Man to Man

Ryuji bursts into the room, his face filled with excitement and determination. "You! Ryota!" he declares, pointing his finger at Ryota. "Let's duel!"

Ryota looks up from his work, surprised by the sudden interruption. "I'm currently busy right now," he replies calmly.

But Ryuji is not one to give up easily. He stomps his foot and folds his arms. "I won't accept no from you!" he insists, his voice rising.

"...Seriously?"

"Seriously," Ryota repeats, giving Ryuji a stern look.

"Synthiaaa, help me here... I'm gonna be taken away by a guy who wants to beat meee," Ryuji says, adding a touch of sarcasm to his plea.

"Don't worry, Ryota-sama. Even if you're not here, your editor can do your job, right Yui?" Synthia says, shooting a sharp glare at Yui.

"R-Ryota... I can't go on anymore," Yui says, looking exhausted and overwhelmed.

Ryota gives Yui a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, Yui. You can do it," he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "After all, it's not like you have anything better to do than cover for me while I go duel with Ryuji."

"Ohh?! So you're accepting my duel?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Ryota sighed, feeling a bit down for himself. "Yeah, just once," he replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm.

Ryuji grinned, eager to begin. "Then, after that, let's take a hot bath together! Man to man!"

Ryota forced a smile. "Sure, let's do that," he said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Now then, Let's go!" Ryuji grabs Ryota's hand.

<"Light Magic: Flash Teleport!"> Ryuji chants it with a gleeful smile as they both are surrounded by a bright light and disappear from the room. "Wow, that was awesome!" he exclaims, feeling excited about the upcoming duel.

Synthia sighs and shakes her head. <"Ice Magic: Ice Wall"> she chants the magic and aims at the palm of the door, knowing all too well that Yui will try to escape again.

"Well, Where are you going... Yui?" Synthia asks with a stern expression, her eyes piercing into Yui's soul.

Yui lets out a small yelp and tries to back away. "I-I was just, um, going to grab some tea for you!" she stammers, trying to come up with an excuse.

"No can do, Yui... You escaped once and I won't let you get away again," Synthia says firmly, not buying Yui's excuse. Yui lets out another nervous squeak, knowing there's no getting out of it.

"I-I give up..." Yui stammered, defeated.

Synthia smirked victoriously. "Good girl," she said, enjoying her little victory over Yui.

Yui gulped and returned to her seat, feeling defeated and frustrated. She knew she couldn't escape Synthia's watchful eye, and she resigned herself to finishing the manga panels.

Back to Ryota and Ryuji's point of view, they suddenly found themselves in an abandoned structure after Ryuji teleported them.

"Where are we?" Ryota asked, looking around at the surroundings.

"Hm? This is where I test my magics," Ryuji replied with a mischievous smile.

"Test your magics?" Ryota raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"That's right! Now then... Here I come, Ryota!" Ryuji declared, his excitement palpable.

"Damn, Fighter Freak..." Ryota muttered under his breath, bracing himself for the upcoming battle.

Ryuji raised his hand and chanted, <"Lightning Magic: Lightning Blade!">, conjuring a bolt of lightning that took the shape of a sharp blade and dashes forward.

"Well, I don't mind testing my magics too.."

He swiped the air and opened <"Lost Magic List">. "Be grateful!" he exclaimed, selecting a spell.

As Ryuji charged towards him, Ryota felt a rush of excitement mixed with fear. "Here goes nothing," he thought to himself, raising his hand to summon his own magic.

<"Moon Lost Magic: Lunar Mist Veil!"> he chanted, as a shimmering veil of lunar mist materialized around him, obscuring him from Ryuji's view.

Ryuji looked around, confused by Ryota's sudden disappearance. "Where'd you go?!" he called out, scanning the area for any sign of Ryota. "Another one of your lost magics, huh... But," he muttered, determined not to be outdone.

Raising his left arm, he began the incantation. "Electric power, born of thunder and storm, the might of lightning in dragon's form, with bolts of light and crackling roar, bring your strength and power to the fore!"

<"Lightning Magic: Kaminari Tempest!"> A large dragon made of crackling lightning materialized in the air. Ryuji lowered his arms, and the dragon followed suit, crashing down to the ground with a resounding boom. The floor cracked and sparked with electricity as the dragon dissipated into the air.

"Wha!" Ryota immediately jumps from the ground going out from his mist. "There you are!" Ryuji then prepares a stance form with his <"Lightning Magic: Lightning Blade">.

Ryota emerged from the dissipating lunar mist veil with a smirk on his face. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeve!" he said, holding out his hand. "Moon Lost Magic: Lunar Shuriken!"

A glowing crescent-shaped shuriken materialized in Ryota's hand, pulsing with lunar energy. He hurled it at Ryuji with lightning speed, but Ryuji was prepared.

<"Sword Skill: Thunder Strike Blade!"> Ryuji shouted as he swung his lightning-infused blade. The Thunder Strike Blade sliced through the lunar shuriken, dissipating it into harmless sparks.

Ryota's eyes widened in surprise. "Not bad," he said, impressed by Ryuji's lightning sword skill.

Suddenly, Ryuji disappeared from his spot, and the next thing Ryota knew, an electric surge coursed through his body. "When did you come behind me?" he exclaimed, stunned by Ryuji's speed and agility.

Ryuji smirked. "Since you were too busy being impressed with my lightning sword skill," he replied.

"I see..." Ryota smiled, but his expression quickly turned into a mischievous smirk as his body began to transform into a fluid-like substance, resembling ink. The ink then dripped down to the ground from the air, leaving Ryuji in shock.

"Don't tell me... Another Lost Magic?!" Ryuji exclaimed, unable to believe what he just witnessed.

"You're wrong, It's my own magic... I created Art magic and Ink Magic," Ryota revealed, still smirking from the ground.

Ryuji looked at Ryota, amazed by his creativity. "That's impressive. I had no idea you had such unique magic," he admitted.

Ryota smirked as ink and paper began to swirl around him. "Oh, I have many tricks up my sleeve," he taunted, ready for the next round of battle. "After all, when I was a kid, I always dreamed of bringing drawings to life." He said as he reminisced a flashback of himself.

Ryuji grinned, his aura flaring up. His hair turned half yellow and half blue, while his aura glowed bright red. "You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve," he declared, making a combat stance.

"Let's do this!" they both shouted as they charged toward each other, their respective magics at the ready.