Yugi, Jonouchi, and Anzu are visiting Grandpa’s game shop, where Grandpa Muto is showing them a game from ancient Egypt, when an unexpected visitor arrives. Yugi recognizes him as Imori from his class. Imori has come to the Kame Game shop to get a game from his family’s collection identified. The game, which he is holding in his arms, was obtained by his grandfather when he was in Manchuria during World War II. Imori discovered it in his shed recently. It appears to be a wooden box on top of an urn, all held together by a neatly tied rope. Jonouchi asks Imori if he can open the seal, but Grandpa screams at Jonouchi not to open it.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you…but you mustn’t break this seal!” explains Grandpa, “This is an ancient Chinese game called ‘Dragon Cards’! I’ve heard rumors, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.

“It’s written that the Dragon Cards were used by a Taoist master as a final test for Feng Shui students in China! Fung Shui is a form of magic that uses the energies of nature! It’s been gradually systemized since China’s golden age, four thousand years ago. You know about the concept of Yin and Yang in Chinese Philosophy…Yin means Shadow, and Yang means Light…in other words, everything in the world is a balance of light and dark! Right now, these cards are Yin-Shadow! The seal surrounding the cards is Yang-Light, creating a balance! If the seal on the dragon cards were broken, the yin and yang would clash creating a warped power!

“Imori, was it? These Dragon Cards are sealed away along with the power of the shadows! Promise me! You must never break that seal!”

“Yes, of course!” replies Imori, but it seems like his curiosity might get the better of him, as Imori seems to be intrigued by this ‘power of the shadows’.

A few days later, Yugi and Jonouchi go for a swim at the pool. When Yugi returns to the cubbies, he notices that his Millennium Puzzle is missing. In its place is a note that reads, “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”

Yugi arrives at Classroom C where he finds Imori waiting for him, and wearing his Millennium Puzzle.

“Imori, this isn’t funny! Give me my puzzle back,” demands Yugi.

“Doesn’t it look good on me?” asks Imori, “Y’know, Yugi, I’ve been interested in you for a while. You could say I look up to you. You used to be bullied by everyone, but one day you got this Millennium Puzzle and gained the powers of darkness. My grandfather left me all sorts of books about games, and books on ancient Egypt. At first I didn’t think there was any connection, but then I found the secret of the Millennium Puzzle! It was written in that book, ‘the one who solves the Millennium Puzzle shall gain the thousand ways of the Shadow Games and become the guardian of darkness.’

“I swore to myself I’d defeat you, Yugi, and take your place as the guardian of darkness. To get the Millennium Puzzle back, you have to defeat me in this Shadow Game!”

Imori unveils the cloth before him and reveals the Dragon Cards game.

“Now it’s time to remove the seal!” announces Imori.

He unties the rope on the game.

“After my visit to your shop, I did some research on the Dragon Cards in a text about ancient China,” continues Imori, “According to it, 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 on the Dragon Cards. The loser of the game must offer his soul to this soul-bating jar to calm the wrath of the cards. Yugi, don’t try to back out! You can’t escape the Dragon Cards!

“Let me explain the rules of Dragon Cards,” begins Imori, “First you place the deck in the center of the table! According to Feng Shui, chi develops in the mountains and flows into the earth that’s what’s called the Dragon’s Breath. In this case, the mountain is the deck of cards! The earth is the table.

“Now there is power flowing around the deck…five elements of evil held in balance! First the two players draw six cards, one after the other! Each card depicts a dragon of one of the five Chinese elements. The numbers indicate the level of the dragon! There are five elements, three identical cards of each kind, for a total of 75 cards! Once you collect three of the same card, you can summon a dragon! The players collect the strongest dragon cards they can and summon two dragons each. The player who defeat the other’s dragons wins!

“Now, Game Start!”

Yugi and Imori begin by drawing six cards each. Since Imori has the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi can’t transform into his alter-ego, so he will have to beat Imori with his own strength.

Imori draws the first card. He draws a level 4 Water Dragon, making two in his hand. If he draws a third, he can summon a Water Dragon. Imori discards a card to end his turn. Now it’s Yugi’s turn. Yugi draws and discards. Based on the card that Yugi discarded, Imori knows what element Yugi is collecting. Now, Imori can collect an element that can beat Yugi’s

Yugi is the first to summon two dragons. Imori immediately responds by summoning two dragons of his own. Imori has a level 3 and a level 4 Water Dragon, which beat Yugi’s Fire and Metal Dragons.

“Dragon Battle! Jiao Long Fu!” cries Imori, “My flood washes Yugi’s dragons away! You know what’s next, Yugi! Penalty Game! You have to give the dragons your soul!”

One of the dragons attacks Yugi through his chest and steals his soul, then sends it into the jar, but before Yugi went out, he reaches out his hand and touches the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi transforms into his alter-ego and challenges Imori to a rematch.

“Next, I’ll stake my other soul!” cries Yami-Yugi.

“Okay, one more game!” responds Imori.

Game Start!

Both players draw six cards. Yugi goes first and draws a card from the top of the deck, then discards a card he doesn’t need. Imori goes next. He draws a card and now has three potential sets – wood, fire, and water – if Imori draws any one of these cards, he will be able to summon a dragon. Imori remembers every card Yugi discards, and from this information, he knows Yugi is trying to summon a level 5 metal dragon and a level 4 earth dragon. Imori is preparing to counter Yugi’s dragons with one made of medal and one made of wood, because water wins over metal and wood wins over earth. Yugi discards a level 5 wood card, so Imori takes it.

Imori summons two dragons first. Yugi summons his shortly after. On Imori’s side is a level 5 Water Dragon and a level 5 Wood Dragon, and on Yugi’s side is a level 4 Earth Dragon and a level 5 Metal Dragon.

“Go, Water Dragon! Destroy the Jin Long! Unleash the Deluge!” screams Imori. The Water Dragon uses a Flood Attack on Yugi’s Metal Dragon.

“You can’t get me with the same trick twice, Imori!” says Yugi, “Earth Dragon! Ground Shatter! The Earth Dragon raises the ground and dams the flood attack to protect the Metal Dragon.”

“Then my next move…,” Imori responds.

Yugi is shocked to see Imori’s Wood Dragon getting bigger. Imori explains that it is getting power from the Water Dragon, just like a sapling soaks up water and grows into a great tree!

“Wood Dragon! Attack the Earth Dragon!” shouts Imori, “The Wood Dragon’s shoots are entering the Earth Dragon!”

Imori’s Wood Dragon is sucking out power from the Earth Dragon, just as trees take sustenance from the Earth. Now, Yugi’s Earth Dragon can’t move.

“Now, back to where we were!” cries Imori, “The Water Dragon attacks the Metal Dragon again! Now, the Earth Dragon can’t move in to help! Flood Attack!”

Yugi’s dragon took the attack dead-on, but to Imori’s shock, the dragon survived the attack. Imori realizes his flood attack was weakened because the water dragon gave its power to the wood dragon, but it still has another effect, the Water Dragon’s attack causes the Metal Dragon to rust.

“Metal Dragon, give me the last of your power!” calls Yugi. The metal dragon uses its axe wings to take flight and slices the wood dragon in half. Imori calls another flood attack, but Yugi’s metal dragon manages to destroy the wood dragon before it completely goes out.

“And now, the Earth Dragon is back!” cries Yugi.

Imori orders his water dragon to unleash a Flood Attack! Yugi responds with his Earth Dragon’s Ground Shatter! The Earth Dragon absorbs the Water Dragon into its cracks.

“I lost everything!” cries Imori.

“Imori, here’s you Penalty Game!” calls Yugi, “Normally, I try to come up with something original, but now it’s your turn to feed your soul to 25 ravenous dragons!”

Imori’s soul comes out of him and enters the jar, then Yugi’s soul comes out of the jar and enters his body.

“Dragon Cards…this is a terrible game that brings disaster,” says Yami-Yugi, “This seal must never be broken again!”

(Kind of a dark ending for a kid who was more annoying than abusive.)