A/N I've been replaying Tag Force again recently, and really wanted to take my hand at writing again, so apologies if I'm rather out of the rhythm of writing again, it might take a couple chapters for me to get into the groove, but I want to do something of a passion project. Constructive Criticism will be appreciated, and I hope you enjoy reading if you do. I appreciate I'll probably need to adjust some things for style.

Without further ado Thank you everyone, and I wish you well.

UPDATE - July/21 - With me coming to the end of my degree now I have more time to put into this, and the reviews of 'Some guy' are encouraging so I figured it's a good time to re-write the first few chapters and address the flaws they noticed... and switching to third-person probably is the better call overall. The duel in question that was overtly easy was based on a battle I played against him whilst writing the chapter, but I have changed the latter half to make it less of a rollover. I'll leave an update in the other chapters as they are updated

Chapter One - Morn' before Birdsong

Duel Monsters, from grassroots to international exhibitions, is a cornerstone in modern society. It's a community experience that most young children wish to someday compete on the grandest stage. As a result, governments worldwide have subsidised tournament grounds, schools for duelling and region-by-region basis support for their brightest students into their professional careers.

The sport has evolved from only being an individual triumph and assertion of strength and intellect, various formats such as the increasingly emerging tag duel format endeavouring to challenge the status quo and become the duelling world's most prominent. Tournaments are organised and broadcast worldwide and have become the dream for youths of all backgrounds to affirm that they are here.

Beyond the traditional mono-on-mono format and the field of tag duelling, lesser prominent tournaments and formats exist, one of these being the draft. A niche but affordable alternative to constructed formats, where competitors create decks out of sealed booster packs that they're given at the start of the tournament to create their decks. Variations in this exist, but the format all the same rewards flexibility, and develops skillsets scarcely on show otherwise, most duelists standing by their own deck.

Domino City holds draft tournaments regularly for those still unable to afford a powerful enough deck to hold their own. Those that still dream of succeeding, countless in the lower rungs, vie for prize money, promotional cards and opportunities to be scouted and taken under the wing of a benefactor, or agent. To be given a lifeline into the duelling world, and attend academies in the hopes of fulfilling their dreams.

One dreamer, Robin Carnegie is standing on the sidelines of the local weekly draft in a less wealthy district of Domino City, eyes scanning the familiar tournament graphics, and upcoming duel schedule recognising familiar faces. The air around them is tranquil, simply observing and etching in the familiar view one more time. The former 'Round Robin' as he was dubbed is no longer a competitor of such events, having been one of a lucky few that found a lifeline.

A notification from the cellphone in his pocket signalling go time, the brunette checking the incoming message with a soft expression, eyes lighting up as he reads 'Its time to be headed off. Knock their socks off kid' the tense shoulders of the duelist lowering slightly as their stiffness begins to melt in the heat, sending back an '*It's' before starting to walk their target.

The Kaiba Corporation building in Domino is the home office, a grand structure in the city centre that only magnifies the heat, Robin wiping their brow and tilting their red hat to stop the sun straining his eyes. They take a swig of water, a few drops slipping down their chin as he refreshes, and breaks a seal on the deck given to him.

The duelist's benefactor was an unorthodox sort. Rather than aiding in the construction of one powerful deck, the 'Boss' he's contracted to emphasises the importance of consistently changing decks and strategies, particularly in the earlier years. As a means of exploring and cultivating a duelling identity, in a place where it's alright to lose. An opportunity that becomes lost in age, many squandering their potential pigeonholing themselves into a singular strategy that can show cracks and falter as new duelists and cards emerge.

Robin is greeted by a typical, but cohesive deck created intending to enhance the strength of water monsters and accommodating cards that gain benefits when 'Umi' is on the field. Though, it lacks in any particularly powerful cards, 'staples' as they're known in higher competitive play. These cards, while rare are characteristic of the strongest duelists, regularly seeing use on the grandest stages. While not fully pleased with the deck in question, compositionally bland, it's by all means functional.

"Applicant 89631, your examination will be held in Duel Room 4 at 3PM sharp". A stern but steady tone of an official affirms the time and location of the student's exam. The vast majority of students who would be attending this year having completed theirs even had their first month at the academy. The situation with Boss already using all the pull he has to make this possible to facilitate this. Narrowly missing the cut-off age for the year, being only fourteen at the semesters start, the red hat duelist was ineligible to partake in the practical exam. However, nothing was preventing an applicant from delaying the practical exam to circumvent this. Boss took the initiative, deciding that 'Fine, we'll just send you there, after your birthday – easy' in a brash decision the teen found endearing. 'Praise be to the boss for convincing Seto Kaiba through a bet, albeit it's up to me to carry on through and be one of the top ten performing students of this cohort.'

An erratic tapping of a foot fills the room, nervousness gripping the student hyperfocused on a clock. The ceaseless echo of a toe tap leaving an irritated desk worker disgruntledly sighing as they do paperwork at their desk before the grievance becomes too distracting. "Excuse me, perhaps you would be interested in getting new cards? You never know what you'll get." A chipper tone masks the pain on the workers face as they point down the corridor "There's a card machine just down that hall to the right if you'd please"

Picking up the hint, Robin disperses down the hall, meeting a card machine by and large out of options, not having been re-stocked since the last cohort had completed their exams. Having a small allowance of DP, a pack is an indulgence more than anything, but a worthwhile one. An Aquatic themed pack provided three good cards that notably increase the power level of the deck he received. Replacing Goblin's Secret Remedy and Dian Keto the Cure Master is a more powerful pair of cards, A Legendary Ocean and a Seven Coloured Fish.

The impatient jitters Robin shows cause him to retreat internally, at least for now, listening with headphones to a familiar melody in an effort to soothe the butterflies in his stomach, anxious to be in the make or break of his duelling career. Humming softly accompanies the tapping foot, as he leans back smiling, 'Banger' the only thing on his mind as he listens, before it transitions to the 'office theme', shifting his thoughts onto his boss.

'Boss...' A duelist taking those similar to him under his wing, the line between agent and mentor is drawn in the sand for him, The brunette still gets star-struck on slow days listening to recounts of stories of his greatest duels, and jokes on how poor some of the decks he came out with were. The jokes get less funny when he has you play with the disastrous decks, and realise that they were at some point made in earnest, but to Robin, just remembering that solace steadies his nerves.

'Someday, I'll make a deck that's really mine' he murmurs out, the song finishing up as the examination time approaches, 'I'll find out what my way is, and not just make do because I have no other option'. He pumps himself up thinking of the options he'll have on Academy Island; just one duel away from reaching his short-term goal.

A clock chime signals Robin's entrance, the creak of the door breaking his thoughts as he walks into the sterile room, the green floor reflecting his face as he peers down at it, before looking up to be greeted by Professor Lioside, draped in a heavy blue uniform and dark sunglasses that make it difficult to read him. He exudes an aura of palpable confidence, not showing any hesitance as he begins his speech.

"Your results on the written exam were quite impressive applicant, due to the delays with your admission however this test's result has been capped so even if you pass you'll need to begin as a Slifer Red student. Do you wish to start first or second?" That was a caveat of circumventing the age window, being limited to the lowest rung of the Academy, for the first semester at least. He recalls his boss mentioning it, and patting him on the shoulder with a cocky smile.

"I understand Sir. I'll start us off" The brunette tries to maintain a steady tone my hand shaking faintly as he draws the top five cards of his deck.

-Duel/Turn 01 -R/4000 L/4000

"I set a monster, and one face-down. And I end my turn." He bows his head slightly, swallowing a deep breath, anxiety persisting as the stress of the sensation already starts getting to him. His skin pales as he tries to ground himself again, having built this duel up to dizzying heights of importance.

"Steady yourself, you're a little stiff." Lioside remarks before taking his turn, the opposite of his opponent, composed. "I activate the continuous spell card The A. Forces. This card increases the attack of all warrior monsters on my side of the field by 200 points for each face-up warrior or spellcaster type monster I control' The hologram form of the card appears, as does his monster "An example of such being my Hibikime. (Atk 1450-1650) Outstretching his hand he points at the face-down monster, declaring an attack, revealing a Humanoid Slime (Def 2000) in all of its gooey glory, the slime seemingly leaving a trail along the glossy green floor of the arena, taking the brunt of the maiden's slash, and due to its higher defence inflicting 350 damage to the professor. "I also play one face-down card before I end my turn"

-Duel/Turn 02 -R/4000 L/3650

Drawing his next card, playing it without hesitation, Gagagigo (Atk 1850) emerges onto the battlefield. ; a reformed youth, huh…' he thinks to himself, using the lore on the cards to distract himself from the anxiety he experiences. "My friend Gagagigo attacks your monster." Slashing away at the maiden he destroys her, her in a clean strike. Robin looks at the feeble slime in defensive position and nods. "…and I end my turn"

Quickly followed is Lioside's Beautiful Headhuntress (1600 - 1800) emerging to the field, brandishing an intimidating weapon but still narrowly short of 'Gagagigo' in terms of power, trailing by only 50 points thanks to 'The A. Forces' boost, and his activation of 'Heart of the Underdog'. With how his draws were going Robin feels a sigh go through him "I wish I had one of those." Though the sighing brunette is surprised when the sunglass toting professor simply ends his turn there, questioning why precisely he revealed the maiden.

His remark on Heart of the Underdog is vindicated by the draw of the second copy of Kappa Avenger(Atk 1200), eyes a little downcast as he swallows. The quality of his deck meaning he has to summon it regardless. The Avenger emerges as if coming from underwater onto the surface of the duel arena, with dead eyes gleaming at the professor's head huntress. Two monsters dispose of the decapitator he summoned and reduce the professor to 2200 Life points. "I end my turn"

-Duel/Turn 03 - R/4000 L/2200

The professor gives a confident chuckle as he draws his next card, Petit Angel, showing it off "The effect of Heart of the Underdog means I am able to draw again". Taking the next card from the top of his deck, Petit Dragon, then Firegrass, Fire Reaper. Low-level normal monsters. "Next, I activate my spell card Final Destiny. By discarding these four cards, and one more from my hand, I can destroy every card on your field." He discards five cards into the graveyard, the effects of Final Destiny causing an explosion across the field, destroying all the spell cards and trap cards on the field, but the firey vortex is insatiable, consuming the makeshift avenger and the wannabe hero while evaporating the slime into a puff of steam.

"W-wait, w-what?" The brunette responds shocked as he can feel the heat, unsure if it's a mirage or just because of all the windows magnify the sun's rays.

"Now I summon my second Hibikime(Atk 1450)" Almost as if deja-vu a second 'Hibikime' appears where the other had fallen, though this one much more successful, actively slashing at the brunette's chest, the surprise having him wince as his life points fall, hat falling off to show his forehead drenched in sweat. "During my Main Phase 2, I activate my second Heart of the Underdog and end my turn"

-Duel/Turn 04 - R/2550 L/2200

"Pick yourself up, applicant." Robin perks up at the notice, his hand shaking. "Is this really your best foot forward? Look up and face me" The professor takes off his glasses, to show his cold blue eyes in a fierce leer. "Anxiety is a struggle for everyone, but in a duel, you can't let that consume you. I want you to meet my eyes when you play your cards." His tone is crystal clear, a decisive baritone that is thrown across the duel arena, the acoustics intensifying the volume.

Robin stands up straight, putting a heart on his chest as he takes deep breaths, "Breathe in... Breathe out... Focus" He repeats like a mantra before looking up at the taller man. "Yes sir, thank you... My turn. I draw" He only takes a glance checking his card, "I summon from my hand Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (Atk 1800) in attack mode. Now I equip him with my Steel Shell. This card will increase his attack from 1800 to 2200, and lower his defence by 200"

A dark Atlantean soldier materialises, a dark summoning circle being overfilled by a torrent of water, the nimble warrior's back being weighed down by a spiked tortoiseshell, that he uses one hand to wield like a shield with his trident. "Finally, I activate my spell card Riryoku. This card lets me select two monsters on the field, the first gives half of their attack strength to the second, sapping their might. And I choose to boost my Sea Serpent Warrior of the Darkness" (Atk 2200-2925) He keeps his eyes on his professor as an aura wraps around both the maiden and dark knight. "Now I attack your Hibikime!(1450-725)" The duel ends with that attack, Lioside's life points hitting 0.

-Duel END-

Robin quickly walks over to the professor who offers his hand shaking with a much stronger grasp than the brunette gives. "Well done applicant, you managed to meet my eyes in the end. I could see you were nervous, but you're far from the only applicant I've seen like that," The listener bows a little again, smiling slightly as Lioside continues "Welcome to the Academy. We'll send all the information needed to your email, by week's end you should be on Academy isle".

"Thank you sir... I'll do my best."

The two soon separate Robin leaving, not messaging Boss taking the scenic route home, the sun still shining brightly as he makes his way out, rewarding himself with an ice-cream on the journey. Trying to walk with his head high, self-reflective about how responded to the pressure, listening to music in solitude. The clock ticks, and message after message rolls in, with each vibration he slows his pace, feeling something complex he can't put his words on. This thought is broken as a phone call means he ends up hearing the ringtone he set for Boss, having made sure to record it while he was unaware 'They call me the Godfather 'a games, capiche?. It lightens the mood, easing him into his more natural self while returning to the familiar downtown paths, potholed streets and poorly kept walkways that feel uneven even after all this time.

He enters the office with a warm smile before yelling 'I'm home'. The door chime rings loudly, Robin wiping his forehead and placing the deck he received on a table, noticing Boss had gone out of his way to prepare curry for when he arrived back. '…I really should have just messaged him' He grinds his teeth, as he takes a seat, hearing a creak from the stairs as a man runs down.

A tall blonde rushes in dressed in a dark green coat, his collar raised to cover part of his neck, the ends of it slightly tattered from getting caught a time to many. His messy locks cover his eyes slightly as sees his protege, barking out "Pick up your damn phone next time will ya?" Seeing the downcast expression he bites his tongue a little "Hey, you alright kid? Ya passed right?". He stands opposite, putting a hand on the kid's shoulders with concern shining in his dark eyes. "Y-yeah, I passed, I just thought about something in the exam is all, and I got nervous… I've been working for you all year and still, I didn't act like someone who's ready. The long face is because I shoulda just called you back, I'm sorry for making you worry Boss." He rubs the back of his head, giving the best smile he can.

The blonde's expression if nothing else can be read as 'Good Grief' as he sits down, removes the red cap and ruffles his mentees hair slightly "Geez… at least you know ya shoulda. Would've been embarrassing if Kaiba came up to me and said my protégé failed the test exam..." He passes over a plate of curry, and sits down to eat with Robin, waiting for the kid to take the first bite, relieved seeing him loving the homely feel of the warm curry before continuing "Seems like I managed to convince a couple of others to do similar to me, even Yugi's found some kid he thinks is promising and will use as his, but I picked a pretty good apple myself."

The two sit, making small talk over the meal, as the elder keeps an eye out for the youth, listening attentively to him "Thank you... I'll do my best at the academy, and thanks for the meal too Boss, it was great… I hope I get to meet Yugi's protégé, and Kaiba's for that matter" Robin lowers his head, before Joey takes a moment. "Kid... Things will work out okay? I've gotcha back, so if you need to talk about something just come to me. You know the office hours, so while you're at the academy too. I'll believe in ya, so don't go sit in the dark again"

The sun has set by the time the meal ended, looking at himself in the mirror Robin does his part, washing the dishes in the kitchen. He leaves Joey the role check for the email to confirm that the flight to Academy Island will be in two days. Joey had already taken the day to prepare travel gear, leaving Robin's last day a free day. Joey locks up the office the two walking part way home together, before heading to their apartments.

Robin's apartment is the bare minimum of what someone could call home, but he does so with pride; not that it could be heard over the whirring of fans, the May heat already insufferably warm for him. The room is covered in only necessities for a duelist, other than the walls, – pictures covering them, photographs and framed cards that he used in draft tournaments keeping them from being plain.

Lighting a scented candle for low light he makes preparations for bed, a rain version of a ballad lulls Robin to sleep as he takes time to think, hoping to find something to make his last day before moving to the Academy rather special, to make it purposeful. Making the most of what he has, he fights an internal struggle, feeling something slightly gnawing at him.