[STORY] F4-Programmer (Season 1: Duelist Kingdom) : #010

Amamiya Yuuko from ef - a tale of melodies/memories.

Episode 10: Give up the Ghost (Counterattack of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon)

Ghost Kaiba attacks with his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroying one of Yugi's Magical Hats. His attack misses the Dark Magician, only destroying an empty hat. The gang celebrate, and Mokuba says Yugi will beat that faker. Yugi tells the Ghost his guess was wrong. Yugi hides a trap card under one of the remaining Magical Hats, saying that if Ghost Kaiba guesses wrong again, it will cost him. There are three hats left. Joey tells Yugi he's taking a big chance, and Tristan adds that if Ghost Kaiba guesses right, it's over.

Ghost Kaiba tells his Blue-Eyes White Dragon to attack the middle hat, activating Yugi's trap, Spellbinding Circle (Hexagram Spell), which lowers the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack to 2300. Now it's no match for Yugi's Dark Magician, which comes out of its hat to destroy the Blue-Eyes. Ghost Kaiba's down to 500 life points.

But Ghost Kaiba promptly plays another Blue-Eyes White Dragon and destroys the Dark Magician. Now they're even at 500 life points each. Ghost Kaiba laughs, reminding Yugi that there are only three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in existence, and they're all in his deck. Yugi's Grandpa had the fourth, but Ghost Kaiba says he ripped it up. Ghost Kaiba asks how could he know that if he weren't really Seto Kaiba? He couldn't believe it when Yugi beat all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons with Exodia, but without Exodia, there's no way Yugi can win. (Japanese Ghost Kaiba says Black Magician is destroyed. His deck has three Blue-Eyes White Dragons altogether, did Yugi forget? Yugi thinks, Kaiba must really be dead, and Ghost Kaiba says Yugi is afraid to face his spirit. That's why Yugi made this mistake.)

Mokuba says everyone knows about Yugi's duel with his brother by now. That's how this loser knows about it. He's sure that's not his brother. (Japanese Mokuba tells Yugi this guy's lying—his brother is alive. He must be!)

Meanwhile, the real Kaiba is still in his secret underground computer room. (The computer screens have been changed from a big red "WARNING" to a graphic of a door in the US version.)

His computer tells him it's rerouting the data from Arena 146 so they can confirm whether Yugi is dueling there. Kaiba's sure he is. (The Japanese computer says that the central computer must be aware of their presence by now, and asks what to do. Kaiba says it doesn't matter, just continue on. The computer screen is changed again, removing the word "Booth" from the screen in the US version.)

The computer shows him the duel on screen. (The names of the cards are removed from the graphic of the duel in the US version.)

The computer says the most interesting thing is the name of Yugi's opponent—Seto Kaiba! Kaiba can't believe it, but the computer assures him it's true, and the opponent is using Kaiba's deck. Kaiba says that Pegasus must have taken his deck. The computer goes on to tell him that the duelists are tied, but the impostor has his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field, after Yugi destroyed the first one with Dark Magician and Magical Hats. Yugi currently has no cards in play, and it's his move.

Kaiba says that without Exodia, Yugi can't win against the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He has no other cards in his deck strong enough to stand up against the Blue-Eyes, let alone two of them. Yugi will lose on his next turn unless Kaiba can decrease the Blue-Eyes' power from there. (Japanese Kaiba is astonished that Yugi managed to destroy one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons without Exodia. But he sees that Yugi's in a jam now.) He plans to upload a virus into the Blue-Eyes' holocomputer to weaken it. The computer wants to know if they shouldn't wait to see Yugi's next move, but Kaiba says they can't afford to risk Yugi losing the duel, and orders the viral injection upload. (The Japanese computer wants to know the level of virus to add to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Kaiba says, maximum.)

Back at the duel, Yugi thinks that he doesn't have any monsters that can stand up to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This could be it. Ghost Kaiba tells him this duel is over. He still has Defense Paralysis active, so whatever monster Yugi plays won't be able to defend itself. Yugi plays Feral Imp (Gremlin) (1300 ATK) in attack mode.

The real Kaiba, watching the duel on screen, wishes Yugi had waited a few more seconds before making his move. He asks the computer if it can't get that virus uploaded any faster. The computer tells him they're already halfway there—this is as fast as it goes. The viral implant is at sixty percent, but it doesn't seem to be working—the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack is still at 3000 points. Kaiba worries that something is wrong.

Ghost Kaiba laughs, saying this is almost too easy. Téa tells Yugi to hang on, and Tristan says Yugi can still win, and Joey reminds everyone that Yugi beat Kaiba last time. (Japanese Honda asks Jounouchi if there's anything Yugi can do, and Jounouchi says he doesn't know anything that will help.) Ghost Kaiba orders the Blue-Eyes to attack, but the dragon doesn't move. The virus has finally started to take effect.

Kaiba watches the Blue-Eyes' attack points drain away, down to 2900, then to 2800, but it's still too strong. It has to get weaker, or it will still beat Yugi.

Yugi and Ghost Kaiba also watch the Blue-Eyes' attack go down, wondering what's going on. The dragon begins to melt, its hologram breaking up, and the gang also watch in astonishment. Kemo contacts Pegasus on his radio to tell him they've got a real problem. (Japanese Saruwatari just wonders what's going on.)

Pegasus is in his dining hall, watching the duel on the computer screen. Croquet asks how Yugi did that, but Pegasus says it wasn't Yugi—it was Seto Kaiba! It seems, he says, that the real Seto Kaiba is still very much alive.

Kaiba's computer tells him that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power is dropping rapidly. As the dragon's attack approaches 2400, Kaiba tells his computer to get ready to go to work on dragon number three. But just then, his screen starts to break up. The computer says they've been locked out by a remote terminal—looks like they've been hacked! Then Pegasus' cartoon rabbit appears on the screen, saying, "Hey, Kaiba!" Kaiba realizes it's Pegasus.

Back at Pegasus' castle, Pegasus laughs and sips his wine, er, fruit juice, while his goons move in on Kaiba's mansion, breaking in the front door.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack strength holds at 2000. Kaiba protests that this should have worked, as the computer tells him that it's launching its attack. (Removed from the computer screen in the US version is the word "ATTACK,", and the name of the monster, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and its attack, "Burst Stream," written in katakana.)

Ghost Kaiba tells his dragon it's time to obliterate them, and the gang all watch in horror. A frustrated Kaiba calls out Yugi's name—and Yugi hears him.

The attack stops, and the dragon disintegrates. The Blue-Eyes has heard its real master's call, and destroyed itself. Kaiba's computer tells him that the dragon is destroyed, but the virus wasn't responsible. Then how? Kaiba asks. Did Yugi somehow do this? The computer asks, How could he? It's Kaiba's deck. Kaiba says, it's the "heart of the cards." Yugi was right. Then he notices his door lock being activated. Pegasus' goons are about to break in.

Ghost Kaiba goes mental, asking why him? Yugi tells him that Kaiba's still alive, and he stopped the impostor. Ghost Kaiba continues to insist that he's Kaiba, while Mokuba celebrates that his brother is alive. Téa asks what's going on, and Mokuba explains that the last time they dueled, Yugi showed his brother the heart of the cards. This faker may have taken his deck, but the real Seto Kaiba is alive and well. (Japanese Mokuba says that his brother is the only one who can stop the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. That was his brother. His brother isn't dead!)

Yugi tells Ghost Kaiba that the real Seto Kaiba destroyed that monster. Yugi knows because he sensed Kaiba calling out to him when it happened. (Japanese Yugi says it's proven that Kaiba is alive. Now he can concentrate on the duel. Then he tells the Ghost that he should reveal himself. Yugi doesn't want to continue dueling with him as he is.) The Ghost Kaiba reveals its true form, as a monstrous clown, and tells them he's the evil part of Kaiba that was banished to the Shadow Realm by Yugi, brought back by Pegasus. (The Japanese Ghost Clown says he prefers looking like this. He was sent by Industrial Illusions to take on the identity of a dead person. Then he asks Yugi to duel with him. The flashback of Yugi Mind-Crushing Kaiba from their first duel is added to the US version.)

Mokuba says the creature's not a part of his brother any more (Japanese Mokuba says he knew it), and the gang shudder in horror at its grotesqueness. Joey says he'd thought that the duel might turn ugly, but not that ugly! (Japanese Jounouchi tells Yugi not to worry about it, just beat him!)

Pegasus's goons storm Kaiba's computer room, but they're too late—Kaiba's already gone. (Once again, the goons' guns are removed from the US version.)

Croquet orders them to search the grounds, while Pegasus muses that this is one twist even he didn't foresee. (Japanese Pegasus says he can't believe the Blue-Eyes White Dragon would be dismissed. Good for Yugi—luck is part of his ability.) Croquet then reports the bad news to Pegasus that they've lost the real Kaiba again, and Pegasus mutters that that's two escapes—must he lock Croquet away? Again? (Japanese Pegasus, however, is pretty blasé about the whole thing, just saying, "No problem," and that they should just watch the rest of the duel.) He tells Croquet to get Kemo on the radio.

Mokuba taunts the clown, telling him he'd better start worrying about what his brother's going to do to him when he catches up with him. (Japanese Mokuba tells the clown that those cards are his brother's, and no one else can use them.) Kemo gets a message from Pegasus telling him that Kaiba's gotten away, and not to lose the little one, no matter what. (Japanese Kemo doesn't get any message. He thinks, Yugi survived that obstacle, but Kaiba still has one more Blue-Eyes White Dragon.)

Yugi says he doesn't know what to call his opponent now. He was thinking of "monster," but he doesn't want to insult the cards. Then he tells his opponent it's his move. He's got a whole deck to go through, and only one Blue-Eyes left. (Japanese Yugi tells the clown he hasn't got any monsters on the field. Go ahead and summon one. The clown thinks he still has another Blue-Eyes. Yugi won't get another miracle.)

The Ghost Clown draws, and plays Grappler (1200 DEF) in defense mode. Yugi thinks he's just biding his time until he draws his last Blue-Eyes. He draws Celtic Guardian (Elf Swordsman), thinking he'd play it in defense, but the Ghost still has Defense Paralysis on the field. So he sets a card face down and plays Celtic Guardian (1400 ATK) in attack mode, using it to destroy Grappler. The Ghost then plays Mystic Horseman (Centaur) (1550 DEF) in defense mode, and also sets a card face down. Yugi counters with another face-down card, and plays Mystical Elf (Holy Elf) (800 ATK) in attack mode, equipping her with the Book of Secret Arts to raise her attack and defense by 300 points. Then he ends his turn.

(In the Japanese episode, the Ghost suddenly appears as Pegasus, telling Yugi he's going to get it now. That little transformation is cut out of the US version.)

The Ghost tells Yugi it will soon be all over. He thinks that Yugi has two cards face down and three monsters—he must be trying to strengthen the Mystical Elf somehow. But if he draws his final Blue-Eyes and attacks any one of Yugi's monsters, it will take Yugi's life points down to zero.

Joey says he's liking the look on that guy's face even less than he did before. (Japanese Jounouchi says both sides have set cards. But which one has the winning card?) Téa tells Yugi to wipe that smile off the clown's face, and Mokuba calls the Ghost a loser. (Japanese Anzu says it's all right, Yugi will win, and Mokuba tells Yugi to please win.) Finally, the Ghost draws—and it's the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Mokuba says not to worry—his brother will help out again. But Kemo knows Kaiba's no longer at his computer. He tells the gang to look at the Blue-Eyes—its attack strength is the full 3000 points. He says they found Kaiba's hiding place, and now he's on the run. Tristan says does that mean Kaiba is alive? Kemo says that means don't expect another miracle—this duel's about to end.

The Blue-Eyes attacks, but Yugi activates his trap card, Mirror Force, to reflect the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack back on itself. The Ghost counters with Negate Attack and stops the reflected attack. (The real Negate Attack can only negate the attack of a monster, and can't be activated in response to Mirror Force. Also, in the Japanese version it's a magic card. It's been changed to a trap card in the US version, which is what the real Negate Attack is.)

Mokuba thinks it's all over, but Yugi laughs, saying it's time to finish this duel. He plays Reborn the Monster (real name Monster Reborn, Japanese name Raise Dead), allowing him to revive any monster from either player's graveyard. (The Japanese Ghost worries that Yugi will bring back "his" Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Yugi says, no, he'll revive Kaiba's card.) He brings back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Ghost says that won't do Yugi any good—the two Blue-Eyes are evenly matched. But Yugi says their powers are not the same. He's still got Mystical Elf, who is chanting a spell that allows her to transfer her attack power to any monster he chooses (the real Mystical Elf doesn't have this ability). Yugi says this move was inspired by Seto Kaiba himself, who showed him that you can alter the power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But he's raising his—to 4100—rather than lowering it, as Kaiba did to the Ghost's. "Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba," Yugi says. "You lose!"

Yugi's Blue-Eyes destroys the Ghost's Blue-Eyes, winning the duel. Then Yugi uses his Mind Crush on the Ghost, sending it back to the Shadow Realm again.

Yugi issues a warning to Pegasus, who he knows is watching. "Nothing will stop me," he says. "I'm coming for you, Pegasus!" Pegasus' wine glass shatters in his hand. (We in the US are not allowed to see the wine dripping from Pegasus's hand. Perhaps it looks too much like blood?)

Pegasus chuckles grimly, saying that Yugi has developed his Shadow powers quite a bit in such a short time. But when they finally duel, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle will be his!

Yugi retrieves Kaiba's deck from the Ghost's side of the arena, while Tristan claims he knew the real Kaiba was alive the whole time. But where's Mokuba? Kemo's taken off with him.