Yay! More reviews! Botan Mai Kai: A new reviewer! Awesome!!!!!!! Sakurelle: Oh, don't worry, Seto's in this chapter ^_~ Silver Dragon, Iron Claws: Glad you still like it! Kristine: Yeah, 'transition chapters,' as I call them, are generally boring.
Chapter 33: A Race Against Time"Can't this boat go any faster?" asked Mokuba as he sat on the deck, next to his brother. "We're running out of time!"
"This is its maximum speed when the wind's low," said Yugi. He looked up at the sails as they gradually billowed out. Finally, thought Yugi. The wind's picking up a little. But it's not enough if we want to save Kaiba.
Suddenly, a great gust of wind hit the sails. The boat jerked forward with the added speed.
"What was that?!" asked Joey as he regained his balance.
Yugi realized that what he had presumed to be a gust was actually a steady wind. As the boat gathered speed, he understood what had happened.
"That would be Nephilia," he explained. "Giving us the extra wind we need."
"All right!" said Mokuba.
"Hey Yugi," said Tea. "What are those dark shapes up ahead?"
Yugi shaded his eyes. His stomach flipped over as he saw the forms in their path. They were huge rocks, the kind that ships avoided at all costs because of the high potential of getting wrecked.
The most direct route is to pass through the rocky water. But it's very risky, thought Yugi to himself. Going around would take at least another hour. He glanced at Seto, who was lying very still on the deck, apart from the odd coughing fit. But Yugi could tell he was getting weaker. An hour which we don't have.
Yami, called Yugi. What should I do?
Talk to your friends, answered Yami. You should all make this decision. But I think we both know what they will say.
"All right," said Yugi turning to his friends. "We have two choices: One, we could navigate through the rocks in the water. Or two, we could go around the rocks. But each choice has consequences."
"Like what?" asked Joey.
"If we go through the rocks, we save time, but risk getting shipwrecked," said Yugi. "Going around would let us avoid the rocks, but it could take us an hour. And adding an hour could be the difference between life and death for Kaiba."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Joey spoke for all of them.
"We're goin' through," said Joey.
"Are you sure?" asked Yugi.
"Of course," said Tristan. "We've faced danger before."
"*Ahem* Pegasus," whispered Joey just loud enough to be heard.
"Then it's settled," said Yugi. "We're going through the rocks!"
More soon!!!!!!!!