Yu-Gi-Oh! - Duel 024

"Capsule Monster Chess" is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.

This chapter was originally printed in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japanese. Its first English release was in the Shonen Jump magazine. It has been reprinted in volume 3 of the tankōbon and volume 2 of the bunkoban.

This chapter contains the first appearances of Mokuba Kaiba and Capsule Monster Chess in any media.

Seto Kaiba's younger brother, Mokuba faces Dark Yugi in a game of Capsule Monster Chess to get revenge for the Penalty Game, Dark Yugi inflicted on Seto.

Summary[]

Candy store[]

On the way home from school, Yugi stops by a candy shop, which always has a crowd of kids around it, fussing over a Capsule Monster coin machine. Yugi explains that Capsule Monsters, or CapMon for short is the biggest thing with elementary and junior high school kids.

The toy monsters come in egg-shaped capsules. There are 250 different monsters and each capsule has a number from 1 to 5 indicating the monster's Level. The game is played like chess on an 8x8 grid. Each player pits their 5 best monsters against each other. There are 50 different boards, each is a battlefield from the mythical planet Garnaster. A player wins the game, by defeating all their opponent's monsters. Each monsters has different attack and movement abilities. Neither player can see their opponent's monsters until the start of the game.

One of the kids cuts past Yugi in the line. Yugi tries to tell him off, but the boy says that Yugi was just "spacing out". He asks isn't Yugi in high school, despite not looking like it and accuses him of being too old to play CapMon. Yugi is rebuked, but tries to hide it saying that age doesn't matter to a real gamer. The boy decides that if it means that much to him, Yugi can go first this time. Yugi thanks him and fishes a ¥100 (about $0.84 US at the time) coin out of his pocket, as he steps up to the machine.

Yugi inserts the coin, but no capsule comes out. He starts to shake the machine in frustration, while the other kids all laugh at him. The store owner, "Old Man Dentures", arrives and thumps Yugi on the head. He asks if Yugi thinks that he will let him break the machine, just because he lost ¥100. He yells that the machine is expensive and worth more than Yugi. Yugi apologizes, but then asks himself why he is the one apologizing, when he is the one who lost money.

As Dentures continues to rant at Yugi, Mokuba Kaiba, the Capsule Monster champion arrives. The other kids are all surprised to see him arrive and quieten down. Mokuba calls for Yugi's attention. Yugi wonders how this kid knows his name and tries to figure out who he is. Mokuba tells Yugi not to rack his brains, he doesn't know him and this is the first time that they have met. Mokuba on the other hand claims to know all about Yugi. Yugi looks puzzled. Mokuba asks if he knows Seto Kaiba and tells Yugi that Seto is his older brother.

Yugi remembers Kaiba, the Duel Monsters expert. Mokuba says that his brother masters every game he plays and that Seto is his hero. Mokuba is surprised that a shrimp like Yugi beat his brother. He had thought that Yugi might be cool, but guesses that he was wrong.

Yugi looks around at the other kids and notices that they have all gone quiet since Mokuba arrived. Mokuba claims to be pretty good at CapMon, having won the last tournament. He asks if Yugi likes to play too. Yugi replies that he is not that good himself, having only started playing recently. Mokuba says that Yugi is just being modest and orders the other kids to get him. The children flock around Yugi, holding up a gun, a stun gun and a knife to his face. These are his followers, Mokuba explains and tells Yugi to not even think of escaping.

Mokuba gets hold of the CapMon dispenser, telling Dentures that they are taking it. Dentures gets mad and starts to wave his fists. However Mokuba drops a wad of bank notes in front of him and tells him to keep the change. Dentures smiles and says "Please come again".

One of Mokuba's followers carries the dispenser and Mokuba turns to Yugi. He says that he is going to take Yugi someplace special and asks if he is excited. Yugi starts to worry, while Mokuba thinks to himself that his brother will be avenged.

Mokuba's hideout[]

Setting-up[]

Yugi is taken to Mokuba's gang's hideout, which is an abandoned warehouse. He is sat at a crate with a Capsule Monster Chess board on it and forced to face Mokuba in a game. Yugi requests that Mokuba take it easy on him, prompting one of the followers to ask if all high schoolers are this wussy. He asks if Yugi has anything to say and another follower threatens that if Yugi messes with them, they will burn his house to the ground.

They look at his Millennium Puzzle and decide to smash it, however Dark Yugi appears when they try to take the Puzzle. Yugi orders the "little brats" to get their "filthy hands" off the Puzzle. The two followers withdraw, surprised by his change in attitude. Another one of the boys tells Mokuba that Yugi is no longer the same. However Mokuba knows what is going on and had been hoping for this. He explains what Seto had told him; that Yugi changes into a different person when he games and this is the Yugi that Mokuba wants to beat.

Dark Yugi insists that they get on with it, so Mokuba continues with the rules of their game. He has chosen Battlefield 7 "Crisis Hill", which is the board that he does best on. Dark Yugi asks him to prepare his Capsule Monsters, saying that he can use whatever Levels he wants. However Mokuba has something else in mind. If he was to use his regular collection, Dark Yugi would not stand a chance, which is why he brought the coin machine. They shall take turns drawing capsules from it, starting with Dark Yugi.

One of the followers inserts a coin and gives Dark Yugi the first capsule, a Level 1. He puts in a coin for Mokuba next and gets a Level 5. He tells Dark Yugi not to complain, as luck is part of skill.

This results in 3 Level 1s, a Level 2 and a Level 4 for Dark Yugi, while Mokuba gets 2 Level 4s and 3 Level 5s. Mokuba smirks that it looks like the battle is over before it even started. He thinks to himself, that he has fooled Dark Yugi; the machine was rigged and he had even payed Dentures to act his part.

Before they begin, Mokuba says that the game needs some danger to make it interesting. He holds up a knife and says that if Dark Yugi loses, he gets to cut his finger off with this. Dark Yugi accepts, provided that if he wins, Mokuba will play a Penalty Game as punishment.

Monster line-ups[]

At the start of the game both players place their monsters on the field, while inside their capsules. The only thing that the opponent knows about them is their Level. At the start, the Capsules are removed, revealing the monsters.

Mokuba's monsters are:

• Head Sucker (Level 5)
• Gumbo (Level 5)
• Cobrada (level 4)
• Dinosaur Wing (Level 5)
• The Skull (Level 4)

He arranges them a checkered pattern.

Dark Yugi's monsters are:

• Torigun (Level 2)
• The Great "Pa" (Level 4)
• Eye Mouth (Level 1)
• Flower Man (Level 1)
• Devil Castle (Level 1)

He puts "Torigun" on his left and the other four together in a square on his right.

The game[]

Mokuba says that he will go first and comments that Dark Yugi's layout is like a beginner. Dark Yugi informs Mokuba that this will be a Shadow Game. Mokuba says that he knew that this game would be special, so he'll make sure to attack right away and moves "Gumbo" forward. Dark Yugi replies that he will meet him head on and moves "Eye Mouth" forward. Mokuba calls him stupid for coming at him with a low Level monsters and uses "Gumbo" to slice "Eye Mouth" in two, defeating it.

"One down, four to go!", Mokuba laughs, but is surprised to find Dark Yugi laughing too. He asks why Dark Yugi is laughing, when he is the one who just lost a monster. Dark Yugi replies that he shall teach him the rules of gaming. Rule number 1 is that you must act like you have the upper hand, no matter what the circumstances. Disgusted, Mokuba asks if Dark Yugi thinks he can teach him. Dark Yugi points and says "Stay cool at all times is rule number 2".

Dark Yugi makes his move. He decides to go on the offense and has "The Great "Pa" attack "Cobrada". Both monsters are destroyed as they are the same Level. Even if he loses one monster, Mokuba says that he shall still defeat Yugi.

Mokuba gets "Dinosaur Wing" to attack "Flower Man", incinerating and defeating it.

Dark Yugi moves "Devil Castle" to the left. However Mokuba easily beats it, having "Head Sucker" chomp it apart.

Mokuba laughs that Dark Yugi is down to 1 monster, while Mokuba still has 4. Dark Yugi laughs again and Mokuba asks why he is laughing again and if this is another "stupid rule". However, Dark Yugi says that this time it is a laugh of victory. He diverts Mokuba's attention to the field, where Mokuba realizes that his monsters are now lined up diagonally.

Dark Yugi's last monster is "Torigun". It is low Level, cannot make sharp turns and is terrible at close combat. However, it has one special talent. Once per game, it can defeat any number of enemies in one diagonal super attack. Mokuba realizes that Dark Yugi had sacrificed his monsters, just to draw his into a line. "Torigun" uses its "Whirlwind Razor Beak Slash" attack to blast its way through all of Mokuba's remaining monsters.

Aftermath[]

Dark Yugi holds up his finger and says "Hold your trump card 'till the end" is rule number three and advises Mokuba to remember it well.

Dark Yugi inflicts Mokuba's Penalty Game, making Mokuba believe that a giant CapMon capsule has appeared over his head. Mokuba realizes that this is what made Seto go crazy. Before he becomes fully engulfed in the capsule, he warns Dark Yugi that Seto's revenge is coming soon; project Death-T is underway. Dark Yugi wonders what Death-T could be and the capsule closes over Mokuba.

Dark Yugi says that Mokuba is not a match for him and he should think about that while trapped inside the capsule. Mokuba's friends all gather around Mokuba, worrying about him, but are unable to see the capsule. Mokuba screams for his brother to help him. Dark Yugi walks away saying that they can play again later, when Mokuba has learned the rules.

Appearances[]

Debuts are in bold.

Characters

• Yugi Mutou
• Queue cutter
• Old Man Dentures
• Mokuba Kaiba
• Seto Kaiba
• Dark Yugi

Locations

• Domino City
  • Old Man Dentures' candy store
  • Mokuba's gang's hideout
• Garnaster

Events

• Dark Yugi and Mokuba's Capsule Monster Chess game
• Death-T (mentioned)

Items

• Capsule Monsters Chess dispenser
• Capsule Monster Chess
• Chess (mentioned)
• Millennium Items
  • Millennium Puzzle
• Duel Monsters (mentioned)
• Capsule Monster Chess pieces
  • The Skull
  • Dinosaur Wing
  • Cobrada
  • Gumbo
  • Head Sucker
  • Devil Castle
  • Flower Man
  • Eye Mouth
  • The Great "Pa"
  • Torigun
• Shadow Game
• Penalty Game

Organizations

• Mokuba's gang

Anime adaption[]

Episode 11: "The Rumored Capmon's New Appearance" of the Toei Yu-Gi-Oh! anime is based on this chapter. However rather than having Mokuba seeking revenge on Yugi, it contained Warashibe, who was hopelessly infatuated with Miho Nosaka.

Warashibe challenged Miho to a game of Capsule Monster Chess in a similar location using a rigged dispenser. Warashibe got the same monsters as Mokuba did in the manga, while Miho got the same as Dark Yugi.

After Miho realized Warashibe was cheating, she got up to leave. Warashibe tried to stop her by lowering a gate. However the gate broke and fell on Yugi and Miho. Dark Yugi emerged and continued the game with Warashibe.

Dark Yugi defeated Warashibe in the same way he beat Mokuba in the manga.