"The Light at the End of the Tunnel", known as "Pitch-Black Duel! Castle of Darkening" in the Japanese version and "The Castle of Dark Illusion" in the Odex dub, is the fourteenth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime. It first aired in Japan on July 25, 2000 and in the United States on February 2, 2002.
When this episode first aired in the United States on Kids WB!, it was merged with the following episode, so the Duel took place in just one episode titled "PaniK Attack". 4Kids TV aired the episode in two parts in 2007.
Summary
Last episode ended with the gang hearing a loud scream and rushing to see where it came from. It was from Mai, who had just lost a Duel against an eliminator named PaniK, forcing her to give up all her Star Chips, and therefore she is eliminated from Duelist Kingdom (as her "Harpie Lady Sisters" are shown being destroyed through unknown means and this somehow in turn causes Mai to be defeated).
PaniK tells them that he was hired by Maximillion Pegasus to eliminate any weak players.
Upset at the way PaniK treated her, Yami Yugi challenges him to a Duel. PaniK informs Yugi that Pegasus offered a generous bounty to the eliminator who defeats him and wonders if he could inflict bodily harm for extra cash, and even though he has made enough money to have retired long ago, he won't quit since to him there's nothing more fun than the thrill of the hunt. If Yugi wins, he gets all of Mai's chips back. However, if PaniK wins, not only will he get Yugi's chips, Yugi will be burned to death. The Duel does not start very well for Yugi, as "Castle of Dark Illusions" makes it impossible to see any of PaniK's cards, and with a DEF of 2509, almost none of his monsters can destroy it.
All of Yami Yugi's first few monsters are destroyed, but he is not intimidated by PaniK's tricks and insults. He then starts mocking back at PaniK. He shows PaniK the "Swords of Revealing Light" in his hand, and declares he will be defeated in five turns. Then he Summons "Curse of Dragon" in Defense Position and Sets a card.
PaniK, believing the Set card is "Swords of Revealing Light", Summons "Reaper of the Cards" and uses its effect in an attempt to destroy the Set card, but it turns out to be a Trap Card, "Spellbinding Circle", which traps "Reaper of the Cards" and reduces its ATK by 700.
Yami Yugi then Sets 2 cards. PaniK says he is not finished yet. He has a whole bunch of powerful cards that can destroy Yugi and win the Duel.
Featured Duels
Mai Valentine vs. PaniK
Duel already in progress. Mai has 800 Life Points and controls "Harpie Lady Sisters" (1950/2100) while PaniK controls "Castle of Dark Illusions" (920 → 1196/1930 → 2509) and an unknown monster.
Monsters compatible with Night receive a 30% Field Power Bonus. This includes DARK monsters.
PaniK's turn
PaniK's unknown monster attacks and destroys "Harpie Lady Sisters" (Mai: 800 → 0 LP).
Yami Yugi vs. PaniK
 | This Duel uses Duelist Kingdom gameplay. Rules and card effects may differ from that of the TCG/OCG. See the individual card articles for more information. |
Monsters compatible with Night receive a 30% Field Power Bonus. This includes DARK monsters.
Turn 1: PaniK
PaniK Normal Summons "Castle of Dark Illusions" (920 → 1196/1930 → 2509) in Defense Position. The effect of "Castle of Dark Illusions" covers PaniK's side of the field in darkness, making Yugi unable to see what cards he plays, and also preventing Yugi's monsters from receiving a Field Power Bonus.
Turn 2: Yami Yugi
Yugi Normal Summons "Celtic Guardian" (1400/1200) in Defense Position.
Turn 3: PaniK
PaniK draws. He then Normal Summons "Barox" (1380 → 1794/1530 → 1989) in Attack Position. "Barox" attacks and destroys "Celtic Guardian".
Turn 4: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws. He then Normal Summons "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress" (1400/1200) in Defense Position.
Turn 5: PaniK
PaniK draws. He then Normal Summons "Dark Chimera" (1610 → 2093/1460 → 1898) in Attack Position.
Turn 6: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws. He then switches "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress" to Attack Position. "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1" attacks. The attack briefly reveals PaniK's monsters.
Turn 7: PaniK
"Barox" attacks and destroys "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress" (Yugi: 2000 → 1606 LP).
Turn 8: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws. At this point, he tells PaniK that the latter will be defeated in five turns, while also revealing the "Swords of Revealing Light" in his hand. He then Normal Summons "Curse of Dragon" (2000/1500) in Defense Position and Sets a card.
Turn 9: PaniK
PaniK draws "Reaper of the Cards" (1380 → 1794/1930 → 2509) in Attack Position. PaniK then activates the effect of "Reaper of the Cards" to destroy Yugi's Set card, believing it to be "Swords of Revealing Light", but the card turns out to be "Spellbinding Circle" which is immediately activated, decreasing the ATK of "Reaper of the Cards" by 700 and forbidding it from attacking or changing its battle position ("Reaper of the Cards": 1794 → 1094/2509).
Turn 10: Yami Yugi
Yugi draws. He then Sets two cards (one of which is "Swords of Revealing Light").
Duel continues in the next episode.
Differences in adaptations
- The picture on "Chaos Shield" is changed a bit in the dub.
- A musical montage of the Duel is used to bridge the two episodes together, showing part of the Duel but not its entirety.
- Cut from the beginning: a flashback of Mai standing on the beach, saying to herself that it's not her style to think of the past, then being grabbed by the Player Killer.
- The reflection of PaniK in Mai's eyes is added to the US version.
- In the dub, the episode ends with PaniK telling Yugi that he's going to win the Duel then his monster is shown charging. In the Japanese version, it ends with Mai watching the Duel, PaniK scowling, Yami smiling and a long shot of the Duel.
Mistakes
- In both versions, "Spellbinding Circle" is shown to be face-down after it was activated even though it should be face-up.
Quotes
Yami: (smiles) I see how you work, PaniK — sneaking up on unsuspecting Duelists because you haven’t the courage to challenge them face to face.
PaniK: (angrily) Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!
Yami: (his smile changes to a frown) True Duelists fight with honor and respect — not the underhanded tactics of a poacher.
Featured cards
The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here.
Notes
- ↑ This card was played as a Normal Monster. It is a Fusion Monster in the TCG/OCG.
