Training Day

The sun rose over the Southern Water Tribe. A master and his students stood in a circle.

"You have done well," said Pakku, "with what bending you had…"

Sokka's hand shot up: "Gramp-Gramp, non-benders present!"

I wonder why, thought Pakku."Well, what skills you have. You have also benefited from strategy and luck…"

"And brute Avatar power on occasion," added Sokka.

" Yes... Now, you finally have time to continue your training."

"At long last," said Aang, "advanced forms!"

"Actually, push and pull."

Everyone looked disappointed.

"Aren't we past that stage, master?" asked Katara.

"That is precisely the problem. In your feats of bending you have trampled all over your basics. These shortcomings must be addressed if you wish to master advanced forms."

Aang and Katara turned grudgingly to their task.

"Hey, Gramps,"said Sokka, "how is this going to help me with sword-fighting?"

"I never said… don't call me…" Pakku sighed. "You can only find the answer within yourself." Or something.

"Of course! I'll have to think about that…" Sokka studied the others closely.

#

It was morning in Omashu.

"Concentrate," said Bumi. "Open your brains to the possibilities... The forms you know are paths to knowledge. But stick to the path, and you will only arrive quickly and safely."

The others waited.

"Which is boring!"

"Right on," agreed Toph. "You either have your own style, or no style."

"Master Piandao says something similar," said Sokka, "just as the imagination is limitless…"

"Not… concentrating..."

"Oo, he said something about that too!"

"Sokka!" Katara hissed.

Bumi paused. Then began to snore.

"Bumi?" asked Aang.

"Enough concentration! Bending is not just about drawing fire, wind, water or earth. It is also about dispersing the elements. Now, Aang, I would like you to attack me with earthbending."

"But…"

"Now, Aang."

"Okay…"

They took their stances and went through their forms simultaneously. Nothing happened.

"I lost my bending!" cried Aang.

"Your bending is fine," said Bumi, "you'll find your chi flow uninterrupted."

"Bumi did his magic dance too," said Sokka, "but nothing happened."

"It's not…" Katara began before giving up.

"Nothing can be very powerful," said Bumi.

"It was weird," said Toph, "but he was bending".

"Unbending. You tell the earth to move one way, I tell it not to. You don't need to predict your opponent's every move – it's more about understanding the element than understanding the bender."

"Like negative jing!" Aang beamed.

"More passive-aggressive jing, but sure."

"Won't that lead to deadlock?" asked Sokka.

"Good point," said Bumi, "this technique is useless. Oh, wait! The superior bender can still outbend his opponent." While unbending, he raised a boulder from the ground.

"Who can tell me the second solution?" he asked, shooting the boulder forward. Aang shrieked and sliced it with air.

"Exactly. If you're the Avatar, switch to something your opponent can't unbend. For the rest of us, you better be the superior bender."

"They can't unbend swords either, you know" said Sokka. "If you carried a back-up weapon…" The others weren't impressed. "I'm just saying…"

#

The afternoon sun rolled over the royal training grounds.

"Well done," said Jeong Jeong. "We will now practice the most powerful technique in firebending."

"Finally," said Zuko, "lightening!"

"Breathing."

Zuko was speechless.

"Breathing? Again?" said Aang. "I've already mastered breathing. I'm an airbender, I can breathe with my eyes closed! I mean…"

"Very impressive," said Jeong Jeong.

"How can this be the most powerful technique?" asked Zuko.

"Breathing is a multiplier. Proper breathing will allow you to face otherwise more advanced opponents. Improper breathing could mean defeat at the hands of a child."

"Tell that to Ozai!" laughed Toph.

"Hey!" cried Aang.

"This applies to any element," said Jeong Jeong. He saw Sokka open his mouth to speak. "Yes, Sokka, sword-fighting too."

"This is lamer than unbending," whispered Toph.

"Not lamer than pushing and pulling," Katara whispered back.

"So you've learned some unbending?" asked Jeong Jeong. "Aang, care to step up?"

"But I wasn't the one who… fine."

"Kindly unbend my next attack." Jeong Jeong shot a fireball. Aang barely managed to disperse it, but the flames set the closest trees on fire.

"Spreading it around won't help," said Jeong Jeong. "Fire has fewer stable resting places than the other elements. It must be extinguished."

Aang smothered the fire with earth and doused it with water, leaving a sooty, muddy mess.

"While you practice that" said Jeong Jeong, "there is another less destructive technique you can use. Do you know the requirements for fire?"

"Of course, the fire triangle: air, heat and fuel."

"Actually it's a tetrahedron, but that will suffice. Hold a bubble around a flame and it will eventually run out of air. Not very practical in the heat of battle, so to speak, but it may come in handy." Jeong Jeong suspended a fireball over the courtyard. "Give it a try."

The fireball shrunk and grew back as Aang let the air slip, but at last it gave in and dissipated.

"That was awesome! Katara, did you see… Katara?"

The girls watched from the balcony as Sokka and Zuko took off their shirts to train with Master Piandao. He parried their strikes effortlessly.

Aang bowed to Jeong Jeong and walked up to them. "What's so great about sword-fighting, anyway? It's just…"

"Dreamy…" finished Ty Lee. There was an awkward silence. "I don't mean Sokka!" she said, noticing Suki, "or Zuko!" turning to Mei. "I mean… Master Piandao?" The others didn't seem convinced.

#

The sun set in Ba Sing Se.

"I will now instruct you in a very dangerous, very powerful technique," said Iroh.

"Lightening?" asked Zuko half-heartedly.

"Actually, yes."

"Really?"

"We will be serving lightening rose tea."

"I expected as much. Need I ask why it's so deceptively dangerous and powerful?"

"Glad you asked. The tea itself is relatively safe if correctly prepared. But the path of the warrior is not separate from the other aspects of life. You can learn much about a person from how they drink tea. Likewise, you can reveal more than you realize about yourself." He served the group as he spoke. "Insight is honed by practicing the softer arts, such as tea-brewing. And because life is more than fighting, these are also rewards in themselves."

The tea cackled softly as Aang drank. "We're lucky to have such great teachers... times like these make me think of Monk Gyatso." He took a deep sip.

"Hey, Aang?" said Katara.

"Yeah?"

"Here's some advanced airbending for you." And she blew him a kiss.

Everyone else groaned.