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Episode
GuideEpisode 14: Light at the End of the Tunnel (Pitch Dark Duel! Castle Hidden in the Dark)
[Note: For US broadcast, Episodes 14 and 15 were edited together and shown as one episode. This recap is based on the complete episode included on the US DVD release.]
(The Japanese version begins with a flashback of Mai standing on the beach, saying to herself that it's not her style to think of the past, then being grabbed by the Player Killer.)
Tristan, Téa, and Joey are waking up from being sent to the Shadow Realm by Bakura. Tristan says he just dreamt Bakura went totally mental, and Joey agrees—that's the last time he snoozes with dueling cards under his pillow. Then Bakura shows up, smiling brightly and asking if they slept well. Téa says she dreamed that Yugi had them all dressed up like Duel Monsters cards, and that Bakura had gone nuts—so, no.
They hear a scream, and see bird feathers flying. Tristan and Joey agree it sounded like Mai, and they all run to see what's happened.
Mai's three Harpie Ladies are destroyed, and she loses her duel. From the darkness on the other side of the dueling arena, her opponent says they've been eliminated, just like her. Gradually, he becomes visible—a huge, scary-looking fellow with two dueling gloves, each with a double row of Star Chips. He demands Mai's eight Star Chips, and she pops them out of her dueling glove. Her dueling station lowers her to the ground, just as Yugi and the others rush up, asking if she's okay. She tells them they're too late.
Joey asks if this sideshow freak is giving her a hard time, and the big, scary dude laughs and says that's right—just like Pegasus pays him to do. He weeds out all dueling filth on the island and disposes of it. Tristan asks if that makes him a garbage man, but Mai says it's no joke. Panik (Player Killer) is one of the island's Eliminators, and if they don't get out of there, he'll do to them what he did to her. (Japanese Jounouchi asks Mai if she's all right, and asks what happened. The Player Killer laughs, saying he can save himself the effort—the prey comes to him. Honda asks Mai, who is that guy? Mai tells them to be careful—he's a Player Killer who takes Star Chips from the duelists on the island.)
Yugi asks what an Eliminator means, and Panik grabs Mai's arm with its empty dueling glove and holds it up, saying this is what it means—not a Star Chip left. (Japanese Player Killer says he'll disqualify Yugi, just as he did this woman, and tells Yugi to duel him.) Téa realizes this means Mai's been disqualified, and Mai sadly agrees. It all happened so fast, she says. The way Panik duels, she just lost it. (Japanese Mai says, this is as far as she goes. Now she won't realize her dream of dueling Yugi.) Téa says this isn't right, but Panik laughs, saying Mai was one of his easiest victims yet, and tosses her towards the gang.
Joey calls Panik a creep, and tries to go beat him up, but Tristan and Bakura hold him back. Bakura says he knows how Joey feels, but that guy's twice his size. (Japanese Bakura says that even if Jounouchi beats him up, it won't solve the problem.) Joey says he can take him, but Yugi says fists aren't the answer. Violence won't solve anything. He's dealt with a lot of bullies in his life, and there's only one way to deal with them. (Japanese Yugi says Bakura's right. He'll take care of this.) He walks up to Panik, and Joey asks him what he means. As the Millennium Puzzle activates, Yugi says you have to stand up to them, and Yami comes out. (As before, the entire sequence of Yugi turning into Yami is added back to the US version, while the Japanese version only shows the Puzzle glowing, then Yami appearing in a cone of light.) Mai protests, but Yami tells Panik to try his intimidation tactics against him. He doesn't scare easy, especially when he's standing up for his friends. Yami challenges Panik to a duel. (Japanese Yami tells Mai not to worry—he'll defeat this guy and get her Star Chips back.)
Panik says he'll eliminate Yugi from the tournament just as he did Mai, and he grabs Mai's arm again. Yugi says if Panik's looking to bully someone, try him. Playtime is over. It's time to duel. (This part is added to the US version. It's a repeat of what's already been shown.)
As Yugi and Panik take their places in the dueling arena, Joey encourages Yugi to show Panik how they deal with thugs like him. Panik says it must be his lucky day—Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the Eliminator who defeats Yugi. He wonders if Pegasus would throw in some extra cash for inflicting bodily harm—not that he wouldn't do it for free. Yugi says Panik had better start thinking of other ways to make money, because when he's through with him, Panik will be out of a job. Panik says he isn't in it for the money. There's no better thrill than breaking weak duelists like Yugi. Yugi says he won't be bullied—he plays with his heart, and that's why he'll always win against Panik's type. (Japanese Player Killer says that player killers like him are all over the island, looking for duelists to defeat. It's his foremost mission to defeat Yugi, and he's really lucky. Yugi says he's fed up with Pegasus' despicable dealings. Player Killer says the great Mr. Pegasus, owner of Industrial Illusions, doesn't need to deal with every little thing personally. He doesn't need to bother with defeating someone like Yugi. Yugi says he'll offer these words: "I won't lose. Only I can defeat Pegasus.")
Panik says Yugi's never faced his type before. When he's in a match, there's a lot more to it than dueling strategy. (Japanese Player Killer says as long as darkness exists, no little kid can beat him.) Mai says that Panik's ruthless, and had her totally terrified. Panik says she's not the first, either. Eliminators build their careers on stalking weak players and strong-arming them into dueling, and now he's going to take Yugi down just as he did Mai. But Yugi smiles, saying he sees how Panik works—sneaking up on unsuspecting duelists because he hasn't the courage to challenge them face to face. True Duelists fights with honor and respect. (Japanese Mai warns Yugi to be careful. Player Killer says that when the King of Darkness arrives, no duelist can be at peace. If Yugi doesn't pay attention, the darkness will attack with full strength. Yugi's fate will be the same as that woman, and he'll lose miserably. Yugi tells him to listen up—sneaking up on others in the dark is the cowardly act of a thief. People like him ruin the honor of duelists.)
Yugi wagers all his Star Chips against Mai's eight, and Panik takes the bet, saying the Star Chips don't mean anything to him. When you duel with him, you put more than Star Chips on the line. (Japanese Yugi says he'll bet all six of his Star Chips. Player Killer says he'll bet Mai's eight, and make up the difference with this, as he pushes a button.) He activates a device that shackles Yugi to the dueling platform by his ankles, and then sends fountains of flame past Yugi. (In the Japanese, he tells Yugi that when he loses, the flames will destroy him)
Téa calls out to Yugi, standing between gouts of flame, and Joey says they've got to get him out of there. Panik laughs, pointing at Yugi and taunting him that he's strapped in for the long haul. Joey shouts at Panik to turn it off, and Mai says Panik used those on her, too. Bakura urges Yugi to stay strong.
Eventually, the flames subside. Panik says he can see the fear in Yugi's eyes, and says Yugi's beginning to realize the nightmare he's stepped into. (Japanese Player Killer says he'll give Yugi a rest for now, but he can turn the flame on and burn him to death at any time. He tells Yugi not to think of escape.) Téa calls Panik a psycho, while Joey and Tristan urge Yugi to stop the duel and get down from there. But Yugi just smiles, asking Panik if he's finished blowing smoke, then saying it will take more than cheap pyrotechnics to make him lose his cool. Panik says the last time someone had the nerve to talk to him like that, he broke him in half. (Japanese Yugi says he'll beat Player Killer, and shatter his arrogance, and Panik tells Yugi to see if he lives long enough to defeat him.) Then, he says, let's duel.
Mai thinks, Yugi's good, but he's never faced an Eliminator before. Once Panik gets inside his head, it's all over. (Japanese Mai urges Yugi to beat that guy, with the honor of duelists at stake.)
Panik begins, saying that since his fire didn't phase Yugi, he'll turn down the lights. He plays Castle of Dark Illusions (Castle Hidden in the Dark) (920 ATK/1930 DEF) in defense. It gets a field power bonus from being played at night, giving it an attack of 1196 and defense of 2509. (The Castle's ring in the Japanese episode contains the kanji for yami, or darkness. In the US, the ring is solid black.)
Yugi says he's not afraid of the dark, but Panik says he would be, if he only knew. Darkness engulfs his side of the field and hiding his monsters from view, while Yugi's side is exposed and vulnerable to Panik's attacks. Panik continues to taunt Yugi, telling him that the darkness will prey on his mind until he's too terrified to fight. (Japanese Player Killer says he has a great view. He can see Yugi's side very clearly. But can't Yugi see anything?)
Mai urges Yugi not to listen, telling him that this is how Panik threw her off her game. But Panik goes on to tell Yugi that he won't be able to power up his monsters with a field power bonus, because only the night grants bonuses here. (Japanese Player Killer says that since the darkness is only on his side of the field, only he will get the field power bonus from it.)
Yugi thinks that, without any idea of what's waiting for him in the shadows, he can't risk an attack. He'll have to play it safe for now. He plays Celtic Guardian (Elf Swordsman) (1200 DEF) in defense. Panik summons a monster Yugi can't see. (It's pretty dark, but the monster Panik plays has the purple background of a fusion monster in the US version, but a normal yellow background in the Japanese. This is Barox. In the video games, it's a fusion monster.)
Panik attacks, destroying Celtic Guardian.
Joey says that's cheap—how do you defend against what you can't see? Bakura adds, or defeat a monster you can't find? Tristan wonders if anybody's got a flashlight. Panik laughs, saying even Yugi's friends have lost hope for him. (Japanese Bakura says they have to trust Yugi. That's all they can do. Honda doesn't say anything. Player Killer says Yugi's at his wit's end.) Yugi thinks, he has to get Panik's monsters out of those shadows. But the only way he can do that is to destroy the Castle of Dark Illusions, but none of his monsters has an attack powerful enough to destroy it. He's beginning to understand why they call him Panik—the game's just started, and Yugi's already flustered. Panik tells him to play any monster he likes—Panik's monsters will consume them all. Yugi plays Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress (1200 DEF) in defense mode.
Panik summons another mystery monster, saying that Yugi's defensive maneuvering might keep him safe from one monster, but not two. Yugi knows Panik's right—defending alone won't win the duel. Panik tells Yugi to admit it—he's terrified. All his courage has been devoured by Panik's shadowy fog.
Téa asks Mai how Yugi is supposed to take this guy out. Mai says if she could have figured that out, they wouldn't be in this situation. Yugi thinks there must be some way to neutralize Panik's shadows. But they're generated by the Castle of Dark Illusions, and that's nearly impregnable. Then Yugi thinks, what if he attacks the darkness itself? He switches the Winged Dragon into attack mode (1400 ATK) and attacks the darkness with its fireballs, illuminating Panik's monsters for the moment. (The monsters are Barox and Dark Chimera.) But then Panik destroys Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress, taking Yugi's Life Points down to 1606. Panik asks Yugi if it's sunk in yet—standing up to a bully leaves him nowhere to go but down.
Yugi thinks down is right—his life points are down, while Panik's haven't been scratched, and he's lost two of his best monsters. And he still can't see what he's up against. But he's still going to find a way to put that big bully in his place. (Japanese Player Killer says that Yugi's dragon is defeated. Yugi thinks that in the dark, it's hard to take aim at the enemy's monsters. And, even though he can shine a light on the darkness for a moment, it will soon be overtaken by darkness again. He can't identify the monsters.)
Panik says that the night has eyes, and all of them are on Yugi. Yugi thinks, again, that as long as the Castle of Dark Illusions is on the field, it's impossible to see any of Panik's monsters. But panicking about it will only make things worse, so he has to do his best not to let Panik see him sweat. Panik tells him to keep struggling—it's more fun when he resists. Yugi says it's tough talk, coming from someone who makes all his attacks hiding in the shadows. (Japanese Player Killer says he's invincible in the dark. Yugi says that's not so. He's just hiding in the dark. He's merely a useless thing. Some of the scenes are rearranged and reused here in the US version to accommodate the changed dialog, but it's all there, so I'm not going to screencap it.) Panik responds with another jet of flame, and says Yugi had better think twice before he insults someone who can scorch him with the touch of a button. He continues to taunt Yugi, saying Yugi's lost and alone in the dark, and Panik's the big, bad bogeyman. (Japanese Player Killer says Yugi's life is in his hands.)
But Yugi laughs, saying he can see right through Panik. He is the bogeyman, scaring children into being afraid of the dark—until they realize that the dark is nothing to be afraid of. Yugi holds up a card, saying it will that he has the card that will expose Panik, and lift up the veil of shadows he cowers behind. (Japanese Yugi says he'll let Player Killer taste the real darkness.)
Téa asks Mai why Yugi would tell Panik his strategy. Mai says it's panic. The same thing happened to her—you start making amateur mistakes. (Japanese Anzu asks Mai what Yugi is doing. Mai says she doesn't know. But Yugi isn't just pretending to be confident. The reflection of Panik in Mai's eyes is added to the US version.)
But Bakura says Yugi doesn't look like he's panicking. (Japanese Bakura asks, the real darkness?) Panik laughs, saying the card is just a bluff, and dares Yugi to prove him wrong. Yugi asks why he should show Panik his card, when Panik's hiding all of his. But to prove it, he'll show Panik the card. Tristan tells Yugi he doesn't need to prove anything to that slime, but Yugi turns the card around to reveal the Swords of Revealing Light (Sealing Swords of Light). Not only will the Swords of Revealing Light stop all of the enemy's monsters' attacks, it will bathe the field in light and expose the creatures lurking in the shadows. But, Yugi says, he won't play it now. He'll let Panik worry about how and when he'll use it. Then he says he'll defeat Panik in five turns. He plays Curse of Dragon (1500 DEF) in defense, and sets a card face-down on the field, saying it will make Panik see the light. He tells Panik his five turns start now.
Panik thinks Yugi's set card must be the Swords of Revealing light. Téa asks Mai why Yugi's keeping that card out if he's not going to play it yet. Mai says it's not a good sign. She was able to keep it together for about this long, too, but after a while, Panik has a way of getting to you and making you slip up. Joey says Yugi knows what he's doing, and Bakura says he hopes so. Tristan agrees that Yugi does. Mai knows Yugi's good, but fighting Panik isn't about being good, it's about keeping your head when you're lost in the dark or being attacked by fire. Yugi's going to need guts to win, not skill. Téa says Yugi's got heart, but Bakura points out that Yugi left his best card out and vulnerable, and you don't make a mistake like that unless you're nervous. (Japanese Anzu asks Mai if it's all right to tell the enemy what your cards are, and Mai says, not usually. But she thinks Yugi must be using weapons other than cards. Jounouchi asks, weapons other than cards? Bakura says she must mean words. Honda asks, words? Mai says, that's right. The Player Killer hides in the dark, so Yugi can't see anything, and can't attack. But there is one way. Anzu says, with words! Honda says he sees. Bakura says Yugi will use words as a weapon—that's the real trump card to overcome the darkness. Mai urges Yugi to show her his game face.)
Panik draws, then laughs, telling Yugi it was a daring move to tell him about his card, but it was a critical mistake to leave it on the field exposed. He summons Reaper of the Cards (Death God Reaper of the Cards) (1380 ATK), saying that when it's summoned, all magic cards fear the ghostly toll of doom, and ordering it to attack Yugi's face-down card. (The real card's effect is a flip effect, and it destroys one trap card on the field.) The Reaper flies towards Yugi's set card, as Mai cries out that that card was Yugi's only chance! But when the Reaper's scythe hits Yugi's face-down card, its attack stops. Panik stares at the warning sign flashing on his game readout in astonishment, and Yugi laughs. He never said Swords of Revealing Light was the card he placed on the field. In fact, it's a trap card, Spellbinding Circle (Hexagram Spell), which seizes the Reaper of the Cards, stopping it from attacking. (Spellbinding Circle gets a makeover for US audiences, changing the hexagram into some swirly designs.)
Yugi says that duelists must be wary of the Reaper of the Cards, and its ability to send magic cards to the graveyard. He figured that Panik probably had one in his deck. But now that it's frozen, Yugi can lay whatever magic cards he wants on the field.
Téa and Joey cheer, congratulating Yugi on his move. Mai looks on in surprise, wondering, what is it with this kid? She can't even keep up with him standing on the sidelines. (Japanese Mai wonders that Yugi can make such calm moves while facing such a strong enemy.) Bakura says Yugi's doing good, but it's not over yet. Panik is outraged that Yugi fooled him. But Yugi says Panik fooled himself, and wasted a powerful card, too. Now that the coast is clear, Yugi sets his Swords of Revealing Light on the field, along with another magic card, both face down. (This scene shows Yugi with three face-down cards, but Spellbinding Circle's been activated, so it should be face up now.)
Now what's up? Joey wonders, and Bakura says they'll soon find out.
Panik says, so what if Yugi captured his Reaper? It's only one of his powerful cards, and the others will destroy Yugi! (The Japanese episode ends differently, showing Mai watching the duel intently, then the players, then a long shot of the duel.)
To Be Continued
