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Episode
GuideEpisode 208: In Search of a King (The Still-Living Pharaoh)
Kisara stands facing two other prisoners and their powerful monsters. One of the men laughs, saying that if she's their opponent, he can defeat her with his arms in shackles. (One of the Japanese men says it's a woman! The other says it doesn't matter, just kill her.) Both of the men's monsters attack, while Kisara stands defenseless. Aknadin tells her not to hold back her rage, but to show them the beast that dwells within. Seto watches in horror, thinking that he's never seen Aknadin behave this way, bringing harm upon the innocent. (Japanese Aknadin tells Kisara to let him see her power. Seto thinks, "Aknadin-sama!" Then he urges Kisara to call forth her monster, or she'll be dead.)
Aknadin thinks that he was told that this child harbors the most powerful creature ever imagined. Why doesn't she call it forth to protect herself? Suddenly, the Millennium Eye begins to glow. Aknadin covers his eye, recoiling from the blinding light.
The insect monster throws a rope-like attack at Kisara, which wraps around her. One of the men calls out to finish her off. Aknadin complains that he's wasted enough time. He must see her power! Seto wonders why she hesitates. Perhaps she is not who he thought.
Kisara turns to Seto, and he thinks that he can't let this madness continue. As the two monsters close in on Kisara, Seto summons Duos and leaps in front of Kisara to protect her. Aknadin calls out to Seto to get back, but Seto uses his Millennium Rod to free Kisara from her bonds, then turns to face the monsters. He tells Kisara that she's safe now, and she thanks him. He tells the men to call off their beasts. (Japanese Seto asks her what her name is, and she tells him "Kisara." He tells her to stay close to him.) But the prisoners say he's got a lot of nerve to face them—he's the reason they're in the dungeon in the first place.
Jumping up from his seat, Aknadin again calls out to Seto not to do this, but Seto tells him to be quiet. (Japanese Aknadin tells the men not to hurt Seto. They tell him to stay out of it.) The men say that the Pharaoh's servant wants to be a hero, so who are they to stand in his way? They dare him to save her. Seto orders Duos to attack, and his monster slashes the chains holding the men's platforms. (Cut from the US version is this shot of one of the platforms falling into the abyss, and the man falling after.)
One of the monsters plunges into the depths. (Purple shadow stuff is added to the shot of the man's monster falling in the US version.)
Seto and Kisara's own platform is partially cut loose, as well, and Seto finds himself hanging from one of the chains by one arm, and holding onto Kisara with the other.
The man with the insect beast has been rescued, and is hanging from his creature's ropy webs. He's still alive, he says, but Seto won't be so lucky. Seto's Duos is also bound up in the creature's web. The insect beast approaches Seto, and Aknadin screams Seto's name.
Seto looks down at Kisara, who suddenly begins to shine with a blue aura, her eyes glowing. Everyone watches in awe as the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon forms above the pit. That's it, Seto says—the creature he saw when he was a child. The man exclaims that he thought it was a myth. Seto asks Kisara to use her power to protect them. The man orders his insect beast to attack, but Kisara's eyes glow and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon counterattacks, destroying the man's beast, and then the man himself. (The shot of the Blue-Eyes' attack engulfing the man is turned purple and Shadow Realm-y in the US version.)
Aknadin says it's incredible! He's never seen such power.
Outside the palace, men gasp as the dragon's power bursts up from the ground. Watching from the balcony, Shimon wonders if this is the work of the Egyptian gods. (Japanese Shimon wonders what that light is.)
Seto carries an unconscious Kisara to one of the guards, telling him to make sure she gets some rest. As the guard takes her away, Aknadin asks Seto if he has any idea what they now hold in their hands. That girl wields a beast with enough power to annihilate Bakura's Diabound with one blast. But they need to take if from her, which would mean sealing her soul in stone. (Japanese Aknadin tells Seto he must steal the White Dragon from the girl. Cut from the US version is this bit where Seto protests that if the soul is connected to the spirit, taking the White Dragon would mean the death of the girl. Aknadin asks why Seto is hesitating, and tells him to kill the woman and take the White Dragon from her. Then he'll possess a power as strong as the gods.)
Seto asks if Aknadin has lost his mind, but Aknadin tells Seto not to let his emotions cloud his reason. That girl is his key to the throne. Seto protests that they already have a Pharaoh, and he intends to find him, not replace him.
Grasping Seto's wrist, Aknadin tells Seto not to waste his time. Rumor has it that the Pharaoh lost his spirit in a pit of Shadows, and Egypt cannot survive without a king. (Japanese Aknadin says it doesn't matter if the Pharaoh is alive or dead. He's gone, and the country needs a king.) He tells Seto to do what's right for his country and take the throne. Pulling away, Seto says that's enough. Aknadin has disgraced the name of the Pharaoh, and Seto won't be a part of it.
As Seto walks away, Aknadin thinks that if Seto won't seize his destiny, then Aknadin will seize it for him.
Meanwhile, in the underground cavern in Kul Elna, Bakura kneels upon the Millennium stone, saying that he brings two offerings. Putting the Millennium Puzzle in its place in the center of the stone, he stands, saying that this is a treasure around which the other Millennium Items revolve. Next, he offers up the Millennium Ring, startled when it begins to glow, but then he laughs, and exclaims that it's working! As soon as all seven Millennium Items are returned to their resting place, the door between this realm and the world beyond will be unlocked. Only then can Zorc the Dark One be released—the very being who created the Shadow Realm eons ago will return to envelop the world in darkness!
Tendrils of darkness begin to rise from beneath Bakura's feet. He gasps as the darkness rises up in a column, then forms a huge fist that reaches down and grabs him. Bakura asks what he's done to anger Zorc, and he hears a voice telling him to find the eighth key. Bakura asks what the eighth key is, but the fist flings him down and disappears. Sitting up, Bakura wonders what he could have meant by the eighth key, then he says, of course! When the Pharaoh defeated Zorc, he couldn't destroy the darkness, so he locked it away. There's only one way to resurrect this beast, and for centuries, only the Pharaoh knew the answer—but the Pharaoh never told a soul, and now he's gone. Standing atop the Millennium stone, Bakura stares at the Puzzle, and says he thought he'd figured it out. He was under the impression that the secret to unlocking the darkness is returning the seven Millennium Items to the stone, but apparently, there's another element.
Bakura takes the Puzzle from its resting place, saying that the eighth key exists only in the Pharaoh's mind. Unfortunately, the Pharaoh wiped his own memory clean, so not even he knows the answer. Wait, he thinks, it was in front of him the whole time—the eighth key! He remembers the stone tablets in the Egyptian exhibit at the museum, and the place where the Pharaoh's name had been scraped away from the stone. Now all Bakura has to do is find it. Sitting on the Millennium stone, Bakura laughs.
Meanwhile, Joey and Tristan are pulling with all their might on something, and so are Yugi and Téa. The something is Bobasa, who's hanging from the side of a cliff, while they try to pull him up. It takes all four of their best efforts, but they manage to haul him to safety, where he lands on top of them. Then he jumps up and runs to the cliff behind them, which overlooks the Nile River. He's happy to see it, but Yugi sighs, saying he's beginning to think they'll never find the Pharaoh. But Joey says he has a feeling the Pharaoh's somewhere along this river. After all, a guy needs food and water. Yugi agrees.
Bobasa begins to slide down the cliff towards the river, and the gang follow. Unknown to them, Bakura's men gather on the other cliff, watching them.
Down at the riverside, Mana stands, thinking that she knows she has what it takes to be an elite spellcaster—she just needs a little more practice. A fish jumps from the river, and she points her staff at it, freezing it in the air. Excellent, she says, then, using her staff to direct the fish, she makes it fly up high, then down low, then side to side. She laughs, pleased with herself, but then the fish stops, and she can't get it to move. She waves her staff in frustration, reciting spells, but instead of moving, the fish blows up like a balloon, then deflates, flying around until it hits her in the face, then falls back into the river and swims away. Falling to her knees, Mana says disappointedly that it's back to the spellbook. How is she supposed to do this without Master Mahad to guide her? She starts to cry.
Then she hears voices behind her. (Japanese Jounouchi says she looks like Black Magician Girl.) In the river around her are the reflections of Yugi and the others. They don't think she can see them, but she stands up and faces them, calling Yugi "Pharaoh" and asking what happened to him—he shrunk, and he's dressed in strange clothing. In fact, they all are. (Japanese Mana calls Yugi "Prince." She doesn't say anything about him being "shrunk," she just says he's dressed strangely, and who are these people he's with?)
Joey says he guesses it's safe to assume that she sees them. Tristan says she must be like Bobasa.
Bobasa comes running, with a fish in his hand. While they were making small talk, he says, he was catching big fish. Joey says he was supposed to be looking for the Pharaoh, not for lunch. Then Bobasa stops and turns around to show them a blue cloak he found. Joey says it looks just like the Pharaoh's cape. Bobasa says he found it floating in the Nile. (Cut from the US version is this bit where Anzu asks if it's possible that the other Yugi is still around. Honda says he hopes so—maybe he was washed away. Anzu tells him to shut up.)
Yugi says that must mean the Pharaoh is around there somewhere.
Mana realizes that if Yugi's not the Pharaoh, this must mean that the king is missing. Yugi asks if she'll help them look for him—she is his friend, isn't she? Mana says the Pharaoh is her closest friend. Yugi says, his, too. He knows they're going to find him soon. Mana's surprised that Yugi's the Pharaoh's friend, but Joey says they all are. In fact, they've been pals for years. Mana says, if that's so, why doesn't she know them? Tristan says it's a long story. (Japanese Mana says that's the Prince's cloak! Everyone says, Prince? She corrects herself and says, no, the Pharaoh. Yugi asks if she knows "the other me." She asks, isn't he the Pharaoh? He says, no, they're friends of the Pharaoh's. Jounouchi says, since she's a friend of Yugi's... no, the Pharaoh's, she should help them find him. She asks what happened to the Prince, and Tristan says he's disappeared. Mana says, why didn't they say so? She'll look for him, too.)
They hear a horse neigh, then see Bakura's men riding towards them. (Japanese Mana says those are Bakura's men. They killed her master.) Mana says if Yugi and the others are friends of the Pharaoh, they're her friends, too. Using her magic, she causes the river to rise and sweep Bakura's men away. Then they turn to run away.
(Cut from the US version is this scene showing Karim and his men searching for the Pharaoh from boats.)
Meanwhile, Shada and the palace guards are also searching along the Nile for the Pharaoh. One of the guards tells Shada that they've combed the entire desert, and there's still no sign of the Pharaoh. Shada says they can't stop. The Pharaoh is out there, and they will find him. Another guard arrives with good news—they've picked up Bakura's trail. Shada says, let's go, but just then, a shadow passes over them. It's Spiria. One of the guards says she must be helping Isis locate the Pharaoh. Shada wishes her luck, and Spiria flies away down the river.
The Pharaoh, scraped and bruised, sits in a cave at the riverside, thinking that the Millennium Puzzle is gone, in Bakura's hands now. He remembers Bakura telling him that his father, the former Pharaoh, destroyed Bakura's village when he made the seven Millennium Items, then lied to everyone about wanting to use them to restore peace. But Bakura knew better than to be fooled by a ruthless dictator. All the king really wanted was power to control the world.
The Pharaoh wonders if Bakura's words could be true. Did his father really bring harm to innocent people in order to create the seven Millennium Items? Or did he rule justly, and restore peace to Egypt? He wishes he remembered more about his father.
Then the Pharaoh sees a vision of himself as a baby, crying in Shimon's arms, as Shimon tells the Pharaoh that this day has brought them a great blessing. The new Prince of Egypt is born, and one day he will lead them as Pharaoh. The king takes the babe out onto the balcony of the palace, where he holds up the child to the crowd.
In another vision, the child prince makes his way slowly across the courtyard, arms reaching out to his father, as he learns to walk. The prince stumbles and falls, and begins to cry, but with his father's encouragement he gets back up and continues towards his father. Finally, he makes it to his father's arms, and his father holds him, telling him it's all right, everyone falls once in a while. That's what makes us stronger.
Later, the young prince follows his father into a stone passageway. (There are skeletons lining the passageway in the Japanese version.)
(Cut from the US version are these shots of arrow-pierced skeletons lying in the passageway.)
The prince wipes tears from his eyes, asking his father if he must go with him. He doesn't like this place. What are they doing there, anyway? His father tells him this is something he needs to witness. But the prince needn't be afraid. This sanctuary is protected by the Egyptian gods themselves. As they enter a large cavern, lit with torches, the king tells his son that as long as he shows respect, nothing will harm him. The prince stands at the top of the stairway, insisting that he won't go any further, but his father continues on, telling him it's not his choice. The prince hurries to follow. They walk out onto a high stone bridge.
The prince steps too close to the edge, and the stone crumbles under his foot. He falls, just catching the edge of the bridge with one hand. He calls out to his father for help. His father stands nearby and tells him to lift himself up. The prince pulls himself to safety, then continues to follow his father.
At the other side of the bridge is an altar, with figures painted on the walls over it. The prince asks who these people are, and his father says they're pharaohs who came before. The king kneels at the altar and calls out to the Egyptian gods to hear him. He has committed a crime beyond atonement, and he is truly sorry. By bringing the seven Millennium Items into the world, he has destroyed the lives of thousands. Bowing low, he says that he bears full responsibility for these actions, and begs the gods to spare his son. His tears fall onto the stone, and the prince asks him if he's all right.
The cavern lights up with repeated flashes of lightning. The prince gasps, but his father tells him not to be afraid. He's safe now.
The Pharaoh thinks that he remembers now—his father surrendered his own safety to insure his son's. The Pharaoh sees a strange figure before him, obscured by a bright light. The figure says he is known as Hasan, and he's come to warn the Pharaoh of impending danger. Zorc the Dark One will soon awaken. The Pharaoh asks who Zorc is, and the figure says he's the embodiment of pure darkness. The Pharaoh asks what he can do to stop him, but the figure is gone. He hears only the voice, saying that when the time is right, he'll know. (Japanese Hasan says that the Dark God Zork is awakening, and the Pharaoh is the only one who can defeat him. The Pharaoh says, Zork? Hasan says that the former Pharaoh, Aknamkanon, is also watching over him. The Pharaoh asks if Hasan knows his father, but Hasan is gone.)
The Pharaoh stands up and walks slowly out of the cave, thinking that he'll protect all that his father struggled to build.
Outside, he sees a father and son fishing in a boat on the river. Together, they pull up the net, which is full of wriggling fish.
Yugi and the others walk with Mana along the river. He tells her he's never met a real magician before. She says she's really only half a magician, considering that only half of her spells work. Yugi tells her that where he comes from, there's a card game called Duel Monsters, and there's a character in the game who looks just like her. Her name is Dark Magician Girl, and she's really powerful. He bets if Mana keeps practicing her spells, she can be just as strong as she is. Téa asks her name, and she says it was Mana, but now she's thinking of changing it—to Dark Magician Girl.
Bobasa asks if she'd like to practice her spells by conjuring up a large sardine sandwich, then he stops abruptly, and Joey crashes into him. Telling Bobasa to watch where he's going, Joey steps around him, then sees what Bobasa saw—the Pharaoh standing on the beach below. They all call out to him, and the Pharaoh looks up, and smiles. With Mana in the lead, they all run happily to greet him.
