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"The Gauntlet Is Thrown", known as "The Faceless Illusionist Trap" in Japan, is the second episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime. It first aired in Japan on April 25, 2000 and in the United States on October 6, 2001.

With his victory over Seto Kaiba already earning him a reputation, Yugi is sent a package by the creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus. Yugi is then forced into a game of real magic as Pegasus challenges Yugi to a Duel. Pegasus sees all of Yugi's cards and strategies with his Millennium Eye. In the end, Yugi loses the Duel and Pegasus steals the soul of Yugi's grandfather.

Summary[]

School[]

In class, Joey plays Duel Monsters against Téa. He Summons "Rock Ogre Grotto #1", claiming it will rock her block off. However Téa flips over her face-down "Happy Lover". Joey laughs that wimpy card doesn't stand a chance against his giant rock guy and urges her to give it up. Téa agrees that she doesn't stand a chance, unless she plays the "Breath of Light" card, sliding it onto the field as she does so. Startled, Joey asks Yugi if she can do that. Yugi replies that the "Breath of Light" card wears down Rock-Type monsters and reduces them to rubble. "Rock Ogre Grotto" is hit and falls apart, stunning Joey, whose Life Points hit 0. Téa celebrates over defeating Joey yet again and Tristan tells Joey he stinks at this game. Joey moans and buries his head onto the desk.

Afterwards outside school, Joey hangs out with Yugi and admits that Tristan is right, he does stink at the game and couldn't win a game of Duel Monsters to save his life. He asks Yugi for help, so Yugi decides to take a look at Joey's Deck, and finds it is made up entirely of Monster Cards. Joey explains that he filled it with the most powerful monsters he could find, but Yugi tells him that's not how the game works; Duel Monsters about combining Monster Cards with Magic Cards to make them stronger. Without Magic Cards, his monsters will get creamed every time, Yugi says. Joey rushes over and seizes Yugi excitedly, saying that's the kind of advice he needs and Yugi has got to help him more.

Game shop[]

Yugi takes Joey home to his Grandpa's game shop. His grandfather is the real game expert in the family, Yugi says, maybe he can help. (In the dub, the words "Kame Game", which are written in katakana, are removed from the sign at the shop). Inside, Yugi's grandfather, Solomon Muto is on a ladder, putting up a poster, advertising an upcoming National Duel Monsters tournament with a 3,000,000 yen prize. In the Japanese version, the poster contains "Elf Swordsman" ("Celtic Guardian") and "Hercules Beetle". (In the English version, it contains "Black Luster Soldier" and "Harpie's Pet Dragon").

Joey's all excited about the tournament, and wants to enter it and win the money. Grandpa says if Joey thinks he's going to win that tournament, it's just an illusion. Yugi asks Joey if it's true. Joey falls to his knees and bows to Yugi, telling Yugi he really wants to win that tournament. Yugi protests that there's not even a month until the tournament, and Grandpa says he'll help. Yugi tells Joey that Grandpa's a great duelist, despite how he looks. Grandpa's not impressed with that, but says that he's a great trainer. Joey asks him for help, and Grandpa says he must start by changing his attitude. He shouldn't want to win for the prize. Grandpa will teach him about the Heart of the Cards. They begin training and Joey screams, while Grandpa orders him to try again.

(In the English version, the conversation between Yugi, Joey and Grandpa is rewritten. Yugi tells his Grandpa he's brought him a new student. Since Grandpa knows more about Duel Monsters than anyone, Joey says he was hoping that he'd teach him. Grandpa climbs down from the ladder and states that Duel Monsters is a very complex game. Joey agrees, say Téa beat him in three games in a row. Yugi corrects him, saying that it was five. Joey looks up at the poster and Grandpa says that he could teach Joey to be a great tournament duelist, but only if he's willing to spend endless days and sleepless nights training. "Piece of cake", Joey says and Grandpa says that with an attitude like that, teaching Joey may not be worth his effort. Joey withdraws and Yugi sarcastically compliments him. Joey drops to his knees and bows to Yugi, begging him to help convince Grandpa to teach him, promising to work hard. Yugi starts to argue that his grandpa can't do it, reversely affecting Grandpa, who decides he can do it. If he agrees, he tells Joey he must hard. Joey promises, and Grandpa says they'll begin immediately. He cracks his fingers, saying under his tuition, Joey will learn. He asks Joey if he can name the most powerful and weakest Duel Monster and if he knows what a Trap Card is, but Joey has no idea.)

The Championship final[]

Later, Yugi and friends are all watching the Regional (National in the Japanese version) Duel Monsters Championship, where Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor are announced as the finalists. Joey thinks he should be up there, and Téa points out that he's been training for weeks, but Weevil and Rex are in another league. Yugi adds that maybe Grandpa's lessons were too hard on Joey, who's so tired that he can't keep his eyes open.

Grandpa suddenly enters, telling Joey that he had come a long way so far. He's carrying a package for Yugi from Industrial Illusions, the company that makes Duel Monsters (it doesn't say who it's from in the Japanese version). Yugi wonders if Maximillion Pegasus, the owner and CEO, heard about his triumph over Seto Kaiba. Although the match was unofficial, Kaiba dropped out of the Regionals because of it, despite being the favorite to win. (In the Japanese version, Joey also asks Yugi why he didn't enter the tournament, and Yugi decided that he'd only enter a tournament if Kaiba was there.)

The final match of the tournament starts. Yugi says that Weevil specializes in tricky Insect monsters, while Rex uses powerful Dinosaurs. Joey thinks Rex will have the match in the bag, but Yugi disagrees. Rex Summons "Two-Headed King Rex", his most powerful Dinosaur, while Weevil brings out "Basic Insect". Rex orders "Two-Headed King Rex" to stomp "Basic Insect", but Weevil uses "Vortex" to stop it. He then uses "Laser Cannon" to power up "Basic Insect" and defeat "Two-Headed King Rex", winning the Duel.

Pegasus appears to present the tournament trophy to Weevil, then invites him to compete in his upcoming Duelist Kingdom tournament. As he leaves in his limo, he hopes the tournament will attract lots of Duelists as well as the Millennium Items. His underling tells him that the package he sent to Yugi was delivered.

The Duel[]

Yugi has opened the package, and it contains a Dueling Gauntlet, two Star Chips, and a VHS tape. He places the tape in the VCR, and Pegasus appears on the TV, to everyone's surprise. He says that he has indeed heard of Yugi's recent victory over Kaiba, and it has intrigued him into challenging Yugi to a Duel immediately. They'll play for fifteen minutes, and whoever has more Life Points at the end will win. Yugi and his friends are confused about how Yugi can Duel against a videotape, until Pegasus uses his Millennium Eye to drag everyone in.

Yugi finds himself in a dark space, with his friends and Grandpa behind him, frozen like statues. Pegasus says they're no longer in their own world, and will not return until after their Duel. Yami Yugi takes over and accepts the challenge, and the clock starts. Pegasus starts simply by placing a card face-down–then tells Yugi he won't win with the Dragon card he's holding, which shocks Yugi, as he is indeed holding the "Koumori Dragon" card. Pegasus claims to be able to know every move Yugi will make before Yugi does, and proves it by playing "Dragon Capture Jar" to steal Yugi's "Koumori Dragon".

Pegasus tells Yugi that the place they are in is called the Shadow Realm, and that the cards they are using are magical. He says he didn't actually create the game; it has existed since the times of Ancient Egypt, and would be known as a Shadow Game. In Ancient Egypt, they battled by using magic to summon real monsters, but the magic was so powerful that it nearly spun out of control and destroyed the world. Yugi doesn't want to believe the monsters are real.

Pegasus continues by playing "Dragon Piper", which releases "Koumori Dragon" from the "Dragon Capture Jar" onto Pegasus's side of the field. Yugi responds by playing "Silver Fang", but "Koumori Dragon" defeats it, bringing Yugi's Life Points down to 1500. (In the Japanese version, Yugi intended to power up "Silver Fang" with "Full Moon", but Pegasus predicted that as well.)

Pegasus goes on to say that, 5000 years ago (3000 in the Japanese version), a powerful Pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away within the Millennium Items–including Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. There is magic inside the Puzzle that would change Yugi's life–if he knew how to harness it. Yugi wants to know why Pegasus is telling him this, but Pegasus simply puts a card face-down and suggests they return to the Duel.

(In the Japanese version, this conversation is different. Pegasus claims that Yugi cannot defeat him, and when he loses, he'll have to enter Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive a cash prize and the title King of Games. Yugi says he's not interested, but Pegasus tells him that he cannot decline, as there is no way he can win.)

Yugi prepares to play "Zombie Warrior", until he realizes that Pegasus is able to read his mind–the Millennium Eye Pegasus wears is somehow allowing him to read Yugi's cards. He decides to try playing a card without looking at it, figuring that if he doesn't know what it is, neither will Pegasus. (In the Japanese version, Yugi wonders if Pegasus is trying to hypnotize him into playing "Zombie Warrior".)

He pulls a card from his Deck and places it on the field. Pegasus, expecting a Zombie-Type monster like "Zombie Warrior", placed the Trap Card "Sun Shower", but Yugi reveals his card to be "Dark Magician". It attacks and destroys "Koumori Dragon", and Yugi takes the lead. (In the Japanese version, Pegasus asks Yugi why he didn't attack "Dragon Piper"–a move which would have ended the Duel–and Yugi says that he couldn't leave "Koumori Dragon" under Pegasus's control at game end.)

Pegasus retaliates with "Illusionist Faceless Mage" and "Eye of Illusion", which entrances "Dark Magician". Yugi plays "Celtic Guardian", but Pegasus takes control of "Dark Magician" and uses it to destroy "Celtic Guardian". Yugi is now down to 400 Life Points, and is running out of time. He tries to take his lead back by playing "Summoned Skull" and attacking "Illusionist Faceless Mage", but time expires before the attack hits, and Pegasus wins as per the rules of the Duel.

Pegasus warns Yugi that their next Duel will be for higher stakes, and uses his Millennium Eye to capture Grandpa's soul. Yugi and his friends are returned to the game shop, but Grandpa falls unconscious. He appears on the TV screen, calling out to Yugi, and Yugi clutches the TV, calling to him as well.

Featured Duels[]

Téa Gardner vs. Joey Wheeler[]

The beginning of the Duel is skipped.

Joey's turn
Joey Normal Summons "Rock Ogre Grotto" (800/1200) in Attack Position. Joey attacks Téa's Set monster. It is flipped face-up and revealed to be "Happy Lover" (800/500). The attack doesn't destroy it for some reason.

Téa's turn
Téa activates "Breath of Light" to destroy Joey's "Rock Ogre Grotto #1" (Joey: ? → 0 LP).

Rex Raptor vs. Weevil Underwood[]

The beginning of the Duel is skipped.

Rex's turn
Rex draws "Two-Headed King Rex" and subsequently Normal Summons it (1600/1200) in Attack Position.

Weevil's turn
Weevil Normal Summons "Basic Insect" (500/700) in Attack Position.

Rex's turn
Rex attacks "Basic Insect" with "Two-Headed King Rex", but Weevil activates his face-down "Vortex" to negate the attack and prevent "Two-Headed King Rex" from attacking as long as "Vortex" remains face-up.

Weevil's turn
Weevil activates "Laser Cannon" to equip the latter to "Basic Insect" and increase its ATK by an unknown amount. "Basic Insect" attacks and destroys "Two-Headed King Rex" (Rex: ? → 0 LP).

Yami Yugi vs. Maximillion Pegasus[]

This Duel has a fifteen minute time limit. The player with higher LP at the end of the time limit will win.

Turn 1: Pegasus
Pegasus does not draw on the first turn. He Sets a card in his Spell & Trap Card Zone.

Turn 2: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws. He then tries to Normal Summon "Koumori Dragon", but Pegasus reads his mind and counters by activating his face-down "Dragon Capture Jar", which traps "Koumori Dragon" within it. Yugi Normal Summons "Silver Fang" (1200/800) in Attack Position.

Turn 3: Pegasus
Pegasus draws. He Normal Summons "Dragon Piper" (200/1800) in Attack Position, then activates its effect to release "Koumori Dragon" (1700/1200) from "Dragon Capture Jar" and place it onto his own side of the field in Attack Position. "Koumori Dragon" attacks and destroys "Silver Fang" (Yugi: 2000 → 1500 LP). Pegasus then Sets a card ("Sun Shower").

Turn 4: Yami Yugi
Yugi's hand contains "Beaver Warrior", "Horn Imp", "Breath of Light", "Zombie Warrior", and "Book of Secret Arts". Yugi is about to Summon "Zombie Warrior", but stops himself from doing so. He instead draws a card and subsequently Normal Summons it in Attack Position without looking at it. Pegasus activates his face-down "Sun Shower", thinking that Yugi would Summon "Zombie Warrior". The card is revealed to be "Dark Magician" (2500/2100), who is not affected by "Sun Shower". "Dark Magician" attacks and destroys "Koumori Dragon" (Pegasus: 2000 → 1200 LP).

Turn 5: Pegasus
Pegasus draws "Illusionist Faceless Mage" and subsequently Normal Summons it (1200/2200) in Attack Position. He then activates "Eye of Illusion" and equips it to "Illusionist Faceless Mage". "Illusionist Faceless Mage" attacks "Dark Magician". The effect of "Eye of Illusion" then activates, negating the attack and equipping itself to "Dark Magician" without Yugi knowing that.

Turn 6: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws "Celtic Guardian". During the Standby Phase, Pegasus gains control of "Dark Magician" via "Eye of Illusion" without Yugi knowing. Yugi Normal Summons "Celtic Guardian" (1400/1200) in Attack Position. "Celtic Guardian" attacks "Illusionist Faceless Mage", but the effect of "Eye of Illusion" redirects the attack to "Dark Magician". "Dark Magician" destroys "Celtic Guardian" (Yugi: 1500 → 400 LP).

Turn 7: Pegasus
Pegasus Sets a card.

Turn 8: Yami Yugi
Yugi Normal Summons "Summoned Skull" (2500/1200) in Attack Position. "Summoned Skull" attacks "Illusionist Faceless Mage", but time runs out before the attack is completed. Since Pegasus had more LP than Yami Yugi when time ran out, Pegasus wins by default.

Differences from the TCG[]

The Duels in this episode followed the earlier Duel Monsters rules, so 2000 Life Points were used, Tributes were not required for Level 5 or higher monsters and players could not attack each other directly.

Differences in individual cards included:

Differences in adaptations[]

  • The poster in the dub that Yugi's Grandpa was putting up was "Black Luster Soldier" and "Harpie's Pet Dragon", a reference to Episode 30. In the Japanese version, it's an advertisement for an upcoming National Duel Monsters Tournament with a 3,000,000 yen cash prize. (The Japanese poster shows "Celtic Guardian" and "Hercules Beetle".)
  • In the original Japanese version, when Joey screams, the sky begins to turn dark. In the English version, the sky is still blue.
  • Glowing is added when Pegasus reads the Koumori Dragon in Yugi's hand.
  • In the dub Pegasus tells Yugi about Egypt, the Shadow Realm and the Millennium Items. In the Japanese version he was telling Yugi about the tournament. The dub shows Magician of Black Chaos destroying Thousand-Eyes Restrict as a foreshadowing to episode 39.
  • When Pegasus tells Yugi that the world they're in is called the Shadow Realm in the English version, a pyramid is added over the shot of Pegasus.
  • After he defeats Silver Fang, Pegasus giggles, saying the monsters are quite real, and quite dangerous. He tells "Yugi-boy" that he's quite entertaining—so defiant yet helpless, and completely ignorant of the power of his Millennium Puzzle. In the Japanese version, Pegasus says that he's glad he came to Japan, then giggles, saying in English "Joke! It's a joke!" (in the Japanese, Pegasus is an American, and often speaks heavily-accented English.)

Mistakes[]

  • In the dub, after "Dark Magician" attacks and destroys "Koumori Dragon", Yami Yugi states that "Dark Magician" is one of the most powerful Magic cards in the game. This is in error as said card is a Monster card.

Featured cards[]

The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here.


Téa Gardner







Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 This card was shown when Yugi checks Joey's Deck.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 This card was seen in Yugi's hand.
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