Pegasus? Actually, I'm a doctor!

[1!!!]

The next moment, all the gates opened simultaneously.

The sixteen participating Uma Musume surged forward at top speed, almost in unison!

And then, a scene unfolded that caused the hundreds of spectators in the stands to gasp in astonishment, as if they had witnessed something incredible.

That white-haired girl, who should have been forced into a Chaser or Mid-runner racing style due to a poor start from the outside lane...

Had actually burst out and was continuing to surge forward?

Her timing and acceleration efficiency appeared to visibly surpass all the senior Uma Musume on the track!!

Even the commentator's voice carried a hint of surprise!

[The gates have opened, truly incredible!]

[Here comes Platinum, the mysterious dark horse who made waves a week ago by defeating Tracen Academy's famous rising star, Daiwa Scarlet, in her debut race!]

[Not only that, but just a week ago she had a terrible start, falling to last place. And now she's the first one out of the gate!]

[Has Platinum's progress been this rapid in just one week?]

On the track, Platinum, starting from the outside, wasn't falling behind at all!

In an instant, almost all the senior Uma Musume on the track were starting to sweat.

This...

"What kind of monster is she??"

Meanwhile, in the student council office.

Symboli Rudolf was looking at her phone, waiting for Platinum's account to accept her friend request.

As she waited earnestly, she suddenly heard the door being pushed open from the outside.

Before she could look up, Tokai Teio, just finished with her training, spoke to her.

"President, aren't you going to watch Platinum's race today?"

Symboli Rudolf, who was waiting for Platinum to add her as a friend, froze.

"???"

"Huh? Didn't she just debut a week ago? She's already racing?"

Is that Heavenly Horse crazy??

15. Accidentally Forced into a Full Escape

At the racetrack, in the stands.

"This start? Truly unbelievable."

A purple-haired girl, elegant and composed like a lady, gazed with disbelief at the leading position from the outside lane.

She was Mejiro McQueen, the undisputed reigning champion of long-distance racing!

In the hundred years of Uma Musume racing, many prestigious families specializing in cultivating Uma Musume had emerged, and the Mejiro family was the most famous among them.

Currently, the Mejiro family's reputation had reached its peak, continuously producing genius Uma Musume, enough to be compared to the Symbol family, which had produced Emperor Symboli Rudolf.

And within such a prestigious family, this elegant girl named Mejiro McQueen was recognized by the Mejiro family as the strongest long-distance champion in their family's history!

The facts supported this.

Even Tokai Teio had been soundly defeated by Mejiro McQueen in the GI long-distance race, the Satsuki Sho, not long ago, solidifying her title as the "long-distance overlord."

Yet, the powerful and elegant Mejiro McQueen felt a slight disturbance in her emotions shortly after the start of this GIII race.

"Strange..."

Beside Mejiro McQueen was her family's sister, Mejiro Dober, also an excellent Uma Musume.

Mejiro McQueen had actually invited Tokai Teio as well. However, Teio, with her injuries improving, had chosen to focus on training and eagerly regaining her form, thus not coming to watch.

Compared to the elegant Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Dober appeared more reserved, but her expression also held a hint of surprise.

"Her debut race... she had a severe starting delay."

"Can growth be this rapid in just a week?"

The start was considered the essential [foundation] for all races.

Once a poor start occurred, it became difficult to secure an advantageous inner lane or one's preferred position, thus widening the gap further.

Therefore, a delayed start was almost equivalent to a natural deficit, and in severe cases, it could be as much as three to five horse lengths behind.

However, Platinum's previous race was clearly in the "severe" category. If she hadn't had a delayed start and had moved from a Chaser to a more forward Mid-runner style, the winning margin would have been even greater! She might have even had a chance to win by a large margin!

Thus, the vast majority of Uma Musume specifically trained their starts, not wanting to lose out due to minor mistakes.

But no matter what, it shouldn't have evolved from "severely late start" to "perfect gate start" in just a week, right?

This is just... too much of a reversal, isn't it?

"Could it be—"

The elegant Mejiro McQueen sensed a hint of unusual danger and began to ponder.

"Was she not even taking it seriously when she raced against Daiwa Scarlet in her debut?"

She... probably wouldn't, right?

On the turf track's outer lane!

In the front positions, only one silvery-white figure remained.

The reason she stunned the entire stadium was because... she was positioned alongside the Escape Horses, who had the advantage of the gate and inner lanes, and was incredibly fast, steadily approaching the inner lane.

"Gah... why is her gate start so fast this time?"

"Not just the gate start, she's perfectly taken the inner lane too?"

"With this performance, is Platinum really a newcomer who debuted only a week ago?"

There were two or three other Uma Musume who, like Platinum, were in the disadvantageous outer lane gate, but none of them dared to maintain such momentum.

This is because it's not allowed to cut diagonally and obstruct the Uma Musume behind you on the track. If detected as diagonal obstruction, severe penalties include direct rank reduction, fines, or even suspension.

Therefore, at the start, you can't cut diagonally past other Uma Musume to switch to the inner lane; you must maintain sufficient distance from those around you.

This leaves only two options.

Either, like Platinum, have a perfect gate start without losing any ground, maintaining an astonishing acceleration that visibly pulls away from the surrounding Uma Musume, widening the gap to a point where it won't be judged as diagonal obstruction, and then approach the inner lane.

Or, completely stay behind, wait for a large group of Uma Musume to occupy the inner lanes upfront, and then move to the inner lane from the rear. However, this would greatly affect Mid-runners and Chasers who are not good at running from the middle or rear.

So, clearly, the former option is superior, but also much more difficult. It can be said that Platinum's choice was bold and fearless, requiring excellent physical fitness, a big heart, and an incredibly perfect gate start to achieve!

Platinum, who was expected by many Uma Musume to have an even worse start than in her race against Daiwa Scarlet, and to stay at the rear of the outer lane for quite some time, was instead shining in front of most Uma Musume's field of vision!

In just a few seconds after the start, everything Platinum brought forth immediately caused quite a stir throughout the stadium.

Even the announcer's voice, which spread throughout the venue, was filled with speechlessness.

[How is this possible? It's only been a week since Platinum's debut race, and her start is so perfect?!]

[In such a short time, she went from a late start to leading her seniors out of the gate. What kind of terrifying growth rate is this!]

[Without a doubt, the silvery-white Heavenly Horse has truly descended! She has become even more perfect!]

[Currently, she is in the Follower group, only trailing behind the two Escape Horses on the innermost lane!]

On the galloping turf, Platinum, who started from the outer lane, accelerated and took a position at the front!

Around her, five or six Follower Uma Musume were already sweating profusely just after the start.

They had been thinking of teaching this young, overconfident "Heavenly Horse" a lesson, but they didn't expect...

This young newcomer Uma Musume performed more perfectly than all her seniors?

Not only that, but Platinum's speed was even faster than the other Follower Uma Musume.

The race hadn't even reached the halfway point, and she seemed to be advancing towards the very front.

Is Platinum trying to lead from the front as an Escape Horse this time—!

Some Follower Uma Musume gritted their teeth, cold sweat streaming down their faces, instantly feeling the pressure.

"What kind of terrifying training did she undergo behind the scenes?"

"Damn it! If she doesn't have a late start, there's no hope of winning!"

"Don't worry, Platinum only rested for a week, and this race is 2000 meters, which she's never challenged before. She'll definitely slow down later!"

"Is she still trying to lead from the outer lane?"

There were those who were shocked, those shouting "Damn it!", and those who remained calm.

And the most watched Heavenly Horse herself—

Beneath her seemingly calm expression, there was a hint of bewilderment.

(This smooth?)

There was no imagined strenuous preparation, meticulous planning, or terrifying training.

Everything was simply because Platinum had tried the Chaser running style last time, and this time she decided to change her running style.

For the lazy Platinum, who disliked going to work, she felt it necessary to find the most relaxed and easiest running style among the various options.

Thus, she chose to be a Follower and began her breathtaking gallop that shocked the audience!

As for how she ended up alongside the Escape Horses while running as a Follower?

The reason is simple: Platinum doesn't understand race pacing. Because she was simply running too fast, she accidentally ended up running like an [Escape Horse]...

Heavenly Horse!

— And so began her first lead-out escape race!

16. Heavenly Horse's racing style: Learn from Big Red, study the track!

Inside the student council room.

Tokai Teio and Symboli Rudolf began their conversation.

"Huh? Didn't she just debut a week ago? She's already racing?"

Upon hearing what Tokai Teio was saying, the student council president, Symboli Rudolf, who had put down her phone, looked astonished.

After only a week since her debut, shouldn't she be training diligently and preparing for the Hope Hai Stakes at the end of the year?

Or perhaps, Platinum isn't afraid of the risk of injury from battles and intends to "fight to get stronger," becoming stronger through constant combat?

"What kind of race is she challenging, an OP class race?"

"No, it's a graded stakes race, a GIII!"

Tokai Teio's reply was delivered with a tone of surprise.

If she were to challenge a GIII race after resting for a month or two, it wouldn't be surprising. After all, Platinum, who managed to defeat Daiwa Scarlet, already possessed such strength and potential.

But to shorten the timeframe to just one week... that's a different story entirely!

That would be the most extreme, the most compressed form of combat, pushing her physical abilities to their limits. It would be a good outcome just to be able to perform at most of her strength and avoid injury, let alone go all out.