(I do not own any of these properties. All rights go to their respective owners and affiliates!)
IMPORTANT! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ SEASON 1 (CHAPTERS 1-9) OF MY MAIN SERIES BEFORE READING THIS OR NOTHING HERE WILL MAKE SENSE! THANK YOU!
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Author's Update 12/23/15: Improved the format and layout of all 4 chapters for mobile devices, added a new closing theme at the end of the Epilogue, and revised some minor story details. I did not change the overall plot or any major details to better fit any new story developments from both Legend of Korra Book 4 or the new Avatar: Smoke and Shadow graphic novels. I still very much like the direction that this took.
For reference, this picks up a few years after the time-frame of the graphic novels, and I just headed in my own direction from there. Don't worry, non-Avatar fans, for just as with the One Piece arc, I provided background where appropriate. Sorry for the long note, enjoy!
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(The Fire Nation Royal Palace, Caldera City, 108 A.S.C.(After Sozin's Comet)- Eight years after the Hundred Year War)
"What have you done?!" screamed Katara, as she knelt crying over an unidentified body. All around her raged a great fire, and above her, a swirling vortex of darkness that consumed everything that it pulled in. "Why did you kill all of those innocent people?! You killed them Aang! Our friends… they're all dead!"
Confused and afraid, Aang tried to get closer as he responded, "I don't know what you're talking about! We have to get out of here! Katara, please―"
"Get away from me, you monster!" she cried, bending what little water remained within her leather water-skin into a spike of ice that shot straight at his heart.
Just before the ice hit him, he saw who the body was―It was her older brother, Sokka.
The shock of what he had seen, combined with the pain from the ice-spike, drove him over the edge and caused him to enter into the Avatar state. But something was very wrong. Instead of emanating white light from his eyes and his arrow-tattoos, they turned pitch-black and brought about a sudden rush of insane fury. Losing complete control of his actions, he launched a massive sphere of neither air, water, earth, nor fire, but of darkness itself directly at Katara, instantly consuming her…
"No! Please, no!" cried Aang, quickly sitting up on his bed. He was covered in cold sweats, and his heart raced as if it were trying to leap from his very chest.
"Aang! What's wrong?! Are you under attack?!" yelled Sokka, busting in through the door of his sleeping quarters as he swung his Water Tribe machete around in the dark.
Using his firebending, Aang lit a flame over his palm and held it up, lighting the room to show Sokka that there was no danger.
(Bending was an ancient art that allowed certain people born with the ability to control a single element using their inner chi, or life-force, and direct it through specific body movements that were based on real life Kung Fu styles: Baguazhang for Airbenders, Tai Chi for Waterbenders, the Hung Gar Animal-Fist styles (specifically Tiger and Crane) for Earthbenders, and Northern Shaolin Fist for Firebenders. Meanwhile, being the Avatar, Aang was the only one who could bend all four.)
"Sorry for waking and alarming you, Sokka. I just had a horrible nightmare. It was the worst that I've ever had."
"What was it about? Toph's earthbending lessons?" asked Sokka, laughing at his own joke.
"I, well…" Aang didn't want to divulge any unnecessary details, and simply said, "I dreamt that everyone had been… killed. It felt way to real."
"Man, that is horrible!" shouted Sokka, holding a shocked expression.
"Sokka, can you please pipe down?!" sounded Katara's voice from another room, "Some of us are trying to sleep! The wedding is tomorrow, remember?!"
"Technically it's today, because it's already after midnight!" retorted Sokka, being a smartass.
"Hey, Sokka, how about a midnight butt-kicking then?!" This time, it was Toph's voice. She was dead serious too.
"Right! Sorry!" he replied, then whispered to Aang, "Women! Am I right?!"
When Aang didn't at least humor him with some sort of laugh, Sokka noticed that he stared at the flame in his hand rather intensely.
It was almost… fearfully.
"Aang?" asked Sokka, truly concerned now, "In your nightmare, how was it that we were killed?"
"I'm not sure. You were already gone when it started. But… Katara…" he stopped and looked away. It was too vivid and just too painful to remember. "One thing's for sure: it was definitely no ordinary dream. I don't know why, Sokka, but I suddenly have the most terrible feeling that something really bad is heading our way."
"Do you think that it could have been a vision of the future?" asked Sokka, afraid of the answer.
"I don't know. But whether it was, or not, I intend to make sure that it does not become a reality, no matter what―I promise you all."
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Codename: Warriors Next Dimension The Movie:
The Darkest Elements
(Opening theme: Blind Guardian – "Banish from Sanctuary" – 00:00 to 02:35)
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Act I of III: A Corruption of Hope
(The Cul-de-sac, Peach Creek)
"There are too many of them! Everyone, fall back to Ed's yard, now!" yelled Eddy, shooting at the approaching Xenomorphs as Samurai Jack instantly beheaded another three nearby. "Kevin, Rolf, I need you two to cover the others while my solar-rifle cools down!"
"On it, Sgt. Dorky!" replied Kevin, aiming at a group of Xenomorphs that rapidly approached.
Rolf, who had been defending their flank from his yard, ran over and also provided cover-fire, but immediately needed to cool-down as well.
"Sock-Head, get off of the buggy, will ya! I need you over here to cover our flank!" commanded Eddy, drawing his sword and striking down an alien that had pounced from behind.
Double D quickly jumped out from his isolated position on the turret of one of the three Doom-Buggies, which had all been depleted of its ammunition earlier in the battle when the massive, initial horde had overrun the cul-de-sac. He then stood beside the others, firing his solar-pistol as more Xenomorphs soon poured out from behind the burned and broken fence that lined the alley-way. But before the feral creatures could reach them, a giant fist suddenly struck them all away, killing them instantly.
"Very much obliged!" shouted Double D, as Luffy retracted his shrinking fist.
"Nice, Luffy! Keep it up! We have more incoming!" yelled Eddy, shooting into another approaching horde.
"Commander Numbuh 529, sir, we're going to need some reinforcements!" Double D yelled into his WND communicator, "It seems our simple extraction mission has turned into a full-blown battle!"
"On our way!" sounded the response.
"This is pretty fun!" exclaimed Luffy, laughing as he spun around, killing three aliens at once with a stretchy roundhouse kick.
Zoro, using all three of his swords, sliced through an entire line of them with minimal effort as he made his way across the cul-de-sac to regroup, as did Usopp, who had his trusty, high-powered sniper-slingshot out, unleashing round after round of his signature Exploding Star ammunition, which blew multiple aliens to bits with every shot.
"These guys that you brought back are totally unreal!" exclaimed Kevin, cooling down his rifle.
"I know, right?" agreed Eddy.
Meanwhile, Sanji, who was tasked with protecting Sarah, Jimmy, Nazz, and Jonny, was in Ed's house, fighting off an invading group of the horrible creatures while the others ran into the basement to hide in Ed's room.
Ed had also accompanied Sanji in order to protect Sarah, and used his horned monster toy to blow massive streams of fire at any Xenomorph that came within twenty feet of them. When Sanji saw that they had a weakness toward fire, he utilized his Diable Jambe technique, dealing extremely strong, flaming kicks that scorched straight through the acidic abominations.
Suddenly, the sounds of thunder sounded from the skies, when out of nowhere, a voice boomed from above: "The cavalry has arrived!"
It was Dexter from within his giant fighter-robot, the Robo-Dexo 2000, as it flew through the air and then descended onto the far end of the cul-de-sac. Upon its right shoulder were Numbuhs 3 and 4, while Numbuhs 1 and 2 stood on its left, all holding solar-rifles. Numbuh 529 stood on its head, holding nothing more than his twin, black-bladed machetes. They immediately jumped down from it and ran into the fray, slicing and shooting their way to Ed's front yard where the others awaited, and held their ground alongside them.
When everyone was clear from the horde, Dexter aimed his robot's missile launchers at the heart of the mass of writhing Xenomorphs and unleashed a torrent of small missiles that sent blazing pieces of crispy, alien carcasses flying in almost every direction.
Swiftly as the wind, Numbuh 529, Zoro, and Jack quickly dealt with the remaining few Xenomorphs, slicing every one of them to bits within a matter of seconds.
"Yeah! Take that you ugly, acid-spewing bastards!" cheered Numbuh 4, fist-pumping into the air. "They were all like, boom!And then they were all like, blegh!"
"Quickly, get everyone to the ship before more arrive!" shouted Dexter from his robot.
"Sanji, bring everyone out! We're leaving!" shouted Usopp into his communicator.
"Right!" came his reply.
But when they were all out, three figures carrying suitcases suddenly jumped out from behind Ed's house and ran toward them.
"Who the hell are they?" asked Zoro.
"Kankers!" yelled Ed, "Run away!"
"Wait, you good-for-nothings," shouted Lee Kanker, the oldest of the three sisters who had big, red-hair that covered both of her eyes. She wore a white tank-top with red polka-dots, and tight blue jeans. "You weren't seriously gonna leave us behind to get eaten, were ya?"
"I'm definitely considering it," replied Eddy, giving her a stern look.
"Shrimp!" she shouted, furiously.
"That's Lieutenant Shrimp, to you!" retorted Eddy.
"Ladies, just get on, will you!" yelled Double D, already on the vehicle.
"That's my Double D, for ya! He's such a sweetie!" said Marie Kanker, who was the middle-sister that looked like a punk-rocker. She had short blue hair that covered her right eye, dark make-up around both of her eyes, a black tank-top, green cargo-pants, and a black wrist-band on her left wrist.
"Now that's a gentleman!" shouted May, the youngest sister with long blonde hair and buck-teeth, who wore a gray shirt and red shorts. She flipped Eddy the bird as they passed him by.
Suddenly, a flicker of guilt swept over Eddy. Not for the Kankers, but for his brother.
"Where's my Big Bro?" he asked.
"We ditched him at the trailer park. He was too chicken to come with us!" replied Marie Kanker, squeezing next to a frightened-looking Double D.
"I've gotta go!" yelled Eddy, running off to Ed's backyard.
"Eddy! Where on Earth are you going?" asked Double D, confused.
"I've gotta help him, Sock-Head! He may be a big jerk, but he's still family!"
"Then wait just a darn minute, mister! Ed and I are coming too!"
But Eddy had already jumped Ed's fence and run into the woods.
"I'm so sorry! We'll try to be back quickly!" yelled Double D to the others as he and Ed ran into the woods after him.
(Back in the Fire Nation's Royal Palace - Banquet Hall)
"I would like to thank everyone here for attending this most wonderful celebration!" announced a very jolly Iroh, Zuko's tea-obsessed, yet loving and wise uncle who had been an invaluable ally to Aang and his friends during the apex of the war. He had been so close to Zuko in fact, that Zuko even considered him as his true father over his own biological father, the previous, war-mongering, Fire-Lord Ozai. "I cannot tell you just how happy this day makes me! Welcome to the family, Fire-Lady Mai!"
Everyone broke into applause, cheering and whistling as Mai and Zuko stood, kissed, and waved at the crowd.
Iroh continued: "I would also like to formally welcome Avatar Aang and his friends into the family as well! I remember that long ago, it was my nephew's sole purpose to capture the Avatar and bring him back here as a prisoner of war. But now, Aang is the Best-Man at his wedding! Like a wise man once said: The most effective way to destroy an enemy, is to make them a friend!"
Everyone cheered as Zuko and Aang, sitting at either side of Iroh at the head of the table, stood up and bowed to one another before taking their seats once more. Katara sat to Aang's left, while Mai sat to Zuko's right. Beside Mai sat Ty Lee (the Maid of Honor), and Toph, while beside Katara sat Sokka and Suki.
Aang, age 20, was the last of the Air Nomads, who were once one of the great four nations in the world (which also included: the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation) until they were wiped out by the Fire Nation's armies, who at the time, were all greatly enhanced by a passing fire-comet. As a result, he was also the last airbender in the entire world, and being the current Avatar, he was also the only person able to bend and master all four of the elements, making him the most powerful bender in the world.
Besides being a vegetarian and a pacifist, he was also a kind, caring, and fun-loving young man who was wise beyond his years and would do anything to protect his friends, even shedding his peaceful ways when he absolutely needed to.
His appearance, like all Air Nomads before him, resembled that of a Shaolin monk, for he was completely bald (shaven, not naturally) and wore a traditional, red, orange, and yellow Air Nomad outfit which resembled the robes of a Shaolin master. But his most distinguishing features were his blue arrow tattoos that ran the length of his back, and branched out in five directions, slightly wrapping around the length of his arms and legs, as well as over his head. The five arrows ended on the tops of his hands and feet, with the last ending on his forehead. These symbolized his status as an airbending master, and he received them at only twelve years old (the youngest in history).
Katara, age 22, was a master waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. She was Aang's waterbending teacher, and had also started a close romantic relationship with him when the Hundred-Year War had concluded.
Having lost her mother at a young age to a Fire Nation raid of the Southern Water Tribe, she later fulfilled a sort of motherly-role to her older brother Sokka and saw to domestic duties when she grew a little older as was customary for women of the Water Tribe, as a result, becoming an independent, strong-willed, loving, caring, compassionate and protective young woman who was driven by her strong sense of morality and justice.
Her appearance, like all members of the Water Tribe, was fairly reminiscent of the Inuit Native-American Tribes. She had a beautiful, brown skin-tone; large, blue eyes; long, flowing brown hair that she usually wore tied back with a knot, and hung down to her lower-back, allowing only two thick locks to flow over her shoulders; and a curvaceously toned body that had filled in well in all the right places. She wore a traditional, light-blue Water Tribe dress that had white fur trim along the neck and sleeves, and had a line of white silk, crescent moons embroidered along one side of the skirt.
Sokka, age 23, was a fearsomely skilled warrior from the Southern Water Tribe. Despite being a non-bender, he was a master swordsman and a very intelligent, natural-born leader, who was also a creative and strategic genius, seeing as he was responsible for planning and leading many of their past victories.
But he didn't always show his genius. Most of the time, he was a highly carnivorous, accident-prone, sarcastic, immature goof-ball who constantly spewed bad jokes and even worse one-liners. But in the end, Sokka was a kind, loyal friend, and a proud, strong-willed, and determined warrior who would do anything to protect those whom he loved.
He had the same skin-tone, eye-color, and hair-color as his sister; a thin, muscular build; well-defined facial features; a small goatee on his chin; and had the back and sides of his head closely shaven, leaving only a small patch of long hair along the top of his head resembling a slicked-back Mohawk, except it was all tied back into a small tail on the back of his head (a Water Tribe men's hairstyle known as a "Warrior's Wolf Tail"). He wore a formal and traditional light-blue Tai-Chi uniform that had the Water Tribe's symbol of curling water waves within a circle, on the back.
Toph Beifong, age 20, was a master earthbender who claimed to be the most powerful in the world, and for good reason. She was so skilled, that she even invented metalbending by sensing earth-based impurities within metal. Blind since birth, she was never truly in the dark due to her amazing ability of seismic sense, or "seeing" through the bottoms of her feet using Earthbending to sense everything that was in contact with the Earth. As such, she never wore shoes, or if she did, she would pop out the soles in order to stay in contact with the ground. Combined with her remaining, heightened senses, she had an incredible sense of awareness to the point of sensing things much before the others could, even from a very long distance, and even if it was deep underground. She learned this ability by training with the giant, blind, cave-dwelling badger-moles, which were the original earthbenders. This unique training situation also resulted in her unique earthbending style that was based on the Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu, rather than the Hung Gar Crane and Tiger styles that every other earthbender employed.
Born to a wealthy and prominent family of Earth Kingdom nobles, Toph was treated as a helpless and delicate child by everyone, especially by her overprotective parents, and thus, was constantly guarded, watched over, and catered to. Secretly an earthbending prodigy, she constantly snuck off to train with the badger-moles, and even became the champion of various earthbending tournaments under the name "The Blind Bandit". Later, she ran away with Aang and the others in order to be his earthbending teacher after finally revealing her true self to her parents. On top of her tough, badass, independent, and tomboyish attitude, she was also stubborn, confrontational, brutally honest, and even though she had been instructed in fine-manners, a purposely unrefined demeanor (she had no problem publicly picking her nose or toes, or even burping loudly after a good meal). But on the other hand, she was very much a loyal, courageous, protective, and extremely powerful ally who truly cared for and loved her friends.
She had beautiful pale skin; large, faded-green eyes; a well-filled, curvaceous body that rivaled even Katara's (minus her chest, though); long, raven-black hair that she kept bundled up behind her head in a big round bunch, with two thick bangs that framed the sides of her beautiful, slightly-rounded face, down to her chin, as well as two slightly shorter bangs that hung down over her face, down to the sides of her nose, making her eyes just barely visible; and she wore a green, tiara-shaped hair-band that separated her bangs from the rest of her hair. Her outfit consisted of a Chinese qipao-style yellow crop-top with green trim that ended several inches beneath her breasts, exposing her well-toned midriff, and had short green sleeves that ended just past her elbows. She also wore a pair of green, capri-length pants that hugged her bountiful hips, and were held up with an iron-studded brown leather belt around her thin waist. She also wore iron-studded anklets, as well as iron-studded bracers on each wrist, and like always, she was barefoot.
Zuko, age 24, was a master firebender and the current Fire-Lord, ruler of the Fire Nation. Once a sworn enemy of Team Avatar, he eventually realized the error of his ways and joined them, even going so far as to teach Aang firebending in order to defeat his father, Phoenix-King Ozai.
Though he was hot-tempered and usually very serious, he was also a compassionate and wise leader, as well as a good and loyal friend.
He had a thin, yet muscular build; light skin; nape-length, dark-brown hair that he wore in a top-knot; amber eyes; and had a large burn scar on the left side of his face, surrounding his left eye, which he had received about a decade before when he was forced into an Agni Kai, or Fire Duel, with his own father for speaking out of line during a war-meeting. He wore his royal, black and red, Fire-Lord robes, as well as the golden, flame-shaped ornament that was placed behind his top-knot as a crown-like symbol of his status.
"Aang, are you alright?" asked Zuko, who held Mai close as she nestled against him. He had noticed that Aang seemed to be lost in thought for a while now.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah! Don't worry about it!" he replied, trying to play it off, though unconvincingly.
"Yo, Snoozles, can you guys take it outside or something? I really don't want to keep sensing that," said Toph. Snoozles was her nickname for Sokka.
"Sorry, Toph," said Suki, pulling away from Sokka. They had been kissing for a few minutes already.
"But, Suki, I haven't seen you in months! I've been really frustrated, lately!" he whined.
"We'll save it for later, Sokka," replied Suki.
"Yeah, Sokka, think about the rest of us," said Katara, "and plus, you're right beside me! I can hear everything!"
"Well now you know how I felt around you and Aang when you guys were sucking face non-stop right after the war ended!" He then followed this by placing both hands on his cheeks, making a funny, smoochie face at Katara and then, in a hilariously high-pitched voice that was meant to be an impression of her, said: "Oh, Aang! Sweetie! I didn't know that you were also a master tonguebender!"
Everyone of their friends (even Aang, though he tried holding back) laughed hysterically as Katara turned bright red. She was about to comically smack Sokka upside the head, when suddenly Iroh, bearing a huge grin on his face, yelled: "Let the feasting begin!"
The royal cooks and servants promptly entered through the large double doors that lined the huge banquet hall, wheeling in cart after cart of food to the massive feasting table.
"Woo! Bring on the grub! I skipped breakfast and lunch for this!" cheered Sokka, drumming on his belly while eyeing an entire, roasted elephant-pig, intently. If there was one thing that Sokka loved as much as Suki (or weapons), it was definitely food.
"I hope you have some good vegetarian dishes!" said Aang, hopefully.
"Of course!" said Zuko, "How could I forget about you?"
Aang smiled and bowed his head in thanks as a rather large platter of specially prepared gourmet dishes was placed in front of him, causing his mouth to water in anticipation.
"Speaking on that, I never got to congratulate you two right after the ceremony, so, congratulations! I'm so happy for the both of you!" said Katara, "I only hope that my wedding will be as beautiful as yours!"
Aang nearly choked on the first bite of his food, prompting both Mai and Toph to quietly laugh to themselves.
"You're hopeless, Twinkle Toes!" laughed Toph, biting ferociously into a large leg of meat. Twinkle Toes was her nickname for Aang.
Sokka immediately attacked his meal, voraciously wolfing down entire slabs of elephant-pig meat in a comical fashion while the other guests looked on in both amazement and horror.
"So," said Ty Lee, daintily eating her meal in small bites, "who's gonna be the next lucky bride?"
This time, both Aang and Sokka nearly choked on their food.
"Will it be you, Katara? Or you, Suki? Maybe it'll be me!" sang Ty Lee in her usual, bubbly manner, "Who knows?"
Toph suddenly arose from the table and turned to leave when Katara called out to her.
"Hey, where are you going, Toph?"
"Don't mind me, Sugar-Queen. I just suddenly lost my appetite," she replied, walking out through a large set of double doors.
Ty Lee turned towards Katara with a cutesy, sad look on her face and asked, "Was it something I said?"
Katara wasn't sure and simply answered, "No, I'm sure it wasn't. Don't worry, I'll go talk to her."
"No!" blurted Ty Lee, "Please, let me. Sorry, I just can't shake the feeling that it really was something I said."
Reluctantly, Katara nodded her approval and immediately, Ty Lee headed out as well.
There was a momentary awkward silence where the only sounds were the clanking of dinnerware, when it was suddenly broken.
"So, Sweetie, Sokka told me that you had a pretty bad nightmare last night?" she asked, genuinely curious and concerned.
"Oh, um… yeah, I did," said Aang, surprised by the question.
"Why don't you talk to us about it?"
"Actually, now's probably not the time to discuss it."
"No, please, Aang," insisted Zuko, finally understanding why he had been down, earlier, "I'm actually curious as to what sort of nightmare could have been so bad, that it even scared the Avatar."
"Well, um, you see―"
"Just tell the damn story, Cue-Ball," said Mai, in her usual gloomy monotone. Figures, even at her own wedding celebration, she was still somewhat bored.
"I guess I can tell you guys, then," said Aang, finally succumbing to their pressures. "It felt so real. I was standing in some part of your palace, Zuko, and it was completely blazing with fire, and there was some sort of dark vortex that swirled up in the air. In the center of the room was Katara, crying and hunched over a body…" he shut his eyes as he remembered the pain that the scene had brought about.
"That was me, right?" guessed Sokka, looking serious.
Everyone had a shocked look on their face when Aang nodded and continued.
"Yes. She was mourning, and then she accused me of having killed, not only you, but everyone else, too. When I tried to get her out of there, she called me a monster and attacked me with a fatal waterbending technique―an ice-spike, right to my heart―and I went berserk. I flew into an unexplainable rage and entered the Avatar-State. But it wasn't like normal. Instead of light, I was filled with darkness, and I actually began bending the darkness, which I then hurled at Katara, instantly… well, let's just say that's when I woke up, screaming."
Everyone just stayed silent once again. They didn't expect the dream to be that bad.
"My biggest fear though, is that it may have been a premonition," said Aang, holding his head in his hands.
"No," said Iroh, surprising everyone, "No Avatar has ever received a premonition. But cosmic warnings in the form of a vision or a dream, now that is much more likely. It may be just as the shared-dream between you and Zuko during the Harmony-Restoration Movement that warned you of what would have occurred if things had continued on their course. I believe that the cosmic energy in the universe is trying to warn you again. But of what, I'm not sure."
"I think I might know, then," said Aang, ominously, "I've been feeling something weird lately. It feels like the cosmic energy that I usually feel is a bit off―almost as if it were corrupted by something. I think it's a warning to not go into the Avatar-State, or I could end up being filled with the very darkness that I saw, and lose control."
Once again, the others didn't really know what to say.
"What a buzz-kill," sighed Mai, of all people.
"Why don't I go check up on the girls?" said Katara, getting up and heading out of the same door that both Toph and Ty Lee had gone through.
Aang still looked down when Sokka, finally coming up with something sort of positive, nudged him in the shoulder and said, "You hear that, Aang? It was a warning! Not a premonition! Looks like we don't have to worry about it! Just don't glow it up, er, uh, I mean dark it up!"
Aang nodded sadly and looked down at his hands as his thoughts ran rampant. Iroh's input had made him feel better, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was on its way.
I hope you're right.
(Out in the Courtyard)
Ty Lee quietly came out onto the palace courtyard and looked around in the moonlight, where she eventually found Toph sitting cross-legged about twenty feet to her right, bending an earth tent over herself.
She stealthily snuck over to it, but before she could knock, Toph announced, "I know you're there, Ty Lee!"
"How'd you know it was me?" she pouted.
"I thought it was Twinkle Toes at first, what with him being so light on his feet and all, but then I noticed you began sneaking on your hands―Yeah, kind of a dead giveaway."
"Oh! Well then… knock, knock! Hahaha," she laughed nervously.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted to talk."
After a brief moment, the earth tent shot back into the ground, garnering a comically surprised reaction from Ty Lee, who back flipped away from it, startled.
Toph rose to her feet and crossed her arms while tapping her foot, impatiently. "Well? Are you gonna talk, or not?!"
It took a short moment for Ty Lee to compose herself before she asked, "Why did you leave us, back there?"
"I don't know!" shouted Toph, throwing her arms up into the air.
"Was it because of what I said about me and the other girls possibly getting married?"
"I… guess? I'm not sure! Ugh!" yelled Toph, turning away from her with flushed cheeks. She was really embarrassed by her reaction and facepalmed herself for it.
It was strange. She was usually so direct and confrontational, but this time, she just couldn't bring herself to come out and say what her problem was.
"Toph, I hope that I'm not prying into your business, or anything, but are you currently in a… troubled relationship?"
"Hmph! I wish!" laughed Toph. After realizing what she had said, she quickly facepalmed again. She didn't mean to let that slip.
Suddenly, Ty Lee tearfully understood what the problem was and immediately ran over, pulling Toph into a friendly, yet tight embrace. "I know exactly how you feel!"
"You do?!" asked Toph, actively and comically trying to escape the embrace.
"You and I are a lot alike! You see, I grew up with six sisters, and―"
"Okay, now you've lost me. I was an only child!" yelled Toph, clearly frustrated.
"No, just listen! I was part of a matching set of seven identical sisters, yet, while growing up, I actively tried to distinguish myself from them to get more attention from my parents. I wanted to be my own person so much, that I ended up running away and joining the circus! I was attention-starved, so I later started flirting with guys to get that attention, but now I can't even hold down a decent relationship. I know I may come off as happy, cheerful, and confident with guys, but I'm just as lonely as you are. What I said back there… that was just some stupid wishful thinking. Pretty pathetic, huh?"
Toph finally understood her point and sat down on the ground, sighing.
Ty Lee did the same but instead, sat on the ledge of a fancy fountain. "Alright, girl, lay it on me! What's wrong?"
Toph sighed again, and began: "Lately, I've just been seeing―I mean, sensing―what Aang and Katara have, as well as Sokka and Suki, and just like you, I guess… I've just been feeling very lonely. Also, being at a wedding right now isn't exactly helping."
"Yeah, definitely not," agreed Ty Lee.
"Running the Metalbending Academy, I don't really have enough time to be in a relationship, or anything. In fact, I'm only here right now because my top three Lily-Livers were eager to finally practice teaching and volunteered to run the school in my absence. But I can't just leave it to them forever! I mean, I have to return sometime, right?"
Lily-Livers were what Toph called her students.
"Why not date a student, then? That way you can be with them all the time! And I'm sure you've got some buff and handsome earthbenders in there!"
"Tried to―didn't work out at all. Also, hello?! I'm blind, remember?! I wouldn't know or care if they were handsome or not!" yelled Toph, waving her hands over her face.
"Oh, right! Sorry, I just forget sometimes!" laughed Ty Lee, nervously.
It was a somewhat common running gag for the members of Team Avatar, especially Sokka, to forget that Toph was blind due to her being so independent and aware. Once, during the war, it had gotten so bad, that they kept holding wanted posters of her in front of her face, expecting her to read them until she grew hilariously frustrated and reminded them that she was blind.
"And that's another problem! No guy really wants to be with a blind woman! It's not fair, damn it!" she stomped her foot and caused an earth column to shoot up from the ground, near them. She even had a few tears of frustration―a real rarity, as she wasn't usually one to display her emotions so outwardly, much less actually cry.
"Why exactly didn't they work? Is that what those stupid jerks said? That they didn't want a blind girlfriend?" asked Ty Lee, moving closer to comfort Toph, who was now crying into her own hands.
"It's not that they didn't work. It's that they never even started!"
"What would happen?"
"First of all, they never even asked me out! I had to be the one to take the initiative! And they would either turn me down out of fear or intimidation, or go on one measly date before we would both realize that we had made a horrible mistake. Of the guys that agreed to go out with me, every tough guy turned out to be an insufferable ass, and every sensitive guy turned out to be a total crybaby weakling! Every funny guy turned out to be an annoying idiot, and every serious guy turned out to be nothing more than an even more boring earthbender version of Zuko! Not to mention that all of them patronized me because of my blindness! I got enough of that from my parents! I guess, what I'm saying is that I just can't find the right person. I know that women don't need romance to be happy, but I want it, and I want to enjoy it!"
"I hear ya," agreed Ty Lee.
"It's kind of funny and ironic that the closest I've ever come to finding the right man was in both Sokka and Aang. But Sokka's too clowny and annoying, and I can totally whoop his butt any day. And Aang, being the Avatar, is the most powerful bender in the world! But what bothers me is that he doesn't act like it and he's too sensitive and pacifistic. I don't want him to be a tyrannical warlord or anything, but as the Avatar, he could at least be more of a macho tough guy! I want someone who isn't afraid or hesitant to knock a few heads together."
Ty Lee had tears in her large eyes as she thought about Sokka. During the war, she too once had a big crush on him until her hopes were shot down by Suki. But, not being one to hold a grudge, Ty Lee felt no anger toward her and somewhat moved on. "So then, what kind of guy are you looking for?" asked Ty Lee, genuinely curious as to sort of man could possibly get Toph―an extremely powerful earthbender with such a tough, tomboy attitude―all hot and bothered.
"I'd like a really strong fighter―a powerful bender who's able to fight on equal or greater terms than me. He should be smart and serious when he has to be, but also funny, kind, and fun-loving when he wants to be. Most importantly though, he should love me and treat me like a real woman. I know, kind of a really high standard, but what can I say? I don't just want anyone. I want to love being with him, and I want him to love being with me."
Ty Lee was surprised and delighted at Toph's answer, responding with: "Sounds like the perfect man, to me!"
When Toph stayed silent and had a sad, pondering look on her face, Ty Lee gave her another hug and asked, "Getting all of this off of your chest must be tough. Are you still feeling sad?"
"I was just thinking that I don't even know how I look like. Katara once told me that I was very pretty, but lately, I haven't felt like it. It's so weird! I've never once cared about my appearance―until now! I know that my looks aren't everything, and I'd hate it if a guy only wanted me for them, but I just want to know if I'm setting my standards too high."
"Can I tell you something?"
"Shoot."
"Until recently, I'd always thought of Princess Azula as the most beautiful woman in the world. I never thought that any other girl could even come close to her. But, boy, was I wrong. I see you now, and you've definitely got her beaten―and not just in your looks or fashion! Seriously, no offense, but for someone who's blind, you sure have a sexy fashion sense. Sure, you could stand to let that beautiful black hair down every once in a while, but―"
"No deal. I have to keep it up or it just gets in the way of my bending."
"Understandable, but as I was saying, any man would be lucky to be with you. Just wait. Time brings surprises all the time. You never know who you'll meet the next day."
"Thank you, Ty Lee," said Toph, feeling much better. She then punched her square in the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Don't you tell anyone about this!"
"No problem!"
As soon as they headed inside, Toph kept in contact with the stone wall to sense where she was going due to the oak floor-boards, when she suddenly bumped into someone, whom she immediately recognized.
"Sugar-Queen?"
"Toph… I had no idea that you were feeling that way this whole time!" replied Katara.
"Oh no. You seriously heard everything?! But how did I not sense you?―Oh yeah, wood floor. Damn it."
"Don't you dare be ashamed! I actually respect you more for not keeping those thoughts bottled up like any other person would. That took a lot of guts―something I know you have in spades. And you, Ty Lee, thank you for helping her feel better. That means so much to me."
They both smiled in thanks when Katara suddenly pulled Toph into a hug.
"Seriously, I'm fine, now! Will everyone please stop hugging me?!"
(The Nexus Throne-Room, Lair of the Fallen Hand, Ethereal Wasteland Dimension)
The throne-room was filled with the light and darkness of the permanent worm-holes that lined its walls as a mysterious boy approached the throne, walking within the shadows.
"Welcome to my lair. I trust the transportation was to your liking?" asked Warmaster Surt, sitting on his throne, which appeared to be made from the scorched bones of a massive beast.
He was speaking to Mandark, who had previously been thwarted by the Warriors Next Dimension during an unsuccessful attack on Dexter's laboratory.
"Indeed," he responded, "but a few of your Chimeran soldiers were pestering me the whole way. I killed them all with my exo-suit when we arrived. Is that alright?"
"You're my newest Head-Scientist, so anyone pestering you would be pestering me as well! Feel free to punish any insubordinate worms as you see fit. So then, shall we talk business?"
"Of course, Warmaster. You three, enter!" Mandark shouted towards the entrance.
Immediately, three large men wearing all-black, military uniforms entered, walking in a straight line. They each carried large rifles and stood still and emotionless after lining up before Surt.
"Your impressive laboratory facility suited my needs well, Warmaster. I was able to begin manufacturing a myriad of Universal Soldiers within a matter of days. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of improving on the original formula and procedure in order to ensure maximum combat capability, seeing as your previous models were made using corpses that had already been decomposing. My new method for Unisol manufacture involves, let's just say, fresh corpses, as well as some new procedures and advances to the chemical compounds that are involved with the process. I currently have about five hundred Unisols, armed and ready for combat, with more on the way."
"Excellent―simply excellent, Mandark. With your new improvements, capturing the Avatar should be an easier feat. My other forces are all spread too thin, capturing other worlds. These new Unisols will make an excellent addition to my army. Your payment will be quite generous."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Mandark, grinning evilly, "But, no monetary payment will be necessary, Warmaster. You see, what I do want is a bit more… ambitious."
"Oh? And that would be?"
"I have this list of supplies that I'm going to need. I've recently begun conceiving further upgrades for the Unisols, and I plan on creating an army―the ultimate army, composed entirely of NGUs! Or Next-Generation Unisols, as I call them," he replied.
"Intriguing. Very well, it shall be done."
Surt didn't see it, but Mandark had the most evil grin on his face when his request was approved.
"Thank you, great Warmaster! May the day come soon when your rule stretches to the ends of the Multiverse!"
When he left the throne-room, Mandark quickly headed back to his ship and into his sleeping quarters. After locking the door behind him, he pulled a cube from underneath his bed.
The cube, usually all black, suddenly began showing a strange display of green, computer coding that seemed to be slowly falling along its six faces.
"Is it done?" emanated a voice.
"Yes. Warmaster Surt agreed to provide me with the necessary materials. It won't be long now. Ha-haha! Ha-haha-haha!"
"Well done, Mr. Astronomonov. Very well done."
(Park 'n Flush Trailer Park, Peach Creek)
Eddy ran across the scattered mess of trailers as he yelled out for his brother. Upon finally reaching the Kankers' trailer, he kicked the door open and went inside. It was a deserted mess, seeing as the Kankers had packed their stuff and abandoned it in a hurry.
He called out once again, "Big Bro! Where are you?! We need to leave!"
Before he walked into the kitchen area, he felt something cold and hard press onto the back of his head. Recognizing the feeling as a gun-barrel thanks to Numbuh 1's training, he immediately dropped down while simultaneously slicing above himself with the all-white katana that Jack had given him.
Before he could stand and turn, he noticed a large, disembodied hand holding onto a pistol fall beside him. He quickly rolled forward to put some distance between himself and this mysterious attacker.
When he stood up, he saw a large, bald man, wearing a tactical black military uniform with a strange headset that had a red, glowing, ocular attachment over his right eye. But strangest of all, he examined the bloody stump where his hand had been without any sort of expression, whatsoever.
No pain, no anger―absolutely nothing.
"What the hell!" cried Eddy as the man suddenly let loose two extremely fast kicks that disarmed him of his weapons, and finished with a spinning, back-piston kick that launched Eddy onto the kitchen table, causing it to break down.
Stepping forward, he ferociously stomped down, but missed his mark as Eddy rolled to the side and swept with a kick of his own as he stood up, but it had no effect on his burly enemy, who simply grabbed and threw him at the fridge, breaking its door and making a mess of its contents.
He then walked back to his weapon and picked it up. But when he took aim, he was suddenly stopped by Ed, who jumped up on his shoulders and wrapped his arms around the behemoth's neck, attempting to choke him out.
"Ed, no!" yelled Double D, shakily holding his solar-pistol at the ready, "Get off so I can shoot!" Taking precaution, he then pressed his communicator and called for back-up.
Ed quickly let go, but Double D suddenly couldn't bring himself to shoot.
"What are you waiting for, Sock-Head?! Shoot him already!" yelled Eddy, climbing out of the fridge.
Before Double D could do anything, the man grabbed Ed from the floor and drop-kicked him across the room.
"Ed!" cried Double D, running to catch his friend.
The man charged at them, but was intercepted by a flying knee to the side of the head from Eddy, knocking him into the TV and the wall. He immediately stood back up and grabbed Eddy, who desperately unleashed punch after punch to the sides of his head, knocking the head-set off as he did so.
The man stumbled into a narrow hall, still holding Eddy, and brutally beat him against the wall. Ed quickly rejoined the fight and head-butted the stranger's back, knocking him over, and followed suit with an elbow drop. But the man simply brushed him aside with a powerful side-swipe, causing Ed to hit his head against the wall.
Eddy, completely angry, threw down ferocious elbow-strikes directly onto the stranger's face while he was still down, but it only earned him a very hard punch and a powerful kick that sent him tumbling out of the hallway and sliding across the kitchen floor in pain.
Standing, the man ran at him but was rammed by Ed again, causing him to trip over Eddy and smash his head over the edge of the kitchen sink, leaving him to writhe on the ground.
"Gentlemen, we should leave before he regains his senses!" shouted Double D, picking up their weapons.
"No! Double D, hand me my sword!" shouted Eddy. He was intensely angry and had full intentions to torture information out of this man.
"No, Eddy! He's a human being! He's not just some animal that we can decide to kill!"
"Is that why you didn't shoot him when you had the chance?! Ed and I could have died!"
Double D didn't know what to say and turned away.
"Sword! Now!"
Double D tossed the sword to him and went outside, leaving Ed and Eddy to deal with the stranger.
Holding the sword to the stranger's neck, he asked, "Where is my Big Bro? Tell me, now!"
The man stayed silent and expressionless.
"I swear, chump, I'll run your neck through!"
This time, the man smiled ominously as a loud beeping noise emanated from him.
"Eddy, big boom bad for Ed!" yelled Ed, immediately recognizing the sound, at which he grabbed Eddy and jumped out of the nearest window.
When they were barely a few feet away from the trailer, it exploded, sending debris everywhere and knocking them over.
"Ed! Eddy! Help!" yelled Double D.
When they looked up, they saw Double D, holding his hands in the air as three more soldiers wearing the same uniforms approached, pointing their assault-rifles at him.
"Damn it!" yelled Eddy, tearfully punching the ground, "We're actually gonna die!"
Just then, two of the men collapsed to the ground with black machete blades protruding from their faces.
"Numbuh 529!" exclaimed Double D, joyfully.
When the last soldier turned around to face the assailant, Numbuh 529 swiftly ducked under the rifle-barrel and placed both of his palms, touching at the wrist, vertically on the man's sternum, and then shouted: "Hadouken!"
A blinding flash of light emanated as his palms released an extremely powerful burst of green energy that sent the soldier flying through the air, instantly dead.
The Eds were stunned. Even amongst the Straw Hats, they'd never seen anything like that.
"Gravy!" exclaimed Ed.
"What in the world was that?!" exclaimed Double D, bewildered.
"I'll explain it to you guys later. For now, we have to get moving," he said, offering his hand to Eddy, who was still on all fours after beating the ground in anger. "I'm sorry, Eddy. The ship's Bio-scans showed nothing more than seven people here―you three, plus those four Unisols. They registered as dead bodies, but I knew they were Unisols when they started moving. Um, where's the fourth one?"
"Ed and I fought him in the trailer, but he blew himself up when he knew he was beaten," said Eddy, taking his hand and standing up, "Wait a minute, you know what they are?!"
"Yeah, Universal Soldiers, or Unisols for short. I've faced them before. Now let's go! That's an order!"
Ed and Double D quickly followed, but Eddy remained where he was.
"Eddy?" asked Double D.
"I will find him, Double D. Maybe not now, but I just know that I'll find him, one day, and he'll be alright."
(Back at the Fire Nation Royal Palace)
The early sunrise was shining through Aang's window as he tossed and turned in his asleep. The same nightmare from before had repeated itself, only this time, it depicted an earlier scene in which he was actually hunting his friends down one by one, killing them all while in his corrupted Avatar-State. In the dream, he was bending massive tornados of air, tsunamis of water, rockslides of earth, jet-streams of flames and swirling vortexes of darkness as everyone fought back with every ounce of strength that they had, only to die horribly.
It was too much.
Screaming in the real world, Aang subconsciously entered into his Avatar-State and flew into an uncontrollable rage. He had absolutely no control over himself and, just like in his dream, he was channeling the corrupted cosmic energy that had manifested itself as darkness.
The others immediately awoke and ran to his room, but were easily blown back by the powerful gusts of wind that seeped from behind the door, which eventually blew off of its hinges, pinning Sokka against the wall.
"Always me!" he yelled, comically frustrated.
"What's up with Twinkle Toes?!" shouted Toph, thoroughly confused.
"Remember the nightmare that I told you about, yesterday, that Aang had?" shouted Katara, barely audible over the wind, "I think he had it again and accidentally entered the Avatar-State in his sleep!"
"Well just great! So we're gonna die now?!" she replied.
"Don't say that! I'm gonna try to calm him down!" Katara was about to step away from them when Sokka tackled her to the ground. A massive stream of flames just barely missed them.
"That's probably a bad idea! Aang already mastered control over his Avatar-State, remember?" said Sokka, "He has no control right now because his mind is clouded by the darkness! You won't get through to him and you'll just end up getting killed!"
"What's going on out there?!" yelled Zuko, running towards them with Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee, the Kyoshi Warriors, and a whole platoon of palace guards in tow.
"Aang had the nightmare again and slipped into the Avatar-State in his sleep!" shouted Katara, with tears in her eyes. "There's no telling what he might do! He's not even glowing!"
"So he's lost control?" asked Zuko.
Katara nodded as she cried into Sokka's shoulder.
"Then, I'm sorry . . . but I have to protect my city!" he yelled, throwing his robes and boosting himself into the air like a rocket using his firebending.
"Zuko!" cried Mai, trying to run after him, but Iroh and Ty Lee quickly held her back.
Suddenly, the members of the Order of the White Lotus (who had all attended the wedding) ran out onto the palace courtyard, when one of them, a buff old man who was the king of Omashu, a great Earth Kingdom city, yelled: "Hey everybody! Why's Aang going crazy?!"
"Bumi!" yelled Sokka, "Aang just went out of control! Zuko might need some help!"
King Bumi was a wild, yet madly brilliant old man who looked frail when he wore his robes, but was actually a monstrously fit and powerful earthbender who also, like Toph, claimed to be the most powerful earthbender in the world, and also for good reason. Though he couldn't metalbend like Toph, his earthbending was so strong that he was able to lift and levitate entire stone structures, earthbend using only his face and chin (Toph could also do this, but not to such a degree), and could even earthbend without having physical contact with the earth―something that even she couldn't do yet.
Before anyone could stop her, Toph launched herself out onto the palace courtyard and followed Bumi, who had jumped up onto the rooftops to chase after Zuko while raving and howling excitedly like a mad man.
Aang flew through the air above the palace grounds, surrounded by a spherical whirlwind, and giant rings of earth, water, and fire. Above him was a swirling vortex of pure darkness that was only visible because of the sunrise, and it seemed to only be growing.
Scores of people ran for their lives as he passed high over them, sending great gusts of wind throughout the city.
"Aang! If you can hear me, please stop this madness!" yelled Zuko, flying towards him with his fire rocket technique. "I don't want to have to hurt you!"
Without even turning to face him, Aang fired off a hailstorm of earth bullets that nearly hit their mark as Zuko quickly implemented an evasive maneuver and was barely able to escape harm.
Steadying his flight, Zuko began breathing fire at Aang, a technique taught to him by his Uncle Iroh, which, in the past, had earned his uncle the famous and feared title of "Dragon of the West".
The fire was easily dispelled by the thick ring of water that surrounded Aang, which then lashed out at Zuko, who again, dodged by taking a drastic, aerial maneuver.
Aang, visibly emanating darkness from his eyes and tattoos, suddenly stopped directly over Caldera City, and began spreading more dark vortexes out over it, high up in the air. Finally, he began gathering more of the elements around himself, preparing a massive air-strike to rain down upon the city.
"Aang, please no!" cried Katara from the palace. She was crying intensely as Sokka held onto her to make sure that she didn't run out into the line of fire.
Before he could amount his arsenal any further, Zuko immediately charged up a massive fire blast and unleashed it.
At the same time, Toph and Bumi collaborated by summoning an impossibly large column of earth from the ground and hurled it straight up, after which, Bumi jumped high into the air and spin-kicked the massive stone column directly at Aang.
The attacks were successful, and caused Aang to drop from the sky, unconscious.
Toph immediately softened up his landing by completely breaking up the earth into very loose sand, and then raised it up to break his fall before he reached terminal velocity. After carrying him down, she immediately moved him away from there as a massive amount of earth and water dropped from the sky, leaving it to smash through an abandoned building and collapse it.
"Nice sandbending, Toph! Oh yeah, and nice catch!" commended Bumi.
They arrived to find the others waiting at the courtyard, from which, Katara immediately ran over to them.
By this time, Aang was coming back into consciousness, and suddenly screamed himself awake, realizing what he had done. Though he didn't have any control, he had been fully aware of his actions.
"Aang, Sweetie! It's alright! You're okay!" sobbed Katara, holding him against her bosom as she cried with him.
"Is everyone safe?!" he asked, looking around.
Everyone nodded when suddenly, Zuko pushed his way passed them and stood over Aang.
"Avatar Aang… I hereby banish you from the Fire-Nation, as well as from the United Republic of Nations!"
"What?!" Katara, Toph, Sokka, Suki, and even Ty Lee shouted simultaneously.
"Even from Republic City?! The very city that both you and Aang founded?!" shouted Toph, outraged. "I should kick your royal ass, do you know that?!"
Even Iroh was shocked and quickly ran around Zuko to face him.
"Zuko! What on Earth are you thinking banishing your friend, and the Avatar, no less! This incident was not intentional and it would only serve to tarnish the Avatar's image! He is a symbol of hope and peace to the world!"
"Tell that to the thousands of people that ran screaming from their homes as their symbol of hope and peace prepared to rain death from above!"
"If he's banished, then I'm banished too!" yelled Toph. Katara, Sokka, and even Suki agreed and said the same.
"No, guys! Please, you don't have to do that! He's right," said Aang, sitting on the ground with his head lowered
Katara immediately interjected: "But, Aang, it was an accident! You didn't mean to do this!"
"Nobody got hurt, Twinkle Toes!" yelled Toph, "We're all okay! Don't beat yourself up!"
"It doesn't matter! I could have killed all those people! I'm now a danger to the whole world!"
"But we can fix this!" cried Katara, holding Aang close. "Can't we?!"
"No… we can't," said Sokka, ominously, as he pointed out over the city.
Nobody was prepared for what they saw next.
The various vortexes that Aang had created began absorbing the sun-light and then turned into full-blown wormholes as both light and darkness swirled rapidly within them.
"What's going on up there?! What did you do?!" shouted Zuko.
"Those can't be good," said Sokka, staring intensely into the large wormholes.
"It would be nice if one of you described what's going on! I can't sense stuff in the sky, in case you forgot?!" yelled Toph.
Aang was speechless. He couldn't believe what was happening.
"Pack up and leave, now!" yelled Zuko, taking Mai's hand as he walked back to the palace.
Iroh stayed a moment longer in silence, and finally said, "I cannot express how sorry I am, Avatar Aang. Please, I hope that one day, you find it in your heart to forgive my nephew."
A pair of tears slid down Aang's face as he answered: "I'm the one who hopes that you can all one day forgive me…"
End of Act I of III
Continue to Act II )))))