Yu - Gi - Oh ! - Episode 006 " First Duel " , known as " Beautiful Harpie Lady " in the Japanese version , is the sixth episode of the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " second series anime . It first aired in Japan on May 23 , 2000 and in the United States on November 3 , 2001 . Summary . Pegasus sits at his elegant dining table , checking his ornate pocket watch . The Duel s have begun , he says to himself , and only the strong will survive . Those with insufficient skill will fall by the wayside . . . ( In the Japanese , Pegasus , however , has his mind only on Yugi . " Will you come to the Castle ? " he wonders . ) Joey is itching to Duel , and he ' s taking on the next player they see . Téa ' s not so sure Joey ' s up to this , and Tristan agrees — there are tournament - level players here . But surely Joey ' s smart enough to realize . . . ? Joey runs ahead to stand on a cliff overlooking the ocean , proclaiming himself the next Duel Monsters Champion . Everyone sighs , and Tristan says maybe Joey ' s not that smart , while Téa says Joey needs a reality check . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi is nowhere near as boastful as in the international version Joey . " It ' s my turn now , " he says . " I ' ll take on the next duelist we meet . " And when he runs to the cliff , he simply tells everyone to come and look , it ' s so beautiful here . Everyone ' s exasperated with him , not because he ' s overconfident , but because he ' s taking time out to enjoy the view . ) Then he turns reflective : he ' d better be champion , for his sister ' s sake . She ' s always counted on him . Flashbacks show little Joey and Serenity , getting off the bus at a remote hillside stop . Serenity asks her brother where he ' s taking them , and he says to the beach — isn ' t that where she ' s always wanted to go ? Serenity says he ' s the best big brother ever ! ( In the Japanese version , Shizuka ' s voice is heard telling her brother she wants to see the ocean , and Jounouchi ' s saying he ' ll take her . When they arrive at the bus stop , little Shizuka asks , won ' t Mom be mad ? He tells her it will be all right — just let him worry about that . ) The happy kids play in the surf and build sand castles . Little Joey tells Serenity he ' ll bring her back to see the ocean again some day — even if their parents do get divorced and they have to live apart . Promise ? she asks . And he pinky - swears he will . Present - day Joey renews his promise to his sister — he ' s her big brother , and he ' s supposed to take care of her . He ' ll win the tournament and the prize money , and make sure she doesn ' t lose her eyesight . And he ' ll show her the ocean one more time . The gang look out over the island , and see Duel Monsters stadiums everywhere , with lots of Dueling going on . Joey says he ' s going in , but Tristan asks if he ' s sure he wants to do this . If Joey loses , he ' ll lose his only Star Chip . Joey starts to freak , but Yugi tells him not to panic — he can do it . Joey hopes Yugi ' s right — this will be his first official Duel , and he can ' t afford to get knocked out of the tournament . Yugi says not everyone here is a pro , and advises Joey to choose an opponent on his own level . Joey considers what kind of field his cards are best suited for , and concludes that since his monsters are mostly fighter types , the meadow region is his kind of turf . Yugi encourages Joey , telling him he knows what he ' s doing . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi doesn ' t give advice about choosing a weaker opponent — it ' s only Honda and Anzu who think Jounouchi had better start out slowly . Yugi ' s advice is only for Jounouchi to choose his playing field carefully . ) Then they hear a familiar voice — it ' s Mai Valentine , taunting the player she ' s just beaten and demanding his Star Chips . The boy protests , claiming she must have cheated somehow . How could she have known what her cards were when they were still face down ? She says she ' s psychic — and he ' s done . The boy runs away in tears , while Mai laughs . Then she spots the gang , sees Yugi ' s three Star Chips , and says she might be ready for another Duel . Téa whispers to Yugi to take her , and knock her off the island . But the player Mai challenges is Joey . Does he have the guts ? Joey says he guesses she heard about his skill , but she tells him not to flatter himself . She overheard Joey and Yugi talking on the boat , and she knows Yugi gave him the only Star Chip he has . Her motto is to take out the weakest player first , and since he wouldn ' t even be here if Yugi hadn ' t given him one of his Star Chips , he must be one of the weakest players there . ( In the Japanese version , Mai isn ' t quite so insulting to Jounouchi , but she does say that she wants to increase her Star Chips by taking on a weaker opponent before dueling Yugi . ) Joey asks if she has to be so insulting , but Téa says , this time she ' s being truthful . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi protests that he was in the top eight , but Anzu points out that was only in the regionals . ) Then Téa says that Mai ' s ruthless , and warns Joey not to duel her first . Tristan also reminds Joey that if he loses this Duel , he ' s out for good . Téa thinks Yugi ought to take on Mai in Joey ' s place , but Yugi says it ' s Joey ' s decision to make , and tells Joey to show Mai what he ' s made of . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi tells Jounouchi he has to accept the challenge . ) Joey agrees . Mai thinks he ' s a pushover , but she ' ll see . Téa and Tristan are still skeptical , but Joey says this is his chance to prove himself . Don ' t forget , Gramps trained him , granted , he didn ' t get a chance to finish his training , and granted , he wishes he ' d had more time to practice , but he thinks he can take her . Tristan and Téa warn him he ' d better be right , for his sister ' s sake . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi says if he doesn ' t take this challenge , then from now on , every time he sees beautiful mountains like these , or a beautiful horizon , it will only remind him that he was a coward who ran away . Honda says he understands , and apologizes . And Anzu tells him that if he ' s going to do it , he ' d better learn . ) Joey accepts the Duel . He and Mai take their places in the Dueling arena , while his friends urge him on . Yugi says Joey will do fine . Joey and Mai each bet one Star Chip . Joey thinks the meadow will be to his advantage , but then he sees the field they ' re playing on — turns out it ' s 40 % mountain , 40 % forest , and only 20 % meadow . Joey freaks a bit , but Yugi reassures him that he ' ll still get the field power bonus on the part of the field that ' s meadow . Before they Duel , Joey says , he has to ask Mai one question : why did she decide to take part in this tournament ? Why does she Duel ? For the perks , she says , all the luxuries the prize money can buy . Joey tells her she ' s selfish , Dueling for things , while he ' s Dueling for the people he loves , and Yugi tells him to show her what it ' s like to Duel from the heart . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi says he has something he wants to protect , something he has to protect , even if it means his life . Yugi says both of their goals will come out in the way they Duel . ) He opens with " Masaki the Legendary Swordsman " . The Field Power Bonus raises its attack to 1430 points . Then Mai goes into her psychic act , humming and waving her hand over her face - down cards , telling Joey she has to mystically choose which card would be the best . ( In the Japanese version , Mai says that she already knows what all her cards are . ) Without turning it over , she chooses " Harpie Lady " , whose strength is boosted by the mountain ' s field power bonus to 1690 . Joey attacks , despite the fact that his monster ' s attack is lower . Yugi warns Joey that land monsters are at a disadvantage against flying monsters — one of the nebulous rules of the early episodes . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi explains that Joey ' s monster loses its field power bonus against " Harpie Lady " . Although he would have lost the battle anyway , since the ATK of " Masaki " was lower than that of " Harpie Lady " even with the power boost ) . Téa asks Yugi if Joey blew it already . Yugi says no , but Joey attacked too soon . Joey loses 590 Life Points , bringing him down to 1410 . Mai hums over her cards again , and plays a card face - down without looking at it . Joey ' s rattled , and Yugi urges him to think about what he ' s doing before he moves again . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi tells Jounouchi not to let Mai ' s card tricks fool him . ) Joey wonders how she can read the cards when they ' re face down , and Mai thinks her little card trick has made this kid forget everything he ever learned about Duel Monsters . All she has to do is keep pushing his buttons . Joey wonders what to do , then plays " Tiger Axe " , thinking that the field power bonus will raise its attack to 1690 so it can take on the " Harpie Lady " head - to - head . But Yugi warns Joey he ' s still not thinking , and Mai agrees " Tiger Axe " is another land monster . It loses its field power bonus against " Harpie Lady " and is destroyed , and Joey loses another 390 Life Points , bringing him down to 1020 . Mai tells Joey it will take more than his land - based wimps to beat her " Harpie Lady " , and Sets another card without looking at it , telling Joey she ' ll give him a hint — it ' s an equipment card that will help her beat his next monster in one turn . ( In the Japanese version , Mai tells him that her " Harpie Lady " will become more beautiful and more powerful with every turn . ) A sweating Joey wonders if she can see his cards , too . Since he can ' t see what she ' s playing , he thinks he ' d better get defensive , and Sets a monster face - down in defense . Mai plays her " Cyber Shield " to power up " Harpie Lady " to 2190 ATK , and Mai destroys Joey ' s Defense Position monster and laughs , telling him that his next card won ' t help him either . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi says his Defense Position monster was " Kojikocy " . ) He ' s completely flustered now , sure that she has ESP and can read his cards as well as her own . He ' s going to lose the Duel , and the chance to save his sister . Yugi encourages him to settle down and remember what Grandpa taught him about playing Duel Monsters , and Téa tells Joey not to let Mai rattle him . Mai tells them to stay out of it , saying that friendship doesn ' t win Duels . There can be only one champion , and on this island , someone can be your best friend today and your worst enemy tomorrow . Once the competition forces you to face each other in a Duel , where ' s your friendship then ? That ' s why the only person a Duelist can trust is himself . ( In the Japanese version , Mai taunts Anzu , telling her to use her heart to make Jounouchi win . " Show me what your feelings can do for a weak kid like him . " Then she tells Jounouchi to let this be a lesson to him . If he keeps muttering about friendship and feelings , he ' ll never be a True Duelist . This is the first anime occurrence of the phrase " Shin no Duelist " [ True Duelist ] , something that will become a running theme throughout the Japanese series . ) Joey groans in frustration , and Tristan worries that Joey ' s losing it . Téa urges Yugi to do something ! ( In the Japanese version , Honda mutters about " that girl , " and Anzu says she just can ' t stand it ! ) Then Yugi ' s Millennium Puzzle activates and the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle comes out to encourage Joey , telling him not to listen to Mai — they ' re always there for him , just as Joey ' s always there for them . She ' s just trying to divide and conquer , a strategy that ' s been used for centuries . ( The Japanese spirit tells Jounouchi to show her , then says that one phrase holds the key to Jounouchi ' s victory . He tells Jounouchi to listen to him carefully : " Something which is seen , but can ' t be seen . " ) The eye glows in Yugi ' s forehead , and Joey says when Yugi gets that look that on his face , he believes everything Yugi says . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi repeats the phrase : " Something you can see , but can ' t see . " But what does it mean ? ) Mai laughs , reminding Joey that if he wants to win the tournament , he ' ll eventually have to face Yugi in a Duel , and what will happen to their friendship then ? Uh oh , Joey hadn ' t thought about that . ( In the Japanese version , Mai doesn ' t believe a nonsense phrase like that can help this kid win . She taunts Jounouchi , telling him to go ahead and show her what it can do . Jounouchi thinks he knows what Yugi is saying , but . . . ) He remembers the conversation with Yugi on the roof , before they left for Duelist Kingdom , when he told Yugi that they ' re a team , and they ' d rescue Yugi ' s grandfather together . But his sister ' s counting on him ! What should he do ? He closes his eyes , trying to shut out his doubts and concentrate on how to win against Mai . If he can only figure out how she knows what her cards are . . . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi remembers telling Yugi that the " something they can see , but can ' t see " is their friendship . Still , he doesn ' t understand how it applies to his Duel with Mai . He berates himself , tears welling up in his eyes , telling Shizuka she deserves a better big brother . He closes his eyes , thinking about his sister , wondering what it ' s like to be blind — is the whole world dark like this ? He doesn ' t want to send Shizuka into a world like this . ) Then he notices a smell — it ' s perfume , coming from Mai ' s cards ! And he figures out her trick — she ' s sprayed her cards with different perfumes , so she can tell which card is which without looking . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi points out that this is something you can see , but can ' t see — you can see the cards , but not the smell . ) Joey says her psychic power shtick had him too freaked out to think about his moves . Yugi and the others cheer Joey for figuring it out . Then Mai says just because he figured out her psychic trick , doesn ' t mean he can beat her in a Duel . He thinks she ' s wrong . Before , she was winning by confusing him , and trying to pit him against his friends . But now his mind is clear , and all she has left is her cheap tricks . He won ' t fall for them any more . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi says that with his friends here to help him , she ' s not such a formidable opponent after all . But he supposes that would be a foreign idea to her . ) Confidence restored , Joey plays " Baby Dragon " . But Mai laughs , saying she wishes it were worth more , so when she devastates it , it would do more damage to his Life Points . ( Which makes no sense , because the lower its ATK , the more damage her attacks will do . In any case , he appears to have played it in Defense Position because it was sideways on the field . ) Mai plays the Magic Card , " Elegant Egotist " , creating two more " Harpie Ladies " . Joey ' s horrified – it ' s three times the trouble . Téa worries that he was struggling when it was only one . Tristan tells Joey not to give in — he ' s still got all kinds of moves left . But when Téa asks him what moves those would be , he says how should he know ? Ask an expert — Yugi . But Yugi says it ' s Joey ' s Duel , and he has to figure it out . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi says it ' s too early to say . ) Joey struggles over his cards , thinking he hasn ' t got any cards strong enough to beat three " Harpie Ladies " . Mai laughs , saying she ' ll use " Elegant Egotist " again and again each turn to create more " Harpie Ladies " . But while her " Harpies " multiply , she can ' t attack , so it ' s Joey ' s move . Yugi again encourages Joey not to give up . He tells Joey to think hard about Mai ' s strategy . She ' s been using only one monster card , and strengthening it with many Magic Cards . But there ' s a serious flaw in her strategy . Joey wonders if the " Harpies " are her only monsters . If he can defeat the " Harpie Lady " , maybe Mai won ' t have any monsters left to play . Yugi asks Joey to think which of his cards can help him win . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi again reminds Jounouchi : something you can see , but can ' t see . ) Then Joey remembers the card that Yugi gave him – the " Time Wizard " . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi remembers that Yugi gave him card from the Millennium Puzzle box — the puzzle being the thing you can see , but can ' t see . ) Yugi told him it would help him out of a tight spot . Now , if only he can remember what Grandpa told him about using a Magic Card . . . ( Except " Time Wizard " is a monster , not a Magic Card . Although he often uses it as if it were a Magic Card . Japanese Jounouchi realizes Yugi must mean " Time Wizard " . ) But does he have it in his hand ? Mai grumbles impatiently while Joey searches his hand . Nope , no " Time Wizard " . He ' ll just have to draw for it . Hand shaking , he reaches for his cards , while Yugi urges him to trust in the cards , and in himself . Joey draws and it ' s the " Time Wizard " triumphantly , he plays it , and a thousand years pass , turning his " Baby Dragon " into the powerful " Thousand Dragon " . Mai says her " Harpie Ladies " are still more powerful than Joey ' s dragon , but they ' ve been aged by the " Time Wizard " , and lost their strength . Astonished , Joey realizes that he believed , and the cards came through for him . He attacks with " Thousand Dragon " , and the " Harpie Ladies " are destroyed , and Mai ' s defeated . The gang cheer , telling Joey they knew he could do it ! Mai slumps over her cards , wondering how she could lose to such an amateur . Joey tells her if she ' s ever going to be a real champion , she has to learn to care about someone other than herself . ( In the Japanese version , Jounouchi tells Mai he may not be a Duelist among Duelists , but he will say this : Never forget that there are some things that will last a millennium , and those are things that can be seen , but remain unseen . ) Yugi thinks how proud he is of Joey , for going from a guy who was nothing but eagerness and attitude to a winning duelist who battles with his head and his heart . ( In the Japanese version , Yugi thinks it was the difference between Jounouchi ' s and Mai ' s goals that led him to win this battle . ) Joey flashes a " V " for victory , while a vision of his sister Serenity fills the sky over his head . Featured Duel : Joey Wheeler vs . Mai Valentine . Monsters compatible with Mountain , Forest or Meadow receive a 30 % Field Power Bonus . This includes Beast , Beast - Warrior , [ Dragon , [ Insect ] ] , Plant , Thunder , Warrior and Winged Beast - Type monsters . Turn 1 : Joey Joey Normal Summon s " Masaki the Legendary Swordsman " ( 1100 → 1430 / 1100 → 1430 ) in Attack Position . Turn 2 : Mai Mai Normal Summons " Harpie Lady " ( 1300 → 1690 / 1400 → 1820 ) in Attack Position . " Harpie Lady " attack s " Masaki " . " Masaki " then loses its Field Power Bonus since it is an EARTH monster battling a WIND monster ( " Masaki " : 1430 → 1100 / 1430 → 1100 ) . " Harpie Lady " destroy s " Masaki " ( Joey : 2000 → 1410 LP ) . Mai then Set s a card . Turn 3 : Joey Joey Normal Summons " Tiger Axe " ( 1300 → 1690 / 1100 → 1430 ) in Attack Position . " Tiger Axe " attacks " Harpie Lady " . Because " Tiger Axe " is an EARTH monster battling a WIND monster , " Tiger Axe " loses its Field Power Bonus ( " Tiger Axe " : 1690 → 1300 / 1430 → 1100 ) . " Harpie Lady " destroys " Tiger Axe " ( Joey : 1410 → 1020 LP ) . Turn 4 : Mai Mai draws . She then Set s a card ( " Cyber Shield " ) . Turn 5 : Joey Joey draws . He then Sets a monster . Turn 6 : Mai Mai activates her face - down " Cyber Shield " , equipping it to " Harpie Lady " and increasing its ATK and DEF by 500 ( " Harpie Lady " : 1690 → 2190 / 1820 → 2320 ) . " Harpie Lady " attacks and destroys Joey ' s Set " Kojikocy " ( 1500 → 1950 / 1200 → 1560 ) . Turn 7 : Joey Joey draws . He then Normal Summons " Baby Dragon " ( 1200 / 700 ) in Defense Position . Turn 8 : Mai Mai activates her face - down " Elegant Egotist " to turn one " Harpie Lady " into three " Harpie Ladies " ( 1300 → 2190 / 1400 → 2320 for newly Summoned " Harpie Ladies " ) in Attack Position . None of Mai ' s monsters can attack during this turn due to " Elegant Egotist ' s " effect . Turn 9 : Joey Joey draws " Time Wizard " and subsequently Normal Summons it ( 500 / 400 ) in Attack Position . Joey then activates the effect of " Time Wizard " and succeeds at the effect . Since the effect of " Time Wizard " was activated successfully , " Baby Dragon " is turned into " Thousand Dragon " ( 2400 / 2000 ) . Doing this also ages Mai ' s " Harpie Ladies " , reducing their ATK to their original value ( " Harpie Ladies " : 2190 → 1300 / 2320 ) . " Thousand Dragon " attacks and destroys all three " Harpie Ladies " ( Mai : 2000 → 0 LP ) . Featured cards . The following cards appeared in this episode . Cards in italics debuted here .