"You're so overbearing..."

Saionji finished chewing me out for dating Mika.

"Perhaps you should've thought about the consequences of your actions, rather than letting your hormones dictate them for you."

"I said I was sorry..."

"Then you can apologise to me by being my partner for the upcoming tag duel against Logan."

"Eh? Me? Why not get someone like Amanda or Dengorou to do it."

"No. It has to be you."

"But why? Compared to them, I'm weak."

"In warfare, it doesn't matter if you're strong or weak. All that matters is how you use the tools at your disposal."

As we sat at the dining table, Saionji finally turned to me.

"You already saw how Amanda struggled to defeat Logan in her fight. Bringing her in again would be a fatal mistake."

That's true. Saionji knew Amanda would lose against Logan, so she chose not to partner up with her.

"You'd also lose the element of surprise, since Logan already knows her deck."

"I'd lose the element of surprise either way due to how much information that's out there about Sangria's high ranking players. The downside to being such a famous Wing is all the people that keep track of your members and what decks they use."

Unlike most Wings, which cycle through their members to keep things fresh and unpredictable, Sangria had a fixed roster due to loyalty being one of Saionji's core values, the majority of the Wing's members were fixed.

"That's why I have to keep hidden aces up my sleeve, such as you."

"Are you sure about this, though? Logan might have never heard of me, but he's partnering up with Mika... and she knows a lot about me."

"I wonder why." Saionji rolled her eyes. "But does she know what deck you play?"

"Well... no. I didn't tell her."

"Then it doesn't matter. We know she plays @Ignister. The only threatening thing about that deck is The Arrival, but we can deal with that."

"We can?"

"Indeed. Unlike Amanda or Dengorou, there are three things about your deck which make it perfect for this tag duel."

"And they are?"

Saionji raised one finger.

"Firstly, your deck is an OTK deck. In a tag duel, we have to burn through 16,000 life points. That's a far more arduous task than you first think. Lyrilusc has a unique advantage in this type of duel thanks to Nightingale, who can attack multiple times directly. It doesn't matter if The Arrival is a Towers monster if you can simply ignore it's existence and go for their throat. The sooner we close out the game, the better it is for us."

"Right... that makes sense. It would also be beneficial for you, since your deck has a hard time closing out games. Having a partner who can aggressively deal damage on your behalf would be ideal."

"Correct. I want to end the duel quickly. If we let the game drag out too long, Logan and Amasawa will be able to gain an advantage over us. While our decks are built to have an extremely strong early game, their decks are built to be consistent throughout. In other words, we'll run out of steam before them. And that leads to my second point."

Saionji raised two fingers.

"Secondly, your deck is a perfect match for mine. Like you stated earlier, Dragon Link doesn't have an easy time closing out games. My deck's strength is through the sheer amount of control I exert to cripple the opponent's plays, keeping the opponent at bay and giving me openings to attack safely. On the other hand, your deck, Lyrilusc, is extremely strong at closing out games in a single turn due to how easy it is to set up all of your plays. However, your deck's fatal weakness is how vulnerable it is to disruption. You're essentially a glass cannon."

"If I'm a glass cannon and you're a fortress lacking turrets... that means together, we can cover for each other's weakness to become an invincible castle."

"That's right. What I lack in attack, you make up for in aggression. What you lack in defence, I make up for in control. If they try to disrupt you while you're performing your combos, I'll negate their attempts so you can continue playing the game. That way, you can successfully set up Nightingale and kill them in a flash."

I was impressed by how far ahead Saionji thought about this. Our decks really did complement each other well.

"Finally, the third reason."

Saionji raised three fingers.

"All the monsters in your deck are Wind attribute."

"...that's important?"

"Extremely. With the way I want the turn order to go, it's very likely that Logan will fall back on his secondary game plan."

This was the first time I've heard of this.

"And that is?"

"If Logan fails to get his Kali Yuga combo off, then he'll cut his losses and link off the rest of his materials into Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty. This will let him special summon a Winged Beast monster from his deck at the end of his turn. He has two main targets: Mist Valley Apex Avian, or Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds."

Both of these cards were troubling. Apex Avian was an omni-negate, just like Borreload Savage Dragon. Meanwhile, Barrier Statue was a floodgate that prevented players from special summoning monsters, except Wind monsters.

"Ideally, our turn order would have me going second and you going fourth so you can attack immediately. This will leave Logan either going first or third. Knowing him, he'll probably go third to give his partner the advantage of going first, which works out in our favour since I'll be able to disrupt him on his turn. However, if I do, he'll probably fall back on that play and special summon the Barrier Statue to prevent you from playing the game."

"...ah, I see. Since all of the Lyrilusc monsters are Wind attribute, I can play through it. I get it now."

Essentially, it wouldn't be a problem for me at all. For all intents and purposes, I could basically ignore it. If it comes down to do it, I could even run it over to let Saionji special summon her monsters, since it only had 1000 DEF.

"Good. If you're prepared to be my partner, then take these."

Saionji put three cards down on the table. They were all equip spells.

"While my deck doesn't have the space to use these, your deck does. They'll be key in our fight against Logan and Amasawa."

The three cards were two copies of Moon Mirror Shield and one copy of United We Stand.

"I see... I guess seeing that card gave you the idea to give these to me?"

"Just a little."

After I was forced to join Sangria, Saionji ordered me to hand over my deck so she could look through it. That was when she discovered my secret tech— a certain equip spell.

"All that's left is to win on the day of the tag duel. I can't wait to see their faces when you reveal your deck to them. They'll never see it coming."

Saionji chuckled softly to herself. She really was about to cash in my lack of notoriety with great effect... it was scary how cold and calculating she could be.

Saionji Yuuri truly was a ruthless woman.

...

It was the day of the tag duel.

Me and Saionji hopped in our Duel Runners and drove out to Ten, where Logan was holding the tag duel. No doubt Mika was also driving there too.

Since this was an extremely important duel, Saionji and Logan agreed to hold it in Ten's premiere stadium: The Abyss.

"Minorucchi! I'm surprised to see you here! You're Saionji's partner, huh?"

Upon entering the stadium's stage with Saionji, Mika noticed me and cheerfully greeted me with a wave.

She didn't seem fazed by my appearance at all. I guess she was used to duelling people close to her if the situation called for it.

"Mika... yeah, I am."

I was secretly hoping that Logan would choose someone else, but it seemed he was adamant on going through with making Mika his partner.

I felt bad that I'd have to fight my own girlfriend, but it couldn't be helped. I had to carry out my duty as a member of the Sangria Wing.

"Let's give it our all today, 'kay?~"

I nodded my head. I could feel knots in my stomach.

"So, ya showed up after all, eh Saionji?"

Logan grinned widely as he met face to face with her.

"I wouldn't chicken out on the perfect chance to humiliate you publicly, Logan."

Due to how pivotal this duel would be in deciding who would take control over Ten, it was currently being broadcasted live all over Alba, so everyone could see what would happen.

"Hahaha! One of these days, your overconfidence will be your downfall."

"It's not overconfidence if you have the skill to back it up."

Saionji coldly shot Logan down before putting on her Duel Disk.

"I was more referring to your partner. Here I thought you'd bring Dengorou, but instead you brought a no name rookie to this duel. Are you even taking this seriously?"

"And you're the one calling me overconfident... why of course, I brought Takamine to make fun out of you."

"Sheesh, you're as cold as ever. Wasn't the answer I was hoping for, but hey. I'll take it."

Still grinning from the sarcastic banter he had with Saionji, Logan loaded up his Duel Disk and fit on his Duel Gazer.

"Don't underestimate Minorucchi, Logan! He may look cute and harmless, but he's actually quite passionate deep down~."

Mika didn't know anything about my duelling abilities, so she must've been referring to what we did in her Duel Runner, which was embarrassing to say the least...

I could feel Saionji stare at me with a unimpressed face. Forgive me...

"Is he now? I can't wait to see what he does then."

"Please don't have any expectations for me. You'll be sorely disappointed if you do."

I gently warned Logan not to think of me too highly and put on my Duel Gazer.

I looked up to the florescent stadium lights, nearly getting blinded due to how strong they were.

This is really happening, huh...?

"Are you scared?" Saionji asked.

"...a little bit."

To be more accurate, I was nervous. My body shook faintly under the overwhelming pressure of it all.

All three Bosses of the Grand Three Wings of the Alba East were gathered here, right in front of my eyes. And me, a mere 24th ranked duelist, was going to duel against and alongside them.

I never expected this scenario to happen to me in a million years, yet here we are...

"Don't be afraid. Mommy's here." Saionji whispered into my ear.

Somehow, those words were strangely comforting.

I took a deep breath.

I couldn't screw up here.

If I did, Saionji would never forgive me.

"Shall we begin?" Logan asked.

"Let's." Saionji replied.

"Duel!"

<[Sangria] Saionji Yuuri & [Sangria] Takamine Minoru (16000) vs [Gran Kaon] Logan D. Rose & [Archangels] Amasawa Mikami (16000)>

"Shotgun going first!" Mika exclaimed.

"In that case, I'll go second." Saionji said.

"Looks like we're gonna have to wait for our turns, Takamine!" Logan laughed.

"Ladies first." I mumbled.

At the very least, things were going exactly to Saionji's plan. She wanted to make sure I went last, so Mika going first was perfect for us.

"My, you're such a gentleman. But that's what I love about you, Minorucchi!"

"Oi, don't talk to one of my members like that, Amasawa. Takamine's part of my Wing."

"Gosh, you're so possessive Saionji! Isn't it fine if we share~? I'm sure Minorucchi would lo~ve that!"

"Just get on with your turn, please..." I pleaded.

"Fi~ne, only because you said so. First I activate the spell card Cynet Mining! I discard a card to add Achichi @Ignister to my hand! Next, I normal summon the Achichi I just added! Achichi's effect, I add Pikari @Ignister to my hand! Shine bright, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning condition is one non-Link @Ignister monster! I set Achichi @Ignister in the Link Arrow! Circuit combine! Link summon, Dark Infant @Ignister!"

If there was any time to activate a hand trap now, this would be the time... Saionji, please have one!

"Infant's effect, I add Ignister A.I.Land to my hand!"

However, she let Mika get the effect, meaning she didn't have either Veiler or Gamma in her hand.

"I play the field spell A.I.Land! It's effect activates, letting me special summon Pikari from my hand! Pikari's effect, I add A.I. Meet You to my hand! Shine bright, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning conditions are two Cyberse monsters! I set Pikari @Ignister and Link 1 Dark Infant @Ignister in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link summon, Cyberse Wicckid!"

Shit, now that she has the field spell and Wicckid out, Mika can spiral out straight into The Arrival.

"Next I activate A.I. Meet You! I reveal Dark Templar @Ignister to add Doyon @Ignister to hand! I activate A.I.Land for a second time to special summon Doyon! Doyon chain link 1, Wicckid chain link 2! I banish Dark Infant to add Bururu @Ignister to my hand and I return Achichi to my hand! Shine bright, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I set Doyon @Ignister and Link 2 Cyberse Wicckid in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link summon, Transcode Talker!"

"Doyon's effect, I return A.I. Meet You to my hand! I activate A.I.Land for a third time to special summon Bururu! Bururu's effect, I send Danmari @Ignister from my deck to the graveyard! Transcode's effect, I special summon Wicckid from my graveyard to a zone it points to! Shine bright, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning conditions are three monsters with different names! I set Bururu @Ignister, Link 2 Cyberse Wicckid, and Link 3 Transcode Talker in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link summon, Dark Templar @Ignister!"

"I activate A.I.Land for a fourth time to special summon Achichi! Shine bright, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning conditions are one non-Link @Ignister monster! I set Achichi @Ignister in the Link Arrow! Circuit combine! Link summon, Dark Infant @Ignister! Templar's effect, since I summoned to a zone he points to, I can special summon as many level 4 or lower @Ignister monsters I want to from my graveyard to zones he points to! Infant's effect, I move him one zone and make him Divine attribute! Come back, Bururu, Pikari, and Achichi! Now, level 3 Bururu @Ignister tunes level 4 Pikari @Ignister! Travelling from across the universe at supersonic speed, the invincible guardian angel intervenes! Link up, level 7! Synchro summon, Cyberse Quantum Dragon!"

"Bururu's effect, since Pikari was used for the Synchro summon, I can bring him back! Now, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! Shine brighter than ever, my circuit of love and hope! The summoning conditions are three or more monsters with different attributes! I set Achichi @Ignister, Pikari @Ignister, Link 1 Dark Infant @Ignister, and Dark Templar @Ignister in the Link Arrows! Arriving from the heart of the universe is the one who will usurp God and usher us into a brand new digital age! The day of reckoning has come, Link 6! Circuit combine! Link summon, The Arrival Cyberse @Ignister!"

"Since I used four materials, The Arrival's original ATK becomes 4000! (0 > 4000) Best of all, it's unaffected by other cards' effects! Good luck trying to get rid of it, kihihihi! I set one card face down and end my turn! Your move, Sai~on~ji~!"

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 3/5
LP: 16000
EMZ: X/O
XOOOO/OOOOO
OOXOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 5/5
LP: 16000
EMZ: O/O
OOOOO/OOOOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

"I draw. First, I normal summon Chamber Dragonmaid. Chamber's effect, I add Dragonmaid Tidying to my hand! Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions is one level 4 or lower Dragon. I set Chamber Dragonmaid in the Link Arrow. Circuit combine! Link summon, Striker Dragon!"

"Striker Dragon's effect, I add Boot Sector Launch to my hand. Next, I activate World Legacy Guardragon to special summon Chamber back from my graveyard. Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions are two Dragon monsters. I set Chamber Dragonmaid and Link 1 Striker Dragon in the Link Arrows. Circuit combine! Link summon, Dragunity Knight - Romulus!"

"Now, wait just a second! I activate my trap card, Solemn Strike! I pay 1500 life points to negate the summon and destroy Romulus! (16000 > 14500)"

"Tch." Saionji sent Romulus to the graveyard.

"Naisu! Way to go, Amasawa!" Logan cheered.

"Kihihi, all in a day's work." Mika grinned smugly.

"Saionji..."

I looked over at her with concern.

"Don't give me those puppy dog eyes, Takamine." Saionji glared at me.

"But, your Romulus, it..."

"Do you think I don't know how to handle this? People negate Romulus all the time, I'm used to this. Frankly, I'm more offended that you have such little faith in me. Just watch, okay?"

"Alright..."

For some reason, Saionji smiled mysteriously at me.

"I activate the spell card, Quick Launch! From my deck, I special summon Rokket Tracer! Since a Dark Dragon monster was special summoned, I can activate Noctovision's effect to special summon itself from hand! Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions are two Dragon monsters. I set Rokket Tracer and Noctovision Dragon in the Link Arrows. Circuit combine! Link summon, Dragunity Knight - Romulus!"

"Damn it, she had a second copy!" Mika whined.

"She really did anticipate this after all." Logan chuckled.

"Noctovision's effect, since it was used as Link material, I draw a card. Next, Romulus' effect!"

"Not so fast! I wanted to save this for later, but damn it... I don't have a choice! I activate Danmari's effect in graveyard! Since I control a Link 6 monster, I banish it from graveyard and negate Romulus!"

"As expected. Well, I guess we'll have to do the rest on the fly." Saionji sighed.

"Alright, good job Amasawa!" Logan cheered.

"I activate Boot Sector Launch! Since you control more monsters than I do, I can special summon Rokket monsters equal to the difference from my graveyard. Come back, Rokket Tracer! Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions are one level 4 or lower Dragon. I set Rokket Tracer in the Link Arrow. Link summon, Guardragon Pisty!"

"Gah, how sneaky! I forgot Boot Sector Launch has that effect..."

Good thing she summoned Tracer off Quick Launch. As always, Saionji was thinking at least three steps ahead.

"World Legacy Guardragon's other effect. I move Pisty by one zone! And now that Pisty and Romulus are both pointing to a zone, I can use Pisty's effect to bring back Tracer from my graveyard! Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions are two Dragon monsters. I set Link 2 Dragunity Knight - Romulus and Link 1 Guardragon Pisty in the Link Arrows. Circuit combine! Link summon, Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres!"

With this, now we could out the Quantum Dragon on Logan's turn!

"Tracer's effect, I destroy World Legacy Guardragon and special summon Rokket Recharger from deck! Now, level 4 Rokket Tracer tunes level 4 Rokket Recharger! When two barrels merge, the ultimate firearm is formed! Spin the gun and shoot for victory, level 8! Synchro summon, Borreload Savage Dragon!"

"Borreload's effect, I equip Romulus and get two Borrel Counters as well as half of it's ATK! (3000 > 3600/2 Borrel) Finally, I'll set a card, and end my turn there."

"Not bad at all. Let's see what I can do!" Logan grinned.

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 3/5
LP: 14500
EMZ: X/O
XOOOO/OOOOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 3/5
LP: 16000
EMZ: X/O
OOXOO/OOOOO
XOOXO/OOOOO

"My turn, draw! First I'll start things out by normal summoning Vanishing Lanius! Vanishing's effect, I special summon Mimicry Lanius from my hand! Then, since all my monsters are Raidraptors, I special summon Heel Eagle! Next I'll overlay level 4 Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius and Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Even the smallest hoots can make the most noise. Soar forth, rank 4! Xyz summon, Raidraptor - Force Strix!"

"In response, I activate Heavenly Spheres! By tributing itself, I return Cyberse Quantum Dragon back to Amasawa's hand."

"And this is why I wanted to save Danmari..." Mika cried as she returned Quantum to her Extra Deck.

"Then, since Spheres tributed himself, I special summon Aether, the Evil Empowering Dragon from my deck! (1600 > 0) Aether's effect, I banish Force Strix!"

"Haha, you got me good! In that case, I'll activate Mimicry's effect in graveyard to banish itself and add Nest to my hand! Then, I activate Pain Lanius' effect from my hand! By taking damage equal to Heel Eagle's ATK, I can special summon him as a level 3! (14500 > 13800) Soar high, my circuit! The summoning conditions are 2 Dark Winged Beast monsters! I set Raidraptor - Pain Lanius and Raidraptor -  Heel Eagle in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link summon, Raidraptor - Wise Strix! Wise's effect, I special summon Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite from my deck!"

"In response, I activate Dragonmaid Tidying. I target Aether and Wise Strix and bounce them back to hand."

"Man, you really are ruthless." Logan chuckled. "I guess I can't go with what I was originally planning, but it's fine. I activate the spell card Swallow's Nest! By tributing Zephyros, I can special summon a Vanishing Lanius from my deck! Vanishing's effect, I special summon Strangle Lanius from my hand! Next I activate Raidraptor - Nest, letting me add Raider's Wing to my hand! Now I'll overlay my level 4 Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius and Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Even the smallest hoots can make the most noise. Soar forth, rank 4! Raidraptor - Force Strix! Now I'll activate Force Strix's effect!"

"In response, I activate Borreload's effect! I remove one Borrel Counter (3600/2 Borrel > 1 Borrel) to negate it!"

"Damn Logan, you're getting your ass beat by Saionji right now!" Mika laughed.

"Hey, do ya have any idea how hard it is to play through four disruptions?! I'm doing my best here!" Logan groaned. "Whatever, I'll activate Raider's Wing's effect, I detach a material from Force and special summon him from my hand! Then, I activate Zephyros' effect in graveyard! I return Nest to my hand and take 400 damage to special summon him! (13800 > 13400) Soar high, my circuit! The summoning conditions are two or more monsters, including a Winged Beast! I set Raidraptor - Force Strix, Raider's Wing, and Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite in the Link Arrows! The winds of change blow strongly as the mighty bird king whips up an unbeatable storm. Circuit combine! Link summon, Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty!"

"Unfortunately, that's all I can do. I end my turn! As I do, Simorgh's effect activates, letting me special summon a Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds from my deck!"

"Barrier Statue's effect, none of us can special summon monsters except Wind monsters! And since Barrier Statue is in a zone Simorgh points to, neither of them can be targeted with card effects!"

Just as Saionji predicted, Logan was trying to stop us by putting up a Wind floodgate. However, that didn't affect me at all.

I was starting to understand why Saionji chose me over everyone else now.

In this tag duel, I was the perfect partner for her.

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 3/1
LP: 13400
EMZ: X/X
OOOOO/OOOOX
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 4/5
LP: 16000
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOOOO
OOOXO/OOOOO

Now it was my turn.

"Draw!"

My eyes widened at what I got.

"Takamine, did you get it?"

"...yeah, I did."

Saionji smirked.

"Go get 'em, tiger."

"Eh? Did he draw Evenly Matched or something?!" Mika exclaimed.

"It's fine. Even if he did, we can still keep Barrier Statue and lock them out of special summoning." Logan said.

"Ha." Saionji laughed. "How interesting."

"What's so funny?"

"You two really don't know what Takamine's deck is, huh?"

"Wait... don't tell me!"

"I activate Turquoise Warbler's effect! Since I have no monsters, I can special summon it from my hand!"

"Damn it... figures!" Logan gritted his teeth. "No wonder you brought him to the tag duel, Saionji... heh."

"Holy crap, Minorucchi plays Lyrilusc! Your Barrier Statue is useless, Logan!" Mika cried.

"That's right. All of the monsters in my deck... are Wind attribute! Barrier Statue doesn't affect me at all!" I declared.

"When Warbler's special summoned, I can special summon Cobalt Sparrow from my hand! Cobalt's effect, I add Wagtail to my hand! Then I activate the spell card Wing Requital! Since I have two or more Winged Beast monsters, I pay 600 life points to draw two cards from the top of my deck! (16000 > 15400) Next I activate the spell card Lyrilusc - Bird Call! I add Beryl Canary to my hand and special summon Celeste Wagtail from my hand! Wagtail's effect, I add Bird Sanctuary to my hand! I overlay level 1 Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler and Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Become enraptured under the feathered diva's rising melody! Xyz summon, Lyrilusc - Recital Starling! Starling's effect, I give The Arrival 600 ATK!"

"Wait, but The Arrival is unaffected by card effects!" Mika exclaimed.

"I know. And since I can't target either Simorgh or Barrier Statue because of Simorgh's effect, it was either him or her. Personally, I'd prefer to ram a 0 ATK Starling into The Arrival, so you're actually doing me a favour."

"Haha! How smart! It's like he didn't give any ATK in the first place!" Logan laughed.

"You do realise that you're the one who's screwed here if we lose, right?"

"It'll be fine! We have more than 8000 life points. I doubt Nightingale will be enough to kill us."

"Argh, if only I didn't waste my effects on Saionji... Minorucchi is way more troublesome to deal with!"

"Even if you did have a response, I still have another counter on Borreload to negate it." Saionji said. "With Takamine's offence and my defence, we can't lose."

"Exactly! Now I activate Starling's effect! I detach a material from her to add Sapphire Swallow to hand! Next, I activate Canary's effect! I special summon her from my hand and special summon Cobalt Sparrow from my graveyard! Finally, I activate Swallow's effect to special summon her and Beryl Canary from my hand!"

"Okay, I take that back, he has five birds on the field..." Logan loured.

"You were the worst partner ever." Mika huffed.

"I overlay level 1 Lyrilusc - Celeste Wagtail, Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow, Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, and Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow! With these five monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Dance to your death as you listen to the feathered diva's sweet melody! Xyz summon, Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!"

"Nightingale's effect! She gets 200 ATK for each material she has attached to her! (0 > 1000) And since I used two Canary, she gets another 200 ATK for each! (1000 > 1400) In addition to that, since I used Cobalt, she can't be targeted either! Next, I activate the spell card Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary! Since I have an Xyz monster with three or more materials, I draw a card! Then, I attach Starling and all of her materials to Nightingale! (1400 > 1800)"

"S-seven material Nightingale?!" Mika gasped.

"If he attacks us directly seven times... that's 12,600 damage!" Logan exclaimed.

"We're going to barely make it out alive!"

"Wait, don't get so excited. He still has his normal summon and four cards in hand... there's no telling what he's going to do next."

"Isn't it obvious? He's going to use the card he drew earlier." Saionji said, turning to me. "Right, Takamine?"

"Yes, I am. I activate the equip spell Moon Mirror Shield on Nightingale!"

"What the—?"

Logan was perplexed, but Mika got it straight away.

"Oh shit, it's their way to out The Arrival!"

"Correct. I told Takamine to add a few copies in his deck in advance."

"My, how sneaky. Well, if he runs over The Arrival, that's one less attack we'll be taking directly, meaning that's 1800 of our life points that'll be spared, so ha!"

"Assuming he attacks all of our monsters, he'll still have four attacks left over to deal us 7200 damage. That, combined with the 200 we'll take from battle damage... we're going to be left with exactly 6000 life points." Logan said.

"That's not bad! We can still make a comeback!" Mika grinned.

"It's time to battle. Nightingale will attack The Arrival! (1800 > 4100) First Wing Frenzy!"

"The Arrival, nooooo! (13400 > 13300)"

"Next, Nightingale will attack Barrier Statue! (1800 > 1100) Second Wing Frenzy!"

"Barrier Statue is destroyed, but since it's in defence position, we take no damage!"

"After that, Simorgh! (1800 > 2500) Third Wing Frenzy!"

"Tch. (13300 > 13200)"

"Now Nightingale will attack you both directly four times! (1800) Fourth Wing Frenzy!"

"Kyaaaa! (13200 > 11400)" Mika screamed.

"Fifth Wing Frenzy! (1800)"

"Grr... (11400 > 9600)" Logan grunted.

"Sixth Wing Frenzy! (1800)"

"Minorucchi, stooooop! I don't know if I can handle something so big and hard anymore! (9600 > 7800)" Mika moaned.

"Seventh Wing Frenzy! (1800)"

"Heh, I have to admit... you really caught me by surprise. Gah! (7800 > 6000)" Logan winced. "And you're only ranked 24th...?"

"Yep. With that, I end my turn."

"What the hell? You Eight guys are tough as shit..."

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 3/1
LP: 6000
EMZ: O/O
OOOOO/OOOOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 4/4
LP: 15400
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOXOO
OOOXO/OOXXO

"Kihihi... things are getting really exciting. My turn, I draw! It's not much, but I normal summon Pikari! Pikari's effect, I add A.I.dle Reborn to my hand! Next, I activate Cynet Mining to discard a card and add Hiyari @Ignister to my hand! Hiyari's effect, since I control an @Ignister monster, I can special summon her from my hand! Pikari's effect, I make Hiyari level 4! I overlay my level 4 Pikari @Ignister and Hiyari @Ignister! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Light up the world with your divine blades, o king of wishes! Bring love and hope to those that pray for it, rank 4! Xyz summon, Number 39: Utopia!"

The number 39 tattoo appeared on Mika's neck in shining gold.

"You finally brought out your Number monster, huh? Took you long enough." Saionji said.

"The only bad thing about Utopia is he's a Warrior and not a Cyberse, meaning I can't summon him on the turn I make The Arrival. But now that we're on the defensive, I figured it was the perfect time to bring him out! Anyways, that's my turn over."

"You're not much without The Arrival, are you...?" Logan sighed.

"Hehe... I'm trying my best though!" Mika pouted and blew a raspberry.

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 2/1
LP: 6000
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOOOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 4/4
LP: 15400
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOXOO
OOOXO/OOXXO

"My turn, draw. First, I normal summon Rokket Synchron and use it's effect to special summon Absorouter Dragon from my graveyard! Now, level 1 Rokket Synchron tunes level 7 Absorouter Dragon! Come, level 8! Synchro summon, Chaos Ruler, the Chaotic Magical Dragon!"

"Absorouter's effect, since it was sent to the graveyard, I add Rokket Tracer to my hand. Chaos Ruler's effect, I excavate five, add Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to my hand, and the rest go to the graveyard. Next, I activate Boot Sector Launch to special summon Tracer. Tracer's effect, I destroy Boot Sector to special summon Rokket Synchron from my deck. Red-Eyes' effect, I banish Synchron to special summon it. Red-Eyes' effect, I special summon Noctovision from my graveyard. Open the circuit of victory! The summoning conditions are two Dragon monsters. I set Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Noctovision Dragon in the Link Arrows. Circuit combine! Link summon, Hieratic Seal of the Heavenly Spheres!"

"Noctovision's effect, I draw a card. Next I activate Tidying's effect in graveyard to special summon Chamber in defence position by banishing it. Chamber's effect, I add another copy of Tidying to my hand! Now I'll overlay level 8 Borreload Savage Dragon and Chaos Ruler, the Chaotic Magical Dragon! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! The lord of pandemonium has blessed the world with upheaval and disorder. Quiver before the undead final punisher, rank 8! Xyz Summon, Number 22: Zombiestein!"

The number 22 tattoo appeared on Saionji's cheek in sangria purple.

"Woah, you also brought your Number out! I can't believe you sacrificed Borreload when it still had a counter on it!"

"Thought I'd join in the fun. I expect Logan to do the same next turn too."

"If I can draw into the pieces and you don't disrupt me, sure I can."

"I'll be looking forward to it. However, I'm not done yet. Next, level 4 Rokket Tracer tunes level 4 Chamber Dragonmaid! When two barrels merge, the ultimate firearm is formed! Spin the gun and shoot for victory, level 8! Synchro summon, Borreload Savage Dragon!"

"I— you're a sadistic bitch, Saionji." Mika said bluntly.

"Just play around it. I equip Romulus to Borreload, you know the deal. (3000 > 3600/2 Borrel) Battle! Zombiestein attacks Utopia! (4500) Sangria Demolition!"

"I activate Utopia's effect! I detach a material to negate the attack!"

Since only Number monsters can destroy each other, the only way to out Utopia was to force it to use both of its material so it couldn't negate any attacks. This would buy Mika and Logan at least another turn.

"This is going to be annoying."

"I told you Saionji, we're on the defensive now because of your partner. If you want to blame anyone, blame Minorucchi!"

"What's even more annoying is your familiarity with him. God, cut it out. He's not even part of your Wing!" Saionji grumbled.

"Aww, scared I'm gonna steal him from you?"

"I think even Takamine has enough common sense not to join your whacky cult. I set a card face down and end my turn."

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 2/1
LP: 6000
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOOOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 5/4
LP: 15400
EMZ: X/O
XOXOO/OOXOO
OXOXO/OOXXO

"Welp, gimme something good, or else I'm out of this game. Draw!" Logan looked over his hand and sighed. "I can't tell if this draw is good or not, but... I'll take it. I activate the spell card, Pot of Desires!"

Knowing Saionji had a negate in the form of Borreload, Logan anxiously waited for her response. However, seeing that she was choosing not to, he continued.

"By banishing the top ten cards of my deck, I can draw two cards!"

Looking over the two cards, his eyes widened.

"Did you get something good, Logan?!"

"...depends. How much do you value our life points, Amasawa?"

"Um... quite a bit, considering Minorucchi has Nightingale still!"

"I think I might have the answer to our problem then."

"Well, this is your duel anyways, so go for it. I don't mind if I win or lose."

"Amasawa... thanks. I activate the spell card Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force! By paying half my life points, I resurrect Force Strix and rank him up by two! (6000 > 3000)"

"W-wait, did you just say h-half—"

"Rank up, Xyz change! Soar forth, rank 6! Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon!"

"OUR LIFE!!! This better be worth it!"

"I thought you said you didn't care if you won or lost... ah, whatever. Revolution's effect! Since I have a Raidraptor Xyz attached to him as material, I can destroy one of my opponent's monsters! I target Borreload Savage Dragon!"

"Makes sense. Since Nightingale can't be targeted and Zombiestein will only be destroyed by another Number, this is the next best choice. Unfortunately for you, I'll activate Borreload to remove a counter (3600/2 Borrel > 1 Borrel) and negate the effect."

"That's exactly what I wanted you to do!"

"What?"

"If you negated my next spell with Borreload, it would've been game over for me."

"Oh, I see. By targeting Borreload, you forced me to activate his effect early so I could protect it. Not bad."

"Yup! Now that I'm clear from that, I activate the spell card Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Force! I banish four Dark monsters in my graveyard to rank up Revolution! Spread your wings and take flight, my very soul! Become the fortress that will scorch the earth and hoist up the sail of victory! Rank up, Xyz change! Soar forth, rank 10! Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon!"

"Ultimate Falcon's effect! By detaching a material, all of your monsters lose 1000 ATK and you can't activate any cards or effects for the rest of this turn! Also, it's unaffected by card effects, so don't even bother trying to bounce it back with Tidying or Spheres!"

"Good thing Heavenly Spheres had 0 ATK to begin with. (0 > 0) (3600 > 2600/1 Borrel) (4500 > 3500)" Saionji laughed. "Takamine, how are you holding up?"

"Weakening Nightingale is annoying, but... (1800 > 800) thanks to them halving their life due to Soul Shave Force, I'll have just enough ATK to end them regardless."

Essentially, with seven materials, I could still deal 5600 damage even if Nightingale sat at 800 ATK.

"Not for long you won't. It's my turn to show off my Number! To change the future, one must grasp at the dangling red string of fate! Spin the ending anew, threading lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride into the story! Rank up, Xyz change! Descend, rank 12! Number 77: The Seven Sins!"

The number 77 tattoo appeared on Logan's forehead in blood red.

"Now it's time to battle! As you've probably guessed, Number 77: The Seven Sins attacks Nightingale! (4000) Weave of Grand Chaos!"

"Since Moon Mirror Shield is negated, Nightingale is destroyed... argh! (15400 > 12200)"

"Yes, you got rid of his ace!" Mika cheered.

"Just temporarily. I have no doubt he'll just bring out another one. But for now, this will suffice. Turn end!"

Mika/Logan:
Hand: 2/1
LP: 3000
EMZ: O/O
OOXOO/OOXOO
OOOOO/OOOOO

Saionji/Minoru:
Hand: 5/4
LP: 12200
EMZ: X/O
XOXOO/OOOOO
OXOXO/OOOXO

"My turn... draw!"

Everything was up to me now. I was in prime position to end this duel right here, right now.

I couldn't mess up... I refuse to mess up.

This time... I'll win!

"First I activate Lyrilusc - Bird Call! I add Beryl Canary to my hand, then special summon Celeste Wagtail from my hand! Wagtail's effect, I add another Bird Call to my hand! Then, I activate the spell card Wing Requital to pay 600 life points and draw two cards from the top of my deck! (12200 > 11600) I activate Beryl Canary, special summoning her and Cobalt Sparrow from my graveyard! Sparrow's effect, I add Sapphire Swallow to my hand! I overlay level 1 Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow and Lyrilusc - Celeste Wagtail! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Become enraptured under the feathered diva's rising melody! Xyz summon, Lyrilusc - Recital Starling! Starling's effect, I give Saionji's Zombiestein 600 ATK! (3500 > 3800)"

"My, how sweet of you."

"Next, I activate Starling to detach a material and add Turquoise Warbler to my hand! Next I activate Swallow's effect, allowing me to special summon her and Warbler from my hand! Warbler's effect, when she's special summoned, I can special summon Cobalt Sparrow from my graveyard! Then, I activate the spell card Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 life points, I can special summon a level 5 or lower Fusion monster from my Extra Deck! (11600 > 10600) The invincible wings assemble here, underneath the feathered diva's sweet and rising melodic rhapsody! Fusion summon, Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale!"

"Independent Nightingale's effect! I burn you 500 damage for each of her level!"

"But she's only level 1? (3000 > 2500)" Mika said.

"What's 500 burn damage going to do when you're going to make a five material Nightingale?" Logan sighed.

"Who said I was making Nightingale?"

"It's obvious you're going to summon her to win the duel. Right?"

The corners of my lips turned into a smile. Saionji looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Takamine, are you about to do something stupid?"

"No... I was just thinking to myself how lonely it feels to be the only one without a Number monster on the board."

Saionji has Number 22. Logan has Number 77. Mika has Number 39.

"That's why... I'm going to change all that."

Slowly, Saionji's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you too, Saionji. I overlay level 1 Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale, Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler, and Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow! With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network! In a place beyond space and time lies the matriarch who gave birth to the entire universe. One day, with these hands, I'll reach her! Xyz summon, Number 83: Galaxy Queen!"

The number 83 tattoo appeared on the back of my hand in lime green.

"You... you also have a Number card?!" Logan exclaimed.

"Ehhh?! Since when?!" Mika shrieked.

"Takamine..." Saionji uttered.

It was the first time I saw her shocked.

"On the day my mother left me, she passed this card onto me to remember her. To me, Galaxy Queen represents her! And for that reason, I'll protect her with my life!"

Even now, I can feel her spirit overflowing in this Number card.

The love conveyed through Galaxy Queen is embracing me tightly.

And for that reason, I won't lose.

I want to make it up for Saionji.

I want to make it up for mom...

"Bird Sanctuary's effect! Since I control a three material Xyz monster, I draw a card! Slower Swallow's effect, since I control two or more monsters with the same level, I can special summon her from hand! Then, I'll finish off my normal summoning Sapphire Swallow! I overlay level 1 Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow, Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary, Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, and Slower Swallow! Dance to your death as you listen to the feathered diva's sweet melody! Xyz summon, Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!"

"Nightingale gains 200 ATK for each material attached to her! (0 > 800) Sparrow's effect, Nightingale can't be targeted! Canary's effect, Nightingale gains another 200 ATK and possession of her can't be switched! (800 > 1000) Swallow's effect, I attach a Lyrilusc in my graveyard to her as material! (1000 > 1200) Wagtail's effect in graveyard, I attach her to Nightingale as material! (1200 > 1400) Galaxy Queen's effect! By detaching a material from this card, all my monsters can't be destroyed by battle until your next end phase! Bird Sanctuary's effect, I attach Starling and her materials to Nightingale as material! (1400 > 1800) And now we're back where we started, but this time, with eight material!"

"Oh my god... this should be illegal... imagine the Zeus you can make with this thing!" Mika shrieked.

"I'm not done just yet. Next I activate the equip spell United We Stand on Nightingale! For each of my face-up monsters, Saionji's included, she gets 800 ATK! Since there's five altogether, she gets 4000 ATK! (1800 > 5800)"

"That's a staggering 46,400 damage... that's more than just overkill! I don't think you can even get that many life points in the game!" Logan exclaimed.

"And that's not all." Saionji smirked. "Do it, Takamine. Show them your secret tech."

I nodded.

"I activate the equip spell Stoic Challenge on Galaxy Queen! For each Xyz material on my side of the field, she gains 600 ATK! Since there's ten, she gets 6000 ATK! (500 > 6500) In addition, any battle damage when she attacks a monster is doubled!"

"T-that's one big space mom... a-and one really big birdie who can attack eight times..." Mika shook.

"T-that brings the total to 52,900 damage... h-holy shit, t-there's no way we're living through this..." Logan shook.

I looked over to Saionji.

"Saionji... I won't let you down."

"Go for it, Takamine."

"These are my wings! Battle! Nightingale attacks you directly! (5800) First Wing Frenzy!"

"I activate Utopia's effect! By detaching a material, the attack is negated!"

"Just as I expected. Thanks for playing into the palm of my hand and leaving Logan completely unprotected, Mika."

"Huh? What do you mean? Do you have another trick up your sleeve?!"

"Have you noticed the difference between Galaxy Queen and Seven Sins' ATK?"

Logan and Mika's eyes widened simultaneously.

"It's 2500..."

"...the exact amount of life points we have left!"

"Earlier, you asked what the point of Independent Nightingale's burn was. Well, here's your answer. I just wanted to end this farce with my mom."

Saionji started laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, the irony... the weakest level 1 is about to squash the strongest level 12! This is why I love Duel Monsters."

"Number 83: Galaxy Queen attacks Number 77: The Seven Sins! (6500) Eternal Wish!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (2500 > 0)"

Mika screamed as she was blown away by the impact, instantly collapsing to the ground.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (2500 > 0)"

Logan yelled as he tried to resist the impact, before also falling to the ground.

"And that's game." I said.

<Winner: [Sangria] Saionji Yuuri and [Sangria] Takamine Minoru>

I raised my fist in victory.

Saionji ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

It was the first time I've ever seen her so happy...

I'm glad she was holding onto me, since it felt like I was about to collapse at any given moment now.

I was panting heavily, completely out of breath.

That duel took more out of me that I expected...

"Minoru... you did amazing out there. Well done."

"Thank you... mommy."

Saionji kissed me.