The Blind Bandit:
In a corner store, Sokka, Aqua, Lin, Aang, and Katara surrounded a green earth kingdom style bag.
"It's pricy but I really do like it," Sokka said.
"It's great, Sokka." Aqua said, looking around.
"It is, isn't it?" Sokka asked.
"You should get it, you deserve something nice." Katara said.
"I do, don't I." Sokka said. "But no, it's too expensive, I shouldn't."
"Alright, then don't." Katara said, getting annoyed. She left, followed by Aqua, Lin, and Aang. Sokka looked down at the bag.
Outside the store, a man walked over to the group of three girls and boy, Sokka was still in the store. "Hey, you kids like earth bending?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lin said slowly.
"Then check out Master Yu's Earth Bending Academy." He handed Aang a flyer and disappeared.
"Look, there's a coupon on the back." Aang said. "The first lesson is free."
"Well then, you should do it Aang." Lin said.
"Who knows, this Master Yu could be the earth bending teacher you've been looking for." Katara said.
"Come on Sokka! We're leaving!" Aqua yelled and Sokka walked out, the green bag cradled in his arms.
An hour later, Aang was standing in a ring, wearing a training uniform. Aqua bit back a giggle. All the other little boys were little. Probably seven to nine year olds, compared to twelve year old Aang.
"Now, strike as if you're punching through your opponents head." The teacher, Yu, demonstrated. Lin crossed her arms. "This is so stupid," she grumbled. She didn't exactly taken to Yu as a teacher. Aang's partner attacked and he was flung into a pot, destroying it as his body laded on the easily breakable pot.
Master Yu walked over to the twelve year old and had the nerve to ask, "So, are you ready to commit to more lessons? If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt.
"I don't think so," Aqua said. She and Lin helped Aang up and they walked out.
"He's not the one," Aang said disappointed. Two boys walked out talking loudly. "I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble six." One of the boys said.
"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earth benders in the world to even get a shot at the champ." The second student said. Lin and Aqua looked at the other and smiled. Maybe they would find their teacher there.
"Excuse me!" Aang called, stepping in front of the boys. "But where is this earth bending tournament exactly?" he asked politely.
"It's on the island of Noneoya-none o' ya business." The first boy said and they ran off laughing like it was the funniest thing on the planet. Lin huffed.
"Haha, oh, I remember that one." Sokka laughed and Aqua slapped his shoulder. "What?" he asked, rubbing his sore shoulder.
"I'll take care of this." Katara said.
"I'll come with you." Aqua said, ignoring Sokka and the two water bending girls ran off after the two earth bending boys.
"What was I thinking?" Sokka said to Aang and Lin, dropping his bag. "I don't need a new bag. Why'd you let me buy this?" Lin shook her head.
Barely a minute later, Katara and Aqua were running back to the small group. "You guys up for a match?" Aqua grinned.
"Because we're going to Earth Rumble Six!" Katara cheered.
"How did you get them to tell you?" Aang asked. The two water benders smirked at the other and said mysterious, "Oh, a girl has her ways."
In an ally, the two boys were shivering, frozen to the walls. They couldn't even scream for help.
That night, Sokka, Aang, Aqua, Katara, and Lin were sitting down in the front seats of the arena.
"Hey, front row seats!" Aang cheered. "I wonder why no one else is sitting here." A moment later, a boulder landed next to them. Lin grabbed onto Aang's shoulder terrified and Aqua had jumped away just in time, so she was practically sitting on Sokka's lap.
"I guess that's why." Sokka said. He turned red when he realized Aqua's position. He shifted nervously. "Uh…Aqua,"
"Huh?" Aqua asked. Her dark cheeks started to tint a dark red. "Oh, Sokka, I am so sorry!" She squeaked, jumping into the empty seat in the row above them since the boulder took over her seat.
"Oh, uh…no problem. I mean…it's alright." He stuttered. Katara and Lin looked at the other and smirked. They would need to play matchmaker.
A man showed up on the field. The man named Xin Fu yelled to the cheering crowd, "Welcome to Earth Rumble Six! I am your host, Shin Fu!"
Aang, Sokka, and Momo leaned in closer. Lin, Aqua, and Katara just looked through bored eyes.
"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asked.
"That's what I paid for." Sokka said excited.
"The rules are simple." Xin Fu said. "Just knock the other guy out of the ring and you win." A large muscular man stepped onto the court.
"Round one! The Boulder verses…The Big Bad Hippo!" Xin Fu yelled and a huge, more fat than muscle man said, climbing on the stage.
"Listen up, Hippo!" the boulder yelled obviously. "You may be bug, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide."
"Hippo mad!" the Hippo yelled, raising his clenched fist hands high above his head. The Boulder earth bended at the Hippo and he attacked by slamming into the floor. The ground shook and The Boulder almost lost his balance.
"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen, The Hippo is rocking The Boulder!" Xin Fu yelled. And in the end, The Boulder won. "The Boulder wins!" Xin Fu cried and the crowd cheered.
"The Boulder. He's got some good moves." Katara suggested.
"I don't think so," Lin shivered, having to be with someone like him constantly.
"I'm with Lin." Aqua chimed.
"I think their right." Aang said. "Bumi said I needed a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles. What do you think Sokka?" Sokka was a little busy cheering.
"Next, the Boulder versus…Fire Nation Man!" he yelled and a man dressed with fire nation clothing walked on the stage, holding a flag with the fire insignia on it. The crowd started booing.
This was going to get ugly before it got pretty.
"Please to rise for the Fire Nation national anthem." He said and started to sing. "Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee!"
"Go back to the fire nation!" Sokka yelled. He raised his fist to throw a stone as others in the crowd were doing but Aqua grabbed it from his hand and tossed it on the floor. After all, Sokka shouldn't do that to another human being, fire nation or not. Besides, Ember was fire nation and she was their best friend, practically sisters. The fire nation man was pushed under the stage with someone using earth bending.
"The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt!" Sokka said as the fire nation man vanished. Several matches, battles, and fight passed by but no earth bender caught their attention. Well…except for Sokka but he was getting way into this.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for." Xin Fu announced. "The Boulder verses your champion…" someone they didn't expect walked out. A young girl, she looked no older than Aang. She looked to be around twelve with short black hair held in a bun and with a black and green headband and a knee length green uniform dress. She wore no shoes. She was holding up the prize belt, obviously from her win last year.
"The Blind Bandit!" he yelled.
"She can't really be blind." Katara said. "It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked.
"I think she is," Aang said.
"I think she is…" This is when Sokka yelled, "Going down!" A second later, he was sporting two bruises on his head where Lin and Aqua had smacked him for interrupting their concentration on the girl.
"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl." The Boulder confessed.
The Blind Bandit pointed to the Boulder and said mockingly, "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder."
"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-a-lanche!" The Boulder shouted dramatically.
"Whenever you're ready…The Pebble!" Toph threw her head back and let out a loud laugh. Aang's eyes widened. That laugh…the girl from the swamp!
"It's on!" The Boulder shouted. The Boulder screamed and went to slam his foot into the area. As soon as he did, The Blind Bandit moved forward, raised her arms, and slid her feet across the floor.
The gang in the stands watched closely and wide-eyed, the attack caused The Boulder to end up doing a split. He screamed in pain.
The Bandit threw out her hand and The Boulder slammed into the wall outside the ring. The Blind Bandit won this round.
"Your winner!" Xin Fu shouted. The Blind Bandit raised her small fist in victory. "And still the champion, The Blind Bandit!"
"That's amazing." Lin gasped.
"Who knew a little earth bending girl could be so strong." Aqua muttered.
"No!" Sokka wailed. Aqua had a sweatdrop on her head and patted the agonized boy on the shoulder.
"How did she do that?" Katara asked.
"She waited…and listened." Aang smiled. He had found his teacher.
Xin Fu held up a small green pouch. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" No one came forward. "What, no one dares to face her?" he asked.
"I will!" Aang shouted, walking onto the area. Aqua, Lin, Sokka, and Katara turned to Aang's seat that was now empty. When had he gotten up?
"Go Aang! Avenge the Boulder!" Sokka shouted.
"You can win Aang!" Aqua cheered.
"Go, The Blind Bandit!" Lin cheered. The small group turned to her. "What? Someone needs to cheer for her and as an earth bender myself, I'll take that duty."
"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here." Toph said loudly and the crowd ooohhed.
"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you." Aang said.
"Boo! No talking!" Sokka shouted. Katara and Aqua smacked him and said, "Don't boo at him." Aang walked closer to the girl but she attacked and Aang was thrown into the air. He landed softly behind her and she spun around.
"Somebody's a little light on his feet." The Blind Bandit said. "What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer?" Aang smiled and shrugged. He was thrown into the air again and he somersaulted. "Where'd you go?" The Blind Bandit demanded. Aang landed behind her.
"Please, wait!" Aang begged.
"There you are!" The Bandit turned, throwing a boulder at him. Aang jumped into the air, air bending the rock back. The Blind Bandit was thrown out of the area and the crowd cheered.
The Bandit stalked away but Aang yelled out for her. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
"Please listen!" Aang cried. "I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you!" he yelled from the stage but The Blind Bandit wasn't listening. Instead, she was stomping away angrily to the door.
"Whoever you are, just leave me alone." The Blind Bandit snapped, stepping into the doorway. She stomped her foot and earth flew over it as if the door had never been there. Aang reached the wall but by then, it was too late.
Sokka hugged Xin Fu and took the money and belt. Aqua put her hands on Aang's shoulder comforting. Lin hugged him from behind.
"Way to go, champ." Sokka grinned, holding up the bag and belt. He didn't seem to realize what had just occurred. It was going to be Toph finding that earth bender. Aang lowered his head.
Later, Sokka was showing off his new belt and bag. "I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly." Sokka said happily. Aqua sighed. He was just a goofball…a cute goofball.
"That is a big relief." Katara said. Sokka didn't notice the sarcasm in his younger sister's voice.
"If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start." Aang said determined.
They walked into Master Yu's academy. But two familiar boys froze when they saw the group walk in.
"Oh great, you two again," one of the students said. Katara and Aqua stepped in front of Sokka, Aang, and Lin with glares on their faces.
"Did you have fun in the ice?" Aqua snarled. The two boys flinched.
"Yeah, I didn't think so." Katara said.
"Nicely done," Sokka whistled.
"Hey," the second boy said, walking to Aang. "You're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit."
"We need to talk to her." Aang explained. "Do you guys know where she lives?"
"The Blind Bandit's a mystery." The first boy said. "She shows up to fight, then disappears." Aang looked down disappointed. Katara put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let us handle this." She turned to the two boys and said angrily, "You're not telling us anything!"
"Now tell us what you know!" Aqua demanded.
"No, no! I swear it's true!" the second boy shouted, holding up his hands. "No one knows where she goes, or who she realy is."
"That's because we're asking about the wrong person." Aang said softly. Everyone turned to the youngest boy in the back. "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like this?"
"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family." The first student said. "They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world."
"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter." The second student said.
"Flying boar is good enough for me." Aang said and turned to his friends. "Let's go."
"Yeah, you better leave." The first student muttered quietly as the group was leaving the school. Katara and Aqua who were bringing up the rear heard them and turned. Katara put two fingers to her eyes and then pointed at them. "Hey, I've got my eyes on you." She said.
"We'll be watching," Aqua said mysteriously, and followed her friends out.
"Water tribe," Sokka smirked at them, following the two water benders.
Elsewhere in a cave like tunnel, "I'm telling you, The Boulder was standing right there. I saw the kid strike, but there was no earth bending. Nothing made contact. The Blind Bandit just fell out of the ring. She must have took a dive and split the money with the kid."
"Nobody cheats Xin Fu." Xin Fu snarled, banging his fist in the cave wall.
Sometime later, a large wall that covered a garden stood. A large flying boar crest was at the top of the gate.
"That's the flying boar from my vision. Come on." Aang said. Aang air bended himself over the wall and Lin used her earth bending to throw her and Aqua over the wall. Katara and Sokka were quick to follow, climbing over.
They all landed in a bush and they all poked their heads out to see.
Suddenly, before they could blink, the earth moved beneath them and they were thrown into the air. Aang, Katara, and Lin landed in another bush. Sokka landed roughly on the ground and groaned in pain even more when Aqua landed on him.
The attacker was a young girl, The Blind Bandit, only she now wore a fancy dress and her hair was pinned up more elegantly.
"What are you doing here, twinkle toes?" The Blind Bandit questioned.
"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked.
"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes! It's not manly!" Sokka whined.
"You're the one whose bag matches his belt." Katara said.
"How did you find me?" Toph asked.
"It wasn't that hard. We heard of the boar and took a chance." Lin explained.
"Well," Aang said, air bending himself onto his feet and the others stood as well. "A crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and…"
"What Aang is trying to say is," Katara interrupted. The whole thing was starting to sound made up and completely crazy. "He's the avatar, Lin here is his earth guardian, and Aqua is his water guardian. Jade, his air guardian, and Ember, his fire guardian are…somewhere at the moment. Anyway, since Lin can't teach him earth bending, he won't be able to master it and if he doesn't soon, he won't be able to defeat the fire lord."
Katara's eyes widened as The Blind Bandit stuck her hand in her face. "Not my problem." She declared. "Now get out of here or I'll call the guards."
"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war." Sokka said. "And yours is to teach Aang earth bending."
The Blind Bandit turned and yelled in a little girl's terrified voice, "Guards! Guards! Help!" she shouted. The kids got terrified look on their faces and took off running to hide.
The Blind Bandit ran a hand through her hair as the guards came running up. "Toph, what happened?" one of the guards asked.
"I thought I heard someone. I got scared." Toph lied.
"You know your father doesn't want you wondering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guard said. Aang watched on the roof from nearby. Slowly, a devious look appeared on his face and he jumped off the wall.
Inside, a man, and his wife stood side by side. "I'm pleased to hear that Toph's private lessons are going well, but I want to be sure that she's not trying anything too dangerous." Toph's father said. Toph's teacher, Master Yu, sat at the table with them and Toph.
"Absolutely not. I'm keeping her at the beginner's level." Master Yu declared. "Basic forms and breathing exercises only,"
"Very good," Toph's father said, obviously pleased. A servant entered the room.
"Excuse me sir, but you have a visitor." The servant bowed.
"Who thinks they are so important they can just come to my home unannounced." Lao, Toph's father, said angrily.
"Uh, the avatar and two of the guardians, earth and water, sir." She said politely. No one noticed Toph's angered look as she blew a strand of how from her face.
Later, Toph, her parents, Master Yu, Aang, Aqua, Lin, Sokka, and Katara sat around a table filled with food. Sokka quickly dug in and the servant placed the last plate in her hand in front of Toph.
"Blow on it. It's too hot for her." Lao said quickly.
"Allow me." Aang said. He created a small hand size tornado and it flew over Toph's dish, cooling the food before it disappeared.
"Avatar Aang, Guardian Lin, Guardian Aqua, it's an honor to have you visit up." Toph's mother said.
"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked.
"I'd like to defect the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but," he turned to Toph. "I can't do that without finding an earth bending teacher first.
"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little.
Lao explained. Aqua and Lin looked at each other with disgusted looks. No way were they going to try him again.
"Then she must be a great earth bender." Aang smiled, turning to Toph. "Probably good enough to teach somebody else." Suddenly, Aang jumped up screaming in pain. He glowered at Toph and quickly sat back down. She smiled innocently, quietly eating her food.
"Toph is still learning the basics." Master Yu explained.
"Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Lao said sadly. The kids looked at each other. Obviously, the man didn't know what his daughter did on her time off.
"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is." Aang said. That's when Aang's chair flew backwards and his face landed in his soup. He sat back up, a blank expression on his face. Aang smiled and sneezed, sending a large wind across the room. The food scattered and Master Yu, Mrs. Bei Fong, and Toph were covered in food. Toph stood up angrily, slapping her palms on the wooden table.
"This is gonna get bad before it gets good." Lin said, slouching down in her chair embarrassed.
"What's your problem?" Toph demanded.
"What's your problem?" Aang demanded. The two glared at the other from different sides of the table.
"Well…shall we move to the living room for dessert then?" Mrs. Bei Fong asked, cleaning her face with a napkin.
Later, the group was sitting in their room. Toph entered and Aang freaked out, getting ready for a fight.
"Relax. Look, I'm sorry about dinner." Toph said. Gone was the fancy dress, replaced with plain under clothes. "Let's call a truce, ok.
Outside, Aang and Toph walked across the bridge. Aang walked on the bridge and Toph walked on the rail. The moonlight shined down on the two twelve year olds.
"Even though I was born blind, I'd never had a problem seeing." Toph explained, jumping off the rail as they reached the end of the bridge. "I see with earthbending." Toph explained. "It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants." She said, pointing to a small ant pile nearby.
"That's amazing." Aang said, completely honest.
"My parents don't understand." Toph said frustrated. "They've always treated me like I was helpless."
"Is that why you became The Blind Bandit?" Aang asked.
"Yeah," Toph confessed, looking down at the ground.
"Then why stay here when you're not happy?" Aang asked.
"They're my parents." Toph said. "Where else am I supposed to go?"
Aang slowly started to smile and said, "You could come with us."
"Yeah," Toph said. "You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just…not my life." She stopped and knelt down quickly, putting her hand on the ground. "We're being ambushed." Toph grabbed Aang's arm and they started running towards the house. Suddenly, two metal cases were dropped on them and they were caged. They looked out the caged window although Toph was a little short and couldn't look out. Other contestants from Earth Rumble Six jumped out.
"I think you kids owe me some money." Xin Fu said with a sinister smile. A few minutes later, Katara, Aqua, Lin, Master Yu, Sokka, and Toph's parents stood outside. Sokka picked up the scroll that had been left behind pinned with a sword. Sokka handed Katara the paper.
"Whoever took Aang and Toph left this." Sokka said. Katara opened the scroll. "If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena. It's sighed Xin Fu and The Boulder."
"I can't believe it." Sokka said. He grabbed the scroll and fell to his near. "I have The Boulder's autograph!" he yelled excited.
"Get your priorities straight!" Aqua yelled.
"Master Yu," Lao said. "I need you to help get my daughter back.
"We're going with you." Katara said.
"They took our friend, now it's personal." Lin said, clenching her fists.
"Poor Toph, she must be so scared." Mrs. Bei Fong said.
Meanwhile, Toph's hands clenched at the bars of her window. "You think you're so tough…" Toph snarled. "…Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face."
"I'm not smiling." Xin Fu said. That was when The GAang, Toph's dad, and Master Yu ran in.
"Toph!" Lao shouted, seeing his daughter's predicament.
"Aang!" Lin and Aqua shouted.
Sokka held up a green pouch filled with the five hundred coins. "Here's your money, now let them go." Sokka said, dropping the bag. Master Yu used his earth bending to toss it to them. Xin Fu picked the bag up to make sure it was really filled with the right coins. He nodded and gears started to move as Toph was lowered to the ground. Problem, they weren't moving Aang to.
The case Toph was kept in stopped a few feet above the ground and the bottom opened. Toph fell out and ran to her dad who quickly started to lead her away. Master Yu followed but Katara, Sokka, Aqua, and Lin didn't move.
"What about Aang?" Katara demanded.
"We had a deal." Aqua glared.
"No, we agreed to let the girl go. We said nothing about him." Xin Fu said. He held up a scroll and unrolled it to reveal a wanted picture of Aang and the Guardians.
"I think the fire nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar and Guardians. If you don't want the Avatar to be hurt, you will leave the guardians and get out of my ring!" Xin Fu snarled. Lin and Aqua narrowed their eyes, ready for a fight.
There was a pause and a bunch of men came out, the other contestants. Sokka, Katara, Aqua, and Lin looked surprised.
"Go, I'll be okay." Aang called down to them.
"If you think we're leaving, you're insane." Lin said.
"Go, we'll be fine." Aqua told the water tribe siblings. They nodded and ran out the tunnel to get Toph.
"Toph, there's too many of them." Katara said, stopping Toph, her father, and Master Yu. "We need another earth bender. We need you." The three turned to the two and Toph's father tightened his grip on his daughter's hand.
"My daughter is blind." Lao said angrily. "She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile." Toph closed her eyes. "She cannot help you."
He was only stopped when Toph slipped her hand out of his. "Yes, I can." Toph said and walked back up the tunnel. Katara and Sokka followed. Her father looked after her daughter with distraught eyes and ran after her. The Hippo was carrying Aang's cage away when they entered, Aqua and Lin were being forced to follow, knowing the Hippo could kill Aang with one move of his arm.
They were stopped when a huge and jagged rock jumped out in front of them. Toph stood behind them.
"Toph!" Lin cried.
"Let him go." Toph demanded. "I beat you all before, and I'll do it again."
"The Boulder takes issue with that comment." The Boulder said. The hippo threw Aang's coffin and he went skidding across the area. Aqua and Lin ran to him and pulled at the locks. Sokka and Katara were about to attack but Toph put her hands out and stopped them. "Wait, they're mine." She said.
Katara and Sokka looked at her surprised. Toph stamped the ground and an explosion of rock and dust shot up over the field. The Boulder fell out of the dust cloud, falling onto the ground. Master Yu and Lao watched anxious.
The Fire Nation man searched through the dust cloud, trying to find Toph but she found him. The dust cleared and Toph appeared in front of him. His eyes widened surprised. His foot started to move and a small smile appeared on Toph's face.
The Fire Nation man attacked and Toph stepped out of the way. She attacked and a bunch of rocks jumped from the floor, knocking the Fire Nation man out of the ring. Master Yu and Lao were now watching from the stands, completely worried and anxious.
Katara, Sokka, Aqua, and Lin were fighting the cage, trying to get it open but it wasn't budging. Sokka hit the lock with a large rock. "Hit it harder!" Aang cried.
"I'm trying!" Sokka yelled back. The man with a green mask walked through the dust cloud. A pebble hit him in the head and he turned to see Toph standing behind him.
The man jumped in the air and threw two boulders at her but she blocked them easily and sent them back. The man fell and Toph stomped her foot on the ground. A pillar of rocks jumped from the ground and hit him in the stomach. He was thrown out of the arena and onto the Fire Nation Man just starting to stand up.
Another man that looked like a gopher jumped out of the ground behind her. He flew at her but she attacked and he was thrown out and fell onto the masked man and the fire nation man. That gotta hurt.
"Oh, give me that." Lin snapped, snatching the rock from Sokka and slamming it into the lock, breaking it.
"I loosened it," Sokka muttered. Aang jumped out getting into a battle stance but Sokka stopped him and pointed to the field. Toph had it all under control.
The Hippo screamed, running at Toph. Toph emerged from the cloud where he was. She stood on the large symbol of the earth nation that stretched out over the arena.
Toph moved her hands and The Boulder and Hippo made their way towards her on either side. Lao's eyes widened
The Hippo and The Boulder rushed at her and the man with the painted face swung in on a rope. Toph made a movement with her arms and stone of the earth kingdom insignia started to turn. The man swinging in ended up slamming into Hippo and The Boulder. The three groaned in a heap in front of the blind earth bender.
The four were still covered by a dust loud. Toph gave a small smile and he three were thrown from the arena.
"I never knew," Lu said amazed and shocked. "Your daughter's amazing." Toph moved her wrist and the dust cloud blew out of the way. Only Xin Fu was left. He cracked his neck, ready for a fight and took a stance. Toph smirked and spit.
Xin Fu launched one boulder at her, then two, then one more, then three, and one more. Toph raised her arms and triangles shaped rocks shot from the ground protecting her. When it was over, she threw one of the triangles at him and he dodged it. He spun in the air and pushed his hand into the earth.
He threw a chunk of earth at her and she moved. The rock passed her face by a mere inch. She attacked and Xin Fu was thrown from the ring. He landed between Lao and Yu.
Sokka fainted, Toph managed to beat all of them on her own.
"She's the greatest earth bender I've ever seen!" Lao said amazed.
Later that night, Toph stood in her fancy dress in front of her parents. Aang, Aqua, Lin, Sokka, and Katara sat behind her.
"Dad," Toph started. "I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earth bender. And I'm really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."
"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something." Lao said. The GAang looked up hopefully.
"It has?" Toph said, her head shooting up, hope in her voice.
"Yes." He said. "I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded twenty four hours a day.
"But dad!" Toph cried.
"We are doing this for your own good, Toph." Mrs. Bei Fong insisted.
"Please escort the avatar, the guardians, and their friends out. They are no longer welcome here." Lao said.
"I'm sorry, Toph." Aang apologized as he and his friends were being led out.
"I'm sorry too. Good bye, Aang." Toph said. A single tear fell from her eye.
Outside, Aang, Aqua, Lin, Katara, and Sokka stood next to Appa, Sapphire, and Ruby.
"Don't worry. We'll find you another teacher." Katara said. "There is plenty of amazing earth benders out there."
"Not like her." Aang said. Sokka was a little busy polishing the tournament belt. They were about to take to the air but stopped when they heard yelling.
It was Toph, she had a bag on her shoulder and was breathing hard, running to catch up to them. "Toph!" Aang cried. "What are you doing here?"
"My dad changed his mind." She explained. "He said I was free to travel the world.
"Welcome to the team, Toph." Lin smiled from Ruby. Aqua nodded from Sapphire.
"Well, we'd better get out of here, before your dad changes his mind again." Sokka said.
"Good idea." Toph agreed.
"You're going to be a great teacher, Toph." Aang smiled.
"Speaking of which," Toph said shyly. "I want to show you something."
"Okay." He said and jumped off Appa, landing in front of the blind earth bender. She tapped her foot on the ground and Aang was thrown into a tree. Aang hung upside down, his feet tangled around the branch.
"Now, we're even." Toph said. Toph held her hand up to Sokka.
"Um, I'll take the belt back." Toph said. Pouting, Sokka pulled the belt off and dropped it down to her. Being blind and him not touching the earth, it hit her on the head. "OW!" She cried, landing on the ground.
"Sorry." Sokka said. Aang fell out of the three and landed beside her.
Inside Lao's house, he sat in front of Xin Fu and Master Yu. "I know you two are very different…but I believe you have a common interest." He opened the small box he held in his lap to reveal gold.
"The Avatar and Guardians have kidnapped my daughter. I want you to do whatever it takes to bring her home." Lao said.
Outside, Toph closed her eyes peacefully, clutching the saddle and for the first time, feeling the fresh air of freedom as she rode away from her prison.