Chapter 10 - Turn 10 - M 3500 | A 2600

               Annie smoothly draws a card from her deck, and with only a glance, places it upon the board. “I’ll summon Speedroid Double Yoyo. I’ve got a plan for this one… I’ll use its effect to summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from my graveyard.” She sifts through the growing pile just above her deck and draws the proper card out, placing it beside Double Yoyo. 
 
               Millie could recall what Annie used the dice for last time - but, there’s no way she could do that again… Right?
 
               “Ah, Hagoita did me well, but I think it’s time my favorite card took center stage… I’ll sacrifice Hagoita and Red-Eyed Dice - it’s time to summon… Hi-Speedroid Kendama, kekeke!” Pulling another card from her extra deck, she drops the synchro materials in the graveyard to make way for Kendama. “This is why I love duels like this… You can’t hide from damage, as long as I’ve got this one in play. And everything you’ve done so far, everything you’ve destroyed… Just gives me even more ammo!”
 
               Even if she didn’t quite understand what Annie meant, the sheer confidence with which she spoke shook Millie - causing her to clutch her solitary card close to her chest in fear as Annie prepared to make her next move.
 
               “I’ll show you what I mean - I’ll activate Kendama’s effect. That means…” She reaches over to her graveyard, and flicks the top card over to her banished pile. “I’ll banish Red-Eyed Dice… And hit you for 500 life points.”
 
               Even if Annie’s finger merely impacted a card - Millie felt the impact on the very tip of her nose - reverberating with enough force to knock her back in her seat, even if it didn’t quite hurt. “Ah-” she began; but as a palpable, sickly sensation began to take hold of her nose, the sound grew protracted, warbled and… Nasally. “Aaaah, ahn- annnhh…” It felt like a hand was nudging it, reshaping it and pushing it upward and outward… But… That wouldn’t be normal, right? Of course, nothing about this was normal. Not the flab covering her body, not her disorientingly-lower vantage point, and especially not the odd feeling plaguing her jaw and teeth either…
 
               Eventually, she was released from whatever force gripped her, causing her head to fall downward quickly. She caught herself before she fell face-first onto the table - taking a rapid inhale from the surprise… And, unwittingly, doing so with a sharp snrrt! “H-huh?” she whimpers, reaching up to her nose - and already it felt different. It wasn’t the tiny little button it had been before; rather, it was rounder, a little more pronounced and… Upturned just a  tad. However, even if she couldn’t feel the difference with her hands, it still felt… Different to breathe through. If she drew in breath just a little too harshly - it’d evoke a soft snort.
 
               She tried to grit her teeth - but something was wrong with them too. Those, she didn’t exactly want to run her hands over- “Wanna see, Millie?” Annie taunts - producing a pocket mirror. When Millie looked into it, her nose looked even worse than how it felt, but… More important was what had become of her teeth. She didn’t quite have as pronounced buck teeth as Annie did - but her had a distinct overbite, and just baring her teeth a little would reveal matching braces. 
 
               “It’sh even worshe than I thought...” she groans; the words prompting her to lisp her way through them. “I-I can’t… I…” She starts to pant with the amount of panic that comes to grip her. Taking a deep breath, she whines “I can’t… snrrk b-belive thish!”
 
               “Kekekeke! Oh, you sound amazing, Millie! Well, you sound terrible, but you sound terribly amazing!” she cheers. “But, if you think that’s bad… I’m not done yet! Kendama hasn’t even attacked yet - so, I think it’ll take its shot now!”
               
               “Nonon- snr-snrt no!” Millie  begs, holding her hands over her face - but the attack comes barreling toward her invisibly; washing over her like a  wave of tension suddenly locking her body up. She didn’t know what to expect - if a mere loss of 500 life points could stand to damage her face like that, she couldn’t tell what a loss of 2200 would do. Would she bloat to immobility? Would her clothes just disappear entirely? Warmth pervaded her body - which only exasperated the nervous sweat beading up on her chubby face. 
 
               She could feel the heat sink into her, but it seemed to… Level out upon her skin. More than the heat, she also felt a mild… Discomfort - an itch begun to pervade her body. In some areas; across her face, across her chest and back… It came and went, but it seemed to burrow in and focus beneath her arms and around her belly and crotch… And especially her scalp. When she lowered her hands from her face, she didn’t seem… Any bigger - but… There were some evident changes. All this time, her skin maintained the same fair, lightly-tanned tone it had previously possessed - but now, it had faded into a familiar pallor, like she hardly saw the sun. 
 
               Millie had to look in the mirror again to find the exceptions to this - which manifested as dark freckles liberally covering her cheeks and the bridge of her broader nose. While she was observing that… She got a look at her hair as well. No longer could it be considered brown - it was an unruly expanse of jet black strands; kinked and knotted and… Even visibly greasy, which made the chubby class president squirm. Though, she supposed her entire body must’ve been similar, with as much as she’d been sweating. And, if the itch on her scalp was indicative of anywhere else… 
 
               Experimentally, Millie looked down to her bulging gut - and she could see a dusting of black hair on its lower end. Even a bit of the flesh poking out from her damaged stockings seemed to have a few short hairs dotting it… An unsavory look in her eyes. What only made things worse was how… Familiar all of this was.
 
               Save the color of her eyes, Millie looked like she could be Annie’s fatter sister. They had the same tone of skin, same color hair - and, even if it was for different reasons, both of their voices were both rather grating. The thought made Millie shudder - she wanted nothing to do with Annie whatsoever. “I look…” she begins balefully. “Sh-sho… Different…”
 
               “Oh, I’m sure you’d have used a much harsher word ten minutes ago, Millie…” the club president jabs. “Is it because a homely little thing like you would be called out for such a thing, now? Or is it because you’re too shy to say what’s really on your mind? Kekeke… Or could it even be that you’re thinking a little different yourself? Could the Millicent of ten minutes ago may as well be a million years ago? Kekeke…” she theorizes.
 
               Millie cowers in her seat, looking between Annie and the cards on the table. “I… I don’t know, I... I don’t want to sh-shay anything… N-no, I don’t wa-want to snrrt t-talk about thingsh like that - can we jusht p-play the game, pleashe?”
 
               Annie nods, chuckling to herself. “Oh, is that all that’s on your mind? I hear all sorts of things, I’m a bit of a gossip-hoarder myself, are you sure that doesn’t interest you at all? Not a word about the scandalous details of your classmates? Changes in the world of fashion? Nothing like that?”
 
               Millie puffs out her cheeks, shaking her head. “J-jusht end your turn already…”
 
               “How single-minded of you, but I can appreciate the passion… Of course, if you were paying attention to the duel, you’d know I’m not done just yet, kekeke…” She motions to Double Yoyo. “I’ve got one more attack to make.”
 
               She does!? Oh gosh… I-it can’t end the game, but I’ll just be one hit away from losing… Even if she doesn’t, Kendama can take me down next turn if I don’t do something! Think, Millie, think… Y-your hand is empty, but your field is loaded. You can do something, just…
 
               “... N-no, you d-d-don’t.” she whimpers - earning an inquisitive thrum from Annie. “It’sh… Jusht like lasht time - I-I’m the underd-dog now, so… snrrk… I can shummon another card thanksh to Aroma Gardening!” Her hands tremble as she sifts through her deck, pulling out another Aromage Rosemary. “S-so Jusht like lasht time - I shummon Roshemary, she’ll save me!” She shuffles her deck and hurriedly places Rosemary - somewhat cocked, at first, before adjusting her - on the field. 
 
               “Oh?” Annie  taunts. “Going to stall me again? Just because you set one of them to defense position…”
 
               Millie raises a finger and tilts her head, thrumming. “No, not thish time… I can do thish… Yeah, yeah!” Looking up to Annie, she snorts a little as she prepares to explain herself. “Roshemary activatesh Aroma Gardening, so I gain 1000 life pointsh. Because of that, I finally get the chance to ushe thish!”
 
               Millie flips over Dried Winds - something that makes the students behind her give soft “Ooooh…”s as they work out her plan themselves.
 
               “With Dried Windsh, I can destroy Kendama!” Her voice rises into an excited squeal as she makes this proclamation - and for the first time since Millicent’s defeat had been apparent, Annie looks visibly chuffed. 
 
               “Hmph - that’s a good one…” she admits, moving Kendama to the graveyard. “And I get nothing out of destroying Double Yoyo, so… I cancel my attack. Well done, Millie...” Her smile creeps back onto her face. “Your cards really did you well, huh?”
 
               Millie nods vigorously, then brushes some hair off of her face. “Y-yeah! Thish deck… It’sh shtrong, for shure, but… I guessh it’s more important to me than jusht that?” 
 
               “An astute observation… And if you win this one, won’t it be even more special? The deck that won you your life… Kekeke… Harsh trials make for strong bonds, after all… But, you’ll need to beat me first. I’ve got one monster on the field left - now it’s your turn to deal with them!”