Yu-Gi-Oh! - Episode Guide

Quickly changing the subject, Joey asks Mai why she gave him her Tournament Entry Card, Glory of the King's Hand, at Duellist Kingdom and she tells him that she was touched by his story and wanted to help. However as Mai tries to justify her actions, Joey has been distracted by a poster for Jean-Claude Magnum's latest ninja movie and is no longer listening to what Mai is saying. Infuriated by Joey's short attention span, Mai prepares to confront him as a white limousine bursts through the poster in front of Mai and Joey.

Startled by the limo, Mai grabs Joey for support but then backs away embarassed as Joey prepares to confront the owner of the limo, however as the door opens and the passenger gets out, he is thrilled to see that it is none other than Jean-Claude, the same guy from the poster. As Joey introduces himself as Jean-Claude's number one fan, the movie star is only interested in Ma, however while he appears to know Mai she does not recognise him. Joey can't believe that Mai knows Jean-Claude however as she insists that she doesn't know him Magnum reminds her of their encounter one year previously.

Somewhere at sea, on a cruise ship, a duel between Mai and Magnum comes to a close as Mai uses her Harpie Lady combo to win the match. Stunned by such a powerful opponent, Magnum is infatuated with Mai and proposes to her, wishing to spend the rest of his life with her. Amused by the request, Mai shuns Magnum's proposal but jokingly offers that she will marry him if he can ever beat her in a duel.

As Mai realises that Magnum did not sense that she was joking when she made the offer, Joey suggests that she should accept the proposal as she is unlikely to ever find a better one. Although she doesn't want to marry Jean-Claude, Mai agrees to the duel in order to teach her suitor a lesson, however Yugi tells her that she doesn't have to duel if she doesn't want to. As Duke warns his friends not to anger Jean-Claude in case he pulls any of his kung-fu moves on them, T?a is sure that Mai will beat Magnum without any problems.

Ready to start the duel, Mai calls for Joey to lend his Duel Disk to Magnum however he reveals that he already has a Disk, as well as five Locator Cards. Realising that Magnum intends this to be an official Battle City duel, Mai knows that losing the duel will mean losing her place in the finals however she refuses to pull out of the duel, determined to teach her arrogant opponent a lesson.

While Yugi is shocked that Mai has agreed to the terms of the duel, it is too late for Mai to pull out as Magnum summons a monster, Ninja Commander Akousa (700/700), a monster which, when summonned, calls Ninja Soldier Katana (400/400) to the field. Not worried by Magnum's multiplicity combo, Mai summons Amazon Swordswoman (1500/1600) and easily crushes Jean-Claude Magnum's Ninja Soldier (JC's LP: 2900).

As Mai accuses Jean-Claude of duelling like an amateur, he smugly responds that Mai is agressive as ever as he summons another Ninja Commander Akousa (700/700), using its special effect once again to summon a second Ninja Soldier Katana (400/400). Impressed by Mai's skills so far, Serenity tells Joey that she thinks that Mai is really cool, however joey disagrees beliving Mai is too full of herself. Angered by the comment, Mai orders her Swordswoman to attack, destroying the second Ninja Commander (JC's LP: 2100).

Confident that victory will soon be hers, Mai is concerned as Magnum explains that she has fallen into his trap and now that he has two ninjas in his graveyard he need only sacrifice one of his Ninja Soldiers to summon his most powerful ninja, Ninja Master Shogun (1600/1600). Unimpressed with his new ninja, Mai discovers that it packs more of a punch than the others, with the ability to not only summon another Ninja Soldier Katana (400/400) but also Ninja Commando Kibouki (700/700). Not only that, but Magnum's Ninja Commando allows him to summonn Kounoichiyayami the Ninja Girl (300/300).

With so many ninjas on the other side of the field, Mai is naturally concerned as the Ninja Master destroys her Swordswomam before the other four ninjas attack her Life Points directly (M's LP: 1800). As Jean-Claude is confident that he is about to win the duel, and Yugi and the others worry that Mai may not be able to turn things around, Magnum sets one card and then ends his turn.

Summoning Cyber Harpie(1800/1300) to the field, Mai orders it to attack Magnum's Ninja Master however he activates his Ninja Smoke Ball trap card blocking the attack. Although infuriated that her attack was blocked, Mai isn't disheartened as she sets a card and ends her turn. Amused at Mai's attempt to defeat him, Magnum plays the Great Kite of Ninja, lifting his Ninja Master high into the air, safe from all attacks and Magic cards.

As if being protected from attacks was not bad enough, Magnum explains that he can sacrifice one monster in order to allow his Ninja Master to attack Mai's Life Points directly. Tributing his Ninja Soldier, Magnum uses the power of his Kite to attack Mai directly (M's LP: 200). Down but not out, Mai refuses to give up and as Joey asks Yugi if there is any way that Mai could win, his friend suggests that Mai could eliminate Magnum's Kite is she could play Harpie's Feather Duster.

Calling out to Mai to ask if she has the Feather Duster in her hand, Mai snaps back that she would have already used it if she did have it. However as Yugi suggests that she could also stop Magnum from attacking her directly if she could eliminate all of his ninjas, Mai sees a way to stop Magnum in his tracks as she draws and activates Elegant Egotist. As her one Cyber Harpie is transformed into three Mai attacks and destroys all three of his Ninjas.

As Magnum becomes furious that Mai coould be turning the tables once again, Joey informs the movie star that he is no longer impressed with his skills as an actor or his personality as a person. However as Mai sets a card and ends her turn, Magnumm summons another Ninja Girl (300/300) only to discover that Mai had prepared for the move as she activates her Grave Arm magic card to destroy the Ninja Girl.

Unable to attack directly with no ninjas left on his side of the field Magnum has to end his turn, and as Mai begins her turn she gladly informs Magnum that his Ninja Kite prevents his monster from defending as well as being attacked. As her trio of Cyber Harpies attacks Magnum, Mai eliminates the rest of his life points winning her the match.

As the monsters disappear from the field, Magnum is surprisingly unconcerned at having lost the duel as he points out that his Ninja Master and Ninja Kite have not disappeared from the field as they were not holograms. As the Ninja Master swoops down and scoops Mai up in a net Magnum explains that he is determined to have Mai one way or another. As the Ninja flies off with his catch, Joey runs after Magnum who is chasing after Mai.

Determined not to remain captured, Mai struggles to get free and the Ninja Master drops her and she has to grab on to a pole sticking out the side of a building to prevent hurting herself in the fall. As Magnum panics about what to do, Joey offers to catch Mai but as she lets go she ends up landing on top of him. Approaching Mai to try and help her up, Magnum is shunned by Mai once again as she accuses him of being nothing more than a cheap phoney and a poor actor.

Getting to her feet on her own, Mai tells Jean-Claude that the only hero here is Joey and as she thanks her duelling rival for helping her she informs him that she didn't want to marry Magnum because she wants to beat Joey in the finals. With what will hopefully be their final distraction now out of the way, the gang heads on towards the stadium where the finals will be held ready to see what Kaiba has in store for them.

However while things are coming together it is important that nobody knows Marik's true identity and so he orders Odion to pretend to be the real Marik while he uses the guise of Namu to get close to Yugi and his friends. As the two continue to discuss their plans, Kaiba senses that somebody is in the stadium and orders the lights to be turned on however as the stadium is filled with light there is nobody to be seen.

Before Kaiba has a chance to look into things further, Yugi, Mai, Joey and the others arrive however they are all confused to see the stadium empty and barely constructed. Even so, the trio of finalists present their Locator Cards and are given Tournament ID cards which will gain them access to the finals. As the gang asks where the other finalists are they are informed that so far only Seto Kaiba and themselves have arrived.

As the group await the arrival of the next finalists, wind begins to howl through the stadium as the next entrant arrives. Although Yugi is suspicious of the new arrival, as well he should be, Joey and T?a are both surprised to see their friend Namu who helped them out when Bakura was injured. While Namu asks how Bakura is doing, Joey is somehow creeped out by him however as T?a introduces Namu to Yugi Joey starts to calm down as they explain how Namu found Bakura after he had been attacked.

As Namu announces that he is honoured to be meeting the great Yugi Moto, Marik is pleased that nobody has worked out who he really is. However before any of them can get talking Bakura staggers into the stadium, clearly still weak from the injury he suffered. As the gang questions how Bakura found them Yugi spots that Bakura is wearing a Duel Disk and everyone is stunned as their friend reveals that he is the sixth finalist. While Yugi is suspicious that this may not be their friend, Bakura distracts them by pointing out that the next finalist is arriving.

Shrouded in a dark robe, the tattoo-faced finalist enters the arena and as Joey recognises him from his encounter when he was captured they realises that this must be Marik, leader of the Rare Hunters. As the robed figure introduces himself as one and the same Kaiba warns Marik that he could have him disqualified for hacking his way into the tournament however he won't do that because he wants to defeat Marik and claim his Egyptian God Card.

Now that seven of the finalists have gathered, the tournament officials announce that although the Locator Cards lead the duellists to this location, it is not actually where the finals will be held. As everyone wonders what they could mean by this, the stadium lights are angled upwards as a large blimp, Kaiba Craft 3, lands in the center of the stadium. While the finalists look on in amazement Mokuba explains that the finals will be held 4000 feet in the sky.

As a door onto the blimp opens, the finalists begin to board and are informed that the ship will take off as soon as the eighth finalist arrives. However while Yugi wonders who the eighth finalist will be T?a. Tristan, Duke and Serenity are blocked from boarding as none of them are qualified for the tournament. As the four friends plead to be let onto the ship, Maokuba tells the officials to let them on, pointing out that he isn't qualified either and yet he will be boarding.

With everybody else on board, Kaiba informs the officials to take off even though the last finalist has not arrived, however as they wonder whether they should wait or follow his order the last entrant, Ishizu Ishtar, arrives and Kaiba Craft 3 takes off into the skies. As the blimp reaches the crusing altitude of 4000 feet, the gang are amazed by the view of Domino from so high up, however as Serenity thanks Joey for bringing her Joey is distracted by Kaiba who insists that Joey qualified through luck not skill. While Joey is left reeling from Kaiba's remarks, Kaiba tells Yugi that he must use his God card in the finals as Kaiba claims to win it when he defeats him in a duel.

As the finalists are asked to go to their rooms to prepare for the first round, Serenity is impressed with Joey's room and thanks him for helping her regain her sight so that she could see all the wonderful things he has shown her so far. However as the two do some brother-sister bonding they are rudely interrupted by T?a, Tristan and Duke who are looking for a place to crash until rooms can be found for them.

While Joey is furious that he won't be able to focus with the others around, Tristan plans to ask Serenity to look at the view with him but Duke beats him to it. Unable to get close to Serenity, Tristan apologises to Joey for bothering him, explaining that they didn't want to distract Yugi while he was preparing for the finals. Reminding Tristan that he is also supposed to be prepping for the finals, Joey goes on to thank his friend for looking after Serenity while he was duelling in Battle City.

As Kaiba prepares his deck in his room, Mokuba sees the officials approaching his room and tells them to stop, warning them that Kaiba may well have them fired if they interrupt him while he is preparing. The officials apologise and explain that they only wanted to inform Kaiba that the eighth finalist arrived before the ship took off, however Kaiba does not look like he would be concerned by this as his only interest is destroying Yugi and Marik and claiming their Egyptian God Cards.

Elsewhere on the ship, Mai is psyched about the finals, sure that she will do better than she did in Duellist Kingdom, while Odion is determined not to fail his master. Marik is also confident that success will be his, especially as he has control over T?a and Bakura, although his control over Bakura will not be needed as long as Yami Bakura agrees to keep up his end of their bargain.

Yugi, meanwhile, knows that Kaiba was right and that he will have to use Slifer the Sky Dragon is he is to have any hope of winning the finals, however he fears that Slifer may be too dangerous for some opponents to handle. As Yami agrees that Slifer is their only chance of beating Marik he warns Yugi that the finals will turn into a clash of all three God cards, however Yugi is more concerned about Bakura, worried that the evil spirit that controlled him at Duellist Kingdom has somehow returned even though Tristan got rid of the Millennium Ring.

Pointing out the the Millennium Items work in unpredicatble ways Yami agrees that he senses something different about Bakura. However neither of them know just how climatic the finals will be, unlike Ishizu who knows that everything is in place for the final clash between Yugi and Marik to begin. As all the finalists finish their preparations, an announcement comes across requesting everyone's presence in the main hall.

Leaving his room, Joey sees Kaiba coming along the corridor and the two exchange insults before Joey and Namu meet up. While Namu tells Joey that he never thought he would make it to the finals, Joey warns him that he won't make it much further once the two of them meet on the duelling field. As the two make their way to the main hall, Yugi also sets off knowing that the fate of the world lies in his hands.

As a freaked out Joey backs away from Bakura, hoping that he won't have to face him in a duel, he asks Kaiba what the hold up is. Kaiba explains that the eighth finalist has not yet arrived, however as he sends one of the officials off to collect her he decides to begin the proceedings anyway and as a large lottery machine appears at one end of the room the other official explains that the machine will randomly choose the pairs of duellists who will compete against each other.

However unlike Duellist Kingdom, the second pairing will not be chosen until after the end of the first match, meaning that none of the duellists will know who they will be duelling until just before the match starts. As the duellists wait for the first two numbers to be chosen, they are all reminded of their numbers in the tournament; Kaiba (1), Joey (2), Yugi (3), Mai (4), Namu (5), Bakura (6), Marik (7), Ishizu (8).

As the official arrives at Ishizu's room to request her presence in the main hall, she explains that her presence will not be required as her number will not be chosen, however as the official leaves Ishizu worries that the fate of the world depends on the victory of one of the two duellists who will be chosen.

Back at the hall, the lottery machine starts up and chooses the first duellist for the opening match; Bakura. Surprised to see that he has been picked for the first duel, Bakura is eager to see who his first opponent will be and is pleased when it is Yugi's number which is drawn as his opponent. As Yugi and Bakura are lead away to the Stratos Duelling Arena the rest of the finalists are invited to make their way to the spectator platform to watch the proceedings.

As the elevator carries Yugi and Bakura up to the top of the ship, Yugi is suspicious of Bakura , sure that he is still after the Millennium Items. Meanwhile Kaiba is eager to see how Bakura will cope against the might of Slifer the Sky Dragon, assuming that Yugi uses it in the duel. Arriving at the Stratos Arena, Yugi is determined not to lose the duel as the fate of the world is at stake, and as the other finalists arrive Kaiba informs them that the strong winds and cold temperature of the altitude are intended to test the true limits of the duellists.

Confident that he will be the victor, Bakura asks if Yugi is ready to lose, however Yugi demands to know who is really in control of Bakura. As Yami Bakura reveals the Millennium Ring around his neck, Yugi realises that his opponent is the same opponent he fought in the Shadow Realm at Duellist Kingdom. While Tristan is shocked to see the Millennium Ring after he threw it into the woods of Duellist Kingdom, Namu and Mai do not understand what all the fuss is about until T?a and Joey explain how Bakura's Millennium Item contains an evil spirit.

As Joey hopes that they won't end up dragged into the Shadow Realm again, Namu is amused that none of the others realise he is really Marik, but as Yugi asks Yami Bakura why he is duelling Yami Bakura suggests that he is not intent on taking the Millennium Puzzle but has his sights on something more powerful. However as Yami Bakura goes on to taunt Yugi, explaining that not everybody is who they seem on the ship, Marik contacts Yami Bakura mentally and warns him that he is giving too much information away.

With the duel about to begin, Yugi and his friends are sure that he will win however Yami Bakura is confident that victory will, in the end, be his however as his first turn begins he summons The Portrait's Secret (1200/1500) in attack mode. As Yugi wonders what Yami Bakura could be up to he summons Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) and destroys Bakura's monster (B's LP: 3700) before setting one card.

Not bothered by the loss of his first monster, Bakura summons The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams (1300/1800), once again in attack mode, and while Joey is freaked out by the creepy monster Yugi s unimpressed by such a weak card. Sensing that Bakura must be wanting him to attack, Yugi realises that his only hope is to wipe out Bakura's Life Points before he can start his strategy and, summoning Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) orders both of his monsters to attack Bakura (B's LP: 2000).

With half of his Life Points already gone, it looks like Bakura will be easily crushed in the next turn and as he summons The Headless Knight (1450/1700) it seems like there is no way for him to turn the tables and win the duel, especially as both of Yugi's monsters attack once again (B's LP: 450). Confident that he is about to win, Yugi doesn't realise that he has been reeled into Bakura's trap until his opponent explains that he needed three monsters in his graveyard to summon his most powerful monster.

As Yugi realises that Bakura played him like a fool he is shocked as Bakura summons Dark Necrofear (2200/2800). As Bakura explains that Dark Necrofear possessed some very special powers he sets two cards and then ends his turn, much to the surprise of Yugi who thinks that Bakura must have been worried about his set card. Deciding to put Bakura out of his misery Yugi sacrifices his Gazelle to summon the Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) before activating his set card, Magic Formula to increase her ATK to 2500.

Now more powerful than Dark Necrofear, the Magician Girl attacks and destroys it (B's LP: 150) however Bakura is glad, explaining that Yugi has once again fallen into his trap. With Dark Necrofear in the graveyard, Bakura activates his Dark Sanctuary magic card and, as he does so, the arena is shrouded in a red fog filled with mysterious eyes. As Yugi looks on bewildered Bakura explains that there is no escape from defeat now that Yugi has fallen well and truly into his trap.

Taking the bait, Yugi orders Gamma the Magnet Warrior to attack, but as he does so the Evil Ghost counters the attack and Yugi suffers in the recoil. As Yugi wonders what has happened, Bakura explains that Yugi's Magnet Warrior has been posessed by the evil ghost. While Yugi wonders whether any of his other monsters have been posessed by the spirit as well, Bakura informs him that the Dark Sanctuary has other effects as well as the ones that Yugi has experienced so far. Bakura explains that whenever a posessed monster attacks, half of its ATK is deducted from Yugi's Life Points and added to Bakura's Life Points (Y's LP: 3250, B's LP: 900)

Although taken aback by the attack, Yugi isn't concerned by the spirit's effect however as Bakura activates the Destiny Board things start to look grim. As Yugi wonders what the Destiny Board does, Bakura explains that the Ouija Board which has appeared on his side of the field is able to communicate with the lost souls of the Shadow Realm, and as the board moves to the letter "F" Bakura explains that over the next four turns the board will spell out a five letter word and when the word has been spelled out in full Yugi will automatically lose.

While the gang and Mokuba are worried that Yugi might not be able to win, Kaiba's only concern is whether Yugi will use Slifer the Sky Dragon or not. However Yugi's turn has not yet begun and Bakura continues by playing The Dark Door, a magic card that prevents Yugi from attacking more than once per turn. Summoning Earthbound Spirit (500/2000), Bakura sacrifices it, explaining that he has to offer one monster as a tribute each turn in order to keep the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary in play.

Realising that he needs to finish things quickly if he is going to win the duel, Yugi is confident that if he attacks with Dark Magician Girl he will win the duel, however he is concerned about Bakura's set card and begins by summoning Kuriboh (300/200) in defence mode. With a line of defence to protect him if Bakura's face down card turns oout to be a trap, Yugi orders his Dark Magician Girl to attack, however as it does so the evil ghost counters the attack (Y's LP: 2000, B's LP: 2150). As Bakura relishes in informing Yugi that the spirit posesses a different monster each turn, hiis turn begins and he activates the second letter of the Spirit Message - I.

While Bakura is confident that the duel will be over in three moore turns, Yugi informs him of a flaw in his plan, that the Duel Disk only has room for five magic and trap cards and Bakura only has space for two more letters thanks to The Dark Door. Bakura isn't too concerned by this though as he explains that Dark Sanctuary allows him to use his monster slots to play more magic and trap cards meaning that he still has plenty of room for the rest of the Spirit Message. While Bakura is confident that Yugi only has three turns until he will be defeated, Mai is sure that Yugi will be able to turn the duel around if he can only work out which monster the evil ghoost has posessed.

As Bakura summons and sacrifices Sangan (1000/600) to maintain the effect of Dark Sanctuary for another turn he uses its effect to draw another monster from his deck before ending his turn. As Bakura watches the evil ghost repossess Yugi's Dark Magician Girl, Yugi has no idea which monster has been possessed although he doubts that it is his Kuriboh. Apprehensive as to which monster he should attack with, Yugi is frustrated that the only monster in his hand is Big Shield Gardna (100/2600). Although it has a weak ATK, Yugi summons it in defence mode just in case he will need it however Bakura tells him that any attack will be futile, and as Yugi orders his Magnet Warrior to attack Bakura activates his trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent, forcing Yugi's possessed Magician Girl to attack (Y's LP: 750, B's LP: 3400).

While Duke and Serenity worry that it might be too late for Yugi to turn the tables, Tristan tells them to stay positive for Yugi's sake, however while Yugi himself is not confident of his ability to win their support may be for nothing. Even so, as Yugi sets two cards he warns Bakura that the evil ghost will soon be no more but as Bakura activates the next letter of the Spirit Message - N and summons Souls of the Forgotten (900/200), which he then tributes to Dark Sanctuary, he taunts Yugi to try to attack him however Yugi is happy to take the bait on this occasion.

Explaining that he does not need to guess where the ghost is hiding, Yugi activates his trap card, Collected Power to gather the effects of all equipment cards on to Kuriboh. While Kaiba wonders what Yugi is planning, everything becomes clear as Yugi activates Exile of the Wicked to destroy his Kuriboh and all cards equipped to it, including the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary. Even though his evil ghost has been destroyed, Bakura is still confident that he will win in only two more turns, but Marik is not so confident and he contacts Bakura mentally, reminding him that if he loses the duel then their deal will be off.

Although Bakura is still confident that he can win the duel, things start to go from bbad to worse for him as Yugi activates Monster Reborn to revive Dark Necrofear (2200/2800) from Bakura's graveyard, negating the effect of Dark Sanctuary in the process. With the evil ghost gone and Bakura now only allowed to have five magic and trap cards on the field things are looking up for Yugi as he uses Dark Necrofear to attack Bakura's Life Points directly (B's LP: 1200). As Bakura activates the penultimate letter of the Spirit Message - A, Yugi realises that the word being spelt is FINAL however he informs Bakura that he would have to discard The Dark Door during this turn in order to activate the end of the Spirit Message during his next turn, and this would leave Bakura open to a three-way attack which would wipe out the remainder of his Life Points.

Although Bakura is furious at how the tables have been turned, Kaiba doubts that Yugi will find victory quite this easy and as Marik contacts Bakura mentally once again and suggests that he should take control of Bakura in order to win the duel, Bakura refuses to give in as he draws what could be his final card. Looking at the card he holds in his hand, Bakura is delighted with it, sure that it will seal Yugi's defeat. But as he prepares to play it, both Yugi and his friends are naturally uneasy as to what is in store for Yugi in what could be the final turn of the duel.

With the ability to play magic cards in his monster slots available to him once more, Bakura reminds Yugi that he now has room to activate the last letter of the Spirit Message at the start of his next turn. However while Joey and Yugi are both confident that Yugi will somehow be able to pull through and win the duel, Bakura is also confident that victory will be his as he sacrifices Jowgen to revive the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary. As he sets one card and ends his turn, Bakura warns Yugi that there is no way for him to win, as attacking with the possessed monster would wipe out the remainder of Yugi's Life Points. Not only that, but Bakura's set card is Dark Spirit of the Silent meaning that there is no way for Yugi to not attack with the possessed monster.

Unable to win whether he attacks or does not attack, Yugi is unable to see any way to win with the cards that he holds in his hand. As Duke suggests that Yugi may be unable to win, Tristan tells him to stop doubting Yugi but Mai agrees with Duke telling Tristan that things may be too bad for Yugi this time. As Serenity also begins to worry that Yugi might lose the rest of the gang continues to cheer him on and Yugi realises that there is still one card that could win him the duel; Slifer the Sky Dragon. As Kaiba hopes that Yugi is planning to try and summon the Egyptian God Card, Yugi puts all his faith in the Heart of the Cards and successfully draws the card, immediately sacrificing all three of his monsters to summon it to the field.

As Slifer the Sky Dragon (X000/X000) appears on the field, it's massive body wrapped around Kaiba Craft 3, Yami Bakura is worried by the sight of the powerful beast, as are Yugi's friends, however Kaiba is glad to finally see Yugi using the card. Seeing Slifer's body from the window of her room, Ishizu senses that everything is going as the Millennium Necklace predicted it would and that Yugi is on track to win the duel. However Yami Bakura is still not willing to give in and even as Marik contacts him mentally once more he refuses to accept help, sure that the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary will be able to control Slifer the Sky Dragon.

The ghost prepares to enter Slifer the Sky Dragon, however as it does so it is destroyed by the powerful Egyptian God and Bakura begins to realise the true might of the legendary beast. As Yugi prepares to attack, things seem helpless for Bakura but Marik refuses to give in so easily and Odion, who everyone else believes is Marik, approaches the duelling arena with the Millennium Rod in his hand. As 'Marik' approaches, Joey is furious and prepares to make him pay for what he has done, however 'Marik' ignores him as he explains that he controls Bakura and the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring.

'Marik' explains that he is going to force Bakura back in control of the body which is currently being controlled by te evil spirit, and as he says this the real Marik tells Yami Bakura that he has to relinquish control of Bakura's body if he seeks to win the duel as Yugi would not risk attacking his injured friend. As Yami Bakura releases Bakura from his control, Bakura collapses to the ground confused, injured and scared. As 'Marik' warns Yugi that Bakura will not survive the force of Slifer's attack, Bakura calls out for Yugi to help him but as Yugi goes to approach him the umpire warns him that contact with his opponent will result in him being disqualified.

As Yugi struggles to choose between attacking and possibly destroying his friend or forfeiting the duel and leaving the world to suffer the wrath of Marik, Kaiba tells him to attack and be done with it. Angered by the fact that Yugi iis unable to help Bakura, Joey calls to the umpire to halt te duel but he refuses, warning Joey to back off lest he be disqualified from the tournament as well. However as Yugi debates what he should do, Yami Bakura senses that he is not going to give up the duel and regains control of Bakura's body, not able to risk it being destroyed. Realising that the evil spirit has regained control of Bakura's body, Yugi orders Slifer to attack, but as the powerful blast elimiinates the last of Bakura's Life Points he warns Yugi that he hasn't seen that last of him yet.

As the injured Bakura collapses to the ground, Yugi and the others rush over to see if he is alright and, while weakened, he is still conscious. Tristan picks Bakura up and, carrying him on his back, leads him back to his room to rest, however while the rest of the gang follows him Yugi stays behind and contacts Yami. The two discuss what has happened and they both sense that Yami Bakura needs Bakura somehow, like how Yami needs Yugi. However Yugi explains that while Yami and he support each other, Bakura and his evil spirit are at constant conflict with each other and that in the end it will be Yugi and Yami who are victorious in Battle City.

Heading off to see how Bakura is doing, Yugi is stopped by the umpire who tells him that he can take a card from Bakura's deck but Yugi refuses, more worried about his friend's well-being. As he reaches Bakura's room, he and the rest of the gang all agree that Bakura needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible, but while they are gathered together talk turns to what happened between Bakura and Marik and T?a suggests that Marik and the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring may be working together to achieve some common goal, although none of them hhave any idea what that might be.

As Tristan and the others head off to try and get Kaiba to land the ship at the hospital, T?a offers to stay and watch over Bakura, however as Yugi prepares to leave he realises that the Millennium Ring has gone missing. Deciding not to worry about that now, Yugi also heads off but as he does so Marik takes control of T?a and reveals that she has the Millennium Ring, keeping it safe until Marik sees fit to return it.

With the first duel complete, a half hour intermission begins before the selection of the two duellists for the second match, however while Mai, Marik, Namu and Ishizu while away the time in their quarters, Yugi and the others head off in search of Kaiba to get him to land the blimp so that Bakura can get medical attention.

Arriving at Kaiba's quarters, the gang are stopped by Mokuba who tells them not to disturb his brother's preparations for the next duel, however Joey ignores him and bangs on Kaiba's door, demanding that he let them in. As Kaiba opens the door and warns Joey not to cause any more trouble, Tristan and Yugi intervene to beg Kaiba to land the ship. Kaiba refuses to land, heartlessly suggesting that Bakura's current status is his own fault for leaving the hospital before he had fully recovered, however as Serenity begs that he land the ship he relents slightly, calling for a medical team to be sent to Bakura's room.

As the gang look on slightly bewildered, Mokuba explains that Kaiba Craft 3 has medical staff on board who far surpass that of Domino Hospital. Pleased that their friend will be alright, the gang leave Kaiba's room and Tristan and Duke once again begin competing for Serenity's affections. As Joey and Yugi wonder how Bakura is doing, the gang remembers that the Millennium Ring has yet to be found and Tristan volunteers himself and Duke to go search for it up at the Stratos Duelling Arena. While Yugi and Joey offer to help, Tristan tells them that they need to focus on the duels as he drags Duke off towards the top of the blimp.

Up on the top of the ship, Tristan and Duke begin to argue once more as their search for the Ring proves fruitless. However as Duke accuses Tristan of being scared of a little competition when it comes to Serenity, a fight between the two breaks out and the two rivals stumble over the edge of the ship. As Tristan does his best to hold onto the ledge, Duke is trying his best to hold onto Tristan lest they fall. Calling for help without success, things look bad for the pair as Tristan begins to lose his grip, however just as his hand slips from the ledge it is grabbed by a man wearing white robes, Shadi.

As Tristan and Duke are pulled back up onto the blimp, Tristan goes to thank the robed stranger who saved them but he is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile Yugi is sorting his deck ready for the next round and is worried that somebody else might get hurt if he has to use Slifer in the semi-finals, however before he is able to reflect further on the true power of his God Card Shadi enters the room. As Shadi explains that Yugi is starting to comprehend his fate, Yugi explains that he doesn't know very much other than the fact that Yami was an ancient egyptian pharaoh.

While Yugi tries to get some straight answers out of Shadi, the mysterious man explains that he has only come to Kaiba Craft 3 because he senses a misalignment of the Millennium Items. As he goes on to inform Yugi that all the items required to save or destroy the world are gathered upon the ship, he warns Yugi that if the God Cards and the Millennium Items fall into the hands of the wrong people then a catastrophe similar to that which occurred when Maximillion Pegasus first created Duel Monsters might occur once again.

"After Pegasus met Shadi and was given the Millennium Eye, he discovered the origin of the Shadow Games and became obsessed with them, seeking to resurrect their ancient powers. As he discovered the legend of the Egyptian God Cards, Pegasus became determined to find and recreate these three ancient beasts however he had little success until Shadi came to him once again, offering to help him find the tablets that he was looking for."

"Intrigued, Pegasus followed Shadi to an ancient tomb beneath the sands where an underground city was located. Recording everything that he saw on camera, Pegasus was amazed when Shadi used the Millennium Key to prevent the search party being discovered by the many guards in the city and eventually, after many hours of walking, the party arrived at the tomb where the God tablets resided. Although Shadi would not let Pegasus remove anything from the tomb, Pegasus was exstatic and gathered all of the data he needed in order to reproduce the three Gods."

"As Pegasus returned to America to begin producing the prototype God Cards, Shadi was not certain whether Pegasus would be able to control the power of the three beats although he knew that it was his destiny to unseal them. As the project continued, Pegasus learned that all of the people working on designing the God cards had met with unfortunate accidents and, going against Croquet's wishes, decided to finish production of the cards on his own."

"Weeks later, Pegasus finished the paintings of the three Gods and had yet to meet with any unfortunate accident, however as he fell asleep in front of the canvas he had a terrifying dream in which he saw the three Gods destroying Egypt. Realising that it was not Pegasus's destiny to control the God cards, Shadi convinced him to seal the God cards away and so he did so, handing all three cards over to Ishizu Ishtar for safe keeping."

As Shadi warns Yugi that Marik must not be allowed to gather all three cards together, Yami promises him that such a thing will never happen. Honoured to be in the presence of the pharaoh once again, Shadi is confident that Yami will be able to end the chaos like he did in ancient times. Before Yami can ask anything else, he is distracted by an announcement requesting all finalists to proceed to the main concourse, and by the time that he has turned back Shadi has vanished. While Yugi and Yami prepare to head off for the main hall, they hear Tristan discussing having seen a robed man but decide not to mention anything.

Meanwhile, Shadi arrives at Ishizu's room where she explains that although she is ashamed that Marik is to blame for everything that has happened she is determined to save him before it is too late. Over in Bakura's room, Marik still has control over T?a as he decides to keep control of both her and the Millennium Ring for the time being. Nobody in the room notices Shadi as he enters, however as he does so he senses that this is where the disturbance in the Millennium Items is the most strongest. Realising that Marik is behind the disturbance, Shadi can but hope that Marik will be stopped before it is too late.

With the finalists once again gathered in the main hall, the selection for the second duel begins as the numbers of the six duellists yet to compete begin to rotate within the lottery machine; Kaiba (1), Joey (2), Mai (4), Namu (5), Marik (7), Ishizu (8). As the first ball, number 2, appears from the machine, Joey is excited that he won't have to wait any longer for his chance to shine, and as his opponent is revealed to be duellist 7, Marik Ishtar, Joey is thrilled to be getting the opportunity to take Marik down in the first round.

As everyone makes their way to the duelling arena, Yugi is worried that Marik may use the Millennium Rod to help him with the duel however this doesn't concern Joey who, although angry at Marik for everything that has happened, is sure he will win. As the gang worries that Joey may find it hard to stay focused, Serenity is nervous about seeing her brother duel for the first time but the gang reassure her that everything'll be alright. However as the two duellists make their way to their sides of the arena, Joey begins to get cocky as he announces that he will defeat Marik in exactly nine turns.

While the gang can't believe how lame Joey is acting, Serenity is amazed at how professional her brother is, already having planned exactly how he is going to defeat his opponent. Completely unfazed by the comment, Marik withdraws the Millennium Rod from his belt but then puts it away again, a sign that he intends to duel fairly. As Namu, the real Marik, looks on he is amused at how easily the others have been fooled into believing that Odion is the real Marik. However while he is not worried by Yugi or Joey, he is concerned as to what Kaiba's role in the ancient destinies is and why the stone tablet depicting the final duel between the sorceror and the pharaoh showed Kaiba with the Millennium Rod in his posession.

Confident that Kaiba does not realise the true potential of the God Cards, Namu is sure that as long as Odion continues to fool people into thinking that he is Marik they will be able to defeat both Yugi and Kaiba without any major problems. Kaiba, meanwhile, is eager to see the true power of The Winged Dragon of Ra and merely hopes that Joey will survive long enough for Marik to summon it to the field.

As the duel prepares to begin, Namu contacts Marik mentally and tells him that he must win, and as Marik promises to defeat Joey, the duel begins and both duellists are confident that victory will be theirs. Cheering Joey from the sidelines, the gang is shocked to learn that Joey still hasn't taken back his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Hoping that Joey will be able to keep his cool against an opponent like Marik, the gang are horrified as Joey, distracted by the prospect of defating Marik and being proclaimed a hero, has the cards from his hand blown away by the wind.

Safely recovering his cards before they are blown away, Joey realises that he will have to be more careful and, focusing on the duel, summons Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600). Although Joey has summoned a strong monster on the opening turn, Marik is not concerned as he activates a Field Magic Card, Temple of the Kings. As an Ancient Egyptian temple appears behind Marik's side of the duelling arena he explains that the Temple will restrict the number of Magic or Trap cards that Joey can play to just one per turn.

However while Joey is restricted Marik faces no such limit as he sets two cards face down and ends his turn, challenging Joey to attack him. As Duke summises that Marik is trying to lure Joey into a trap, Yugi is worried about the full power of Temple of the Kings. Trying his best to keep his cool, Joey sees that he has Giant Trunade in his hand and is confident that he will be able to use it to destroy all of Marik's monsters when the time is right.

Summoning Tiny Guardian (1400/1800) Joey ends his turn without attacking and as Marik's turn begins he sets two more cards before ending his turn. As Yugi and Mai are dumbfounded by the fact that Marik is trying to use such an old strategy to win, Joey is confident that victory is about to be his as he summons Hayabusa Knight (1000/700). With a total attack strength of more than 4000 points at his disposal Joey plays Giant Trunade, hoping to blow away all of Marik's trap cards leaving him open to a direct attack.

As the Trunade closes in on Marik's cards, the gang are sure that Joey is about to win, however at the last minute the Trunade's effect is blocked. As Joey wonders what went wrong, Marik explains that he knew his trap cards were vulnerable and had therefore set a counter trap, Judgement of Anubis. As all of the monsters on Joey's side of the field are destroyed, half of their total ATK is deducted from his Life Points (J's LP: 1900).

Understandably furious at having fallen into Marik's trap, Joey tries to shun the move by claiming that he knew all about Marik's counter trap and was merely testing him. However while the gang do not believe this even for a second, Serenity has full faith in her brother. As Marik sets two new cards on the field, Joey's is beginning to lose his cool as he summons Alligator's Sword (1500/1200). Sure that Marik will activate another trap if he attacks, Joey sets one card and ends his turn however Marik simply passes.

Realising that Marik is trying to force him into attacking, Joey also passes but as Marik passes for a second time Joey cracks and as he summons Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) and orders it to attack. Although surprised that Joey cracked so soon, Marik is pleased as he activates his Eye of Oujot Trap Card, taking control of Joey's Rocket Warrior and redirecting its attack at Joey's own Alligator's Sword.

However Joey is prepared for Marik's Trap as he reveals his Fairy Box, concealing his Alligator within one of many holes. As the Rocket Warrior attacks, it finds itself attacking an empty hole. Having successfully avoided one of Marik's traps, Joey becomes confident that Marik has no monsters in his deck, however Marik's begs to disagree as he explains that while he may have no ordinary monsters, he does have a rare breed of Trap Monster.

As Marik reveals his Embodiment of Opopis, the gang are concerned as to what monster it will summon. However thing go from bad to worse as Marik reveals that he has set not one but three of these traps and as he summons three Opopis Snakes, each with an ATK of 1600, Joey looks done for as Marik prepares for a triple attack that will wipe out almost all of his remaining Life Points.

Clearly intimidated by Marik's Opopis Snakes, Joey refuses to give in even though things look hopeless for him. Setting Scapegoat face-down he changes his Alligator's Sword to Defence Mode, hoping that together they will be enough to block Marik's attack, at least until he can think of a way to win. As Marik orders his three snakes to attack, Joey activates Scapegoat however Marik counters it with Magic Jammer. As both of his monsters are destroyed, Joey takes the full impact of the third snake's attack (J's LP: 200) and begins to wonder whether he has any chance of surviving another turn.

Unable to see his friend struggle alone any longer, Yugi calls out to Joey, telling his friend that he has to defeat Marik for everybody's sake. While this comment amuses Namu, the real Marik, Kaiba is furious that Marik will win without summoning Ra to the field. As Marik tells Joey that he may as well give up now, Mai calls out to tell Joey not to give up and to stay strong until the very end. Not one to back out no matter how bad things look, Joey's spirits are raised by the support of Mai and the others, especially as Serenity tells him that she is sure that he can win, reminding him that he inspired her to not give up when things got tough. With all his friends behind him, Joey gets back up and informs Marik that his friends are what will keep him going.

As Joey remarks that Marik probably doesn't know what friendship is, his opponent remembers a time when he did feel such warmth, when he was rescued by the real Marik's mother after being deserted by his own parents. With both duellists as determined as ever to win, Joey remembers his Battle City duels against Mako, Espa and Weevil and as Yami reminds him of the promise he made to help defeat Marik, Joey begins to weave the plan which could help him win the duel. Setting two cards, Joey summons Swordsman of Landstar (500/1500) in defence mode and ends his turn. However as Marik orders his trio of serpent swordsmen to attack, Joey reveals the first of his two set cards to be Foolish Burial. As he uses his Magic card to send one card from his hand to Marik's graveyard, Joey activates his other set card, Graverobber

Summoning his own Jinzo (2400/1500) from Marik's graveyard, Joey uses his monster's special ability to destroy all three of Marik's Trap Monsters. As Joey remembers how Espa Roba used Jinzo against him back in his first duel of Battle City, Joey is pleased that the monster is now coming in useful although Marik still seems worryingly confident that victory will be his. Pleased that Joey may now survive long enough for Marik to have to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra, Kaiba begins to take interest in the duel once again as Joey summons Battle Warrior (700/1000) in attack mode. Switching his Swordsman of Landstar into Attack Mode as well, Joey's trio of monsters attack Marik directly (M's LP: 400) taking a big chunk out of his Life Points.

With the scores almost level, Joey and the others are confident that he might be able to win after all, however Marik's Temple of the Kings still poses a possible problem. As Namu contacts Marik mentally and orders him to destroy Joey, Marik is confident that he can render Joey's monsters useless as he plays Swords of Revealing Light. As Joey hopes that Marik won't be able to recover during the three turns he has bought himself he tributes his Battle Warrior to summon The Legendary Fisherman (1850/1600). Determined to use it well, as he promised Mako he would, Joey switches his monsters to Defence Mode as he ends his turn.

Hoping to draw a card which could help him win, Marik is shocked as he draws The Winged Dragon of Ra. As Namu explains that he slipped the card into his deck in case it was necessary to reinforce the fact that Odion is the real Marik, Odion is worried that he won't be able to control the powerful God. As Marik sets one card, Namu orders him to seal Ra within the Ancient Ark of the Temple of the Kings, however as Marik considers whether he should use the card or not T?a notices that he has been acting weird since he drew that last card.

Yugi has also noticed this and suggests that it might have something to do with the Temple's Ark and as Joey calls for Marik to make his next move he confirms this as he seals a card within the Ark. While Yugi is worried that the card Marik sealed might have been The Winged Dragon of Ra, Joey takes the opportunity to strengthen his defences as he uses Monster Reborn to revive his Alligatro's Sword before tributing both it and his Swordsman of Landstar to summon Insect Queen (2200/2400) in Defence Mode.

With all three of his Battle City prize cards on the field, it is apparent that Joey's deck has grown more powerful since he entered the tournament, however as Marik's Swords of Revealing Light fade away Marik explains that Joey will soon be defeated. Playing Cup of Sealed Soul from his hand, Marik activates his face-down card Seal or Serket along with the special ability of Temple of the Kings to summon the Mystical Beast of Serket. As the huge beast appears on the field, the gang are all freaked out by it's grotesque appearance, however Marik informs them that although this beast is powerful there are more powerful monsters in his posession, namely The Winged Dragon of Ra.

As Marik begs Namu not to make him summon Ra, Namu insists that he do it as a sign of his loyalty towards the Tomb Keepers. While the gang looks on, confused as to why Marik has not yet attacked and finished Joey off, Marik brings out the Millennium Rod once again, announcing that he will summon The Winged Dragon of Ra as proof as to who he really is. Sacrificing the Mystical Beast of Serket, along with half of his Life Points (M's LP: 200) Marik calls forth The Winged Dragon of Ra from the Ancient Ark within Temple of the Kings.

Pleased that he will finally see the power of the third and final God Card, Kaiba is impressed as the Ancient Ark opens and the sky lights up as Ra is called to the field. As Ishizu senses that Ra has been summoned, Kaiba is in awe as he looks upon the most powerful of the three God Cards. Determined to get the duel finished quickly, Marik explains that Ra adopts the ATK and DEF of the monsters used to summon it, making its ATK an immense 5845.

Although worried for Joey, the gang hopes that he still has some way to win however Namu is not so sure, confident that everything is going according to plan and that soon Joey will be defeated. But as Marik orders Ra to attack, both Namu and Ishizu sense that something has gone awry as Namu's real God Card begins to glow, as if angered by the use of a fake version. As Namu realises that Marik is not strong enough to control the copy of the card, a storm begins to brew above the duelling arena as Ra's wrath bears down on the duellists.

As lightning bolts begin to strike the field, Odion, the duellist who everyone believed was Marik up until now, is struck down and as he does so his fake Millennium Rod is shattered. As Odion apologises to Namu, the real Marik, for failing him the gang realise that they have been duped by somebody. As Joey tries to cross the arena to see if Odion is alright, Yugi warns him to be careful but it is too late and Joey is also struck down by lightning.

As the gang prepare to see if Joey and the fake Marik are alright, the referee stops them from entering the arena while the duel is still in progress. Furious that Kaiba is allowing the duel to go on with both players unconscious, the gang is even more angry as Kaiba announces that the first person to stand up in the next five minutes will win the duel, unless neither stand up in which case they will both be disqualified.

With only three minutes remaining until both players forfeit the duel, Ishizu senses that the evil presence within Marik is growing once again and remembers how the only thing that had been sealing it away was Odion's loyalty to his master. Although Ishizu is determined to revive the goodness within Marik, things look bad as Marik struggles to fight the evil within him and although Odion begins to stand up he then collapses once again. With two minutes remaining until their friend is disqualified from the tournament, the gang call for Joey to stand up not realising that he is deep in a dream at the present moment.

"Sleeping at his desk at school, Joey is woken by T?a, Tristan, Duke, Yugi and Bakura who tell him that he has to get up because time is running our for the most important duel of his life. As a dazed Joey tried to ready his deck he drops all of his cards on the floor but the gang helps him to pick them up, offering to help him prepare his deck as best they can. Kaiba calls to Joey to give up but he refuses, handing Tristan a list of the cards in his deck."

"As the gang continue to gather up the cards, Joey sees Serenity and Mai helping gather the cards and they explain that they weren't going to miss the biggest duel of his life. However as Joey tries to make sense of everything Tristan pulls him to one side and points out that the list he handed him was blank. Joey is confused but thanks Tristan for being such a great friend considering everything that has happened and as the two return to help sort the deck Yugi hands Joey the finshed pile of cards."

"Now ready to head off, the gang makes for the classroom door but Joey is unable to stand up and calls for some help only to find every one of his friends offering to help him stand up." As Joey stands up in his dream, he wakes to find himself standing on the arena with his opponent lying unconscious on the other side of the arena. Remembereing everything that has happened, Joey is pleased as he is announced the winner of the duel.

As Joey rushes over to his opponent to see how he is doing, Kaiba wonders what went wrong as Odion apologises to Joey for everything that has happened. As Joey and his opponent agree that they fought an honourable duel, the gang see Namu struggling to fight something and realise that he is clutching the real Millennium Rod.

Announcing that he is indeed the real Marik Ishtar, Marik informs Yugi that he will take great pleasure in defeating him however as Odion begins to lose consciousness once more he tries to warn Yugi and Joey that there is a presence within Marik that is more evil than the nemesis they have been facing so far. As Odion collapses unconscious, the evil presence within Marik takes control of Marik's body and warns Yugi that soon he and his friends will be banished to the Shadow Realm for eternity.

As the new Marik explains that only a chosen few people can successfully control a God Card Ishizu senses that her brother is no longer in control of his body. However this new spirit seems more confident than ever that he will defeat Yugi and claim the power of the Gods and the Pharaoh and it may be that even Yami will be unable to defeat him when the final battle begins.

As Odion's condition begins to stabilise as he recovers in his room, T?a tells Joey that he is lucky to be alright considering the mental strain that Odion suffered during the duel. Although the gang want to know more about what Odion was doing pretending to be Marik, they are unable to ask any questions while Odion is in his current state and while Joey is furious that Marik has shown no interest in how Odion is doing Mai asks him what he expected from their main rival.

As Mai comments that they will all need their friends more than ever now, Joey remembers the dream he had during the duel and tells the gang about it, however as the group head off to see the selection for the next duel Mai asks Joey if she was in the dream and he claims that she wasn't, not wanting Mai to know that he was dreaming about her. Although Joey thinks he has done the right thing, T?a sees that Mai has been hurt by the remark and confronts Joey to tell him how much of a jerk he had just been.

Believing that Joey doesn't think of her as a friend, Mai decides that she can go it alone from here on in and makes her way to the main concourse, however when she gets there she discoveres that Marik and the eighth duellist are yet to arrive. As Joey demands that Marik should be disqualified from the tournament, Kaiba refuses, stating that the tournament is about skills and not names. Kaiba also muses that if Marik were to be disqualified then there would be no way for him to claim The Winged Dragon of Ra, however he does not mention this to anybody else.

As the selector statrs up to decide choose the final two pairings for the first round, Kaiba wishes to be pitted against Marik and as Mai's ball is the first one to be picked the pairing could still go one of three ways. Not concerned with who her opponent will be, Mai makes her way up to the duelling arena before the second ball is picked and as Yugi and the others go to follow her she tells them not to bother.

Meanwhile, as the doctor leaves Odion room, Yami Marik takes control of his mind forcing him to hand over the key card to Odion's room. Entering the room, Marik prepares to send his old friend to the Shadow Realm as an announcement over the tannoy system calls for him to make his way to the duelling arena to participate in the third duel. As Marik arrives at the arena, Mai is waiting for him, confident that she will be able to defeat him, however Yami Marik is also confident that victory will be his.

As she makes her first move, Mai summons Dunames Dark Witch (1800/1050) in attack mode, ending her turn, however as the gang arrive at the spectator's box Yugi is worried to see that Yami Marik has made a familiar first move, summoning Revival Jam (1500/500) in defence mode and then avtivating his Jam Breeding Machine. As Mai asks the gang why they bothered coming, Joey explains that they wanted to support their friend, but as Yugi tries to warn Mai about Yami Marik's strategy she tells him not to interfere.

Amused by Mai's confidence, Yami Marik looks on eagerly as Mai attacks his Revival Jam only to see it return to the field unharmed. Playing Pot of Greed, Yami Marik draws two more cards before using his Jam Breeding Machine to create a Slime Token (500/500). Setting one card face down, Yami Marik is sure that he will be able to render Mai's monsters helpless, however as she activates Harpie's Feather Duster she destroys both his set card and his Jam Breeding Machine before destroying the Slime Token which Yami Marik had produced (YM's LP: 2700).

Not realising that Yami Marik is lulling her into a false sense of security, Mai sets one card and ends her turn. Summoning Melchid the Four-Face Beast (1500/1200), Marik sacrifices it along with his Revival Jam to summon the Masked Beast Des Guardius (3300/2500). However as Marik's monster attacks, Mai activates her Mirror Wall and Yami Marik's monster is destroyed (YM's LP: 2550). As Marik's Masked Beast is destroyed, it leaves behind a mask which gives Marik control of Mai's Dark Witch and with Mai's monster under his control, Marik plays Remove Trap, destroying Mai's Mirror Wall.

Althoguh Tristan is unsure as to whether Mai will be able to pull back against Marik, Joey is confident that she can win however as he tries to offer support Mai tells him not to bother. However as the two argue, Yami Marik is confident that soon all of Mai's friends will be helping him as he uses the Millennium Rod to send the duel into the Shadow Realm. Worried about what could happen not that a Shadow Game has begun, the gang fear for Mai's safety however she refuses to give up, not realising the severity of the situation.

Setting one card on the field, Mai summons The Unfriendly Amazon (2200/1000), however as she does so she notices that there is a purple aura surrounding her monster. As Yami Marik explains that the aura is a sumbol of Mai's mind and that if the monster is destroyed some of Mai's memories will be taken with it. As Mai triea to make sense of what Yami Marik is saying she attacks her Dunames Dark Witch, now under Marik's control, and destroys it (YM's LP: 2350).

However as the monster is destroyed, Yami Marik explains that because the monster was originally Mai's then it is her memories that will be erased. Taking the opportunity to elaborate on what he means, Marik explains that each of their monsters contains the memories of one person that they know and as Mai looks on Marik reveals that her Dark Witch contained her memories of T?a. As Mai tries her best to resist she finds her memories of T?a slipping away and she is quickly not even able to see T?a standing on the sidelines cheering for her.

As Marik informs Mai that she has no chance of being victorious in the Shadow Game and that soon she will be alone in her mind the gang worries whether Mai will be able to survive much longer, knowing that things will only get worse as the duel continues.

As Mai tries to work out what Yami Marik has done to her, she can hear T?a's voice calling to her but is unable to make out where the voice is coming from. As the gang wonder why Mai is ignoring T?a, Yugi realises that Yami Marik was telling the truth before and that he has erased Mai's memories of her friend. Amused to see that the others are beginning to work out what is happening, Yami Marik is confident that soon all of Mai's memories will be gone forever.

Setting one card, Yami Marik summons Makiura the Destructor (1600/1200), equipping it with the Black Pendant to raise its ATK by 500 points. As Yami Marik prepares to attack, announcing to Mai that she has no chance against a duellist with his experience, Mai activates her Amazon Archers trap card, reducing Marik's monster's ATK by 500 points making it weaker than her Unfriendly Amazon.

As the two monsters clash, Yami Marik's monster is the one that is destroyed (YM's LP: 1950) along with his memories of Strings however Yami Marik merely thanks Mai for removing his memories of his servant explaining that he wants to be alone. Although the attack may have finished, Yami Marik is far from finished as he explains that the Black Pendant deals 500 points of damage to his opponent when it is sent to the graveyard (M's LP: 3500). He then goes on to explain that when Makiura the Destructor is destroyed he is allowed to activate a Trap card from his hand.

Playing his Rope of Life, Yami Marik revives his Destructor with an extra 800 ATK points and uses it to destroy Mai's Amazon. As Mai's monster fades away she senses her memories of Joey beginning to fade away and tries her best not to lose them. Remembering how she has been alone all her life, with her parents moving around so often when she was a child, the only time that Mai found true friendship was after she met up with Yugi and the others at Duellist Kingdom.

Unable to break Marik's Shadow Spell, Mai's memories of Joey fade completely and she is unable to see him as he calls to see if she is alright. Confused as to why Mai isn't answering him, Joey looks to Yugi for answers and he explains what Yami Marik is doing. Determined not to let the twisted game go on any longer, Yami decides that the time has come to show Mai that she is not alone and, using the power of the Millennium Puzzle, he is able to penetrate Marik's Shadow Magic.

Discovering Mai wandering alone in the darkness, Yami calls out to her like a beacon of light and tells her than everything she believes to be real is merely an illusion which will fade if only she can defeat Yami Marik in the duel. Although Mai is unsure as to whether she has the strength to win she hears Joey's voice calling to her again and decides to keep on going in the hopes that she can still win.

As Mai regains some of her confidence, Yami Marik is furious that Yugi managed to break his spell. Summoning her Amazon Chain Master (1500/1300), Mai sets one card and taunts Yami Marik to attack her, however her new found confidence seems misplaced as Yami Marik summons Holding Arms (500/0) and uses its effect to prevent Mai's Chain Master from attacking for three turns. Fearing for Mai's safety, Yugi tries to convince Yami Marik to stop the Shadow Game and duel normally however he insists that the two games are intertwined.

Confident that she is not yet defeated, Mai calls out to Yugi to have faith in her as she activates Grave Arm. While Yami Marik informs her that his Holding Arms cannot be damaged by anything during the next three turns, Mai reveals that she is using the card on her own monster. With Mai's monster sent to the graveyard because of her own move none of her memories are destroyed. Not only that, but her Amazon also allows her to draw a card from Yami Marik's deck.

Knowing exactly which card she wants, Mai chooses Marik's God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, however while she is pleased to have the chance of test driving it before she claims it as her prize Yami Marik is not concerned, sure that she will be unable to control the card if she does manage to summon it. Also, with no monsters on her side of the field and two monsters on Marik's side, Mai realises that gathering enough monsters to tribute won't be easy.

Nonetheless, Mai is not dissuaded as she sets two cards and summons her Amazon Fighter (1500/1300). Amused that Mai is still relying on her weak Amazon monsters to win, Yami Marik attacks, but as he does so Mai activates Amazon Magician, swapping the ATK points of their two monsters and destroying Yami Marik's revived Destructor (YM's LP: 1050).

As his memories of Arkana fade away, Yami Marik reveals that he set Mai up as he activates his Trap Card Card of Last Will, a card which allows him to draw five cards when the ATK of one of his monsters is lowered. Not only that, but Makiura's effect is activated once more and Yami Marik plays Nightmare Wheel. However before Marik's Trap Card can begin to take effect, paralysing Mai's Amazon and dealing her Life Points 500 points of damage each turn, Mai activates Rescue Operation to call her Amazon Fighter back to her hand.

Annoucing that her card also allows her to Special Summon one monster from her hand to the field, Mai explains that she isn't foolish enough to summon Ra that way as its ATK and DEF would both become 0. Instead she summons Cyber Harpie (1800/1300), hoping that she will draw Elegant Egotist in order to triple her Harpies and summon Ra. Drawing and playing Graceful Charity, Mai is fortunate enough to draw the card she needs.

Activating Elegant Egotist, Mai transforms her one Cyber Harpie into a trio of the winged beasts. Sacrificing her three monsters she summons The Winged Dragon of Ra, however as the wind begins to build up and the sky lights up with the glow from Ra's body, Mai is horrified to see that the God card is locked inside a spherical ball which she has no idea how to open.

Amused by Mai's futile attempts to control The Winged Dragon of Ra, Yami Marik informs his opponent that he is the only one capable of unsealing the monster and that soon her mind will be trapped in the Shadow Realm forever. As Yami Marik explains that only those with knowledge of the ancient scriptures is able to read the and text on Ra's card, Mai is shocked to see that the previously blank card now has a number of lines of ancient writing printed on it.

Going on to explain that the person who reads the card text will gain control of the monster, Yami Marik offers to let Mai have a go at deciphering it before he takes control. However while Mai is unable to decode the text, Kaiba informs Mokuba to scan the card and begin translating what the text says. As Mokuba heads off, Yami Marik announces that the writing is a form of heiroglyphics known only by high ranking officials in Ancient Egypt and mockingly informs Kaiba that he should be able to read it.

Explaining that very few people on the ship will be able to translate the card, Yami Marik informs his audience that even Pegasus himself did not understand what the text said and that he simply copied them onto the card. As Mai summises that her attempts to decipher the text are futile, Yugi realises that Yami Marik set the whole duel up in order to get Mai to summon the God Card. Setting one card, Gravity Bind, Mai ends her turn and passes to Yami Marik.

With his final turn now at hand, Marik summons Holding Legs (800/600) and uses its effect to return Mai's Trap Card to her hand. He then proceeds to use the special ability of his two monsters to summon the Sacred Stone of Oujah, a mystical stone tablet that appears on the field behind Mai. As the two monsters attack Mai directly they grasp her arms and legs before pinning her to the Sacred Stone, preventing her from moving or reaching her Duel Disk.

Amazed at the power of the holograms, Mai is shocked to be told that these monsters are actually real. As Mai feels the full force of the attack (M's LP: 800), Joey calls out to her but she is still unable to see him or recognise his voice, and before she can do anything else Yami Marik begins the chant that will gain him control of Ra:

Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry,

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.

As the orb containing Ra begins to glow brighter and open, Yami Marik continues to chant:

Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.

Unlock your powers deep within so that together we may win.

Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name...

Winged Dragon of Ra

With the chant complete, a winged, golden dragon appears on the field as Marik successfully unlocks The Winged Dragon of Ra (5400/3900). Sensing the immense power of the God Card, Yugi knows that Mai will be destroyed if she is hit with the full strength of Ra's attack and tells Yami Marik to leave Mai alone as his dispute is with him. However Yami Marik is enjoying the duel too much to give up now and is determined to cause the Pharaoh as much pain as possible before he is destroyed, even if it means targetting his friends.

As Yami Marik orders his Winged Dragon to attack, Joey decides that enough is enough and rushes over to Mai to try and help her break free before Marik's God attacks. Calling out to his friend, telling her that she will be alright, Joey starts to break Marik's spell and Mai's memories of him begin to return to her. Realising how much of a jerk he had been earlier, Joey tells Mai that she had also been in the dream he had and that he thinks of her as a friend.

Realising that she is not alone, Mai breaks Marik's spell and is able to see Joey again, however things may be too late for her as Ra's attack is unleashed with her still chained to the Sacred Stone. As Joey refuses to leave Mai to face the force of the attack, Yami jumps onto the arena and uses his body to shield his friends from the force of the attack. Hoping that he may have defeated the pharaoh much sooner than expected, Yami Marik is furious to see that Yugi has survived the attack and that all three friends are still alive.

As Yami Marik is declared the winner of the duel and the Shadow Magic fades, Joey tries his best to wake the unconscious Yugi as Yami Marik approaches and threatens to send his nemesis to the Shadow Realm. As Joey tries to stop Marik he uses the Millennium Rod to paralyse Joey before approaching Mai and using the Rod to seal her mind in the Shadow Realm.

Stunned by the light, Mai finds herself trapped inside a large hour glass and as she looks down she can see Yugi, Joey and the others playing at the beach. Calling out to them, Mai finds that they canot hear her although Yami Marik can. As her opponent taunts her he informs Mai that she will be trapped in the Shadow Realm, alone, for eternity and as he reclaims Ra from the center of the hourglass sand begins to fall into Mai's half and her memories of her friends begin to fade away once again.

With her mind gone, Mai's body collapses, lifeless, and as Yami Marik prepares to walk off Joey demands to know what has happened to her. As Joey's anger builds and he prepares to attack Marik, Serenity tells him not to, worried about what might happen to her big brother. Leaving the group of friends to pick up the pieces, Yami Marik walks off content in the fact that he grows stronger with every mind he sends to the Shadow Realm.

Desperately trying to wake their friends, the gang are glad to see Yami waking although they are still concerned about Mai. As the gang explain to Yami what Marik did to their friend, Mokuba contacts Kaiba over their personal intercom system to inform him that there are other texts printed on Ra that were not revealed during the duel. As Kaiba tells Mokuba to continue translating the text he orders Yugi and the others to clear the field, determined to get his duel over and done with as quickly as possible.