Adversary
"Contestants, please take your seats at the table. We will be commencing shortly." After hearing the announcement from the loudspeaker, I prepared myself. Participating in a worldwide tournament was no joke. I found myself to be the representative from my school, Bellum Academy, an institution that praises itself for turning out the top minds. And within that school of already high-marking students, I was the best of the best. The rest of my classmates were confident in my abilities, eagerly waiting for my match as they found their seats in the audience. I straightened out my sleeves and smoothed out the front of my cropped jacket. Stepping out onto the small stage provided, I heard the audience murmur in excitement. "Ooh, Missy looks nervous. Could her streak of incredible wins end today?" I overheard someone reporting the match and I deftly turned to them... "Yes, it's only normal to be anxious at a time like this. However, if you think I'm nervous because the namesake of winning is on the line, you're sorely mistaken." ...And continued to make my way to the table set up for the match. A prim, well treated chess set was prepared before me as I took my place at the main table. A sharply dressed student with shoulder-length frosty white hair approached the opposite end of the table just after me. She was someone I had seen in some regional tournaments prior, however, I've never faced her personally. If her presence here at a world tournament was any indication of skill, she must be a strong player. She gave off a rather daunting aura- her sharp gaze with glacial blue eyes, her firmly pressed lips... "Hey there." Her silky voice floated above the gentle murmur of the audience. She offered a gloved hand and I shook it firmly before sitting down. "Hello. I don't believe we've properly met." "No ma'am, I don't believe we have... "Excuse me, ladies. We will be starting soon." I nodded and adjusted my glasses as the game moderator shuffled off to the side table. "Today we have Missy Vesper of Bellum Academy facing off against Darling Brind-Ivory of The Corvine Institute in our finals tournament." "You may commence." With the white pieces on my side, I started the game with intentions to attack. I headed the game with a movement of my knight. Our tournament was by no means a speed game, but based on our individual actions, it appeared as so. As soon as I began, each movement was being read and calculated at high speeds. Pieces were lost within seconds and the board grew sparse. Our first 9 moves were moves motivated with aggression. She was a sharp challenger alright. "Np6, your queen is in trouble." She whispered under her breath. My eyes widened and shifted to the queens crown for a moment before settling back at the previous move I had planned. She read me and got my Queen. I took her Bishop. She took my Pawn. I took her Rook. It was a messy recovery, but a recovery nonetheless. I fumbled for a second, revealing my careful protection of my Queen. However, as long as my King remained on the board, that loss meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. After such high paced movement, we found ourselves looming over the board in stony silence. It was her turn, but she was investigating the pieces for the next best move. It was in that moment after my Queen was taken that my opponent extended her hand over the board. "That's that. Excellent game." I took her hand and shook firmly. "Good game." "It appears Darling is resigning from the game, making Missy Vesper our winner for our national tournament." A low murmur rose from the crowd. "What the- so quickly?" "Missy's a tough customer; Darling probably got scared!" "No way, Missy probably offered a sum for Darling to throw the match." My opponent turned her head to the rumors spreading across the audience. "You're all foolish to think I'd succumb out of weakness. Ms. Vesper has made extremely strong plays during this match and I respectfully recognize her skill. Not wanting to waste her valuable time, I've made the decision to resign." She sharply folded her arms and whipped her hair away from the uncouth crowd. "I cannot believe I have to explain such a rudimentary thing to you all." My opponent scoffed at the bewildered students before turning to me, flashing a small smile. The students in the audience were stunned into silence and after a moment of recovery began to murmur to themselves, shuffling away as we exited stage left. I turned to her, curious of the utterance she whispered during the game. "That was cheeky of you to announce your play." "I know. But it was fun seeing you get flustered for a moment. You made a nice recovery, though. I really thought I had you that time. I suppose hubris was my downfall, hm?" She tapped her chin in feigned indignation and lightly chuckled at her ultimate demise. "Yes, well, you won the battle in that moment, but not the war. It is paramount to keep your end goals in mind, rather than focus on smaller strifes." She tilted her head with an inquisitive look at my statement. "You're no ordinary student are you...?" "Hm... funny you should say that. I was just thinking the same about you." Our conversation fell silent. It seemed neither of us had any intention to introduce ourselves first. She chuckled at the notion. "You're far too serious, please. I just want to get to know you." "I'm sure you must have heard our names announced at the start of the game, Ms. Brind-Ivory." "Yes, ma'am, Ms. Vesper. But I get the feeling... you're something more. I feel an inexplicable intensity..." "I don't relegate my persona to the label that has been assigned to me, but could you be referring to my Ultimate talent?" "Oh! That's it!" "I sense it because I, too, possess an extreme skill that triumphs over others of the same field." She removed her silk glove and offered her hand to me proper. "I'm Darling, the Ultimate Knight." I took her hand in a firm grasp and shook lightly. Her hands were frigid, but soft to touch. "Missy Vesper. Ultimate Tactician." "You're an interesting one, Missy. I'd like to get to know you more." "Funny you should say that. I was just thinking the same about you." She grinned before turning. "May we cross paths again." ...And she exited the room proper. In that moment, not only did I feel an an inexplicable "Ultimate" intensity, but I felt... something else. I tried to quell the pounding in my heart as I reconvened with the rest of my class.
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