Title: Rematch

Words: 3264

Summary: Toph really wants her championship belt back. Aang just wants Toph to stop bringing the issue up and calling him a cheater. Naturally, a tournament can perfectly solve the issue. Pro-bending Circuit submission.

a/n: Round 7 submission for the Pro-Bending Circuit Tournament. I haven't written platonic Taang in a while for this contest, so I figured I'd go ahead and give it another shot with them, because why not? It's like super rushed and not my best work but hopefully it's cute.

Task: One person defeats the other, focusing on the person who won.

Prompts: (color) crimson, (character) Iroh, (AU) Tournament

OOO

Rematch

OOO

"You guys don't even understand," Toph insisted. "I had a following. I was a household name. Undefeated. And then some sissy, tippy toed punk just took all that away by cheating. Unbelievable…"

"You know, that sissy, tippy toed punk is sitting right here. Literally two feet away," Aang sighed.

"Good. You're the one who needs to hear this more than anyone. Your thick skull has trouble retaining things. Trust me. Your Earthbending is still god awful."

"Okay, first of all, you know that's not true. Second of all, why do you have to be so petty and insult my bending?"

"It's not pettiness. It's the truth. I'm better than you. Hence the injustice."

"Oh get over yourself!"

"Gladly! Give me my belt back first."

Katara slowly slunk into one of the chairs, setting down a tea pot of white tea in the middle of their table. She leaned over to Zuko and muttered, "Are they still on this?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and plucked up on of the tea cups from the center. "We're in fifteen minutes and counting," he informed her. "With no signs of them stopping anytime soon."

"Spirits above, I thought this was supposed to be a vacation for all six of us," Katara frowned. "Not a debate."

"Please, you know these two," Suki interjected from the other side of the table. "They'll argue about the color of the sky if you let them."

"Look, can we just be thankful they're not pulling out their freaky bending and resorting to blows?" Sokka spoke through a mouthful of tea treats. "Last time they fought about that dumb match, they practically destroyed the Middle Ring. Zuko had to flirt with the Earth King to get us out of paying reparations."

Zuko scowled. "Negotiated. I negotiated with him. And anyway, just leave them be. This is a daily occurrence. Are we really all that shocked?"

"Shock has nothing to do with it," Katara said with an eye roll. "I'm just sick to death of hearing about his. It needs to be put to death. It's been over a year. You'd think they would have gotten over this already…"

Toph and Aang were still bickering in the background.

"It's not even that big a deal!"

"You literally have no idea the kind of honor and pride that a championship fighter has to hold on to, do you? That's why you don't give a crap."

"You are the self-proclaimed best Earthbender in the world. The heck do you care about a dumb belt?"

"Principles, you dumbass. Principles. It's not freakin' complicated."

"You have literally zero regard for convention and you're lecturing me about principles? You're senile!"

Iroh quietly walked from the back of the kitchens over to the friends' table with a second pot of tea for the group. He chuckled as he proceeded to help Zuko pour out everyone's cups. "It seems as if our young friends are locked in a rather furious disagreement," he smiled pleasantly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Uncle," Zuko promised. "This is hardly atypical."

"Yeah, it's bordering the pathological," Suki sighed, staring helplessly at the pair. "It's like they can't go a certain period of time without bringing it up."

Sokka leaned over to her conspiratorily. "Hey. If we just pick up and leave, they probably won't notice. Then we'll get some peace and quiet." Suki shoved his shoulder roughly and told him to be quiet.

Iroh nodded to himself before setting down the pot and pulling up a chair to table, elegantly ignoring the argument happening just to his right. "Disagreements are best resolved by allowing them to be aired out, just like an old tablecloth. A rather refreshing and healthy solution, I must say. Perhaps it will be of interest to them."

Katara bit her lip. "Air out? What you do mean?"

"It means we lock them out on the balcony and leave us in here with some peace and quiet," Sokka muttered.

Iroh politely ignored him. "To be a bit more frank, I was thinking something a little bit more constructive. A way for them to finally put their differences to rest. Stabilization and harmony."

Katara wrinkled her nose. "The only resolution I see is Toph getting her belt back. That'll make her happy and give Aang some peace since he doesn't seem to care either way."

"But she's got to win it fair and square," Suki pointed out. "Otherwise it won't be the same. It's not just the belt. It's her pride, or whatever. She has to feel like she earned it back."

Iroh patted his beard. "Hm. Earning back her belt fairly, you say? Perhaps this could be arranged…"

"What do you mean Uncle?" Zuko asked.

Iroh merely smirked to himself and stood up from the booth. "I have a few regular customers who may be open to the idea. Yes, yes, I could persuade them. A venue could be created. An audience would not be a problem. Perhaps some monetary incentive for some other challengers for the sake of authenticity. A full reenactment would make the most sense. Yes, indeed."

Sokka looked strangely back at his friends. "Uh, what's your crazy tea Uncle talking about, dude?"

Zuko raised a brow. "I don't know, but if there's one thing my Uncle is good at, it's meddling."

"It's just a stupid title! What do you care about winning it back? Are you actually going to get back into Earth Rumble tournaments for that to even matter? I mean come on!"

"You shut it, you little punk. I earned that title! And if I had the chance to win it again. I'd get it no problem. That's the point. I lost what was deserved to me over a technicality! Of course I'm pissed."

"You need to get over this!"

"Name the time and place, Twinkle Toes, and we can get this over with super easy!"

Iroh's idea wound up being to rally together some of the larger business in the Middle Ring as well as the okay from the Dai Li to host Ba Sing Se's first ever Earth Rumble Tournament in an effort to search for the ultimate Earth Rumble champion.

The point, according to Iroh, was to allow the two of them to have the opportunity to return to the scene of the crime, as it were, and finally work out the kinks in their friendship in a constructive manner. The chance to relive the events without any untoward interventions seemed to be the best avenue in order to do so and Iroh was quick to get down to brass tacks and organize the entire affair.

Truly, it was a wonderful display. Seats were sold out in a matter of days once word got out that the Avatar and The Blind Bandit would be competitors, and many earthbenders around the city were all too eager to gain bragging rights by seeing who could last the longest against the legends, or even have the skill to completely knock them out the ring and earn themselves some scrap of glory. Iroh was nothing but a keen business man who knew very well how to cater to his customers. As was to be expected from the owner of the Jasmine Dragon.

The relief was that Toph and Aang were all too eager to participate. Toph, for reasons that were painfully obvious, and Aang, simply to finally put this silly feud to rest and go on with their lives in a humane manner.

"We have to do this right though," Toph explained hours before the tournament began. "It can't just be the two of us battling it out for one fight. We have to work through the ladder. We have to be the two finalists otherwise it doesn't count."

"Let me guess," Aang offered. "Principles, honor, pride, propriety, blah blah blah."

"Yuck it up, Twinkles," Toph glared. "This is serious business. And you better make it to the finals, otherwise it defeats the whole purpose."

Aang actually found it within himself to look offended. "You're not serious are you? Of course I'll make it to the finals. We're the best benders here."

Toph winced. "Debatable."

"You just love riling me up, don't you?"

"If it helps you make it to the finals so that we can finally prove how much I deserved that belt over you, then yes. I am absolutely getting you riled up."

"You're insane. I'm getting into my bending uniform. Bye."

"Remember!" Toph called after him. "No wussing out on our fight just to end things. I want you full out! Otherwise we have to do this aaallllll over again."

"Spirits, fine! I'll give it my best."

Iroh had gotten into the spirit of things rather easily. He was settled in between his nephew and Katara with a small crimson canister filled with homemade fire flakes. He took a few bites as he leaned over and nudged Zuko with his elbow. "I must admit, this is rather exciting! I've never seen an Earth Rumble tournament before. I hear they're quite a spectacle."

"Yes, if brawny benders constantly throwing rocks at each other is your idea of entertainment," Zuko deadpanned.

"It's not that bad," Katara amended. "It'll be over soon."

"Wait!" Sokka suddenly stood up from his seat and started climbing over the other spectators in his row. "I forgot to go to the betting windows! I need to start putting money down!"

Suki immediately raced out after him. "Sokka, we talked about this. You need to save that money for something important. Not on gambling!"

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and settled further back into his seat. "I hope you're right," he told Katara. "Because this is the most monumental waste of time I've ever had to participate in."

Iroh dug his hand back into the crimson canister and stuffed a handful of fire flakes into his mouth. "Oh my! I do believe it's starting."

The beginning of the Earth Rumble tournament started out normal enough. The announcers quickly explained the rules and proceeded to introduce the long line of about twenty benders that would be competing for various cash prizes throughout the competition. Most of the benders were bulked up men and women from the Middle and Lower rings who were eager to earn some quick money and show off their abilities. Standing next to each other all the way on the other end of the line were Toph and Aang, arms crossed and turned slightly away from each other with sour looks on their faces. The whole introduction of the tournament seemed like an inconvenient formality to them. After all, it was the fight between the two of them that they were really itching for.

After a formal reiteration of the rules — and a formal promise from the Avatar to restrict his bending solely to Earthbending — the first ever Ba Sing Se Earth Rumble tournament began.

The talent in Ba Sing Se was rather commendable, a lot more impressive than what was found in such a small mountain town such as Gaoling. Many of the competitors were either seasoned students or masters themselves looking for a little extra exposure. Some of the rounds were long, drawn out battles of excitement, action, and drama. Iroh, Sokka, and Suki were strangely enthusiastic about the entire affair — frequently standing with the crowds in the stands in order to cheer for the winners of each round and also make very clear their displeasure over certain results. Zuko and Katara — uninvested in this entire affair save for the opportunity to see an end to the infamous Toph-Aang argument — merely nibbled on the snacks that Iroh had provided everyone and took to chatting amicably in between rounds.

The only times where the rounds got particularly tense was when either Aang or Toph came to stage.

It was funny, because their fights were often very short. After all, no one really stood a chance against the Avatar or his master. There was simply no contest. But that's not what made these fights tense. It was the way in which Aang and Toph kept trying to show each other up during each of their individual fights. If Aang managed to knock his opponent out in only 90 seconds, Toph made it a point to knock hers out in 60. If Toph managed to bend a mini earthquake during on of her fights, Aang made it a point to bend an earthquake twice as powerful during his fight. It was as if everyone was constantly wondering what amazing, wondrous thing the two benders were going to do next.

Plus, it was downright impossible to miss the glares, the stuck out tongues, and the shoulder shoves whenever the two of them passed each other in the benches.

Katara winced when Toph made a particularly rude gesture in Aang's direction and Aang volleyed back with a rather creative insult that was rather out of character for him. "They're really getting into this, aren't they?"

"I'm not surprised that Toph is, but it's like she dragged Aang right along with her," Zuko commented. "It's kind of amazing, actually."

"You think they're going to get their fight?" Katara asked.

Zuko looked at her incredulously. "Of course they are. That's not the question you need to be asking. What I want to know is who we're going to cart of here in a body bag."

Katara slapped him on the arm. "Don't be so morbid!"

"You think I'm kidding?" Zuko exclaimed. "Their energy is positively lethal. We're in for one hell of a final fight."

Aang and Toph made quick work of their competitors in the semi-finals and were finally standing across from each other on the arena in preparation for the finals competition. Iroh had actually gone through the trouble of commissioning a rather impressive green belt with a golden buckle that the announcer was currently holding over his head and displaying for the audience and that would eventually go to the winner of the entire tournament. Toph was smiling devilishly when the belt was raised up in the air and Aang was conspicuously rolling his eyes at her childishness. Once the rules for the final match were decided, Aang and Toph bowed to one another, sunk into their horse stances and waited for the signal to begin.

The announcer held up his hand, sliced it down through the air, and the final battle began.

To say that the entire battle was a display of epic proportions was an understatement.

Mixing the powers of the Avatar and The Blind Bandit would go down in Ba Sing Se history as some of the most impressive examples of combative earthbending that anyone had ever seen. Toph was raising walls of Earth as tall as the Earth King's palace and Aang was opening ravines in the tournament so deep that they were rumbling hundreds of feet underneath the spectators' feets. They moved seamlessly — Toph was clean, precise, and lethal, and Aang was quick, flexible, and resourceful. It Toph was worried at all about Aang not putting his all into the fight, it was clearly unfounded.

Suki and Sokka were already placing their own personal bets as to how long the fight would last, and Iroh was sitting on the edge of his seat, soaking up the progression of the fight with a type of enthusiasm that only he was capable of. Katara sat on her hands out of nervousness every time Toph was flung across the stadium and every time Aang took a particularly nasty pillar to the abdomen. Even Zuko had finally lost the bored gloom on his face and was watching the progression of the fight carefully.

The stadium was split in half — some cheering for the Blind Bandit, some cheering for the Avatar. Never before had there ever been a competition that was drawn straight down the middle and left everyone in complete bafflement in terms of who the winner would be. There were so many instances in which Toph and Aang would come close to toppling over the edge of being flung out of the arena only to save themselves with impressive bending, and jump straight back into the fight.

"This is crazy!" Zuko exclaimed. "We're never going to get a winner."

"They've been going at it for fifteen minutes," Katara said, nibbling on her lips. "Is it ever going to end? Surely there's a time cap for this sort of thing."

"Miss Beifong would never be satisfied with a tie," Iroh interjected. "I made specific instructions to make sure that only one winner could be announced."

The fight was entering twenty minutes — Toph and Aang sweating and panting from the effort — before the tides finally turned. Aang had stopped for just a second too long to catch his breath and Toph immediately took advantage of the hesitance. In a quick show of of movements that occurred in immediate succession— sharp kicks, brutal punches, and clean swipes that happened so quickly that Katara found herself unable to blink lest she miss something — Aang found himself at the business end of a huge barrage of attacks before he teetered on the edge of the arena, and finally fell out of bounds.

Zuko rolled his eyes and settled back into his chair. "Ugh, finally."

The entire stadium fell into a thunderous applause as the announcer came out to the arena in order to deliver the championship belt to Toph Beifong. But Toph was too busy smirking and walking across the stadium over to the edge where Aang had unceremoniously fallen. She fell to her knees, leaned over the edge, and laughed when she saw Aang rolling out a kink in his neck that had occurred due to him landing rather clumsily on his head.

Toph reached a hand down. "Need a hand, Twinkles?"

Aang rolled his eyes, but smiled. "That was a dirty trick," he called up to her, grabbing her hand and letting her pull him up back onto the stage. "You practically dog piled me."

Toph shrugged. "Hey, do whatever you gotta do to win right?" She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Not a bad fight though, I gotta admit."

Aang rubbed his neck and grinned. "Yeah, well, you deserved it. I never meant to take the belt away from you in the first place you know," he explained. "I just needed an excuse to talk to you."

Toph snorted in laughter and actually managed to ignore the announcer as he called for Toph again to come and accept her prize.

She grinned at his bruises. "I mean, I had to be tough with you. Make it all look convincing and whatever."

Aang nodded and held his hand out. "Good fight!"

Toph rolled her eyes and punched Aang's shoulder instead. "Whatever, Twinkles."

Aang smiled back at her. "I'm glad you won, by the way."

Toph snorted. "Oh, shut up."

"No seriously. I'm really happy you did."

"Cut it out."

"You totally deserved it."

"Would you cut it out? You're supposed to be embarrassed and humiliated."

"I wanted you to win. You've always deserved it. I never wanted to cause a fight over this."

"Now I know you're lying."

"Come on, I'm serious. I'll even help you celebrate."

Toph pushed past him and ignored his ringing laughter as the stadium continued to chant her name. "You're ruining my victory high, Twinkle Toes. You're supposed to be depressed, sad, and defeated while I accept my belt. We're gonna have to do this all over again."