#GX finale has jaden fight yugi right?

[gx-gameon]

I keep thinking about how you said the gang will pretty much take Chazz in after he finds out and keep imagining a scene like this

https://youtu.be/zFr_uosNXpo?si=J8OdwjN-lGF478pH

Chazz: I just...wanna keep everyone safe.

Jaden: Same...and that includes you too.

Chazz: What?

Jaden: Yeah gotta make sure you're safe too Chazz, you're family now.

Chazz voice cracking: Oh...huh...*trying desperately not to cry.*

Ya pretty much. I think this little tournament they are all at will turn into its own arc.

Jaden tells Chazz. He and Jesse stay with Jaden’s family. But during the final duel of the tournament something happens.

It’s the final duel and of course it’s come down to Jaden and Yugi. (The tournament had different levels I’m not sure yet is the DM crew was participating or spectating. But a Duel against the King of Games is the prize for the winner of the tournament. A shot at the title)

But some magic happens that splits reality.

Jaden sees Yugi shatter and screams “Dad!” Which is how the rest of the Gx cast find out who Jaden is.

At the same time

Yugi sees Jaden shatter and thinks he lost his son.

Cue the Gx cast working on their side and the DM cast working on theirs trying to find and fight the Big bad to put the two sides back together.

This forces the Gx crew to pull their weight as Jaden is distraught at seeing his dad shatter, and then seeing his whole family is gone.

Jesse and Chazz are both trying to help him through the panic. Jesse goes to take charge, (hes a good leader and naturally steps into the role in the Dark World) but Chazz stops him “the slacker is on the verge of a break down. You focus on him, I’ll take care of the others.” Chazz rallies the others.

There is some shock and hurt feelings about “waaan Jaden didn’t tell us :(“ Chazz is the one that yells at them to get their act together. We’re in a crisis now, hurt feelings later.

Mind you Jim and Axel were surprised but are taking care of business. They didn’t know Jaden as long and honestly it’s more surprising they didn’t figure it out given everything that happened in the Dark World.

Some of the others are upset but get over it. Some need to talk to Jaden to clear the air. And some are just mad. But none of that can happen right now because Jaden is super out of it and they are in a crisis.

On the DM side

They are furious.

At first they thought Jaden was gone. And that nearly broke Yugi. But when they realized the other kids were gone as well and that the air reeked of Magic. Well it’s a villain that they can beat the breaks off of. And hopefully that will bring Jaden and the others back.

They are quite brutal in their efficacy. If anything has happened to Jaden or the other kids the villain isn’t walking away.

It’s to soon after the Dark World for them not to be in a hard panic right now.

I have a few ideas but this is in its infancy as an arc.

But at the end of the

Chazz and Jaden are together outside of the Manor. Everything is back to normal and Chazz is thinking about where he can go next. The league isn’t starting up for another month and he’s still out of cash. He can’t stay here now that the tournaments over.

Jaden walks over and sits down with him and tanks him for taking charge when Jaden was out of it. That he didn’t know what he would do if he lost anyone.

And Chazz finally gets it. The pressure they had put on Jaden for years the stress he’s been under. He gets it. He just spent however long it took for Jaden to get his feet back under him playing that role. It wasn’t fun being the leader everyone turns to.

“I just…wanted to keep everyone safe.” He feels worried having Jaden thank him. How many times had they just expected Jaden to do this and never thanked him?

Jaden nods because he understand that statement. But he also remembers Chazz doing something stupid and risking where they almost lost him. “Same…that includes you.”

Chazz is suprised. What is Jaden talking about right now.

But Jaden just rest a hand on his shoulder and smiles “ya got to make sure your safe to Chazz. Your family now.”

And Chazz’s brain must have misfired because what?

And Jadne just laughs. “I told my Dads about you back in our first year. About your brothers and all the crap they put on you. Oto-san wanted to ruin their business but I made him wait since I didn’t want anything to affect you. But we decided that if you wanted it, you would always have a place here. And after everything we’ve been through. Everything you just did for us. How can I not call you family.” He looks back over to just see Chazz in tears. He gives him a warm smile and wraps his arm around his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go home. Dad’s waiting for us.”

And this is how Chazz became a permeant resident at Kaiba Manor.

Mind you the family had already decided that was Chazz’s room and that he was staying from the moment he walked into the house. They had known about the kid for years and Jaden basically acted like Chazz was his brother. They were just waiting to make the offer. Then everything went upside down, but hey we got here anyways.

[themonotonysyndrome]

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc V but Kaiba uses Dragon Core Hexer to hunt down other dragons because only he's allowed to use dragons. Arc V did have characters from other series in it (Except for the Original Series). Alexis Rhodes and Aster Phoenix from GX, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan from 5Ds, and Kite Tenjo from Zexal. Though I don't think the cameos were well received because they drastically altered the characters. I know Jack's was disliked so much they made a separate page for him.

I love it! That's so on brand for Kaiba!

Arc V had characters from the different series appear as cameos? On theory, that sounds amazing but they fucked it up? Because they weren't staying true to the characters!?

Well, damn, it's a good thing the OG characters were spared then! The only character I only remember in 5Ds is Yuusei so I'm glad he didn't showed up at least.

[skylar-lei1634]

Ranting About Boruto And Naruto...

Alot of Naruto fans, especially the older ones who remember watching this anime on TV, are not too happy about Boruto existing. And this isn't even about the character but as the story as a whole. I was one of those fans even before I finished the Naruto manga (anime is still unfinished). Even hearing the name was a strange concept and it didn't help that the name Boruto almost sounds like Naruto!

But Boruto as a character just pissed me off. Everything I heard about him irritated me to the highest level. A genius boy, living in a loving home, in a peaceful village and yet he was unsatisfied? He was so confident about him being the best and never having to truly train but yet thought that his father was useless? He does know that his father stopped the war almost single handedly right?

It got to the point whenever I talked about Naruto and someone brought up Boruto I kinda glossed over it and usually ended the conversation with a "I don't like overconfident op character straight out of the gate".

I couldn't understand why there was another series. How could you continue with this when Naruto himself achieved everything he wanted. How do you make a more sympathetic character than Naruto who was abused physically and mentally by everyone around him and this kid still had the balls to be overconfident while knowing that his dream was practically unachievable because everything was against him? HOW DO YOU TOP THAT?!

Byyyyyyy... making that kid be compared to his father over and over until he hates his father while loving him and looking up to him. It was to gain profits. Anything with the name Naruto usually will sell no problem so why should this be different.

I can say that I saw Boruto as a continuation of Naruto. And this, is the wrong mindset to have when getting into Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.

My gateway anime was Yu-Gi-Oh! I adored the plot and story line along with the interesting characters and their contributions to said story. And, when I heard about another series after the one i finished watching, I went into GX with the wrong mind set.

I saw GX as a continuing story from the YGO! World instead of it's own narrative. I watched it purely to see how Yugi was fairing. Was he devastated by Atem's absence and how was his friends now? Not for the story it was giving me. When I realized that it wasn't Yugi's story but someone else's I refused to continue watching.

Fast forward a few months I finally got into a different mindset. I saw GX as a stand alone tale from its predecessor about a boy named Jaden and his way and life through the antagonists around him. Watching the story without wanting to see Yugi's influence on this story, honestly made me kinda hate the first season since that was were most of the hints about the DM series showed up in.

Now GX is one of my favorite series through about the whole YGO! World. Closely followed by Arc-V.

Boruto is the GX of Naruto. It's a separate story about a boy who has to make his own name and leave his own mark in a world that his father before him made, which is kinda hard to do when the pressure of being the kid of the strongest ninja in the world is kinda weighing him down.

Most fans compare the two characters as if they are one persona. But here's the thing. Boruto and Naruto have their own stories.

Naruto grew up in hate. He, himself, hated. He grew up with different experiences and emotions than that of Boruto. He had no friends. Came home to an empty house. Didn't understand the idea of love. Family and friends were an unknown concept. Romantic love was an entire different ball of wax that he couldn't differentiate between since he'd never been shown it before. He played pranks to gain attention from anyone. He didn't want to be shouldered to the back of the herd. He may have had people he pulled pranks with but it more partners in crime. He didn't know where he came from. Why people hated him. Why he was alone.

His story was about becoming someone. He craves being noticed so he made his goal to be hokage. His story was about showing all those that scuffed at his dream that will power and precerverence was enough to achieve it. Hell he's still genin as the Hokage.

Narutos story was easy to understand. He was the underdog of society. Not even his own teammates wanted him or even believed in his dream. He wanted to be the best of the best and did so by ...bullshitting his way through because 9-Tails and prophecies. But basically at the end of Naruto he had everything. Found the love of his life, has two great kids (while possibly having a crisis because he doesn't see himself as a good father (which does not really help with boruto and his thing)), became hokage, essentially achieved god status, made his mom and dad proud, and took down 3 bad guys that tried to destroy the world with the help on his best friend.

Boruto... Boruto's tale is actually just as easy to understand and empathize as Naruto's.

I can say that theres one person in our lives that we get compared to. Hell for some there's more than 3. It could be a friend. A family member or even a co worker. And it sucks. Like fuck is it emotionally draining and psychologically breaking never hearing your name but as someones achievement.

"Naruto's son", "Son of Naruto's", "Hokage's offspring". God would that get annoying really fast.

Boruto's coming of age story is embracing that he is his father's son but also has his own title. That he's Boruto Uzumaki and his father's achievements are not his own.

Boruto reacts like all kids do when not being noticed as their own person (you guys forget that he is 12). But all his pranks aren't to get anyone's attention. It's to gain Naruto's attention. When he tries to cheat in the choujin exams he did it so that his dad could finally see him. He wanted to be known as his own person.

I don't want to say that he wanted to be seen as an adult because he still does want to be treated as a child and be doted upon. But being raised to hear all the stories that Naruto did, Boruto wants to make his own just as his father. Naruto has does some insane things at Boruto's age so Boruto wanting to do the same is not that hard to realize.

Honestly its refreshing to see the main character try not to be the best but just wants to float through life. It's like Borutos story is saying that you can be you and you don't have to become part of the crowd.

And I like Boruto and the hidden different themes that it brings while twisting around on past ones that haven't been exploring yet in the Naruto universe.

I don't see Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki as a twisted former Team 7 but as their own team that steps out in it's own shoes. Boruto isn't Naruto just like Mitsuki isn't Sasuke and Sarada isn't Sakura. Sarada's an actual character relative to the plot!

And the biggest difference in Boruto and Naruto is Naruto himself.

In Naruto, Naruto seems like the goofy dumbass kid in the back of the class that gets called out on for causing mischief. He's the kid that stares at the notes on the overhead and looks down at his own and wonders how the fuck does his notes have information on history when he's in Physics. He's the kid that doesn't know jack shit about the subject at hand but somehow passes all his classes just enough to make it to the next level. He's the one that's doesn't get dates no matter how hard he tries but has mountains of chocolate on Valentine's Day from multiple people he's help in passing. He's dumb as a brick but is some how on the top 10 list of hawtest guys in school, just barely winning against kakashi and sasuke.

Naruto in Boruto is entirely different. He's the goddamn soccer mom, bringing all the snacks and embarrassing his son as he screams from the stands with his daughter on his shoulders as she does the same and his wife tries to calm down both of them. He's the wise teacher in your school that says all the right life lessons at the right time and genuinely cares about each and every student. He's the friend you call last during an emergency, when no one else answers, and shows up with chocolate and warm hugs. He legit has a fucking sword go right through him, scaring the shit out of Sarada, and just pulls it out without flinching and laughs as it heals instantly when he sees Sarada almost hyperventilate.

So I like Boruto the anime and the character. Boruto himself has come along way from the first episode. And I really was invested in this character in the beginning.

Yeah I did loath him. Most of the time I had to walk away when he talked about his dad or told him off. Though I did route for him and agreed with a few of his shit.

Like Naruto not showing up for any of his kids birthday? Bad parenting. But I do get where Naruto was coming from.

I got Boruto (even if I didn't want to). He was more than a genius asshole. He loves his mother and his sister. He fights for his friends without hesitation. He faces the mantle his dad has and is ready to throw down at anyone who thinks he's anything less than he actually is. He's beyond ready to do some good and really wants to help, even if it's his father (especially if it's his father).

I legit laughed when he turned to Sarada and said her father was awesome. It was a nice callback to when Sarada said the same to him about his father and Boruto just called her crazy. Boruto was beyond endearing when he interacted with Sasuke (when his idol kicks his ass and tells him he's weak will forever be my favorite thing ever).

Yes Boruto is fast to judge other people's feelings about him. But that actually says more about how he views the people's thoughts about him. He sees himself as ...pointless. He's shackled by the mindset of having a parent that's a war hero. That every achievement and/or goal he puts his mind to is futile against the numerous badges Naruto has under his belt.

And I'm beyond hoping that this kid does some wicked shit that scares his father.

The pacing in Boruto is actually slightly better. Like instead of entire 5 arcs about a war. This series kinda shows you the bad guy and then just goes until a new one shows up. Though many others do like having a set bad guy from the beginning and the fact that Boruto has now killed two of the three bad guys introduced in the beginning 66 episodes through...is slightly bad. But at the same time Naruto didn't have a set bad guy in the first one so hey.

And this series has a long way to go. As of today it has 102 episodes. And I'm going to be reading the manga soon too.

All in all, Boruto doesn't really deserve all the hate that this series gets (I haven't even touched on my favorite characters).

I didn't like Hinata, still don't, but I adore their children. I still ship Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura and Ino, Naruto and Sakura, and Sai with Sakura/Naruro but I enjoy the interaction between the parents and their children. Its endearing.

I wouldn't have even watched this series if I wasn't so invested in Himawari. I love my sunrise child.

[gx-gameon]

I'm an absolute sucker for the trope of a parent getting hurt/on the verge of death and the child saying something along the lines of "I still need you!" Bonus points if they revert to calling their parent something they used to as a young child but have since stopped like "Mama" or "Daddy"

Thinking about Jaden doing such with either Yugi or Seto makes me want to cry lol

You! You get it.

Oh I love this.

We are absolutely using this. If not in the Dark world then defiantly in the post cannon Tournament arc.

The DM crew and Gx crew have been separated into different pocket dimensions and are fighting to get the world back together.

Jaden and Yugi have been siting out. Both are shaken. Jaden just watched his whole family shatter like his friends did in the dark world. He’s spiraling. Yugi isn’t much better. Not until they can confirm that Jaden isn’t dead

In the final fight with the Big Bad (tbd) Jaden is battling in his dimension and Yugi is battling in his. They can see each other through a rift but they are each fighting their own battle.

Yugi gets hit hard. Like falls down and doesn’t get up right away hard.

Jaden freaks out. He can’t get to his dad, they are in separate dimensions. He’s spent most of this adventure believing his family is dead and only recently found out their not. He can’t handle watching his dad die again. But there is nothing he can physically do to help.

So he just screams “daddy please get up. Please I can’t lose you. I still need you.”

And at this point Jaden has been away for a while. He started traveling the world right after Duel Academy and has been distant since the Dark World. He still loves his family but he’s having a hard time reaching out because of his guilt and Trauma. The DM cast have done their best to be there for him but he’s not letting anyone in.

So Yugi hearing his son break down and calling for him is a big deal. He’s not going to let his baby boy down. He gets back up into shaky feet and finishes the fight.

Once the two groups are back in the same dimension Jaden rushes his dad and the two collapse to the floor in relief. Someone else can handle the post saving the world crap. The father son duo is done for now thank you.

And you know what I like this so much you get a second version.

Where Yugi and Jaden are kidnapped post cannon and Seto, Atem, Jesse and the others are trying to gather them back

Maybe Seto has to duel the kidnapper. During the duel Yugi is being forced to watch like Téa in the Joey vs Yugi Duel but no one has seen Jaden yet.

Until Seto is about to win the duel with a direct attack. The enemy pulls out Jaden and uses the kid like a human shield. If Seto wants to attack he will have to blast Jaden. These are real attacks not holograms, he would be blasting Jaden with Blue eyes at full force.

This is after the Dark world and all the craziness that happened there where Seto and Yugi argued about dueling the supreme king. But this isn’t the Supreme King this is his Jaden. His baby. Who is already hurt and looking at him with scared exhausted eyes.

Seto can’t attack.

Jaden freaks out. ‘You have to attack Oto-san. Please I can take it.”

The enemy’s turn comes and he’s able to get off a devastation blow to Seto. Yugi is crying out for him and Jaden is Sobbing. “Oto-san!!!”

Seto is still standing (playing emergency provisions or something to boost his life points at the last possible second.)

Jaden is begging him to attack. He can’t watch one of his parents die. But Seto could never hurt Jaden. An evil possessed Supreme King they need to knock sense into is one thing but his already injured baby is a no.

He’s trying to think something out, but there is no way out.

Until Atem gets there and gets Yugi out of harms way and Jesse arrives to tackle Jaden out of their enemies hold. As soon as Jaden and Jesse clear the blast zone Seto has an attack lined up and he’s blasting their enemy to kingdom come.

Afterwards Jaden is sobbing into him asking why he didn’t just attack. He’s fused with Yubel now he could have take it. (It still would have hurt but it wouldn’t kill him he’d just be in agony)

Seto runs his hand through his boy’s hair and tell him he could never hurt him. (They need to get Jaden into therapy because their boy is way to willing to take on pain and suffering for other people)

[gx-gameon]

Gx rewatch - Jaden vs Yugi’s deck

Episode 18

Yugi’s deck in tour!!

Syrus dueling to get Jaden a ticket is very sweet.

Syrus saying he won because he saw how Jaden beat Crowler.

He copied Kaiba and Zane’s deck? How aren’t their cards super rare? How’d he get 3 Blue Eyes if there are only 4 in the world? I guess it didn’t have to be the blue eyes deck

Jaden being so excited to see Yugi deck that he breaks in. Bastian doing the same

The deck is missing! Au Jaden is so mad. That’s his dad’s deck!! He’s going to find it!

Dimitri has Yugi’s deck and is copying his style. Bastian says it best to beat Dimitri you have to exploits the weakness of his copied deck, but Yugi’s aren’t well known

Except in this au Jaden grew up watching Yugi and Atem duel. Yes this is an older deck (the battle city/duelist kingdom deck) there is no one better to take him on.

But this is also super wired for Jaden. Because it’s the first time he’s seeing the spirits of Yugi/Atem’s deck. And the spirits are so mad about having their cards stolen. But also about being used against their prince.

And Jaden is also mad about this. The first time he dueled his dad/uncle while seeing their card spirits should have been a special bonding moment for them. But it’s been stolen by Dimitri.

And this guy is copying his Dad/Uncle’s way of speaking and Jaden is starting to get furious.

Bringing out the Dark Magician of Chaos!! (With Yugi’s music!) oh Yugi/Atem’s spirits are so upset about being used against Jaden like this. (Their upset about anyone but Yugi and Atem using them but they are double upset about attacking the prince of duels)

Episode 19

Jaden checking in with Winged Kuriboh is okay fighting against his old masters deck.

Having Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician of Chaos is so cool but also Jaden is so upset.

If Dimitri keeps talking about the heart of the cards Jaden might go over there and punch him.

I love seeing the hype for black luster soldier.

Jaden starting to give up because that is his dad’s deck and how does he beat it?

I love Jaden realizing Dimitri can’t have the heart of the cards because it comes from believing in your own cards and those aren’t Dimitri’s cards. Jaden has the heart of the cards.

Beating Yugi’s deck has to be such a bitter sweet moment for au Jaden. He finally beat Yugi/Atem’s deck but it doesn’t feel right because they weren’t the ones playing it. And he’s kinda heart broken over this moment being stolen from him by Dimitri. But at least he got his dad’s deck back.

Zane and Alexis we also sneaking in to see the deck! Also does Zane have any friends besides his missing best friends little sister (who is a freshman) or does Alexis just go to Zane whenever she wants to do something and he tags a long for the shiggles?

The whole student body saw Jaden win! (Okay maybe this moment isn’t what he wanted but it’s still pretty cool to beat his dad/uncle Atem’s deck in front of a crowd)

Also Jaden telling Dimitri that “you didn’t lose the person you were pretending to be lost.” Dimitri “who Yugi?” Jaden blushing “no you can never beat Yugi.”

Jaden showing off his signed poster! In cannon is Dimitri’s signature but in the au it is real.

Jaden’s furry at Dimitri impersonating him. Not because he’s copying him, but because he’s doing it wrong! I love it

[toastnekohime]

By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part three of a 2018 Camp NaNoWriMo Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Elementshipping novel. Based on rp’s between myself ( @getyouraoion ) and my amazing, precious Twin’s Jaden ( @kiibx ), By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat tells the story of how Aoi and Jaden met at Duel Academy and formed their incredibly tight friendship, eventually falling into a relationship, and how they handle the various threats thrown at them over their three years of schooling.

There are currently no triggers, but should any arise, they will be tagged.

STILL IN PROGRESS. Please forgive any typos you may find~

Tagging @starisia, as this wouldn’t exist without my wonderful Twin <3

Summary:

Duel Academy is the place to be, the dream school for many kids. Be it through intense studying, duel prep schools, scholarships, or being rich enough to buy their way in, most kids have had their sights set on it for a long time, knowing it to be the perfect place to start towards a career as a professional duelist. Someone has to Dethrone Yugi and take the title of King of Games, and everyone wants a shot!

Except that is, for Aoi Sakazaki.

Falling in love with Duel Monsters when her father bought her several cards in her childhood, she makes the choice to try her hand at the entrance exams, despite having no idea what she wants to do with her life… And just barely squeaks her way in. Her poor exams scores, combined with even poorer grades, land her a solid spot in the Academy’s Slifer Red dorm - The lowest of the low, where students are almost expected to drop out if they don’t advance to Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue, first.

The rank comes with the rest of the school looking down on them, as well as the worst lodging the furthest distance from the main campus and fewest privileges  compared to the other dorms. But it also brings a surprise friend in fellow Slifer student Jaden Yuki, who seems to have absolutely no problem with the hand they’ve been dealt.

It’s not long before Aoi and Jaden find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of an adventure, dealing with exams, classes, ‘evil’ teachers, and somehow still finding enough time to explore the island they now call home. But living on Academy Island isn’t all fun and games; shortly after their schooling begins, things around their home begin to change, and rarely for the better.

Neither friend has any idea what lies in wait for them in the next three years… But is it an adventure they’ll be able to tackle together, or will it end their time at the school - and them - before it’s even begun?

It’s time to put their skills where their mouths are and find out!

Days quickly turned into weeks, flying by faster than it ever had before. It felt like she'd barely blinked by the time she was on what turned out to be an oversized and somewhat luxurious helicopter rather than a plane, unable to do much more than fidget in her seat. It didn't help she was surrounded by boys – had she been the only girl to pass in the Domino entrance exams? - but so long as they kept to themselves, most of them just as excited and happy to look out the window, she could bury her unease at having any of them so close and try to focus on a book she'd brought with her.

Within an hour, it was becoming more and more clear she couldn't keep her mind on the pages, quickly realizing she'd read the same panel of her comic at least five times over by then. Reading anything aside from a comic book or an action-based novel had always been difficult and boring, but the excitement now kept her from even that... All around her, boys chattered away, occasionally leaning over to look out the window at the ocean below, at one point a pointed out school of dolphins catching everyone's attention. Focusing on anything was going to be difficult, anyway.

Setting the book down on her uniform skirt covered knee, Aoi glanced around at the others in the helicopter with her. Wearing all different sorts of uniforms, they seemingly came from places even outside Domino City, one of the boys she could see from her seat even wearing the uniform of Dice City, half an hour from her hometown by train. Many of the likely came from duel prep schools, others wearing the uniform of her own school, Jaden in his black uniform, another in blue-

Jaden?

Green-blue eyes focused on the bit she could see of the other teen several rows across and in front of her, nudging and joking with whoever sat beside him. He'd won his duel... Then the cheering she'd heard that day... He'd won? Well, obviously, if he was there, but still! How could he have won? And the better question, why was she smiling at seeing him?

'It's because he's so excitable, that's all.' The thought was a quick one, but likely right, too. While most of the soon to be students around her were excited, he still displayed the incredible enthusiasm and upbeat attitude he'd had at the exam, occasionally leaning into the aisle while seeming to be play 'fighting' with the boy that had the window seat. Even she had to admit, someone like him was a breath of fresh air among so many 'polite' teens.

But as the hours wore on, excitement turned to boredom, the Yuki boy even stopping his horsing around and relaxing, if the sight of black clad elbows poking up over the top of his seat was any indication. The boy beside her had taken to staring out the window at the horizon, head propped up in his hand, while Bastion, whom she'd noticed just a short time earlier, still seemed the same cool, calm, and collected guy he'd been right along. And she'd lost any and all interest in her book, still on the same page as she sighed and closed it, setting it down on her lap. They could've offered an in-flight movie or something... Was it so much to ask they didn't bore them to death before-

“Hey, check it out!”

The cry from somewhere in the cabin was all it took for nearly everyone to lean in close to the windows, trying to get a glimpse of the island quickly coming closer. Even Aoi, for all her dislike of strangers, pulled herself up from her seat, leaning over the kid next to her for a better look. Covered in trees with one of the largest buildings she'd ever seen, it almost looked like a tropical paradise rather than an island, sunlight glinting off the dome-shaped roof of the central building.

“Attention new Duel Academy students. If you look outside your windows, you'll see your new home away from home.”

The pilot's voice barely registered in her head, surprise blending with a new wave of excitement. That was Duel Academy?! They'd be staying on an island like that for the next three years of their lives?! It was all she could do to drop back into her seat and stare at the headrest in front of her; they got to live on a tropical paradise and go to school there, and- And-!

“Now now, I know you're excited, but don't shove. Quite a sight, eh? Now then, fasten your seat belts and set your seats back to an upright position- We're going in to land. Next stop: Academy Island.”

Suddenly shaking hands shoved her book behind her back before tightening her seat belt, having been loosened hours earlier for the sake of comfort. A glance ahead told her Jaden hadn't moved, elbows still poking up from his seat; wasn't he excited, too? They'd finally arrived and he was sleeping? He wasn't just easily excitable, he was insane!

With her seat belt done up once more and seat checked to make sure it was fully upright, Aoi pulled her book back out and hugged it to her chest. Every little turn of the copter took her stomach with it, a sudden rush of nerves released a flood of butterflies. She'd been so happy when they'd left Domino, but to be descending to land on the island for real... It was still exciting, but she couldn't help but worry on what life would be like once they arrived. There was so much bound to start happening the moment they landed, and for the first time, she couldn't even begin to imagine how it'd go despite daydreaming dozens of different scenarios for weeks. And-

...Was that a volcano?

The sight of smoke as they turned a bit more caught her attention, wide eyes following it from her window to those of the boys on the other side. An active- This school sat at the base of an active volcano?! Were they insane?!

In all her wonder, she hadn't even noticed those elbows vanishing from sight until they were long gone, wriggling boy giving her the briefest glimpse of dual-toned brown hair. He was awake... And they were seconds from landing, the raven swallowing hard. She had enough to worry about without Jaden and those monsters of his constantly creeping back into her mind. With her luck, they'd likely never see each other during the year, anyway.

The helicopter gave an metallic creak as it touched down, the blades above them slowing their rotation until the noise ceased to exist. With the pilot's announcement it was safe, the click of multiple seat belts being undone echoed through the cabin along with eager chatter, doors opening just a moment later. Unsurprisingly, Jaden was the first to launch himself from his seat and all but fly outside, leaving Aoi to slowly rise from her seat and snort. If she saw him at all during the year, he certainly promised to make it interesting.

She shrugged out of her sweatshirt and slipped out after Bastion, tying the thick fabric around her waist.  Perfect timing, too; Academy Island definitely lived up to its 'tropical' appearance, relatively mild weather greeting them once they'd stepped off their ride. It was even more beautiful now that she had her feet on solid ground, breaking into a wide grin and slipping past the calm male to spin around and get a better look at their new home.

The helipad they stood on seemed to be on top of another building, albeit one fairly short, in the midst of a harbor. Up a little higher on the horizon, she could see a building with a red roof, the harbor and sea to the right, even the giant domed roof peeking out from the treeline, a pointed column poking up with it... The view this island had was amazing, and while she suspected she'd soon grow used to the sight, for now it was one of the best things she'd ever seen!

But it was the sound of someone clearing their throat that caught her attention next, spinning stopping in favor of looking in the direction of the sound. All around her, whispers started up once more at the mere sight of one of the examiners from the entrance exams, looking between them and a clipboard in hand; was he really a teacher? Couldn't be... Could he?

“My name is Lioside, and I'm part of the staff here at Duel Academy.” Just like at the exams, nobody could see his eyes, Aoi's glance to the side meeting the honey colored gaze of Jaden for but a second. Somehow, she knew he was thinking the same thing she was; did they ever take those sunglasses off, or were they permenantly attached to his face? “When I call your name, you're to get your bag and go inside. Once there, you'll be given your uniform to change into – leave your belongings with the staff there. You'll see them again after your introduction ceremony.”

She had to take a slow, deep breath to calm her nerves. They'd not been on the island for even half an hour, and things were already underway, names called at a relatively quick pace and boys disappearing behind the door to the staircase leading inside. No doubt they'd have more of the uniform given to them later, but for now, she had to focus on keeping herself relaxed. It'd do nobody any good if she let her emotions have control.

“Syrus Truesdale.”

Jaden's laugh once more had her looking in his direction, the small bluenette that'd been with him at the entrance exam nearly tripping over his feet with the shoulder pat he was given. Syrus... He looked even more nervous than she felt, every few, uneasy steps coming with a bit of a stumble until he, too, vanished behind the door with a more than audiable gulp.

“Bastion Misawa.”

It was only minutes before Bastion nodded behind her, meeting her gaze when she turned to watch him go. From what she'd heard among the chatter during their flight, he'd gotten the highest score on the exams, the lifting of his bag coming along with the sound of books moving about inside. A studious type, huh? At some point, she wanted to know how he could read a normal book without falling asleep, though for the moment let him go in silence.

“Jaden Yuki.”

“Heh- Thought I'd never get called!”

Holding her book behind her back with both hands, Aoi turned to look at the grinning boy. There was just something so bright about him, be it his enthusiasm or smile... Or even just simply in the little chuckle he let out on grabbing his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Where she and the remaining boys seemed and looked tense with nerves, he was the perfect picture of a little kid on a vacation to a theme park, leisurely making his way across the helipad.

Or he could've lost his mind during the flight, she reminded herself, fingertips digging into her book. As soon as he'd hidden away behind the door like all the others, she couldn't help but forcibly remind herself of just how big the island was with a quick glance around. If she saw him again, she doubted it'd be from much more than a distance, and that was fine by her. Doubly so if she never had to get too close to any of these boys again.

“Aoi Sakazaki.”

The minutes had almost seemed to drag on after Jaden's departure, so to hear her name was a relief. So few of them remained on the roof, but at least she'd be able to leave, crossing over to pull her backpack from the remaining bags, shoving her book into the unzipped front pocket. The moment she'd gotten it on her shoulder, she nodded to Lioside, quickly passing him for the door and, ultimately, the staircase behind it.

Finally alone in the stairwell, Aoi heaved a sigh of relief; why was it keeping herself together was so much harder right now? She could deal with strangers, but... Maybe it was knowing she was likely hundreds of miles from home and dealing with everything utterly alone that was doing it. As it was, she had to stop after a single step and compose herself, lest her knees shake more than they already were and send her crashing down the dimly lit flight of steps. She was a 15 year old Domino native, one of the more famous cities thanks to Yugi Motou. If she could survive Domino, she could survive boarding school.

Thankfully, her knees held at least somewhat strong, letting her down the steps without incident. A right turn from there led into a large garage, sectioned off into booths by metal racks and curtains, with a long table close to the stairwell holding more boxes and papers than she'd ever seen. Somewhere behind those boxes sat several staff members, both male and female, in varying versions and colors of the same uniform Lioside had been wearing, some filling out paperwork while others sorted through boxes and others yet set the bags the student had brought in off to the side.

Tearing her gaze away from the sight of Jaden's bag, she stepped up to the table, forcing her best smile. “I was called in- Aoi Sakazaki?”

One of the women pushed a paper across the table, other hand holding out a pen, with a matching smile “Just sign here, dear. We'll be giving you your first set of your uniform here to change into, and the rest will be sent to your dorm room. Aside from the girl's uniform, you'll also get a single one of the boy's blazers, to cover up in cooler weather.”

“S'... It's gonna b' sleeveless?” she questioned, plucking the pen from her hand and leaning over to sign. If the sleeveless top the elder wore was anything like the uniform the girls got, then she could see why they'd cave and just offer the girls a blazer, too.

“It is, yes. Sometimes things get drafty, and we had extras of the blazers this year. If we don't use them, they get stored away until someone in the right size comes along. We thought it best to go this route, instead.”

Made even more sense, she figured. It cost money to make clothes, and if they couldn't be put to use, wasn't that just a waste of the school's funds? She'd studied enough fashion in her down time to know that much, sliding the paper back. “If it's drafty at night, n' doubt it's gonna g' t' good use, s'... All signed.”

“Ah, good. If you'll leave your bag here, Miss Sakazaki, we'll make sure it's safe until after the ceremony and you can change in one of our booths here.” With the paper collected and slipped into a folder, the woman lifted a bag from a box on the floor beside her, holding it out. All it took was a brief glance to find 'A. Sakazaki' on a label attached to the bag; so this was why they'd wanted clothing sizes at registration!

Trading her own backpack for it, she bowed her head in thanks and ducked into the closest booth. They'd a least left a chair and mirror in there, though otherwise, the curtains did little to make it feel like anything less than a garage. And as she untied the sweatshirt from around her waist, she swore she could smell oil, albeit incredibly faintly. They'd tried to clean it up, it seemed, and she could at least appreciate the effort.

Unbuttoning her old uniform's blouse, she tugged open the plastic bag. Red and white fabric greeted her upon peeking; it wasn't purple or navy or even plum, like those of most of the faculty they'd seen, but at least it was something. And the top was white, to boot, set aside so she could tug off her knee-length skirt with one hand and pull out the folded bit of red, next.

Red that made her nose scrunch up in distaste, too. The skirt seemed short when she unfolded it, holding it up in front of her. Well... At least it wasn't the pleated mess she would've had at Domino High, a mental reminder that nudged her into putting the skirt on. A bad choice, since it seemed even shorter on than it had in her hands, but if this was the uniform, what could she do?

A minute later, she'd pulled on and zipped up the top as well, fastening the button on the collar with a sigh. She'd have to find a shirt she could work with later to wear under it... The fit wasn't bad, almost seeming to be tailored to fit her body just right while hugging each and every curve. For the first time, she was glad she was relatively thin, glancing over herself in the mirror; the size was still just a bit big on her, keeping the fabric from being too clingy and too irritating, though she still hated the feeling of the cotton against her torso. Who'd thought the snug fit look was a good idea, anyway?

At the least the colors were nice shades, red skirt falling no longer than mid-thighs, offset by a white sleeveless top  she figured could've been a vest with  few minor edits. The buttons on the wide red bands around the neckline and the bottom of the top would ensure it wouldn't come open, at least, finally steady fingers tracing the red lines running a good quarter of the way down her chest before moving inward to meet at the middle. Had to be her favorite part, honestly, though it didn't make up for the skirt.

Another peek and reach into the bag produced a pair of red fingerless gloves and heeled short boots. Those she could come to like, the sneakers she'd been wearing kicked off and dropped into the bag with the rest of her old uniform. Just like her new outfit, the boots were a comfortable fit, the wide top folded over just below her calves. The gloves matched, running halfway up her forearm, though flaring out a quarter of the way from the top for a decorative design.

All in all, the look wasn't a bad one, Aoi decided, glancing into the mirror one last time and adjusting the ribbons serving as the ties in her pigtails. She hated the slightly snug fit and short skirt – it definitely wasn't her – but still not bad. And with everything perfect and the bag closed up with her old clothes inside and in hand, she stepped out of the booth, smiling to the woman who'd given her the bag in the first place. “What d' I d' with this?”

The woman quickly rose from her seat, walking around the table to take it from her. “It'll be sent to your dorm room, as well. Does the uniform fit all right?”

“Jus' barely t' big, b' it's roomy. Can't stand t' snug of a fit.”

“Ahh, good. Now if you'll take your deck and step out that door over there, you'll be escorted to your introduction ceremony.”

She tilted her head, looking to the pointed out door on the other side of the garage as she took her deck case from the woman. So that was the way out... Bowing her head again and ignoring the fact they'd had to remove the case from her bag themselves, she stepped away, trying her hardest to ignore the click of her heels against the floor. That was going to get really annoying, really fast. “Gotcha. Thank y'!” But it'd have to be ignored for the time being, raven jogging across the room to slip outside.

She'd barely gotten in a deep breath, loving the scent of the harbor in general, when another man in sunglasses approached. It took everything in her to not roll her eyes – What was with the examiners in this school and their sunglasses? And why were they all the exact same pair? “T' th' ceremony?”

Another step closer from him had her stepping back, making sure to keep him just out of touching range. She could force herself to deal with and even be nice to strangers, especially those who worked for her new school, but it didn't mean she had to let them close enough to touch, distracting her own hands with locating a spot on the waistband of the back of her skirt to awkwardly set her deck case. It was built for belts, not waistbands, though she was still able to secure it by tugging her top down over it, pressing the case into her back.

He seemed to understand, at least, giving a small nod of his head and a step back of his own. “My name is Dean, a proctor for the academy. May I be the first to say welcome to Duel Academy, ma'am. Now if you'll follow me, I'll take you to the school.”

Dean didn't give her a chance to reply, long, quick strides taking him away from the garage and helipad before she even knew what was going on. Everyone in this school seemed to be in such a rush-! “H-hey, wait up!” How was this the start of her time at the academy-?!