"Penalty time down to three seconds!"
"Two seconds!"
"One second!"
"Seiun Sky now leads by a full 200 meters! Does Super Creek still have a chance to catch up?!"
Sakura Bakushin O's voice washed over the audience.
For the first time, the distance between the racers wasn't being described in lengths, but in meters—a full 200 meters!
A gap this massive... if Seiun Sky could maintain this speed all the way to the third leg, even a legendary Uma Musume wouldn't be certain she could close it!
It could even decide the outcome of the third and final leg.
"President, could you close a gap like that?" Empress Air Groove asked thoughtfully.
"You'd only know in a real race," Symboli Rudolf analyzed coolly. "And penalty stops for veering don't happen in official competitions. Using a 'Zone' might give you a chance, but Zones drain stamina terribly. Relying on one over 3000 meters would probably require a long recovery period."
Even though the gap was a staggering 200 meters, Seiun Sky was still a rookie Uma Musume, not yet at her peak.
Wait a year, or two, and even a legendary Uma Musume burning herself out with a Zone wouldn't be able to catch her.
"So, Super Creek... what will you do now?"
--+--
On the track.
Super Creek, having served her penalty for veering, launched forward again.
In a situation like this, there was no room left for careful stamina management. All she could do was pour every ounce of her strength into closing that daunting gap.
She had to make sure her third-leg runner, Tamamo Cross, would at least have a fighting chance for victory!
'I'm sorry, Inari-chan, Tama-chan.'
She'd squandered the lead Inari One had built in the first leg, and now Tama-chan might not even get a proper race against Barbatos.
And Seiun Sky, her opponent...
'I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper race either!'
Her trainer had once told her that her stamina was among the very best, even compared to top-tier Uma Musume.
Even if her current physical condition had regressed so much, now was the time to lay it all on the line!
This race was going to be tougher than the Kikuka-shō of that year!
Abandoning all caution for her stamina, she shot forward, determined to close the gap to within ten lengths by the time Seiun Sky reached the third leg!
She had to create a chance for Tama-chan to win!
"She's so fast! Super Creek is unbelievably fast! Is she really going to maintain this pace for the remaining 2000-plus meters?!"Sakura Bakushin O, a specialist in short distances, was utterly shocked.
"The gap to Seiun Sky is now 180 meters!"
"Seiun Sky seems to be slowing down! Is she trying to recover stamina? Super Creek has closed it to 150 meters!"
"Seiun Sky has 1500 meters left to the third-leg handoff! She's returned to her initial pace!"
"Super Creek has closed the gap to 100 meters!"
"Only 500 meters left! Seiun Sky can see the third-leg zone now!"
"Super Creek is slowing down! Of course, an all-out sprint without any pacing takes its toll, even on one of the Heisei Three Jewels!"
"The gap is now 70 meters! Can she not close it any further?!"
"A 70-meter lead going into the third leg's 1600-mile course will be a devastating advantage!"
Near the third-leg zone, veteran spectators cheered her on, "Go, Creek-chan!"
"Show them the power of a Kikuka-shō winner!"
Their shouts of support reached Super Creek's ears, steadying her stride, pushing her through the ragged gasps for air.
After finally getting this chance to stand on the track again... how could she just lose like this?!
Tama-chan is waiting for me in the third leg! Just about 600 meters left... I can do it! I HAVE to close this gap to within ten lengths!
Scanning the cheering crowds on both sides, Creek's eyes landed on a familiar elderly woman.
Dressed in a suit, her face lined with wrinkles, showing her age, but her silhouette still overlapped perfectly with the figure from Creek's memories.
So her trainer had come to watch her race after all.
So then...
"Haaaaah!!!"
Super Creek took a deep, shuddering breath. Something seemed to shatter in her pupils. Her slowing speed surged once more as she charged after Seiun Sky!
"Super Creek is accelerating again! She's moving faster than her initial burst! How does she have any stamina left after running over 2000 meters at that pace?!"
"Is this the power of a top-tier Uma Musume, one of the Heisei Three Jewels?!"
Listening to Sakura Bakushin O's commentary...
Whether in the student council seats, with Toujou Hana and Okino, or with Minamizaka—all of them, be they legendary Uma Musume or Tracen Academy trainers, possessed far keener eyesight than a normal racer.
Even through the broadcast screen, they could tell Creek's stamina was on the verge of depletion.
What fueled her acceleration now wasn't stamina—it was pure, unyielding willpower!
"Can she possibly activate her Zone in this state?!"
Even if the Zone Super Creek could muster now, decades after retirement, was a shadow of her prime, using it over these final 500 meters would let her shrink the gap with Seiun Sky to the absolute minimum!
It would give Tamamo Cross a real chance to defeat Barbatos.
"Super Creek is catching up! The gap is down to 50 meters! 40! 30! 25 meters!"
"Seiun Sky has reached the handoff zone! Barbatos has taken the baton!"
"Huff... I'm counting on you."
"Mm. Leave it to me!"
Sweat dripped from Seiun Sky's face. Even for a middle-to-long distance specialist like her, even having conserved energy early on, the fatigue was immense.
Front-runners typically slow down mid-race to recover, or ease off in the final stretch after building a big lead.
But this time, facing Super Creek, even though she had slowed briefly, she'd been forced to push hard again soon after.
Despite the 15-second penalty Creek served, that feeling of being relentlessly hunted was unbearable.
Both the hunter and the hunted were under immense psychological pressure! Especially in the final 500 meters—that aura, that sense of oppression was almost suffocating.
This was the Kikuka-shō winner, Super Creek!
--+--
"Mm. Leave it to me!"
The moment Barbatos took the baton, she exploded forward. This was the time Seiun Sky had bought for her. She couldn't lose now.
Watching the broadcast in the third-leg area, she'd seen how both El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky had been pushed to their limits. If she showed any hesitation now, all their efforts would be for nothing.
Tamamo Cross was not an opponent to be taken lightly!
"Super Creek reaches the handoff point! The gap to Seiun Sky is fifteen and a half lengths!"
"Tamamo Cross and Barbatos launch together!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.