl…" She paused. "Well… not the kind who fits the international level anyway."
Upon hearing that, Urara's eyes gleamed, thinking it was a chance for her to shine.
Urara puffed out her chest proudly, patting it like she was announcing her debut.
"Well then! Let me, Urara, teach you, Rush-chan! I may not look like it! But Urara knows a bunch of tips and tricks that might get us to become the next stars in the Umamusume field! As long as Rush-chan follows my lead!" Her hand twisted into a fist, pumping.
Rush's ears perked sharply. "Really?" she asked, eyes sparkling with genuine amazement.
"Then I'll be in your care, Urara! Teach me!"
Urara chuckled as she dramatically patted her chest again, "Leave it to me!" she declared.
After that, they moved to their makeshift starting line, both lowering into their starting stances.
Rush glanced at Urara beside her, excitement flaring.
"Alright, Urara! I'll be in your care and show me the ropes!"
And Rush actually believed her—believed this tiny pink creature actually knew some hidden technique passed down from prodigies, given her a somewhat close relationship with Mary.
Maybe Urara really was hiding brilliance beneath that bubbly exterior. A true prodigy in disguise. A master of the field, hidden amongst the lowly eyes.
But just as Rush positioned her feet and readied herself—
A sudden memory flickered through her mind.
Wait a minute...
Didn't Urara... perform extremely horrendously in PE class? So bad that everyone nicknamed her 'pink little pony'.
And... It's not even once she fell behind so bad that she's not even considered mediocre...
With that, Rush's posture stiffened, wanting to ratify Urara's techniques.
But before she could even reach out to Urara...
Urara grinned, abruptly shouting:
"Begin!"
In an instant, Urara launched herself forward, sprinting down their makeshift course with pure enthusiasm. Her laughter trailed along the way.
Rush, still stunned by the sudden start, froze in place as Urara got further… and further…
Except—one thing was very clear.
She realized Urara's speed was not getting faster. Instead, it was slowing down. Fast.
Rush blinked a few times, still analyzing that pink self-acclaimed prodigy before her.
Merely a few minutes headstart, Urara's breathing was already loud—painfully loud—and she hadn't even reached halfway.
She couldn't believe it... Right before her eyes, Urara ran out of juice before she even could latch on to the halfway line, let alone the homestretch.
With a sigh and a delayed start, Rush finally leaned forward and kicked off the ground, her legs slicing through the field as she accelerated.
As she ran, the world narrowed into motion—wind crackled against her ears, the rhythm blasted through her steps, and each stride pushed the earth behind her.
Despite her humble remark, her form wasn't inferior in any way, but rather superior to many she competed.
In mere minutes, with an even distance length headstart, little by little, Urara's small pink figure grew larger in her sight… She was catching up. Rapidly.
With only a few more strides, Rush was running shoulder-to-shoulder with Urara.
Urara's eyes widened, completely stunned. "Whoa!"
Rush returned the glance briefly—then faced forward again, implying she was about to pass her.
And pass she did.
"Ah! I can't be left behind!" Urara yelped in shock before pushing herself harder.
But despite Urara's effort, in a smooth transition, the world swirled around Rush as she pressed her hooves deep into the terrain, crushing every grain of the soil, mushing it; channeling it...
And with a faint exhale, she BURST!
Surged ahead immediately, leaving Urara in the dust.
Urara's jaw dropped, but then her eyes reignited with determination.
"Urara is not giving up!" she yelled as her tail began to whirl.
It was whirling so fast it almost looked like it might lift her off the ground. She genuinely believed it would help by propelling her forward.
But Rush was already far away—so far ahead that Urara was no longer within her peripheral vision.
And then— with a faint distance, Rush crossed the finish line, a full five lengths ahead of Urara.
Panting, she turned around in triumph… expecting Urara only a few lengths behind her... only to meet Urara staggering far from the line, wobbling like a newborn foal.
And the second Urara crossed—
She collapsed dramatically onto the grass, "Bleh..." spread-eagled, gasping like she had run a full marathon instead of a few hundred meters.
"Urara!" Rush was shocked and rushed against that sprawling Urara instantly...
...
...
After a few minutes of recuperating, Urara finally managed to sit upright again—though still wobbling slightly.
Rush handed her a water bottle before settling down beside her. Together they watched the sun setting across the mountains beyond.
Urara downed the water in one heroic gulp—nearly choking halfway—then suddenly whipped her head toward Rush, eyes glittering with admiration.
"Rush-chan is so amazing! Even Urara, with her strongest techniques, couldn't defeat you! You're surely a top-notch horse girl!"
Rush, caught off guard, "Wh— Wha— What?"
Only to realize and let out a helpless sigh.
She honestly couldn't believe she had, even for a moment, entertained the idea that Urara might be some hidden prodigy.
But seeing Urara actually believe she possessed "the strongest techniques" made Rush chuckle.
As Rush was about to correct her, "Actually, I—" But before she could, Urara sprang to her feet, fists pumped toward the sky.
"Alright! Urara is going to train harder! So she and Rush-chan can work together to become the world's greatest!"
Rush paused. Shocked as she was about to expose the truth that they never meant for International.
But then she saw it.
That pure, blinding innocence. Those eyes that sparkled as though greatness were just a few steps away.
The optimism that refused to die, no matter how the world may treat her.
With that... Rush froze and decided to swallow her harsh realism.
After all, she simply couldn't bring herself to crush that.
While she remained silent, Urara bent down, leaning close with that disarming grin and continued.
"Let's run together, Rush-chan! Together we'll go down the road of greatness! And bring smiles to everyone's face! Tell the world the stories of two best friends who will conquer the world of Umamusume with pure happiness!"
Rush exhaled, somewhere between a sigh and a laugh; she just didn't know how to react.
"Yeah... Sure…" she said softly.
Then, with a small but genuine smile—
Urara declared,
"It's settled then! Let us begin our journey to URA! Urara and Rush-chan!"