"ORFEVRE IS MAKING HER MOVE! SHE IS MAKING HER MOVE!!"
"She's accelerating from the outside! She has already overtaken Special Week!"
Running through the outside like this meant that Orfevre had to expend more stamina than usual to reach the front.
However, it also meant that no one was blocking Orfevre anymore; she was completely free to run as she liked.
As for the stamina consumption... it was the last thing Orfevre had to worry about.
In fact, even if this 2000 meter race were to be extended by another 1000 meters, Orfevre would still easily be able to run the whole way like this.
As Orfevre sprinted from the outside, she fully unleashed her Aura, breaking through the pack like a hot knife through butter, quickly overtaking Special Week, who had been left behind by Rice Shower.
Then, Orfevre just as quickly overtook Rice Shower, brushing past her like she did not even exist.
"Ah!"
Rice Shower, realizing what had happened, hastily switched the target of her Zone to Orfevre.
As a result, Mihono Bourbon, who had previously felt the chilling sensation brought by Rice Shower's Zone, immediately felt much lighter, no longer feeling the ominous presence targeting her.
Regardless, Rice Shower's Zone immediately began to chase after Orfevre, rushing towards her like a dark tide.
Unfortunately for Rice Shower, it seemed her reaction was a tad bit too slow.
Before the black mist touched Orfevre, just instants away, she managed to escape Rice Shower's range— because the fourth corner had finally arrived.
Bang!
And the moment Orfevre reached the fourth corner, the rapidly advancing Uma Musume suddenly increased in speed again, causing her to soar past the now second-place Mihono Bourbon as if flying.
Under Mihono Bourbon's disbelieving gaze, Orfevre's figure suddenly emerged beside her... and then completely overtook her in the blink of an eye.
'Is she... a monster?'
This was Mihono Bourbon's final thought before she felt the familiar chilling sensation of Rice Shower's Zone.
Unfortunately for Mihono Bourbon, this time, she seemed to have failed to escape from Rice Shower's grasp, watching helplessly as she succumbed to the effects of the blue rose Uma Musume's Zone.
"AND ORFEVRE IS NOW IN THE LEAD! THEY HAVE REACHED THE FINAL STRAIGHT!"
Whether it was because Ikezoe had managed to drill the muscle memory into her or simply due to sheer luck, Orfevre's timing for her Final Spurt was surprisingly good.
First, an overtake from the far outside before re-entering the inner lane and overtaking again at the fourth corner.
This not only allowed Orfevre to overtake with minimal stamina, but also avoided the risk of being penalized for diagonal movement— after all, there was no way for her to obstruct another Uma Musume's path if she wasn't even there, right?
Moreover, the situation of Rice Shower, Special Week, and Mihono Bourbon all at each other's throats was incredibly ideal for Orfevre.
Normally, everyone in the race would have Orfevre as their biggest target, revolving most of their strategies and decision making around her.
But because of the unconventional strategy of a certain small Uma Musume, they were forced to focus on the immediate threat, letting the largest, looming threat completely slip from their minds, giving Orfevre the perfect opportunity to let loose.
It must be said that if Orfevre had chosen to run as a Runaway as in the Yayoi Sho, her position right now would have absolutely been more precarious.
However, there were no 'ifs' in a race.
As such, Orfevre had indeed managed to overtake all three of her most formidable rivals without having to even lift a single finger.
Even Rice Shower, who had just defeated Mihono Bourbon with her Zone, was not given the chance to even use her Zone on its intended target, failing to even catch a glimpse of Orfevre as she was still in the fourth corner.
Thus, it seemed the outcome of this race was already clear.
...
In the Tenno Sho (Spring), Mejiro McQueen, just like Orfevre, had already broken through the rest of the pack and was charging straight towards the finish line with unstoppable momentum.
In unison with the spectators at the Satsuki Sho, the spectators at the Tenno Sho were also in an uproar!
At this moment, both Mejiro McQueen and Orfevre were leaving the rest of the Uma Musume behind in their respective races, the gap between them and the others widening and widening, seemingly with no end!
"One length! Two lengths! Mejiro McQueen is leaving White Stone behind! Three lengths! She's not stopping! No one can stop Mejiro McQueen!"
"Is the Mejiro Family going to dominate the Spring Tenno Sho yet again?! Is no one able to challenge their rule?!!"
...
"Orfevre is unstoppable—! Oh? Oh! OH?!!! RICE SHOWER IS ACCELERATING!!! SHE HAS MANAGED TO OVERTAKE MIHONO BOURBON AND TAKE SECOND PLACE!!"
"But— it's too late!"
"The Golden Tyrant is too dominant! The gap is too wide!"
...
"AND SHE CROSSES THE FINISH LINE!!! ORFEVRE (MEJIRO MCQUEEN) IS THE WINNER OF THE SATSUKI SHO (SPRING TENNO SHO)!!!" X2
At both the Kyoto Racecourse, where the Tenno Sho (Spring) was held, and the Nakayama Racecourse, where the Satsuki Sho was held, Mejiro McQueen and Orfevre's successive victories caused the spectators to erupt in thunderous applause.
It was a completely undeniable victory, dominating their respective races without any doubt, signifying their absolute strength; and with it came their first GI victory of their careers.
Yet the two Uma Musume currently had completely different mindsets.
Orfevre did not show much excitement for this victory; she even felt a little bored from the lack of a challenge, taking this win for granted.
Slowly decelerating, Orfevre smoothly transitioned into a jog while raising her fist sky high, her unmasked, fierce appearance revealed for everyone to see, letting them witness the dominance of the Golden Tyrant.
Behind Orfevre, Rice Shower, Mihono Bourbon, and Special Week finally crossed the finish line successively in that order, the way they panted almost as if they had lost their souls.
It was a reasonable reaction; after all, this loss had officially shattered the dreams of at least two Uma Musume who pursued the honour of a Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume.
'How can... everyone be so strong...'
'Orfevre, Rice Shower, Mihono Bourbon... am I not growing strong enough?'
'...Maybe, but at least I still have a chance to surpass them... Yes! The Japanese Derby! With Trainer and Suzuka-san, I will definitely grow strong and defeat everyone in the Japanese Derby!'
But, unlike the re-energized Special Week, the panting Mihono Bourbon kept her gaze fixed on Rice Shower from beginning to end.
—This petite Uma Musume was the single greatest reason behind why her plans went wrong.
Rice Shower's performance in the Yayoi Sho could only be described as average; it would be nonsensical for Mihono Bourbon to consider her an actual threat.
However, Rice Shower completely overturned her impression of her this race.
Although she failed to defeat Orfevre, Rice Shower still managed to overtake her.
Even if the element of surprise played a huge factor in why things went so wrong... facts were facts: she had lost to Rice Shower.
And in hindsight, Mihono Bourbon had to admit, among the runners in this race... only Rice Shower could possibly threaten Orfevre.
The gap between Rice Shower and Orfevre was smaller than the gap between Rice Shower and herself... she still had a long way to go.
'Still, there must be some other way to compensate for my lack of talent...'
'There's still a month until the Japanese Derby. I'll research with Master on how to defeat Orfevre.'
Thinking this, Mihono Bourbon slowly walked away, completely forgetting about her 'cyborg' setting.
Taking a final look at Rice Shower, Mihono Bourbon decided that she needed to change her way of evaluating people.
...
Meanwhile, at the Tenno Sho (Spring), Mejiro McQueen, who had just crossed the finish line, suddenly looked up.
But she wasn't looking at the ranking screen, but rather at the inconspicuously hidden warning lights— she did not want to get her hopes up too early.
However, after the lights did not turn red despite waiting for a few minutes, Mejiro McQueen's excited expression grew brighter and brighter.
Then, she finally turned her head towards the ranking screen, gazing at where her name was displayed.
First place, truly first place.
The Spring Tenno Sho... she won it. She fulfilled the long cherished wish of the Mejiro Family.
"Hoo... YYEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
Completely casting away the elegance of a young lady of the Mejiro Family, all the stress and resentment she had accumulated for over a year and a half were completely released alongside Mejiro McQueen's cheer.
She had waited... endured so much for so long for this day. Now, everything had finally paid off.
At this moment, tears of joy began shedding from McQueen's eyes as she continued cheering, a natural feeling of 'something' merging within her following it.
What McQueen did not know was that this was the sign of her 'compatibility' level improving by leaps and bounds.
Although it couldn't be considered the highest even within Team Miracle, it was more than enough to dwarf Orfevre's.
Thus, McQueen had managed to prove herself to everyone— to her family, to her teammates, to her Trainer, and most importantly, herself.
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The screen of my Chromebook just broke for no reason...
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.