Chapter 603:

Mimoko vs Mimoko

En Passant Grandmaster

Mimoko struggled to process what was happening. Here was the infamous Mimoko Tanabe, MT, in the flesh before her. The source of her current turmoil and her mother's angst, one many believed to be a hoax, real before her."

"I think she might be you, from the future," Daria's words echoed within Mimoko's mind.

"No, I don't believe it. This can't be real. Time travel should-"

"-Not be possible. Yes, the DESPERs and tech of this world do prohibit time travel so as not to mess with the natural order too much, but it certainly is possible as I've experienced for myself. I guess October 2024 is the furthest we're allowed to go back as this was when the catalyst was first completed. Ah, my apologies, but we are on the clock, same time control as the tournament. We'll continue this as we play."

Mimoko clenched her fist and trembled before resolving herself and opening the game by moving her pawn to d4, to which MT responded to by moving her knight to f6. Mimoko attempted to go for a London with knight f3, but MT denied her by moving her pawn to c5.

"I know myself well. Sorry, but not London shall be played today," MT smiled.

Mimoko frowned and moved her pawn to d5. "Spielmann-Indian... I should have Accelerated into the London," she thought as MT moved her pawn to b5. "Now a Pseudo-Benko, how about getting back on the main path?" she thought as she moved her pawn to c4.

"Bishop g5 was unfamiliar territory, even back then. A harrowing reminder we are just a human," MT somberly smiled as she captured the pawn at c4 with her b-pawn.

"I saw the move, I just preferred a Benko Declined, Main Line," Mimoko scowled as she moved her knight to c3.

"I know how I thought at your age. We were uncertain of it, especially against high-level opposition. Tomorrow was the day okaa-chan would play it against us, and we'd be lost," MT declared as she moved her pawn to g6.

"You claim you really are me from the future, but I don't believe it," Mimoko trembled as she moved her pawn to e4.

"I'm not expecting you to right away. After all, I never faced you back in the original timeline," MT softly smiled as she moved her pawn to d6.

"A student claimed he fought you the night of October 3rd, this year. Is that the day you first appeared?" Mimoko asked as she captured the pawn at c4 with her bishop.

"Correct. A-kun, I believe his name was," MT smiled as she moved her bishop to g7.

Mimoko paused, but quickly regained her composure as she delivered a check by moving her bishop to b5. "She faced him, so of course she'd know his name just by looking at the log for the game," she thought as MT moved her bishop to d7.

She then retreated her bishop to e2 as MT castled king's side. Next she opted to move her pawn to h3, with MT openly chuckling at the move and moving her bishop to c8.

"Why the chuckle?" Mimoko scowled as she castled king's side.

"Oh, it's just I remember when many heralded those moves as "computer only", but now they're common knowledge, to the best of the best that is," MT giggled as she moved her bishop to a6.

Mimoko went silent and moved her bishop to g5.

"It is hard to grasp, especially since it's 20 years off. Now, why don't we resume where we left off," MT nodded as she captured the bishop at e2 with her bishop.

"Which was where?" Mimoko scowled as she captured said bishop with her queen.

"October 3rd on, but from MY perspective, when I was your age," MT stated as she moved her b-knight to d7.

"What happened?" Mimoko asked as she moved her a-rook to c1.

"The next night, October 4th, 2024, Iori-chan went to Inferno's den," MT stated as she moved her rook to e8.

"What is that place?" Mimoko asked as she moved her f-rook to d1.

"The largest underground sports arena and tavern in Saitama. You were there when you faced Stanislava," MT nodded as she moved her queen to b6.

"I was kidnapped, yes," Mimoko grumbled as she moved her pawn to b3.

"Not originally. At first, it was Iori-chan," MT declared as she moved her queen to b4.

"What do you mean?" Mimoko snarled as she moved her knight to d2.

"In my timeline, Iori-chan went to Inferno's den on the night of October 4th, 2024, lasting into the early hours of October 5th. After beating a man known as Joel Duendink, she was kidnapped by the Raven sisters, Trinity and Fenmke. They were the ones that brought you to Inferno's den," MT stated as she moved her knight to h5.

"The bald girl with the spray tan and the girl with the short violet hair?" Mimoko asked as she moved her knight to b5.

"Yes, though I meddled with fate in order to manipulate them as I pleased," MT smiled as she moved her pawn to h6.

"What do you mean by that?" Mimoko trembled as she moved her bishop to e3.

"In the original timeline, Iori-chan's kidnapping dominated most of my life from then until the start of this tournament. The event would mark the start of her decline as even though I rescued her, the trauma from the ordeal ate at her so much so that she began declining, ultimately culminating in her gruesome death in a DESPER match years later. Worse, the Trinity sisters grew powerful and targeted others. Utami-chan, Yuzuha-chan, many others," MT trailed off before moving her e-rook to c8.

"My apologies, but that sounds a bit overdramatic for me. I didn't do well at it, but I did learn SOME acting during the rehearsals for that stupid Chupacabra play," Mimoko growled aas she moved her pawn to a3.

"Ah, I remember that. It really was embarrassing, but thanks to Squidbeak-chan, I was able to get an audience with Stanislava, who just so happened to have Iori-chan in her custody," MT smiled as she moved her queen to a5.

"And how does this all tie back to you manipulating the two?" Mimoko glared as she moved her pawn to a4.

"When I came to this time period, I caught the Raven sisters before they could get away with exporting Iori-chan to the slave trade. I beat Femke, and as a result, Iori-chan was freed, and history was partially altered," MT stated as she moved her queen to b4.

"And so I got kidnapped instead?" Mimoko glared as she moved her rook to c4.

"Yes, but mainly because I decided to try pasting together fate a bit. See, I hired the two to bring you to Inferno's den, where I figured you'd face Stanislava just as I did," MT smiled as she moved her queen to a5.

Mimoko's expression darkened as she moved her c-rook to c1. "There's no way those two-"

"October 5th, 2024. In an act of rebellion and to calm my nerves from Iori-chan's kidnapping, I had all my hair shaved off at punk maiden. Then, on my way back, I was flush with embarrassment and ordered a DESPER key to go Desperado hunting. I ran into a sexist pig, but lost him after encountering Squidbeak-chan. She got so mad at me, and demanded compensation in the form of me buying her something. That led to me arriving at Inferno's den, where Stanislava was trying to auction off Iori before I stepped in and stopped her. I believe that lasted into the early hours of October 6th," MT stated as she moved her queen back to b4.

Mimoko scowled as she moved her rook back to c4. "I don't believe it... There's no way-"

"Ah, seems our time is just about up. We'll have to continue another time," MT smiled as she moved her queen back to a5.

Mimoko clicked her tongue as she stared at the board. "I suppose this is where the match concludes, yes," she grumbled as she moved her c-rook back to c1, triggering a draw by threefold repetition.

"And I never specified any conditions for the match. Well, I guess since this was a draw, you'll be returned eventually."

Before Mimoko could ask for the meaning behind her words, her vision began to blur and her consciousness fade. "Huh? What's... Ugh...."

The full game:

White: Mimoko Inoue (2858) Black: Mimoko Tanabe (3700)

1. d4 Nf6

2. Nf3 c5

3. d5 b5

4. c4 bxc4

5. Nc3 g6

6. e4 d6

7. Bxc4 Bg7

8. Bb5+ Bd7