A Heart to Duel For; Yu-Gi-Oh! Protagonists x Reader

Chapter 13: Goodbye

"Yusei Fudo!" The announcer exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

The crowd went absolutely bonkers, screaming and cheering louder than ever. I was convinced that I would go deaf from how loud they were. It seemed like Yusei had become their favourite. He was smiling as he shook hands with Yusaku, who gave him a small smile in return and a nod of acknowledgement.

The announcer continued to speak once the crowd quieted down enough for him to be heard again. "Well done to our top three of Adelfell's first exhibition tournament. We hope everyone enjoyed the decks and strategies shown here today from these representatives."

Getting the awards was a blur. My head was hazy as if it were a dream, and my sight was flecked with black spots from the cameras that took my picture alongside Yusei and Yusaku, the three of us holding the trophies we were given and smiling at the photographers. They took a group picture too, inviting the rest of the duelists to gather around. I ended up between Takeru and Yugi, with Jaden crouched in front of me flashing a peace sign.

We were then led back to the waiting room, going out the same way we had come in. I hadn't yet had a chance to say congratulations to Yusei for winning first place in all the chaos, but now it had calmed down as we all walked back into the mall.

"Yusei!" I called out to him. He stopped and I sped up to catch up. "Congrats!"

"Thanks (Y/n)," he said. "Congrats to you too. You did great for your first tournament. I know you'll get first place soon."

"Thank you. I'll keep practicing if there's ever another one," I promised him. I already wanted to duel with everyone again. I had to.

"That's the spirit!" Yusei smiled.

We entered the place where the tournament had begun, the large room with seats, several tables and a few monitor screens on the walls.

"Please take off your duel disks and return them to the desk," the man who signed us in at the beginning said.

I took my deck out of my duel disk and put it back in its worn (favourite/colour) plastic deck box. The box was dirty with a few creases and five too many dents, not to mention a small hole in one of the corners. But I wasn't planning on replacing it anytime soon. I've had it for years and it has been through just as much as my deck and I had.

Slipping the duel disk off, I looked at it for a moment to relish its touch before I had to give it back forever. Once I was ready, I went up to the desk and waited to hand it over to one of the assistants.

"Hey!" It was the same person that helped me put on my duel disk. "I saw you got third place. Good job."

"Thanks. Honestly I'm surprised I made it that far," I admitted.

The man smiled. "Nerves tend to make you think you'll do a lot worse than you actually will," he said. Those couldn't have been truer words. He turned to put the duel disk away and after a quick check to make sure I had all my belongings, I started heading over to the door when Jaden's voice stopped me. "(Y/n)! Not gonna leave without saying goodbye, are you?"

"Oh, sorry," I said sheepishly, giving him an embarrassed smile, "it was nice meeting you."

"You too!" He said. "Maybe we'll get to duel next time. I still want to go against your Lightsworns!"

I laughed and we fist bumped. "Can't wait for that. See you."

"Catch ya later!" He grinned.

I said goodbye to the others and turned to the door once again. My hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, hesitating, but I swung it open and stepped out of the room, leaving the duelists—and my new friends—behind me.

Sara was waiting for me outside the mall. It was cooler outside now. A light breeze blew against me, a welcomed relief from the heat and high tension I had felt during the tournament.

"(Y/n)!" She beamed, hugging me tightly. "Oh my gosh! You did great! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks! It was really fun." I smiled back at her.

"No kidding!" She laughed. "You looked like you were having the time of your life."

"Maybe you can duel next time," I said teasingly.

"Pfft, don't be silly," she said, shaking her head at my suggestion, "you know that I can't even duel."

"Fair enough." I agreed. "But seriously, thanks for coming today."

"Of course! I know how much it means to you."

I honestly had no words to express how grateful I was for a friend like Sara. She didn't know anything about Duel Monsters but she was the first one to offer to come see the tournament because she knew it was my first official one and wanted to be there to support what I loved. All I could do was blink at her in appreciation and smile, but that was enough for her to understand.

We parted ways at the corner of the convenience store and headed off to our houses. Once I reached home, I knocked on the door and was greeted by the smiling face of my mother.

"So how was it?" She asked as she let me into the house.

Her smile was contagious and I couldn't help smiling as well. I quickly took off my jacket and shoes. "It was pretty good," I told her. "I got third place."

"Oh wow," she said. "Did they give you a prize?"

"Yeah, I got a trophy," I said. "It's in my bag." I opened my backpack and pulled out the bronze trophy. My mother held it and examined it for a few moments before giving it back to me, nodding her approval. "You can show your father when he comes home." My mother wasn't the type to be overly excited but I could tell she was proud of me from her smile and twinkling eyes.

"Okay," I said, and went to my room to find a place to display my newly won award and relax for a while, watching one of my favourite Youtube channels.

When my father came back from work, I did just as my mother told me and showed him the trophy. I was a bit hesitant to do so because I knew he had high expectations for me, but he smiled when I brought it out for him to see.

"Well done," he said proudly as he ruffled my hair affectionately, "next time you will win the gold one, huh?"

"I'll try," I said, my cheeks flushed from how much everyone believed in me to get first place whenever the next tournament would be. It seemed impossible but if I had all my friends and family backing me up, then surely I could do it.

We had dinner soon after. Playing in the tournament had caused me to work up quite the appetite and I ended up eating almost double what I normally did. I was also in desperate need of a shower after the day's events, so I grabbed a set of pajamas and a towel and hollered to my mother that I'd be in the bath before going in.

The water cascaded over my skin and I sighed in content as it soothed my sore body. I let myself relax a little, standing under the showerhead and allowed the hot water to work its magic. I wasn't in a rush to get out, though it wasn't long until I had washed myself up.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in my towel, drying myself off and stretching before putting on my pajamas. I yawned, my eyes heavy with exhaustion as I made my way to my room, the towel clutched loosely in my fingers. My still-wet hair clung to the back of my neck but I was too tired to dry it properly.

Why am I so sleepy? I wondered, my thoughts swimming hazily in my head.

But I had no time to think about it more. Sleep claimed me as soon as I tumbled into bed, and I drifted off to Dreamland.

A/N: The tournament is finally over! Did it end the way you expected it to? I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far and thank you to everyone for continuing to support it even when I don't update for a while.

I'll be honest, sometimes it's really hard to write for this story because even though I know what happens, I either lack motivation or can't express the words I want to say properly. But you guys are what keep me going and push myself to be a better writer and overcome these difficulties. Thank you for your continued patience and support and I always hope that each update is worth the wait.