It ended with the sound of shattering glass.

The final monster had fallen in a maelstrom of ice and fire, and with it came the iconic sound of lifepoints rapidly reaching zero. Smoke and steam lingered over the battlefield, creating a dark cloud concealing the two duelists within. 

The first to come into view within the slowly dispersing mist was a boy with monochrome hair and blue eyes. 

[color=#7895C8]"Five turn checkmate,"[/color] he said, allowing his arms to fall limply at his side. A wry smile played at his lips. 

Then, finally, the digital haze cleared, revealing the final score for all to see. 

[center][b]Coach Yoshiwaru Go: 3400 LP 
Applicant Kyouka Yutaka: 0 LP[/b][/center]
The boy ran a hand through his hair, letting out a loud, bitter laugh at the sight.

[color=#7895C8]"And here I was thinking I make it just a little further than that!"[/color][center][h2][color=#7895C8][u]                                                                 [/u][/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/3ofrnf6.png[/img]
[color=#7895C8][u]                    [color=white][color=#7895C8]𝖪[/color]𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗄𝖺 [color=#7895C8]𝖸[/color]𝗎𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖺[/color]                    [/u][/color][/h2][/center]
Yutaka was not looking forward to hearing his results. 

Honestly, his performance out there was just [i]embarrassing[/i]. That was some absolutely degenerate gameplay on his part--he'd have to fix that next time. In hindsight, he shouldn't have gotten greedy and committed all of those resources into that third turn combo. And that Sphere Kuriboh save? Not actually a save; it would have been one two turns later, though. But who the hell expects a counter-play like [i]that[/i]? 

[color=#7895C8][i]'Probably a better duelist than me, lol.'[/i][/color]

But what was [i]really[/i] embarrassing about losing here was that he'd promised his ride back that he wouldn't. And then he did. And now he would definitely roasted for it, especially if it meant having to get yet [i]another[/i] letter of recommendation from the guy. All in all, it was definitely a ride back home he wasn't in any rush to get to. Not that he was ever in a rush to go home in the first place.

At any rate, as one of the final contestants, Yutaka did not have to wait long for the duels to finish and the final judgement to begin. In a way, this was both a blessing and a curse. Whether the lack of gathering dread was worth the finality of judgment remained to be seen.

The old man went on about bonds or heart of the cards or effort, hard work and victory or whatever. He'd tested for enough dueling schools to last him a life time; he'd probably heard just about every permutation of that presentation. Instead, he spent the entire introduction brazenly reading new manga chapters on his phone.

Yutaka only started paying close attention once names were called. He didn't expect to hear his name in the upper echelons of the graduates. He didn't even expect to hear it in the middle. Yet he listened to these most intently of all.

It would be impolite not to know the names of your future opponents, after all. And there was the possibility, however slim, that he would be recognized in this category.

Of course, Yutaka would not be recognized in these categories, and it seemed that he wasn't being recognized in the lowest bracket either. For what seemed like aeons, names were called again and again for Uriel Scarlet. But the most important name of all refused to show itself. It would be a lie to say he wasn't getting a little on edge at that moment; he was wound tighter than a spring.

But then he heard it.

The one thing he had been waiting for. 

The words that made an old man's badly-amplified voice sound like the choirs of heaven.

[b]"Kyouka, Yutaka."[/b]

And at that moment, Yutaka leapt from his seat and [i]roared[/i].
[color=#7895C8][h1]"AHA! [i]FUCK YEAH[/i]!"[/h1][/color]
He had, against all odds, succeeded in getting [i]one[/i] school acceptance out of the dozens he had applied for. He pumped his fists triumphantly. He beamed like an idiot (which he was). He did a little jig. He...

...took a seat. 

Because it was dead silent now. And people were staring. 

...

They were still staring when he sat back down.

Yutaka coughed and leaned back, intertwined hands cradling the back of his head like he was a cool guy out of some trite anime. [color=#7895C8]"...What're [i]you [/i]all lookin' at?"[/color] he quipped to nobody and everybody, nudging his chin in the direction of the stage, [color=#7895C8]"Old man's talkin'. Respect your elders. Pay attention."[/color]

Ironically, he was too excited to pay much attention as the rest of the names were called and the judgement drew to a close. 

Once the gym had cleared out, Yutaka withdrew his phone and dialed a familiar number.

[color=#7895C8]"Sup, aniki? Sorry to disappoint, but it looks I'm gonna have to cancel that ride back."[/color]