"You always did have a good eye."
Maya's current smile was, essentially, bait. It was a mask designed to hide her fighting spirit and deceive her rivals. It wasn't something Rampage had taught her; she had chosen this tactic herself. A race doesn't start at the sound of the gun; the psychological warfare—the "out-of-bounds" tactics—starts long before. Rampage remembered his own Shuka Sho, where he could feel the target on his back before he even stepped onto the track.
"Looking at her now, the others will think she's the same old Maya," Rampage said. "They'll see her confidence as simple naivety. And they'll expect her to run near the front, just like last time."
"And let me guess... you're not doing that?" Sakahara asked, a knowing smirk on his face.
Rampage simply shrugged. A few moments later, the gates snapped open, and the Fuyo Stakes began.
"And they're off! A clean start for the field! Muruga, Hard Master, and Sakogg are fighting for the lead as the front-runners jostle for position—but wait! Mayano Top Gun is at the back?! She was a front-runner in her debut, but is she going for a 'closer' strategy today?!"
"What?! No way!"
"Why is she all the way back there!?"
"Did she miss the start!?"
The crowd—and the other racers—were stunned. Everyone had been guarding against Maya's front-running pace from her debut. Maya had anticipated exactly that. She knew she was being marked, and so she had deliberately dropped back.
(This is even better than I thought~) Maya mused, a small smile playing on her lips.
From her perspective, she had simply changed her positioning. But for her opponents, the psychological blow was immense. They were visibly flustered, constantly glancing back at her instead of focusing on their own rhythm. You can't run your best race when you're busy looking over your shoulder.
"Maya is a true genius," Rampage muttered. "And her greatest gift is her versatility. She can adapt to any running style."
"I agree," Sakahara nodded. "Coming from a guy who only ever knew how to bolt for the lead, seeing her do this is nothing short of amazing."
The race reached the midway point, and Maya still hadn't moved from the very back. Meanwhile, the front of the pack was in chaos. Muruga, who had been leading, was overtaken by Sakogg; Hard Master was fighting her bit, running too hot; Emeruel was fading fast. The mere presence of Maya at the rear was dictating the entire flow of the race.
"Mayano Top Gun still hasn't made her move! Is this radical tactical shift going to backfire?! We're entering the third corner! Muruga takes the lead again! Hard Master is falling back—did she burn out too early?!"
"Alright... Maya's going now!"
Just as they hit the fourth corner, Maya finally pulled the trigger. Digging her hooves into the turf, she used the centrifugal force of the turn to swing wide, slingshotting past the other girls in a single, fluid motion.
"Mayano Top Gun makes her move! She's flying up from the back! Here they come into the home stretch—but the Nakayama stretch is short! Can Muruga hold on?! Hard Master is spent! But look at Mayano Top Gun! She's into third already! Unbelievable speed! Now they hit the 'Heartbreak Hill'—Muruga is losing steam! Sakogg is struggling! But Mayano Top Gun is storming up the outside! She's taken the lead! She's pulling away! For her, this steep incline is nothing but a catapult! She's launched herself past the field! There's no doubt about it now—Mayano Top Gun crosses the line!! IT'S MAYANO TOP GUN!"
It was a dominant display. She had toyed with the field and then left them in the dust, winning by a staggering seven lengths. Rampage couldn't help but grin.
"There's nothing scarier than Maya's talent," he remarked. "One wrong read on her, and your entire strategy collapses."
A racer who could change her style like a phantom—it was a concept Rampage, the master of "illusion," found deeply familiar. Their compatibility was even better than he'd realized.
Sakahara watched the celebration, a look of awe on his face. "A G1 win... I think we can really expect one, can't we?"
"Don't tell me," Rampage said, nodding toward the track. "Tell her."
"You're right."
"Rampage-saaaan! Trainer-chaaaan!" Maya shouted from the turf, waving both arms frantically. "Maya won! I won!!"
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