Sakura Laurel shifted to the right side. The uma musume beside her, some girl whose name she didn't know, shot her a confused look that Sakura Laurel didn't bother acknowledging.
The outside lane. Wide open space and no one in her way.
The air out here felt different, colder without the pack's body heat, wind unblocked and biting. Her uniform snapped against her ribs with each stride.
She charged straight to the outside lane, her legs pumping harder than they had all race. Her skill activated, and she felt it kick in, that surge of power that made acceleration and speed rise together at the same time.
The track opened up.
Suddenly, she could see everything - the whole field spread out ahead, Brian's form moving toward Mayano Top Gun, the stragglers falling behind. No bodies blocking her view, no hooves threatening to clip hers if she misjudged by half a step.
Her breathing shifted, deepening, pulling oxygen all the way down to the bottom of her lungs. The rhythm she'd taught herself during all those sleepless nights when controlling her breath was the only thing that kept her heart from racing itself to pieces.
But now it wasn't about control anymore.
"WAIT—WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE BACK?! SAKURA LAUREL HAS BROKEN THROUGH TO THE OUTSIDE! SHE'S—SHE'S ACCELERATING! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?! IS SHE PLANNING TO CHASE THEM DOWN LIKE THIS?! FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK?!"
Hosoe Junko could barely keep up with what was happening, her voice cracking with disbelief.
At this moment, she didn't care about anything else anymore - not stamina management, not strategy, not the trembling in her hands or the exhaustion in her legs.
The pack blurred past. One uma musume, two, three - faces she didn't remember, bodies reduced to obstacles she moved around.
A yellow-uniformed runner glanced over as Laurel surged past, her expression shifting from concentration to shock in the span of a single stride. Her mouth opened like she wanted to say something, but Sakura Laurel was already gone.
Another girl, short blonde hair, number nine, tried to match Sakura Laurel's acceleration for maybe five strides before her legs gave out and she fell back, gasping. Sakura Laurel caught the sound of her frustrated exhale, that defeated huff of air.
Her legs found gaps that weren't there, creating space through her speed. A cluster of three runners ahead blocked the path. Sakura Laurel angled left, slipping between two of them with centimeters to spare. One of them yelped in surprise as Laurel's shoulder brushed past hers.
Sweat poured down her temples, soaking the collar of her uniform until it clung to her neck. She felt every drop, every bead tracking down her spine. Felt the burn spreading through her calves, moving up into her hamstrings.
Felt alive.
After trying so hard for so long, what was it all for?
Wasn't it to become Narita Brian's opponent? To race her on equal ground?
This moment - she'd waited far too long for it. How many G1 preliminary races had she run just to get here? She'd honestly lost count.
Her vision narrowed as the pack around her blurred, and the only thing she could focus on was the track ahead and Narita Brian's back.
Narita Brian's form was clearer now, close enough that Sakura Laurel could see her shoulder muscles moving, the way her ponytail whipped in the wind she created. Close enough to see the power in every movement, that smooth efficiency that separated legends from everyone else.
Sakura Laurel was closing the gap. Length by length, stride by stride.
Her lungs burned in a way that felt clean and productive, like her body was finally doing what it was built for instead of fighting itself. The tremor in her hands had spread to her whole body - not shaking, shaking with energy that needed to be released.
"I just want to race you fair and square!"
Her voice cracked.
"Narita Brian!"
Sakura Laurel was overtaking Uma Musume one by one now, pushing forward with everything she had, her trembling hands gripping tighter, her unstable heart pounding harder.
For once, her body wasn't betraying her. It was carrying her forward to the top position.
The track vibrated beneath her, that subtle vibration of packed earth and turf that she felt through her shoes, up through her bones. Wind roared in her ears. The crowd's noise hit her in waves, individual voices lost in one massive wall of sound that made the air feel thick.
Narita Brian was right there. Ten lengths ahead.
Sakura Laurel's skill burned through her body, pushing speed and acceleration higher and higher in a way that should've been impossible to sustain. Her heart rate spiked - she felt it, that familiar flutter, but it held steady.
Didn't spiral. Didn't betray her. Not now. Not when she'd finally caught up.
"SHE'S OVERTAKING RUNNER AFTER RUNNER! SAKURA LAUREL IS ON FIRE! WHERE WAS SHE HIDING THIS POWER?! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?! THIS IS—THIS IS INCREDIBLE!"
The roar of the crowd hit Mayano Top Gun. She laughed through her breath, chest heaving, eyes wide.
"Good, this is perfect! Laurel-san! Brian-san! No more waiting, no more pacing! Bring it on! Let's tear this race apart and see who's really standing at the end!"
The corner came up fast. Narita Brian hit it with her skills all activated, closing in on Mayano Top Gun like she was moving through water.
The corner tried to pull her wide, but she leaned into it hard, her body adjusting without even thinking about it. The inside rail blurred past close enough to touch.
Mayano Top Gun was right there, maybe half a length ahead. Narita Brian could see her struggling now - that little hitch in her right leg, shoulders riding up toward her ears. Classic signs she was running on empty.
The turf felt different under her hooves as they hit the deepest part of the corner - softer from all the traffic. Narita Brian felt it and adjusted her push-off without missing a beat.
Cold air rushed past, carrying the smell of torn grass and churned dirt. Narita Brian's lungs pulled it in deep, took it in, pushed it back out in rhythm with her stride. Two breaths in, one out. Perfect timing.
Mayano Top Gun's ponytail whipped sideways in the wind. Narita Brian watched it like a target, the gap shrinking with every stride.
Mayano Top Gun could've accelerated after running Great Escape, if she had the stamina for it. But she didn't. All her skills were built for grabbing position early, not for late-race surges. How the hell was she supposed to find more stamina and speed now?
"THEY'RE ENTERING THE LAST CORNER! MAYANO TOP GUN AND NARITA BRIAN! THE TWIN HEROES SHOWDOWN WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!"
Narita Brian pulled up alongside Mayano Top Gun, their shoulders almost brushing. For one stride, they moved as one. Then Narita Brian pushed just a little harder - better angle through the corner, more force in her legs, and she was past.
The lead was hers.
She felt Mayano Top Gun drop back behind her left shoulder. Felt that shift in the air as she broke into clear space. Nobody ahead. Just open the track in front of her.
"NARITA BRIAN TAKES THE LEAD! SHE'S OVERTAKEN MAYANO TOP GUN! THE WOLF HAS CAUGHT HER PREY!"
"YAAAAAH!"
Mayano Top Gun somehow forced herself to speed up anyway. She pushed harder, found something she didn't know was there, and surged forward. Her whole body screamed at her to stop. But her speed kicked up just enough, barely enough, to overtake Narita Brian and snatch the lead back.
For one heartbeat.
One beautiful, impossible heartbeat.
Mayano Top Gun pulled even, then edged ahead by a nose. Narita Brian felt her there, running on pure stubborn will and nothing else. Mayano Top Gun's breathing sounded rough, ragged - each exhale almost like a sob.
"SHE'S FIGHTING BACK! MAYANO TOP GUN IS FIGHTING BACK! SHE'S NOT GIVING UP! THE TWIN HEROES ARE NECK AND NECK!"
Narita Brian's voice cut through everything.
"Is this all you've got?"
Something clicked in Narita Brian's core, like a door unlocking. Her unique skill, the one she'd been saving, filled her system with fresh power. Not stamina exactly. Something better. Something that made stamina not matter for the next few seconds.
She felt it in her legs first, that surge making the next stride feel weightless. Then it spread through her whole body, like someone had flipped a switch.
At the exact same moment, Mayano Top Gun hit her limit. Narita Brian felt the exact moment Mayano Top Gun's desperate push ran out of gas, and her speed dropped hard, like someone cut the engine.
Mayano Top Gun felt it too. Like someone cut her strings. Her speed crashed while Narita Brian's shot back up. Narita Brian overtook her so smoothly it looked effortless, reclaiming the lead like it was always meant to be hers.
Narita Brian moved past without wasting any movement. The gap opened up - one length, two lengths, and she knew Mayano Top Gun wasn't coming back from that.
The duel was over.
Once again, the Twin Heroes' showdown ended with Mayano Top Gun getting crushed.
--
*As usual, the illustration is commented on.