Flashy and Aoi were well-located among the stands, having a good seat being able to watch most of the track.
"Start!" The announcer spoke, catching the attention of everyone, "A great start for all umamusume! Oh, wait, number 8 hasn't left her gate, maybe a technical failure?"
"Something isn't right," Said Flashy, looking at the gate where Meek was supposed to start.
Aoi quickly checked the position board, but Meek hadn't yielded. Why didn't she start?
"I'm going to check!" Aoi said worried, she had a bad feeling.
"Oh, there she goes, number 8 Happy Meek with an ultra bad start," Said the commentator.
...
...
...
Choco Choco started on an amazing time; she had been working on her start, and the hard work had paid handsomely for the time dedicated, and with a more polished running style, she secured herself a good stalker position. She felt comfortable with the outcome, probably the front runners, the two of them ahead will burn their stamina, and then she will be able to pass them.
"Go Choco!"
"You got this!"
She could hear the cheers from the stands; her talent had blossomed, and her followers grew in number. And up until now, she was feeling pretty good; you could even say she was feeling amazing. She had a chance to get revenge on Happy Meek, who had defeated her before, and there she was, looking a little lazy as always, but she looked recovered from her injuries. It would be a good match... or so she thought.
'What the hell happened to Meek?' She thought as she kept running.
Happy Meek looked okay overall, but suddenly the light of her eyes vanished...
"Happy Meek charges forward!" She heard the voice of the commentator, "She is recovering ground fast!"
'Huh? Did I worry over nothing?' Choco Choco shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She has to focus on winning this, for her fans, for her trainer, and for herself... but she shivered... she felt... nervous? 'What is this pressure coming from behind!'
"What is this? All Uma Musume have started to pick up the pace! The late surgers almost catch up with the stalkers!"
...
...
...
"This is strange!" Now said Flashy, looking disturbed, "Why is the pace being marked from the rear! The front-runners are supposed to control the pace of the race!"
Someone near her nodded, a random onlooker.
"You are right... it is as if they were escaping..."
"!"
Flashy opened her eyes... something was forming on Happy Meek, she was running... not racing, she was running like a maniac, like a puppet, mechanical running and caught up with the late surgers... no, she was passing them.
"What are you doing, Meek!?" Aoi put her hands on her head, trying to understand what was going on.
'!' This was beyond strange... 'Why is Meek starting her movement now? It's soon! Way too soon! She will run out of stamina mid-race!'
This wasn't a long track, but still 2000 meters... starting the surge at 400 meters is just too much... too reckless! And because she did it, most of the other races began to pick up the pace, being confused about what was going on and the lack of experience to make a clear judgment. It was a chain reaction of mistakes!
"What are you doing Choco! They are going to catch you!"
"Run! Run harder!"
"Goooo Meek! I don't know what you're doing, but keep pressuring them!"
The fans were as confused as the umas, and not even the people commenting clearly understood the strategy or what was going on. Is this G3 going to end up in disaster?
"What the hell, this looks like a World Cup of some sort! Look at them going wild in the first quarter of the race!"
At this point, the front-runners picked up on everyone else accelerating, and they rushed, gaining a gap on a desperate attempt to make a great escape. At this point, it looked more like a panic race to escape from something than a sport...
But Flashy, and other experienced umas on the public noticed... a dark Aura forming around Happy Meek... it looked sinister, and the pressure it made was the cause of all the ruckus.
'Should I say as expected of my rival?' Flashy was confused as well... she was far away from Meek, but she could faintly feel it, for the people running it would be as if the avatar of Symboli Rudolf were chasing after them... it was raw and dangerous.
And then it materialized...
'!'
Flashy aura wasn't fully polished yet, but she and others could notice it as a gale of wind around her, pushing her to victory... others like Tamamo Cross had lightning, Oguri Cap was the shadows of victory pushing her forward... but Meek aura consolidated into a sinister hand over her... a puppeteer's hand...
'What?'
She rubbed her eyes, trying to see if she was looking at things or not, but it was still there. The aura was a manifestation of the umas desires, fears, wishes, and other complex emotions. Why then, Meek's aura manifested as a hand controlling her?
And then...
She surged! Meek accelerated again! She looked like a comet! She began to crawl through the competition relentlessly on the outside... third... second... first... and then... she began to keep pushing forward, one length, two... six... eight!?
"Whaaaat!?" Flashy mouth hung open 'Did I mess with her too much and she became a monster!?'
Flashy looked at Aoi, who was confused and surprised.
"Too fast! Happy Meek crosses the goal! She wins by twelve lengths!" The announcer was very excited, "She is not stopping!?"
And then disaster happened, Happy Meek collided with the rail at full speed, sending her flying onto the other side.
...
...
...
(System correctly rebooted!)
(System turns on)
(Autopilot turn off)
(Welcome back, host!)
"Bleeerghhh!" As soon as my consciousness came back to me, I puked.
I was in a world of pain, I don't understand what happened or why I was looking at the sky... everything was so strange.
(Twelve incomplete quests detected... calculating penalty)
'Whaaa... I can't anymore... I can't...'
I was having trouble breathing. I don't understand what happened. I heard footsteps and a siren, people rushing to me...
'Is the career over?'
"Meek!" I heard Choco Choco's voice, but it was muffled...
'When was the last time I felt like this?' Everything was spinning 'Ahhh... yes... before I died last time and got sent to this place'
Everything was vanishing around me, the last thing I saw was the position board...
[Happy Meek 1st]
[Choco Choco 2nd]
'How did that happen?' Everything was going slowly to black.
[Happy Meek disqualified]
'F...k you system...'
...
...
...
After I passed out, Choco arrived at where I fell and checked on my health. She sighed. I just passed out but was still breathing. In less than a minute, Flashy arrived, followed by the ambulance. By the time the medics were checking on me, Aoi arrived, breathing heavy after running nonstop to get to this spot.
"The URA has delivered! Happy Meek has been disqualified in this race for reckless racing!"
In the end, it all ended in disaster, and the Kyoto Horizon Cup came to an end.