Yu-Gi-Oh! - Duel 046

"The Evil Dragon Cards (Part 1)"

Names
English	The Evil Dragon Cards (Part 1)
Japanese name Japanese 魔（ま）の龍札（ドラゴン・カード）〈前（ぜん）編（ぺん）〉 Base 魔の龍札〈前編〉 Base rōmaji Ma no Ryu Fuda ❬Zenpen❭ Furigana まのドラゴン・カード〈ぜんぺん〉 Furigana rōmaji Ma no Doragon Kādo ❬Zenpen❭
Serialization
Series	Yu-Gi-Oh!
Number	46
Japanese magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump 1997 #39
English magazine	Shonen Jump
Tankōbon volume	6: "Monster Fight!"
Bunkoban volume	Volume 4
SJR volume	Volume 2
Release dates
Japanese	August 25, 1997
Chronology
Yu-Gi-Oh! chapters
Previous	"13 O'clock Terror!!"
Next	"The Evil Dragon Cards (Part 2)"

"The Evil Dragon Cards (Part 1)" is the forty-sixth chapter of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.

This chapter was originally printed in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japanese. Its first English release was in the Shonen Jump magazine. It has been reprinted in volume 6 of the tankōbon and volume 4 of the bunkoban.

Yugi's classmate Imori arrives at the Kame Game, asking about an ancient game, he has found. Sugoroku Mutou recognizes it as the ancient game, Dragon Cards, and warns Imori not to open it as yin and yang would clash, creating a warped power.

Summary

Kame Game

At Kame Game, Sugoroku shows Yugi, Jonouchi and Anzu a dogs and jackals game. He says that it is an ancient Egyptian game where players race their pieces around a board shaped like a frog. Jonouchi says that "Ancient Egypt" sounds familiar and is intrigued that they had board games back then. Sugoroku states that the history of games goes back 5000 years.

The store's bell rings and a customer enters carrying a box and pot bound together in some rope. The customer greets Yugi, who recognizes him as Imori from his class. Yugi thinks to himself, he has not spoken much to Imori before, but now that he is coming to the family shop, this may be a chance to make friends with him.

The Dragon Cards in their seal

Having heard Yugi's family run a game store, Imori says that there is something he would like them to take a look at and puts the pot and box on the counter. Yugi and Jonouchi are both puzzled by what it is, but Sugoroku is surprised as he recognizes it. Imori explains that his grandfather, who was a game collector picked it up in Manchuria during World War II and recently Imori found it lying around in their shed and thought Sugoroku might know what it is. Yugi does not think it looks like a game and Jonouchi comments that it is more like an urn.

Jonouchi asks if he can open it and Imori says to go ahead, he has not done so himself yet. However Sugoroku yells at Jonouchi not to. Sugoroku apologizes for shouting, but insists that the seal must not be broken. He explains that this is ancient Chinese game called Dragon Cards. He has heard rumors of it, but this is the first time that he has seen it.

Sugoroku tells them that it is written that the Dragon Cards were used by a Taoist master as a final test for feng shui students in China. Anzu has heard of people rearranging furniture in light of feng shui. Sugoroku explains that feng shui is a form of magic that uses the energies of nature. It has been gradually systemized since China's Golden Age four thousand years ago.

Imori thinks about the "power of the shadows"

Anzu asks why the Dragon Cards were sealed away. Sugoroku asks if they they have heard of the concept of yin and yang in Chinese philosophy; Yin means shadow and yang means light. They represent how everything in the world is a balance of light and dark. He says that currently the Dragon Cards are yin and the seal holding them is yang, creating a balance. If the seal was to be broken the yin and yang would clash creating a warped power.

Yugi is astonished and Jonouchi is freaked out. Sugoroku asks Imori to promise he will not break the seal. Anzu is amazed and slightly urged to break the seal. Jonouchi calls her stupid, commenting that she will get cursed. Yugi looks at the sealed-up cards anxiously and wonders what kind of game Dragon Cards was. Imori takes it back and smirks thinking "power of the shadows" ("power of darkness" in the Japanese version).

Pool

A few days later, Yugi and Jonouchi leap into the swimming pool at school. One of the students complains that Jonouchi is chasing them underwater. Meanwhile Imori sits against a fence watching.

Yugi finds the note.

Afterwards Yugi and Jonouchi return to the changing room. Jonouchi celebrates how summer was made for the pool; "Good for the body! Good for the heart! And easy on the eyes!". As Yugi goes to collect his clothes, he finds that the Millennium Puzzle is gone. He finds a note saying:

If you want your puzzle back, come by yourself to room "C." Don't tell anyone about this. (If you do, I'll ditch the puzzle!)
－ Messenger of Darkness

Jonouchi asks what is wrong, but Yugi says it is nothing.

Room C

Setup

Imori with the Millennium Puzzle

Yugi races to Room C, where he finds Imori sitting alone at a desk. On the desk is an object hidden under a piece of cloth. Other than him, the room was devoid of people. Imori holds up the Millennium Puzzle, which he was now wearing around his neck. Yugi says that this is not funny and demands the puzzle back.

Imori explains that he has been interested in Yugi for a while; Not a weird way, but rather that he looks up to him. Clutching onto the Millennium Puzzle he says that Yugi used to be bullied by everyone, but one day he got the Millennium Puzzle and gained the powers of darkness, and asked Yugi if that was right. Yugi is surprised but does not say anything. Imori tells Yugi that his own grandfather left him all sorts of books on games and Ancient Egypt. At first, he did not think that there was a connection, but then he found the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. It was written in the book:

The one who solves the Millennium Puzzle, shall gain the thousand ways of the Shadow Games and become the guardian of darkness.

Imori had sworn to himself that he would defeat Yugi and take his place as the guardian of darkness. Saying that Yugi must defeat him in this Shadow Game in order to get back the Millennium Puzzle, he pulls the cloth off the object on the table, revealing it to be the Dragon Cards.

Yugi and Imori get ready to play.

Yugi tries stopping him, but Imori removes the seal from the box and pot, laughing that he is releasing the shadow power. After visiting Yugi's family shop, Imori says that he did some research on the Dragon Cards in a text about Ancient China. According to the text, once the seal on the Dragon Cards is broken, a Shadow Game must be played or the people of that land will suffer eternal disaster. There is only one way to replace the seal, Imori explains; The loser of the Shadow Game must offer their soul to the soul-eating jar to calm the wrath of the cards. He opens the box containing the cards and tells Yugi not to try backing out, as he cannot escape the Dragon Cards.

Rules

Yugi sits at the table and Imori explains the rules: The deck is placed in the center of the table. According to feng shui, chi develops in mountains and flows into the earth. That is called Dragon's Breath. In this case, the deck acts like the mountains and the table acts like the earth. There is power flowing around the deck. These are the five elements of evil held in balance.

A diagram displaying the elements and which element can beat which is shown:

• Wood beats earth.
• Earth beats water.
• Water beats fire.
• Fire beats wood.

Imori says that each player draws six cards one after the other. Each card depicts a dragon of one of the five elements and has a level from one to five. There are three copies of each card, making a total of 75 cards. If a player collects three copies of the same card, they can summon its dragon. The players collect the strongest Dragon Cards they can and Summon two dragons each. The player who defeats their opponent's dragons wins.

Game

The Dragon Cards

Yugi and Imori draw their six cards to start the game. Without the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi has to believe in himself for this game. Imori titters, thinking to himself; He has this game studied thoroughly and knows all the ways to win, while Yugi is just his plain old self without the Millennium Puzzle.

Imori goes first and draws a level 4 water dragon. Since he already has another level 4 water dragon in his hand, he just needs one more to be able to summon the water dragon, Shui Long. He then discards a level 1 metal dragon that he does not need. He thinks to himself that like in other card games, you can read your opponent's hand by the cards they throw away. Yugi starts his turn. He draws a level 5 fire dragon and discards a level 1 dragon.

As the game progresses, Imori smirks having figure out what element Yugi is collecting.

The diagram displaying which element can beat which is shown again. This time it also adds which elements give power to other elements. Wood gives power to fire. Fire gives power to earth. Earth gives power to metal. Metal gives power to wood.

The dragons summoned.

Finally Yugi assembles two dragons and plays them. Imori also plays two dragons. Mists starts to rise from the cards and the dragons are summoned. Imori has two water dragons, Shui Long of levels 3 and 4. Yugi has a level 5 fire dragon, Huo Long and a metal dragon, Jin Long. Fire is weak against water and metal strengthens water, so Yugi is immediately put at a disadvantage and the two Shui Longs use their Flood Attack to defeat Yugi's dragons.

Yugi's soul getting sucked into the jar.

Since Yugi lost, Imori laughs that he must now suffer a Penalty Game and give his soul to the dragons. Shui Long sticks its arm into Yugi's torso, pulls out his soul in the form of a sphere and dissolves back into the pot, taking the soul with it. Imori laughs that Yugi's soul was is sucked into the soul-eating jar. (In the Japanese version, he calls the jar the Xing Zhen Hu.)

Yugi's soulless body flops onto the table, but manages to touch the Millennium Puzzle with one hand as Imori celebrates. The puzzle activates and Yugi switches to Dark Yugi, who says just in time. He takes back the puzzle and says next time he will stake his other soul.

Anime adaption

Episode 18 "In a Forbidden Game - Show Your Hand", of the Toei anime is based on this chapter and the next.

Differences included:

• Dragon Block was played instead of Dragon Cards.