Bang.
Aang's hands slammed into the scrap of metal, wedged between two rocks so it stood upright. The impact jarred his arms and pained his already raw knuckles, but again the element refused to budge.
"You're doing it all wrong," Toph said from somewhere beside him. "Do it like this."
Another bang sounded, echoing off the metallic surface. Aang felt the vibrations of her own piece of metal giving in and denting from the strike.
How did she make it seem so easy? As if seeing through the earth wasn't hard enough, now he was supposed to find miniscule shards of rock within the metal, and then concentrate on his 'sight', the piece of rock, and his bending.
It was impossible.
But Toph kept pushing him, so he had to try.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed his fingers to the cold iron surface, focussing on the subtle vibrations that ran through it. In the blurred 'vision' that metal allowed, specks of clarity appeared, revealing the otherwise hidden earth. Pulling his hands back, he took another deep breath, then slammed his fists forward. The metal would budge, whether it wanted to or not!
But it didn't, and Aang was once again left with sore hands and an annoyed teacher.
"This is harder than it looks," Aang growled after her scolding.
"That's because you're trying too hard!"
"Ugh! Last time you said I wasn't trying hard enough!"
Toph sighed. "What happened when you were first learning airbending and put too much effort into one strike?"
Aang furrowed his brow. What did this have to with metalbending?
Nonetheless, he said, "It would backfire and hit me instead of the target."
"Right, because it's defensive by nature. And if you put too much into firebending, I'm guessing it completely roasts your opponent?"
He nodded.
"With earth and metal, it's a bit different. It's neutral by nature, so if you put too much into moving it, it won't budge. You can't over-power it or under-power it – you have to match it."
Aang nodded. In an odd sort of way, it actually made sense.
Taking her stance, she placed her fists against the metal, saying, "You just have to relax. Listen to the metal and the earth, and you'll find a balance between strength and weakness."
Mimicking his teacher's stance, he did as she instructed. Breathing calm, deep breathes; he listened to the gentle pulse vibrating through the substance. He felt the earth within and its pull on his bending. Moving his fists back, then slamming them forward, he ignored the pain of impact and focused on the metal.
The harsh sound of twisting iron filled the air as Aang's hands broke through the hard, stubborn element.
Author's Notes: Uhhh... Yeah, this was just a random idea that attacked my brain. I'd call it a plot bunny, but it has no plot. xP Mostly, it was an excuse to write metalbending and Toph!vision.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Avatar' or any of its characters.