Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

With her entire being focused to the extreme, Zhuo Fu lowered her body slightly and gently stepped on the gate with her toes, crushing the grass mixed with mud and water into the mud.

Now, all that's left is to wait for the match to begin!

……

However, at this moment, inside another gate, the girl Haidu Zhixing, who was already on Zhuo Fu's guard, remained motionless in her starting position.

Those brown eyes opened quietly, their red light gleaming within.

That wasn't the color her eyes should have; instead, it was bright red characters that appeared in her eyes, flowing rapidly like a data stream.

"Zhuo... Fu."

I had heard this name, Haidu Star, many times before.

As England's most outstanding runner this year, he will naturally be compared to France's prodigy this year.

From a young age, Hoshino's way of thinking was different from ordinary people. Therefore, both her mother, Hoshino, and her sister, Galileo, believed that she possessed the most precious talent for a racehorse girl.

Her older sister, in particular, always used the standards of this racehorse girl named Zofu to strictly demand that Haidu Star improve its strength.

Perhaps in her sister's eyes, the Star of the Sea, who, like her, was born into a prestigious family, must become the strongest.

Before coming here from England this year, Galileo told her personally that she would only have two rivals at the Arc de Triomphe: Zoë Bourne from France and Stardust from the Far East.

So before today, Haidu Star had also specifically recorded information about them.

However, her usual expertise in data collection and analysis proved useless in the face of these two documents.

No matter how hard Haidu Star tries, it can't build a model of Zofu and Stardust Illusion in its mind based on that data, let alone simulate and analyze these two racehorse girls.

This situation had only happened to the older sister of the Sea City Star before.

(This means that, like their older sister, they have the potential to become the strongest.)

Although Haidu Star's expression remained unchanged, he was still somewhat puzzled by Zhuo Fu's behavior at that moment.

If they possessed that level of potential, they should be even stronger than they are now...

"Final preparations for the start have been completed, and we are now in energy storage mode."

"Based on the intelligence in the database, we began to develop a tactical approach... The development failed, and we were unable to create a model that matched the strength of our opponents. We then began to prepare for the execution of a specific racecourse running a mile."

The previously empty aura of Haidu Zhixing suddenly surged, churning like a giant wave in the deep sea, and with her emotionless, mechanical murmur, it suddenly covered the entire arena!

However, this momentum was thwarted the next moment.

Just as the giant wave crashed towards Zhuo Fu, another agile yet incredibly resilient fighting spirit erupted simultaneously, firmly resisting its momentum.

(This time... it's definitely right.)

The red color in Haidu Star's eyes became even brighter at that moment.

She has now confirmed that the opponent who could unleash such momentum before the match was none other than Zhuo Fu herself.

This means that one of the opponents that Galileo's sister Galileo said she needed to defeat could be defeated today!

"—Successfully prepared to execute the most suitable running strategy under these conditions, now enter the corresponding mode [Lead] to achieve the best running state."

"Searching the canon... Search complete. Canon retrieved: [Shigebaba no Oni], [Standard Distance ◎], [Focus], [First Strike Guaranteed], [Earth Solid]."

"Your Excellency, the formalities have been set up... Star of the Sea City, deploy!"

……

As the aura of the Star of the Sea swept over her, it was as if flames were completely ignited within Zhuo Fu's petite body.

An eagerness to win kept lingering in my mind.

She slowly closed her eyes, adjusting her breathing and movements to the most quiet and peaceful state, eliminating all thoughts from her mind.

In an instant, all the sounds around me seemed to be completely shut out, and even the sensation of raindrops falling on my skin disappeared...

At the Longchamp Racecourse, amidst the torrential rain, all the female racehorses were ready for the race.

[1600m, grass, right turn, main racecourse, I hereby announce! The G1 Grand Prix at Longchamp Mill is now open for registration!]

[Officially starting!!!]

Beep—Bang!

As soon as the commentator finished speaking, the whistle signaling the start of the match sounded in the stadium, and then the red markings on all the gates turned green, and all the gates opened at the same time.

The racehorses shot off like arrows the moment the gates opened!

Water splashed everywhere, mud and grass flew everywhere, and the legs of the runners stomped heavily on the ground as they ran, and all the runners began to fight for their own running positions without giving an inch.

Because there were 16 runners participating in the race, the entire female racer community was thrown into chaos after the start of the race.

The most attention-grabbing Zhuo Fu was completely unaffected by the heavy horse track. Her running movements were light and swift, as if she were completely ignored by gravity, and she sprang forward.

The racehorse girls blocking her way didn't even notice the girl's figure. Several of them only felt as if someone was approaching, but in the blink of an eye, they found that Zhuo Fu was in front of them!

It raced at high speed, shattering even raindrops completely.

Just as he was gradually pulling away from the runners and about to take the lead, another figure suddenly appeared from the side!

Zhuo Fu's eyes narrowed as she looked at the racehorse girl beside her who was accelerating along with her.

"Canon analysis: [Shigebaba's Demon] is working..."

The already somber atmosphere, made even more oppressive by the rain, became even more so the moment this figure appeared.

Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, Zhuo Fu was absolutely certain that the entire arena and the world seemed to revolve around her.

(This is the Shigebaba Demon she was talking about?!)

Before Zhuo Fu could even process the thought, she saw the figure speeding through the torrential rain, leaping across the muddy track.

Those unrestrained steps were even easier than hers, and the ever-increasing speed further demonstrated that Haidu Star was perfectly adapted to the current venue.

—That's right, this is the effect that only comes from being favored by the venue!

Zhuo Fu had experienced this vivid feeling countless times with the elites; it was a powerful technique that could elevate the strength of runners of her caliber to a whole new level.

Wang Zu once stated frankly that if they were on the track of the Shigeojo racecourse, she would be confident that she could easily defeat herself, who had never experienced the Shigeojo racecourse.

With the bloodline of that world-class runner named [Hai Du City], Hai Du Star is now undoubtedly displaying a special ability just like that of the prestigious clan!

In the blink of an eye, the Star of the Sea City had arrived at a position where it was running alongside Zhuo Fu.

And almost simultaneously, the two girls realized the current situation: at this moment, whether in terms of speed or acceleration, the Star of the Sea City was faster!

The surging momentum was like ocean waves, making it almost impossible for Zhuo Fu, who was not very good at starting, to breathe.

She suddenly recalled the time she traveled to Japan and experienced the stardust illusion at the start of a race.

Back then, she didn't understand running and racing as well as she does now, so she simply thought Stardust's start was very graceful and faster than hers, and then she didn't have any other thoughts.

But now, she truly understands just how powerful one's initial combat strength can be after achieving that perfect start!

I can't catch up, I can't catch up, I can't catch up!

Caught off guard, Zhuo Fu wanted to start catching up again, but she couldn't get her speed back up to the same level as Haidu Star.

This heavy-duty racecourse, which was originally meant to equally restrict the legs of all runners, not only did not cause any trouble for Haidu Star, but instead became her best motivation at this moment, firmly limiting Zhuo Fu's condition.

No matter how hard she tried, she could only watch helplessly as the runner, with his exaggerated, heavy-duty running style, snatched the lead away from her.

(I was defeated head-on?!)

Zhuo Fu, her eyes wide open, suddenly caught her breath.

……

[The race has begun! All the racehorses had a successful start! No one made a mistake due to the rainy weather at the racecourse! Everyone successfully entered the auxiliary track!!!]

Alright, this is the beginning of the race. Everyone is still more or less affected by the harsh environment, and the starting lines are temporarily in a state of chaos...

[Zhuo Fu! Zhuo Fu seized the opportunity and surged forward! As expected of the Flower of France, Zhuo Fu is now in the lead... wait?!]

The commentary on the radio suddenly stopped. The host, who had originally intended to take this opportunity to praise Zhuo Fu, was stunned by the situation on the field, and his mouth unconsciously opened slightly.

Because what was unfolding before her eyes was an unbelievable scene.

The Ocean Star, which was originally in the inner lane, sprinted forward in the shortest straight line almost as soon as it left the gate, even though it was blocked by the figures of several other racehorses.

However, her acceleration and positional changes in the early game are in no way inferior to Zofu's, while this much-anticipated French beauty is clearly inferior to Haidu Star in terms of early game acceleration.

So, just after running a hundred meters, Zhuo Fu was already blocked by Haidu Star in the lead direction!

Meanwhile, on the track, a runner who had gone unnoticed by anyone—Flight Attendant No. 11—was frantically chasing after the runner, complaining incessantly.

That's right, she also signed up for today's competition, hoping to use it as a springboard to try and challenge the highest crown known as the Arc de Triomphe.

However, it was only the introductory round, and she already felt unprecedented pressure, even more so than when she was directly defeated by the Stardust Illusion last time.

(The track is already so difficult to run on, and the rain from the sky will also consume extra stamina to replenish the dispelled questions...)

(Why is it always monsters like this, going all out from the very beginning of the match? Are their stamina inexhaustible?!)

The flight attendant, who had originally wanted to seize the lead and try to use the "Rainy Escape" technique in this race, had a bead of cold sweat trickling down his cheek.

Having already experienced the Stardust Illusion Battle, she was already certain that today's intensity would be no less than that one, even after only 100 meters of the competition!

The girl gritted her teeth and stomped heavily on the ground, kicking up mud and water.

The girl's initial all-out effort as a leader suddenly changed; she slowed down and fell into the ranks of the runners.

(Just one chance is enough... Before that, conserve your energy and put all your eggs in one basket for that one sprint!)

[Unbelievable! The racehorse currently at the forefront isn't Zof... it's Ocean Star! Does this girl from England really have such powerful early-game acceleration?!]

[This...this is absolutely astonishing! The sudden emergence of Haidu Star has overtaken Zhuo Fu and taken the lead!!! What should Zhuo Fu do?! Will she compete with her or seize the opportunity to take the lead?!]

The most popular player, Zhuo Fu, and the second most popular player, Hai Du Zhi Xing, displayed such high fighting spirit from the very beginning, bringing the atmosphere of the competition to a fever pitch.

Therefore, the audience's attention naturally focused on the two women at the very front.

On a rainy day at the racecourse, if you fall into the middle of the runners' pack, it will be very difficult to start over. You will need to spend a lot of energy dealing with both the track and your opponents' interference.

Therefore, for racehorses confident in maintaining their stamina, taking the lead in this race is definitely the most energy-efficient approach, rather than enjoying the slipstream disrupted by the rain.

This principle is very simple and anyone can understand it, but to put it into practice, one needs to directly compete with other runners using their own abilities.

Even from the very beginning of the competition, the pace of the game will be pushed into a tense and difficult situation where two tigers are fighting for supremacy.

By then, even if one of the racehorses wanted to slow down and change her posture, her opponent would absolutely not allow it to happen!