Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 242: A Momentary Tug of War
With a thunderous "go", like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, the stands and the runway instantly stirred up thousands of waves.

On the track, 16 agile figures rushed out of the gate like arrows from a bow.

The dust raised by the swift footsteps flew in the sunlight, interweaving with the shouts from the stands to form a frenzied wave.

The commentator seemed to be overwhelmed by this wave of enthusiasm, and his voice trembled slightly:

“A very nice start!

"First up is... the most popular Golden Boat. Her launch this time was also incredibly beautiful!
“Instead of taking the lead, she decisively chose the chasing position.

“She cleverly avoided the frontal confrontation and kept cutting in from the back.

"It's a very familiar running tactic. It looks like she'll bring an amazing and powerful sprint overtake, which is worth all of our anticipation!"

According to the convention of live broadcasts and reviews, the most popular horse girls are always introduced first.

The Golden Ship's reputation was indeed well-deserved. As soon as her name appeared on the radio, the entire stand erupted in cheers like a volcano erupting, as if celebrating the champion's crossing the finish line in advance.

Then, the commentator's words suddenly changed, and his voice rose several degrees:

"Attention! Front row!

“Five players are running neck and neck!
"From the inside out, they are Bright Sun and Clear Sky, Golden Enthusiast, Myriad Sounds Contending, Northern Black Horse, and Leafalu!

“The confrontation… has a result!
"Golden Dancer is slightly ahead by half a horse length, followed closely by Northern Black Horse!
"Also half a horse length apart, Wanlai Zhengming and Leafalu are standing side by side at the back!

"Langri Qingtian is currently in fifth place with a very small gap!
"at the same time!
“Victory Stone is gradually closing in on the leading group!

"The game has just begun..."

The commentator grew increasingly excited as he spoke, his voice filled with endless passion, constantly echoing over the arena:
"We've already fallen into such a fierce and entangled tug-of-war!"

The starting point of the Arima Kinen is set on the track that cuts inward from the outer lane on the opposite side. At this moment, looking from the stands from a distance, the entire team looks like a huge and unique drop of water.

The head appears particularly heavy because so many players are closely gathered together, while the tail is relatively light.

With its top heavy, the "water drop" rushed towards the first bend with all its might.

The front and largest part of this "water drop" is obviously boiling violently and bursting madly.

Every leap and every acceleration there seemed to be announcing to the world their desire and determination for victory.

However, in stark contrast to the frenzy of the entire stadium, the front of the stands facing the finish line was unusually calm, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water on them.

"It's actually... so intense."

The Emperor of the East Sea was filled with surprise. Her eyes were fixed on the field, and her tone was calm.
"Even for the Arima Kinen race, such an intense start... is rare."

Da Zhenhan could no longer maintain her usual silent expression. Her eyes flickered with emotion as she nodded in agreement.

"I've never been in a show with such an exaggerated opening. A master, and a lady...?"

She looked to her side.

“I’ve never encountered such an opening.”

"The intense matches I've experienced... usually happened in the second half."

After answering the shocking question in unison, the golden master and the noble lady were both stunned and looked at each other involuntarily.

Then, the golden master snorted coldly, and the noble lady raised the corner of her mouth with a smile, and they both looked away and continued to cast their eyes on the fierce competition field.

On the runway.

Striving forward to take the lead, the Golden Artist could feel his heart pounding and a vague sense of suffocation.

The suffocating feeling came from the dull thud of footsteps behind her. The sound was like an invisible hand, tightly grasping her heart. This was not her first time running a race, nor was it her first time leading the pack.

On the contrary, she has not only run more than ten races, but has won many of them by leading.

However, she had never felt so nervous about being released as she did at that moment.

No, that's not right.

It wasn't the release that made her palpitate.

What made her heart palpitate was the Northern Black Horse that was so close behind her.

"So, this junior...is indeed not undeservedly famous!"

The Golden Artist secretly marveled.

Previously, she had only confirmed with the trainer that the younger generation, Northern Black Horse, had amazing strength and endurance, but had not yet reached its peak in terms of speed.

In previous competitions, the opponents should have strictly followed the trainer's instructions and tried their best to play to their strengths to cover up or make up for their weaknesses.

During the time of Arima Memorial's preparations, she further confirmed this.

She knew that Northern Black Colt and his trainer had come to watch her training, but she didn't care much.

It is common sense to observe and analyze the opponent before the game and develop targeted running tactics.

She and her trainers also investigated their opponents in this way, including Northern Black Horse.

If I had to say something strange, it would be that this junior was the only one who came with the trainer every time, unlike me who mainly relied on the trainer to do these things.

This kind of preparation research with the trainer is like the other party is going to be a trainer in the future.

Putting aside these strange things, after confirming the condition of the Northern Black Colt, she and the trainer quickly determined the more ideal response measures.

If you are in a one-on-one situation with Northern Xuanju, especially in the early stages, use the quick escape method.

Such as now.

For horse girls who are not fast enough, this way of running can disrupt the opponent's rhythm to a certain extent, consume their physical strength, and may also cover up their other tactical strategies.

But now, when she was really one-on-one with Northern Xuanju on the field, she found that things were not that easy.

Beifang Xuanju followed her too closely, as if he had practiced marking her countless times, and he made it impossible for her to increase her speed.

If this goes on, let alone escaping quickly, I'm afraid that if I just keep on fighting, I'll end up being the one who suffers.

"How unwise! Rather than wasting my energy in vain..."

Just before entering the first corner, the Golden Orchestra quickly made a decision:
"It's better to save it and keep it until the end, so that you can have the strength to fight!"

Not only the Golden Artist, but also Wanlai Zhengming and Leafalu, who were following closely behind Northern Black Horse, also felt deeply the swiftness of the black figure in front of them.

The Northern Black Horse was like a heavily armored chariot that was launched in an instant, carrying an indestructible momentum.

It was also like a ferocious beast that suddenly jumped out from the deep mountains and forests, with agile and ferocious body.

At this moment, she is in full swing, and the pressure she brings is as heavy as a mountain.

However, the two people who were under the same pressure had completely different feelings.

If I wasn't running at full speed, I would really want to pick up the violin and play a song to my heart's contention.

(End of this chapter)