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"Grrr!! Come on!"
"Hehe~ I won't give up that easy!"
Two umamusume battle it out on a head-to-head dance game machine. The one on the left grips the railing behind her while furiously stomping on the direction pads in a blur of motion. Her opponent is upright and adding her own flashy moves, but their steps are no less speedy or precise. Some spectators cheer on the two girls as they duke it out on the dance floor, racking up their combos to the stratosphere until the song ends and the scores tally up. Numbers roll higher and higher until…
"BWAAAAGGHHH! Turbo lost again!" The left girl explodes with sorrow at her defeat. She collapses into a heap of sweaty limbs while the still-standing uma flashes a peace sign for the crowd.
"That's just the power of the invincible Teio! Even if you did make me work up a sweat this time, there's only room for one at the top!" Teio grins, soaking in the adoration of the audience for a few smug moments. Once the Monarch has her fill, she extends a hand down to her buddy to help them back to their feet. A panting Twin Turbo grins wide when she clasps her friend's hand tightly.
"Then Turbo will just have to boost even harder next time!" The pair are all smiles as the onlookers bathe them in applause. Turbo might be second to her rival for now, but their competition pushed the top scores on this machine to untouchable levels for anyone else.
"Oh yeah?~" Teio's eyes glint with the fire for another round. "Then let's settle this here and now, Turbo!" Turbo reeeeeeeeally wants to accept, but even she realizes that her Turbo Boost is running on fumes. Messy blue twintails shake around as Turbo declines.
"Next time! For now, let's eat!" As of on cue, both of their stomachs growl for sustenance, prompting Turbo and Teio to laugh as they head off to find some food.
After scarfing down enough sugar and fried food to instantly kill humans aged 30 and up, Twin Turbo and Tokai Teio take a much needed break to leisurely walk around the arcade. They chat about their upcoming races and favorite episodes of anime until a game catches Turbo's eye. Electric blue twintails are already zipping off before Teio's eyes land on the destination.
"Ooh! Check this out!" Turbo grins as she picks up a light gun connected to the arcade machine. The graphics look a bit dated, but Teio admits that it does seem pretty fun. It's even a two player game for them to both enjoy, albeit cooperatively instead of competitively. Teio smirks, taking her place on Turbo's right and picking up the plastic weapon.
"Even if we're working together, I still won't lose!" They each beam with confidence before bumping their fists and preparing for the first level.
Some time later…
Sweat drips down Teio's brow. Her eyes are laser focused on the screen. She feels her arms getting tired from holding up the game's controller for so long. How much time and money have they spent here? Irrelevant.
Turbo grits her teeth together. They're on the last life of their last continue. The gun in her hands shakes with her nerves watching the two characters on the monitor progress through the area. Everything is quiet. Blood pounds in her ears.
A great explosion snaps both of their attentions to the enemy spawn points. Turbo hammers the trigger as fast as she can to dump her magazine into an armored foe. While she reloads, Teio covers Turbo by precisely taking down some lower health enemies. There used to be a time when they fought over kills and score, but the harsh demands of this hellish level has forced them to think, breathe, and shoot as one unit. A larger crowd than before has gathered around the challengers' struggle, yet all in attendance are dead silent to let the pair focus.
Centimeter by grueling centimeter of progress is paid for in aching fingers and sore shoulders. Turbo and Teio fight through the narrow alleyways of danger in perfect sync. The end of the level draws closer. Tensions are high, but both work together to finally reach the level boss. The brief cutscene before the action resumes gives the umas a chance to wipe their sweaty brows on their sleeves. When control is restored, they only have a single frame to react. Both girls point their guns at the boss and fire at will. Turbo is a master at quickly cycling her reloads, draining the boss's health slowly but surely. Teio spares what shots she can to deal damage when not defending them from enemy attacks. The crowd leans in with bated breath. Pixels at the top of the screen push further and further to the left as the boss sustains damage. It really looks like this is the run. Sweaty palms, ragged breaths, clicking plastic, compressed sound effects, flashing lights. Lower and lower falls the health bar. They reach 12%, a new best. A gasp from the crowd. Teio and Turbo push past their limits together!
Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound stuns both of the umas as they hit 5%. The boss does a move they have never seen before. They frantically scan around the screen for hints at what to do, but it's too late. A grenade explosion hits players 1 and 2 for the last of their lives. Their eyes go wide. Everyone is silent and frozen in place, staring at the GAME OVER screen. Teio shakes with bottled emotion. Turbo looks about ready to cry. They both slam their light guns down on the cabinet with a synchronized wail.
"DAMMIIIIIIIIT!!!"
Weeks pass after Twin Turbo's and Tokai Teio's legendary run through the rail shooter. They still visit that arcade, but steer clear of the accursed game whenever possible to avoid dredging up the memories of their bitter defeat. On one such day off, however, they find themselves drifting by that part of the arcade only to see a stomach-dropping sight.
Two people are playing that very same cabinet on the last level. They aren't particularly focused on it, laughing and chatting casually while easily dispatching the enemies on screen. Teio and Turbo are dumbstruck. Their jaws hit the floor for how hard they gawk at the almost effortless display. Eventually, one of the players takes notice and waves at the pair. Twin Turbo takes off with Teio close behind as they shout in unison.
"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!"
The two players look shocked for a moment before one bursts into laughter. Their companion - the one that beckoned the two over - sighs and dons a sympathetic smile. Teio notes how the game keeps playing in the background, but the enemies deal practically no damage as the stranger chats with them.
"Uhh, I'm not sure what you mean? If you need change, you can exchange it at the counter." Turbo cuts them off with a vigorous shake of her head.
"No, no! Not like that! The game!" She points a trembling finger at the screen. "Turbo and Teio tried for so long to beat it, but it was way too hard!!" The admission makes the first person confused, but their friend lets out a knowing 'aha' that draws everyone's attention.
"Oh, I think I heard something about that from a few weeks ago. Apparently there's a glitch in this game that makes it impossible to win if the cabinet is plugged in for too long, so the owner just reset it back to normal."
All the lights and sounds of the arcade fade into a gray pall of silence. Teio and Turbo listlessly watch the two players finish their game before taking their places. It takes them a single try without using a continue to hit the high score. The victory feels hollow. Unearned. Their eyes meet. A spark collides. They know what they must do.
From that day forth, every Thursday at the arcade became a small event for only the most pigheaded or masochistic patrons to conquer the cabinet's "hell mode". It was unknown if it even was possible to beat the game in that state, but the dogged determination displayed by two stubborn umamusume inspired others to take up the fight too. Many tried, all failed. Tears were shed, curses were said. Through all the frustrating instant-kills, infuriating health pools, and torturously sadistic level design, however, those two legends never gave up on their dream. They stood together as an ideal to chase, light guns in hand, and boldly bellowed their battle cry:
"We're gonna win!"