Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 127 Do the Impossible!

Semantics will tell you that the definition of "impossible" is that it literally CAN'T be done, but have you ever noticed all the crap this "impossible" label gets slapped on? People say all KINDS of things are impossible, only for someone else to do it later. Possibility is just an assessment that may or may not be accurate depending upon how much vision and work we're willing to put into a project, so it might not help to be told to do the impossible either, chapter. Maybe it's a more accurate encouragement to suggest we stop thinking in the limiting terms of possibility altogether.

Not that the odds don't look particularly grim in this instance. Pegasus narrates his egg-dragon's retreat into the Toon World book that slams on its giggling face, the monster going from vicious attack to the safety from harm that is its little story book. Gaping, Yami knows he's unable to attack those monsters while they're in the pages, and that this was the strategy that beat Kaiba. But did you think of how that strategy would fuck you too when you came up against it? Nooooooo...

Pegasus puts his mermaid, now a toon as well, into attack position, ending his turn with that. As Yami glares at his hand, Celtic Guardian on top, he contemplates how any monster played in defense will only be destroyed. He decides he has to see if a regular monster can defeat a toon monster, conspicuously forgetting about the fact that Pegasus is probably reading his thoughts at this very moment. Goodness am I tired of him ignoring the problem and acting surprised when it doesn't just go away.

Yami plays his Celtic Guardian, because it has the same attack points as the mermaid and should be able to destroy Ariel along with itself when it attacks. He commands the attack, Sei Ken Zan, on the grinning mermaid. As the attack is about to land, though, Pegasus tells Yami to give it up, because normal attacks don't work against his toons' special abilities. One such special ability is in the clam that the mermaid sits within, stretching arms out to catch the blade of the Celtic Guardian's sword before it can land. Yami stares in astonishment while he reiterates what he's seeing, and the clam laughs at the equally shocked look on the Celtic Guardian's face.

Pegasus explains that his toons are malleable and rubber-like, stretching in order to dodge or parry normal attacks.

Watching his Celtic Guardian crumble into holographic dust, Yami comes to the conclusion that there's no way to hurt a toon monster. Pegasus praises Yami on his accurate assessment, that toons can only be killed by other toons, and that's why they're the perfect life-form. Pegasus realizes they're not actually alive, right?

I'm actually beginning to wonder, because the expressions on these holograms' faces have been oddly evocative lately. The mermaid's laugh is a mocking thing as she also gets smashed into the Toon World's pages. Yami internally laments that Pegasus knows all his tactics and strategies, and he can't even attack with raw force anymore. He wonders if there's any way he can win this duel. Still stuck in this boring rut, I see. Wake me when something freaking CHANGES.

On Pegasus's turn, he simply plays two face down cards and then ends it. Yami questions if they're a spell and trap card, but doesn't dwell as he calls that it's back to him again and draws a card. He knows he can't beat the toons even if he plays a more powerful monster, and he's wary of the trap Pegasus played. So, Yami puts down the Imp in defense, which is immediately met with a chuckle from Pegasus. He turns over one of his face down cards in response.

Well, that seems fairly innocuous, considering defensive monsters don't do anything anyway.

But then Pegasus informs Yami that this is a permanent trap that not only turns his defense monsters to lifeless statues, but also subtracts half their defense points from Yami's life points when they're destroyed. Of course! Of course, why WOULDN'T that be a thing? Pegasus says that in other words, if Yami doesn't want the duel to end QUICKLY, he'll have to continue to attack his toon monsters in futility. Yami gasps. Understatement of the century, I'm sure.

Pegasus pretends that he's turning over his other face down card before he forgets, but I think he just really wants to continue speaking in cliches. The card is Doppelganger, a spell card Yami recognizes as having the power to copy other cards, mouth ajar. The Doppelganger has pulled the Summoned Skull from Yami's side of the table to study it with a wide grin, as Pegasus says it will take THAT form. NOOOOO, MY FAVORITE! This just keeps getting worse.

Yami notes with shock that it's about to take shape while the Doppelganger starts to spin and swirl.

Damn... now I know how Kaiba must have felt when he saw the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. I'm going to need to watch Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain as therapy now.

The Toon Demon is ordered to attack, and it shatters the stone imp into a million pieces. Yami's in disbelief as his life points reduce to 900. A goofy laugh escapes the demon as it's sucked into the Toon World book, and Pegasus declares his turn over when it's safely shut.

Honda, always taking it upon himself to tell everyone what they already know, says that Yami's own monster turned into a toon and attacked him. Jonouchi calls the monster a lousy traitor, asking if there isn't any way of beating those toons. I don't know Jonouchi, because everyone wants to just stand around and repeat the question, and never take any steps to answer it.

Pegasus tells Yami he believes it's his turn, with a glimmer of slyness behind him. Yami draws a card and looks at it, therefore alerting Pegasus and his Millennium eye that he drew the Dark Magician. Pegasus chuckles, and Yami glares at him, mouth slightly ajar while he contemplates bitterly that Pegasus knows the cards he's got and what he's planning. Yami looks hard at the Toon World, knowing that as long as it's there he can't win against Pegasus's monsters, but also knowing he can't defend. Yami wonders for the umpteenth time if there's any way he can get out of this.

So, of course, Pegasus answers him out loud that there ISN'T a way to get out or win. Yami's eyes widen, and Pegasus continues, claiming he can sense the will to fight ebbing and dwindling from Yami. He asks if Yami would like to forfeit the duel. Yami closes his eyes and mentally growls against the suggestion. Honda yells from the banister that he can't give up, because Yami knows he'll lose his soul if he admits defeat. Anzu reminds him that it's not just him, either, because Sugoroku, Kaiba and Mokuba are also in danger of their life's fire burning out while trapped in those cards forever if Yami calls it quits. Yami's eyes snap open again as he thinks of Sugoroku in his screen and Mokuba and Kaiba in their cards. He regains his look of determination, thinking that he won't give up.

If our will to live were infinite, we'd be immortal, Yami. But, if that's an inspiring thought to you, who the hell am I to argue?

He throws down the Dark Magician in attack, and plays it in conjunction with Magical Hats, which hides the magician immediately. He hopes to break Pegasus's telepathy with the combo, and I don't know HOW, if HE'S the one deciding where the Dark Magician is hiding and it isn't random. Pegasus smirks at the hats as he says that Yami must have hidden the Dark Magician in one of the hats in order to buy time until figuring out how to confront Toon World, but deems this action entirely worthless.

Yami sweats as he glares warily at Pegasus. Pegasus reminds him that since he CHOSE which hat the magician is hidden beneath, the Millennium Eye has access to that information too. Yami, you fuck-up.

His idiocy suggests so, Heather.

Yami despairs at how Pegasus read through his Magical Hats combo and even IT doesn't work. He squeezes his eyes shut again, thinking he can't think of a way to beat the Millennium Eye, he just CAN'T! That could NOT have been your best idea, Yami. Seriously.

As the Toon World opens, Pegasus asks Yami if he's ready, because HE is. Honda and Jonouchi call out to Yami, telling him not to give up. Anzu is especially insistent that Yami not lose, screaming that he CAN'T lose. Oh he CAN, child. But...

What's with the flash?

Pegasus laughs that the Dark Magician is nothing but ash now. As the holographic smoke clears, though, he's shocked. Turns out the Dark Magician isn't where the gaping Pegasus thought it was. He doesn't think it was possible, because he should have read Yami's mind perfectly. His opponent says he changed the magician's position by his own will. Can... can he randomly do that??

I guess if it's done by another mind entirely it's okay.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Oh thank you! Finally something has HAPPENED! At least between Yami and Yuugi, YUUGI could figure something out. I definitely question whether or not it's legal to change your mind at the last second about where your monster is hiding, because that seems like a convenient way to get around losing points at the last second. Still, it was at least something, unlike in the last chapter.

I have to say that Yami's moronic move with the Magical Hats had me pretty frustrated, though. I thought Yami was far smarter than to think Pegasus wouldn't be able to figure out where the Dark Magician was in them. I want to write it off as Yami being overcome with nerves, but consistently going for a card-based solution when he knows damn well that Pegasus knows everything in his head? I would have understood if he had tried to obscure his face or thoughts in some way, but he didn't even come CLOSE to understanding that his problem wasn't the cards as much as being an open book.

At least, not until the end. I'm supposing that Yami is just too focused on card-based solutions that he didn't consider the fact that the Millennium Puzzle's powers of uniting a team could have been used to fight back against the Millennium Eye. Yuugi, on the other hand, isn't so constrained. Must be his ability to balance out every aspect of Yami, including his stupidity.