A 
Episode
GuideEpisode 143: One for the Road (Alcatraz Burns)
(Cut from the beginning of the US version is a short scene of Yugi and the gang calling for Kaiba. Instead, a shot of the Duel Tower is shown.)
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The gang stands before the Duel Tower, wondering why Kaiba would program it to explode, and then disappear. (Japanese Jounouchi calls out to Kaiba, "Don't be childish! Come out now!" and Anzu tells him to stop joking—does he really want to die here? He apologizes, saying "Warui, warui," which literally means "I'm bad"—one of many ways the Japanese have for saying they're sorry. Honda says, if the engine can't be fixed, they'll be in a terrible situation. This long shot of Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda is cut from the US version.)
Joey thinks Kaiba knew the ship's engines were out, so he made his own way off the island. (Japanese Jounouchi says they have to find Kaiba anyway and ask him to stop the countdown.) Yugi says Kaiba couldn't have gone far—they'll track him down. They split up and take off to look for him.
Meanwhile, in the control room, Kaiba and Mokuba watch the Duel Tower on viewscreens as the red alert sounds. Kaiba thinks that soon this place where Yugi disgraced him by stealing the Battle City crown will soon be destroyed. The only way he can move forward is by destroying the past—including the site where Yugi robbed him of his victory. (Japanese Kaiba says to himself, "Yugi, I lost the fight to you on this tower." He remembers facing Yugi's Black Paladin, and Yugi telling him that there's no victory in hatred. Then Yugi showed him the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card, telling him that the card his friend gave to him was the power that brought him victory. The flashback is changed in the US version to show the moment of Kaiba's loss. The Japanese version shows Yugi picking up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and holding it up.)
Kaiba smiles to himself, thinking that all of that nonsense will soon be behind him. (Japanese Kaiba thinks, "The power of friends....")
Mokuba tells Kaiba that all systems are set. Hopefully the rest of the gang is already off the island. The two of them turn and walk away.
On the ship, the pilots continue to work the controls, trying to get the engine started, while Duke, Mai, Bakura, and Serenity watch. But it still won't work.
Kaiba strides down the hallway, as the red lights flash, thinking that when this tower crumbles, Battle City will be behind him, and the memory of his stepfather, Gozaburo, will be buried forever. (Japanese Kaiba thinks that Battle City was for him not only a fight to become Duel King, but also a fight between him and Gozaburo. Maybe it's his hatred that awakens Gozaburo in him, he thinks, but that man is always an obstacle to him. This sequence showing Kaiba's thoughts is cut from the US version.)
Kaiba remembers meeting Gozaburo in the virtual world, accepting his challenge and dueling him. (The second half of the flashback, after Gozaburo's challenge, is changed in the US version to show scenes from their duel. The Japanese version shows Gozaburo as the flame beast pursuing the Battle Ship, while Kaiba vows not to bow to Gozaburo's pressure and converts the ship to its jet form to escape.)
Even though he won, he's still haunted by Gozaburo. But once he destroys this tower, which sits at the heart of the island Gozaburo once controlled, Gozaburo Kaiba will be out of his head for good. Maybe then he can begin to rebuild his life. (Japanese Kaiba thinks he's destroyed Gozaburo. But has he really won?)
Kaiba stops. Mokuba turns back to tell him to hurry. But Kaiba remains standing in the hallway. He clutches his locket in his hand and opens it to look at the picture of Mokuba inside, thinking that with the destruction of his past comes the rebirth of his future—the future he promised Mokuba he'd have. (Japanese Kaiba wonders which path he should take. Should he go for the dream he and Mokuba made?) He remembers playing in the sandbox with Mokuba as children, telling his brother that some day he would build a real amusement park. They'd open up amusement parks all over the world, and everyone on Earth would want to vacation at Kaiba Land. Soon, Kaiba thinks, he'll start living his dream, and keeping the promise he made to Mokuba. (Japanese Kaiba thinks that his heart, like Alcatraz, has been buried in the debris.)
Mokuba again tells him to hurry, and they enter the elevator and begin to descend. It's time to create a new empire, Kaiba thinks. (Japanese Kaiba thinks that his road is the one buried under the debris.)
There are only thirteen minutes left in the countdown. Joey grabs Roland and insists that he must know how to stop the countdown, but Roland says Kaiba and Mokuba are the only ones who can stop it. Yugi worries that with Kaiba missing and the ship not working, they'll never escape the explosion, but Yami tells him to have faith. (Japanese Yugi asks Yami if Kaiba is really going to sink with the island, but Yami says no. Cut from the US version is this sequence where Yami says that Kaiba believes in the future, and he'll escape in his own way. Yugi says he hopes so.)
Tristan tells Joey to chill out. But Joey says how can he stay calm! The island's about to blow sky-high, and they have no way to escape! Téa says maybe the ship's engines have been fixed. (Japanese Honda tells Jounouchi they're running out of time, and they should go back to the Battle Ship. Jounouchi agrees, saying Kaiba might have gone back to the ship already.)
But then Duke and Bakura come running out of the ship to tell them that the engines still aren't working. They need more time, but there are only twelve minutes left. (Ten minutes in the Japanese.) Joey turns and runs to the ship, saying he'll take a shot at it. Téa asks, since when can he fix an engine? Joey keeps running, saying how hard can it be?—but then he stops and runs backwards all the way to the gang. The helicopter that was to take Joey to the hospital is still sitting beside the ship. They can escape on it.
Mai and Serenity rush to Marik, Ishizu, and Odion to tell them they're going to abandon ship. Everyone runs onto the helicopter, Téa telling Joey if he hadn't passed out, the helicopter wouldn't have been sent, and they'd have been stuck on the island. Time is running out—they have no choice but to lift off without Kaiba and Mokuba.
The helicopter rises above the island, with only thirty seconds left in the countdown. Yami watches the Duel Tower from the window, saying Kaiba's name to himself, as Téa says Mokuba's.
The Duel Tower explodes. They watch as the ground around the tower breaks up, hoping that Kaiba and Mokuba made it out. Kaiba, Yami says, how foolish. Joey wonders if Kaiba wanted to go down with his island. Then, from the smoke, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon rises—it's a jet plane, with a laughing Kaiba at the controls. Joey freaks as Mokuba, from his seat behind his brother, calls over the radio—Surprise, surprise! Everyone is boggle-eyed.
Mokuba points out that they're on the helicopter, and Kaiba says oops, he guesses the other ship wasn't fixed yet. (Japanese Kaiba says he thinks the Battle Ship doesn't like these guys.) Joey grabs the radio to yell at Kaiba, outraged that Kaiba thinks it's funny that they almost got killed. Kaiba just smiles. Mokuba says he and Kaiba aren't going back with the others—they've got important Kaiba Corp business to take care of. Joey asks what they're planning, and Kaiba says he'll just have to wait and see. (Japanese Mokuba says they're going to America to build a new Kaiba Land, and Kaiba says sooner or later he'll invite them there.)
Kaiba tells "you geeks" not to worry—they haven't seen the last of him. Especially Yugi. (Japanese Yami thinks this is Kaiba's road.) Kaiba gives Yugi a small smile, thinking that the battle between them will never be over. He flashes them a brief salute, then tells Mokuba to hold on, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet flies away. Yugi tells Yami that he hopes Kaiba can put his anger aside and move on, and Yami agrees. Now, Yugi thinks, it's time for their next journey—to discover the Pharaoh's secret. (Japanese Yugi says that Kaiba has gone on a new journey for his dream, and Yami agrees. And, Yugi thinks, his other self will search for his memory.) The helicopter flies away.
In the jet, Mokuba says he can't believe they're finally going to do this! They're going to build Kaiba Land! But Kaiba says that opening a chain of theme parks isn't all fun and games—it takes hard work and determination. As the jet speeds away, Mokuba thinks that some things never change. (Japanese Mokuba says they'll build Kaiba Lands all over the world! He's really looking forward to it. But... he wants to show that other guy, too. A image of Noah appears in the sky as the jet flies out of view.)
The helicopter arrives back in Domino. On the pier, Ishizu thanks Yami for saving Marik from the evil that once consumed him, and Marik also thanks the Pharaoh. Ishizu tells Yami that it's time for him to uncover the mysteries that surround his past, and Marik says that he hopes that in spite of all he's done, they can be friends. Yami says yes. (Japanese Malik tells Yami and Yugi that someday they'll visit Egypt, and he'd like to be their companion. Cut from the US version is this sequence where Anzu thinks that Egypt is the home of the other Yugi, and they might not have much more time together.)
Ishizu says she knows they'll meet again soon. Serenity, Tristan, and Joey call out farewells as Ishizu, Marik, and Odion take their leave on Marik's ship. Joey says who knew there was a nice guy inside that evil, psychotic nutcase! Mai tells him he has a way with words.
Duke says it's time for him to say goodbye, too. He can't stay in one spot for too long, but he'll be back. (Japanese Otogi has to get back to America. After hearing about Kaiba's plans for Kaiba Land, he thinks he should come up with a new Dungeon Dice Monsters.) He says goodbye to Serenity, slipping her a piece of paper with his phone number on it, which Tristan throws a fit over. But Duke just laughs as he walks away.
Everyone's going their own way, Joey says, and Tristan says he, too, should have some sort of plan. Téa tells him there's still plenty of time to figure it out, and Serenity says he'll find it eventually. He tells her she's right, passing his own phone number to her. Joey yells, and Serenity runs giggling to hide behind Téa, then Joey and Tristan laugh together.
Now Mai says it's her turn to say goodbye. Battle City is over, and it's time for her to move on. Serenity asks her not to go, saying Mai was like a sister to her. She remembers Mai telling her how, when she first met Joey on the way to Duelist Kingdom, all Joey could talk about was how he was going to win the tournament so he could use the prize money for Serenity's operation. (Cut from the US version is this shot from the flashback of Honda and Otogi boggling as Mai tells Shizuka that Jounouchi is a good man, tender and brave.)
Mai thanks Serenity for taking care of her while she was trapped in the Shadow Realm. She tells Yugi that she'll meet him in the next tournament. She and Joey share a Look, but Joey doesn't say anything. Then she heads off.
Téa pokes Joey, telling him not to be such a dork and do something right for a change. (Japanese Anzu tells Jounouchi to at least be a man and put and end to it.) He runs after Mai and catches her as she's getting ready to drive off in her little convertible. She tells him he doesn't have to say anything mushy. Her favorite thing about the whole tournament was that she got to know him. (Japanese Mai says she was happy being with him, but she'd lost track of time. His friendship is too glaring for her.) He thanks her, and she says she's still planning to kick his butt in the next tournament. They say goodbye, and she drives away.
As she leaves, she thinks that Joey really surprised her. When she first met him, he was an okay duelist with a big mouth. Now he's a great duelist with a big mouth—and a big heart, too. They may be taking separate roads right now, but their paths will cross again. (Japanese Mai thinks that Jounouchi has grown up, and become a True Duelist. Is she being unfair to him? But he and the others have their own road, and she has to go on hers.)
Dawn is approaching at the game shop. In Yugi's upstairs bedroom, Yami has finished working on their deck. Spirit Yugi holds up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and they nod to each other.
Yugi creeps out through the game shop, trying not to wake his Grandpa, but just as he has his hand on the door, he hears Grandpa's voice asking him where he's going. He says he's taking a walk, and he won't be long. Grandpa tells him to be back soon.
The sun peeks over the city skyline. Yugi walks towards the plaza, thinking that Battle City isn't over yet. There's one thing left to do. Joey waits for him, thinking it's time to see how far he's really come.
Yugi remembers the way he and Joey became friends, when he defended Joey and Tristan from a bully who wanted him to beat them up. He remembers Joey diving into the ocean to try to retrieve his Exodia cards when Weevil threw them overboard. He remembers Joey and Tristan saving him and the Puzzle from the warehouse fire set by mind-controlled Bandit Keith. He remembers trying to give Joey back his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Joey refusing it, saying he wanted Yugi to think of him whenever Yugi played his Red-Eyes. (The flashback is changed in the US version to show Joey telling Yugi how much he helped him during Duelist Kingdom, so now he wants to return the favor by letting Yugi keep his Red-Eyes. In the Japanese version, Jounouchi says that he wants to become a True Duelist and duel Yugi again.)
And Yugi remembers winning Joey back from Marik's mind control, and telling Joey that they defeated Marik together. (In the Japanese version, Yugi tells Jounouchi that he's his best friend and he loves him.)
He tosses his jacket over his shoulders, and now it's Yami walking towards his friend. He remembers Joey being attacked by Ra, and falling unconscious before he could attack Marik with Gearfried and win the duel. (A bit of this flashback, showing Jounouchi screaming in Ra's attack, is cut from the US version.)
He remembers begging Joey to keep fighting the Shadows, and Joey's spirit telling him to look in his pocket, where the Millennium Necklace was glowing. (Japanese Jounouchi's spirit said, "What is a True Duelist?" The Japanese flashback ends with Yugi staring down the empty hallway, while the US version adds the bit about the Millennium Necklace.)
Yami and Joey face each other in the plaza. There's still one thing left to do, Yami says. He still has something of Joey's. Joey agrees. It's time for him to earn it back. (Japanese Yami says, "You're early," and Jounouchi laughs, saying that when they're done, the sun will be rising.)
Joey switches on his Duel Disk. Of all the battles he's been through in this tournament, he says, this one means the most. (Japanese Jounouchi says, "Our Battle City is not over.")
Yami agrees, smiling.
They slot their decks into their Duel Disks.
"Duel."
