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Episode
GuideEpisode 168: Paradise Found (Air Fortress Ziggurat - Part 2)
[Note: Episodes 167 and 168 were shown together in Japan as a one-hour special episode.]
The gang all fly away in one of Kaiba's helicopters. (This shot of the helicopter and an extreme close-up of Kaiba are cut from the US version.)
Mokuba asks if their company now belongs to Dartz. He doesn't get it—how was one person able to buy every single share of Kaiba Corp without them knowing about it? The network should have detected it. Kaiba says there's only one way he can think of—someone must have hacked into their accounts. (Japanese Mokuba says he and his brother own half of Kaiba Corp's shares, and they didn't even know about the buyout. Kaiba says there's only one possibility—Doma must control the whole global market.)
Téa wonders how they got past Kaiba's security system, and he says they're obviously dealing with a very powerful organization. "But, Sir...", Roland says (Japanese Isono says, "Seto-sama"), and Kaiba tells him to save it—he's not Roland's boss any more.
Suit #2 protests that he'll stand by Kaiba's side until Kaiba Corp is Kaiba's once more, and Roland agrees that that goes for him, too. Mokuba says they're all with him (Japanese Mokuba calls the men by name—Suit #2's name sounds like "Fubeta," but I wouldn't swear to it), and Kaiba says, then what are they waiting for? (Japanese Kaiba says he's glad.) Yami agrees that they must get to the museum and decipher those ruins. (Cut from the US version is this short bit where Kaiba says that Doma has expanded its terror into that area, and Honda says that the clues they have will be interrupted again.)
Kaiba says his team is already there, and his security force will handle any unexpected guests. (Japanese Kaiba says there's still hope.)
Kaiba's security guards are standing in front of the museum, when they're suddenly attacked by a ninja-like man in black. Inside, the team working on the photos say they're almost done, when they hear a crash. Someone must have found them! They start to run from the room, but they're stopped by more mystery men.
Kaiba's helicopter pilot tells him there's an emergency message on the red line. Kaiba opens his briefcase and then the laptop inside, saying this could be just what he's waiting for. A voice message tells him they're ready to upload the images of the undersea ruins. Joey and Yami realize that Kaiba made sure his team got there before Dartz—and Mokuba asks what did they expect? His brother is always one step ahead of everyone else.
Kaiba receives the data, but the man sending it is attacked by the black-clad invaders, the shouts and crashes of the attack being heard over the link by the gang in the helicopter. Oh well, Kaiba says, at least they got what they needed.
Meanwhile, Rebecca, Duke, and Professor Hawkins are also on the road in their car towing the trailer behind them. Rebecca receives the data from Kaiba on her laptop, and tells Yami that her grandfather is looking at it now. Yami says they should meet up as soon as possible, and then tells Rebecca he's sorry. Professor Hawkins tells Rebecca she can't blame the Pharaoh for what happened to Yugi—there's too much at stake for hard feelings. They're all fighting a common enemy, and this data might be their only hope. Rebecca sadly agrees.
Professor Hawkins tells Yami that the quality of the images is worse than he thought. Unless they clear up the photos, he won't be able to read much. Kaiba orders his pilot to set a course for Kaiba Corp headquarters. The gang is shocked—Dartz and his gang have surely taken over by now. But Kaiba says the only way they can clean up the images in time is to use the Kaiba Corp computers. They have no choice. Yami agrees—they have to stop these criminals before they make their next move, and they have no time to lose. Kaiba says Yami's more gung ho than he expected—since Yami lost his title and all. Yami says this fight is about much more than a championship dueling title! The whole world's in danger! (Japanese Yami says he'll use all his strength to defeat Doma. No matter what happens, he must get back the soul of his partner.)
Blah, blah, blah, says Kaiba. Doesn't Yami get tired of making the same speech every time he faces a challenge? Stop saving the world and get a hobby. (Japanese Kaiba says Yami will have to bleach the stain of his loss first.)
Yami tells Rebecca they'll meet them at the pier. Then he notices the lights in the sky are getting stronger. What does this mean?
Down in the depths of the ocean, the Great Leviathan's eye opens.
In his downtown office, Dartz thinks that finally, after ten thousand years, the Leviathan is ready to return! But in order to reach his full potential, there are several souls that must still be offered.
Rafael kneels before Dartz, who tells him to take a look at the viewscreen, which is showing the temple wall that's engraved with the souls they've captured. Alister now appears on the wall. Dartz says Alister's better off where he is now, where his energy will fuel the Great Beast. Then the viewscreen shows Kaiba's helicopter flying through the sky. Dartz says the Pharaoh and his friends will be arriving shortly. He trusts Rafael will give them a warm welcome. Rafael promises that the Pharaoh won't escape him this time.
It's time for Phase Two, Dartz says, and the wall with the viewscreen rises to reveal a large space with many candles set about the floor. Dartz walks among the candles, saying that each soul must be utilized so that the Leviathan can cross over. He calls out to the ancient soldiers of the Orichalcos, and the Seal forms around him, as he orders his army to locate the scattered pieces of the Great Leviathan. Dragon flames shatter the Eye, and shards of crystals fall from the sky. Dartz tells the Leviathan to inhabit these crystals and return to the world, for the battle of Atlantis begins again!
In London, Big Ben strikes one A.M., and a boy says good night to several girl friends. But as he begins to walk home, he sees a crystal glowing on the sidewalk. He bends down to pick it up, thinking someone must have dropped it. A beam of light flies towards him, and he screams as the stone begins to shine. He drops the stone and steps back, watching as the Seal of Orichalcos forms around the stone, and an Orichalcos Soldier crawls through it from out of the ground. The soldier reaches for the boy, who screams for help.
Another stone lands in Paris, and another Orichalcos Soldier rises. Other stones fall in other cities all over the world. Dartz tells the soldiers to deliver to him all the souls they can gather. Then he says it's time to prepare a welcome for the so-called Chosen Duelists.
One large Seal lowers around the Kaiba Corp building, and Orichalcos Soldiers and other monsters form within it. (The words "USA" and "Kaiba" are removed from the building in the US version.)
Meanwhile, at the pier, Duke, Rebecca and Professor Hawkins watch as the gang's helicopter lands, and Joey, Tristan, Yami and Téa run out, followed by a scowling Kaiba and Mokuba. Kaiba tells his men to take Rex and Alister to the medical center, and the helicopter takes off again.
The guys greet each other, and Duke tells them they ran into Mai and Valon along the way. That guy really has it in for Joey, he says, and Mai's still on their side. Joey clenches his fist. Just wait till he finds them!
Rebecca asks Yami if there's any word about Yugi. They have to find him, she says. If they don't get him back, she'll never forgive Yami. Besides, they need him to fight these guys. Yami says he misses Yugi, too, and he promises they'll rescue him. But he needs to pay a visit to Kaiba Corp first. Rebecca wants to come along for tech support. Kaiba says this isn't some kind of field trip, but she can tag along if she wants. (Japanese Kaiba says he can't believe this kid is the US champion.) Then he turns to go, saying he doesn't know about these geeks, but he has a company to save. Whoever's coming with him, let's move. (Japanese Kaiba tells Mokuba not to worry. Kaiba Corp is their castle, and he won't let anyone occupy it.)
Téa wishes Yami good luck, and Yami runs off after Kaiba. Tristan tells Téa they'd better tell the police what's going on.
Kaiba and Yami have gone down a manhole and are running through an underground passageway. Kaiba says they're taking a short cut to his central computer. (Japanese Kaiba says this underground location was designed to be a shelter in case of an accident.) They reach a door, and Kaiba's locket card key opens the lock, and as they enter the elevator, Kaiba says that if Dartz's brute squad is guarding the area, they'll never see them go inside.
The elevator rises, but suddenly it stops, as a huge clawed foot stomps down on its roof. Kaiba demands to know who's up there, and the beast smashes a hole in the roof, then leaps through the hole to land on the floor. Before they can do more than gasp, the beast crashes through the wall and disappears. Kaiba says he doesn't know what that was, but he's not staying around to find out. (Japanese Kaiba says, that was no hologram!) He smashes the elevator controls, releasing the door, and he and Yami pull it open.
But the hallway before them is full of monsters. Yami tells Kaiba the monsters aren't holograms, but Kaiba says Yami's insane. These things can't be real. Yami explains that a doorway has been opened up, and monsters from a parallel universe have entered into their world. He smiles at Kaiba—unless Kaiba has a better explanation. Kaiba says he still thinks Yami's nuts, but this isn't the time to argue. (Japanese Yami tells Kaiba they should summon their monsters. Kaiba says he knew when he dueled Amelda that his monsters didn't use the same system as theirs. So, will their monsters... ? Yami tells him to believe. Duel Monsters do exist, but they don't have the technology to prove it. Then he smiles and says it's not surprising. Kaiba says it's ridiculous, but they have no choice.) They head into the mob of monsters.
Meanwhile, Téa and Tristan are trying to explain the situation to a couple of cops. Téa tells them there's a motorcycle gang going around stealing people's souls with a magic card, but the cop says these kids watch too many cartoons. Tristan says they're serious—these guys are trying to take over the world. The cops just smile. One of them asks if this so-called gang wears a symbol like this—and lifts the bill of his hat, revealing the Seal of Orichalcos on his forehead.
Téa and Tristan turn and run, but the cop tosses a piece of stone over their heads, and where it lands, the Seal forms and an Orichalcos Soldier crawls out of the ground. It's the same thing that dueled against the Pharaoh, Téa says. It takes a swipe at them, and they run off down a side alley.
Meanwhile, Kaiba and Yami are running into the monsters, activating their Duel Disks as they run. Yami calls forth Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and Kaiba summons Vorse Raider. They each cut down one of the Orichalcos monsters (the shots of the monsters being cut in half are obscured in the US version).
Yami and Kaiba run past, reaching the door on the other end of the hallway while their monsters stand behind them to defend them.
But this time, Kaiba's locket card won't unlock the door. Someone must have reprogrammed the code. Yami and Kaiba's monsters are destroyed, and now they're trapped without monsters to protect them.
Suddenly, they hear Rebecca's voice on the door intercom asking if they need some help. The door opens and they dash through. (Removed from the US version is the shot of the door closing on a monster's arm and cutting off its paw, which continues to twitch as it lies on the floor.)
Outside, the Hawkins car and trailer are parked over a manhole. Rebecca is down inside with her laptop, her grandfather, Duke, and Joey gathered around her. Joey says he doesn't know how she did it, but Rebecca hacked into Kaiba Corp's security system. She says it's a good thing she tagged along on Kaiba's field trip, and tells Kaiba that when this is over, he should let her know if he wants her to upgrade his system. (Cut from the US version is this shot of Kaiba and Yami watching the cutoff monster paw flop around on the floor, while Kaiba says he'll think about it, and Kaiba and Yami running for the door.)
Kaiba and Yami run through a series of doors as Rebecca opens them. But she tells them she can't access the central computer—it's on a different system. Kaiba says he's got it from there, as they enter a room with a huge... thing that's apparently supposed to be the central computer mainframe. He runs up to a control panel, using his locket card key again to start a retinal check that verifies his identity and gives him access to the computer. He orders the system to shut down and reboot with the backup, then inserts the disk with the images from the ruins, telling the computer to analyze the images, cross-referencing with every known archaeological database.
Rebecca receives the cleaned-up images on her laptop, and her grandfather begins to translate. "After its ten thousand year long slumber, the black serpent will swallow the sun, and then paradise will rule once more." Duke tells him nice work, but what does it mean? The Professor says the paradise must be Atlantis.
Kaiba says that insignia looks familiar. Where has he seen it before? He works at his keyboard, finding that it's the symbol of a secret financial organization known as Paradias. No one's ever seen them, but rumor has it that they control a small piece of every company in the world. (Japanese Kaiba says Paradias controls most of the major conglomerates of the world. They have enough power to rule presidents.) Oh no! he shouts. It is them! The president of Paradias is Dartz.
Yami recognizes the image of Dartz that Kaiba's pulled up as the stranger from his vision, who fought against Ironheart in the ancient battle of Atlantis. But how can the same man who fought a war ten thousand years ago be the president of a modern corporation?
The computer keyboards crackle with electricity, and the screens begin to explode. Rebecca's laptop screen goes dark. She's lost the link. Joey asks her where the headquarters of Paradias are, and she finds the address. Joey tosses the laptop aside and runs for the ladder, saying he's coming! Tristan tries to stop him, saying they need a plan first, but he keeps going.
Kaiba and Yami hear Dartz's laughter, and his voice telling them they're so close, yet so far. The Great Leviathan appears before them, with Dartz standing on its forehead. Dartz thanks them for coming to him. They've made his job so much easier. (Japanese Dartz greets them by name.)
Yami asks what he wants, and he says it should be obvious. They're the Chosen Duelists, aren't they? Then prove it. Kaiba insists he doesn't have to prove anything to Dartz, and demands that Dartz give back his company. Yami adds his demand that Dartz give back the souls he took. Dartz tells them they're in no position to make demands, so Yami says he'll make him a deal. (Japanese Kaiba asks if he's the head of Doma, and Dartz says he is. He says his name is Dartz, and soon Doma will lead the world to a brand-new start. Kaiba asks how dare he say it's his ideal to destroy the world! Dartz's hypocritical plan isn't justice at all. Yami asks him what he intends to do. Dartz tells him he just abides by his fate. This shot of Dartz is cut from the US version, and a couple other scenes are rearranged to fit the changed dialog.)
(Yami tells him he's manipulating the fate of the world. But Dartz laughs and says they don't understand. It's their existence that draws him to this future.) Activating his Duel Disk, Yami tells Dartz to duel them. And if they win, Dartz must release his prisoners at once. Kaiba joins Yami, and they each summon their legendary dragons, Timaeus and Critius.
Dartz says hello to the dragons, and asks Timaeus how his eye is. Timaeus roars, showing the scar through his right eye where Dartz's sword cut. Timaeus sends a blast of flame at the Leviathan, and it disappears, along with Dartz. But they can still hear Dartz's voice telling them that the ancient battle continues, and soon their souls will be his. Then he says farewell. (Japanese Dartz says they can't reverse the wheel of fate now. They're helpless.)
Yami calls out to Dartz to come back, but he's gone, and they're back in the room with the ruined computer. The door opens and the monsters begin to rush in. Kaiba runs for an elevator, telling Yami to come on. (This pan up the outside of the building, being attacked by Duel Monsters, is cut from the US version.)
They ride up to the roof and run across it, followed by monsters. When they get to the edge, Kaiba tells Yami to get ready to jump. He trusted Yami, he says, now Yami must trust him. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet is flying just beyond the roof, its cockpit open. Kaiba and Yami leap into it and begin to fly away, but they're hit by fire from one of the monsters, and the jet spirals down, crash-landing in the street below. They jump out, watching as explosions wrack the building. Kaiba clenches his fist, announcing that he won't let Dartz take his company apart.
Then, they see the silhouette of the Great Leviathan across the sky. Yami tells Kaiba they've got bigger things to worry about.
Somewhere on a hillside, Valon receives a message from Rafael, telling him that the Pharaoh's friends are headed his way. Valon says it's time for him to show Joey Wheeler who's boss, and he switches off the receiver before Rafael can finish his message. (Japanese Rafael tells Varon to take revenge for Amelda. Varon says no, he has to fight for himself.) He starts his bike and heads off, thinking he has to prove himself to Mai.
Tristan and Téa are still running from the Orichalcos Soldier, when Joey runs past them in the other direction. They tell him to stop, but he doesn't listen. He's headed straight for the zombie patrol! Tristan tells Téa to go warn the others, then heads off after Joey.
Joey keeps running. He's coming after Dartz, he thinks, and he's not leaving without Yugi and Mai.
