After passing the 200-meter marker, Oguri Cap's eyes flickered like flames.
"Tama! Don't let me catch you!"
The Two-Crowns Uma Musume and the undefeated spring champion had already been running at full force for more than 300 meters down the Tokyo Racecourse's final straight. Even if Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap possessed abilities far beyond ordinary Uma Musume, reality still imposed its limits.
"Their speeds have both dropped compared to earlier," Maruzensky observed calmly.
"That's to be expected," Shuta Ann replied, his tone steady. "Oguri cleared that 200-meter uphill just now in eleven seconds. Accelerating on an incline eats through stamina. Considering this is the last 200 meters—slowing down is natural."
"But Tamamo Cross doesn't seem to be dropping in speed as much as Oguri Cap," Maruzensky countered, wagging her finger lightly.
Shuta Ann's pupils shrank.
A few seconds earlier, Tamamo Cross—who had been clinging desperately to her position at the very front—was already drowning in pain.
Damn! Oguri's about to catch me! But why does the finish line look so far away?! How much longer do I have to push!?
Why can't I use my 'secret weapon' now of all times?! It worked perfectly in the Takarazuka Kinen! So why—why am I unable to unleash it now?!
Her lifeline failing to respond at the crucial moment struck her like a hammer.Behind her, Oguri Cap's pounding footsteps echoed like thunder, each impact shaking Tamamo Cross's thoughts—each one signaling that defeat was drawing closer.
I can't feel my feet… My legs feel like they're going to shatter… Is this my limit as a front-runner?
I've already come this far… I even told Oguri to her face that I'd win…
The "White Lightning" felt her convictions tremble.
—Until a single spark flickered in her mind.
"Eh?"
Her eyes widened.
The reason Tamamo Cross had entered Central Tracen Academy… was the memory of a traveler—a fan of the Twinkle Series—who had once stayed at her struggling ranch. To repay the ranch's kindness, the man had shared countless stories of the Twinkle Series with the young filly and played training with her. (This is not the manga or the anime story, I also don't know if its the game. It is a possibility that the original author fill this in)
Even then, Tamamo Cross understood the ranch's dire financial state.
The Twinkle Series can earn money… Winning races can help everyone at the ranch…
That belief had been buried deep within her heart ever since—an unshakable pillar. But there was one sentence—one small wish—left behind by the man who changed her life:
"If Tama-chan ever goes to Central Tracen Academy—you must work hard to become Japan's Strongest."
Last year, after receiving Shuta Ann's guidance, she began stacking victories. This year, she had already won the Spring Tenno Sho and the Takarazuka Kinen. To the public, such achievements were more than enough to call her "Japan's Strongest."
But to many…that title belonged to someone else.
For no matter how brilliant Tamamo Cross was, the one who captured the world's attention was Oguri Cap—the miracle filly who went overseas, defied expectations, and took the French Two Crowns.
If I don't defeat Oguri—I won't earn that title.
She knew it. And she knew Oguri Cap knew it too.
I run for only two reasons. To give everyone at the ranch a better life— And to prove that the uncle who believed in me… wasn't wrong!
Tamamo Cross slammed her hooves into the ground and forced herself forward.
I must become—Japan's Strongest!
At that moment, Symboli Rudolf's and Maruzensky's eyes gleamed simultaneously. Maruzensky whispered under her breath, barely audible even to herself:
"Tamamo Cross really took that step."
"Welcome to the world of 'Zone,' Tamamo Cross," Symboli Rudolf murmured with a faint smile, her mood visibly uplifted.
Shuta Ann caught the word and frowned.
"'Zone'?" He knew he'd heard the term before. But the meaning danced just out of reach. Even so—realization surged in his chest.
So this is Miss Tamamo Cross's 'secret weapon'?
He still didn't fully understand it but he finally sensed it. Compared to him, Oguri Cap understood far more.
This is almost the same as what I felt at the end of the French Derby—but hers feels even fiercer.
She could almost see phantom lightning crackling around Tamamo Cross's form.
Amazing…
Oguri Cap realized she was probably the only one who could perceive this illusion. But she had no time to be moved.
"Tamamo Cross has accelerated again! The gap Oguri Cap managed to close is widening once more! Is this the decisive moment?!"
The commentator's voice strained with disbelief, terrified to miss even a heartbeat of the unfolding climax.
Oguri Cap felt it instantly.
No—If I don't return to the state I reached at the end of the French Derby—I'll lose to Tama right here!
She dug into her memories. What had she been thinking in that moment— on that storm-soaked course in Chantilly?
She didn't need long.
At that time—my world contained only me and Ann.
The instant she touched the memory, the world around her went silent.
That's it!
Her heart leapt. It felt as though she had stepped back into that rain-drenched battlefield. No—this time, she pushed even further.
"Ann told me he was willing to sacrifice this race if it meant figuring out Tama's 'secret weapon'—" Oguri Cap whispered, her smile blooming like a flash of sunlight.
"But I absolutely refuse to lose—especially not in front of Ann!"
"Tama may have had more time to grow than me—" Her gaze blazed. "but I have something Tama can never possess."
She launched forward like a silver gale, pressing directly onto Tamamo Cross's shadow.
"Tama!" Her voice rang pure and fierce. "A girl in love won't surrender to anyone!"
There was no other reason left to cling to—not fame, not profit, not any grand ideal.
"Yes! whether it's on the track or off it, I want to be the number one in Ann's heart!"
"How could I ever lose? How could I ever give up?!"
"Go, Oguri!!" Unable to hold back any longer, Berno Light shot up from her seat in the VIP area, her voice ringing out as she cheered for her dearest friend.
"I hope Oguri-senpai wins~" Tokai Teio whispered earnestly. Of course, she supported the two-crown Uma Musume she was closest to.
"I won't let Oguri take the victory!" Tamamo Cross, too, had reasons she could not yield.
"To let everyone at the ranch live better lives! To prove that the old man wasn't mistaken back then!"
The determination of the two Uma Musume flared skyward—unyielding wills clashing like thunder and lightning.
"Tamamo Cross! Oguri Cap! Tamamo Cross! Oguri Cap! Tamamo Cross! Oguri Cap!"
The live commentator had lost all composure, abandoning complete sentences as he frantically shouted the names of the two gray fillies battling at the very front, pouring every ounce of their courage into the race.
And then— Two silhouettes streaked past the finish line at the exact same instant.
"This is a fierce battle! A fierce battle! They've crossed the line! Who will be the winner?!"
It wasn't just the commentator demanding an answer—the entire stadium held its breath, eyes wide, desperate for a result.
From the stands, all anyone had seen was white lightning splitting the finish line in unison. No one dared to claim which of them had won.
"We'll need a photo finish," Maruzensky sighed, hand pressed to her chest as she finally exhaled. "It was even more intense than I imagined before the race~"
Meanwhile, in the judging room, the officials stared at one another.
"It should be a dead heat, right?" One of the judges said as he lifted the printed photo.
"I think so too," the others agreed immediately. "Once you zoom in on the finish line photo, it's clearly a dead heat."
"But—was Oguri Cap's hair the first to cross the line?" someone suddenly questioned.
"Are we really judging based on stray hairs?" Even the chief judge hadn't prepared for that possibility.
"It's a dead heat." He cut off the debate before stranger criteria could surface, using his authority to finalize the decision. "Notify the director. We'll fill in the official results here."
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