#It's going to be a blend of dub; Sub; and Kiibx's take on Jaden

[getyouraoion]

So, just a bit of a note! <3 It’s that time of year again where the NaNoWriMo program enters it’s.. Lighter sister program, Camp NaNoWriMo. 30 days to write as much as I can!

Starting with the April program, I’ll be writing an Elementshipping plot; By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat will tell the story of Aoi attending Duel Academy and meeting her friends... And biggest of all, how she met Jaden and further how they came into their bond and eventually, their relationship. It’ll also show how they handle the trials and tribulations of being Duel Academy students, including the threats posed by the Shadow Riders, Sartorius and his Society of Light, and Yubel.

This particular session, though, will focus on their first year, which means seeing how they met and became the incredibly close friends they are as they get used to life on Academy Island. With it comes dealing with Crowler, the Duel Giant, Damon, and eventually the Shadow Riders, and how each and every threat helps form that bond and how they handle it.

I’ll actually be posting bits and pieces of this as I go on my personal for anyone interested in reading it, but considering it’s a Camp NaNo project, it likely won’t be all that polished off the bat. XD And while there may still be a good three weeks or so until we start writing, I wanted to get this out there - Both as a note that I may be slower than usual for a while (and horribly sorry for it) and to get out the word on the event for anyone who might be interested in joining! <3 It’s 30 days, and you pick your goal, and don’t even have to write a novel if you don’t like. It’s a lot of fun, I can promise that!

And now I’ll return you to your regularly scheduled dashes. XD

~Mun

[toastnekohime]

By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part one 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.

The story is a blend of dub and sub elements, focusing a bit more on the dub, with particular characters based heavily on the portrayals of our partners.

Furthermore, tagging @starisia, as this wouldn’t exists without my wonderful Twin. <3

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

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

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!

One attack. All it would take was one more attack... Or maybe she could.. No, what good would a trap do? It had to end this turn-

“Let's go! This is a field exam, not recess!”

Flinching, the pigtailed girl snatched the card off her duel disk, flipping it into attack mode. If he wanted to see a turn, she'd give it to him! “Right- I flip Eria th' Water Charmer! An' that activates her effect- She grabs a water monster from y' field an' brings it t' fight f' m' side! An I think... I think I want her t' take that Giga Gagagigo y' got sittin' there!”

The move was risky, especially with a face down on the other side of the field. Green-blue eyes remained trained on the set card, ignoring the flash of her charmer's magic, water swirling around the reptile to guide it over to her side of the field. Good... So long as that didn't activate, she'd be in the clear!

And to her sheer relief, it didn't, Giga Gagagigo settling on her field. That gave her something with strength! She could take out that remaining Giganto on his field, and with Eria and the Fox Fire sitting beside the charmer, she could take out the last of his life points in no time! “An' n' f' m' battle phase, I attack Giganto with Gagagigo! G' rust out that machine! ..An' that's a tongue twister if I ever heard one.”

Biting back a laugh, she took one more glance at her hand. Open field meant direct attacks, the wind whipping her sweatshirt and pigtails around as Giganto fell to its destruction under her 'borrowed' lizard's punch. And that meant no more tongue twisters on top of it, so what was she waiting for? “N' Eria, show him th' power of th' sea! Raging Tides!”

“That'll dock your score by a few points. My face down activates- Enemy Controller!”

It took everything in the raven to resist smacking her face into her hand. In all the excitement, she'd completely forgotten about the examiner's face down... And without another monster on his field, that meant only one thing-

“It changes your Eria to defense mode!”

“Shouldda figured.” Her grip tightened on the two cards in her hand. So much for ending on this turn... “Fox Fire, attack th' examiner in her place!” But at least seeing a tiny fox bounding over to set fire to his leg did wonders for her mood, even if it wasn't the time to be relaxing for a good laugh. “I'll throw down a face down,” a pause, sliding the spell from her hand into one of the spell and trap slots of her duel disk, “an' back down f' this turn.” And hopefully survive to the next...

“Draw.” Across from her, the Examiner drew his next card, barely glancing at it before throwing it face down onto his disk. “One monster in defense is all my turn will be. Now listen up, testee! Quiz time! What are the odds you'll be losing this and returning next year to try again? Furthermore, calculate the odds of defeating my face down.”

“Th' odds of m' winnin' are through th' roof!” Not really, fingers trembling as she drew her next card. She almost didn't want to look... If she failed this exam, she could say goodbye to her chances of getting in for another year, and that wasn't exactly the cherry on the sundae. This draw had to be a good one, or her hopes would be hitting a brick wall!

And with one quick glance, her stresses washed away like the tide returning to the sea. Bingo. “I sacrifice Giga Gagagigo an' Eria th' Water Charmer t' bring out Eria's next, far fiercer form!” Pulling the card off her duel disk, she replaced it with the one she'd just drawn, expression turning sly. “Th' master of th' tides, Familiar-Possessed Eria!”

She'd barely slid Eria's first card into the graveyard before holding her arm up, shielding herself from the water the stronger charmer splashed on summoning. Holograms or not, they could still feel them, the water colder than the stare of the spellcaster's familiar, hovering behind her. “An' I'll follow it up with activatin' th' card I played last turn, equippin' Eria with Bound Wand!”

A quick button press raised the card before her, Eria's staff changing shape to match the wand of her spell card. As if to test it, the bluenette twirled her new staff in her hands, several balls of water forming with it, though her gaze never let the examiner, matching her duelist behind her. “Bound wand grants m' charmer an extra 100 attack f' every one of her levels. An' she's a level four monster, which means her attack jumps from 1850 t' 2250! N' Eria, let's switch t' battle phase an' attack that face down!”

The Examiner remained stone faced and quiet, though she couldn't see his eyes underneath his sunglasses. She couldn't watch Eria's spell form and connect, only glancing away long enough to notice the face down was an Inari Fire- 200 defense. That would do perfectly – Had it been earlier in the game, she'd never have called his bluff, but what did she have to lose now? His life points matched Eria's attack exactly, and with Fox Fire to follow, there was no way she'd lose!

“Ah, you forget, testee. My fox is in defense mode, which means I take no dama-”

Yet again, she had to force herself to keep herself from giggling, breaking into a wide grin, instead. Why was it every time her monsters attacked him her mood lifted? Especially this time, with Eria launching a ball of water into his face at high speed. Wet was a good look for him, even if his sunglasses hadn't moved. “'Fore y' ask how, th' Familiar-Possesed forms of th' Charmers have a special ability. If I tribute their first form with a monster of th' matching element, like I did with y' Giga Gagagigo, to summon th' stronger form, it grants them piercing damage in battle. S' y' take damage equal t' th' difference between m' attack an' y' defense.”

Rolling her shoulders, the raven threw a hand out, grin only widening even more. “An' now that we match at 200 life points each, Fox Fire, roast 'em away!” The sight of the Examiner hopping around to put out the hologram fire on his leg finally drew out her laugh. That'd been close- She'd known her deck wouldn't make the cut, but she'd gotten lucky by calling a bluff. A bluff she never would've called had she not been backed into a corner and absolutely determined to win, watching the monsters fade away as her duel disk deactivated. “I think that's m' win!”

On the other side of the field, her examiner sighed and shrugged. “It is. By a miracle tactic, no less. Still.” Turning, he brought his attention to the panel sitting above them in the stands, her own gaze following. But it didn't stay there for long; once she'd gotten her fill of the other examiners and the creepy older blonde with them, she was skimming the seats, making a mental note of how many in the crowd already wore uniforms similar to the examiners. Too many matched... All students already accepted, no doubt. But how had she been able to tune out so many people cheering and chattering?

“Mark Aoi Sakazaki down as accepted.”

All it took was that one word for Aoi to snap her attention back to the man she'd dueled, his hand on a small black earpiece she assumed was a microphone. “A... Accepted? I... I got... I got in? T'-”

“You'll be receiving a letter in the mail stating as such, but having passed your exam...” He rubbed at his temples with one hand, the other gesturing towards the door of the booth they'd been dueling in. “You've been accepted, yes. Please proceed to registration.”

Taking the wave as a dismissal, she turned to run off for the door, just to pause and spin back around for a quick bow. “Thank y'-!” Couldn't forget manners- But she could run for the door as fast as she could, working her way through to the arena's backstage area and heading up towards the stands, where she'd left her backpack. Duel Academy-! She'd finally done it! In a little more than a month, she'd be a student at the most prestigious school for dueling in all of Japan- No, the world! Gods above, wait until her parents heard about this!

Her footsteps slowed the closer she got to the ramp leading up to the stands. It'd gotten hot in there... Removing the deactivated duel disk from her arm, she set it aside, shrugging out of her sweatshirt next and tying it around her waist. At least in the fall she wouldn't be stuck with the familiar pink blazer and blue skirt of the Domino High uniform, patting the pleated, knee-length navy skirt she wore for her current uniform. The middle school was nice, sure, and she was positive Domino High was too, but why go there when she could attend the academy?

A quick pit stop near the front doors of the arena returned the duel disk she'd been borrowing, her deck pulled from it before she handed it over. Now all she needed was her bag from the stands, a quick turn of her heel changing direction and sending her back towards her initial target while an announcement over the loudspeakers reminded she needed to get through registration before she could go home. From what she knew, she'd been in the final group, forced to wait and watch while others blew the examiners away. The competition at the academy would be fierce... Too fierce for her to not pick up some new packs on the way home – And next time, remember her own duel disk rather than borrow one the academy had provided!

“Wow, lookit him go!”

The sound of a male voice made Aoi pause mid-step. She'd never done well with strangers... But she couldn't go home without her backpack, either. It was either deal with it or suffer, and she'd rather have the first.

Footsteps picking up again, she felt her happiness fade, tucked away and saved for when she was home and away from prying eyes. In its place rose a more defensive, withdrawn attitude – perfect when two sets of eyes landed on her the moment she got close. Was it her fault her bag was right in front of them? At east she could focus on the perk of it not getting stolen while she'd had her exam... “...Don't mind m'. Need m' bag.”

The brunette gave a little shrug and smile, though she was quick to dismiss it as nothing, stepping down the top two steps to reach her bag. Without a reason to wear a belt, she hadn't been able to wear her deck case, where it'd be close enough for comfort. Her deck had few cards anyone else would ever want, she knew, but she just felt better keeping it close to her, slightly shaking hands pulling the canvas fabric closer and tugging the zipper open. Right where she'd left it, tucked into the space next to her notebooks...

“-That last guy really tore it up.”

“Yeah, that's Bastion Misawa. They say he got the highest score on the written exam of all us applicants.”

Aoi shook her head, flipping open her deck case and sliding her cards into it. The boy had taken to talking with the smaller kid next to him, and as much as she tried not to, she couldn't help 'overhearing' bits of their conversation. Two others who'd barely passed the written portion, huh... Somehow, that helped ease her frustration with her own poor score. At least she wasn't some kind of odd duck when it came to the exams – with so many boasting about how they'd been in duel prep schools for the last few years, being just another face from the public school felt wrong, somehow.

“Wait, you haven't dueled yet?”

“Naw.”

“Then you might have a problem.”

At that, she finally looked up, case still in her hands. Why hadn't this kid gone? She'd been in the same group as the small bluenette beside him, with the ones currently on the fields the last to go for the day. Had he just been lounging around and forgot? Or didn't hear his name being called on the loudspeaker? “Pretty sure Misawa's duel was supposed t' b' th' last.” Not that she'd been paying attention to it.

“W...What?!” The brunette's stunned expression was enough for her to crack a smile, biting back a giggle. “You're not serious, are ya?! How could that be the last one?!”

“B' bein' th' last,” she pointed out, sharing a glance with the smaller boy. How hard was that to figure out? Even with her poor grades she could tell what 'last' meant! But if he'd given his name, they'd probably call him – Just a matter of time. Time she didn't care to spend around the boys, finally sliding her case back into her bag and readjusting its contents to settle neatly around it. Registration awaited, after all.

She'd barely gotten the zipper done up again, fighting it and its habit of catching on itself, when another joined them and took the seat to her immediate left. The brunette was all too quick to jump in with a compliment - But had he said Bastion? “Mm.. Y' got some skills,” she offered, lifting her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. At least the call for a Jaden Yuki over the loudspeaker stopped any of them from saying anything more for a moment, letting her step away in peace.

“Wish me luck, guys!”

Passing the brunette on the steps, she cast a little glance in his direction. Something about his enthusiasm made her want to stick around and see how well he dueled... But it definitely wasn't going to be anywhere near Bastion and the bluenette. “...G'luck.” And she certainly wasn't petty enough to leave without offering the Yuki kid that much, too.

With a sigh, Aoi shuffled to the next doorway over, preferring to let her backpack slide down to rest on the crook of her elbow, back against the wall. Not so far she couldn't overhear Bastion and the short kid, but far enough they wouldn't try and get her involved in their conversation, either. And with nobody else within ten feet of her, she could watch in relative peace, skimming the booths in the arena bellow for his examiner. Maybe he'd end up with the guy she'd had? Or would it be the one Bastion had just beaten?

The man she spotted instead held all the grace and air of a teacher, two of the girls she knew were aides for the exams fastening the belts of the oddest duel disk she'd ever seen in her life. Come to think of it, she'd seen him somewhere before too... Wasn't he the creepy blonde on the panel? This kid had to deal with him? Hopefully he had something good, only glancing away at the sound of a snort to spot a student already dressed in what she figured was the academy's blue blazer. Seemed it didn't look bad on some people, but what was with that hair?

“I summon Elemental Hero Avian, in defense mode!”

The duel's start stole her attention back; an Elemental Hero? Why start with one so weak? It wasn't a rare archetype, and there were certainly stronger heroes than Avian... And his opponent wasn't pulling his punches, either. At least she wouldn't have too much competition with this Yuki kid not getting in.

From what the student nearby's friends were saying, barely audiable over the crowd's excitement, this duel wasn't even fair from the get go, it seemed. A teacher, using his own personal deck? Was that allowed? Most of the examiners had shared decks and traded between them between groups of testees, so why was this Crowler allowed to use-

“Ancient Gear Golem,” she breathed, arms crossing over her chest and fingertips digging into her sleeve. That sealed it; if Crowler could summon a monster that rare and powerful, the brunette was as good as finished. Maybe they'd see him next year, but for this one, he wasn't getting in, no matter how much bravery he showed in the face of mechanical danger.

The sight of Avian's destruction brought a shake of her head. That was a chunk of damage he couldn't risk against such a giant mech. And to replace it with a Kuriboh of all things? “Definitely n' worth it t' hang around an' watch him get beat t' th' ground. If that's as good as he's got... Might n' even see him next year.” With that, she pushed off the wall, circling around to slip through the doorway. If he was getting beaten that badly, she didn't want to be there for it.

She'd gotten all of halfway down the hall when the crowd's cheering from the stands caught her attention. Someone had done something... And for reasons beyond even her, she had the sudden urge to go back and see. It was a duel she didn't even care about, so why-? Was it because he was the most enthusiastic kid there? That was a rarity among the kids there for the exam, but... Why did she care if he got a giant machine pummeling him into the ground?

'This is stupid. Registration won't wait forever.'

Shrugging the feeling off, she pushed her bag back up to her shoulder, following the signs set up towards the registration table. Maybe it'd just been a long day throwing her off, but she couldn't stand around and wait forever for a kid she'd never know. Besides... In a month and a half, she'd be a student of Duel Academy!

This was just the start of a whole new adventure!