Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot

Chapter 8: The Secret

The place? A private airplane headed from Muto city to the town of York. The time? 2 hours after Nick's duel with mayor Muto. Alyssa and Mark dueled in their respective seats; Nick couldn't make out who was winning or losing, nor did he really care at the moment. Too much was on his mind as Bertram slept peacefully beside him. The inflight movie played on endlessly, soundlessly, without earphones on his ears; it was just a bunch of moving pictures in the foreground. York. Why did that name sound so familiar to him? Of course, it was the location of the IDMC headquarters, but there was something else about the name that struck him as frighteningly memorable. Something from his past that he couldn't quite recall.

"Nick?" Bertram asked, awakening from his slumber and seeing his companion deep in worried thought. "What's wrong?"

The younger duelist turned to the older British man and, after a few moments of blank staring, he smiled. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about… well, everything."

"I know how that feels," Bertram laughed, provoking a few hushes and shouts from the passengers around him who were trying to watch the movie. He slunk back into his seat to avoid their unhappy glares. Alyssa burst out in fury off to one side, screaming something about Mark being a cheater. Nick and Bertram paid little attention. "It's not an easy thing, having such frightful weight on your shoulders as you have. I can only imagine what you must be going through."

"But…" Nick began, cutting himself off for a moment as he probed his mind further, "It's more than just Xel'Zerpi, or Rebecca, or the Tarot beasts… it's something about the city, York, itself. The name just rings a bell in my mind for a reason that I can't explain."

"Oh, and even worse feeling!" Mr. Philps exclaimed, once again irritating the passengers around him who were still trying to watch the movie. He muttered something about turning up the volume if they couldn't hear the film before turning back to Nick. "It might be nothing, you know. Sometimes the name just sounds familiar because you've read it in a book, or something like that."

Nick shook his head a few times, slowly at first and then quickly as though gaining reassurance, "No, it's not that. I feel as though… I don't know, like a part of me is drawing me towards this York. Almost like… something terribly important is waiting for me there. And it's not the Tarot cards, or Tarotenam… something else."

Bertram nodded solemnly, opting to leave the boy with his thoughts for now. It would probably be of no use to try and probe any further; silent thought and meditation would eventually solve the puzzle that no mortal could force a solution to. Bertram only hoped that this little quest for an answer wouldn't divert Nick from his mission; heavens only know how many Tarot cards have already been gathered together, and what the unnamed enemy plans to do with them. There was not much time left.

*  *  *  *

"They are coming, master," A cloaked figure speaks into the darkness. Strangely, a voice replies, deep and solemn in its words, cruel and menacing in its tone.

"The holder of the Ruling One?"

"Yes, master," the subservient voice confirms assuredly, nodding his head once as a physical confirmation. "One Nick Maximus, accompanied by 3 companions."

"Who?" The master inquired, stepping out of the shadows. He was sheathed in shadow from head to toe, and little more than his silhouette could be made out among the enveloping darkness.

"We do not know who they are, but they are not believed to be of much consequence."

"Very well. Keep your sights locked on him, and tell me when he arrives in York," The master orders, returning to his hidden seat and hiding himself once more from complete view. "I want to know his every move."

*  *  *  *

"Wake up, Nick, wake up!" A female voice called out, arousing the boy from his deep slumber. Nick must have fallen asleep in his thoughts as they surrounded and filled his mind, strangling his every thought until only sleep could release him. "We're here!"

"Wha…? Alyssa?"

"Yeah! Wake up already! Everyone else on the plane has gotten off already! Why is it that you're always the last?" She laughed a bit, pulling him from his seat. "Mark already got the luggage, with Bertram's help. I got stuck babysitting you."

It didn't take much more provocation to get Nick to stand up and get his things. Still in a semi-drowsed state, he followed Alyssa along the narrow airplane aisle and towards the door, where a stewardess was waiting to show them off.

"I hope you enjoyed the fli—"

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it before, lady." Alyssa snorted; she was apparently very cranky from the cramped flight. Either that, or she was acting perfectly normal. Nick couldn't tell; who ever can?

When Nick and Alyssa had disembarked and boarded the shuttle bus that would take them from the plane to the airport, they were greeting by a rather unfriendly chorus of snarls and growls from the passengers who had been waiting for nearly 15 minutes to get moving. Nick, in his drowsy state, didn't care; Alyssa, in her usual fury, flipped the bird at a few of them and cursed out the others. As impractical as it might have been, she was able to shut them all up and let the driver get moving.

"Jesus, can you sleep or what?" The girl laughed, patting Nick on the shoulder. One of the nearby passengers started grumbling, but when met with that menacing glare, he stopped.

"Yeah… it's one of my fatal flaws." Nick chuckled, rubbing his head full of bed-hair. "I've got a splitting head-ache."

"No kidding!" Alyssa flatly pointed out, shaking her head as she held onto one of the handrails. "You think those seats are comfortable?"

"No, it's not that… I've just… been doing a lot of thinking while they were on that plane," Nick pointed out, shaking his head at her comment. He returned to a solemn attitude once more, looking forlornly out the window at the city dotting the horizon. "And three hours of straight thinking gives one a bad headache."

"Thinking?" Alyssa inquired, motioning for Nick to slide over so that she could sit down, "About what?"

"Well, I don't know. It just feels like there's someone in York that I should be seeing, almost like I've known them for a really long time and that I haven't seen them in just as long, but…" He shook his head. "I can't remember who!"

Immediately, something came to mind in Alyssa's head. She had known Nick for a really long time, and knew some of his deeper, darker secrets that he didn't tell anyone; some of the ones, even, that he drove out of his own mind to get rid of the memories. And this one seemed startlingly familiar to her, but she chose not to say anything, because she decided that, perhaps, this would be something better left to himself. After a few moments of silence, and one of the more gentle looks Alyssa had shown during their whole adventure, the bus screeched to a halt at the airport.

"Come on," she said softly, coaxing him to his feet and putting an arm around his shoulder. "We're here. Bertram and Mark are waiting inside."

As they got off the bus and entered the airport, Mark and Alyssa were greeted by the somewhat impatient faces of Mark and Bertram, who were struggling with the huge bags of luggage that they (or, more specifically, Bertram) had brought with them. The two explained that their hotel bus was waiting for them, impatiently at that, and that the driver had threatened to leave without them if they didn't arrive double-quick. Without delay, Alyssa and Nick quickly rushed behind the other two and boarded the bus just in time.

It wasn't long before they had checked into York Hotel, the fanciest establishment in all of the city. As the virtual capital of the Duel Monsters world, even a place as well-dressed as the York Hotel was a duel central. The lobby was positively filled with duelists from just about every region of the world, and not a single one of them was just trading or examining his deck. No, each and every one was locked in a duel with another, almost as though they were practicing for something.

"What the heck is this?" Alyssa asked, staring blankly at her surroundings. "It's like the village of the damned or something."

"I think the biennial IDMC Cup is being held soon here in York," Mark noted, nodding his head as he looked around at the innumerably duelists. "Yeah, they hold it once in the fall and once in the spring, and I think this is about time for it to be starting."

"Oh, I've heard of the IDMC Cup!" Nick announced, enlightened. He was a faithful subscriber to Duelists Monthly along with a slew of other duel monsters magazines, and the IDMC was frequently posting announcements in them. "That's one of the most prestigious tournaments in the entire sport of Duel Monsters!"

"Yep, it's hosted by the head of the IDMC herself… I can't remember her name. But she's apparently really good, and really rich. In terms of the sport of Duel Monsters, she's also the most knowledgeable person around… of course, I guess that's a given, since she runs the whole thing."

"What I'd give to be her…" Alyssa's eyes lit up as she spoke. She was, herself, a rather accomplished duelist, and she vividly loved the sport.

"Well, you'll be meeting her soon enough!" Bertram cut in with a chuckle, examining the lobby for a last time as they stepped into the elevator. He was immediately met by looks of surprise from the three members of their little troupe. "Well don't act so surprised. We need to know more about this Tarotenam that Mrs. Muto told us about. And I figure that if anyone can tell us more about it, it's the head of the IDMC."

"Alright, you fogey, tell me this:" Alyssa snorted as the elevator began its ascent. "How are we supposed to meet with someone as amazingly prestigious as her?"

"Well, that's simple enough. The preliminary rounds of the tournament are being held today, right? All the winners are going to speak with her at a conference—"

"Does it look like Nick, or for that matter, any of us are registered in this tournament?" Alyssa bluntly pointed out. The elevator dinged as they reached the designated floor, and the group exited.

"I pulled some strings, and you all automatically advance to the next round. It would have been easier to just get you all a private conference with her, but she simply insisted that you all participate." Bertram laughed, shaking his head. "In any case, you'll have to be there in two hours. I trust you can make it."

The proposal was met by an uprising of unhappy groans as Bertram retired to his room, chuckling. Left with only 2 hours to prepare their decks and get to the tournament, the tired, cranky duelists began their long, hard preparations.

*  *  *  *

Fast forward 2 hours, to the location of the tournament. The arena, which was actually a rather large section of the city of York, was positively filled with duelists of every kind, decks in hand, shuffling through their cards. It was practically impossible to hear your own thoughts over the screeching and bantering of the busy crowd, all waiting for the preliminary announcement to be made so that Round 1 could begin. Though Nick, Mark, and Alyssa were a little anxious to duel—they would not be competing until Round 2, after all—they were, on the whole, very happy to be there.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting such a turnout," Nick beamed as he sat on stage, looking at the duelists below him. "I mean, I knew the IDMCC is world-famous, but… wow!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Looks like we'll be up against some fierce competition," laughed Alyssa. She was met be a simple nod and laugh from Nick and Mark. "Oh, look! I think that announcer type guy is gonna start the tournament officially!"

And, indeed, a very classy-looking man stepped onto the stage as Alyssa mentioned his presence, and was greeted by a hearty round of applause.

"Heeeeeeeeeeello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Spring International Duel Monsters Committee Cup!" the announcer boomed through the microphone, followed by a howl of applause. "Please put your hands together for our special guest! She's a classy lady; she's a great duelist; she's a real heartthrob! Please welcome the head of the IDMC, Mai Valentine!"

Nick's heart immediately stopped as these words were spoken.

"MOM?!"