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Episode
GuideEpisode 99: Isolated in Cyber Space: Yugi vs Big 1 - Part I (Deck Master: Deep Sea Warrior)
The Big 5 laugh, telling the gang that their chances of survival are zero! It's only a matter of time before the Big 5 are freed from their virtual prison. Kaiba and Joey both make some threats, telling the Big 5 they're going down, when a hole opens up in the floor under Joey, and he falls! Serenity calls after her brother, but before anyone can help, the floor seals back up and Joey's gone. The Big 5 say that before the dueling begins, they plan to separate the gang, and another hole opens up beneath Téa's feet. Next goes Serenity, and when Duke and Tristan run to her aid, the hole opens wider and they fall, too. Mokuba runs to Kaiba, and the two of them fall together, then finally Yugi.
Everyone falls through a vortex of colored light. Mokuba clings to his brother, and Kaiba says don't worry, they'll pay for this. (Japanese Kaiba says, "Big 5, how dare you do this to me!")
Joey is the first to come to, lying on the ground outside a huge mansion. Téa finds herself in a rugged canyon, and Serenity's on the shore of a quiet lake. Duke and Tristan wake in a long, wood-paneled hallway, wondering where Serenity is.
Kaiba and Mokuba are lying on a pathway in the middle of a forest, Kaiba's arm across his little brother's back. Mokuba comes to first, asking his brother if he's all right.
Watching them on one of many digitally projected screens surrounding him, Noah sits in a high-tech-looking chair, reflecting that he has them right where he wants them—each one isolated in his virtual world. He wonders who should be the first to suffer, then decides who better than the infamous Yugi Mutou!
Yugi stands on the shore of a large pond in the middle of a forest, saying to himself that it all seems so real, when from the depths of the pond a creature rises. It's one of the Big 5, in the body of a Duel Monster. He says he's Gansley, former Vice President of Business Strategy at Kaiba Corp, who's now taken the form of the Deep Sea Warrior. (He doesn't introduce himself in the Japanese, and the image of the Big 5's face overlying the Deep Sea Warrior's doesn't occur. He says that as a loyal employee of Kaiba Corp, he oversaw the mergers and acquisitions of many companies. Then he talks about being his own Deck Master as the Deep Sea Warrior.)
Yugi's not impressed. He says Gansley's nothing but a feeble old man who wouldn't stand a chance in a duel against Yugi if his life depended on it. (Japanese Yugi says something about the man being his own Deck Master.) Gansley reminds him of the rules—his life does depend on it. If he wins, he'll take over Yugi's body and return to the real world. He can't wait to be young again, he says, although he will have to change that haircut! (Japanese Deep Sea Warrior says it's Yugi's fault the Big 5 lost their bodies. There are no cracks about haircuts.)
Yami appears beside Yugi in spirit form, saying that this must stop—their friends are in danger! Yugi agrees—they have to beat the Big 5 at their own game. (Japanese Yami says this is bad—the Big 5 will target Anzu and Shizuka. Yugi agrees, saying that there's no reason to have a duel like this, but they have to beat him and go find Anzu and the others.) The two merge, and Yami tells Gansley he won't succeed.
Gansley reminds Yami of the new rules. They must each pick a monster to serve as their Deck Master, and Deep Sea Warrior will be Gansley's. (Japanese Deep Sea Warrior recognizes that Yami came out, saying, "You're the Type-B Yugi, aren't you?" Yami asks, "What did you say?" and Deep Sea Warrior says he'd known that there were two Yugis. It's essential to do research before a duel. Then he recites a saying, "You know all, you win all.") Now, Yami must choose a virtual deck. Cards appear in the air before him, and he must touch the ones he wants.
Next, he must choose his Deck Master. Each monster card has its own special Deck Master abilities, Gansley says, but he won't tell Yami what they are—he'll have to figure that out for himself. Yami looks at his cards, wondering which card he should choose. Without knowing all the rules of this new system, it's hard to say, but his Dark Magician has never let him down. He's about to choose it, when little Kuriboh peers out of the card next to it, waving its tiny claw, and making Kuriboh-ish noises. Suddenly, Kuriboh pops out of its card, bobbing around in front of Yami. (The subtitles call Kuriboh "Little Fluff." Heh.)
Interesting choice, says Gansley, but Yami protests he didn't choose Kuriboh! Kuriboh snuggles against Yami's cheek. Gansley says once a Deck Master has been chosen, it can't be changed. Yami brushes the little furball off, telling Kuriboh he didn't choose him—but now they must win this together. (In the Japanese, Yami tells Kuriboh, "You say 'Count on me?' Okay, I'll believe you, then.") Kuriboh puts on a fierce face, and takes up his position at Yami's side.
The duel begins. Deep Sea Warrior goes first, setting a monster in defense mode, saying it's only a matter of time before he wins. Yugi doesn't have the business skills to wheel and deal with a mogul like him. Yami says Duel Monsters is about honor, trust, and respect—not business skills and making deals. (In the Japanese, Deep Sea Warrior says this is just the first step, and Yami thinks that he thought the Big 5 would have something special, but this is just a common opening move. But he must have some plan. And Deep Sea Warrior thinks that his research tells him that Type-B Yugi will attack in this situation, quoting the saying "it's a pity not to attack.")
It's Yami's turn. He summons Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. (Poor Celtic Guardian! What did he do to deserve being called obnoxious? The Japanese name of this card is "Honrou suru elf no kenshi," which means something like "Fooling Elf Swordsman." It's an new version of the standard Celtic Guardian, or Elf Swordsman, with the special effect that it can't be destroyed by any monster whose attack is 1900 or more.) Then Yami sets one card face down, and attacks Deep Sea Warrior's defense monster.
Gansley thanks Yami. The monster he destroyed was Ashinigrai, which, when it goes to the graveyard, forces the opponent to discard one card. Yami discards Exchange, saying that he has plenty of other cards. Then Gansley says Ashinigrai has another effect—he can summon another Ashinigrai to the field, and shuffle his deck. He tells Yami that if he'd done his research, he could have avoided this embarrassing loss.
Meanwhile, Serenity's standing on a dock, watching swans swim around on the lake, saying this place might not be so bad after all. The breeze blows in her hair, and when one of the swans takes flight, it splashes cold water on her. Kneeling down to put her hand in the water, she wonders how she can feel anything, since everything here is a virtual illusion. It feels so real! Then dark clouds begin to move in, and she doesn't want to be alone any more. She has to find Joey! (Japanese Shizuka doesn't whine quite so much. She looks at the dark clouds and says, "Onii-chan," which means big brother.)
Joey is walking down a broad stairway inside the mansion, wondering how he got there. The last thing he remembers is "scaring" the Big 5. In frustration, he shouts challenges to the Big 5 to come out and face him! (Japanese Jounouchi says he has to beat Malik as soon as possible and rescue Mai.) He whirls, thinking someone's behind him, but it's only a suit of armor. Embarrassed, he threatens the armor.
Duke and Tristan are running down the hallway, calling for Serenity. Duke thinks all this running is getting them nowhere, but Tristan says he's not stopping until he finds her, and runs on, Duke following after.
Kaiba and Mokuba walk down a path through the woods. Mokuba says he knows the Big 5 want to use them to escape the virtual world, but what about Noah? Who is he, and what does he want? Kaiba doesn't know, but he guesses that Noah wants what's his, just like everybody else! What's bothering him is how Noah built this virtual universe—there's no way he could have done it on his own. Mokuba suggests that the Big 5 helped him, but Kaiba says they couldn't pull this off. Someone else is involved, and he'll find them! Mokuba nods, running off to help. (In the Japanese, Mokuba starts out saying that this virtual world is pretty real, and Kaiba says it's just a copy of his Solid Vision. Mokuba asks who Noah is, and Kaiba says the mobile fortress and the virtual world aren't things a kid can make by himself, or the Big 5, either. He supposes there must be some other source backing them, in an attempt to take over Kaiba Corporation. Mokuba asks if they can escape, and Kaiba tells him not to worry, he knows the essentials of the system. There has to be an emergency exit somewhere. It might look like a door or a window. Mokuba nods and runs ahead.)
Back at the duel, Deep Sea Warrior draws Ipiria, just the monster he needs! He tells Yami there are three secrets to succes: first, build a powerful workforce. He summons Ipiria, which allows him to draw another card. Then, he flip summons Ashinigrai, building up his workforce. The second secret is to know your own resources. By switching Ashinigrai into attack mode, he triggers its effect, forcing Yami to discard another card. The last and most important secret—always keep your competition guessing. Yami has no idea of the horrors in store for him! (Japanese Deep Sea Warrior quotes a Renaissance Italian political thinker saying there are three conditions for success. First: Sieze the chance. Second: Use your abilities. He doesn't mention the third condition yet.)
Duke and Tristan finally stop running, gasping for breath. Tristan says they need a new plan, but Duke protests that the hallway was obviously built to go on forever. They won't find a way out, because the virtual hallway doesn't have one. Tristan says if there's no exit, they'll make one. He takes an axe from a suit of armor in the hallway, and gives the wall a good whack.
Wandering through the canyon, Téa calls out, but no one answers. (Japanese Anzu doesn't call out. She says as she walks along that she should find the others as soon as possible.) Then she hears a noise, and sees a monster on the hillside. Suddenly, the hills are crawling with monsters (they're Hitotsume Giants, or Cyclops in the Japanese). She tries to back away, but steps on a loose rock, alerting the monsters to her presence. They attack, and one of them throws a weapon which lands near her, kicking up rocks, one of which hits her in the face. (The rock leaves a small cut on her face in the Japanese, which is digitized out in the US version.)
Téa runs, but suddenly a Cyclops looms before her!
Kaiba and Mokuba are still walking along the path. Mokuba sees a door ahead of them, and runs towards it, saying it's probably an emergency exit back to the real world. Kaiba runs after him, warning him to stop. (In the Japanese, Kaiba is the one who says it's the program exit.) He opens the door, but all they can see is a bright light. Then they see a large building, surrounded by an iron gate. Mokuba recognizes it—it's the orphanage where they grew up. He didn't know it was still around. But Kaiba says it's a trick. A cheap virtual illusion, like everything else. But how did Noah find out they once lived there? (Japanese Kaiba curses Noah for designing the orphanage into his virtual world, saying the kid has nasty hobbies.)
Deep Sea Warrior tells Yami that he predicts a major growth in power for himself, while Yami sinks deeper into debt, due to his pathetic Deck Master, Kuriboh. (Japanese Deep Sea Warrior doesn't speak. Yami wonders if his opponent is tempting him to attack, or just showing off? He thinks he's overthinking it.) Kuriboh peeps eagerly at Yami, and Deep Sea Warrior says it appears the little furball has an idea—too bad he can't talk. (Again, Japanese Deep Sea Warrior doesn't speak, but chuckles.) Kuriboh makes fierce face at Gansley, and Yami tells him to stay calm, wishing he knew what Kuriboh was trying to tell him. (Japanese Yami thinks Kuriboh's right. He can't just stand there and do nothing, while the others are in danger.)
Yami draws Polymerization—just what he needs! He fuses Berfomet and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, then plays Quick Attack, allowing him to attack Ipiria with it.
Gansley says it's an interesting move, but a poor business decision. (This is where Japanese Deep Sea Warrior quotes the third condition for success: Tempting your enemies to destruction.) Thanks to Deep Sea Warrior's Deck Master ability, he can sacrifice two monsters to create the Reflector Hole, which bounces Chimera's attack back at Yami. Kuriboh peeps helplessly as Yami is thrown back by the attack, losing 2100 life points. Then Yami steps forward to resume the duel, saying he's not out of business yet. Gansley says it's only a matter of time—and Yami's friends must be suffering even greater losses. (Japanese Deep Sea Warrior says that the wounds received in the virtual world will be accepted as real by the mind and "add to the burden of the heart.")
Yugi pops out to say that Gansley's right—they've got to end this and find their friends! While Gansley says one more attack like that and Yami's life points will be wiped out, and he'll be trapped there forever!
To Be Continued
