A/N: Since this chapter is where Team Avatar makes its first appearance in this story, I decided to write from their perspective. Enjoy.
Chapter 11: Ambush
"It's Zuko again" Katara shouted.
"What does it take to make that guy quit." Sokka replied.
"Appa Yip Yip" Aang said to his sky bison. The beast took to the air with its three passengers in the saddle. Within minutes Appa was flying faster than the ship could sail down the river.
"He isn't chucking fire at us. Why isn't he chucking fire at us?" Sokka asked.
"Maybe he just wants to talk?" Aang suggested.
"I don't think so" Sokka said. "Every time Zuko shows up something bad happens."
"LOOK OUT!" Katara said.
In the air ahead of Appa was a boy in red clothing that had somehow jumped higher than Appa was flying. Coming down the boy put his hands together and slammed them into Appa's head. The beast was out cold from the strike and fell to the ground next to the river. Appa landed on his side sending his passengers tumbling out of the saddle while the boy landed on his feet nearby.
"Sorry about the landing Avatar, but I can't let you leave on the bison" the boy said.
"Who are you?" Aang asked.
"A friend of Prince Zuko, and your coming with me whether you like or not." He said before moving faster than Aang could see. Before Aang could blink the boy had already grabbed Aang and thrown him thirty feet away and into a tree.
"Aang!" Katara cried out before bending water from the river. Forming a water whip she attacked the boy, but the water only splashed him. He simply turned to face her with an annoyed expression. Drawing more water Katara formed ice daggers and threw them at him, only to shatter on contact.
"Think fast" Sokka said before throwing his boomerang at the boy. Instead of dodging it like Sokka expected the boy caught the boomerang in midair. Tossing the boomerang to the side the boy walked over the nearest tree and pulled it out of the ground. Then he threw the tree towards Sokka and Katara and they jumped to the side to avoid getting hit.
Pressing his advantage the boy ran up to Sokka, picking him up and throwing him into Katara, knocking out both of them. "I'm forgetting something aren't I?" he wondered out loud. Suddenly the boy was hit by an impossibly strong wind, pushing him back a few inches. Turning towards the wind the boy saw that Aang had recovered and his tattoos and eyes were glowing bright blue.
"You will leave us alone!" Aang shouted with a thousand voices. Then he bended all of the water in the river and wrapped it around the boy, lifting him up and carrying him into the river. Then Aang froze the water, trapping the boy inside.
Suddenly the frozen river shattered and the boy jumped out. Aang unfroze the water to strike the boy again, but he turned around and released fire from his eyes. The water evaporated instantly, leaving Aang with only air to bend. Then the boy was suddenly behind Aang and slammed his fist into Aang's back, sending him flying to the other side of the dry river. The boy jumped after Aang and slammed him into the ground. The glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos fading as he lost consciousness.
Aang awoke to find himself wrapped in chains and unable to move. Inside a cell, Aang looked forward and saw his captors. Easily recognizing two of them as Zuko and Iroh, Aang realized that he was on their ship. The third person was the boy that had attacked him earlier.
"About time you came to Avatar" Zuko said. "I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive."
"So you finally caught me" Aang said. "What happens now?"
"Now we go back to the Fire Nation" Zuko stated. "I get my honor back and you spend the rest of your life in a cell. It would be more merciful to kill you, but then you would reincarnate and we would have to chase you down all over again."
"And what does your friend get out of this?" Aang asked. "He's the one who beat me, not you."
"That doesn't matter Avatar!" Zuko yelled. "You're on MY ship, you're MY prisoner, and HE is helping me get MY honor back!" Calming down Zuko politely said "Now if you'll excuse me I have a homecoming to prepare for." With that statement Zuko walked out the door and was followed by Iroh, leaving only the strange boy behind.
"What do you get from helping Zuko?" Aang asked him.
"He's family, I have the power to help him and so I do" he stated before walking out the door, leaving Aang alone with his thoughts.
I've failed he thought. The Fire Nation won.
A/N: You may be wondering why I let Kal El beat Aang so easily. Well one thing Aang lacks, even in the Avatar State, is Invulnerability. One hit to the right place and Aang goes down, like Azula proved in season 2. With no idea what he was fighting, Aang didn't stand a chance.
