Chapter written by CalagrianKnight
Air. Water. Earth. Fire. These are the four elements of which we here on our planet have been gifted with the ability to control, or as we call it, bend. Most people in this world are able to bend a single element at a time, however, there is but one person in this entire world, the Avatar, that is able to bend all four elements. It is the Avatar's duty to be the spirit bridge and bring balance to the world. This has been the case for thousands of years across countless lifetimes, and though my time as the avatar in the physical world has been brought to an end, there is another to take my place, such has has it always been, such will it always be so long as the Avatar cycle continues.
It was a cloudy day when Avatar Nianzu's funeral services were held. Thousands, possibly even millions of people from all across the four nations had gathered in one city, the great city of Ba Sing Se, to pay their respects for the fallen Avatar as his body was carried within an open casket toward the city center. An overwhelming sense of moroseness filled the air as the pallbearers crossed through the crowd of people. Amongst the monumental crowd of people was a single couple with a young child, a little girl. As the pallbearers passed by the family, the young daughter looked over to the open coffin, catching a glimpse of Avatar Nianzu's limp lifeless corpse. The girl stared at Nianzu's body intently, and then, as if something had suddenly awoken in her, the girl's eyes flashed with light for a split second, small sparks of fire igniting from her hands and catching her father's shirt sleeve on fire. The father quickly took notice of the fire, putting it out with the help of his wife. The daughter giggled happily throughout the minor fiasco, clapping her hands with glee. The pallbearers took no mind of the couple's small predicament as they continued to carry Nianzu's casket to where it needed to be.
Fourteen years later, the same family had been called to a meeting with the fire sages.
"What do you mean she's the Avatar?" the young teenager's father exclaimed, immediately being silenced by his wife.
"Careful honey," the wife responded. "We wouldn't want anyone outside this room to accidentally find out, would we?" The father, as astonished as he was, calmed himself and kept silent. "Sorry about that, Master Sage"
"It's quite alright, madame. It was an appropriate reaction to such news as this," the elderly fire sage insisted. "and yes, you did in fact hear me correctly. Your daughter is believed to be the next Avatar."
"Well, how can we know for sure whether or not she is-" the wife begins, immediately getting cut off mid sentence as the couple's daughter bursts into the room with a big grin on her face.
"Hey mom! Dad! Look what I can do!" the girl barked, picking up some marbles and cupping them in her hands. Soon, the girl makes the marbles float between her hands and spin around rapidly. Her parents, witnessing the event unfold before them, stared blankly at the astonishing feat. her father's mouth agape from sheer shock and awe.
"-the...Avatar," her mother concluded her sentence. The fire sage, as incredible as the girl's feat was, remained unfazed.
"Well, I guess that proves it then," the fire sage stated, sitting back in his chair. "Welcome, Avatar Honoka."
"Come on guys, can't we work something out?" a young man clad in traditional air nation attire nervously questioned as a small group of assailants pushed him against the humble wall of the academy, knocking the boy to the ground below.
"Oh just shut up already, flyboy," the head bully proclaimed, punching his fist into the palm of his opposite hand threateningly.
"You have no business being here at a fire nation school, leaf licker," said the bully's female counterpart, merely adding on to the main bully's initial insult.
"Good one, Hisoka," the head bully replied.
"No problem, Hanzo," Hisoka stated, a smug smirk on her face.
"Look guys, I really just want to get out of here, so if you could just go pick on someone else, that would be really-" the young airbender started, getting stopped near the end of his sentence by Hanzo slamming his hand into the wall behind the victim's shoulder.
"Quiet, arrowface!" Hanzo exclaimed.
"You're not going anywhere if we have anything to say about it, hurricane sniffer," Hisoka added.
"Heh, yeah. Plus you're bald!" one of the bully's henchmen blurted out, causing the others in the group to turn their heads in disbelief.
"Lee Shu, just stay quiet, okay?" the head bully requested. "We're trying to be intimidating here."
"Leave the nicknames to us, honey," Hisoka added.
"Oh, sorry guys," Lee Shu responded, backing off slightly in embarrassment. Hanzo nodded, turning his attention back to the young airbender.
"Now, where were we?" Hanzo said as he pulled back his hand and balled it into a fist in preparation for a punch directed to the nomad. Before Hanzo's fist could make contact with the airbender's face, a rock flew in from behind him and smacked him in the back of the head. Hanzo, angered by the rock's hit, took a look behind himself whilst rubbing the impact wound. Before his eyes stood a teenage girl with fiery red hair that seemed to be ablaze in the midday sunlight, her orange eyes burning with passion and energy.
"You know, Hanzo, I hate a lot of things in this world," the girl spoke. "homework, chores, broccoli, responsibility, split ends, flocks of angry turtle ducks chasing me around the yard…" she suddenly stopped after droning on, shaking her head to try focusing. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that if there's one thing I hate most around here, it's bullies, and from what I can tell, you fit that description perfectly." Hanzo's face grew angrier as his mouth formed a scowl, letting go of the airbender and walking angrily towards his personal offender. The girl was completely unphased by his threatening advance even when Hanzo was directly in her face.
"You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that, cinder face," Hanzo stated. "What makes you think you have the right to defend this puny little twinkle toed nomad from me?"
"Oh, I don't know. How about this?" the fiery haired girl replied, swiftly and nimbly sweeping her legs underneath Hanzo's. Her actions caused Hanzo to become completely removed from the ground, leading to Hanzo falling face first into the dirt below their feet in what seemed like no time at all. Everyone stared in shock and awe at the red haired damsel as Hanzo stumbled up into a sitting position, being supported by two of his cronies. Hanzo looked up bitterly towards his assailant. Soon, he looked around at his gang in anger and confusion.
"What are you guys waiting for? Get her!" Hanzo barked, influencing his friends to run at the girl and attack her. As each one approaches her, the girl dodges them as an airbender would, knocking them down shortly after each dodge. Once all the average henchmen are on the ground, Hanzo's friend Hisoka scowls slightly and makes her way towards the female assailant. The girl tried making a motion to attack Hisoka, but Hisoka quickly blocked her attack and pushed the redhead back with a surprising amount of strength and agility. The girl remained standing despite being shoved back a couple feet.
"Heh, pretty strong, Hisoka," the girl retorted. "You always did fight like a man." The girl's snarky comment caused Hisoka to become infuriated. Suddenly, Hisoka looked over to the schoolyard pond nearby, lifting her hand and bending a somewhat large pillar of water towards the mystery assailant. The girl just barely dodged the water and returned fire with her own bending. Fire. She sends multiple blasts of flames towards the prissy waterbender as she recovers from her narrow escape. Each fireball that got launched at Hisoka was secretly curved by subtle gusts of wind from her airbending. Hisoka managed to dodge every blast that was fired in her direction, however, due to her inability to watch where she was going, Hisoka tripped up over Hanzo and the supporting cronies. The young firebender smirked as she regained her upright stance. Hanzo, Hisoka and the rest of the gang stumbled to their feet, each of them unsteady in their movements.
"This isn't over, ash cloud!" Hanzo shouted, turning back to the airbender as he and the group shuffle away. "Get out of here, bison fucker! You don't belong here in the fire nation!"
"Yeah, says the guy who's 'girlfriend' is a waterbender!" the fiery redhead yelled back in return as the bullies fled. As soon as the bullies were out of sight, the airbender sighed a sigh of utter relief.
"Thanks for helping me, miss," the young nomad expressed.
"Eh, don't mention it, kid," she replied. "and call me Honoka if you'd please."
"Oh, sorry Miss Honoka," the airbender replied. "My name's Zuri by the way."
"Yeah, like I care. I was only helping out because I don't like Hanzo and Hisoka," Honoka retorted.
"Oh…well, maybe we could hang out some-" Zuri's sentence was cut off halfway through as some more students at the school tossed garbage his direction, shouting slurs at him. Honoka rolled her eyes and sighed, grabbing onto Zuri's wrist without prior warning.
"Hold on Master Arrowhead," Honoka stated. Before Zuri had a chance to reply, Honoka suddenly rocketed into the air with a burst of fire, carrying Zuri by the hand up to the school's roof. Zuri screamed the entire way despite the travel distance being so short in length. Once up on top of the school building, Honoka dropped Zuri and let him regain his footing, as well as his breath. Soon, she leaned on the guardrail and looked down at the schoolyard with a half smirk on her face. Standing up unsteadily, Zuri looked over to his red haired savior with great concern.
"Why the hell did you just do that?!" Zuri blurted out abruptly.
"Hm, you know, you're right," Honoka replied. "I shouldn't call you Master Arrowhead. Probably future Master Arrowhead considering the circumstances."
"That's not what I-"
"I mean, seriously? Already in high school and no tats? Gee, what is the Air Nation coming to? Master Tenzin would be so disappointed if he were still alive. Guess you'll just have to settle for disappointing his kids, his memory, and the legacy of Avatar Aang. Oh what a world we live in!" Honoka declared as she covered her eyes, falsified drama seeping from every word on her lips and every action she made.
"Alright! I get it! I don't have my tattoos yet. Very funny. Blah, blah, blah," Zuri retorted. "I've had this conversation before way too many times back home at the temple."
"Oh, does wittle twinkle toes have issues with his pawents?" Honoka jested. "Oh wait I fowgot, You don't have parents you adowable wittle monk child." Zuri pouted in response.
"Oh yeah? Well...you're uh...you have red hair!" Zuri snarked.
"Really, dude? That's the best you can come up with?" Honoka stated with a chuckle. Zuri opened his mouth to retort, but before he was able to say a word, a sixty-year-old man came bursting through the door to the stairwell, seeing both Honoka and Zuri standing atop the roof. Honoka looked over to the man and smiles, picking up a twig.
"What are you two hooligans doing up here during school hours?" the man scolded.
"Oh hey, Headmaster Choy!" Honoka greeted, putting the twig in her mouth quickly, taking a huff, and breathing out smoke to simulate smoking.
"The name is Chang, Headmaster Chang, and you are to refer to me as such, young lady," the school official proclaimed, turning his attention to Zuri. "And you, young man, I expected better from you on your first day at this academy than to find you on the top of the building alongside this, this...ne'er-do-well!"
"Oh, Headmaster, you're making me blush. I'm not a stairwell!" Honoka claims. Headmaster Chang smacks his palm to his face and looks up.
"Spirits, grant me the patience," Chang says to himself. "One thing you should know, Zuri, and something you especially should know, Honoka, is that it is forbidden for any students or unauthorized personnel to be up here at any time before, during, or after school hours." Once the headmaster had said his piece, Zuri stepped forward a bit to speak his.
"With all due respect sir, I never intended to be-"
"Zuri, why did you lead me up here?" Honoka blurted out, trying to shift all blame onto him. "I was trying to be a model student, and yet here you are making me look bad by airbending us up to the roof of the school building, but alack! Mine record of perfection hast been tainted by thine corrupt and devious ways, oh future Master Arrowhead! Thine crookedness knows no bounds, oh nefarious bender of air!" Honoka quickly redirected her dramatic diatribe to Headmaster Chang, falling to her knees. "Oh please, great Choy! Please bring upon me salvation from the wicked paws of this unholy charlatan, lest I pray the spirits grant me with their light and have mercy on my very soul!" Honoka remained there, slumped over and grovelling at Chang's feet pathetically. All the headmaster could do was roll his eyes and look down at Honoka.
"Nice try, Honoka, but your 'record of perfection' is anything but. Your little act didn't work," Headmaster Chang replied, causing Honoka to spring up in disappointment.
"Seriously? You're going to shut me down like that even after a masterful performance such as that? Hell, I even almost fake cried that time!" Honoka exclaimed. "You're seriously going to let that effort go to waste? Gee, what a spoilsport…"
"Well, if you would put even half of said effort into actually paying attention, I wouldn't have to give both you and young Zuri here detention for today," Chang retorted, smirking a bit as he walked off. Once the headmaster was gone, Honoka groaned.
"Way to go, windbag! Look what you've gotten us into!" Honoka snarked.
"Me? You're the one who-" Zuri started, getting his mouth blocked by Honoka's finger.
"Whatever, I'm basically a regular in detention anyways," Honoka claimed. "I would have gotten sent there later on today for something sooner or later, I'm just glad I got to drag someone else down with me this time around." Zuri opened his mouth once again to respond, but he was once more interrupted by Honoka. "So yeah, this time in detention is going to be interesting, I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"
"Uuuggghhh!" Honoka moaned as she sat in her seat in detention, Zuri sitting directly beside her silently. "I'm so bored!" As silence broke out in the detention hall, Honoka began tapping her foot a bit as she slumped over the desk. Quickly, her foot tapping grew more and more loud and frequent, Zuri doing his best to ignore the sound.
"Shh!" the detention supervisor sternly interjected, silencing Honoka. Once the silence had grip of the classroom once more, Honoka began to tap on her desk in her boredom, the desk tapping more loud and annoying than the foot tapping was. As the sound filled the air in the classroom, Zuri twitched his eye, trying desperately to not burst out in anger against Honoka. As Detention went on, Honoka tried multiple various methods of self entertainment to pass the time such as whistling, playing games on her phone, and making obnoxious sounds with her mouth. After exhausting all her entertainment methods, she once again slumped over the desk, her face planted on the desk.
"Ugh..how long as have we been in this wretched hive of monotony?" Honoka asked dramatically.
"Twenty minutes…" Zuri responded, facepalming in his mind.
"It feels like forty…" Honoka lamented. Honoka took a look around the room as she raised her head up from her desk, turning her head to Zuri. "So...you're name is Zuri, huh? Maybe I should give you some sort of nickname if we're going to keep hanging out like this and getting into trouble."
"Why would I want to get in trouble by hanging out with-"
"I know! I'll call you Zu-Zu!" Honoka jokingly blurted out. "How's it going, Zu-Zu? See? It rolls so easily off the tongue."
"Please don't call me that," Zuri requested.
"What's wrong, Zu-Zu? Got your arrows in a bunch? Oh wait, you don't have any!" Honoka joked. "Aw, look at little Zu-Zu wanting his arrow tattoos." Honoka continued to tease Zuri like this for another few minutes until she got bored yet again. In the resounding silence, Honoka thought it to be a good idea to speak again. "So, what's your deal anyways? Still in high school with no tattoos yet?"
"Here we go again," Zuri said to himself before turning to face Honoka. "Well, if you must know, I don't have my arrows yet for one reason and one reason only. You see, I requested to move here from the Western air temple so that I could learn what it was like to attend a normal school with normal kids from the fire nation. I thought that maybe, if I learned to meld and make friends with other normal teenagers like myself, I could stop stressing about everything and just be freer, and thus, better at airbending. That's my problem, I always stress about too many things, and so I haven't had time to focus on my training." Zuri looked over to Honoka only to find that she was laying down on her desk, snoring like a platypus bear. Zuri scowled a bit as Honoka woke up from her pretend slumber.
"Who? What?" Honoka blurted out. "Sorry, your story was just so boring I couldn't stay awake." Honoka leaned over closer to Zuri. "So, little Zu-Zu stresses out too much, huh? Well, good thing you're hanging out with me. I'm like one of the freest spirits here in the entire school!"
"Yeah, and look where that lead us," Zuri remarked, looking away a little.
"You know, if it's any consolation, being such a free spirit can take a pretty big toll on me too," Honoka claimed, leaning back in her chair, staring up at the lights in the ceiling. "Sometimes I let my mind wander into some pretty deep places, and a lot of times, it asks the exact same questions. Who am I? Why am I here? If I'm so carefree, what could my future possibly hold for me if I don't do anything to better myself?" Zuri took another look over to Honoka, surprised to hear these things coming from her of all people.
"Wow, Honoka, I didn't know you-"
"Eh, but I usually just forget about all those questions and keep playing my video games instead," Honoka interrupted. "Who needs deep existential questions bothering them all day when you're as young as me, am I right?" Zuri sighed.
"I knew it was too good to be true," Zuri staying silent throughout the rest of the allotted detention time.
The hours passed, and eventually, both Zuri and Honoka were let out of the detention hall and allowed to return to their homes. Honoka stretched her arms as she got outside.
"Oh thank the spirits I'm free!" Honoka exclaimed to the sky.
"Technically, I'm free too," Zuri stated.
"Yeah, but who cares about that part?" Honoka retorted. "Finally! Free from the educational shackles of the school day!" Zuri sighed as he listened to Honoka speak. "Anyways, since we have nowhere else to be today-"
"Actually, I should probably head back to the air embassy to continue my air bender training," Zuri cuts in.
"Oh sorry, let me clarify," Honoka stated. "Since we have nowhere else important to be today, how's we head over to my place to like watch television or something?
"I'm not sure…" Zuri uttered with worry, his hand quickly getting grabbed by Honoka.
"Come on, don't be so worrisome all the time. Isn't that what you've come to fix anyway?" Honoka stated, running off and dragging Zuri along behind her again. Zuri screamed about just much as he did when Honoka blasted them up to the school's rooftop hours prior.
Within half an hour of Honoka lugging Zuri around, the two arrive at Honoka's home, a dojo the size of a small castle. "Whoa, you live here?" Zuri stated in awe.
"Yeah. Where else would you expect me to live, a peasant house?" Honoka sarcastically retorted. As she began to walk into the main family area, Honoka was struck with a sudden wave of dismay as she gazed upon all of her half read bending scrolls strewn about the room haphazardly.
"Uh, why are we stopping?" Zuri asked, trying to peer around Honoka to see what was going on. Honoka abruptly pushed Zuri back out the door and slammed it behind her. "Hey, why'd you shut me out here?"
"Oh this house! It's so filthy! I can't have my all-important guest stumble into this rooster pig sty! I'll just clean it up a bit," Honoka hurriedly insisted, quickly picking up what scrolls she could in her arms. Once her arms were full, she rushed over to the closet to cram the scrolls into it. Realizing that she couldn't get all the scrolls hidden fast enough, Honoka decided to use her airbending to move all the remaining bending scrolls into the closet. Soon, the living room was cleaned, or at least as clean as it could have been to hide her secret from Zuri. Honoka smiled and opened the door once again, allowing Zuri to enter.
"What was that all about?" Zuri asked, rubbing his head from where he landed on the pavement in front of Honoka's house.
"Oh, no reason," Honoka replied.
"But I-"
"You ask too many questions, Zu-Zu. Be a good little airbender and be quiet, please," Honoka blurted, silencing Zuri. Honoka then moved towards the kitchen, seeing another bending scroll at the side of the hall. Swiftly, she picked it up and hid it behind her back. To hide the scroll, Honoka walked back towards the closet.
"You alright, Honoka?" Zuri asked, looking over to her as she carefully made her way past him.
"Perfect, never better," Honoka said in a frenzy. "Uh...hey, is that a flying aardvark sloth?!" Honoka pointed towards the window, causing Zuri to look over to where she was pointing. As Zuri was distracted, Honoka quickly opened the closet and tossed the newly found scroll into it in just a couple swift movements. Zuri looked back at Honoka as soon as he grasped the fact that there was nothing there. "Heh, guess it was just the wind."
"You've been acting pretty weird since we got here, Honoka," Zuri stated as he sat down on the couch. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm not acting crazy! You're acting crazy!" Honoka exclaimed all of a sudden, shaking off the feeling of urgency. "Sorry, I'm fine. It's just this house is really dirty, and I wouldn't want to subject a future master arrowhead to such an indignant environment."
"Okay, but are you-"
"Hey, how about we watch a mover?" Honoka asked, once again interrupting Zuri in the middle of his sentence. Zuri, without further question, shrugged off his suspicions and sat back in the couch, relaxing a bit.
"Sure, what're we watching?" Zuri asks, slight eagerness ringing in his voice.
"I don't know, what do you want to watch?" Honoka wondered. Before Zuri could harbor a response, Honoka held a finger up to his mouth, shutting him up. "Wait, why am I even asking you, Zu-Zu?" We're going to be watching this!" Honoka smiled a big, devious smile and held up a mover disc. "'Return of the Killer Zombie Wolfbats V' has been one of my favorites since I was a kid!" Zuri leaned over backwards, his eyes open wide as he stared at the disc with a grotesque looking wolfbat with rotting flesh, glossed over eyes, and splattered blood all over its face and fangs.
"Uh...I don't do well with...horror movers, Honoka…" Zuri uttered past fearfully quivering lips and body.
"Oh, you'll love it," Honoka assured as she popped the disc into the player. "Now be a good little Zu-Zu and stay quiet." Still not liking the idea of watching a horror mover, Zuri attempted to remain calm as the mover's title card flashed across the TV screen, the title's words dripping with digitally rendered blood. The title was enough to elicit a small squeal of a scream from Zuri's mouth. "Shh! Shush, chatty monkey!" Honoka quietly exclaimed as she sat on the floor beneath Zuri's feet, her eyes wide with anticipation and excitement.
Honoka was laying stomach down on the floor in front of the TV as she watched the ending credits roll down the screen. Zuri was hiding his face in a curled up position in the corner of Honoka's couch, shivering in terror from the horror mover. "That was awesome!" Honoka yelled.
"Didn't you say you've watched this mover before as a child?" Zuri asked, peeking his face out once the mover was finished.
"Yeah, and it never gets old!" Honoka claimed. "I mean, do you remember the part where that lady's intestines just got ripped out by that alpha wolfbat's jaws, and then that other guy was dropped off the face of the cliff by those four henchmen wolfbats into that pit of ravenous zombie wolfbats!"
"I don't want to remember…" Zuri muttered, hiding his face behind his enclosed arms once again.
"Oh, and then those two explorer guys found the zombie wolfbat's lair and got their flesh shredded and flung around the cave wall! Remember that part, Zu-Zu?" Honoka continued.
"Please Honoka...stop mentioning the mover," Zuri pleaded. Honoka sighed.
"Oh alright, Zu-Zu, I'll spare you the gruesome details," Honoka remarked. "Clearly you and your silly sensitivity can't begin to comprehend the artistry and the visionary genius that went into such a masterpiece of a film." Honoka crossed her arms. "Oh well, you may go."
"W-What?" Zuri stated in confusion as he emerged from his arm cocoon.
"Didn't you say you had to practice your airbending or something before we got here?" Honoka reminded Zuri.
"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?" Zuri responded, heading for the door. "I'll just be leaving then. I have to go train with the monks. Tonight they're going to teach me how to make balls of air to use in combat."
"Yeah yeah, just go play with your balls or something," Honoka retorted, sending Zuri on his way home. As Zuri walked out the door, he turned around and faced Honoka once again before the door was closed.
"Anyways, it's been...interesting, Honoka," Zuri stated.
"Whatever, see you tomorrow, Zu-Zu," Honoka replied, shutting the door on Zuri, accidentally slamming the door into his face. She smiled as she listened to Zuri writhe in pain from getting smacked in the face. Soon, Zuri left the dojo and headed back to his home at the air embassy in their fire nation town. Once she was sure he was gone, Honoka flopped back onto the couch, playing her games again on her phone. A mere five minutes into her game, the fire sages entered the room and went up to Honoka.
"Avatar Honoka, where are your bending scrolls?" the head fire sage asks.
"I put them somewhere else, what of it?" Honoka answered.
"Those scrolls are ancient relics passed down through generations of Avatars before you!" another sage scolded. "We demand you tell us where you put them immediately!"
"I, uh…" Honoka muttered as one of the sages walked over to the closet she stuffed the scrolls into. As the door opened, the numerous piled high scrolls leaned over and fell on top of the poor fire sage. Soon, the sage was buried underneath a heap of scrolls and other closet contents, his head sticking up from the pile and his arms twitching from under the weight of the scrolls. The other sages and Honoka stared silently in bewilderment at the scene laid out before them. Amidst the silence, one last scroll fell from the closet and bounced against the buried man's head. Honoka sneered and chuckled lightly as the last scroll fell and hit the fire sage's head, leading to the rest of the sage looking over to her accusingly. Honoka's chuckle quickly grows more and more nervous.
"Heh, wow. How did those get in there? I have no idea, what about you guys?" Honoka stated, obviously trying to play it off as if she weren't guilty.
"Your parents will be hearing about this, young lady," one of her bending masters commented as he entered the room.
"Oh, hey there, Master Pickle!" Honoka greeted.
"That's Master Paiko! You should know this already!" Paiko exclaimed loudly. "Why, Honoka? Why must I constantly remind you of the most simple of things time and time again?" Honoka opened her mouth to give her snarky response, but Paiko held his hand up, silencing her. "No, never mind. I don't want another one of your smartmouth excuses." Honoka's bending instructor turned and faced the door to the courtyard. "Follow me, Honoka. You're going to be working on your water bending double time for this disrespect towards such sacred artifacts as those scrolls," Paiko harshly demanded. Honoka gave a loud annoyed sigh before stumbling after him.
Once she made it outside, she found Master Paiko beside the dojo's koi pond under the setting sun, standing in wait for Honoka to show up. She made her way in front of the pond and stood in front of it, awaiting instructions from her bending instructor. "I see you actually followed an order for once," Paiko snarked. "That's good. It shows you actually care somewhat about your bending progression."
"Yeah yeah, whatever, Master Pickle," Honoka retorted. "Just tell me what it is I need to do here." Paiko frowned and shook his head.
"Very well, Honoka," Paiko replied. "First, we're going to do some simple waterbending exercises. All you need to do is try and push and pull the water back and forth, like this." Paiko demonstrated the techniques necessary to push and pull water, gently moving the water in the koi pond back and forth so as not to greatly disturb the fish. Honoka watched inattentively, whipping out her phone once more to play her game. Paiko continued to push and pull the water in the koi pond for another few minutes. "Do you see how my hand and body movements are in sync with the waves of the pond water, Honoka?"
"Yes! High score!" Honoka exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air and jumping up as the words leave her lips. Honoka looked up, seeing Paiko's stern, disappointed face. Honoka's happy expression quickly sunk into apprehension.
"Pay attention, Avatar Honoka," Paiko barked. "Watch the water and-"
"Sure, Master Pickle. I'll just watch you bend the element I already know how to bend from reading half of those scrolls," Honoka stated.
"Oh, then you have already read the water scroll?" Paiko wondered.
"Well, not exactly," Honoka clarified. "When I say I read half of the scrolls, I mean that I read half of each of them. I got bored and never finished them all the way through. I did read some of the water scroll though."
"So you already know how to perform this technique?" Paiko asked.
"Of course, I'm the Avatar, aren't I?" Honoka replied, an air of cockiness surrounding every word in her sentence.
"Then by all means, 'great Avatar' Honoka," Paiko responds, gesturing her towards the pond. "Show me how it's done then." Honoka's confidence soon morphed into dread as she approached the pond, gulping nervously.
"Okay then, I will," Honoka assured, getting into position to begin her waterbending. Honoka immediately began mimicking what Master Paiko was doing to push and pull the water, only for her, the water refused to move at all. Honoka's movements grew more erratic and fast paced as she desperately tried to make the technique work.
"Patience, Honoka, you have to stay calm in order to bend the water correctly," Paiko informed. "Do not rush."
"Easy for you for you say, Master Pickle," Honoka retorted. "This stuff actually works for you!"
"Well, then perhaps you didn't actually read half the scrolls like you said you did," Paiko commented.
"That's the weird part, master. I know for a fact that I read the part about this technique. I really did," Honoka insisted. "It's just that for some reason it won't work for me."
"Perhaps it's because the first element you were able to bend was fire," Paiko suggested, walking closer to Honoka. "Historically, all Avatars have struggled greatly with the elements opposite to that of their original nation born element. Airbenders typically have trouble grasping earthbending, seeing as how earth is the opposite to air. In your case, you are a natural born firebender, so it's only natural that you would struggle to fully comprehend waterbending, as water is the opposing element to fire."
"You seriously think I don't know about that part?" Honoka asked snarkily. "I'm completely aware of what my opposing element is, Master Pickle, so I don't need that lecture from you." Paiko nodded, looking back to the pond.
"If you do truly want to understand how to bend water, I suggest that you clear your mind," Paiko suggested.
"You mean like in airbending?" Honoka asked. "Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I thought that air was the element of freedom, not water."
"I know, but this is the way Avatar Nianzu taught me years ago. This time you have to relax your mind and let it flow freely like the water, not free like the air. You have to be adaptable like the water itself," Paiko sighs a bit. "It's hard to explain to someone such as you who refuses to change herself even the slightest bit, but I'm confident that you'll understand the concept eventually. For now, why don't we move on from these exercises and learn a basic combat technique. That seems to be more your style from what I know about you."
"Heh, now you're talking my language," Honoka responded, holding her fists up in preparation for the instructions.
"Now, this technique is called the Water Whip," Paiko informed. "It requires the bender to form a stream of water and quickly lash it at his or her opponent. Watch closely as I demonstrate" Paiko took a stance and held out his hands, bending the forming the whip of water from the pond. Swiftly, Master Paiko slung it forward so that it made a sudden crack sound much as a normal whip would make if lashed. "Now, have you read the section of the scroll that pertained to this technique?"
"Part of it, I got bored halfway through as I've already said," Honoka explained. Paiko rolled his eyes.
"Of course you haven't. Why would I expect any different from you?" Paiko asked himself. "Just move your body along with me and study the necessary movements for the technique to work properly." As he was about to give his demonstration, one of the fire sages walked into the courtyard, carrying a tray with two cups and a steaming tea kettle.
"I've brought you some calming jasmine tea if you need a break from Honoka's training," the sage stated.
"Oh, excellent, I'll have some soon," Paiko insisted. "Just set it down by the side of the garden so I can get to it later." The sage nodded and set down the tray on the stones at the garden's edge, leaving the courtyard afterwards. Once the tea was secured in his desired location, Paiko regained his stance and urged Honoka to do the same, Honoka taking the stance after looking at it for a few seconds.
Soon, both Paiko and Honoka performed solely the body movements for the Water Whip skill. They continued to work on the movements for around half an hour until the sun went down completely over the horizon and very little light shone down from the evening sky. Once Paiko thought that they had practiced the movements enough, he stopped and turned back to face Honoka. "Alright, Honoka. Let's try on the actual water this time," Paiko advised "In the meantime, I'm going to take a break to have some of the tea the fire sages so graciously provided. You may partake as soon as you've performed the task I've given you." Honoka nodded and turned to the pond as Paiko sat down by the tea tray. Honoka retook her stance and performed the needed body movements to create and use the Water Whip. She raised her hands to lift the water from the pond, but to her dismay, nothing happened. Honoka tried again, and the second attempt yielded the same results. Honoka's facial expression changed to a more angered state as she tried one more time to form the whip. When her third try once again ended in failure, Honoka had had enough and screamed out loud, beginning to hurl balls of searing hot flame into the pond as she raged. Soon, the fireballs ceased and Honoka began wailing in her impatience once again, As she screeched, Honoka's fingertips glew with blue electricity. She pointed two fingers at the koi pond and released a massive continuous bolt of lightning into the water, the light emanating from the streak of electricity flashing off of Honoka and Paiko's faces. As she electrocuted the pond, her facial disposition looked angry and impatient, Master Paiko's face looking surprised and concerned. Soon, Honoka's lightning faded and disappeared, her fingers smoking from the heat of the bolt she had struck the pond with mere seconds prior. Honoka's breathing was intense from exerting a lot of energy, having expended most of it forming and shooting the lightning bolt from her fingertips. All Paiko could do was stare in shock and awe from the garden's edge as Honoka stood there after her fit of lightning fueled rage. In his state of astonishment, Paiko turned his head to the koi pond, seeing that the water was steaming and bubbling, all the koi in the pond rising to the surface, each one dead and cooked. Honoka quickly calmed down and her breathing steadied. She recomposed herself and faced her master again, Paiko still carrying a shocked expression. Honoka, realizing that she messed up, tried acting innocent as if nothing was wrong.
"So, did...did I do it?" Honoka wondered, knowing full well that she didn't.
"Those koi fish were two hundred year old historical treasures," Paiko stated. "What...What is wrong with you?!"
"Hey, cheer up, Master Pickle," Honoka said with a smile. "Look on the bright side. At least now we know what's for dinner tonight, am I right?"
"Honoka, we cannot afford to continue repairing structures around this dojo, and we most certainly cannot afford to replace two hundred year old koi fish all the time!" Paiko asserted angrily.
"You don't have to replace them 'all the time' master, just this once. Jeez, lighten up. You're acting like Hanzo on a bad day or something," Honoka stated through a slight pout.
"Has it not occurred to you that we are still paying the chief off for the damages you caused to the Southern Water Tribe village?!" Paiko exclaimed.
"That's unrelated, Master Pickle, besides, it's not like this is the worst thing to ever happen in the world. It's just a few fried fish!" Honoka explained. "I mean, from what I did read of the historical scrolls, Avatar Korra cooked and ate some fish in a public creek on her first day in Republic City!"
"Yes, she did," Paiko agreed. "But she also destroyed a citizen's general store, broke apart the roadways, and got herself arrested by the city's police force on the same day."
"So you're saying I should aspire to greatness like Avatar Korra did?" Honoka asked.
"What? No! That's not at all what I'm saying!" Paiko retorted.
"Well, that's what it seems like you're saying to me," Honoka continued. "and for all it's worth, I-"
"I've had quite enough of your back talk, Avatar Honoka!" Paiko shouted, having lost all patience with his student. "You are a reckless, uncaring, and all around danger to yourself and other, and trying to teach you is like trying to teach a brick to bend itself! How your airbending instructor managed to drill knowledge into that platinum dense brain of yours I will never grow to understand!"
"Aw, are you calling my brain refined like platinum?" Honoka asked. "Stop, Master Pickle, you're making me blush." Honoka smiled, turning away and beginning to walk back inside. Paiko quickly reacted and used some of the remaining pond water to freeze her feet to the ground, preventing her escape. Honoka struggled to break free, using her firebending to melt the ice around her feet.
"Do not think you can simply walk away from an offense like this!" Paiko snapped. "You are to stay here in the yard and meditate on what you've done here tonight!"
"And what if I don't, Master Pickle?" Honoka inquired sassily. "What happens if I don't want to meditate?"
"Then I'll be forced to inform your parents of the incident the minute they get home from their conference with the other dojo masters in the area," Paiko threatened. Honoka, being afraid of further punishment, dropped to her knees.
"Please, master! Don't tell them! They'll probably double my usual house chores around the house, and I don't want that!" Honoka pleaded. "I'll do anything you ask, Master Pickle!"
"Then stay here and meditate," Paiko instructed. "Meditate here until you feel a connection to your spiritual self." With that, Paiko walked away and returned to the inside of the dojo. Honoka, still mad about having to meditate, angrily sat down on the cold hard stone beneath her and closed her eyes to begin her meditation.
Over in the Earth Kingdom, a couple of shady men snuck around until they reached an alleyway next to a warehouse, immediately hiding behind a few boxes to avoid detection. "Are you sure this is the place the boss told us about?" one of the men asked the other.
"I'm positive, now shut up and help me up so we can get in," the other man responded. The first man nodded, cupping his hands together to act as a stepping stone for his comrade to use to get up to the window of the warehouse. The man's friend smiled wickedly as he was helped up to the window. "Heh, seems we lucked out. There's already a broken window up here, so we don't have to make too much noise to get in." Soon, the risen man stepped off of his friend's hand and made his way through the opening that used to be the warehouse's window, reaching down to help his friend up and in through the broken window. Once inside, the two made their way down stacks of crates to reach the floor of the warehouse. One of the men, while trying to descend down the crates, tripped up and began falling down the stacks, ending up flat on his face on the ground. The other man had no trouble climbing down and touched down to the floor of the warehouse with no issues. Once down, the other man helped his friend up from the ground, helping to brush some dust off of him.
"Be more careful, Feng," one of the men recommended to his fallen compatriot. "Otherwise the cops might find us."
"Yeah, thanks for the advice," Feng replied. "but we're in, so we should be good now." Once they had regained their footing, Feng and his friend silently made their way through the warehouse and arrived at a load of barrels sitting in one corner of the room. "So, Renshu, did the boss ever say what's in these barrels anyway?" Feng asked.
"Nope, but he said it was important, so we shouldn't keep him waiting," Renshu answered. Feng nodded, assisting Renshu in carrying out one of the barrels. "Did I ever tell you the story of the last guy who kept our boss waiting?"
"I don't think you did, no"
"Well, apparently, he-" Renshu began, getting interrupted by bright lights coming in through the windows and the sound of police sirens and helicopters echoing through the warehouse.
"We have you surrounded! Come out peacefully, or we will have no choice but to force you out of there!" A police officer screamed into his megaphone.
"Oh jeez, Feng, we must have set off some sort of silent alarm! What should we do? The cops found us!" Renshu quietly yelled to his partner.
"I don't know, Renshu, just stay low I guess and wait for a safe time to book it," Feng replied. Renshu silently agreed, staying hidden behind some crates. Soon, keeping to their word, the police metalbent the door off of the warehouse and rushed inside, fanning out the warehouse's interior to find Feng and Renshu's hiding spot. As the cops fanned out, they accidentally left the door wide open and unguarded. "Hey, Renshu, I think I just found our opening. Get the barrel!"
"Gotcha!" Feng whispered back, grabbing one end of the barrel while Renshu grabbed the other end. The two criminals quickly made their escape while the police weren't looking. As the police continue the search the warehouse, they stumble upon the corner full of the mysterious barrels.
"Hey! We found something!" one of the police scouts yelled out, directing the others to move in on his position.
"What is it?" another of the policemen asked.
"It's just a bunch of barrels," a third officer stated as he came into the area.
"I don't know, something doesn't quite seem right about these old things," the first scout responded, wiping off some of the dust from the front of the barrel. As the dust was removed, a strange insignia was uncovered, one resembling a tree growing out of the ground from a single seed. The policemen all looked at the symbol, each one unsure of its origin or its purpose. Only one thing was certain, it was no ordinary symbol, and if someone wanted to get their hands on the barrels, that only meant that nothing good could come out of it.