How, you may find yourselves wondering, did Mokuba and Joey manage to gather up all five Exodia cards and make it back onboard the ship without injury? It's a worthy question, in all honesty, and I suppose someone who had a strong knowledge of seafaring would be able to make one hell of an action sequence out of answering it.

I'm not that person.

So I'm just going to have to ask you to imagine a commercial break or something happened in between last chapter and this one. The point is, they made it.

That's the part that matters.

.

"I can't believe you would do that!" Yugi Mutou was straining with every ounce of self-control he had not to rip his hair out, and Mokuba had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at him. "What on earth would possess either of you to think that my cards were worth that risk?! You could have died!"

Joey cast a furtive glance Mokuba's way; Mokuba winked.

He then busied himself by drying his hair with the thick white towel he had hanging around his neck. "Listen. Yugi. I can tell you're a decent sort. A good man. But you need to understand something: while I can't speak for my cohort, here, the phrase 'you could have died' has no meaning for me anymore. I've been faced with the possibility of death every waking moment for the past ten years. Statistically speaking, I'm probably safer back in that water than I've ever been at home."

Mokuba could tell, just from the way that Yugi's face screwed up in furious confusion, that he so badly wanted to grab Mokuba by the shoulders and shake him. That's not the point, he wanted to scream, over and over again until his voice went hoarse.

So sure of this was he that, when the next voice he heard was not Yugi's, but his brother's, Mokuba flinched.

"You know he's right, though. Don't you, Moku-nii?"

Mokuba sighed and put on a more serious face, as he watched his brother step past Téa and Tristan to cross his arms dramatically and glare. "I'm fully aware," Mokuba said, long-suffering, "but I'm arguing because I'm a contrarian. Also, I like winning." He waved a dismissive hand in Yugi's direction. "Anyway. The point is, we didn't die. What we did do, though, was succeed in our mission."

The five cards representing Exodia sat crumpled and pitiful, in a little puddle, on the table in front of them all.

"A Pyrrhic victory," Ryo noted; Mokuba couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem surprised, or perturbed, in the slightest that two of his friends had just risked drowning for the sake of little pictures on paperboard. "These are . . . not tournament-legal anymore."

Mokuba sent his eyes sliding back to his brother, and a mischievous sparkle lit in them.

"Whatcha think, kiddo?" he asked.

Seto looked flummoxed. "Huh? What?" Panic seeped into his voice. "What are you talking about? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Can you fix them?"

Seto's face went slack, and it was like he finally noticed the cards on the table for the first time. He approached slowly, carefully, like he thought they might fly away if he moved too quickly—despite the fact that they were held in place by multiple heavy, empty drink glasses. The young Kaiba frowned, brow furrowing seriously, as he took in the state of Yugi's treasure.

"Did you bring my stuff?" Seto asked.

Mokuba smirked. "I did," he said.

Seto drew in a breath, let it out. "I can do it."

Yugi took over the job of looking like a stunned goldfish again, as he gawped at the Kaibas like they'd grown extra heads. "What? They're ruined. What do you mean, you can . . . ?"

Seto's bright blue eyes were feverish, and Mokuba knew he'd won this exchange. The thrill of a challenge was second to nothing for the young Kaiba; it was intoxicating, and there was no way Seto had enough energy left in him to be angry at his brother now that he had a project in front of him.

"Well," Seto said, his voice rising nearly an octave as he put on a sickly-sweet face, "I mean, my big brother and your friend went to a lot of trouble, took a lot of risks, to get these. Don't you think I owe it to them to try? What's the worst that could happen? They're double-ruined?"

Yugi let out a helpless little squeak. "I don't . . . but how . . . look, I mean, my grandfather runs a hobby shop! I know what a useless card looks like!"

"I mean," Seto said, and the smirk that rose on his lips made the group truly believe the Kaiba brothers were related for the first time, "if they're useless, then what's the harm? Leave them in my care, Yugi. If you're right, you're no worse off than right now. But if I'm right . . ."

Yugi sighed, then held out his hands. "I . . . I guess. Go ahead."

Seto nodded. "Good!" He carefully scooped up the cards and turned to Mokuba. "I'll be in the cabin. Text me before you come in. I need to focus."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Mokuba said, with a jaunty little salute.

Seto left.