Umamusume: Beyond Peak

"Kousei has moved ahead of McQueen. This is a dangerous situation."

"Why?"

"Unlike a typical frontrunner who uses speed to create an insurmountable lead, Kousei maintains a fixed distance, vigilantly watching McQueen behind her. Her exceptional observational skills and reflexes allow her to anticipate McQueen's attempts to overtake and block her path. It's the simplest yet most troublesome Gate Technique, and the question now is whether McQueen can break through Kousei's defensive line."

In a one-on-one duel, Kousei doesn't need to worry about anyone else. From the moment she marked McQueen as her target, the dynamics of the race shifted entirely.

McQueen had clearly noticed this too.

"Is this the evolution you sought? Is this your response to my challenge?"

McQueen had endured rigorous training herself, but Kousei was unlike any opponent she had ever faced. She shattered McQueen's preconceived notions of strength, presenting a suffocating Gate Technique that left McQueen gasping for breath.

No matter which path McQueen chose, Kousei's presence loomed inescapable—the Umamusume who blocked her future.

"But... we won't know until we try!"

McQueen launched her attack, but as expected, Kousei anticipated her move and blocked her path.

"So that didn't work? Then let's try a feint!"

McQueen considered using the same feint Kousei had used against her, but for Kousei, the Gate Technique Demon, such a rudimentary deception proved futile.

"That won't work, McQueen. Feints are about exploiting your opponent's weakness. You're too agitated right now to fool me."

The race remained deadlocked, the suffocating tension on the track seeping into the stands.

"This isn't good. McQueen seems to be at a disadvantage," Ryan muttered, watching McQueen with concern.

"Senior McQueen, don't give up!" Mejiro Dober called out, equally worried.

Meanwhile, Rice Shower and Bakushin O watched from the other side.

"Great job, Kousei! Don't rush—just maintain this pace until the finish!" Rice Shower cheered, unable to contain her excitement at Kousei's lead.

"To think a rookie could possess such terrifying strategic instincts... She's not to be underestimated," the former trainer-turned-commentator marveled at Kousei's talent.

"No! I can't break through! I was too naive to think training alone would be enough to beat Kousei!"

A wave of helplessness washed over McQueen, blinding her to any path forward.

"What am I supposed to do?!"

Her frustration mounted, and even without Kousei's interference, her running form began to unravel. Her breathing grew ragged, her strides uneven. Small flaws amplified into insurmountable obstacles, and self-doubt forged invisible chains that imprisoned Mejiro McQueen.

"The turn! Kousei's cornering is excellent, but not flawless. There must be a weakness! My leg strength... it has to be enough!"

This was the only victory McQueen could envision—mirroring how Kousei had overtaken her on the turn. There, on that very turn, lay McQueen's chance to win!

Like a crimson crescent moon, Kousei blazed across the racetrack. Just as McQueen had anticipated, Kousei's exceptional cornering technique couldn't completely shut her down.

A glimmer of hope pierced through the red mist. The race wasn't over yet!

But...

Just as McQueen resolved to launch her counterattack, she caught a glimpse of Kousei's enigmatic smile. McQueen froze.

Another trap?!

A single second of hesitation—yet in a race, that was all it took to turn a guaranteed victory into crushing defeat.

In that instant, the glimmer of hope vanished.

The red mist swirled again, the path disappeared, and McQueen fell completely into the trap!

"How terrifying, Kousei!" the Trainer exclaimed in awe. "She planned her entire route from the very beginning—a horrifyingly calculated series of maneuvers!"

"Can you explain what just happened?"

"From the moment Kousei overtook McQueen, she had this move in mind. By pressuring McQueen from all sides, she deliberately frayed her nerves and disrupted her composure.

Under that immense pressure, McQueen hesitated when she saw an opening in Kousei's defenses. That hesitation sealed her fate, crushing her chance to surpass Kousei."

"So you're saying it was all part of Kousei's plan?"

"Most likely. Is this what a Gate Technique specialist is like? It's spine-chilling."

The audience exchanged bewildered glances, having never witnessed a race like this before.

"Teio would have won for sure."

"Yeah, Teio would never have lost."

"So this is all Mejiro is capable of?"

The crowd erupted in murmurs. Mejiro McQueen's once-revered name had lost its luster. Teio watched McQueen, her brow furrowed, her heart a tempest of conflicting emotions.

"Shut up."

The venomous word cut through the silence.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up already!"

Spectators gasped, pointing with trembling fingers. "What is that?!"

A grotesque demon materialized from beneath her feet, its terrifying form captivating all eyes. A suffocating mist enveloped the arena, ensnaring the hearts and minds of the audience. The crowd's heartbeats faltered as they stared, speechless.

Though McQueen led the race, she seemed to be chasing something else entirely. The demon stretched its neck and howled, forcing a resonance that dragged the Umamusume into the maelstrom of the racetrack.

Ahead, a single Umamusume continued to run, her silhouette instantly recognizable. McQueen froze momentarily—Kousei was leading the pack!

"It's always Teio this, Teio that! It's deafening! Just watch! Watch Mejiro McQueen!"

Her steps faltered as hysteria took hold. The Gate Technique Demon had descended!

"Hey... McQueen's not going to lose, is she?" A panicked voice broke the silence.

"No! I don't want McQueen to lose!"

"She won't! She's Mejiro McQueen!"

Panic swept through the stands as the audience unconsciously clenched their fists, every eye fixed on McQueen on the track.

"Everyone's watching me, but I—!" McQueen's face twisted in agony. She knew the crowd was counting on her, but the wall ahead seemed insurmountable. She couldn't see any way through.

Is this the end? Am I going to fail at the very first step of my journey for the Mejiro Family?

"I'm sorry, Grandmother."

Visions of defeat flashed through McQueen's mind, her legs and body growing rigid.

"What are you so afraid of, you coward!" Kousei's furious voice rang out. "How much longer will you hold yourself back? Look at yourself—is there even a shred of the Elite Family's pride left in you? People are still cheering for you! My McQueen wouldn't cower like this!"

The crowd's roar surged in response to Kousei's hysterical outburst, rising like a tidal wave.

"Don't give up, McQueen!"

One voice snapped McQueen out of her despondency.

"The race isn't over yet!"

"Go, McQueen!"

"We believe in you!"

Sometime during the race, the audience had become completely captivated by McQueen. Their eyes remained locked on her, their hearts beating in unison with hers.

"Run, McQueen!"

The voice wasn't coming from the crowd; it was Tokai Teio, who had been watching McQueen intently the entire time.

"Teio? How... strange..."

Umamusume possess the extraordinary ability to transform the cheers and expectations of others into strength. McQueen heard the roar of the crowd urging her on.

"So that's what you were doing for me... You still remembered," McQueen realized with a relieved smile.

Having suppressed her talent for so long, she had almost forgotten when to give it her all. As a member of an elite family, how could she have acted so unseemly towards her dearest friend?

The wind of victory began to blow at McQueen's back, as if propelling her forward.

She saw it: the dawn of victory.

The answer wasn't Kousei's brilliance; it lay ahead!

"That's right! I haven't lost yet! I can still win!"

McQueen finally understood that she wasn't Kousei; she had her own way of running.

She was Mejiro McQueen, and Mejiro McQueen should stand tall and proud!

First attempt: failure.

Second attempt: failure.

Third attempt: failure.

Fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh attempts...

I am Mejiro McQueen! Why should I be on the defensive?!

From the moment I dragged this race into this hellish sprint, this should have been my territory!

This is how it was meant to be!

Countless charges, countless failures, yet McQueen relentlessly attacked.

Now, the world would witness the true power of the Mejiro Family.

"Dare to stand in my way! Then I'll crush you!"

This time, McQueen would hesitate no longer.

"Here it comes!"

[The Duty of Dignity Calls]

Her talent fully bloomed! Thunder echoed anew as lightning tore through the dense fog. Plasma surged, and the demon god fell!

The White Chariot roared forward, its hooves ripping through the earth. Run! Transform the cheers into thunderous acclaim!

"Think you can stop me? Then try!"

Before anyone could react, thunder already reverberated across the heavens.

With unmatched leg strength and boundless stamina, everything in McQueen's path would be shattered by the Mejiro Family's might!

"Go, Kousei! Go, brilliantly!" Rice Shower's shout cut through the sea of cheers for McQueen, reaching Kousei's ears.

Then came Bakushin, a figure waiting for her in the crowd.

Fragments of cheers drifted into Kousei's ears, while her mother's blessing rode with her on her hooves.

You're not the only one being counted on!

"Come on! Fair and square!"

I didn't have McQueen's strength, her stamina, or her popularity.

But I refused to give up!

My lungs burned like they were tearing apart, yet I refused to slow down.

I pinned all my hopes on my legs.

I wasn't just someone who could stop Mejiro McQueen—I was someone who could beat her!

I was here!

Standing above ten thousand!

For the best version of you, I would conquer the strongest version of you!

"Let's settle this!"

At that moment, lightning flashed, illuminating the Red Comet in its brilliance.

The final straight!

200 meters!

150 meters!

50 meters!

Umamusume, tear through the earth and soar to the heavens!

"Half a length! The winner is Mejiro McQueen!"

"Ah!"

Thunder roared deafeningly—both cheers and a primal roar!

The cheers came from the crowd, the roar from Mejiro McQueen herself.

Carried by the fervor of ten thousand hearts, she secured an undeniable G1 victory—a brilliant first win that echoed through her generation.

Exhausted, Kousei managed a faint smile. "I gave it my all... You were just stronger today, McQueen."

As McQueen's figure collapsed beside her, Kousei faintly heard her last words:

"Don't you forget... The one who beat you was me, Mejiro McQueen."