Ep 10. Fierce Fight! Battle City Begins.

During the 10th episode of the second season of Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, entitled "Fierce Fight! Battle City Begins," viewers are introduced to the highly anticipated Battle City tournament. After receiving their invitations in the previous episode, Yugi and his friends arrive at the tournament's location, the Domino City theme park. Here, they encounter the other participants in the tournament, including familiar faces such as Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler, as well as new challengers like the mysterious Mai Valentine.

The first part of the episode focuses on the rules and regulations of the Battle City tournament. Viewers learn that the tournament is a single-elimination competition where dueling participants must collect six Locator Cards. The Locator Cards, scattered throughout the city, are required for entrance into the final rounds of the tournament. If a participant loses all their cards, their chance at victory is lost, while their opponent can then claim their remaining cards. With this pressure weighing heavily on their shoulders, the competitors split off into different areas of the theme park in search of their Locator Cards.

As the tournament participants make their first moves, we see the return of an old villain from the series' first season: Maximillion Pegasus. Heralding his return, Pegasus appears on a large screen, taunting Yugi and his friends about their chances of winning the tournament. He also introduces the new "field power-up" system, which will allow participants to add new abilities to their cards during battle. With this announcement, all the duellists are eager to refine their strategies in preparation for their upcoming matches.

The episode's second half picks up again with Yugi and Joey's search for their first Locator Cards, which leads them to the park's aquarium. There, they encounter Mai Valentine, who challenges Joey to a duel. From the moment she appears, Mai is portrayed as an enigma, exuding confidence and mystery. As the duel progresses, viewers are treated to the character's showy and theatrical style, which contrasts with Joey's scrappy, underdog approach.

The duel between Joey and Mai is the highlight of the episode. Both characters have their strengths and weaknesses, and it's clear that each has something to prove. As the two trade blows, their backstories are revealed, with Mai sharing how she follows her dreams and Joey speaking about his familial ties and desire to always come out on top. Despite their differences, the pair exhibit mutual respect and admiration throughout the duel. In the end, its Mai who wins, claiming Joey's only Locator Card. Eager to continue collecting the cards, however, Joey takes the loss in stride and vows to win his next match.

The first episode of the Battle City tournament sets up the rest of the season with style and excitement. The newfound challenges of the Locator Cards and field power-ups add an extra layer of complexity to the duels, and the new characters promise new battles and intriguing plot twists. Overall, "Fierce Fight! Battle City Begins" is an exciting start to one of the most popular arcs of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.