A 
Episode
GuideEpisode 2: The Gauntlet is Thrown (The Trap of Illusionist Faceless Mage)
(The original Japanese title is "Trap of Illusionist No-Face.")
Joey is playing Duel Monsters with Téa in class. He plays Rock Ogre Grotto #1 (Ogre Rock) (800 ATK), telling her it's going to rock her block off. Téa turns over a fairy card (Happy Lover) (500 DEF). Joey says that wimpy card doesn't stand a chance against his Rock Ogre! She agrees she doesn't—unless she uses this! And plays a magic card, the Breath of Light (God's Breath). Joey asks if she can do that, and Yugi says, oh yeah. The Breath of Light wears down rock monsters, and Joey's Rock Ogre is destroyed. Which reduces Joey's life points to zero, and Téa wins again. Tristan tells Joey he stinks at this game, and Joey groans in disgust.
Later, outside the school, Joey asks Yugi for advice. Why can't he ever win? Yugi takes a look at Joey's deck, and tells him, no one could win with these cards! Joey's deck is nothing but monster cards. Joey says, yup. He filled his deck with all the powerful monsters he could find. But that's not how the game works, Yugi explains. It's all about combining monster cards with magic cards to make them stronger. Joey grabs Yugi excitedly—that's exactly the kind of stuff he needs to know! Yugi has to help him learn more.
Yugi takes Joey home to his Grandpa's game shop. (The shop's name is Kame Game, which means "Turtle Game." The Japanese writing has been deleted from the sign in front of the shop in the US version. The characters are katakana, which are used for foreign words or to give special emphasis, and spell "Game.")
Inside the shop, Grandpa's putting up a poster featuring Black Luster Soldier (Chaos Soldier) and Harpie's Pet Dragon. (In the Japanese version, it's an advertisement for an upcoming National Duel Monsters Tournament with a 3,000,000 yen cash prize. The Japanese poster shows Elf Swordsman [Celtic Guardian in the US] and Hercules Beetle.)
Yugi tells his Grandpa he's brought him a new student. Joey says that since Grandpa knows more about Duel Monsters than anyone, he'd like him to teach him the game. Grandpa is reluctant at first, saying that Duel Monsters is a very complex game. Yugi agrees, reminding Joey that Téa beat him five times in a row. Grandpa says he could teach Joey to be a great tournament duelist, but only if he's willing to work day and night training. Joey says it's a piece of cake, and Grandpa says that with an attitude like that, it might not be worth his effort. Nice going, Yugi tells Joey, who falls to his knees to beg Yugi to help him convince Grandpa to teach him. Yugi says that teaching Joey Duel Monsters is just too big a challenge, even for his Grandpa. Of course, then Grandpa says it's not impossible, and that if he agrees, Joey must work hard. Joey promises, and Grandpa says they'll start at once, asking Joey if he can name the most powerful Duel Monster? The weakest? Joey does know what a trap card is, doesn't he? Joey has no idea.
(Japanese Jounouchi's all excited about the tournament, and wants to enter it and win the money. Grandpa says if Jounouchi thinks he's going to win that tournament, that's just an illusion. Yugi asks Jounouchi if it's true, and Jounouchi falls to his knees, telling Yugi he really wants to win that tournament. Yugi protests that there's not even a month until the tournament, and Grandpa says he'll help. Yugi tells Jounouchi that Grandpa's a great duelist, despite how he may look. Grandpa's not too thrilled about that, but says that he's a great trainer. Jounouchi asks him to please help him, and Grandpa says he must start by changing his attitude. He shouldn't want to win for the prize. Grandpa will teach him about the heart of the cards. The scene fades out with the sound of Jounouchi screaming, while Grandpa orders him to try again.)
Cut to the Regional Duel Monsters Championship (National Championship in the Japanese). The announcer introduces the finalists, Weevil Underwood (Insector Haga), the Bug Brawler, and Rex Raptor (Dinosaur Ryuuzaki), Dino Duelist. (The Japanese announcer says that representing East Japan is Insector Haga, 14 years old, and West Japan is Dinosaur Ryuuzaki, 15 years old.)
Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa are all at Yugi's place, watching the tournament on television. Joey thinks it should have been him there, and Téa says she knows he's been training for weeks, but these guys are in another league. (Japanese Anzu points out that Jounouchi made it to the top eight.) Yugi adds that Joey's so tired he can't keep his eyes open. He thinks Grandpa's lessons were a bit too tough for him. (Japanese Yugi says that Grandpa's training was pretty rough.) In flashback, Grandpa stands over an exhausted Joey, telling him there's no time to rest, pounding the table in front of Joey with a stick to drive his lessons home. Tristan tells Joey, "You snooze, you lose," and a disappointed Joey says he must have been nuts to think he could learn this crazy game. (Japanese Honda says Jounouchi was only in the top eight of the town preliminaries, and Jounouchi says he's ashamed to face Grandpa, who trained him so hard.)
Then Grandpa comes in, carrying a package, teasing Joey that it's time for his lesson, then telling him he's come a long way as a duelist, and he's proud of him. (Japanese Grandpa asks if he heard his name. Jounouchi apologizes, and Grandpa tells him it's okay, he did his best. To be honest, he didn't think a wimp like Jounouchi would be able to get into the tournament at all. He tells Jounouchi he did a good job.) Joey gets all teary-eyed, and tries to grab Grandpa for a hug, but Grandpa slips by him and Joey falls over the back of the sofa onto the floor.
Grandpa has a package for Yugi from Industrial Illusions, the company that makes the Duel Monsters game. Joey asks why they 'd be sending a package to Yugi. Yugi doesn't know, but he wonders if they heard about his defeat of Kaiba. It wasn't an official match, but it did make Kaiba drop out of the tournament. Flashbacks show Yugi beating Kaiba with Exodia. (The Japanese package doesn't say who it's from. Jounouchi asks Yugi why he didn't enter the tournament—he's sure Yugi could have won it easily. Yugi says he's made up his mind he'll only enter a tournament if he's in it. Anzu says, it's Kaiba, isn't it, and Yugi says yes. Now that Kaiba's learned about the heart of the cards, Yugi wants to face him again. The flashback of Yugi and Kaiba's duel was added to the US version.) Joey says that just hearing Kaiba's name gives him a headache. (Japanese Jounouchi says you can't trust a jerk like that.)
Tristan says that Raptor just stomped Weevil. (Japanese Honda says it's about to begin.) They all turn their attention back to the tournament, and Joey asks if these guys are any good, and Yugi says, oh yeah, they're both tough customers. Weevil specializes in insect cards, and he's a great strategist, while Rex Raptor uses his dinosaurs' power to overwhelm his opponents. Bugs against dinosaurs? Joey thinks Raptor's got this one in the bag, but Yugi tells him not to be so sure.
Rex Raptor plays the strongest monster in his deck, the terrible Two-Headed King Rex (1600 ATK), and tells Weevil it's his move. Weevil says all he has is a weak little bug, and plays Basic Insect (500 ATK). Joey thinks the place will be covered in bug guts, but Yugi says he wouldn't underestimate Weevil. Rex tells his King Rex to take this championship, and stomp him! Weevil laughs, saying Rex has attacked his way right into a trap! He activates his trap card, Vortex (Messiah Doodlebug in Japanese—the real card is Infinite Dismissal), which stops King Rex's attack. (The name of the card, written on the dueling field beneath the card, is removed from the US version.)
Then Weevil upgrades his Basic Insect with the magic card, Laser Cannon (Laser Cannon Level 5), and attacks, destroying Two-Headed King Rex. Weevil wins the duel, and the championship.
The trophy is presented by the creator of Duel Monsters and President of Industrial Illusions, Maximillion Pegasus (Pegasus J. Crawford), who rises from a trap door in the floor of the stadium to congratulate the blushing Weevil. Pegasus invites Weevil to compete in the upcoming tournament he's hosting at Duelist Kingdom.
As Pegasus leaves the tournament in his limo, his flunky says that with the announcement Pegasus made tonight, he'll have thousands of duelists flocking to his tournament. Pegasus hopes the tournament will attract those who possess the Millennium Items he seeks. Which reminds him.... (Japanese Pegasus says none of the duelists they saw today excited him, and asks the flunky about his errand.) The flunky says the package was delivered to the boy, just as he ordered. Excellent, Pegasus says.
Back at the Game Shop, Yugi opens his package to find a glove, two stars, and a videotape. Yugi puts the tape in the VCR, and everyone is astonished to see Maximillion Pegasus, who greets Yugi and says he's heard some interesting things about him. Yugi's defeat of Seto Kaiba has intrigued him so much, he's decided to investigate Yugi's dueling skills personally. He challenges Yugi to an immediate duel with a time limit of fifteen minutes, and when time's up, the the player with the higher life points will be the winner.
Yugi's a bit boggled, and Joey doesn't understand how Yugi can duel with a videotape. Tristan says it's crazy. But Pegasus laughs, and says no, it's magic! Using his Millennium Eye, Pegasus takes Yugi into a dark world, where Yugi's friends and Grandpa are frozen like statues, saying he'll return Yugi after their game. Yugi accepts the challenge, and switches with Yami, who tells Pegasus to start the clock and make his move. (Japanese Yugi asks if it's a "Yami no Game," or "Dark Game," then switches with Yami, who accepts the challenge.)
Setting a card face down, Pegasus asks Yugi if he's nervous—Yugi's never faced a duelist like him before. (Japanese Pegasus says he'll go first, sets a card face down, then says it's Yugi's turn.) Yugi says Pegasus might be good, but he'll beat him to save his friends. But he's shocked when Pegasus tells him he won't beat anyone with that dragon card—before Yugi's played his card. How did Pegasus know? The card in Yugi's hand is Koumori Dragon (1500 ATK) (Devil Dragon). Pegasus says he'll know every move Yugi makes, before he can make it. Now he activates his trap card, Dragon Capture Jar, which imprisons Yugi's Koumori Dragon.
Pegasus tells Yugi that the world they're in is called the Shadow Realm, and asks Yugi if he believes there is magic in the cards. Yugi tells Pegasus he should know—he invented the game. But Pegasus says he didn't. In ancient Egypt, this was known as a Shadow Game. (A pyramid is added over the shot of Pegasus in the US version.)
Pharaohs would hold mystical duels in other dimensions, just as he and Yugi are doing now. But not with cards—they battled with real monsters and real magic. Magical forces so powerful that the Egyptians lost control of them, and nearly destroyed the world. Yugi says it's a good story, but these monsters can't be real. (Japanese Yugi thinks that with Dragon Capture Jar on the field, he won't be able to use any Dragon-Type monsters. Pegasus says that even the super-rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon, held by Kaiba whom Yugi defeated, can't stand up to the card he holds in his hand. Not even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Yugi exclaims. Pegasus says that the game is evolving every day. Yugi begins to play a card, but Pegasus knows that it's Silver Fang, a Beast-Type monster. He says Yugi will also use Full Moon to increase Silver Fang's power. He holds up a card, saying it should handle Silver Fang nicely. This shot of Pegasus holding up the Dragon Piper card is replaced by scenes of monsters fighting, as Pegasus tells his story of ancient Egypt, in the US version.)
Pegasus plays Dragon Piper (200 ATK), which releases the Koumori Dragon from the Dragon Capture Jar and brings it to Pegasus' side of the field. (The real Dragon Piper is a Flip Effect monster, which destroys Dragon Capture Jar and turns all face-up Dragon monsters to Attack Position.) Yugi responds with Silver Fang (1200 ATK), which is destroyed by Koumori Dragon. Yugi's life points go down to 1500. (It appears that they're giving Koumori Dragon an attack of 1700 points in this episode, even though the the card actually has 1500 ATK. That's the only way the scores could come out the way they do.)
Pegasus giggles, saying the monsters are quite real, and quite dangerous! He tells "Yugi-Boy" that he's quite entertaining—so defiant yet helpless, and completely ignorant of the power of his Millennium Puzzle. (Japanese Pegasus says Yugi played right into his hands, then giggles, saying "Joke! It's a joke," in English. In the Japanese, Pegasus is an American, and often speaks heavily-accented English.)
Five thousand years ago, Pegasus says, a powerful pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away, capturing the mystical energies in seven Millennium Items. Yugi asks if Pegasus is saying that his Millennium Puzzle is one of them? Pegasus tells Yugi that there is magic in the Millennium Puzzle that could change Yugi's life, if he knew how to use it. Yugi asks why Pegasus is telling him this, but Pegasus sets another card face down and tells Yugi that time is running out—they'd better get back to their duel. (Japanese Pegasus says he knows Yugi is shocked, but this is very real. There's no way Yugi can beat him. And when Yugi loses, he'll have to participate in the event Pegasus is going to sponsor—an event to prove who is the real King of Duelists. He who gains the title of King of Duelists will win great honor and a cash prize. Again, images of Egypt and the Millennium Items are added to the scene in the US version.)
(Yugi says he's not interested in Pegasus' tournament, and asks what if he says no? Pegasus says no, Yugi can't refuse. Since there's no way Yugi can win, he can't escape. Yugi says the game isn't over yet, and Pegasus says, then let's continue.)
Yugi wonders if Pegasus can really read his mind, or if it's some kind of trick. Pegasus lifts the hair covering his Millennium Eye, and sees the card in Yugi's mind. Yugi begins to play the Zombie Warrior in his hand, but when Pegasus laughs softly, he stops, knowing that Pegasus knows what he's about to do. It must have something to do with that weird eye of his—it must let him see the cards in Yugi's hand. (Japanese Yugi wonders if he really chose that card, or does he just think he did? He wonders if Pegasus uses some kind of hypnosis to control his opponents and make them play the cards he wants them to.) That gives Yugi an idea—what if he plays a card from his deck without looking at it? Not even he will know what card he's playing. He draws a card and places it face down on the field.
Pegasus says he knows Yugi is about to play Zombie Warrior, and he's ready to counter it with a trap card. (Japanese Pegasus activates Sun Shower, a trap card that destroys Zombie-Type monsters.) But Yugi says he's figured out Pegasus' game, and turns over his card, Dark Magician (2500 ATK). (Japanese Yugi says he'll destroy Devil Dragon. Pegasus asks why Yugi doesn't attack Dragon Piper. [If he did, Yugi would win the game with that one attack—Dark Magician's attack is 2300 points higher than Dragon Piper's.] Yugi replies that he, and only he, revives his own monsters. He can't let the game end with Koumori Dragon under Pegasus' control. Pegasus says that oddity will be Yugi's downfall.) Dark Magician destroys Koumori Dragon, bringing Pegasus down to 1200 life points. (Again, Koumori Dragon must have 1700 attack points to yield that result.) But Pegasus laughs triumphantly, saying that by playing that one card, Yugi has assured Pegasus' victory! (Japanese Pegasus says Yugi may have seen through that one play, but he still underestimates him.) He draws the very rare Faceless Mage (1200 ATK) (Illusionist No-Face in the Japanese. The real card is called Illusionist Faceless Mage).
Yugi says his Dark Magician is one of the most powerful magic cards in the game! (Oops. It's not a magic card, it's a monster.) But Pegasus combines Faceless Mage with the Eye of Illusion, and Dark Magician's attack can't destroy it. Only five minutes remain in the game, and Yugi's running out of time. He's ahead by 300 life points, but it's only because Pegasus is toying with him. He has to find a way to beat Pegasus at his own game. (Japanese Yugi thinks that if he can maintain his life points, he might win. But only a coward would choose that route. The only real victory is to take Pegasus' life points to zero.)
Yugi plays Celtic Guardian (1400 ATK), but Pegasus uses Eye of Illusion to take control of Dark Magician, and destroys Celtic Guardian with it. Yugi's down to 400 life points, But now that the Eye of Illusion is controlling Dark Magician, the Faceless Mage is unprotected.
Pegasus sets another card face down, telling Yugi that their time is nearly up, and since he has more life points, it looks like he's the victor. But there are still nine seconds remaining, so Yugi plays Summoned Skull (2500 ATK) (Demon Summon). He attacks, but time runs out before the attack can reach Faceless Mage. Pegasus wins.
He's taken Yugi's measure, Pegasus says, and the next time they duel, they'll play for much higher stakes. Yugi says he's done playing Pegasus' games, but Pegasus says he's giving Yugi no choice. He uncovers his Millennium Eye, saying that now he'll show Yugi the true extent of its magic.
A bolt of magic shoots from the Millennium Eye, capturing Grandpa's soul. Grandpa appears on the television screen, calling Yugi's name. The Shadow Realm fades away, and the gang is restored—except for Grandpa, who falls over senseless. Yugi clutches the TV screen, calling out for his Grandpa.
