Transcripts:
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
(Panik Attack I)

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, at all, and these transcripts are unofficial and without any permission whatsoever. Please link back to me or credit me somehow if you use my work. For more information about my transcript format, please click here.

Original Air Date: January 6, 2007**

NO PREVIOUSLY OR TEASER

(Opening)

ACT 1 <1:00>

(A quiet night at Duelist Kingdom. The sea visible at the edge of a nearby cliff is peaceful, and the breeze is still. In a clearing, Tristan, Téa, and Joey are waking up groggily.)
Tristan: Whoa! What a nightmare. I just dreamed Bakura went totally mental.
Joey: Same here; last time *I* snooze with duelin' cards under my pillow!
Bakura: Sleep well, guys?
(Bakura stands over them, the picture of innocent goodwill)
Téa: Let's see-- I dreamt Yugi had us all dressed up like duel monster cards and that you'd gone nuts, so, no.
(Yugi and Bakura laugh nervously. Just then, they hear a scream! Everyone turns in the direction of a part of the foret nearby where black birds are scattering from the treetops in panic.)
Yugi: Huh?
Joey: That voice...! Sounded like Mai. Come on!

Panik: Hahahahahaha, bye bye, birdies!
(One by one, the three Harpie sisters shatter. Mai's lifepoints fall from 800 to zero. The field is shrouded in darkness.)
Mai: My... Harpies! They're gone...!
(Mai's opponent is hidden in the dark, and we only see his eyes glint in the shadows. Then the fog begins to clear; he's huge, thick-necked, broad-shouldered, and small-eyed, in a long black coat, with a duel glove on each hand, each one carrying a big drum of star chip slots; Panik can carry maybe forty or fifty stars at a time.)
Panik: Eheheheheheh, I think you mean *eliminated*. Heheheheh, just like you! Now hand over all your star chips-- you loser!
(Mai tries to glare back defiantly, but loses her nerve and looks aside, trying to hold herself together. Every single star chip pops out of her dueling glove, scattering all over the dueling console and the floor of the platform.)
Mai: Ugh! Oh...
Panik: Heheheheheheheh...
(As Mai steps down from the dueling platform, Panik comes up behind her. Just then, Yugi and company run into the clearing)
Yugi: Mai! Are you okay?
<2:00>
Mai: You're too late!
(They stop, about ten feet from Panik and Mai)
Téa: Too late for what?
Joey: This sideshow freak givin' you a hard time?!
Panik: That's right, just like Pegasus pays me to do-- root out all the dueling *filth* on this island and dispose of it!
Tristan: Doesn't that make you a *garbage man*?
Mai: This is no joke! Panik's one of the island's *Eliminators,* and if you don't get outta here he's gonna do to you what he did to me!
Yugi: Eliminator? What's that, Mai?
(Panik roughly grabs Mai's right arm, wrenching her shoulder, and holds up her glove)
Panik: Look! This is what she means right here! Check out her duelist's glove-- not a star chip left!
Téa: ...But that would mean she's been disqualified.
Yugi: You're *out*, Mai?
Mai (sadly): I am. It all happened so fast! The way Panik duels, I just... lost it.
Téa: This *isn't right*.
Panik: Hah! She was one of my easiest victims yet! Hahahahahahahahah!
(He lowers Mai's arm and uses it to push her toward them; she cries out and staggers a few feet across the clearing.)
Joey: You creep!
(Joey tries to run at Panik and Bakura and Tristan restrain him)
Joey: Move it! There's no excuse for pushin' a girl!!
Bakura: Calm down, Joey, I know how you feel but that guy's more than twice your size!
Joey: I can take 'im!
(Yugi steps forward, head bowed.)
Yugi: No, Joey, fists aren't the answer.
(The boys stop fighting)
Yugi: Violence won't solve anything. <3:00> I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life, and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them.
(Yugi walks up to Panik.)
Joey: Whaddaya mean?
Yugi: You have to stand up to them!
(The Millennium Puzzle begins to glow, and shakes and sways on its own. Whether aloud or in his head, we'll never know, Yugi cries out--)
Yugi: Yu-Gi-Oh...!!
(As the word is spoken, the voice speaking it grows deeper. From a grey void appears swirling lines, strange symbols, rushing wind, and a column of blue-white light, in which there appears a figure. He's like Yugi, but isn't. The more confident Yugi looks at Panik with a surety in his eyes that assures us that Panik is in for trouble.)
Mai: But *Yugi*--
Yugi (Yami): Now-- let's see you try your intimidation tactics against *me*, Panik. I don't scare easy, especially when I'm standing up for my friends! So let's duel!

ACT 2 <3:42>

(Panik grabs Mai by the arm again)
Panik: You twerp! I'll eliminate you from the tournament just like I did her! *Tell* him how I trounced you!
Mai: *Please*, Yugi...!
Yugi (Yami): Let her go, Panik! If you're looking to bully someone-- try bullying *me*! Playtime is now *over*, Panik-- it's time to duel!

<4:00>
(Yugi takes the dueling platform)
Joey: Alright, Yugi, no problem! Show Panik here how we *deal* with thugs like him!
Panik: *Yugi*, huh? Must be my lucky day! Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the Eliminator who defeats you! I wonder-- think he'd throw in some extra cash for inflicting bodily harm? Not that I wouldn't do it for free!
Yugi (Yami): Huh. You'd better start thinking of other ways to make *money*, Panik, because after I get done with you, not only will you be out some star chips but you'll be out of a job!
Panik: Who said I was an Eliminator *just for the money*, Yugi? I've made enough cash to have retired long ago, but I won't quit, because there's no better thrill than breaking weak duelists like you! So get ready, Yugi-- I'm about to take you into a world of hurt!
Yugi (Yami): I won't be bullied by the likes of *you*, Panik! I play with my heart; that's why I'll always win against *your* type!
Panik: You've never faced *my type* before. When I'm in a match with someone, there's a lot more to it than sheer dueling strategy.
<5:00>
Yugi (Yami, frowns): Huh? *Meaning*?
Mai: Panik's *ruthless*, Yugi! He had me *totally* *terrified*!
Panik: Hahahahaha, that's right, and she's not the first, either! We Eliminators have built our career on stalking weak players like her, and strong-arming them into dueling us! You see, when you're as good as I am, you learn to appreciate the hunt as much as the duel itself! And now I'm gonna take you down just like I did *Mai*! Huhuhahaha!
Yugi (Yami): Hmph. *I* see how you work, Panik; sneaking up on unsuspecting duelists because you haven't the courage to challenge them face-to-face!
Panik: Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!!
Yugi (Yami): *True duelists* fight with honor and respect, not the underhanded tactics of a *poacher*!
Panik: Rrrgh...!
Yugi (Yami): And to prove it, I wager all the star chips I have to win back Mai's!
Panik: It's a deal! If you win I'll give you all eight of her star chips! The bet makes no difference to *me*!
Yugi (Yami): What do you mean?
Panik: What I *mean*, *little Yugi*, is that when you duel against Panik, you're putting much more than just your measly star chips on the line! <6:00> Much more!
(As he speaks, he presses a button on his arena console and leg shackles slide out of panels hidden in Yugi's arena platform and fasten around his ankles. Yugi looks down, surprised, and tries to struggle. Next, two rotating gun barrels appear out of the corners of Yugi's side of the arena, and start shooting fire at his head. Yugi dodges first one, then the other, shielding his face from the fire.)
Téa: Yugi!
Yugi (Yami): Rrrgh!

ACT 3 <6:11>

Téa: Yugi!
Joey: We gotta get 'im outta there!

Yugi (Yami): Rrrgh!
Panik: Hahahahahahahaha! What's the matter, Yugi? Hmm? Can't take the heat? Well get used to it, because you're strapped in for the long haul!

Joey: Turn it *off*, Panik!
Mai: Panik used those on *me*, too...
Bakura: Stay strong, Yugi...

(The flamethrowers shut off. Yugi looks around and stands up straight again, glaring at Panik)
Panik: I can see the fear growing in your eyes, Yugi! I can hear you *quaking in your boots*! You're beginning to realize the nightmare you've stepped into! I do believe, you're beginning to *panic*! Huhuhuhuhuhuh!

Téa: Get a life, you psycho!
Joey: Forget this guy, Yuge! This wasn't part a' the job description!
Tristan: Yeah, no joke! Come on! Let's getcha down from there, Yugi, whaddaya say?

Yugi (Yami): Are you finished blowing smoke, Panik?

(The spectators gasp)
Téa: *Yugi*...!
Joey: What's he think he's *doin'*?
<7:00>

Yugi (Yami): It will take much more than cheap pyrotechnics to make me lose *my* cool.
Panik: Hahahahahaha! The last time someone had the nerve to talk to me like that, I broke them in half! Now let's duel!
(Each start with 2000 lp)

(Yugi's friends and Mai watch anxiously)
Joey: Fight time...
Mai (think): Yugi's good, but he's never faced an *Eliminator* before. Once Panik gets inside his head, it's all over!

Panik: Seeing how the blaze of my fire didn't faze you, let's turn *down* the lights. My Castle of Dark Illusions will turn this duel into your darkest hour, Yugi! Its magic shrouds the field with a veil of shadows; and the Castle itself is extra-fortified, thanks to the field power bonus I get from playing it at night!
[Castle of Dark Illusions 920/1930/L4/dark]
(Castle's improved stats are 1196/2509//)
Yugi (Yami): I'm not afraid of the *dark*, Panik!
(As Panik speaks, Panik's side of the field is cloaked in darkness. Yugi is standing alone against a sea of blackness)
Panik: Heheheheh! You would be if you only knew, the fearsome nightmares within its shade! The blanket of shadows cast over my entire side of the field make (sic) it impossible for you to see the creatures I've summoned, but leaves your <8:00> entire side exposed, and vulnerable to my attacks! Unnerving, isn't it, Yugi! How the darkness preys on your fears, on your *mind*, until you're too scared to think, too terrified to fight! Huhuhuhuhahahaha!

Mai: Don't listen, Yugi!! This is exactly how he threw me off *my* game!
Joey: *Now* ya tell us?

(Yugi is starting to look nervous; he can only see Panik's eyes glinting in the darkness.)
Panik: And if you think you can storm my Castle with the help of a field power bonus of your own, think again! Because just as my shadows block the light from above, they block the field power from the ground below! Only the night grants bonuses here!
Yugi (think): Without any idea what's waiting for me in those shadows, I can't risk an attack! I'll just have to play it safe for now. (aloud, Yami) Celtic Guardian, defense mode!
[Celtic Guardian 1400/1200/L4/earth]
Panik: Not a very bright idea!
(He places a card on the console; we can't see it)
Yugi (think): I *can't see what monster he played!*
Panik: Huhuhuhuh, attack! <9:00> Dark Grasp of Fury!
(A pair of red eyes looms toward Celtic Guardian, and Panik's monster, surrounded by a cloud of shadows, lunges out of the darkness, tackles Celtic Guardian, and, as Yugi watches with some horror, the thing in the shadows drags Celtic Guardian into the dark, until he disappears, struggling, from view. We hear Celtic Guardian get destroyed.)
Panik: Our first victim of the night!
Yugi (Yami): Rgh...

Téa: Yugi...
Joey: That's cheap! How do you defend against what you can't see?!
Bakura: Yeah-- or defeat a monster you can't find. Hmmm...
Tristan: Anybody got a flashlight?

Panik: Hahahahahahaha! Even your friends have lost hope for you!
Yugi (think): I need to get his monsters out of those shadows. But the only way I can *do* that is by destroying his Castle of Dark Illusions, and with its defense points set at twenty-five-hundred, no card in my deck has an attack power high enough to *scratch* it, let alone destroy it! Boy, I'm beginning to understand why they call him 'Panik'; the game just started, and I'm already flustered!
Panik: Play any monster card you like. The creatures within my veil of shadows will consume them all!
Yugi (Yami): Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress (sic), in defense mode.
<10:00>
[Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 1400/1200/L4/wind]
Panik: Hahahahaha. This defensive maneuvering may keep your lifepoints safe from *one* monster, Yugi, but not two! Hahahahahaha!
(Another pair of eyes appears in the darkness, these ones slitted and light blue.)
Yugi (think): I hate to admit it, but he's right. Defending alone won't win this duel for me.
Panik: Heheheheheh. You're *terrified*, aren't you, Yugi! Admit it! All your courage has been devoured by my shadowy fog! Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh! Yes! All that's left is a *trembling little duelist*, powerless to defend himself!

Téa: So how's Yugi supposed to take this guy *out*, Mai?
Mai: If I was able to figure *that* out, we wouldn't be in this situation.
Téa: Huh?

Yugi (think): There's *got* to be some way to neutralize Panik's veil of shadows! But it's generated by his Castle of Dark Illusions, and that thing's virtually impregnable! *Wait a minute*... I may not be able to attack Panik's *Castle*, but what if I attack the darkness *itself*? (aloud) Guardian of the Fortress, take flight! <11:00> Fireball attack!
(Winged Dragon looses a few fireballs into the shadowy mist. when they strike, they briefly illuminate the monsters: a green and yellow creature with claws, big teeth, and red wings; and a yellow and grey thing with mandibles and an exoskeleton. Yugi can see them!)
Yugi (Yami): His monsters!
(The fire fades, and they return to the shadows.)
Panik: Hahahahah! So you saw my creatures. But I doubt it gives you the foresight to see what's coming next! Dark Grasp of Fury!!
(Yugi clenches his teeth as Winged Dragon, too, is consumed by the shadows.)
Panik: Lights out for your Guardian of the Fortress!
(Yugi's lifepoints are now 1606)
Panik: My creatures hungrily eye your remaining lifepoints, Yugi; and I'll see to it that they feed again quite soon! Has it sunk in yet, wimp? Standing up to a bully leaves you nowhere to go but down!
Yugi (think): 'Down' is right; my lifepoints are *way* down; while Panik's haven't even been touched! His shadows have destroyed two of my best monsters, while I still can't see what I'm up against! He's got me outmaneuvered and overpowered; but I'm still gonna find a way to put <12:00> that big bully in his place!

ACT 4 <12:03>

Panik: The night has *eyes*, Yugi. Hahahahaha-- and all of them are on *you*!
Yugi (think): As long as Panik's Castle of Dark Illusions shrouds his side of the field with that shadow, it's impossible for me to see any of his monsters. But panicking about it will only make things worse-- so I gotta do my best not to let him see me sweat!
Panik: Keep struggling, Yugi! Bullying's so much more fun when you resist!
Yugi (Yami): Tough talk, Panik, coming from someone who makes all their attacks while hiding in the safety of shadows!
(Panik reaches for the flamethrower button)
Panik: Heheheheheh.
Téa: Yugi, look out!
(Yugi dodges the flamethrower, and after a moment it subsides)
Joey: You okay, pal?
Panik: You uppity little cretin! Perhaps you should think twice before you insult someone who can scorch you with the touch of a button, *huh*? You're *afraid*, Yugi; you're lost and alone in the dark, and I'm the *big bad bogeyman*, about to leap out and give you the scare of your life!
<13:00>
Yugi (Yami, smiles): Hmhmhm.
Panik: Huh?! If you could see what I have in store for you, you wouldn't be laughing!
Yugi (Yami): But that's *why* I'm laughing. Because I *can* see. Right through you.
Panik: What?! What are you talking about, you little runt!
Yugi (Yami): You *are* the bogeyman, Panik, scaring *children* into being afraid of the dark; until they realize the dark is nothing to be afraid of. Like you.
Panik: Huh?
Yugi (Yami): Once a person conjures up the confidence not to be fearful of the unknown, they've disarmed the only weapon the dark has!
Panik: You wish it was that simple you little--
Yugi (Yami): But it *is* that simple! I have the card to prove it.
Panik: What card?!
Yugi (Yami): A card that'll *expose* you; and lift up that veil of shadows you cower behind!
Panik: What's that?!
Yugi (Yami): It's just a little something that'll teach you a tough lesson in broad daylight!

Téa: Hey Mai, why would Yugi tell Panik his strategy?
Mai: It's *Panik*. Same thing happened to me; you start making amateur mistakes...
Bakura: I don't know, Mai. He doesn't look like he's *panicking*.

<14:00>
Panik: Hahahahahaha! You almost had me there; but we both know that card's nothing but a big fat bluff! Prove me wrong, Yugi, go ahead! Let's see you give me my *tough lesson*! Hahahahaha!
Yugi (Yami): Hahahahaha, why should I *show* you my card after *you've* gone to such lengths to keep *yours* in the *dark*?
Panik (blink): I think you're stalling.
Yugi (Yami): You don't *trust* me, Panik? Believe it or not, not all duelists are lying dogs like you!
Panik: Rrrgh...
Yugi (Yami): And to prove it, I'll *show* you; after all, I wouldn't want you thinking I was some kind of *liar*.
Panik: Show me!!

Tristan: You don't need to prove *anything* to that slime, Yugi!

Yugi (Yami): Ready, Panik? Here it is-- the "Swords of Revealing Light"!
Panik: Huh?! *Revealing light*...?
Yugi (Yami): The blinding magic of the "Swords of Revealing Light" not only stops all enemy monsters from attacking for three full turns, but it bathes the entire field in a light so luminous, that even your lurking shadow creatures will be exposed! <15:00> Soon, Panik, the monsters in your dark empire will have nowhere to hide! But rather than play it now, I'll take a page from *your* book, and let you worry about when and how I'll use it, just like you do with the monsters *you* hide in the *dark.* You're going down in five turns. Five turns, Panik-- then my monsters will finish you off! Curse of Dragon! Defensive mode!
[Curse of Dragon 2000/1500//]
Yugi (Yami): And of *course*... the card that will make you see the light!
(He places a facedown)
Yugi (Yami): Your five turns start now, Panik; it's your move.
Panik (think): Rrrgh, he's taunting me! That must be the "Swords of Revealing Light"!!
Yugi (Yami): What's the matter, Panik? Has bullying lost its thrill?
Panik: I'll teach you about loss, just you wait!!

Téa: Hey Mai, why's Yugi keeping that card out if he's not going to play it yet?
(Mai looks back to Yugi, uncertain.)
Mai: Uh... I hate to say it, guys, but it's not a good sign.
<16:00>
Téa: Huh?
Mai: I was able to keep it together for about this long, too; but after a while, Panik has a way of *getting* to you and making you *slip up*.
Joey: Not *my* pal; he knows what he's doin'.
Bakura: I sure hope so.
Tristan: He *does*.
Mai: Listen, I know Yugi's good, but fighting Panik isn't *about* being good. It's *about* keeping a level head while you're lost in the dark or being attacked by fire! Yugi's gonna need *guts* to win this duel, *not* skill.
Téa: Guts, huh? Well he's got heart!
Tristan: Ya got *that* right.
Bakura: Yes, but he *did* just leave his best card out fully vulnerable; you don't make those kinds of mistakes unless you're nervous. And Panik's not one to let a mistake like that go unpunished...

(Panik draws)
Yugi (Yami): Make your move, Panik!
Panik: Hahahahaha! I must say, it was quite a daring move to illuminate me with the presence of that card, *little Yugi*! But it was a critical mistake to leave it on the field completely exposed!
(Yugi doesn't flinch, and tries not to smile too much)
<17:00>
Panik: If you thought idle cards were safe from attacks, *you're dead wrong*! Reaper of the Cards!!
[Reaper of the Cards 1380/1930/L5/dark]
Yugi (Yami): The Reaper?!
Panik: When the Reaper is summoned, all magic cards hear the ghostly toll of doom! He'll be sending your Revealing Light card to the *discard* *graveyard*, leaving you defenseless! Reaper, attack!!

Joey and Téa: Yugi!!
Mai: But that card was Yugi's only chance!!

(The Reaper floats meancingly over to Yugi's side of the field, and brings its scythe down on Yugi's facedown. Joey gasps, and Téa looks away, unable to watch. The scythe descends further...)
Panik: Your fate belongs to *me* now, Yugi!
(Yugi keeps a perfect poker face.)
Panik: Call of the Graveyard!!
(The Reaper's scythe reaches Yugi's facedown-- and stops. The spectators gasp. Téa still has her eyes scrunched closed.)
Panik: Heheheheh--huh?! What's going on?
(Indeed, it has stopped. The tip of the scythe is about an inch from the facedown. A warning message flashes on Panik's console screen.)
Panik: It can't finish its attack!
<18:00>
(Téa finally dares to look, and realizes that nothing happened. Yugi begins to chuckle.)
Panik: It should've *destroyed* your card! The "Swords of Revealing Light"!
Yugi (Yami): I said my "Swords of Revealing Light" is the card that would illuminate your monsters; I never *said* it was the one I placed on the field, you just *assumed* that.
Panik: But if *that's* not--
Yugi (Yami): The card I placed on the field was a different card. The "Spellbinding Circle", a trap card.
Panik: A trap- ca-a-a-a-ard!
Yugi (Yami): Yes, a trap card that ensnares your Reaper, stopping him dead in his tracks. Encircling him in a magical prison!
(The Reaper is trapped in a magical circle with a seal inside it made of overlapping triangle patterns. It struggles, but can barely move an inch. Yugi looks down at it calmly)
Yugi (Yami): In Duel Monsters one must be wary of the Reaper of the Cards and its ability to send magic cards to the discard pile. I figured that you probably had one stalking around in your deck somewhere. But now that he's frozen, unable to damage my deck, I'm free to lay whatever magic cards I want on the field.

Téa: Great thinking!
Joey: Way to put one over on 'im, Yuge!
Mai: What *is* it with this kid? I can't even keep up with him here on the sidelines!
<19:00>
Bakura: He's doing good, but it's not over yet.

Panik: How dare you!! You fooled me!
Yugi (Yami): Hmph! You fooled *yourself*, Panik! And wasted quite a powerful card, too. But now that the coast is clear... I'll *really* lay my "Swords of Revealing Light"!
(Yugi looks at the card then places it on the field; we know, though Panik still doesn't, that Yugi isn't bluffing this time. Panik is clenching his teeth in utter fury.)
Yugi (Yami): And a second magic card-- *both*, facedown.
Panik: Facedown?! Why?!

Joey: *Now* what's up?
Bakura: I don't know... but I bet we're going to find out soon enough.

Panik: So what? You captured my Reaper-- but he's only one of my powerful monsters! The ones that remain will destroy you!!
(We end the episode with a glimpse of a more powerful monster yet to come, that wields black electricity and has nasty, pointy teeth.)
To Be Continued...

END <19:52>

** This episode was originally shown as part of the abbreviated episode "Panik Attack" on February 2, 2002, but was not aired as transcribed until 2007. Credit goes to Wikipedia for this information.
* Special thanks to YouTube for making this video easily accessible.
* Special thanks, of course, to Kazuki Takahashi, 4Kids TV, et al. for Yu-Gi-Oh!

Last Updated: October 19, 2010

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, at all, and these transcripts are unofficial and without any permission whatsoever. Please link back to me or credit me somehow if you use my work. For more information about my transcript format, please click here.