Téa Gardner/Relationships

The relationships of the loyal and brave Téa Gardner the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. 
==Family==
===Parents===
Téa has a distanced and a bit of an estranged relationship with her parents. In her youth, they were often very busy and had little time to spend with their daughter. This caused Téa to be a very lonely child, instilling in her a desire companionship. It was due to this distanced relationship with her parents and the loneliness that caused her, that Téa became so emotionally attached to her friends.
==Love Interests ==
=== Yugi Muto ===
Yugi is Téa’s closest friend and eventually love interest. She was also the first friend he made in high school. Because of this the two have a strong bond that grows more and more as the series progresses. Téa fondness for Yugi stems from her admiration for his kind and selfless nature while Yugi is very appreciative of her supportiveness and care towards him. Eventually the two develop feelings for each other, though the two are too shy to admit it to each other or themselves. Yugi is quite protective of Téa and becomes instantly paranoid and extremely worried when she is in danger, showing on a subconscious level his growing feelings towards her. When it seemed that she would be beaten and trapped forever in the virtual world, Yugi was driven to tears in fear and despair over her seemingly inevitable defeat. Téa likewise becomes very emotional when the concept of Yugi in danger is brought up and often relies on her feelings for him for support. Several times she has attempted to confess her love for him but has always backdown because of her shyness. By the end of the series however, it is implied the two are dating, having finally confessing their feelings to one another.
=== Atem ===
While she does hold feelings for Yugi Muto, Téa also has romantic feelings for his counterpart, the spirit of the Pharaoh Atem as well. Throughout the series Téa struggles with who she loves more and desires to be with. The Pharoah however, is oblivious to her feelings for him and thus does not return romantic sentiment towards her. Despite this he cares for her greatly and sees her a true and great friend. When the pharaoh is in danger Téa becomes very emotional and worries for him considerably. This comes to ahead after Joey’s defeat by Marik, in which devastated over loosing her friends to the Shadow Realm, Téa begs Atem not to duel Kaiba, worried that he will loose and be lost to the shadows as well. However, after Atem explains why he must duel Marik and save the world, Téa understands his reasoning and becomes determined more than ever to support him. Though saddened by his departure to the afterlife, Téa seems to have accepted that she and Atem are not meant to be and instead chooses to fall for Yugi instead. 
==Friends==
===Joey Wheeler===
Joey and Téa and are very close friends, with the two having known each other throughout their teenage years. The too often spend time together and usually get along just fine. However, Téa is often annoyed by Joey’s immaturity and, at times, cluelessness causing her to often reprimand him for such things. Despite this, the two remain close friends and share a sibling like bond. Téa also heavily sympathizes with Joey regarding his sister’s eye operation and wants to help him get enough money for it. Joey likewise is great full for Téa’s support and can be protective of her when she is in danger. She is also a where of the growing feelings between him and Mai and tries to get them closer together.
===Tristan Taylor ===
Téa and Tristan are very good friends. Like with her other friends, Téa Gardner serves as a sister figure to Tristan and share a close bond. Tristan is also the only member of the group who is older than Téa, making him more like an older brother figure to her compared to the others whom have more of a younger brother bond with her. However, she can often be frustrated by Tristan’s recurring immaturity and will verbally and physically berate him for it, though not to extent of Joey. Regardless, the two maintain a strong friendship with both willing to risk their lives to save the other.
===Serenity Wheeler===
While not meeting her until the Battle City Tournament, Téa learned about Serenity’s existence from her brother Joey. Despite not knowing each other, Téa was very sympathetic to her friend’s sister upon being told about her eye operation and thus wanted to help Joey get the money he needed for her. When they finally did meet, Serenity and Téa took an instant liking to each other. Téa was fond of Serenity due her gentle and kind nature while Serenity liked Téa because of how friendly and supportive she was of her friends. The two would spend much time together throughout the Battle City Tournament, with them not only becoming close friends, but with Serenity admiring and looking up to Téa as a big-sister figure.
=== Dark Magician Girl ===
When she forced into a virtual duel with Crump, Téa chose Dark Magician Girl to be her Deck Master. Because of her special ability, Dark Magician Girl was able to communicate with Téa and the two became both fast friends and partners in battle. During this time, Dark Magician Girl served as a sort of mentor figure to Téa and instructed her on what steps must be taken to ensure their victory. While nervous, Téa always listened to her suggestions and did as Dark Magician Girl told her to do. This shows that she placed great trust in her deck master and took her guidance to heart. It was through Dark Magician Girl’s encouragement, that Téa mustered her courage and gained confidence in her duel against Crump, which led to the amateur duelist making several striking blows against Crump’s life points. Dark Magician Girl also expressed sympathy and concern for Téa as she lost more of her life points and body was becoming increasingly covered in ice. She did her best to keep her player’s spirits up and even tried to offer her comfort and warmth when Téa was freezing from the bitter cold. It was thanks to Dark Magician’s girls second special ability that Téa was able to defeat Crump, thus saving her from becoming a frozen statue for all eternity. 
=== Solomon Moto ===
Téa has a close friendship with her best friend’s grandfather. She often sees him when she goes to visit Yugi and always chat when they have time. Téa sees Solomon as a wise and caring figure and thus she holds great respect for him. Recongizing his wisdom, Téa often turns to Solomon for advice when she is saddened or in need; for which Solomon is happy to give. In turn, Solomon is fond of Téa, considering her to be a true and good friend to his grandson. Because of this, he shows a lot of fondness for her and wishes to help her when ever she needs it. Despite their good relationship, Téa can be annoyed by Solomon at times. This happens when he acts immaturely, often in the form of him sneaking up on her and trying to scare her. She even once remarked how he was something of an older version of her male friends. Despite this, she still maintains a strong respect for him and hates it when others bad mouth him. Solomon is also of where of Téa’s growing love for his grandson and was very happy when they started dating. He often makes jokes about how he would be pleased having her as a granddaughter-in-law; much to her and Yugi’s embarrassment. 
== Neutral Characters and Redeemed Enemies ==
=== Seto Kaiba ===
Téa and Kaiba have a primarily hostile and unfriendly relationship. Kaiba looks down on Téa, considering her a geek and a looser for being friends with Yugi and Joey and thus has very little, if any, respect for her in their interactions. Téa likewise is critical of Kaiba, due to his arrogant mindset and superiority complex. Despite their apparent apathy for each other and generally unfriendly interactions, they do not truly hate each other. When Téa was held hostage by the Rarehunters, he saved her from being killed by one of their goons and was the one who rescued her from their imprisonment. Téa, in turn, sympathizes with Kaiba when she becomes aware of his tragic backstory and develops more respect for him based upon seeing how much he loves his little brother Mokuba, more than anything. This causes her to possess a desire to help him, especially when Mokuba is in danger. While he refuses to admit it, Kaiba is secretly grateful to Téa for helping Mokuba escape from the rarehunters. As time passed Téa and Kaiba became allies as they face common enemies. Despite this, they remain on primarily unfriendly terms as Kaiba still thinks himself to superior to her and the rest of Yugi’s friends, while she is often frustrated with his attitude and arrogance.
=== Mokuba Kaiba ===
Unlike the hostile relationship she has with his older brother, Téa and Mokuba have a friendly relationship and get along well. Téa seems to be fond of Seto’s little brother and in turn Mokuba respects her as both and individual and a s a friend. When both of them were kidnapped by the Rare-Hunters they were locked in the same room together and thus Mokuba was able to explain the reasoning behind their respective abductions. During their captivity, Téa became protective and comforting to the young Kaiba, in a way that resembled an older sister. The two bonded during this time and Téa became determined to both protect him and help him escape. The two worked together to escape the Rare-Hunters’ warehouse and when their captors attempted to prevent their escape, Téa allowed herself to be recaptured all so that Mokuba could get away. Mokuba promised to come back and rescue Téa after he had told Kaiba and Yugi of their location. When Téa was being held hostage by the hunters, Mokuba was increasingly worried for her safety when her life was threatened and when she was safe, he personally removed her restraints, freeing her. They still maintain their friendship with Mokuba eternally grateful to Téa for helping him escape.
=== Noah Kaiba ===
Even though he bore no grudge nor reason to hurt Yugi and his friends, Noah took great pleasure in abducting and then trapping them in his virtual world in order to have his minions, The Big Five, defeat them in due,s and steal their bodies. When Noah brought the gang into the into the Virtual World, he decided decided to separate them into deifferent virtual landscapes. For Téa he sent her to a large barren canyon by herself. Soon after, he created four virtual Hitotsu-Me Giants to attack her as means of entertaining himself. When the giants subdued Téa into unconsciousness and carried her back to their, Noah was amused as she was being carried off by his creations noting that it looked like she had “met” his Hitotsu-Me Giants. After Téa escaped the giants, Noah decided to send Crump after her so that he could steal her body. In doing so, he revealed that he considered Téa be a weakling and pathetic duelist who would be easily defeated. Even after she defeated Crump and proved him wrong, Noah still viewed Téa as insignificant. However, as Noah continued his cruelty to new proportions, Téa became furious with his depravity and condemned him as a spoiled brat. Noah however, didn’t care what she thought of him and decided to spare her from being turned to stone, like the rest of Atem’s friends during his duel with Noah, in order for her to see just how inferior she and Atem were to him. Eventually he sadistically turned her into a statue. However, after being betrayed by his father Gozaburo Kaiba Noah had a change of heart and helped Téa and her friends escape. Because of this, Téa forgave Noah and was saddened when he sacrificed himself so that everyone could escape, realizing that Noah’s time and loneliness in the virtual world is what caused his insanity and that it was not truly his fault.
== Enemies ==
=== Hitotsu-Me Giants ===
The four Hitotsu-Me Giants were sent after Téa as a form of amusement by Noah Kaiba. These monstrous cyclopes saw Téa as an animal to hunt and thus they stalked stalked her as she journeyed deeper into the canyon where they lurked. When Téa noticed their leader watching her, the others swiftly appeared and surrounded her. Téa was, of course, frightened by the beasts and attempted to walk back slowly in order to escape without provoking them. However, after she stepped on a loose rock unintentionally provoking them, the leader of pack attempted to kill her by throwing his axe at her. This resulted in Téa receiving a tiny but painful cut on her left cheek. As the giants moved in closure around her, Téa attempted to flee, calling out desperately for someone to save her as the giants gave chase. However, the terrified girl’s attempts to escape were futile as she taken off guard by one of the giants who was hiding behind the rocks Téa was fleeing towards. With nowhere left to run all Téa could do was stair up in horror as the beast struck her down with its claws. After she was knocked out, the leader of the pack threw her over his shoulder and carried her pack to their cave. Sometime later after Téa awakened in the cave and eventually realized with horror that the giants intended to eat her. She managed to escape the den but not before her captors noticed her fleeing. When both she and her former captors reached the outside, the giants quickly pursued her, with the one that subdued her throwing an axe in an attempt to kill her. Eventually Téa found herself at a ravine with the only way across being an old rope-bridge. When she attempted to cross, the giants followed her in an attempt to recapture their prey. Thankfully the bridge gave out under their combined weight, and while Téa hung on to the surviving half of the bridge and climbed up to safety the giants fell to their deaths in a running below.
=== Hitotsu-Me Giant Leader ===
Out of all the Hitotsu-Me Giants, the leader of the pack was the most dangerous, threatening, and cruel towards Téa. He led his pack in hunting the girl as she wandered through the canyon where they lurked. He became the first cyclops she laid eyes upon when she spotted him stalking her from a a cliff-side. After being spotted he and the rest of his pack surrounded Téa getting ready to attack. When Téa’s attempt to back away from the beasts failed, the leader was enraged and threw its axe in an attempt to kill her. while the axe missed it still kicked up a large number of small sharp rocks into the air, one of which hit Téa. In doing so, the leader of the pack gave Téa a small cut on her left cheek before pursing the fearful girl as she fled. After Téa was intercepted and subdued by one of leader’s brethren, he led the pack back to their lair, with his unconscious quarry draped over his shoulder the whole way. When the leader brought her into the cave he showed his cruelty and sadism towards the girl by throwing off his shoulder onto the rock floor of the cave. When Téa started squirm and moan in pain, the leader took sadistic amusement as he loomed over her with his tribe-mates. The leader would later be the first one to notice that the captive Téa had awakened and took a nasty and threatening snarl towards her when he did. Soon after, when he and his tribe were preparing to have Téa as their meal, the leader laughed in delight at the thought of eating her. The leader would later join his tribe in chasing after her and eventually following her onto the rope bridge. This obsessive hunt for Téa however, ended up leading to both his and his entire pack’s deaths when they fell into the river as a result of their combined wait on it while pursing her.
=== Rare-Hunters ===
Téa became an enemy of the Rare-Hunters when their master Marik ordered them to kidnap her and Joey so that he could mind-control them into fighting against Yugi and Atem. They easily managed to capture Téa and mercilessly beat Joey when he tried to protect her. They then took her to their hideout, a warehouse at a harbor, where they locked in her in a storage room along with Kaiba’s younger brother Mokuba. When Téa tried and failed to escape, they locked her into a chair with restraints until Marik possessed her and Joey into doing his bidding. In order to ensure there were no interruptions upon Joey (who was possessed by Marik) and Yugi and Atem’s duel, Marik had one of his Rare-Hunters threaten to kill Téa by dropping a massive crate on top of her while she confined to the restraining chair. During this time Téa remained defiant to her captor but was completely at his mercy. Thankfully however, Kaiba rescued her before the Rare-Hunter could drop the crate. After the Rare-Hunters were disbanded they no longer became a threat to Téa.
=== Adrian Randolph Crump III ===
After Téa escaped from the Hitotsu-Me Giants, Noah decided to send Crump after her in order to defeat her in a duel and steal her body in order for him to escape from the virtual reality. Téa then studied Téa history and began to know about her entire life and many personal things about her (such as how many pizzas she has eaten). He instantly assumed she would be defeated easily and that taking her body was inevitable, showing an obvious underestimation her based solely on how few duels she faced. Téa, in turn, despises Crump and was determined to beat him in a duel in order to ensure that we would not take her body for himself. Her hatred of Crump grew as he added a sadistic feature to their duel; every time their life-points decreased, their bodies would covered in ice from the toes-up. Throughout the duel, Crump continually mocked and belittled her as a pathetic duelist despite being able to deal a fair amount of damage against him. This arrogance and underestimation of his opponent is what led to Crump’s defeat. Even though Crump destroyed most of Téa’s life points and covered all but her head and arms in ice, she managed to defeat him thanks to her Deck Master Dark Magician Girl’s special ability which freed her from the ice and sent Crump back into the virtual abyss. 
Category:Relationships