Ryou Bakura is walking to school when Yugi's friends say hi. This is enough to set off the Millennium Ring, which causes him pain, lets Yami Bakura take over briefly, and makes him excuse himself to the school bathroom. He hears Yami Bakura's voice for the first time as the Ring causes him so much pain he's curled up on the floor. At gym class, Mr. Karita is bullying the students and warns Yugi and friends away from Ryou by telling them how every friend he made fell into a coma. Despite Ryou himself backing this up and also warning them away, Yugi and friends decide it's just a coincidence and plan to visit him.
Ryou plans to transfer out of Domino High so Yugi and his friends won't get hurt, but Yami Bakura won't have it, since he's finally found the Millennium Puzzle after so long and he's even granted his host's wishes by trapping his friends in games so they can always be nearby. Bakura forces Ryou into unconsciousness and punishes Mr. Karita with a Penalty Game, trapping him in the game as well. Ryou wakes up with a memory lapse and asks him what he made him do, but Yugi and friends have arrived, distracting them both. Bakura invites them in and asks to play a game of Monster World, which they agree to. Yugi is a beast-tamer, Jonouchi is a warrior, Honda is a magic gunman, and Anzu is a sorcerer, while Miho is a fairy merchant with the lowest HP of anyone in the party.
In the RPG, everyone goes to a village to get information, and the Mr. Karita figure tries to get Jonouchi to save him by explaining what happened. Yugi and friends shrug this off as Bakura voicing the NPCs, and Yami Bakura mentally threatens Karita to play his role or else. He tells the adventurers that the Dark Master Zorc has caused evil monsters to terrorize the land. The group encounters a mysterious traveler who owned a sword that could defeat Zorc, but it was stolen and hidden in the forest. Yugi's suspicious, but they check it out anyway and are attacked by monsters. Everyone but Miho works to defeat them (she finds money instead).
The traveler reveals himself as Dark Master Zorc, catching the adventurers completely off-guard, and soon Miho and Honda are both transferred into figurines. When Jonouchi's fear makes him fumble and follow suit, Yugi and Anzu request that Bakura transfer their souls into figurines as well. He obliges, calling them a bunch of idiots since there's no one to roll for them—but is shocked as Dark Yugi appears to roll the dice! With his help, Jonouchi gets a hit in on Zorc, but he's not beaten yet...
This episode contains examples of:
- Adaptational Wimp: Jonouchi gets a 99 out of fear, while in the manga his fumble had nothing to do with being afraid.
- Killer Game Master: Dark Bakura, though it's only really shown once Zorc appears. He goes on to become more and more underhanded in the following episodes.
- Knight of Cerebus: Once Zorc shows up, the party's innocent romp turns into a game of life and death.
