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Episode
GuideEpisode 144: Looking Back and Moving Ahead (Signs)
[Note: As usual, the flashbacks are changed quite a bit from the Japanese to the US episodes. I'm not going to try to screencap all the changes—there are just too many. Everything in the flashbacks has already been shown in previous episodes, anyway. I'm only going to cap changes that have been made to the new material.]
(In the Japanese, this episode begins with Anzu walking down the street past Domino Park, where she sees young boys playing Duel Monsters with their Duel Disks. She's surprised when Shizuka sneaks up behind her and puts her hands on Anzu's shoulders.)
Téa takes Serenity on a tour of Domino to show her where all the important Battle City events took place. First stop is the Domino Museum for the Egypt Exhibit. Téa shows Serenity the stone tablet, and Serenity is surprised to realize that the Pharaoh looks like Yugi! "This is where it all started," Téa says. (Japanese Anzu thinks that the quest for Yami's memory began that day.)
Flashback: Yami and Téa are greeted by Ishizu, who shows them her Millennium Necklace, and says that she's uncovered many secrets about the Pharaoh. She tells Yami that the time has come for him to save the world again. The events of the past will occur once again. (The Japanese flashback shows Yami and Anzu looking at the stone tablet, and Yami realizing that he is the Pharaoh shown on it. He tells Anzu that now he knows who he is. His memory is sealed inside the Millennium Puzzle. He thinks it's understandable that his memory has faded after such a long time. Then Ishizu joins them, telling them that she is one of the ones who guard the Pharaoh's memory.)
(Returning to the present, Anzu thinks that she met Ishizu here for the first time, while Shizuka continues to study the stone tablet.)
(In the Japanese, the flashback continues, with Yami looking at the other figure on the stone tablet, wondering if it can truly be Kaiba. If so, everything depicted on the stone matches what's happening in the present. He knows he must recover his lost memory.)
Walking down the city street, Serenity says, so that's why Yugi joined the Battle City Tournament. Téa agrees, and adds that when Joey found out, he also joined the tournament to help Yugi save the world. (Japanese Shizuka says that the stone tablet really surprised her, and Anzu says she was surprised, too, when she first saw it.) They stop along one street, where Téa tells Serenity that this is where Joey fought his first duel of the tournament against Espa Roba.
Flashback: Roba challenges Joey to a duel, but Rex Raptor warns Joey not to accept—Espa Roba duels using ESP. You mean he's psycho? Joey asks. Psychic, Rex says. He'll read your mind and learn what cards are in your hand. But Joey accepts the duel anyway.
Serenity smiles, saying that she knows all about this duel! She was in the hospital after her operation, and Tristan was giving her the play-by-play. (This reaction shot of Anzu is cut from the US version.)
Flashback: Serenity tells Tristan that her big brother has never let her down, and now it's her turn to do whatever she can to help out. She can't be there in person, but she asks Tristan to help her be with him in spirit. He agrees, and starts to tell her what's really happening in the duel. (The Japanese flashback starts a little earlier, with Honda returning to Shizuka's room. She tells him it's okay, he doesn't have to lie to her. The nurse told her what was happening in the duel, and she knows her brother is losing. He apologizes, saying he didn't want to worry her. She says it's okay, but she wants to know the truth. She wants to be there with her brother to help him win.)
Meanwhile, as the flashback continues, Roba summons the powerful Jinzo and uses it to destroy Joey's Thousand Dragon. Without his dragon, Joey wonders how long he can hold on. (The Japanese flashback shows Roba taunting Jounouchi, telling him that he will lose, and he might as well surrender now. Jounouchi is surrounded by blackness as he starts to lower his hand over his deck to surrender. He apologizes to Yugi, saying he can't keep his promise to him. Then he hears Anzu telling him that Shizuka is watching him. He comes back to himself, snatching his hand away from his deck. Anzu explains that Honda is watching the duel on the Internet, and explaining what's happening to Shizuka. So, she tells him, he has to work hard.)
Now Téa has led them to the docks, and Serenity realizes this is where she saw Joey dueling for the first time. Téa says it was one of the worst days of her life. (Japanese Anzu and Shizuka think that the wind is nice, and Shizuka says she'll never forget what happened here.)
Flashback: Mind-controlled Téa walks down the gangway onto the dock, telling Yugi that she's also under Marik's control. Marik laughs, saying he's turned Yugi's closest friends against him. The scene shifts to the duel, as mind-controlled Joey laughs, telling Yami he'll soon wipe out the rest of his life points, and the anchor will drag him to the bottom of the sea. Yami insists Marik won't get away with his plan. Then Marik orders Joey to use the Meteor of Destruction card to finish Yugi off. Yugi begs Joey to remember who he is, and Joey screams in torment as Marik continues to order him to destroy Yugi. But finally Joey breaks free of Marik's control, refusing to destroy his best friend.
(The Japanese flashback shows Jounouchi and Yami already in place for their duel, with mind-controlled Anzu bound to the chair at the side of the docks. Through her, Malik explains that the container over her head is wired with explosives, and the Rare Hunter nearby adds that he'll detonate the explosives to drop the container on Anzu if they interfere. Anzu is released from Malik's mind control as Jounouchi tells Yami to go first. Yami wonders how he can fight this cruel duel. If he wins, Jounouchi will die. Mind-controlled Jounouchi asks Yugi what's wrong with him, and tells him to draw.)
Téa tells Serenity it's a good thing Joey has such a strong head, or he never would have broken Marik's mind control! But Serenity was there to see it for herself. It was Joey's courage that gave her the confidence to take her bandages off. (Japanese Anzu recalls that she and Jounouchi were mind-controlled by Malik. But, she says, Shizuka arrived at the critical moment. Shizuka says that she'd decided that the first thing she wanted to see when she took her bandages off was her brother's face. But she can't believe she saw him this way!)
Flashback: Serenity removes her bandages, and tosses them away into the breeze. As her eyes focus, she sees her brother grabbing his chain and using it to swing across the docks to Yugi, grabbing Yugi's key just in time before the anchor falls, dragging them both into the water. Joey uses Yugi's key to free his friend, while Serenity grabs Joey's key, diving in to unlock her brother's cuff and free him. (The Japanese flashback continues, showing Shizuka and Jounouchi standing together on the dock after the rescue. Shizuka tells her brother that after coming so far, she's finally beside him, and that his friends have been supporting her. She hugs him, saying that she finally found her brother.)
Téa says she thought the insanity was over after that—boy, was she wrong! It was off to the Battle City finals for more madness. (Japanese Anzu asks Shizuka why she jumped in the water. She says Shizuka really scared her! Shizuka just giggles. Anzu says, after that was the Battle Ship.)
Flashback: As the airship lands, Mokuba announces that it's time to board Kaiba Craft 3 for the Battle City finals. On board, Kaiba confronts Yugi, telling him that it's time for him to play his God card. When the Battle City finals are over, Kaiba intends to be the world's greatest duelist, and owner of all three Egyptian God cards. Later, Yugi faces Bakura in the first duel of the finals, summoning Slifer the Sky Dragon, whose mighty coils circle the airship. Still later, in his duel against Ishizu, Kaiba summons his own God card, Obelisk the Tormentor, laughing as the huge beast rises behind him. Then, finally, Marik recites the chant that calls forth the powers of the Winged Dragon of Ra.
(The Japanese flashback begins with the Battle Ship taking off. Then the Duel Ring rises with Bakura and Yugi about to face off in the first duel of the finals, as Anzu's voice-over explains that the first time they saw each of the God cards was aboard the Battle Ship. Yugi sacrifices Black Magician Girl, Magnet Warrior Gamma, and Big Shield Gardna to summon Osiris, then Malik chants his spell to call out Ra. Finally, Kaiba summons Obelisk.)
Téa shivers, saying it's getting kind of chilly on the docks. She and Serenity agree they'd better get going. There's still plenty to see.
Next, they go to the park, where kids are dueling with Duel Disks. One kid sacrifices Rocket Warrior to summon Jinzo. Serenity says she bets they all want to grow up to be champions, and Téa says that thanks to Kaiba Corp, they can get all the practice they need, because now these virtual duels can happen anywhere. (Japanese Anzu says Kaiba Corporation is giving everyone a chance to enjoy dueling, by selling the Duel Disks at a low price.) Serenity thinks it's cute to see all these kids dueling, but Téa is reminded of Noah, who was anything but cute!
Flashback: Facing Noah in the duel he took over from Kaiba, Yugi accuses Noah of using deceit and betrayal to defeat Kaiba. If Noah thinks that makes him a superior duelist, he's sadly mistaken. Téa calls out that they're all there for Yugi. But Noah says he'll put the gang's fate in Yugi's hands. In every turn that Yugi fails to beat him, he'll turn one of Yugi's friends to stone. Then Joey is turned to stone. Yugi insists he'll save his friends, and plays Monster Reborn to summon Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, then uses Polymerization to fuse it with the two Blue-Eyes in his hand, summoning the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. He plays Quick Attack so it can attack at once, destroying Noah's Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi and reducing Noah's life points to 8300. Noah says it's not over yet, but Yugi now plays De-Fusion to separate the dragon back into three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, which each attack Noah, defeating him.
(The Japanese flashback begins with Noah turning Jounouchi to stone. Anzu turns on Noah, telling him he's a pitiful child. He says she doesn't understand him, but the goddess of victory comes to the chosen ones. He points at Yugi, telling him he's chosen him, and wants Yugi to help him. But Yugi, clenching his fist, tells Noah that no one will accept him.)
Téa sits down on a park bench, saying it wasn't Noah's fault. He was just lonely because he had no friends. Serenity agrees, saying Noah was bitter because he was alone for so long. (Japanese Anzu says that Noah was a lonely boy who could only live in a virtual world with no friends.) One of the dueling kids brings out Summoned Skull, and Serenity says that in the end, Noah realized he was wrong. (Japanese Shizuka agrees that Noah was a poor kid.)
Flashback: Noah tells Mokuba he's glad he got to know his brother, and tells Mokuba that he's not coming back with them. He still has something to do. Then Noah confronts his father, telling him he can't let him hurt the others, and traps him in the virtual world. Gozaburo, as the huge flame beast, is destroyed. (The Japanese flashback begins with Noah confronting Gozaburo, telling him he wants to be with him forever. Gozaburo says he has more to do, but Noah appears on his shoulder, saying that they are both dead. The missile flies past the Battle Ship and strikes the undersea fortress. The virtual world breaks up, and Noah and Gozaburo are destroyed.)
Serenity says that at least Noah got to feel what it's like to have friends. (Japanese Shizuka says maybe they'll meet in some other way, and he'll be their friend again.) In the duel they're watching, the kid's Summoned Skull is destroyed by St. Joan, and he loses the duel. Both kids laugh and agree to play again, and Téa says that they are kind of cute. But, she thinks, they're just dueling for fun. When Yugi dueled in Battle City, a lot more was at stake.
Flashback: Téa confronts Yugi as he heads for his semifinal duel with Kaiba. So many people have been hurt in this tournament, she can't believe he's going to go through with it. She can't stand the thought of losing him, too. Yugi agrees, but says he has to go on. If he quits now, it means everyone has suffered for nothing. He reminds her of what they learned at the Domino Museum about his destiny. Backing out of the tournament is not an option. He must continue to fight in order to fulfill Ishizu's prophecy. When Joey found out, he vowed to help. If he gave up now, he'd not only be giving up on Joey, but the entire world. There's too much at stake to quit now. The gang all offer their support, and Yugi heads off for his duel.
(The Japanese flashback begins with Yugi standing at the unconscious Jounouchi's bedside, telling him he has to go duel Kaiba now. He urges Jounouchi to fight as well, as a duelist. Telling everyone to take care of Jounouchi for him, he leaves the room. Anzu runs after him to confront him, asking him not to duel. He says he has to, in order to carry out the promise he made to Jounouchi. Jounouchi will come back to them—this is his future.)
The flashback continues. Roland announces the final duel between Marik Ishtar and Yugi Mutou. Marik begins a Shadow Game, and Yugi's spirit is bound in the Shadows next to Yami. Lose the duel, Marik says, and Yugi will go to the Shadow Realm. The spirit of Dark Marik's other self is also bound as a sacrifice if Marik loses the duel. (The Japanese flashback resumes after Jounouchi has regained consciousness and run off to join Yugi. In the hallway, the doctor tries to stop him, telling him that he has to be examined, but he insists he's fine and again starts to rush away. Now Anzu stops him, telling him to do what the doctor says. He almost died, and they were so worried about him! Instead of the duel, he'd better worry about his health! Jounouchi apologizes, but says he has to go. His and Yugi's Battle City will not be over until they've dueled one another. Yugi's duel is part of his future, so he has to see it to the end.)
Téa thinks that showing Serenity around town brought back many memories about her friends and the Battle City Tournament. Now everyone's going their separate ways. (Japanese Anzu thinks about Yugi and Jounouchi's trust in each other, and their friendship.) She stands up, telling Serenity that it's time to go, thinking that she's just glad everything turned out okay in the end.
Flashback: Roland announces that the winner of the Battle City Tournament is Yugi Mutou. The gang cheer, and Mokuba reminds Yugi that as the winner, he gets to take his opponent's rarest card. Marik gives Yugi the Winged Dragon of Ra card. Now Yugi has all three Egyptian God cards, but now that he has them, what will he do with them? (Japanese Yugi thinks that the other Yugi's memory is sealed in the cards. But what is that memory? The Japanese flashback continues, with Malik showing Yugi the design carved into his back. Yugi wonders if the Tomb-Keepers have been guarding his secret this way. Ishizu says that the man who has the three God cards is proven to be the Pharaoh, so he can now find his memory sealed in the stone tablet.)
Téa and Serenity walk down the street. Téa wonders if she'll ever see Yugi again, now that he has everything he needs to finish his journey. Serenity thanks Téa for showing her around, and Téa suddenly realizes that it's two o'clock. She's late!
Yugi arrives in the town plaza.
Serenity apologizes for messing up Téa's plans, but Téa insists it's all right. She's not that late. But she says to herself that she has to hurry—Yugi might be gone forever soon. Serenity thanks Téa again, and says she won't be far away. Joey always tells her he's connected to the gang by a special bond of friendship that will never break. Téa's a bit surprised that Joey said that, then she laughs—she knew Joey was a big softie. Now Serenity's one of the gang, too, so they'll never be far apart.
Serenity leaves, and Téa thinks that Serenity's right. No matter how far apart they are, her friends will always be in her heart.
Yugi looks around, waiting. (The clock hand has been moved in the US version to make it look closer to two o'clock. There's no time mentioned in the Japanese.)
Téa arrives at the plaza and sees him, but hesitates. She knows that no matter what happens, they'll always be friends, but she's not ready for him to go away yet! But all she can do is enjoy the time they have together. She runs to Yugi, calling his name.
