Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 190 Where Jonouchi Waits

Judging by the lack of exclamation points in the title, nowhere good. Bakura's out of the picture, so I think we might rule out the "knocked out and lying in an alley somewhere" possibility. But I don't know Marik well enough to have a good idea where he'd stash Jonouchi. Not the trunk of a car, since he rides around on a motorcycle... Another basement perhaps, like the one in which Pandora set up shop? A yacht out on the water? Matt Lauer's office with the desk button that locks the door on unsuspecting victims?

Too soon?

Speaking of creepy rich guys who have to share their totally inappropriate boners, though... Kaiba I told you to put it AWAY.

The next page shows us a high-angled image of Obelisk leaning over to crush Kaiba's enemy as well, and I think this was a terrible mistake. This picture looks utterly ridiculous, like the penthouse picture of a model bending over seductively, but, you know, a hulking monster/god-thing. It's quite unfortunate that this shot didn't turn out better, because the foreshortening on the building is actually pretty neat.

Obelisk pulls its fist away from Tallie, who's still screaming, even if his shriek is dying down in a slightly comical way. He huffs and puffs while looking at his hands and shaking. Shorty calls to his partner in concern, but it's too late. Kaiba gloats that one touch from his god card was enough to kill Tallie, and so he can get on with dying by the explosives he planted on himself, thank you very much. While Kaiba laughs, Tallie looks over at said explosives and is alarmed that the counter on the bomb is nearly at zero. He sweats up a storm as it makes the final click to display a digital naught.

Does Kaiba ever shut his fucking mouth? Seriously, a man is about to die and the kid can't even afford a moment of silence.

But no, no a man is NOT about to die! As he's plummeting down the center of the building Tallie pulls on the chain at the front of his Ghoul robes, which turns out to not be decorative. It releases a parachute that unfurls and catches him before he gets too close to the main floor. Tallie breathes a sigh of relief, not only that he had the parachute, but undoubtedly that a shard of that shattered glass didn't render it completely useless.

Back up top, Shorty crouches at the side of the broken pain to ask if Tallie is okay. Yami, meanwhile, sneers about the parachute, having had a feeling that their opposing team had some tricks up their sleeves. Clearly not ENOUGH to actually win the game, though. Still, Yami mocks how little of a death match this turned out to be. I guess I'm the only one who's glad this didn't have to end in tragedy? Yes? Okay.

Shorty practically breaks his neck to glare at Yami, grinding his teeth. Yami tells him that since he's lost his teammate that there's no way he can win, so he may as well give up.

That looks like a concession to me!

But Kaiba refuses to be satisfied. He says that in a tag-team match, you must crush BOTH opponents, and he wants to show the shrimp hell as well. Yami bids he wait, arguing that preying on a pathetic loser who's lost his will to fight would only hurt their honor as duelists. Kaiba barks back that HIS honor is maintained by crushing his enemies. For some reason, Yami remains quiet, though he looks pretty annoyed here. So, Kaiba just keeps flapping his gums, telling Yami not to make the mistake of thinking that they're bound in any other way than convenience. He teamed up with Yami because he had to, and when the time comes he plans to crush Yami just the same as he did these guys. Kaiba claims it's his destiny.

Yeah, no such luck. I'll give you that one for free.

Kaiba is dedicated to the fantasy that he's going to beat Yami and take his god card, though, and I don't know how much longer Yami's patience with the ultra-competitiveness with this guy is going to last. Luckily, Shorty interrupts this no doubt dead-end conversation with a series of grunts and cries, on his knees as he clutches his head in what looks like increasing agony. Kaiba and Yami stare at him in alarm as Shorty's eyes roll back and he croaks out a couple of familiar syllables, at least to Yami. He identifies them as the name of the asshole of the arc: Marik.

Shorty stands up suddenly, vacant-eyed and slack-jawed while delivering Marik's announcement of having seen the whole thing, the use of Obelisk and everything. Marik praises their work, his image superimposed on the background crossing its arms and smirking. Yami shouts at him to stop hiding behind his minions and come out in person. Kaiba is still stuck on the fact that Shorty is talking and moving rather creepily now, and mumbles that it can't be the possession it looks exactly like, and yet appears to be terrified all the same. Yami assures Kaiba that it is exactly how it looks, Shorty being controlled by a third party, the man who holds the final god card, Marik.

Kaiba's eyes go even wider at this, and gapes over the wielder of the Sun Dragon Ra.

I certainly hope that is a thought bubble rather than a speech bubble, because if Marik knew you were ranking him SECOND in priority, I'm pretty sure he would be super upset.

Marik thanks the two boys for putting up with his men, since they bought him a little time. He says that his plan is going very smoothly, which is cause for some sweat and a wary look from Yami. Marik goes on to say that he's assessed both Yami and Kaiba's decks through the eyes of his Rare Hunters and he's pretty sure their threat level is very low, even WITH the god cards. He claims HIS god card Ra is more powerful than either of theirs, the ultimate of the three. Then he giggles evilly.

Kaiba looks concerned by the thought that Ra is more powerful than his own Obelisk, but the conversation quickly shifts in the direction of Yami being Marik's main target. Marik has, after all, been waiting a THOUSAND years to face Yami, and I'm still not certain if I should take that literally or not. Regardless, he's set up something special for Yami, and declares their eventual battle can only end in Yami's death and the revenge of the tomb guardians.

Yami looks somewhat unimpressed and bored by this statement, until Marik tells him that the third act is about to start, and he's set the stage in a way he hopes Yami likes; his friends are there waiting for him as the main character to arrive. This whole story metaphor is kind of meta. Yami's eyes are suddenly wide and he's freaking out, wondering if he's referring to Jonouchi. Fun fact that I just learned; Japanese doesn't have a plural form of nouns, so in the Japanese version, it probably would have made sense that Yami jumped to the conclusion that it was just Jonouchi. In English, though, it just makes him look like he's ignoring the plural.

Anyway, Yami demands to know what Marik has done to Jonouchi, but Marik just chuckles through Shorty's mouth, and brags that this will be his best puppet show by far. Well, if that's not the least threatening thing you've said yet... In person, he's stroking the Millennium Rod in his hands, and I'm not certain this isn't a stand-in for another rod altogether.

That's right, the guy is practically masturbating over the fact that he has complete control over Yami's buddies. This reminds me of a few people...

Marik now challenges Yami to get over there and fight Jonouchi in yet ANOTHER death match. Fantastic. Marik's influence on Shorty fades, and Shorty slumps, collapsing in unconsciousness. For a moment, Yami is motionless, but then shouts Marik's name, his focus still entirely on the welfare of Jonouchi and still wanting to know more. A beep from Kaiba's direction turns Yami toward him, but Kaiba's being quiet as he consults the communication device in his collar. Yami allows a moment for Kaiba to come out with it on his own, but when he doesn't, Yami yells at him to spit out Jonouchi's location.

Kaiba chuckles, now kneeling next to the conked-out Shorty. He searches through the guy's robes until he pulls out a couple puzzle cards and invites Yami to take one. He appears really excited that the Ghouls have puzzle cards at all, let alone one for each of them. I guess he thought they were bad enough at the game that there might not be a reward. Kaiba says that he's got six puzzle cards now, and has earned the right to play in the finals. He also informs Yami that HE'S got six now too, and somewhat snarkily wishes Yami luck.

*Siiiiiiiigh* As usual, I'm regretting ever defending Kaiba in the past. He just continues to be a piss-baby who refuses to understand the priorities of other people.

And I DO mean "refuses": Kaiba giggles again and repeats Yami's appeal to his friends, then suddenly gets serious when he turns to admit to Yami that it was indeed because of teamwork that they won the game against Tallie and Shorty. If Yami is wearing a smile at this, it's too small for me to detect and is just coming across as a blank stare. I instead like to think he's just waiting for Kaiba's veer in conversation to make sense.

Kaiba says that in a REAL battle, you can only trust yourself and others only get in the way. It's his way of life and dueling to walk alone. Yeah, I guess when you tilt your head and squint, you can kind of see that Kaiba is offering his opinion on how wanting to save his friends all the time is distracting Yami, but...

Yami protests that surely Kaiba knows he has to protect what's important to him, even if that something is other people. Kaiba doesn't say anything, opting instead to focus on the whirring Duel Disk on his arm.

Clearly Kaiba is not one to be distracted himself. He mumbles about knowing where he's going now, and this upsets Yami, who reminds him that he has NO TIME. Because Kaiba has no respect for Yami's time, he quotes Yami's words with his back turned, the ones about protecting what's important to you. Then he poses a question: if the friends Yami wants to protect turn against him, and the only way to move forward is to beat them, life or death be damned, would Yami trample them in order to reach his destiny?

Is Marik possessing YOU now, Kaiba? This seems like something that Marik would be more interested in knowing at this juncture.

Though Yami looks alarmed at the question, he doesn't ask what the hell made Kaiba ask. Instead, he contemplates the hypothetical uncomfortably for a moment before admitting that he has no idea. He does, however, think he knows where he'll find the answer. Kaiba smiles at Yami's determined look, thinking this is a journey for answers that he'd like to see.

Well I'll be goddamned and go to hell, the douchebag pulled through!

Kaiba turns his smile to the helicopter he ordered, so much less plebian than an Uber. Mokuba opens the door and shouts over the noise that he found out where Jonouchi is, just like Kaiba asked, Section F Area 5362. Yami looks ecstatic that Kaiba actually did something that wasn't assholish. Kaiba is already on the way to an unfurled ladder up into the helicopter, shouting at Yami to get in, because they're going to where his friend awaits.

And we're not going to get to see this guy climb into a helicopter with his ridiculous coattails either, are we. Fine. I suppose I'll just be perpetually disappointed in the lack of Kaiba looking silly in this comic.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Just when I start to think Kaiba is okay, he opens his fucking mouth and dismisses his experience fighting WITH someone for a change as not real. Oh yeah? It was real enough for you to spend several chapters puzzling over it, agonizing because it didn't fit in with your myopic worldview. But I suppose I can't complain, because I DID see this coming. Kaiba's not exactly complicated - he's going to avoid any action or statement that makes it appear that he's dependent on another person, because being so would mean a lack of personal strength. He also REALLY does not want Yami to get the idea that they're friends and so he has to attach all kinds of "buts" to any act of kindness or decency he performs. Because Yami has caused him so many issues in the past (as I've mentioned in the past), there must be some extra reluctance on Kaiba's part to be on good terms with him.

But there seems to be some curiosity in what Yami is actually willing to do for or to his friends, especially when there's a conflict between one and the other. Hearing Marik speak about Yami's friends being his pawns now is made all the more graphic by the fact that Kaiba now knows what that looks like. Shorty exhibited unnatural movement and speech totally like his own, so it must be somewhat obvious that this is what Jonouchi is going to look like when they catch up with him. Knowing this, as well as the fact that the Ghouls are perfectly willing to cause serious harm to their victims, the natural conclusion is that Marik's complete control over Jonouchi is going to be used to kill Yami, Jonouchi, or both. I assume THIS is why Kaiba asked that creepy question at the end, and why Yami answered the way he did as well.

Because Yami is undoubtedly aware of where all of Marik's vague threats are going too, and there's no getting around the fact that he's not going to like the situation he walks into. It probably won't help that Kaiba is being so generous and smiley right now. That's just suspicious in my book.