Author's note:

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

THE GATEWAY

"Let's see what awaits you," Bakura said darkly, drawing a card. His face spoke of disappointment, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the Pharaoh. "I activate this magic card: Card Destruction."

They both placed their cards in the Graveyard and drew until they had as many as they had held when they began. Bakura's eyes flashed ominously, his lips curled into a cruel little smile.

"This is where the game will really get interesting!"

"What are you up to, Bakura?"

"I have just drawn the card that will finally mobilize these worthless mortals. If you thought you could protect them with Spellbinding Circle, you were wrong!"

"What did you draw? Tell me!"

"All in good time. First I will sacrifice the Headless Knight to summon this: The Earl of Demise!"

A hideous ghoul emerged onto the playing field, finely dressed and sword in hand.

"Earl of Demise, destroy Gazelle!"

Gazelle fell in battle, and the Pharaoh was stripped of 500 life points.

"And now I will play my magic card: Different Dimension Gate!"

"Oh, no!" groaned Yami, but it was too late: the card was activated, and a shining, pulsating portal opened up on it.

"If you won't let me put your pathetic friends to use, then I shall banish them into exile! With this card, I can remove one monster from each of us from play, and while this card remains on the field, they cannot return! Dimension Gate, send them to another world!"

The pulsating light of the gateway turned into a whirling black hole, a powerful tornado swelling in its throat that tore the light beams out of the cards like weeds from the ground. The Kaiba brothers were swept from the field and the four friends after them, screaming and squirming to no avail. The whirling gateway swallowed them all in a matter of seconds and the Dimension Gate closed upon them, trapping Yugi and the others within.

"YUGI! NO!" howled Yami, but it was too late.

"Your friends are now trapped in a different world, Pharaoh," smirked Bakura. "You are all alone."

Yami grabbed the Millennium Puzzle and concentrated, calling to Yugi in vain. He could not hear or feel him, as if he had been sapped from his soul. His eyes flashed furiously.

"I will bring my friends back! I will find a way!"

"We shall see, Pharaoh. As long as my card remains in play, they are not coming back, and should the duel end this way, you will never see them again. And now, let's continue our duel, because it's finally getting interesting. The stakes could not be higher on your side: your Millennium Puzzle, the body of your host, your worthless friends… and of course, Kaiba, the upstart nobody, who plays too important a role in this ancient struggle considering he rejected his past like a coward."

"If you hold Kaiba in such disdain, and you're wrong, then why did you choose him for your side of the field?"

"Simple: because I gained more with him than with your worthless cheerleaders. Even if you do manage to bring them back, he will be stronger, and the Spellbinding Circle will no longer be in effect, and then I shall give you the final blow with your own arch rival. But let's not get ahead of ourselves… who knows if you will live long enough to bring them back…"

"I'll fight to the end! I believe in my deck and my friends, and I will defeat you, Bakura!"

"Then what are you waiting for? I would hurry up if I were you. Time flows very differently for your friends. Who knows what will happen to them if you're not fast enough…"

Yami looked down at the blank cards still lying upon the playing field, and then at his own cards, and he had to admit that Bakura was right. He had no choice but to fight and bring back his friends as soon as possible, no matter where they had been taken. His hand wandered to the Puzzle, his fingers closing upon it. I swear I will set you free, Yugi. I will set all of you free – just hang in there.

"It's my move," he said, determined, and drew a card.