Author's Note:

Hello folks! I'm back! Kinda.

Sorry for the sudden leave of absence but as you might have guessed life came at me and dropped some stuff on my lap. As you might know, I was struggling financially and it wasn't until a couple of months ago I found myself a part time job and have been recently promoted to a full time one. The field was in a completely different area of my skills so I had to spend more than a few months to study up and make sure I was up to their speed and thankfully I made it!

Now what does that mean for my stories? Sadly my postings are going to be ever more erratic due to real life but I think the situation can be better if I had a beta reader/writer. Rather than that I think I need someone to discuss my ideas with, someone I can bounce of ideas and pitches to help streamline my process down by a lot. If you're interested: Give me a pm!

I'm mostly looking for people who have a decent if not a superior amount of knowledge of the gameplay than me (as I do make mistakes time to time), someone who has played in the GX era of the game in real life and someone who understands that not all their ideas will be used.

One new update about this fic: I'm going to release chapters in parts from now on. With my schedule? Having to write a 10K+ chapter seems extremely daunting and will put me off with writing it. 3K ish chapters are much more easier. With that I will be doing my best to increase my chapter postings but no promises. Life seems to love giving me curve balls.

See you guys soon and I hope you guys have been safe. Happy Holiday folks!


Deep inside Kaiba Land, in the topper most floor of a building that bared a resemblance to a White Dragon, a figure stood facing towards the window. They did not turn when the sound of three knocks resounded from the door made of $130,000. Nor did they turn when someone entered the room and they certainly did not turn when that same someone informed them of an appointment they already knew about.

"Professor? Your 3 o'clock is here." A man, dressed in a stone blue long coat, spoke. It was similar in design and in color to the outfit of the gentlemen who had been residing in the conference hall for the last hour. Anyone possessing a sharp eye however would have been able to tell the difference between the two.

The one who entered, Takuya Ito, has his coat's colors muted compared to the other person in the room. Whilst Takuya's coat was of a dull blue, professional and not much life to it. The gentleman, who had been in the room for the last hour, wore a coat that was more vibrant, an almost aristocratic shade of blue. Pomp and flair.

Takuya's outfit had the typical standardized aesthetic that would not go amiss with any of the students in Duel Academia. The gentleman's attire was more stylized with a personal touch that simply roared with personality.

Vellian merely waved his hand lazily, performing in the bare minimum of paying attention to another person for his mind was heavily weighed on something else. An important question he had asked himself that had been plaguing his mind the majority for this day. 'Did I turn off the stove? I did, didn't I? How vexing.'

In his haste to arrive here an hour just before the appointed time, the Professor of Antiques, made a mad scramble to pack the essentials right after the call with the boy of the hour. Honestly, he didn't actually need much; his deck, laptop, wallet and maybe a change of clothes, but he was just too excited that he couldn't think straight. Like he had said to the boy in the morning, the interview was usually a simple procedure, so simple in fact that it could have been conducted by phone. That said, the Professor just couldn't help himself.

After all, most, 'If not everyone' Vellian privately corrected, interested in Duel Monsters residing in Japan has heard of the American boy. Vellian could remember where he exactly was when he heard the news.

A failing Osiris slacker, 'who should have been paying attention and not browsing the net' Vellian grumbled irritably, practically yelled it out in the middle of one of his lessons on Chain Link Interruption. With no shame what so ever the Slacker then proceeded to read out the article to the entire class. After it got out that the Legendary Pro Duelist, Jounochi Katsuya was thinking of taking up an apprentice, chaos erupted in Tokyo as well as his classroom.

Vellian reached for the involuntary twitching eyebrow of his to stop it. Only someone from…. their standing could ruin his good mood. With a single exhalation of his breath, Vellian put all and any thought of that good-for-nothing sniveling skiving student out of his mind and went back on track to his original thought.

After he had scolded and rightfully issued a detention, he added, to that Slacker he remembered he had to declare an early recess because absolutely no one, including himself Vellian privately admitted, could concentrate in class that day. After making sure no one was in sight, as he didn't want to give that Osiris Slacker any vindication, Vellian quickly went onto the one of the many forums Duelists like him liked to roam in.

It wasn't even a hour since the news broke but there were already profiles of several possible lucky Duelists who could be a contender for the apprenticeship. Many of the candidates were Duelists who were just starting or already in the Pro Leagues. Some of who Vellian had personally taught, giving him a sense of fulfillment, he hadn't felt in ages. There were many good candidates and all of them stood a decent chance. In the forums it was agreed, whoever was serendipitously given the opportunity to become the student of a well renowned Duelist of his generation will be one of the Greats.

Now that he had his curiosity sated Vellian was about to lock his phone when the… weirdest thing happened…

"Oh ho ho! Molto Bene! So many good options! Whoever is chosen, I wish them luc- Che diamine!?"

Vellian stared in shock for a fraction of a second before letting go of his phone when it started fritzing and started shooting out waves of electricity.

He had immediately gone for the fire extinguisher with the Class C label to douse the carpet which had ignited due to the phone.

"Dio mio! What the blazes!? Since when did K-Phones spontaneously erupt in fire!?" Vellian tightly squeezed the trigger a few more times, managing to douse the fire. His K-Phone laid there innocently. Finding no problems what so ever after giving it a cautious prodding, he picked up his phone and inspected it.

Miraculously, the device was undamaged! The screen even turned back on when he pressed the unlock button. It was as if nothing happened to it. If Vellian hadn't seen it for himself, no one would know that this device was the cause of the fire in his office.

"Strano…" Vellian shrugged his shoulders. He was thinking of upgrading his phone and after this incident he was going to order one today.

Vellian unlocked his phone so he could start saving his files when his eyes fluttered in confusion when he saw the screen. "I don't remember clicking on this profile."

He did not know it then but Vellian Crowler de Medicini became the first person on Earth to see the face of Julian Ainsley and noticed his lifeless eyes.

Vellian remembered scrambling to find the person's name before the admins deleted the post. If a child contender was announced in the midst of all the Pros it had to imply that this boy's skills were enormous. Due to the fact that the boy was seemingly under the age of 10, Vellian quickly noted down the name just in time for the admins of the forum to delete not just the profile of this child but of every single potential candidate.

Since then, there was no more news of the apprenticeship and a sense of normalcy was restored in Duel Academia. That was, at least until a year ago.

As if he was the butt of a cosmic joke, once again in the middle of his class, the same Slacker who was forced to take his sophomore year… Twice! ... ONCE AGAIN INTERRUPTED HIS CLASS WITH A NEWS ARTICLE! AND TO RUB SALT INTO HIS WOUNDS, IT WAS ONCE AGAIN IN HIS LECTURE ON CHAIN LINK INTERRUPTION! … AAAAAAH-!

Vellian clenched his teeth hard and began to count to 10 in his mind. 'Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci' and after having clamed down he continued on in his reminiscing, not realizing that the man from earlier, Takuya, retreated from the room once he saw the expression on Vellian's face.

The… Slacker… once again blurted out the entirety of the article. That an apprentice was selected and that it was a boy of 10 years of age. Vellian, however, did not possess a single ounce of care regarding that news as the entirety of his ire was focused on that Slacker.

A student who was lazy, lacking and downright loathsome. A student who was taking the place of countless others who so desperately wanted to get into the Academia and for once Vellian lost his legendary composure in his own classroom and roared at the Slacker to sit the fuck down and shut up. Whilst the classrooms in the adjacent rooms were whirling with activity, no doubt excited at about the announcement, Room 501 was quiet as a graveyard. Every student sitting down and doing their very best in paying attention to Vellian's lecture. Once the bell rang, all the students including the Slacker ran out of the room with all the haste they could muster.

Vellian was in dark mood after his class. He considered himself blessed when he discovered that he had no other classes to conduct so he returned to his room to rid himself of this foul mood.

It wasn't until late in the evening he remembered that he still had that Slacker's phone. He rolled his eyes when seeing that the device possessed no password nor a biometric lock and he opened app that was linked to the article.

Imagine his surprise when he recognized the Duelist that was selected as Jounochi Katsuya's apprentice. Staring back at him from the screen was the lifeless eyes of Signore Julian.

The Professor had at first assumed that it might have been one of the students in Central Academia. Not that he was biased but if one was to choose a child apprentice, why not select from a pool of extremely talented students? But no, it was a child and not even someone from the No. 3's homeland. It was a scandal.

He remembered the many looks of shock and betrayal from students in the coming days in class. So many of them thinking that it should have been them and not some no named nobody from across the ocean.

Vellian scoffed as he remembered how the rumors first started prior to the first time he was interrupted in class. The rumor about how the Red-Eyes practitioner was looking for an apprentice, someone to pass on his skills and later? His powerful deck. Due to a leak, an informant in Kaiba Corp had revealed to the media that he overheard a conversation between the World Ranked Number 3 Duelist and their CEO, Kaiba Seto, that Jounochi was looking for an apprentice.

Suffice to say, the man did not retain his job and in the typical overdramatic fashion fitting for their school's owner, the leaker was barred from any job prospects in Japan. Vellian remembered reading somewhere that the man was now working as a janitor somewhere in Hong Kong.

Anyway, due to the leak, the rumor was given life in Central Academia. After all, the No. 3 had been seen in talking to the CEO of Kaiba Corp. A man who owned the most prestigious Dueling Schools for a reason, is it not so? From there, the rumors mutated. That "The Lucky" was scouting around the schools. That he was searching for someone with moxie. With guts. That he didn't care about age and didn't care about their rank.

The students theorized that due to Jounochi's own troubled childhood he did not care if his apprentice came from humble origins. That certainly set a fire under every single student in Duel Academia. From Obelisk Blue to even Osiris Red, everyone believed they had the chance to gain the attention of the famous Jounochi Katsuya. He remembered his shock when he discovered that in that year alone, not a single student went below the rank of Ra Yellow. Even that blasted Slacker, who showed no improvement for the 3 years he's been at his school, finally upgraded to Ra Yellow and graduated as one.

He remembered being so ecstatic. So many students were paying far more attention to his lessons with almost a fanatical zeal. He had never felt so fulfilled in his life and he had one person to thank for that.

"Good afternoon, Professor. I hope I did not keep you waiting." A deceptively deep-toned boy spoke out loud, prematurely ending Vellian's thoughts.

'Speak of the Devil and he shall arrive.' With a flourish, Professor Vellian Crowler de Medicini turned to face the boy who had the figurative spotlight focused on him.

Signore Julian Ainsley. He stood at around 180 centimeters. Quite tall at the age of 15 even among his peers back in the US of A. A brunette possessing very rich and thick hair, swiped backwards with a strand of hair hanging forward defiantly. Finding out that Signore Julian's eyes were no longer lifeless and instead beaming with sapphire blue gleam made Crowler's day. It was amusing. A Red-Eyes user was teaching someone with blue eyes? Crowler pretended to cough to disguise his chuckle.

Crowler had to admit, he was not expecting Signore Julian to dress up for the occasion. That alone positively increased his impression of the American boy. He briefly pondered if his guardian had something to do with it before dismissing it. From what he had read from Signore Julian's file, the American boy also possessed the necessary forethought to be this prudent. Frankly, he would have understood if Signore Julian came to the interview in casual wear, so personally, he was already happy with how the lad was taking this interview seriously.

He wore a white collared shirt with a black suit jacket and matching black pants to accompany his attire. His tie was burgundy with intricate silver patterns and did well to compliment Signore Julian's clothes. From the "Click and Clack" sounds coming from his feet, Vellian had to blink when he realized Signore Julian was wearing Italian made leather shoes.

'My, a man of quality.' Professor Crowler commented in his mind before continuing in on with his observation of the boy.

Unfortunately, it would seem he would have to dock a few points. Signore Julian hid it well but Vellian could spot the signs. The boy was not used to his attire. The child would periodically tug on his collar or discreetly loosen his tie. Vellian nearly berated Signore Julian when he saw the child constantly shift in place, unused to the hard soles of his shoes. It seems his new found guardians had only recently bought him his work attire.

Overall? B+ effort. At least, if that was all. Vellian's eyes were now locked onto the device that was latched onto the American's arm. A Duel Disk. Now that was a telling mark. Nowhere in the conversation did Vellian say that a Duel will be taking place. A for effort. Vellian's fore finger twitched involuntarily.

Unlike the other applicants, whose exams will be taking place in the next week, Signore Julian's entrance exam was to take place before the hopeful applicants. Due to his special status, the boy was to be placed in the newly constructed dorm near the outskirts of the Male Ra Yellow Dormitory. Currently he was the only occupant in the 3 storied building but that was until more children of his… unfortunate circumstances wished to apply the same way.

Vellian let out a pained sigh at the reminder. While he may be a callous person from time to time, let it be said that he did not wish for any of his students to suffer the loss of their parents.

"Buon pomeriggio, Signore Yulian." Vellian internally winced at his lisp. "You are right on time and I must say I am impressed with your diligence." Now that he saw Signore Julian with a Duel Disk, Vellian's hands were beginning to feel itchy. After having sat down, Vellian reached for his carrying case. Even if it was a done deal, he still needed to conduct the interview. Pulling out a recorder and a stack of paper, he set them down and gestured for the boy to come closer.

"It is of no trouble, Professor. I will be in your care for this interview." Julian spoked as he walked closer to the professor. He did not reach for a chair Vellian observed, he was now starting to get a good feeling about this prospective student.

"Please have a seat and before we start, I would like to ask a question if you don't mind. It is not part of the set I have here in hand." Vellian requested

"By all means, Professor." Signore Julian's use of Keigo was flawless unlike many other foreign students. Just how much did he study to sound like a local Japanese?

"Bienne~. The Duel Disk on your arm. I find myself fascinated by its appearance. I do believe there was no mention of a Duel taking place, no?" Vellian asked. On the surface, it was an innocent question. Something to break the ice but for the Professor of Antiques, his question had hidden layers.

Signore Yu- Scusi. Signore Julian stared at the Professor before turning his head down to stare at the Disk on his arm. A few seconds of silence before the young boy let out a gentle laugh. "I have always wanted a Duel Disk ever since I was a child. Now that I'm here…"

Vellian was startled when his eyes connected with the boy's. As he observed earlier, Signore Julian's eyes were no longer lifeless. Now it was the opposite. They were filled with life and such passion he felt his breath locked in his throat as he felt his soul be pierced with those eyes. Honestly, the look sent a feeling of déjà vu to Crowler and he could feel the answer at the tip of his tongue.

Signore Julian continued. "… Just as a Knight with his sword, a Duelist must have his Disk." The intensity behind Signore Julian's eyes remained for a few more moments before it lessened. There was a sheepish expression on the boy's face. "I am sorry. It is something my…" Signore Julian paused briefly and Vellian saw a flash of pain flash through the child's eyes. "Someone once close to me said and I never forgot about it." He finished with a solemn smile.

Vellian did nothing but nod as he could not trust his voice at the moment. He gave a cursory glance through his sheets. Truly this interview could have been done via a call. He pushed the papers back into his brief case. Since he was here, he might as well do something productive. His right hand finally started to relax when he reached for his deck.

Translation provided by google translate.

Molto Bene!: Very good!
Che diamine: What the heck!?
Dio mio!: My god!
Strano…: Weird…
Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Buon pomeriggio, Signore Yulian: Good afternoon Mister Yulian.

Scusi: Excuse me.