Yugi & his friends have finally made it back to the Royal Palace. The palace doors are still closed. This time however, Yugi's mission is clear to him: he and his friends are in the World of his memories to help find the Pharaoh's real name. He pleads with the Pharaoh's spirit to let them help him.
As Yugi attempts to pass his hand through the door... it works! The Royal Palace is now open to them!
Yugi, Joey, Téa and Bobasa enter the palace: they decide to separate for better searching efficiency.
Tristan follows soon after, however something's amiss! Tristan appears "evil" and snickers as he passes through the Palace doors? Could Bakura have done something to him?
Later on, the friends realize that conducting a search while "immaterial" is no easy task:
Téa has found the palace library, but she is having trouble making "contact" with the papyrus parchments.
Bobasa however, has no problems and is stuffing himself full of food in the royal kitchens.
"Evil" Tristan is also actively conducting his search.
The Defeat of Thief King Bakura: Aknadin's Treachery RevealedEdit
The Pharaoh tells him that it's on vain. Without the remaining Millennium Items, he won't be able to free Zorc. He tells him to give up: he's been defeated. However, another voice echoes through the room and says: "Are you sure of it?". It's Aknadin! And he's holding the Millennium Key!
At this point, Bakura starts glowing in a sinister pink light, which then separates from his body. He seems confused and does not understand where he is?
Soon after, Bakura's body starts to disintegrate. A voice echoes: "Good work! But ye're no longer useful. Pawns which have outlived their usefulness vanish! That's the rule in work in 'ere! Yugi!". Bakura's body becomes sand and he vanishes (in the dub, a glow is added around Bakura's hands and his entire person when they start to turn to sand). Shada appears at the doorstep and yells "Aknadin - sama...!".
Aknadin's treachery is revealed in front of everyone! Shada tries to stop him, but Aknadin pushes him away and then casts an immobility spell on the group, freezing everyone in time!
This allows Aknadin to retrieve every single one of the Millennium Items, which he then proceeds to insert inside the Millennium Stone, including his Millennium Eye (which he removes from his eye socket right then and there)!
The Pharaoh is asking himself how can this be? Thief King Bakura was defeated, he saw it with his own eyes? The Shadow Game should be over! How can he still be hearing Bakura's voice? However, the word 'Game' persists on his mind. He suddenly realizes the implications of it: everything is happening inside of A GAME!!!
At this point, Yami Yugi "wakes up" and sees Yami Bakura sitting across him in front of a large table. On the table, there seems to be a playing field: it's the ancient land of Egypt from the Pharaoh's past!! This is a Dark RPG, Dungeons and Dragons-style, and Yugi and Bakura are the Game Masters!!!!
Yami Bakura: "This place...? Well... Let's name it Territory of the Gods, shall we? This place itself is the real game field of the Ultimate Dark Game: the Dark RPG!"
Yami Bakura: "Indeed! The game's terrain is ancient Egypt. The world in which you, Yugi, lived as a Pharaoh 3,000 years ago is being recreated in this field. We Game Masters control some characters. By managing to clear the conditions for victory, you can win."
Yami Yugi: "Then, my character is the Pharaoh and yours is the Thief King Bakura. However! Since that Bakura has been defeated, I should have cleared the conditions for my victory! But, why?"
Yami Bakura:" Unfortunately enough, Yugi... When the Millennium Items were placed in the Table of the Realm of the Dead, the game switched to a new stage! And, obviously enough... The conditions to win have changed as well! My soul has been fixated in the Table of the Realm of the Dead! And the Great Evil God Zorc is going be revived!"
Yami Yugi: "In short! As long as Zorc isn't defeated, it'll bring about my defeat, you meant to say?"
Yami Bakura: "To find you, your beloved companions have entered the maze of the Millennium Puzzle and transcended into the world of the game. So, they'll die while in there. They're so gonna die."
Then, Yami Bakura reveals that Yugi's "pawns" in the game are frozen in time thanks to Bakura's Time-Controlling Hourglass. As the Game Master, Bakura has three of them and this particular one freezes time for every character in the game except for Bakura's.
Bakura then shows Yami Yugi the other Time-Reversing Hourglass he used in episode 207, when he reversed the "Sands of Time".
All the characters in the "game" are frozen in time by the effect of Yami Bakura's Time-Controlling Hourglass, except of course his own characters Aknadin and "evil" Tristan Taylor. For some reason however, Bobasa is unaffected by time-freezing spell, which "evil" Tristan can't figure out.
Aknadin's Transformation: "Great Dark Priest"!Edit
Aknadin: "Great Evil God Zorc - sama! Please listen to my wish!"
Zorc: "Priest Aknadin! I know that you have come to this place to gain my contract of the Dark. Why would you, you who created the Millennium Items? Aknadin! To repay you from offering your soul to be ruled by me, I shall grant you a wish."
Aknadin: "Yes, my lord! I only have one wish! To allow for my son, Seto!, to become the new monarch!"
Yami Bakura then reveals he has found a way to bring back Zorc without the 8th Key (the Pharaoh's real name): by using his third Evil-Summoning Hourglass. When the last grain of sand falls to the bottom, Zorc shall be reborn!
Meanwhile in the Royal Palace, the possessed Tristan is walking through a room where all past Pharaohs are depicted on the walls. Each one has a tablet listing their name, except the tablet for the current Pharaoh is completely blank!
Back at Kul Elna, Aknadin/"Great Dark Priest" is revealing the story of his past to Seto and the other Priests (still frozen in time by the effect of Yami Bakura's hourglass). He tells them of how he was the younger brother to King Aknamkanon, and thus Seto has the necessary bloodline to inherit the throne.
Shimon Muran wonders why would Aknadin bring the topic out now. Only he and Aknadin were aware of it: Aknadin harbored envy because his brother, as the Pharaoh, gained the attention of the people while he was actually the one who accomplished many things for the sake of the kingdom.
Saying these words, Aknadin/"Great Dark Priest" casts a spell to kill the Pharaoh! However a mysterious entity shining with light enters to deflect the attack: it is Hassan (the mysterious figure the Pharaoh encountered in Ep.208), protector of the Pharaohs.!
In reality, Yami Yugi "played" Hassan into the game, using his Master Item.
Hassan deflects the attack upwards, out of the "board game" playing field. As the spell hits the "ceiling" of the "territory of the Gods", it is separated into different rays and destroys Yami Bakura's time-freezing hourglass. Yami Yugi's characters are thus freed.
However, Yami Bakura reveals that attached to each character's DiaDhank is a sensor which measures their life energy. Yugi's characters are almost close to zero, while Aknadin/"Great Dark Priest" is at maximum! In addition, Bakura's third Hourglass still stands and once its time is up, Zorc will be Summoned! Can Yami Yugi stop him on time?
