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Episode
GuideEpisode 181: A Duel with Dartz, Part 5 (Arise! The Three Legendary Knights)
Dartz asks Yami if he knows why he was sent here. It was no fluke, Dartz says. Five-thousand-year-old spirits don't suddenly return for no reason. Fate brought him back so he could save the world, by offering his power to the Great Leviathan.
Meanwhile, in some other-worldly place, bubbles are floating through space, each with a person trapped inside. Joey is in one of the bubbles. Slowly, his eyes open. He looks around, saying he's had some weird dreams, but this one takes the cake. In the distance, he sees a great eye, which the bubbles seem to be floating towards. Hold on, he thinks. He remembers being trapped in a duel, but how did he end up floating around in here?
Then he hears Yugi saying his name. Nearby, Yugi floats in another bubble. He tells Joey he's glad he's all right. Then Pegasus, in another bubble, asks, does he call this all right? If they don't escape soon, they never will. Joey asks where they are. Then he notices other duelists trapped in bubbles—Valon and Amelda and Mai, then Rafael and Kaiba. Everyone here had his soul captured, Joey says. This must be where the Orichalcos spits you out after you lose a duel. Joey starts to freak a little, then tries to calm himself down. Maybe it is just a dream. (Japanese Jounouchi tries to call out to the other duelists to buck up, then starts to cough, wondering what's wrong—he can't exert any force.)
It's no dream, Yugi tells him. And things are about to get worse. (Japanese Yugi tells Jounouchi it's the eye—it's using up everyone's energy.) Up ahead, bubbles are being sucked into the eye. Pegasus says that's the Great Leviathan, and it's using souls for power. Joey doesn't want to be turned into soul food! Yugi says they can still get out of this mess if the Pharaoh defeats Dartz. But Joey asks how's he going to to that. Rich Boy's with them now—that means the Pharaoh's facing Dartz alone now.
Kaiba may have been knocked out of the fight, Yugi says, but the Pharaoh's not alone. He's still got all of them. They may not be right beside him, but that's never stopped them before. Joey wonders if that will work this time—Dartz is playing by a whole new set of rules, and nothing can take down that Orichalcos card. (Japanese Yugi says he believes "the other me" will beat Dartz and come to save them. Jounouchi says, but Dartz had 20,000 life points when they disappeared from the duel, plus the three levels of the Orichalcos.)
Pegasus says there is one thing that can help—the card he gave Yami. It can beat Dartz. As flashbacks show Pegasus exploring an Egyptian cave, he explains that it was during a trip to Egypt that he was inspired to create Duel Monsters, after he made an astonishing discovery—ancient kings and sorcerers once performed dark rituals to conjure real monsters. These creatures were believed to have lived in a universe parallel to theirs, and guarding the gateway to this dominion of the beasts were three Legendary Dragons—Timaeus, Critius, and Hermos. (Japanese Pegasus says that in order to create Duel Monsters cards, he traveled widely around the world, and eventually heard about the three Legendary Dragons.)
The flashback now shows Pegasus working in his gallery, as he continues, saying that these dragons aren't what they appear to be. They were buried with a dark secret, so he created a card that unlocks this mystery. Yugi asks, what's the secret? Pegasus says he spent many years scouring the globe trying to find out. First, he searched the microscopic world, then he scanned the vast reaches of the entire universe. But, other than one stone tablet buried in the sands of Egypt, there was no record of the existence of these dragons. Then it dawned on him—what if these dragons aren't dragons at all? What if they're humans? (Japanese Pegasus says that humans are thought to be small and weak, but within them exists the microscopic world and the vast universe; the faraway past, and the distant future. Man can use his imagination to know the limitless world. Yami says, of course! Our imagination! Let our hearts become more cheerful and erase the darkness in the heart.)
During the Battle of Atlantis, Pegasus says, Dartz transformed three brave knights into dragons in order to weaken them. Now, the Pharaoh must restore them to their original form—before the trapped souls disappear forever! (Japanese Pegasus says that the Pharaoh is a chosen duelist. Pegasus believes that he'll be able to activate the real power of the card.)
Back at the duel, Yami faces Dartz's monster, Shunoros, now with 17,200 attack points. Dartz himself has 18,500 life points, while Yami has 4300. Yami asks Dartz if he doesn't see what's happening here—the Orichalcos has corrupted his mind. It's been filling his head with lies for over ten thousand years. (Japanese Yami says he won't be deceived by Dartz's words. He made a promise to Black Magician Girl and the other monsters, and his friends, and took on a mission for Ironheart and Chris.) But Dartz just laughs, saying the Pharaoh has been lying to the world for almost as long, trying to convince everyone that fate sent him here to protect the world from evil. In fact, Yami's heart is filled with evil—the same evil he claims to be fighting. Yami represents the darkness inside all humans. For that, they must all be punished. (Japanese Dartz says, a mission? There's no such thing. Yami's friends, and Dartz's father and daughter, don't know that Yami is the cause of the destruction of the world—that's why they've pinned their hopes on him. Yami's expression here is changed in the US version to be a little less psycho.)
Today, Dartz says, history repeats itself, and the Battle of Atlantis shall begin again.
Yami says he won't let Dartz begin another war, but Dartz says it's already begun. If that's the case, Yami says, he'll end it here and now. It's his move. (Japanese Dartz says that the destruction of Egypt ten thousand years ago was just a continuation of the battle of Atlantis. Yami says, then, everything he's done, his entire existence... Dartz says it's been meaningless right from the start. Yami says it's a lie, it's a lie. He won't believe it.)
Yami draws, then plays Pot of Greed, which allows him to draw two cards. Then he summons Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1200 DEF) in defense. All he can do now, he thinks, is try to avoid Dartz's attacks, until he draws the right card. He sets one card face down and ends his turn.
Dartz draws, gaining another 1500 life points due to the effect of Orichalcos Deuteros, bringing him up to 20,000. Then, Dartz attacks Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Dexia, whose effect raises its attack to 1500, 300 points greater than the monster it's attacking. But Yami activates his trap card, Soul Shield, paying half his life points to block Dexia's attack. His life points go down to 2150. But Shunoros' attack goes down to 15,700, losing the 1500 attack points it gave to Dexia. Not bad, Dartz says, but what's the point? He tells Yami to look around—he's all alone. His friends aren't able to support him, and the score's not exactly in his favor. So why drag out the torment, when all he has to do is forfeit, and he can join his friends on the other side.
Yami thinks maybe Dartz is right. Dartz has 20,000 life points and three indestructible monsters. Maybe Yami can do more for his friends by surrendering, and allowing the Orichalcos to take him where they are. Dartz continues to urge Yami to give up, telling him his friends are lost without him, and asking if he doesn't want to be by their side? Declare defeat, and Yami will be free to see his friends one last time before the rise of the Beast. It's time for Yami to accept his true destiny—he's returned to Earth to pay for the wrongs he once committed. (Japanese Dartz tells Yami to accept the fact that his soul is cursed. Even if Yami opens up the maze of his heart and recovers his memory, all that's waiting for him is tremendous tragedy.) Yami's eyes begin to glow Orichalcos green. (Yami's eyes don't turn green in the Japanese version.)
Dartz tells him that in order to compensate for the past, Yami must join him in ushering in the age of the future, and surrender his spirit. (Japanese Dartz says that he shoulders the same burdens as Yami. He's the only one who can understand Yami's pain. At least, let him end his destiny with his own hands.)
Yami stares at his Duel Disk. He must surrender his soul, he says. It's his fate. He lifts his hand to place it over his deck, as Dartz continues to urge him to listen to the voice of reason inside his head. With his eyes glowing green, Yami reaches a trembling hand towards his deck.
He remembers Kaiba using his trap card to give Yami his dragon's attack points before being taken by the Orichalcos. He remembers Joey telling him he'll be right by his side. He remembers Yugi pushing him out of the way so the Orichalcos will take him instead. (Yami's flashbacks are changed in the US version. Japanese Yami remembers Kaiba on top of the Duel Tower at the end of Battle City, and remembers dueling mind-controlled Jounouchi on the dock, then Jounouchi saving him, and then Yugi pushing him out of the way of the Orichalcos.)
He remembers Kaiba, and Joey, and Yugi falling to the Orichalcos. (These flashbacks are not in the US version. Instead, the Japanese version contains a longer sequence in which Yami sees himself floating naked under water, and the Millennium Puzzle turned transparent. He sees his friends floating towards the surface past him, thinking that he's nothing, he has nothing, nothing is left.)
His hand wavers over his deck. Dartz says the time has come, and tells the sacred Seal to encircle the Pharaoh. The Seal shrinks around the Pharaoh, who sees himself as if he's sinking under water. (This shot of Yami sinking far away is cut from the US version.)
(And, sinking Yami is given a shirt to wear in the US version. Because otherwise we would see his naked collarbone.)
But his tears fall onto the Millennium Puzzle, and it glows, and a column of golden light forms around the Pharaoh. When the Seal reaches it, it's repelled. Dartz gasps in shock as the Seal expands around the duel once again. Impossible! he exclaims. No one can overcome the power of the Orichalcos!
Yami stands within the column of golden light. Around him, the images of his friends appear—first Yugi, then Joey and Kaiba. Others appear, surrounding Yami—Téa, Valon, and Chris; Tristan and Mai; Amelda, Duke, and Ironheart. Dartz demands to know why the Seal didn't take Yami's soul.
The images all disappear into the golden column. (Cut from the US version are these shots of Yami inside the golden light, his tears falling onto his hand.)
Yami says, Dartz forced him to gaze inside his heart, thinking he would find only darkness, but Dartz was wrong. Yami's heart is filled with the light of friendship, and no magic can take that away. (Japanese Yami says, his memory of his past, his body—does he have them? Deep in his heart, there must be something that won't disappear. Cut from the US version is this sequence, where Yami says he didn't realize it before, but deep inside his heart, he and his companions have built a new container of memory together. He's not nothing. As long as his heart still preserves that container, he'll be able to come back.)
Yami thanks Dartz for reminding him that his friends are always with him, and they're going to win this fight. (Japanese Yami says, he will tell Dartz why he was chosen. He's lost everything he's been through in the past three thousand years, and awakened here. The purpose is for the companions he's met, to defeat Dartz and find the world's future.)
Yami draws, and the golden column disappears. With his arm still outstretched, holding the card, Yami gasps as he realizes that it's the card Pegasus gave him. He can sense it. He asks if Dartz knows what he has in his hand—the key to unlocking the secret of the Legendary Dragons. He holds up the card, now bearing the image of the three dragons with three swords, calling it Legend of Heart, and activates it by paying 1000 life points and sacrificing Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. This lets him summon Critius, Hermos, and Timaeus in their true form.
The three dragons emerge, flying up into the clouds, then a voice is heard, saying that after ten millennia in captivity, they've finally been set free! Yami and Dartz both look up in amazement, as lightning flashes, and the three knights appear on the field—closely resembling Kaiba, Yami, and Joey. The green Knight, Timaeus, has a scar across his right eye, where he was once stabbed by Dartz. He pulls out his sword and announces his name. The blue Knight says he's Sir Critius, and the red Knight is Sir Hermos. They each have 2800 attack points. They cross their swords above their heads, saying, in the name of Atlantis, they have been reborn.
The three Knights strike the ground with their swords, and the three layers of the Seal of Orichalcos are destroyed. Dartz's monsters each lose their power boost, Shunoros' attack going down to 15,200, while Dexia goes down to zero. Hermos says that the Seal is powerless in their presence, and Critius asks if Dartz forgot their last encounter. Indicating his scarred eye, Timaeus says he certainly hasn't, and he has a score to settle with Dartz.
Yami orders Timaeus to attack Orichalcos Aristeros. Its defense immediately rises to 3100, 300 more than Timaeus' attack. Shunoros loses 3100 attack points, going down to 12,100. Yami loses 300 life points, going down to 850. Next, he attacks Aristeros with Critius and Hermos. Shunoros' attack goes down to 5900—but Yami's left with only 250 life points. He ends his turn. (Cut from the US version is this bit where Dartz says that Yami depleted his own life points to reduce Shunoros' attack. But it won't save him. Yami will die in the next round.)
Dartz draws, then orders Shunoros to attack Critius. But Yami tells Dartz his attack won't work. Due to Critius' special ability, Yami can bring back one trap card, and he chooses Mirror Force, which is sucked up into Critius' sword. Now, Critius can reflect Shunoros' attack back on Dartz's monsters. Dartz watches in horror as his monsters are destroyed, and his life points go down to 14,100. But, as the smoke clears, Dartz smiles. He tells Yami it was an excellent move—but Shunoros has a special ability as well. Shunoros cracks and falls into pieces, bursting into flames. Then, a vortex appears above the duel, a huge serpent within it. As soon as Shunoros was vanquished, Dartz says, his Divine Serpent was born. But there's a price to pay—he must discard his entire hand, and give up every one of his life points.
Yami says that means Dartz loses. Dartz agrees—under normal circumstances. But as long as his Divine Serpent is on the field, he remains in the game. But if it's destroyed, Yami wins.
The Divine Serpent, however, has an attack of Infinity! Which means there's not a monster in Yami's deck that can stand up to it. And once it strikes Yami's Knight, Yami's soul is his. (Cut from the US version is this shot of Yami looking fierce, then bringing up his Duel Disk to stare at his deck.)
Yami stares at his deck, then draws. His card is Dark Magician Girl, and he remembers her telling him that both of their worlds are in great danger, and he's their only hope. Yami says he made her a promise, and he won't go back on his word. He sets a card face down and ends his turn.
Dartz draws, then discards ten cards from his deck so his Divine Serpent can attack. The Divine Serpent destroys Timaeus, and Yami's life points go to zero. The Seal reappears on the field, shrinking around Yami, as Dartz says that the duel is over.
But the Seal breaks apart and disappears, and as the smoke of the Serpent's attack clears, Dark Magician Girl appears on Yami's side of the field. How did he survive?
Yami explains. He activated his trap card, Relay Soul, which allows him to stay in the game when his life points go to zero by summoning his Dark Magician Girl and putting his fate in her hands. Now they're in the same situation. They each have one monster—Dartz has his Divine Serpent, and Yami has Dark Magician Girl—and when that monster is destroyed, the card holder will lose. Dark Magician Girl is in defense, with 1700 defense points.
Dartz says Yami may have altered the rules of their battle, but his chances of victory are just as slim. Yami says he has the spirits of his friends to support him, but Dartz is alone. Dartz says he has more power than Yami or his friends, and he'll prove it by playing this card—the magic card, Impact Revive, bringing back a monster that was destroyed this turn with an extra 500 attack points. He uses it to bring back Timaeus.
But why would he bring back Yami's card? Dartz says he wanted to prove how powerless Yami really is. Impact Revive also lets his monster attack one more time. Dartz discards another ten cards, and orders the Divine Serpent to attack.
As the attack approaches Dark Magician Girl, Dartz thinks, Yami's soul is his. Yami thinks, if she's destroyed, all hope is lost!
To Be Continued
