Episode 36: Attacks Impossible!? Invincible Toon Army

Joey and Téa shout encouragement to Yugi, who's stunned by Pegasus's ability to read his cards the moment he draws them. Meanwhile, Bakura uses his Millennium Ring to eavesdrop on Croquet, who's chastising his security force for letting Mokuba get away. "Don't make me come down there!" he says. (In the Japanese, he says, "If Mokuba gets away, what will we tell Pegasus?") Bakura starts to leave. When Joey asks where he's going, he tells them he's going to look for Tristan, who's been gone an awfully long time. What could be more important than this match? Joey wonders, and Bakura says he'll be sure to ask him.

It's Yugi's move. Pegasus thinks he knows what Yugi will do: play Spellbinding Circle face-down, then play Summoned Skull in defense—which is exactly what Yugi does.

Pegasus switches Ryu-Ran into attack mode and attacks Summoned Skull. Yugi activates Spellbinding Circle, stopping Ryu-Ran's attack and reducing its attack power by 700 points. Pegasus pretends to be dismayed by Yugi's move.

Dark Bakura searches the dungeon for Mokuba, using his Millennium Ring to guide him.

Yugi switches Summoned Skull to attack mode and attacks Ryu-Ran, but Pegasus responds with a trap of his own: Trap Displacement, which switches the Spellbinding Circle to Summoned Skull. (The trap card's hexagram design, like Spellbinding Circle's, is changed to a circle with some heiroglyphics on it.)

Now Ryu-Ran's attack strength is back to 2200, while Summoned Skull's is reduced to 1800, and Pegasus is able to destroy Summoned Skull.

(Okay, my Japanese isn't the best, and this isn't in the subtitles, but it sounds like Yugi is saying to himself here, "Dou datta, Kaiba?" which is something like, "Is this how it was, Kaiba?" as if he's now realizing how Kaiba felt in his duel with Pegasus.) Joey wonders what's the use of going on, but Téa tells him they can't give up. Yugi will find a way to beat Pegasus.

Meanwhile, Tristan is running from the guards, carrying Mokuba's soulless body on his back. Soon he's surrounded, and the guards demand that he return Mokuba to him. Defiant, he tells them to come and get him, which they are about to do when Bakura turns up, warning them to leave Mokuba alone. The guards threaten him, but Dark Bakura isn't worried. (As usual, the guards' guns are digitized out.)

He pulls out a card, Chained Energy, and activates it. It traps the guards with rings of energy force. Tristan doesn't know what's going on, but he takes the opportunity to escape. The guards call for backup.

It's Pegasus's turn, and Yugi's sure it's another perfectly prepared move. He has to figure out some way to keep Pegasus from reading his thoughts! But Pegasus tells Yugi it's impossible—he's at the mercy of Pegasus's Millennium Eye. Then he plays Toon World. Red Archery Girl and Ryu-Ran are turned into their Toon counterparts, and Pegasus attacks Yugi's defense monster with Manga Ryu-Ran (Toon Dragon Egger), destroying the Giant Soldier of Stone. Then he switches the Toon Mermaid to attack mode.

Yugi thinks he'd better attack, and maybe he'll be able to uncover a weakness in the Toon monsters. He summons Celtic Guardian in attack mode. Its attack strength of 1400 is equal to the Toon Mermaid's, so he thinks their battle should be a draw. He attacks, but Toon Mermaid is able to stop Celtic Guardian's attack and destroy it! Pegasus says that his Toon monsters can't be beaten by brute force. (Japanese Pegasus says only Toon monsters can defeat Toon monsters.) Now Yugi's in even more trouble! Is there any way for him to win?

Pegasus plays two cards face down, and Yugi plays a monster in defense mode, but Pegasus plays a trap card called Gorgon's Eye, which turns Yugi's Horned Imp to stone. (Gorgon's Eye's red eye is turned blue on the US card, although the hologram on the field still opens a bloodshot red eye.)

It's a permanent trap, Pegasus says, and not only will it turn every monster Yugi plays in defense to stone, but when the stone monsters are destroyed, half of their defense points will be deducted from Yugi's life points! Then Pegasus plays Doppelganger (Copycat), which can transform itself into any card on the field—including Yugi's graveyard. He turns himself into Summoned Skull, which then becomesToon Skull (Toon Demon)!

Yugi calls the Toon Skull a monstrosity, but Pegasus says he'll hurt its feelings! He attacks the stone Horned Imp with Toon Skull, and Yugi loses 500 life points, half of Horned Imp's defense. The Toon Skull does some posing, then disappears back into Toon World.

Yugi draws a card, and Pegasus sees that it's the Dark Magician. Yugi is stunned (although I don't know why—he already knows perfectly well that Pegasus can read all his cards). Pegasus says he looks forward to Yugi putting his favorite card into play. So he can crush it!

Tristan and Bakura run from the guards. Tristan asks what was up with that magic card, but Bakura tells him to keep running. Tristan thinks he's found a way out, but nearly runs off a ledge high above the forest! Bakura catches him just in time and pulls him back onto the ledge.

Yugi doesn't know what to do. He can't attack the Toons while they're safe inside Toon World, and any monster he plays in defense will be turned to stone by the Gorgon's Eye. It seems so hopeless!

It certainly does, Pegasus agrees, then apologizes for butting in on Yugi's private conversation with himself. After all, accepting defeat is a personal matter. Joey tells Yugi not to listen, and reminds him of all the people depending on him—his Grandpa, and the Kaiba brothers. Yugi knows he can't let them down, so he'll just have to keep fighting.

Tristan thinks they're caught now. The guards are coming, and there's nowhere to go. But Bakura says he'll enlist some help from the Shadow Realm, and pulls out his deck.

Yugi is determined to figure out a way to save his friends. But Yugi-boy, Pegasus says, you can't even save yourself!

To Be Continued