Journey to the Duelist Kingdom
After his intense duel with Pegasus, Yugi is wondering what Pegasus could possibly want with him. However as he considers his dilemma, Joey has received a video tape of his own, and once again the tape’s contents isn’t good news. The tape is a recording made by Joey’s sister Serenity who he hasn’t seen since their parents separated six years ago. On the tape, Serenity asks her big brother not to forget her even though she doesn’t have much time left…
At the Game Shop, a letter has arrived for Yugi with an invitation to the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. With only two days until the boat is going to leave, Yugi’s friends try to convince him that it isn’t safe to go alone, but they can’t go with him as they don’t have invitations. However as Joey realises that there is a $3million he becomes very excited and decides that he is going to get onto the boat to help Yugi rescue his grandpa.
As Yugi and Joey discuss how the two of them became friends, Yugi recounts the story of how he came to own the Millennium Puzzle. His grandpa had the Puzzle in pieces from some ruins in Ancient Egypt and had spent years trying to assemble it without success. However one day, when Yugi was new to the school, he wished that he could make some friends.
Soon after that Yugi met up with Joey and Tristan, but the two seemed to spend more time picking on him that being his friend. At this point Joey interrupts, explaining that they weren’t picking on him, they were toughening him up so that he could stand up to other bullies. It was as the three began to get to know each other that Yugi successfully assembled all the pieces of the Puzzle.
Two days later, as Yugi prepares to board the ship that will take him to the Duelist Kingdom, a guard announces that nobody is allowed onto the boat unless they can show them a star chip. As Yugi waits in line, the guards catch Joey because he doesn’t have any star chips. While the guards and Joey argue, Téa and Tristan sneak on board hidden inside a crate. Yugi overhears the argument between Joey and the guards and, to stop his friend being kicked off the boat, gives Joey one of his star chips. As both Duelists are allowed on board, one of the guards warns Yugi that he will be at a disadvantage if he only has one star chip instead of two.
On the ship, Yugi tells Joey to keep quiet about them only having one chip each, but one of the other Duelists, Mai Valentine, overhears them talking. However while Mai is surprised to see that Yugi is the kid who managed to beat Kaiba in a duel, Joey seems more interested in drooling over Mai. Elsewhere on the ship, Téa and Tristan climb out of the crate and spot Yugi, Joey and Mai talking.
As Yugi and Joey continue to explore the ship, they meet up with Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood, the two finalists of the Regional Championships. As the two friends talk with Weevil, he explains that he is looking forward to facing Yugi in a duel, but warns Yugi that if he is going to be successful in the tournament he will have to learn the new rules that will be in place on the island. As Yugi and Weevil continue to talk, Weevil sneers at all the Duelists who are trading cards, explaining that trading only lets other people know of the cards in your deck.
Elsewhere on the ship, Mai is disgusted by the quality of her room as Rex Raptor walks by. As the runner-up in the Regional Championships mocks her, explaining that he has a much better room, Mai challenges him to a duel to decide who gets the room. Rex is unsure, but when Mai offers to kiss him if he wins he quickly accepts the offer. As the two Duelists head off to start their contest, Téa and Tristan see one of their classmates, Bakura, looking out over the ocean. The two are both confused as to why Bakura is on the ship, but decide not to risk confronting him as they are both stowaways.
Back on the main deck, Yugi is impressed with the cards Joey has gotten in trades and offers him the Time Wizard card as it will go well with Joey’s other monsters. However as the two friends seem to be getting on well, Mai and Rex are just beginning their duel. As the two set up to duel in Rex’s room, Mai suggests that they each play with their opponent’s deck. However as Rex draws a starting hand from Mai’s deck, she successfully predicts each of the cards, informing Rex that she has a psychic link with her deck.
On the main deck, Yugi and Joey have met up with Weevil again, who asks Yugi if he could take a look at his Exodia cards. However as Yugi hands him the cards, Weevil explains that he has just found a way to defeat Exodia and proceeds to throw the cards overboard into the sea. Joey dives in to try and rescue the cards, but the waves are strong and he quickly gets swept under. As Yugi jumps in to save his friend, Téa and Tristan, who have been watching their friends, throw a ladder down to them so that they can climb back up onto the ship.
As Mai throws Rex out of her newly claimed room, Joey apologises to Yugi for only managing to rescue two of the five pieces of Exodia. As the four friends talk, Joey explains that his sister Serenity is ill and that if she doesn’t receive medical help soon then she will go blind. He tells them that there is a specialist who could save her sight, but the operation is going to be expensive and so that’s why he wants to duel in the tournament.
As the boat approaches the island, both Duelists agree to do their very best to try and help the ones they love. But with so many great Duelists competing in the tournament, it’s not going to be a walk in the park for either of the two friends.
