As Nagumo grabs his defeated monster from the floor, he warns Yami to prepare himself, because he's about ready to make him pay. He's pretty flippant about those cracks in his face. I'd be asking how Yami managed to make that happen at the VERY least. He just repeats that it's Yami's turn to get cracked next. Yami reminds him that their game is best two out of three, and he's already lost the first one.
Nagumo assures Yami that he's a gamer too, and now he's serious, so he's ready to play fair and square as much as it pains him to say it. Because it's not so much about his aching jaw as it is about ethics in Monster Fighter games. That's right, I made that joke. Fight me.
Someone calls out the start of their second round, and Nagumo starts by calling out the high kick his monster is doing, despite the fact that he says it's also supposed to be a feint. You're not supposed to let your opponent know about those pretend blows, Nagumo. Yami has to block the kick anyway, so I guess it wasn't a feint? Is this another strange translation? Nagumo throws a right punch and is blocked again, and gee I wonder why when he has to tell Yami everything he's doing. It's almost as though he thinks the drawings aren't enough to convey action to the presumed idiot audience.
Ahem.
Nagumo's spider kicks low, is blocked by Yami's monster, which punches. Nagumo is on the offensive like woah with his left hook, but Yami's defense keeps his pace. At least, at first, because Yami notes the left hook swings back around and was actually a distraction. Good job to Nagumo for not giving that one away with extended dialogue this time. The spider's punch pulls back in only for the other arm to punch straight out, and because Nagumo can't keep his mouth shut for long, he blurts this out as he presses the button. His monster's glove is coming in fast and Yami doesn't have time to guard.
With Yami's last attack, he knocked Nagumo's monster off balance so the attack sails right past his. This is according to Nagumo, anyway, as he also notes that Yami's monster is coming back up from a slumped dodge. Yami's monster throws a couple of punches and a thorax kick that Nagumo has to scramble to guard. Unfortunately, he blocked the wrong place, because it was a true feint in which Yami aimed a bit higher with some readjustment.
Yami hits a weak point and Nagumo's gun starts vibrating too hard for him to control, and his monster is stiff for two seconds. Goodness, that joke is right there. I don't even have to make it. Nagumo knows if Yami pulls the trigger now, he's done for, and grinds his teeth at how much of a brat his opponent is. But he's still got one trick up his sleeve.
Two seconds came and went and now that the spider isn't frozen in place, it's crawled under Yami's monster's chest, with a little help from Nagumo's narration. He tells Yami that his monster is hurled into the air by the spider, and it's now caught in the web. Nagumo's spider launches his combination punch on Yami's monster, a series of rapid hits that land in Yami's chest and stomach as his monster is knocked out of its ring.
Yami doubles over onto the floor while Nagumo laughs, saying the score is tied. Yami tells himself to hold on as he gurgles, clearly pretty hurt by the punches. In spite of the foul move Nagumo pulled, Yami just has to hold on. I'm guessing this is because there was nothing in the shadow game rules that disqualified Nagumo for doing something like that. There should have been, though.
Nagumo yells at Yami to stand up, because it's time for their final match. While he chuckles, Yami glares at Nagumo and tells him that he's been pushed too far, undoing the buttons on his collared shirt. Nagumo's face drops into confusion at the strip tease.
As the Millennium Puzzle glows, Yami thinks that this game will reveal the ugly nature of Nagumo. Much like the previous game, I think it's unnecessary at this point, because Nagumo has already revealed all that ugliness unprompted. Darkness swirls around the two competitors, with Yami looking languid with his free hand stuffed in his pocket, and Nagumo peering around at the changing atmosphere. Yami tells him that he won't be able to use his usual methods during this round, and Nagumo smirks, saying that Yami shouldn't be so sure because he's determined to win on his own terms.
They start their final match, and Nagumo's monster throws a right straight punch right out of the gate. Yami guards, Nagumo executes a few more moves, and all of them are blocked. Nagumo growls out of frustration because Yami is keeping up a good defense. What did you expect? That he'd just let you win? It's Yami's turn to throw punches, and while they don't land, his second has Nagumo flustered enough. Yami's monster kicks at the spider's thorax and Nagumo blocks it, along with two punches. With a low kick, however, Yami manages to push Nagumo's monster off balance. One more punch paralyzes Nagumo's spider as it hits a weak point, Yami telling him as much. I'm sure he knows, Yami, with that vibration mechanism alerting him and all.
Nagumo thinks once more that if Yami pulls his special move trigger, then it's all over. So he shouts at Yami that he'll repeat his actions from the last round and win that way. Saying that, in addition to Yami's announcement, would have taken longer than two seconds, but Takahashi never did have a good understanding of time.
Looking down, he notices that among the monsters holding his leg in place is the Wild Spider, and he's confused, because it's still frozen on the field. Yami tells Nagumo that none of his monsters are enabling his douchebaggery any longer. As Nagumo continues to wonder how the Wild Spider could be in two places at once, Yami continues his lecture with a speech about how Nagumo has betrayed his monsters, and now his only ally is the monster that he himself is.
Yami's finishing move is "Space Cannon," which blasts right through the nasty reproduction of Nagumo on the field. Nagumo screams, and as Yami says Nagumo chose to become the monster he was, we get a view of Nagumo's legs as he lies motionless on the floor with the light from the doorway. Yami says that the darkness consumed him in the end. Is that the END end, Yami? You did say earlier that he would die if he didn't pay attention, so I'm not sure if I should go with the generous assumption that Nagumo is just taking a little nap there...
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The passage of time was a bit wonky there for a moment, but otherwise, I loved it. It was pretty much pure action, and the horror elements were spot on at the end there. I love me some horror, and this really hit a good note with me. The line of reveal was fantastic, from Nagumo's realization that he couldn't move his leg, to seeing the spider holding him, and to the logical conclusion of the point that they were taking damage for their monsters. Essentially, Nagumo was only hurting himself the whole time, with his theft and resale plot as well, and this was a great way to visualize this.
The only other thing I have to complain about were how the characters were so apt to say what they were doing all the time. It drove me crazy in the beginning because feints are supposed to lead the opponent astray, but by saying what you're doing it kind of makes the whole point moot. Otherwise, this chapter had a satisfying use of visuals and was a lot of fun.
Things are looking up!!
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