Umamusume's days are numbered

Ibuki Kagura stood in the gate, tentatively twisting her ankle. In order to catch up with Platinum's pace, she had ordered a brand new set of horseshoes, hoping to do her best to close the gap between them.

Leo Deban slowly clenched his fingers into a fist, feeling a sense of unease. She didn't know if Platinum, who came in first place in the Satsuki Prize, felt any pressure, but Leo Deban certainly felt a mountain of pressure because of his second-place finish.

If I can perform exceptionally well again this time, then I should be able to be compared with the East Sea Emperor and the others, right?

While keeping her nerves on edge, Platinum glanced to her sides.

The right side is full of players, and the left side is full of players.

With twenty people in total, breaking through would be extremely difficult if one were to fall into the group. Based on their popularity ranking, if they were to fall into the group, all the other contestants would probably go crazy and block all their paths forward.

After all, it's common knowledge that Platinum isn't good at breaking through.

Therefore, it is essential to establish a lead right from the very beginning of the game.

That said, her popularity ranking is consistently high, but she's never been asked for an autograph! Is this popularity real or fake? She hasn't campaigned for votes at all!

"—Open the gates, the match begins!"

—Well then, let’s begin! Platinum took a deep breath, her large lungs filling with so much oxygen that her chest appeared to expand.

This time, we must unleash our full potential from the very beginning of the competition and win spectacularly from start to finish.

Then, all the contestants present could hear a heavy, muffled thunderclap in their ears, accompanied by the sound of the gate hinges turning.

What was that sound? Shakogre instinctively covered her ears, her eardrums feeling like they were ringing. Then she realized what it was.

Oh no, the floodgates have been opened!

"Shacogre and White Cedar are late! Meanwhile, Platinum has taken the lead and seized the front row position."

"Platinum player is in excellent form today, managing to secure a good position right at the start. She's now leading the entire team."

At this moment, seeing Platinum runner suddenly take the lead, all the athletes on the field felt nothing but disbelief.

Ibuki Mai Kagura opened her lips in alarm.

What exactly is this...?

Leo Deban blinked in disbelief.

In a fraction of a second, just as the gate opened, it had already taken the lead by three-quarters of a horse's length... What kind of acceleration is this?

Even a cheetah couldn't do that!

Shacogre realized something. Only he and White-winged Cedar were late to exit, and they were positioned on either side of Platinum. Shacogre himself had been startled by the sudden loud noise, and White-winged Cedar probably had too.

Could it be that... that sound that looked like a thunderclap... was actually Platinum's footsteps?

Add to that instantaneous acceleration that is unattainable for everyone.

Could it be that... the gap between us is really that big?

Platinum couldn't see what was behind her, but she could hear the sound of the riders' hooves.

The sound of some horses' hooves had become disordered, and all the hooves were weakening, indicating that the distance between them and the others was widening.

The plan was a great success! Hehe, don't call me despicable. A competition is a competition, and you have to use everything you can.

A sinister smile of triumph appeared on Platinum's face.

So, did Platinum's instantaneous acceleration really reach such a terrifying level, capable of creating such a huge gap? This is already at the level of the world's best horse, and it might even be able to compete for the world record.

The answer is that while Platinum's instantaneous acceleration is indeed terrifying, it's not quite that extreme. Actually, Platinum used a little trick.

The gates take time to open. This time is very short, perhaps only a fraction of a second, and there is no starting gun, so all the racehorses start running the instant the gates open.

The start is a crucial part of horse racing, requiring extensive training. Generally, aside from race-related accidents, a typical racehorse will only be less than a second slower than its competitors. However, even a difference of less than a second in the early stages of the race can lead to an irreparable mistake throughout the entire race.

Episode 234 Power Outage

“And you’re a racehorse girl who excels at leading the race, which means that getting into position early in the race is especially important for you.” Alice, dressed in a tracksuit, shielded her eyes from the direct sunlight with her hand. “It’s so hot… So, you especially need more training to get out of the gate.”

A gate was moved to the training field from somewhere, and Platinum leaned against it, enjoying the slight shade from the roof.

Summer is still a long way off, but the sun is already scorching. The air temperature isn't high, but the intense sunlight is unbearable.

"Suko, I have a question." Platinum tilted her head. "Since everyone says that leaving the gate is important, why not leave it earlier?"

"Whether it's the exit method you or Nishizaki Ryu taught me, although there are differences, the general process is the same."

Platinum refers to the exit process. Pay attention to when the gate opens, and then start moving at the moment it opens to rush out of the gate.

"Since even a fraction of a second is precious when exiting the gate... there must be an even more time-efficient way."

That is, instead of waiting for the gate to open, you first exert force with your body, so that you can run out the moment the gate opens and complete the start.

This is equivalent to overlapping the time spent waiting for the gate to open with the time spent waiting for the body to exert force.

Alice looked at Platinum with a complicated expression: "The fact that you noticed this shows that you are somewhat intelligent. But the fact that you noticed it but didn't realize why others don't run like that shows that your intelligence is limited."

"The biggest problem is still security."

Alice stepped forward, patted the gate, and made a clanging sound: "It's made of iron. Although it's just a layer of iron, it's a hard metal."

"You know best the explosive power of racehorses. Now let me ask you, what would happen if a sports car with the accelerator floored and crashed straight into a wall?"

Although racehorse girls have physical qualities that far surpass those of humans in all aspects, their bodies are still made of flesh and bones, and are soft and fragile.

The consequences of crashing directly into the gate would be unimaginable.

"Can you really control a reaction time of a fraction of a second? If you successfully exit the gate, you've won a fraction of a second. But if you fail..." Alice pointed to her head, then spread her hands outwards and imitated an explosion sound, "Boom, you better pray you can still stand up in the future."

“There have been many tragic examples of this. You’re not the first person to have such unrealistic ideas. You can talk to a con artist about this kind of experience; she’s familiar with it.” Alice patted Platinum’s head again. “It’s not worth risking your life for a fraction of a second. Don’t think about those things; just listen to me.”

“But…” Platinum thought for a moment, then touched his eyes, “I think I might be able to do it.”

Platinum's vision is exceptionally good, to the point that it goes beyond simply being good.

Saying she can distinguish between male and female flies from fifty meters away is certainly an exaggeration, but she can indeed see quite a lot of things.

It's not just about having a long-range vision; Platinum has entered a state of trance during matches on multiple occasions. In this state, she can feel her subjective time slowing down considerably. Combined with her eyesight... she might just be able to make it work!

After hearing Platinum's words, Alice fell into deep thought. If it were Rudolf or Nishizaki Ryu, they would never have approved such a reckless approach. But Alice was different. After careful consideration, she nodded cautiously: "It's not impossible to give it a try."

"Platinum—Platinum has already established its advantage!"

"Before we were even halfway through the first straight, the lead Platinum had already pulled two horse lengths ahead of the ones behind me."

Following behind Platinum, she gaped and exclaimed, "I wanted to run for the lead class too—!"

Platinum twitched its ears and recognized the owner of the voice behind it.

It was that Satsuki Shonen who came in last place.

...No, you're already in last place and you're still leading the pack?

That's incredibly persistent.

"Behind Platinum and me, the pioneering group and the chasing group are gradually taking shape, but the competition for position between them continues."

Calm down... Don't let being behind me or getting platinum affect you.

Running on the outer lane, the East Sea Emperor glanced to his side. Shacogre, Leodban, and New Universe were fiercely vying for even the slightest advantage within the pioneering group.

Running on the outer path was both an unavoidable choice for the Emperor of the East Sea and a move in accordance with the prevailing trend.

The outside lane will consume more energy, especially since this is a 2400-meter track.

Running 1600 meters, 2000 meters, and 2400 meters may only differ by 400 meters, but the endurance required is vastly different.

As the race progresses, the importance of short sprint ability gradually decreases, while the importance of endurance gradually increases.

However, similarly, if one were on the outer path, the Emperor of the East Sea wouldn't need to concern himself with the fierce battles for position. With stamina being especially precious, it's hard to say whether securing a position or running the outer path would consume more energy.

Maintain your current position, then accelerate at the third turn. Don't let Platinum affect you anymore. Stick to your own pace and show Platinum what a true regal dance looks like!

Ibuki Mai Kagura let out a muffled groan. Squeezed in the center of the procession, the intense heat emanating from the surrounding racehorse girls made her feel as if she couldn't breathe.

There was no way to break through... I underestimated the derby match.

A total of twenty elite players. The sheer number of participants and the high average skill level of the players make the Japanese derby unparalleled.

In this group, let alone securing a position, just managing to keep going without being interrupted is already a tremendous effort!

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Leo Deban's forehead. The intensity of the Japanese derby was completely different from what he had imagined.

The entire track is like a giant whirlpool, pulling every competitor in and making it impossible to escape. Those who lose their strength and give up struggling will be sunk to the bottom of the whirlpool and never rise again.

This isn't a competition, it's a meat grinder! Leo Deban feels like he's being stuffed into it, ready to be ground into dust at any moment!

For these classic-year foals, the brutal racing scene has only just begun. The Japanese Derby is just the start; soon they will learn the gap between themselves and the older foals from previous years in other top races.

At this point, you either rise from the ashes and join them, or you fall behind and drift aimlessly from then on.

Episode 235 Straight to the Finish Line

"That's it, that's how we led all the way to the finish line!" In the stands, Genesis was jumping around, clenching his little fists.

The child's attention span prevented her from hearing the commentary or the live feed, and she couldn't keep track of all the racers. Genesis could only see Platinum, who was consistently in the lead, leaving everyone else far behind.

Genesis has only a superficial understanding of horse racing and doesn't know the difference between chasing and escaping horses. No one cares about this when she's running the Pony Cup, so in her current mindset, speed is good and being in the lead is strong.

So Platinum is both fast and powerful!

Meanwhile, the Constructicon, pulling at its hat, opened its mouth as if to say something to Genesis, but seeing her excited expression, it became timid and fell silent.

And this was also seen by the carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate reached out and touched the cashmere hat on the airplane cloud: "Little Cloud, what do you think?"

Airplane Cloud warily watched the outstretched hand of Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, then stole a glance at Genesis before whispering, "It's nothing..."

"It's just... I feel like Platinum Sister runs really well, but isn't she a little too fast..."

Running too fast? This is a question few children would consider. So, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate bent down and asked her, "Why do you think that?"

"Ah... I didn't say Platinum was bad, or that I disliked her, or that I cursed her to lose the match..." Airplane Cloud waved its hands hurriedly as if it had been startled. "I, I just feel... if I were on stage, it would be a little slower... better."

"Because this track is the longest we've ever encountered, right? If we don't conserve our energy, we might..."

At that moment, the commentary broadcast rang out throughout the venue.

"As the race entered the middle stage, the players entered the second straight."

"Platinum maintains an overwhelming advantage, leading second-place Shacogre by a full five lengths!"

"I can't take it anymore—" As if history were repeating itself, a scream followed me as usual, and then I was swallowed up by the huge horde of horse girls behind me, unsurprisingly being thrown from the front of the list to the back of the line.

This is the principle behind choosing the lead-and-leave strategy. If you persevere to the end, you'll achieve a resounding and overwhelming victory. But the moment you relax even slightly—that leads to utter defeat.

It's either first or last.

"Closely following behind is the East Sea Emperor, which is running on the outer path. The East Sea Emperor is also gradually accelerating, preparing to widen the gap with the pioneering group!"

Before reaching the third bend, he created a gap of about a horse's length between himself and the riders behind him, preparing for entering the inner lane... As he ran, the East Sea Emperor planned his stamina and controlled his pace.

Because there are no machines that allow participants to directly view their cadence and speed, it's easy for competitors to have their rhythm disrupted by those around them during the competition. The Eastern Sea Emperor suffered greatly from this during the Satsuki Sho competition.

But this time was different; the Emperor of the East Sea was even silently counting down the seconds in his mind.

One, two, three, four, five... one second.

For now, I'll maintain this pace; the real physical exertion will come at the end.

"Platinum players show no signs of slowing down and continue to maintain the gap between themselves and the players behind them."

"Is this a bit dangerous? Is it going to accelerate too much? Perhaps it would be better to give yourself a little breathing room before the final stretch of the race."

The child... was stunned, looking down at the airplane cloud with its hat brim pulled tight.

How could she possibly arrive at the same conclusion as the commentator?

Regardless of whether this conclusion is correct considering Platinum's monstrous stamina, the fact that he possesses this level of judgment at such a young age...

"Following closely behind the East Sea Emperor is Leodban. Leodban still looks to be in great shape and able to handle such a continuous and intense pace of the game."

Huff... I can still keep up... Huff... Leodban was already panting heavily. Although he was closely following behind the Emperor of the East Sea, the difference in their physical strength was already clearly visible. Compared to Leodban, who was panting due to the rapid pace, the Emperor of the East Sea seemed to be handling it with ease.

The Emperor of the East Sea is still too fast... This isn't my strength; I need to find a way to break through...