With her twin turbo engines roaring at full throttle, Twin Turbo unleashed a second-stage acceleration, surging into a dominant lead.
Charging relentlessly forward, she covered the first 1,000 meters in just 56 seconds—a truly blistering pace.
Unrestrained and pushing her speed to the absolute limit, this was the visual spectacle only a true Front-Runner could deliver.
Her lead was far from secure; her speed continued to climb.
"So fast!"
Having previously witnessed McQueen's Hope S, Kousei had thought that was already the epitome of speed. But Twin Turbo's twin engines were accelerating even further in this already breakneck race.
"Impressive!"
While others marveled at the dazzling performance, Bitter Glasse saw it as a nightmarish guillotine. She felt trapped on the executioner's platform, the blade poised to fall at any moment.
An Umamusume's performance is influenced by many factors, including mental composure. Those who panic and recklessly expend their energy inevitably suffer a crushing defeat.
A dominant Front-Runner exerts immense psychological pressure on the racers behind her.
"Restricting her from the start was the right choice after all."
Though Bitter Glasse's initial attempt had failed, she now understood the unique characteristics of such athletes.
"Even though her speed is impressive, Twin Turbo showed signs of slowing down earlier. This kind of explosive burst won't last long. After the next turn, there's a subtle elevation change that will test both her footing and endurance."
For a competitor like her, this section of the course was particularly challenging.
Outwardly, Bitter Glasse appeared sunny and cheerful, with a robust physique—undoubtedly a power-based competitor.
Yet beneath that exterior lay a meticulous mind. Crushing opponents with brute strength wasn't her style. She preferred analyzing races in real-time, seeking out weaknesses to exploit.
Her formidable muscles were simply a byproduct of relentless training.
Twin Turbo took the lead through the turn, but she immediately noticed the change in terrain underfoot. Her body dipped slightly, her posture wavering.
"A drop-off! This is bad!"
Twin Turbo's engine sputtered and died, the abrupt stall catching her off guard. The sprinter who had been tearing ahead moments before now moved with obvious hesitation, as if treading on thorns.
"Now's my chance!"
Bitter Glasse seized the opportunity, surging forward. Behind her, the ground reverberated with booming footfalls, each step like a drumbeat against the earth. The drum of pursuit, relentless and electrifying.
"She's coming!" The crowd tensed, their hearts pounding in unison.
Hearing the drumbeat grow louder, Twin Turbo felt panic rising.
"Damn it! Why is there a drop-off here?!"
Forced to navigate the uneven terrain with caution, Twin Turbo's pace slowed noticeably.
Bitter Glasse surged past the turn, entering the rough terrain.
Unlike Twin Turbo, Bitter Glasse's strides were powerful and decisive. Each pounding step kicked up clumps of earth, the uneven ground posing no obstacle to her momentum.
This stretch was Bitter Glasse's best chance to overtake Twin Turbo. Unsure if Twin Turbo would pull another "reverse thrust" maneuver like before, she refused to stake her victory on such unpredictable tactics.
"Damn it! Why isn't the end here yet?!"
The more agitated she grew, the more her footing faltered, and her speed inevitably slowed.
Twin Turbo felt like she had endured an eternity before finally breaking through the treacherous section unscathed.
"Yes! Now it's my time to shine!" Twin Turbo exulted, determined to reclaim her position as the Front-Runner.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.
"This time, I won't let you escape."
In that instant, Bitter Glasse caught up to Twin Turbo.
Twin Turbo immediately tried to accelerate away, but Bitter Glasse had anticipated this move. Her monstrous strength finally found its purpose.
The engine's roar abruptly cut off as Twin Turbo, seeking the shortest path as a Front-Runner, hugged the inner lane. Bitter Glasse, surging from behind, used her raw power to pin Twin Turbo firmly against the inner edge, crushing her into submission.
"So heavy!"
As a petite Umamusume, Twin Turbo was inevitably at a disadvantage in physical clashes.
"Damn you, big brute!" she seethed inwardly, helpless against her opponent's superior strength.
"Not again!"
Gazing up at the towering figure, she couldn't help but recall fragments of her past.
Like most Umamusume, Twin Turbo possessed only average talent, and her mother's lineage was equally unremarkable. From birth, she had a small appetite, naturally leading to stunted growth.
And like most Umamusume, she harbored a deep-seated passion for racing from birth. Yet unlike most, she lacked not only the innate talent but also the fundamental physical constitution required for an Umamusume.
Frail and underdeveloped, she fell far short of the standard required to become an Umamusume.
Initially, Twin Turbo's parents had no intention of letting her pursue that path. Young Twin Turbo, unaware of the stringent criteria for becoming an Umamusume, sensed a hint of restraint in her parents' affections and instinctively stopped mentioning the subject.
Like frail heroines in countless literary works, the young Twin Turbo was quiet and withdrawn, rarely wearing her signature twin-tail hairstyle.
She would often stand by the racetrack, gazing in rapt admiration at the healthy Umamusume.
Originally, she thought the days would simply pass by like this, one after another.
But every encounter is destined.
Twin Turbo met the young girl fated for her—Tokai Teio.
A super genius who was highly anticipated even before her debut, people called her the next Symboli Rudolf.
Twilight Hour
On the deserted Training Track, a young girl repeatedly stumbled, picked herself up, and started again.
That dazzling genius now lay bruised and battered in the mud.
"I failed... Guess breaking through my limits isn't as easy as I thought."
The Genius sighed, looking up at the sky, then smiled faintly.
"Oh well, I'll just try harder. Heh heh~"
As if possessed, Twin Turbo watched until the moon peeked out, yet the Genius still hadn't broken through her limits.
"Huh? She failed?"
Twin Turbo thought to herself. Even the greatest genius can fail.
Originally, she thought the matter would end there.
But the next day, at Tokai Teio's press conference...
"Just watch! I'll definitely break this record tomorrow!" Tokai Teio declared triumphantly to the crowd.
"Huh?" Twin Turbo was bewildered. Teio hadn't even come close to breaking the record yesterday, yet today she proclaimed it as a foregone conclusion.
What was even stranger was that everyone seemed to take it for granted.
Drawn by some inexplicable impulse, Twin Turbo found herself at the racetrack where Tokai Teio was competing. There, she witnessed firsthand the moment Teio shattered her limits.
Even in the final hundred meters, where Teio had clearly reached her breaking point, Twin Turbo believed success was impossible.
She should stop here, Twin Turbo thought. But instead, Teio mustered every last ounce of strength, driving her exhausted legs forward once more.
The legendary two-stage acceleration, which would later become her signature move, now served as proof of her will to break through her limits.
Her trademark confident smile remained unwavering, even as her legs trembled faintly beneath her resolute posture.
"This is a thirty-year-old record. Can you really do it?"
"Of course! I'm a natural genius, after all!"
What exactly does "natural" mean?
A seed was planted deep within Twin Turbo's heart—a seed named Tokai Teio.
"...Um... I want to join too!"
At the school's sports festival, Twin Turbo mustered the courage to participate for the first time. Although everyone was surprised, the teacher ultimately agreed to her request.
It was just a sports festival for Young Umamusume, a mere 500 meters. Despite Twin Turbo's frail physique, she should be able to complete the race without incident if she ran steadily.
"Turbo just needs to run the race properly. Even if you don't win a medal, the teacher has a special gift prepared for you."
The well-meaning words betrayed the universal expectation that Twin Turbo would lose. Her defeat seemed a foregone conclusion.
Yet, against all odds, the frail Twin Turbo surged to the front the moment the race began.
Caught completely off guard, no one tried to stop her. She ran relentlessly, her tiny legs pounding the track, refusing to stop until she crashed across the finish line.
In a stunning upset, she claimed first place.
Twin Turbo stared at herself in bewildered disbelief, as if even she couldn't comprehend why she had pushed herself so hard.
But the price she paid was steep: her body, unable to withstand the sudden, intense exertion, collapsed.
Twin Turbo was taken to the infirmary.
The school summoned her parents. Under their watchful eyes, the teachers lectured her at length, essentially telling her what she shouldn't have done.
Twin Turbo knew her own situation well and understood everything her parents had done for her. Unable to refute them, she simply lowered her head and waited.
"Is that so?" Her mother's voice sounded strangely pleased.
A thick, warm hand covered Twin Turbo's head. When she looked up in surprise, she met her father's loving, joyful smile.
"Our frail, sickly daughter suddenly becoming reckless... to us, that's a sign of growth."
Watering a seed buried in the soil will eventually cause it to sprout.
The quiet, reserved Twin Turbo disappeared, replaced by a girl who wore her hair in twin tails and flashed a smile.
Her goal was first place. No schemes, just a relentless drive to lead from start to finish. Thus, the eccentric Front-Runner was born.
The moment she enrolled at Tracen Academy, Twin Turbo strode straight to Tokai Teio, initiating their first meeting in years and challenging her to a race.
"I'm Twin Turbo! Let's settle this once and for all, Tokai Teio!"