The Avalanche
Disclaimer: I own the Avalanche. As for the rest…they are not mine. Even the Earth Rumble belt. Pretty sad, huh?
Chapter One
The Avalanche put on his mask and shrugged on the cape. He could already feel the rush of adrenaline as he grinned at himself in the mirror. His hand moved to touch his chin and he frowned, contemplating on giving himself a shave. No, maybe not; the stubble made him look manly.
You? A man? Hah! You can't even take care of yourself, let alone find a proper job! I'm leaving you, Zhen. For a real man; a man who could—
The Avalanche grabbed the Earth Rumble belt in one hand and used the other to slam the rock door shut as he made his way towards the arena. Insignificant ramblings of his ex-wife where flushed away from his thoughts as he heard his audience roar in excitement; their cheers filled his ears like a child's lullaby, sweet and soothing. He let it wash over him, contenting himself with his new life. Which did not include a wife and brat to look after.
He cracked his fists and raised an eyebrow as he saw one of the challengers fall out of the ring. This year's challengers looked…challenging. He nodded to Xin Fu, the host of Earth Rumble Four and a formidable opponent. Xin Fu looked at him and blinked. He seemed unhappy about something. The Avalanche shrugged it off. He's probably worried about a wife or a lady friend or sommat.
If that was so then he knew that he couldn't give the man any tips; his marriage was a disaster all on its own.
Xin Fu gulped and cleared his throat. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for; the Kid versus your champion, the Avalanche!"
Screams of joy erupted in the air as the Avalanche jumped on the ring. He bowed and threw the belt to one of the girls. He straightened up, smiling at his adoring fans. And froze.
Standing before him was kid who looked to be about ten. Dressed raggedly in a yellow tunic and a dark green shirt, the Kid was better off begging for some coins in the streets.
Is this a big joke? His eyes flickered to the edge of the dome where he saw his friend and great rival, the Rock, limping towards the exit. No, I doubt it.
He dodged the large boulder the Kid threw at him. The Kid was not to be underestimated.
"What are you? Scared or something?" The Kid taunted, her voice making it obvious that she was female.
The Avalanche ignored the comment and moved to crouch on the ground, his senses alert. He threw three tiny rocks towards the Kid, testing her reaction time.
She dodged all of them perfectly. Even the other three the Avalanche threw while moving to avoid a fist-sized rock.
"Is that all you can do? And here I thought I was fighting the champion of the Earth Rumble tournament. Who are you? His water boy?" The Kid asked and laughed.
The Avalanche saw his chance and shoved his hands against the ground. A second later, a rock the size of a head flew towards the Kid from below. He winced as the rock connected with the Kid's chin, imagining the impact it would make with a little girl's head.
The Kid flew in the air and slammed her fists together. A rock wall shot out from the ground; she crashed against it and fell to the floor, breathing hard. "Neat trick there." The Kid growled. She stood up wearily and wiped the blood off her chin. "Mind if I show you mine?"
The Avalanche jumped to his left and threw another boulder. "Not at all."
The Kid raised an eyebrow and grinned, "So he does speak." She stretched her arms forward and clenched her hands shut. Stones from the debris rose unsteadily. The Kid pulled back her arms. They flew towards the Avalanche.
The Avalanche crouched, his fingers digging against the rock. He jumped and twisted himself in the air, a layer of the stone floor wrapped around him, making him invulnerable to the rocks.
He twisted away from the cocoon of hard rock, shedding it like a butterfly, and landed on the floor. Human-sized rock hands rose from either sides of the Kid. Two large boulders slammed against them, shattering them into tiny pieces.
Around them, the audience cheered.
"Know any dances, girl?" The Avalanche asked and grinned. "Let's tango."
The Kid shrugged. "Sorry, but I don't dance with old men."
"If you say so," the Avalanche said and shrugged. He jumped and flipped as a boulder flew his way. "I'm a really good dancing partner you know."
The Kid laughed and twisted her foot, bringing her palms face down. The Avalanche yelped as he was pulled down the ground. The Kid walked towards him, "Game over, old man."
"But I'm not out of the ring yet," the Avalanche pointed out. He smiled. The arena cracked. "So this isn't over."
The Kid flailed her arms. Around her, the ground shattered into large rocks. Xin Fu began to sweat as he reviewed the money he had saved from the tournaments. And the cost of damage he had to pay.
The Kid huffed, "This is so not gonna happen!" She clenched her fists shut, crossing her arms over her chest, and threw them at her sides. Like a dejected puppy, the floor stopped shaking and the rocks went back to being a solid floor.
By that time, the Avalanche had managed to crawl above the ground. He stretched his arms and grimaced as he felt his sore muscles scream. "And you are so gonna pay." The Avalanche said, mimicking the Kid's voice.
"Haha, very funny," the Kid growled.
"This is funny," the Avalanche said, "I'm fighting a blind kid who can predict all my attacks."
The Kid felt her mouth flop open. "You knew?"
The Avalanche shrugged. "You don't make eye contact. You look like you're talking to yourself. Your eyes aren't focused. Need I say more?" The Avalanche frowned. "One question though, how is it that you can still see where I am? I tried to be quiet so you can't hear me, but that obviously didn't work."
"That's for me to know, and for you to find out!" The ground moved towards the Avalanche like a tidal wave. He jumped and twisted himself in the air, wishing for a moment he was an airbender so he could just float away from the rock wave.
The thought struck him. His eyes flickered towards the Kid's feet as his mind tried to keep up with his brain. She's listening to the earth. Neutral Jin—of course! The Avalanche landed and brought his hands up in the air. And I bet her feet are her ears! So the only way to avoid her attacks is to—
A boulder crashed against his side, sending him flying out of the ring. He twisted his hand and a pole shot out from the side, giving him something to hold. It occurred to him that the whole stadium was made of rock. Which means that the only way the Kid could not see him is if he was floating. Above the ground.
"What are you, child, stealing my belt and all?! Are you the Blind Bandit who steals from us men who see more than you?" The Avalanche asked; his grip was slipping.
"The Blind Bandit? I like that," The Kid said and grinned. "Very catchy."
Those words were the last thing the Avalanche heard before he fell to the ground, his head making contact with a large rock.
A/n: I said I was going to write a second chapter. Instead I revised the first one. Why? The fight scene sucked. As for the second chapter...it'll come. Just not now.