And so...
Everyone was finally positioned in their assigned gates, and every single one of them was ready, equipped for it to commence truly.
With deepened breaths, trembling hands, and sweat trickling down their faces.
The atmosphere was utterly tense.
Even Urara—
Finally stood still and settled into her starting stance.
"Here we go! I've got this!" she declared, pressing hardly on the ground beneath her feet.
This was it.
The race of their lives.
Every single one of them—
Had poured everything into reaching this moment.
All their effort, sacrifices, and dreams.
All leading right to here.
A single race that would determine their future.
A single run that would open the gates to something greater.
The race of the future.
The run of a lifetime...
...
...
Meanwhile—
Mary, too, tensed.
She fidgeted slightly in her gate, while her mind raced, straining to stay focused on the track ahead.
"I need to do this…" she whispered to herself.
"I need to win this..."
"No matter what..."
With that, she drifted her gaze slightly up toward the stands.
And suddenly—
Her breath caught, and she instantly froze.
There, among the spectators, sat that one person.
One with the same judgmental, piercing look she knew for years.
One she knew throughout her life.
Her father.
Silently watching her with binoculars.
"Fa… Father…?" she stammered under her breath.
And fear immediately gripped her.
Without hesitation, she quickly lowered her gaze.
Back on the track ahead.
"I…" she muttered.
"I... have to be… perfect...!"
Her fingers then curled tightly.
"He... He's watching...!"
"And I have to…"
" I have to…fulfill Father's command…"
Then, tighter.
"I have… to..."
"...win…"
But before she could assure herself further, suddenly—
A broadcast boomed across the field.
"Get ready, candidates."
And in response, all runners were swiftly adjusted.
Feet heavily dug into the ground.
Their postures lowered.
And fists clenched tightly.
Finally, their eyes narrowed...
This was it...
They were ready.
Holding themselves up one last time as a fragile stillness settled before them.
"On your mark…"
"Get set…"
And...
...
...
"Start!"
*BANG*
Instantly, the sound of the gate shattered the silence.
And they surged forward!
A single, unified burst!
In unison, their feet struck the ground in near-perfect rhythm.
Their bodies cut through the air with trained precision, like gusts of tempestuous winds.
In a brief instant, they were all equal.
Then—
Their steps shifted as each settled into their favored position in the race, forming a single, fluid line.
And so was Mary.
She quickly heightened her burst, leaning further in.
Drove herself much forward.
Pulling herself ahead of the pack.
Like a front-runner, she was.
With that, her strides lengthened and the distance formed.
Instantly—
She broke away from the herd.
And whispers trailed behind her,
"What...?!"
"She... She's fast…!"
"…Already?!"
But Mary didn't hear them.
Or perhaps... She chose not to.
Her world had already shrunk to one thing.
"I must show him…!"
Her breath trembled.
"I must show Father…!"
Each step grew heavier than the last.
"I have to show him how far I've come…!"
Her vision began to blur; everything around her faded into a streak of motion.
"How close I am to becoming…!"
"...!"
...
...
Meanwhile—
A few moments earlier at the gate.
There, Urara remained.
She stood ready like the rest.
Except that her grin was retained.
One that many have already forgotten in this tense situation.
"Alright…!" she declared, clenching her fists.
And then, before she knew—
*BANG!*
The gates burst open.
And the world exploded into motion.
"Here comes Urara!" she cheered as she sprang forward with the others.
For a moment—
Her strides carried her along with others, running side by side with the herd.
Her breathing was now more controlled, and her pace slightly more stable than she used to.
She improved, and there was no doubt about it.
However... Even so—
It wasn't enough...
Because Urara didn't learn to control her stride efficiently.
She never did.
And the moment the race began, as she did before, she expanded everything instantly.
Her energy, her speed, her agility.
All at once.
There was no restraint, no proper calculation.
Not even one of the four essential techniques, Front, Pace, Late, and End, had she employed.
Just—
Forward, faster, and harder.
And due to that mistake... again...
She burned through her energy in a single burst.
Spending everything in the opening stretch.
Except...
Unlike she usually did in the race back at home.
Something was wrong.
She wasn't getting faster.
And she wasn't catching up.
Not even—
To the very last runner.
No matter how much effort she put in at the first 100 meters.
The distance remained.
No... in fact... It widened.
Step after step, they slowly pulled away.
And no matter what, she just couldn't...
...close it.
Then—
Before she could grasp what was happening...
Her breath began to falter.
And her speed was breaking.
Her energy had finally taken a toll.
"…Everyone…" she panted.
"Everyone… is… so fast…!"
With that, she was getting further and further back.
Gradually, the pack was also fading into the horizon at the front.
Leaving her all alone, all the way back.
But still—
She pushed.
"But… I can't give up…"
"Not now... not ever!"
She persisted.
"After all...!"
"I promised…!" she muttered.
"I promised everyone…!"
"I promised everyone that I... I'd bring back good news…"
Her pace dropped again...
"I promised I'd beat Mary-chan…!"
And again...
"I promised I'd get into Tracen…!"
And again...
"…I promised…!"
But promises alone...
Couldn't carry her to victory.
Not here, not on this track.
Probably, not in this world...
Besides, this wasn't the small dirt track she knew.
This was a 1,800-meter turf.
A distance far beyond what she had ever run.
At least... Eight hundred meters longer than anything she had faced before.
And the runners...
They were different, too.
They weren't just anybody who applied.
They were the top of the top from schools all around the country.
Even the weakest should have had sufficient experience to compete.
Unlike Urara...
She can't even score herself a win back at her old school.
So, even with her usual tactic.
That reckless burst.
It was nothing against them.
Even those at the very back.
The ones conserving strength, The End Closers.
She couldn't even reach them.
Not even a step in their shadow.
They were all simply beyond her.
Far beyond the world she dwelt.
Far beyond the level she was.
And just like that—
She was left completely behind.
And step by step.
The distance was only stretched further.
Never closer.
And they had all become...
....Unreachable.
Meanwhile—
From the stands, voices began to rise.
Controversial doubts crept amongst the parents.
"…Did that girl just…?"
"What kind of performance is that?"
"No way she's a candidate for Tracen…"
"When did they start accepting that level?"
"This has to be some kind of joke…"
And their words fell like stones.
One after another.
At the same time—
All the way in the back of the stands.
The trio watched in silence, where Rudolf crossed her arms, fingers resting against her chin.
"…Hmm…" she pondered.
"Well… at least I can confirm there was no exaggeration in that letter," she awkwardly chuckled.
And besides her, Air Groove just sighed.
Her gaze remained fixed on the track.
"…I still fail to understand why she was even considered for our academy program."
"Because at this rate…"
She narrowed her eyes.
"…she has no chance of making it to the URA races."
"Not even in a million years..."
"Lighten up a bit, Air Groove," Rudolf quickly added, "She's exactly what we needed."
Air Groove frowned. "Needed…? For what?"
Rudolf's smile deepened, just a little.
"To prove that our academic system truly lives up to its name."
"Otherwise, she wouldn't even be considered as the candidate for our trial race..."
...
...
...
Back on the field...
As the noise from the stands grew louder.
Urara persisted, pushing herself forward even as if her legs were slowly tearing apart.
And there she stepped...
...and stepped.
Never stopping.
"I can't… I can't fall behind…!" she murmured breathlessly.
"Not after… everything… everyone's done for me…!"
"So I have to… go faster…!" she added.
With that, her speed slightly increased.
Just slightly.
"To show them…!"
"To show Mom… Dad… Teach… Rush-chan… Lin-chan… Young-chan…"
"...And…"
"...And Mary-chan…!"
Suddenly—
Her unfocused stride caught up with her.
Her foot snagged on the ground, and she stumbled forward.
"—Ah!"
She nearly fell, but managed to stop herself at the last second.
For a brief moment, she stood still.
Then her body gave in.
She bent forward slightly, hands braced against her knees, struggling to catch her breath.
"Haa… haa…"
Her breathing came out harsh and uneven as she remained there.
Then, slowly, she moved again, forcing herself forward again.
"S... so..."
"So everyone..."
"Look at me…!"
"Look at me go…!"
With that, she pushed herself harder.
"I'm going to get there…!"
"I'm going to win this race… and...
"...fulfill my promise...!"
"I'm going to..."
"I'm going to… become… the greatest Umamusu—"
She then paused.
A memory surfaced in her racing thoughts.
Her mother's voice.
One that told her...
Not to become the greatest in the world.
But—
The greatest version of yourself.
With that, she quickly bit down, correcting herself.
"…No…!"
"I'm going to become…"
"…become…"
"…!"
...
...
...
Meanwhile—
At the very front of the race, Mary continued to lead.
Her form was strong, streamlined, and unwavering as always.
She moved as she was meant to.
The one who dictated the pace.
The one who led.
The Front Runner.
And yet—
Even as she surged ahead, retaining her spot in first place.
Her mind was anything but still, muttering softly to herself.
"No matter…" she panted.
"No matter what…"
"I must…"
"I must win…"
"I must show Father…"
"Show him... that I'm ready…!"
"…that I'm becoming… what he desired…"
"I'm…becoming…!"
Then—
At that same time, both of them uttered—
"…the Greatest Urara…!"
"…the Perfect Umamusume…!"