Chapter 10: Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

In the aftermath of Alex's duel with Ted, the group had moved back to their usual hangout in the park. It allowed them some privacy, and was in many senses better than returning to one of their homes. Had they done so, they obviously would have faced stern inquiries from parents or siblings. Gramps had left as soon as they had reached the clubhouse, in order to deal with the police. He was going to tell them he had been out running an errand when the incident had occurred. He also demanded of Alex that, in exchange for covering things up, he fills him in on what was going on as soon as he was able.

Alex and his friends rested Ted on the floor of the clubhouse and seated themselves around the table. All eyes were on Alex, waiting for an explanation of what had transpired. Alex remained silent, not sure on where to start, or what exactly he should tell them. He knew that he wouldn't be able to cover things up, not after they had seen him get tossed through a window. He eventually conceded that he wouldn't be able to get away with telling them anything other than the truth.

"So;" he began, "where would you like me to start?"

Alex's friends seemed a little taken aback by this question, as they were unsure what they wanted to know, or how it would be explained to them. They looked to each other and murmured for a moment. When they stopped talking amongst themselves, Tom was the one to speak up.

"The beginning is probably a good place to start. This all started when you met with Mr. Telham after the tournament, so why don't you tell us what really happened there."

"Alright then. As you know, Mr. Telham took me aside after the tournament to talk with me. You all assumed that he was inviting me to join a professional dueling team, so that was what I went along with to try and keep you out of the loop."

"Why would you want to keep us out of the loop?"

"Yeah; we're your friends after all."

"Mr. Telham actually invited me to join a secret society that he was currently the leader of. When he started talking about this stuff, I assumed he was either crazy or making stuff up. He told me about how Duel Monsters was based off of real monsters and magic that were used in ancient times."

"That sounds like it came right out of the TV show."

"I thought that as well; that he was pitching a plot for the TV series. However; then he summoned a real monster in front of me, using some kind of amulet. After that he gave me a 'trial', which consisted of me dueling him in order to see if I could control 'Judgment Dragon'."

"Back up a bit; what does the card he gave you have to do with any of this?"

"Right, sorry; I guess I got a little ahead of myself. He told me that the monster world was sealed away from our world, and that the seal was protected by six 'Elemental Guardians'. There were six Guardians in our world, and six Guardian Monsters in the other world that were paired with them. Telham was convinced that I was the Guardian of Light, and gave me 'Judgment Dragon' because it was the Light Guardian Monster."

"So; because you were able to control 'Judgment Dragon', it means that you're the Guardian of Light?"

"According to Mr. Telham that was proof enough for him. I've also been called the 'Guardian of Light' by the bad guys, so I'm starting to think it's true."

"So; who are the bad guys?"

"The Elemental Guardian of Darkness and his servants are the bad guys. Apparently the Dark Guardian wants to obtain the power of the Monster World, and use it to take control of both worlds. I've also been told that he has the other four Guardians under his control."

"Under any other circumstances, I'd think you were crazy," stated Amanda. "However; after seeing you get tossed through a window by a hologram, I'm about willing to believe anything."

"That reminds me," added Will. "What's the deal with the Duel Disk? I have a feeling it's not just holograms."

"You're right Will. This thing was actually built around a summoning amulet, which means that the monsters called forth by it are real. Apparently it was also the basis for the ones used in the show."

"So, that thing summons real monsters?"

"Yes; Telham gave it to me so that I could defend myself against the Dark Guardian and his servants. Apparently they had stolen all of the other Duel Disks, and without this one I would have been vulnerable to their real monsters."

"What about the time you used it in front of us and then passed out?"

"That wasn't an accident. After I activated it, the Dark Guardian sensed my powers and decided to pay me a little visit. He slowed down time around us, which is why it seemed like I just passed out. The reason I passed out was because of the attacks in the duel. It was my first time dueling with real monsters, so I wasn't able to withstand the attacks I took during the duel."

"If the attacks are real, then how come you're not dead, or at the very least bloodied up?"

"Telham told me the Duel Disks have limiters built into them. It prevents the attacks from doing any real physical damage during the duel. However; the nervous system still reacts, which is why it still causes pain and impacts."

"So; to get things in order. Telham is the leader of a secret society that knows about ancient monsters and magic battles. He wanted to recruit you because you're the Elemental Guardian of Light, and could fight against the Dark Guardian. The Dark Guardian wants to remove the seal between the worlds and conquer both of them."

"Wait; if he needs the other Guardians to do that, then he can't succeed right? He would still need you."

"Apparently the Dark Guardian has the power to control other people's minds. That was how he got the other four Guardians under his control. After beating me in the duel, he tried to take over my mind as well. Apparently I was saved by the fact that, as the Guardian of Light representing purity, my power canceled out his attempt to corrupt my mind."

"That's lucky."

"Yes, but unfortunately that wasn't the end of it. Since he controls the other four Guardians, the balance of power in the world is shifting, causing all kinds of problems; presumably in both worlds. The only way to stop it is to defeat the Dark Guardian and release the other Guardians from his control. According to Ted here, he's also trying to find a way to remove the seal without me. He was hoping to swipe my Guardian Monster in order to accomplish this."

"Good thing you managed to beat him then. If you had lost, then things would have gotten really ugly."

"Yeah; I'll have to remember to thank Gramps for that, since it was his card that won the duel for me."

"He'll probably let you keep it once you tell him what you've told us. He'd probably be pretty keen on helping to save the world."

"Still; why did you want to keep us in the dark about this stuff? It seems really important, and we are your best friends after all."

"It was Telham's suggestion. Since all this dangerous stuff would be going on, I didn't want you to get involved because you might get hurt."

"Pfft; hasn't TV taught you anything? The hero always has to have a group of friends backing him up and helping to save the world."

"Yeah, there's no way we'd let you do something this dangerous on your own."

"I appreciate it guys, but getting involved would leave you guys vulnerable to all the crazy stuff that's been going on."

"We never said we'd be getting involved," clarified Will. "We just want to make sure there's someone on your side supporting you."

"Well; thanks guys, it means a lot to have your support."

"You think it'd be any other way? If any of us were in your shoes, we know we could count on your support too. Besides, now that we know this stuff, the Duel Monsters card game seems a lot more interesting, eh?"

"That's another thing. If that society was supposed to keep this stuff a secret; why turn it into a card game and a TV show?"

"Apparently that was necessary cover, meant to distract people from the truth by hiding it in fiction. Also; some of the company's revenue is used to support the society, which I'm told was dwindling until Telham created the game."

"Well; now we're all up to speed, but there's one more thing to deal with."

"What's that?"

"This guy."

Will was pointing to the unconscious form of Ted as he spoke. Seemingly on cue, Ted started to twitch and shudder. The group watched as he slowly opened his eyes, and then sat up. He placed a hand to his head and groaned, apparently the victim of a massive headache. He immediately looked to his left arm, and saw that his Duel Disk had been removed. Amanda had taken it off and placed it in a corner of the clubhouse, in order to keep him from using it again once he woke up.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around at the four others.

"You're at our hangout," replied Alex. "We brought you here after the duel we had."

"How'd I get knocked out? Did I lose or something?!"

"Yes, Alex beat the tar out of you," cut in Tom. He was shushed by Amanda.

"Wait; I lost? Master Michael won't forgive me for this."

"We found that out already," stated Alex. "After you lost, he took control of your mind in order to speak with me. After he 'left', you fell unconscious. After that we brought you here to avoid the police, who were presumably coming to investigate the massive dragon you summoned."

Ted seemed to have stopped paying attention. "Damn it; my one chance at success is ruined. I'm never going to get anywhere now."

"What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't understand; no one ever did."

"You'd be surprised. Besides, you're not leaving until we get some answers from you."

Ted grumbled under his breath and glared at Alex. When his gestures got him nowhere, he sighed and hung his head. He got to his feet by propping himself up against the clubhouse wall. He grumbled some more and then observed his surroundings. He looked around the clubhouse, and then to the four friends around the table. He came to the conclusion that being outnumbered in a confined space and lacking his Duel Disk left him with no chance of escaping on his own.

"Fine then," he conceded, "what do you want to know? Keep in mind that I don't know much, since I'm just a regular grunt."

"Do you know where Michael is currently hiding?"

"No. He always came to me using that shadowy teleport thing he does. I never went with him anywhere nor was I shown the location of any hideouts. If I had to guess, I'd say the only ones he would ever keep around are the other four Elemental Guardians."

"Do you know anything about the other Guardians?"

"Just their names. He told me them so I would be able to answer to them if they ever came to me for whatever reason."

"So, what are they?"

"Ricky is Michael's right hand man, and is also the Guardian of Fire. There's also Steven, the Guardian of Wind and Carol, the Guardian of Water. Most recently we were joined by Florence, and she's the Guardian of Earth."

"Do you know anything about their Guardian Monsters?"

"No, I wasn't told about them. It was probably for good reason, based on my current situation."

"This guy isn't really giving us a lot of information," commented Tom.

"I'm starting to think he's not being entirely honest with us," added Will.

"Hey, everything I've told you guys so far is the truth!"

"I dunno," remarked Amanda. "Captive villains aren't usually this talkative."

"Frankly it doesn't really matter anymore. When I woke up I noticed that I no longer had my connection to Michael, meaning that he's probably deemed me useless. He always struck me as the type who wouldn't accept failure."

"If you knew he was like that, why did you join up with him in the first place?"

"What does that have to do with anything? I thought you were trying to get information about Michael's group, not about me personally."

"I'm just curious. I'm wondering what would make someone want to voluntarily give themselves up to a guy like Michael."

"I still don't see why I should tell you."

"Like I said, you're not leaving until we get the answers we want."

Ted grumbled and then let out another sigh. "Fine then, I guess I have no choice. My real name is Theodore Seselli. My parents died when I was only four, and I got left in a crappy little orphanage. I never got to go to a proper school, and I was never really good at anything. The only exception was the Duel Monsters card game. A couple of the other kids there played the game, and got me to join in. As it turned out, I was better at it than any of the others, and even won a few local tournaments."

"That doesn't sound like the worst possible scenario."

"Trust me, it wasn't that great. As much as it was fun, being good at Duel Monsters wasn't really going to get me anywhere. After all; the world doesn't revolve around card games. Since I wasn't good at anything else, my life was bound for a dead end."

"That's when Michael came along, right?"

"Correct. He saw my talent and figured I could be useful to him. Not only that, but I was more inclined to listen to him due to the fact that I wasn't going anywhere else in a hurry. At first I thought he was just some weird guy messing with me, but then we had a duel using the Duel Disks. After I realized he was for real, I became a lot more interested."

"So; you did it entirely for your own benefit?"

"Not exactly. Even though I would never be as important in Michael's group as the other Elemental Guardians, I thought that proving myself worthy might bring me a little more influence."

"What exactly would that accomplish?"

"I figured that, based on his powers, Michael wasn't bluffing about taking over the world. Due to that, I was hoping that any influence I gained could be used to make sure my friends back at the orphanage were kept safe."

"That sounds like a bit of an overblown sob story to me," stated Will fiercely. He stood up and walked towards Ted, but Alex held an arm out in front of him.

"He's telling the truth," stated Alex.

"How do you know that?"

"I dunno; I just have this gut feeling that he's not lying to us."

"None of it really matters now anyways though. Since I lost to you, Michael has cut me loose and my life will be back to the same dead end situation no matter what. Now, if you don't have any more questions more me I'd like to go home."

"Not so fast. I think you owe Gramps for damaging his shop."

"You mean the geezer who gave you that card before our duel? Why should I help him?"

"If you don't want to help him, then I guess you don't want your deck back either."

"Hey, that's not fair; you can't take my stuff like that!"

"Either you can help Gramps fix his shop, or you can use your deck as payment so he can sell it off to pay for the repairs."

"Grrr… fine. Old geezer would probably hurt himself if he tried to fix the place on his own anyways."

With that, Ted walked past the others and left the clubhouse. Alex stepped out the door and called out to him. "We'll give your deck to Gramps later so he can return it to you when you're finished."

"You better not lose any of my cards, dweeb!"

Alex sat back at the table and was faced with odd looks from his friends. "So; how come you let him off so easy Alex?" asked Tom.

"It just seemed like the kind of thing a TV show hero would do."

Alex's friends chuckled for a moment before returning to their discussion. "So, what happens now? I mean, sure you beat one of his henchmen, but this Michael guy is still out there, and so are the other Elemental Guardians."

"I'm really not sure. I know Mr. Telham was looking into the whereabouts of Michael and his followers, but thus far he hasn't told me anything. I think I'm just going to have to wait and see."

Author's Notes: Lots of talking in this chapter, but how else was I supposed to convey the information to Alex's friends, as well as perform an interrogation? If this chapter bored you, I apologize, but there's lots more card game action on the way, so stay tuned.