Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 129 The Sacrifice!

Another one? Seriously, I thought I had given you all I had. I thought I had dedicated every last free second I had to planning out and writing these reviews. I thought I had spend every last cent of disposable income trying to collect all those trinkets, bits and bobs that they're always coming out with concerning you. What more do you WANT from me, Yu-Gi-Oh? What more could I possibly give you at this point?

See? You guys aren't even looking like you're in dire straights anymore! Stop demanding things from me!

Pegasus growls through the digital smoke of his monsters disappearing, in angry disbelief that Yuugi and Yami's two minds have overcome his Mind Scan. Jonouchi and Bakura cheer the combo move by both Yuugis, and a slightly deranged-looking Anzu thinks that when Yuugi and Yami's hearts can come together, Pegasus is no match for them and they can save everyone. Jonouchi turns to Bakura to rub it in his face that his pessimism was totally wrong and Yuugi managed to beat the Millennium Eye. However, BECAUSE Bakura is realistic in his pessimism, he wonders if it can truly be that simple. He can't help but think that Pegasus's best cards are still in reserve.

Pegasus labels Yami/Yuugi's move as wonderful, which leaves them speechless for a moment. Smirking, Pegasus says it's no wonder that Yuugi has a Millennium Item, and that Pegasus was playing around too much before. He promises that he'll have to play with all the power and respect that Yuugi deserves now, which has Yuugi glaring back warily. A swirling energy appears in the background behind Pegasus while he says that the duel is no longer just between them as duelists, but also between them as owners of Millennium Items, a shadow game.

WOW! It's been quite a while since we've had a shadow game, guys! Remember when those were a thing? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Seems like Yuugi and Yami remember, because Yuugi's donned a shocked expression and Yami's adopted the wary one now. And the shadow game probably isn't what they should be looking this way about, mind you.

Because Pegasus launches into a huge monologue at this point. You see, before they get all up in their shadow game, Pegasus has to tell Yuugi/Yami that he came up with the concept of Duel Monsters seven years ago when he was visiting Egypt's Valley of the Kings. He starts to detail the legend that inspired him: 3,000 years ago, when Egyptian wizards had the power to seal monsters into stone tablets, summoning them out of those tablets later to battle in the king's court. Because the magicians died out, the stone tablets sleep now, deep within the earth.

This is a fascinating history lesson, Pegasus, but what does it have to do with the shadow game you just declared? Pegasus continues by confirming Yuugi's frantic thought, saying he created Duel Monsters to bring the ancient game into modern times, and he's glad he and Yuugi are finally both facing worthy opponents so that they can recreate more accurately the ancient battles at last. THERE'S the connection!

A wind starts to swirl around Pegasus's Millennium Eye, and the dark energy behind Pegasus begins to consume the table. He announces the beginning of the shadow game, with a nervous Yuugi commenting frantically about how dark it's getting. From the banister, Honda questions what this shadow game means, and what's going to happen. Everyone else just gapes.

Pegasus smirks as he chuckles internally, thinking that this is a wizards' battle that no mere mortal can stand now, and wondering how long Yuugi will be able to stand the heat. Is that what shadow games are? Wizards' battles? Now THAT is an interesting tidbit. Yuugi is sweating while Yami frets that a shadow game is too difficult for his other self. He takes over now, assuring Yuugi that he'll be the one to draw from here on out.

But Yuugi protests, because he knows Pegasus will be able to read Yami's mind if he doesn't help. He insists he'll be fine and demands Yami let him assist, Yami appearing to cave as he says that this is the final battle. Yuugi agrees, looking determined.

Pegasus slaps down Dark-Eyes Illusionist, which appears behind him. He warns Yami that in a shadow game, the player's will brings a monster to life, but that power is also stripped when the monster is killed, so it takes away from the player's actual life. This is a death threat.

Well, at least we know that you're willing to think clearly when your ass is REALLY on the line, Yami. He plays Curse of Dragon and ends his turn, allowing Yuugi to elbow his way into the driver's seat so Yami can think of what to do. Yuugi looks a little confused when he comes back out and Pegasus notes that Yuugi and Yami switched again in order to keep him from reading Yami's mind.

Yuugi sits tight, fist clenched, while Pegasus smirks. He thinks that Yuugi coming out was an awful mistake, because his childish high-school mind isn't strong enough for this battle. Already, Yuugi's eyes are starting to strain, and he wonders why his heart is beating so hard. Yami knows that it's the strain of trying to maintain the ethereal forms of the monsters that's draining Yuugi of his willpower. He begs Yuugi to hang in there.

Pegasus mentally chuckles as Yuugi starts to pant with the exertion, because he knew Yuugi was just a normal human, and estimates he'll soon wear down. Wait, so what the hell is YAMI?

I'll have to wait for an answer to that question, it seems. The focus switches to Yuugi's friends, who are noticing that he looks kind of ill, wondering out loud what's wrong. Jonouchi questions what's different about the game, since it doesn't look any different to him as a shadow game than it did before. Bakura answers that the shadow game is in a world that only they can see, which seems a bit like they might have taken some acid more than engaging in a magical battle.

Pegasus feigns boredom with some nonsense words and drawing out syllables before he sets a face down card and ends his turn. Yuugi looks horrified while he sweats, and Yami realizes that due to the limit on the strain Yuugi can handle, he won't be able to let this battle drag on. When he's back out again, he shouts that he's going to attack with Curse of Dragon. Pegasus is just tickled that Yami fell for it, rushing into battle to protect Yuugi, just like Pegasus was waiting for. He shouts that the illusionist activates its special ability, Dark Eyes Magic, as the eye in the middle of its head shines.

May as well be another Gorgon's Eye.

Pegasus explains that to balance out the low attack and defense points, illusionists are gifted with special abilities. Dark-Eyes Illusionist, in particular, has the power to drain its enemy's power with a glance. But Pegasus says his illusionist has more terrifying powers yet, before he plays another monster and a spell card called Black Illusion Ritual. If that seems a tad too familiar, it's because it is. Two pots appear in front of his monsters who are sacrificed, just like in the Black Luster Ritual Yami played against Mai.

Distinctly less fabulous, though.

Still, it has a unique power that Pegasus wastes no time showing to Yami - Dark Hole. If you're following my reviews of Inuyasha and are familiar with Miroku, you know what to expect here. The cavity in the lower center of the creature exerts a pulling force on Curse of Dragon, sucking it into the void. Yami looks mighty disturbed by the grotesque creature's consuming of his dragon, as it finishes its direct-to-belly meal, Pegasus smirking below it.

Yami growls, sweating, and orders his Dark Magician to destroy whatever that thing is. I'll bet THAT'S a giant mistake.

Maybe I should be a career gambler like Bandit Keith. I'm fairly good at this.

Pegasus announces the fact that the Dark Magician obliterates Yami's own dragon, and Yami is aghast that he's taken the excess damage, lowering his life points to 400. Yami and the Dark Magician both have the same disbelieving gaping expression like they're trying to scream but nothing's really coming out.

Pegasus explains that Relinquished gains the attack and defense of any monster it absorbs. Irony. Because attacking one's own monster is attacking oneself, Yami is the one who got hurt. Yami dons a look of horrible realization as he repeats the word "sacrifice" in his head.

Pegasus holds a hand over the table as he levels a grinning glare at Yami behind the gesture, saying that it's his turn now. The "Lord of Sacrifices" is commanded to use its Dark Eyes Magic on the Dark Magician, capturing it with the image of its evil Eye of Horus, then devour it whole, pulling it into the void hole in its middle. Yami stares in shock, as the Dark Magician is projected back out from the creature with its attack and defense stats now listed as what the magician's once were.

Yami despairs at how Pegasus is now using Dark Magician as a shield. Pegasus smugs that his endlessly adaptable demon now has the Dark Magician's attack power, and if Yami attacks it, he'll only be hurting himself. Out loud, he asks what Yami will do now, but inside, he's calling this his INVINCIBLE illusion combo. Seems to me he doesn't expect Yami to be able to do SHIT about it, and Yami appears to agree. He doesn't have an answer for Pegasus anyway, as he sits and sweats.

He wonders what he can do, but can't seem to think of anything. A haggard-looking Yuugi appears to tell him he can't give up, though he's squeezed his eyes shut in his hopelessness. Yuugi warns him not to just sit there and allow Pegasus to read his mind; he offers to take over for a time to give Yami a moment to figure out a plan without the threat of the Millennium Eye. At first, Yami refuses, telling Yuugi that he's too exhausted and he can't risk it. But Yuugi insists that he wants to fight to the end.

A moment later, Yuugi is in the forefront with a huff, sweating as his breath comes heavy and he stutters that it's his turn now. Pegasus holds his smirk, thinking it's awfully sweet that this tiny child is fading away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he's regretting not growing a mustache to twirl before this tournament.

I can't decide if I'm hopeful at the potential of the card Yuugi just put down, or wary at how woozy he looks while doing it.

Wary. Definitely wary.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, the ending was definitely a punch in the gut. It's made all the more ominous by the fact that my mind keeps reminding me of what Yami said in the tabletop RPG game with Bakura: he's convinced that if Yuugi dies, he does too. It's not entirely clear what the nature of their connection is, but it's an intimate enough one for Yami to think their deaths would necessarily coincide.

And yet, Yami isn't feeling the discomfort from being in the shadow game that Yuugi is. He and Pegasus are made of different stuff, it seems, though it's not clear what, given that there's not much elaboration on what the difference is between wizards and "regular humans" like Yuugi. Yami is a spirit of some kind, that is linked with the Millennium Puzzle in some way, so it's possible that part of this wizardry is derived from the Millennium Items. However, this only brings up more questions about what Pegasus is. I hesitate to speculate that Pegasus has been taken over by a spirit in the item like Yuugi or Bakura, because his personality appears relatively constant and isn't prone to change on a dime like those of the aforementioned kids. Does the eye even have a spirit within? In the absence of a spirit, is the power directly placed upon the body of the user rather than channeled through the spirit? Why should Yuugi be just a "regular human" while Pegasus gets all the power that Yami has?

*Shrug*

In other news, I'm glad that the monster expressions ended up actually making sense within the context of this duel. Given that the monsters reflect their player's will, it's very fitting at this point to see them mirroring so perfectly the faces that Yami makes here. As for why that happens BEFORE the shadow game, I can just see Pegasus painstakingly animating faces for the monsters to make when the system triggers that they're under threat. Considering how eager he was to truly recreate the legends he had heard when he was in Egypt, I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't tried as hard as possible to do that in the technology beforehand.