In the first round, the Urameshi team has faced the mighty opponents of the Six Wandering Specters team. The contest came down to a battle between team captains Yusuke and Chu. As Yusuke was being tossed around by Chu's swift movements and demon energy-powered energy balls, he resisted with his powered-up spirit gun! However, both of them had equal power. The outcome of the contest depends on this final battle!

Knife Edge Death Match

Chu tells Yusuke he has released all of his spirit energy in his last attack, so now, he's no different from any ordinary human. Yusuke tells him he's right, but Chu then admits that he's all used up as well. But he wants to settle this one way or another, and pulls out two knives. He says they can settle this with a knife edge death match.

Everyone wonders what that is. Kuwabara says he's been through all sorts of fights in his time, but he's never heard of anything like this before. He wonders if they are going to fight with the knives. Keiko asks if the two are still going to fight, and Shizuru says it looks like it, as the fight hasn't concluded yet. Keiko thinks it should end in a tie, as the two have fought so much already, but Shizuru says this is a fight between men, they won't be able to just end it with a tie. Koto reminds everyone that weapons are allowed, but Chu then stabs the knives into the ground.

He says you have to place your right foot in front of the knife, and demonstrates what he's saying. Yusuke copies him, and Chu says that the knife is the boundary line between life and death. The only rule now is to not go past that line, because if you do, you'll pay for it by dying. In other words, neither of them can take a step backward. All they can do now is pummel each other.

Koto points out that they can't just make up these rules without the tournament's head office to consent to them. The crowd tell her to shut up, all they want is to see Urameshi get killed. Rinku says the knife edge death match is Chu's invincible way of dueling, this match is going to be all theirs.

Kuwabara asks if Urameshi will even have enough power left to stand up in a fist fight. Kurama says that Chu has also used up all of his power, whilst Hiei says that the more it comes down to a simple fist fight, the more those involved will have their emotional strength put to the test.

It looks like the fight is about to begin, but the tournament head office has other plans. On the scoreboard, a giant X appears, meaning the match is off. Gondawara wonders what the head office is thinking, just as Sakyo gets up and walks off.

Toguro offers to go with him, but Sakyo says he's fine by himself. He asks if Toguro's friends have shown up yet, and Toguro says they'll see. Sakyo heads out of the VIP box. Koto explains to the crowd that the decision of the tournament head office is final, but then the giant X vanishes off the scoreboard.

She says the head office is currently considering changing their decision. As this is happening, a storm picks up over the stadium, but Yusuke and Chu don't care, and just wait. The crowd are getting more and more irritated and start chanting for things to hurry up.

Koto asks them to please wait a while longer, but the crowd get more angry. However, the scoreboard then display a giant O, meaning the head office has given them the okay to fight. At that moment, Yusuke and Chu resume battling each other.

There are no special techniques now, the two are just punching each other over and over. Koenma hopes Yusuke does well, whilst Jorge asks if Yusuke will use some of the secret techniques he learnt from Master Genkai. Koenma says no -in order to use those techniques, it would take Yusuke an incredible amount of energy, the kind of energy he probably doesn't have left.

Koto says this is an incredible exchange of blows, and the two are hitting each other without blocking. Both fighters are taking hits.

As the fight goes on, the Black Black Club members are watching from their VIP box, along with Toguro. But Toguro hears some noise outside the room. Outside, a demon security guard gets thrown to the floor.

The other two attempt to rush the attacker, but are blown to smithereens in the process. The demon, Karasu, is a member of Toguro's team. Karasu enters the VIP room and Toguro tells him it's a long, long time before he'll get his turn. Karasu says he'd heard there was someone decent here.

Toguro believes he means Urameshi, and Karasu says he was wondering what kind of guy he was. Toguro explains he's fighting now, and Karasu says he saw him. Toguro asks if he has any impressions of him. Back at the fight, Yusuke and Chu are still battering each other with punches, with neither of them being able to land a decisive blow.

The demons are still on Chu's side, and cheer for him to win. Koto says both fighters are cutting flesh and carving bone, and neither of them are taking a step back in this fight. Kuwabara says it's like they're fighting on the edge of a cliff, with their lives at stake.

Keiko says she can't bear to watch, as if it keeps up like this, Yusuke is going to die. Shizuru jokes that Yusuke has already died once, but Keiko says she has to stop this. She gets up and runs off into the stadium, so Shizuru follows her. But she loses her inside.

However as Shizuru walks off, some demons start to stalk her. They tell her it's dangerous for her to be walking around alone, and start to chase her.

Shizuru receives help from an unlikely source: Sakyo. The two hide around a corner, and the demons run by them without them noticing. Shizuru asks if he's human, but he just tells her to be careful -this is the demon's world. He then walks off.

The fight is still going on, when Keiko runs out to the Urameshi team. She tells Kuwabara to make them stop, as she says Yusuke is going to die. Kuwabara says they can't stop this fight, and says he and Urameshi came across an extraordinary foe.

This foe, Toguro, was very strong, and they were completely powerless before him. In order to clear themselves of this humiliation, and to fight earnestly against him once again, he and Urameshi have to fight with their lives on the line. To that end, Urameshi will do whatever he has to do. This fight is just one step he has to take in order to arrive there.

He says that Urameshi is also fighting for his opponent. In combat sports, once you fight your opponent, you learn everything about him. Not just his power and techniques, but the whole of their character. And so, the person who knows Chu best right now is Urameshi. Watching the way they fight, it looks as though Urameshi has really taken a liking to Chu. He says that that's why, no matter what happens, until a decision has been reached, there's no way they can stop this fight. Botan thinks this'll never end, but Hiei tells her both fighters are looking for their opportunity. If either one show an opening, this match will be over in an instant.

Rinku thinks Chu can keep up this pace, and he has an invincible weapon that he's just looking for the right time to use. Chu then lands a power strike on Yusuke, and then rushes forward with his weapon: a headbutt.

Rinku says this move will decide it, but Yusuke also does a headbutt of his own. The two clash for the last time.

After a few seconds, Chu's eyes roll up, and he falls down. His head hits the ring's floor so hard it shatters the concrete. Koto starts her count, whilst Kuwabara says the headbutt is one of Urameshi's ace cards.

Koto counts Chu out, and declares Urameshi the winner. She then says that, with a score of three to one, the Urameshi team has won the match. Kuwabara runs onto the ring and after checking Urameshi is ok, celebrates the fact that their team won the first round. Koenma is just glad his team finally won, as just watching it made him tremble -his body can't take this!

Gondawara sees his team, which he spent all his assets on, has lost. Sakyo tells him he let him watch something good, and then walks off with Toguro and Karasu. Rinku goes to check on Chu, and sees how hard he hit the ground. He can't believe there was a punk alive who could beat Chu's iron head. Chu then gets up, and tells Urameshi that he has lost the death match. He wants Urameshi to finish him off.

Yusuke simply tells him that, once he's feeling better, they can do this again! As he and Kuwabara head off the ring, the crowd quickly turn against what's left of the Six Wandering Specters team, telling them they were all talk and should die. Kuwabara thinks they're a bunch of selfish jerks.

Rinku tells them to go ahead and shout if they like, he thinks they're too scared to come down here. The crowd continue to shout abuse, so Yusuke yells for them to all shut up. He tells them to stop their complaining and come down here.

If they've got anything to say, he'll take them on, and beat them through and through. Nobody in the audience has the guts, but then the Toguros and Karasu appear. Younger Toguro asks Karasu how he sees Urameshi now, as soon he will be their opponent in battle. Karasu wonders if Urameshi can win his way through that far.

Yusuke then notices them standing there, and flips them off. Younger Toguro just grunts in response.

Somehow or other, Yusuke and the others managed to survive the first round. However, this has only been the prologue to more fierce battles.


NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

(Yusuke is speaking)

Following a life and death confrontation, we take a short break until our next battles. However, we can't get sloppy! At last, Toguro makes his appearance. We're going to take a good long look at your abilities! Argh! What kind of guy is this?! He's so strong it's ridiculous! Next time: Clash! The Best 8 are Decided. The Other World's not watching for nothing!