Jeremy stared with his mouth hanging slightly open, astonishment and surprise written all over his face.
"I did it!" Aelita exclaimed triumphantly, grinning widely.
"But… you… How?" Jeremy spluttered. His look of surprise was so comical, Aelita had to laugh.
Jeremy kept staring. No, this… this wasn't right. It was luck. Or, was it… a fluke, maybe, in his strategy? But… he had checked, and there were no flukes. No…
"You… you didn't!"
"Yes, I did, Jeremy. Admit it."
"But…" He stared once more. All the evidence was there. She had done it.
"Admit it," Aelita repeated tauntingly, obviously enjoying it too much.
"You know," Odd said as he sauntered over with that annoying grin, "princess is right."
Jeremy sighed for the second time in less than that many minutes
"Admit it," Aelita said once again, smile not dampening.
"Okay, okay, I admit it. Aelita, you've beaten me at chess."
And she is the only one who ever could beat jeremie, other than himself