The Avatar Returns
Aang and Katara make it back to the tribe but they noticed everyone gathered up right outside the wall and Sokka had Chang's wrists tied up and held his shoulder.
When the children see Aang, they cheer, but all the adults and Sokka look angry. He then stepped up and dragged Chang.
"I knew it. You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare and had this spy try to infiltrate our home." Sokka accused Aang.
"You're both leading them straight to us, aren't you?" Sokka then asked them.
"Sokka, I'm not a spy. I would never have sided with my people if I was there when the war started." Chang angrily demanded.
"Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident." Katara defended Aang.
"Yeah, we were on the ship and there was this booby trap and ,well, we- we boobied right into it." Aang explained.
"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger." Gran Gran expressed her disappointment.
"Don't blame Katara. I brought her there. It's my fault." Aang took the blame.
"A-ha! The traitor confesses!" Sokka proclaimed,
"HE IS NOT A TRAITOR, YOU PARANOID MORON!" Chang bellowed.
"Enough out of you, spy! Warriors, away from the enemy!" Sokka ordered.
"These foreigners are banished from our village." Sokka then said and cut the binds on Chang's wrists and shoved him right at Aang.
"Sokka, you're making a mistake." Katara said to her brother.
"No, I'm keeping my promise to dad. I'm protecting you from threats like them." He argued back.
"They're not the enemy." Katara argued back at him.
"Get out of our village, now!" Sokka then snarled at Chang and Aang.
"Grandmother, please, don't let Sokka do this." Katara begged.
"Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it best if the Airbender and the Fire Nation boy leaves." She said with finality.
"Oh, so then you'll be defenseless if a Fire Navy ship arrives? You Southerners are still stubborn I see." Chang muttered.
"Fine, then I'm banished too." Katara then declared and proceeded to walk away.
"Come on, you two, let's go." Katara then said to the duo, dragging Aang by the arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sokka questioned her as they walked up to Appa.
"To find a Waterbender. These two are taking me to the North Pole." She answered back. This takes the duo off guard, Chang because he has a secret involving his bending, and Aang because he is apparently taking her somewhere.
"We are?" Aang asked in confusion.
"Katara! Would you really choose them over your tribe, your own family?" Sokka questioned his sister and she had a look on her face, probably second guessing her actions now. Chang stepped up to her.
"Katara, you can't just simply let us come between you and your family. We'll just go, willingly." He said and so he and Aang walked to Appa.
"So, you're leaving the South Pole?" She asked them with a sad look on her face.
"Thanks for penguin sledding with me." Aang thanked.
"Where will you go?" She asked them.
"Guess we'll just look for the Airbenders." Chang answered instantly since there's no way he's going back to his homeland, given the state of this world.
The two then, with ease, go top of Appa. Aang, at the reigns, and Chang on the saddle.
"It was nice meeting everyone." Aang said to the members of the tribe.
"Let's see your bison fly now, Airboy." Sokka mocked.
"I warned you, Sokka. Don't mock him." Chang threatened, pointing his finger at him.
"I thought so!" Sokka shouted when Aang failed to make Appa fly, and then a girl, who was crying, ran up to the duo.
"Aang, don't go. I'll miss you." She begged.
"I'll miss you too." He said to her and his gaze turned to Katara, the girl he had a crush on.
"Come on, boy." Aang told Appa and the bison trekked through the snow, leaving the tribe behind them.
Later
The three decided to rest at a spot where the ice formed holes for them to rest in. Appa curled up in the biggest one, while Chang took the one next to him and Aang took the highest one above them.
Appa yawned, as though he was saying something.
"Yeah, I liked her, too." Aang replied. Chang was silent the whole time. Thinking about what would happen if the rest of the world knew who he was. And especially had anger grow at his people. And that's when he spotted a ship through the mist. It was all metal, and the design told him that it's a Fire Navy ship.
"Aang, look!" He called out and pointed in the direction. He heard Aang gasp.
"The village!" Aang said, knowing where it'll most likely go. The two of them climbed down.
"Appa, wait here!" Aang said and then the two ran as fast as they could to the village.
After running for who knows how long….
The two reached the outskirts, too late as the ship docked in the middle of the tribe, and they could hear some commotion.
"Chang, what do we do?" Aang asked his older friend. He in turn stared out, forming a plan.
"I'll go in first. I'll stall them until you come in with some kind of sneak attack."Chang told him and Aang nodded, heading off somewhere for his plan.
Chang took a deep breath and then he bolted towards the snow wall at the highest speed he could get and raised his hands up. Right when he's about to hit the wall, he punched it, causing a huge hole to form and he slid to a stop in front of the tribe. He then got into a stance and stared at his opponent.
He was someone in his teens wearing a military uniform, clearly Fire Nation with the maroon and red. He wore a helmet and the most distinct thing about him is that he has a scar covering his left eye, from a burn.
"Who are you?!" The teen asked Chang.
"Not important." He replied before he swung his fist, Waterbending some snow at him and then kicked, causing a jet of fire to come right at the teen. This shocked everyone there. Chang is able to both Fire Bend and Water Bend, but only those two elements.
"Are you the Avatar?" The teen asked in some disbelief.
"Do I look like an Air Nomad, idiot?!" Chang questioned him, thinking how dumb this guy is.
"Don't you dare mock me, a Prince of the Fire Nation!" The teen roared at him, throwing a projectile fire at which was stopped by a wall of snow.
"I can go ahead and mock my people since they've been power hungry." Chang proclaimed, which shocked the prince.
"You're from the Fire Nation? Traitor!" He roared again.
"Not really, you people just lost your way. Plus, me and my friend were from a hundred years ago." Chang said with a smirk because Aang was speeding in on a penguin right towards the teen and he got between the legs, making him flip in the air, with his helmet flying off. He then landed embarrassingly in front of his troops with his helmet on his butt.
The kids of the tribe cheered when Aang and Chang popped up. Aang then stopped next to Chang and the penguin pushed him off before waddling away.
"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka." Aang greeted the siblings. Chang just waved, awkwardly, given their last encounter.
"Hi, you two. Thanks for coming." Sokka greeted back.
The Fire Nation teen got back on his feet and got into position as his troops surrounded them. Chang used Waterbending on the troops to the right and Aang used his staff to Airbend the snow at the ones on the left and at the teen.
"Looking for me?" Aang asked.
"You're the Airbender? You're the Avatar?" The teen asked in disbelief as he melted the snow off of him with his chi.
"Aang?" Katara questioned, taken aback by how someone like Aang could be the most powerful Bender in the world.
"No way." Sokka said in shock.
"I've spent years preparing for this encounter, training, meditating. You're just a child." The teen scoffed as he and Aang circled each other.
"Well, you're just a teenager." Aang fired back. The teen then fired some blasts of fire but they were extinguished by some snow, Bended by Chang. The teen then fired again and Chang got behind Aang who spun his staff to disperse the fire but as he did, the fire would disperse to the tribe. The two saw this and knew that unless they let themselves get captured, they'd be in trouble.
"If we go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" Aang asked for both of them. The air was thick with tension until the teen eased out and nodded in agreement. Then three troops grabbed them and escorted them to the ship. One of them carried Aang's staff.
"No, don't do this." Katara said to them, concerned for them both.
"Don't worry, Katara. It'll be okay." Aang assured her casually right as they got to the ramp onto the ship.
"Take care of Appa for us until we get back." Chang told her.
"Head a course to the Fire Nation. I'm going home." The Fire Nation teen declared as they got onboard. The ramp then lifted up and the two looked down at Katara, who's eyes started welling up. But they know what to do as they can escape with ease.
As the ship was sailing through the South Pole, the teen, who revealed himself as Prince Zuko stood in front of Chang and Aang, holding Aang's staff. Chang noticed that there was an older man with them, who looked more peaceful. He reminded him of his now long dead grandfather.
"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks." Zuko scoffed to Aang. He then glared at Chang, who glared back.
"And your father, who would be long gone would be disappointed in you for being a traitor to the Fire Nation." He told Chang, who was silent the whole time.
"Take them to the prison hold and take this to my quarters." Zuko said with the troops escorting the two and handing the staff to the older man.
Two troops escorted the pair into the bowls of the ship, with Chang behind Aang.
"So, I guess you've never fought an Airbender before. I bet I can take you both with my hands tied behind my back." Aang challenged.
"Silence." The troop in front of them told him. They then stopped in front of a door. Aang looked back at Chang and they subtly nodded and Aang took a really big breath and exhaled, making him, Chang and the troop behind them get thrown back and the one in front slammed against the door.
The two then climbed back up the stairs and Aang opened the door that he saw the troop with his staff walk through. As they ran through the ship, Chang used his Firebending to cut through the binding on his hands.
They then ran around a corner and stopped when they saw a bunch of troops with swords standing in their way.
"You haven't seen my staff around, have you?" Aang asked them, but they didn't answer as they were ready to strike. Aang then ran around the corridor, avoiding them and Chang shot fire from his hands and feet to propel him past the troops like a projectile.
"Thanks, anyway." Aang told them.
The two climbed up a ladder and saw a masked troop standing there, ready to Fire Bend. Chang stood in front of Aang and when the troop blasted fire, Chang absorbed it and shot it back at him, taking him down with ease. And before they continued, Chang cut through Aang's binds.
"Thanks." He told him.
"No problem, let's go." Chang replied and they continued through the metal corridors, looking into various rooms to find Aang's staff. They opened one door and stumbled across that older man, fast asleep.
"Sorry." Aang whispered in apology as Chang closed the door as quietly as he could.
They zoomed past an open door but stopped and looked back to see the staff.
"My staff."Aang said as they entered the room, only for the door to close. They turned and saw Zuko standing there.
"Looks like I underestimated you." He told them and they stared down until Zuko got into a position and shot a fire blast which Chang deflected back. Zuko then fired a few more blasts, trying to get Aang but he dodged them and Chang deflected his blasts.
Chang now went on the offensive and Aang got behind Zuko, staying behind him as he tried to get at him. Aang then jumped off of Zuko and formed an Air Scooter, zipping around the room and Chang threw some punches and kicks at Zuko with the odd fire blast here and there.
Zuko got fed up and did a low swipe with his leg, making Chang jump to avoid and dissipated Aang's scooter, making him hit the wall, but they took a tarp and wrapped it around Zuko, giving Aang time to grab his staff just as Zuko burned the tarp off.
Now with the staff, Aang used gusts of air to smack the mattress against Zuko, slamming him against the wall and then they fell to the floor and Aang shot them up on the ceiling. The two then ran out of the room and up to the bridge.
"Come on!" Chang shouted and they ran outside, with Aang throwing the staff to make its wings come out and he then jumped to it and Chang jumped to make use of what he dubbed Fire Flying. But they didn't even start to fly as Zuko caught up to them and jumped after them, grabbing their ankles to weigh them down and the three fell onto the ship.
They then got on their feet, ready for another fight but they heard a growling from the air and they saw Appa flying towards them, with Katara and Sokka on the saddle.
"What is that?" Zuko asked, having never seen a flying bison before.
"Appa!" Aang called out but then Zuko tried to get a sneak attack on the pair but they dodged it and they were now on the edge of the ship.
Zuko then threw some blasts, eventually making Aang drop his staff and now him and Chang tried to deflect the blasts but it was too much and they fell into the water, unconscious.
"Aang!" Katara screamed.
"Chang!" Sokka yelled out.
As Aang and Chang plummeted to the depths, they heard their friends' cries and it sparked something within each of them. Aang opened his eyes and they, along with his tattoos, were glowing pure white, while Chang's eyes glowed a bold blue. The pair then Waterbended with a whole new level of power out and overlooking the ship, glaring hard at Zuko and his men. Said teen was shocked to his core at what he is witnessing.
Then Chang and Aang got on the ship and Bended strong streams of water at them all, knocking out the troops and throwing Zuko over the edge.
Katara and Sokka watched the whole thing and couldn't believe the level of Waterbending they saw.
"Did you see what they just did?" Katara asked.
"Now that was some Waterbending." Sokka noted.
Aang and Chang blacked out and Aang's tattoos stopped glowing. Appa then landed on the ship and the siblings instantly got off and ran to the pair.
"Aang, Chang, are you guys okay?" Katara asked them as they gained consciousness.
"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for coming." Aang thanked, sounding groggy.
"Well, I couldn't let you two have all the glory." Sokka remarked.
"Aang's staff." Chang said, looking at it as he was getting up. Sokka got on his feet.
"Got it." He said and ran over to grab it but as he did, Zuko grabbed hold of it, shocking Sokka until he poked his head a couple of times, making the Prince let go and fall until he grabbed onto a chain.
"Ha! That's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka declared.
Katara helped Aang on Appa by the reins and got on as well when Appa growled. Chang turned and saw some troops on their feet, ready to fight.
"Really?" He sighed in annoyance before he Bended some water and shot it at them and moved his hands to make the water freeze into ice, stopping the troops in their tracks.
"You gotta teach me that!" Katara said, amazed by the display.
"Later." Chang replied as he and Sokka got on Appa.
"Yip yip!" Chang shouted and the bison flew off of the ship and headed away from it until Chang looked back and saw Zuko and the older man blast fire at them and so he swung his arm to the left, making their blast hit the iceberg next to them and ice fell onto the ship. The group laughed at their victory as they flew off.
Some time has passed as it was now dusk with the group flying over the ocean in silence.
"How did you do that with the water? It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen." Katara suddenly said.
"And how is it that you're able to Bend two elements, Chang?" Sokka asked.
"Don't know, I was just born that way. I didn't even know I could do what we just did." Chang honestly answered.
"I don't know. We just sort of did it." Aang then answered.
"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara then asked Aang.
"Because I never wanted to be." He said, feeling guilty and looking away.
"But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war." Katara reminded Aang.
"And how am I going to do that?" He asked her.
"According to legend, you need to first master Water, then Earth, then Fire, right?" She said.
"That's what the monks told me." He said.
"Well, if we go to the North Pole, you can master Waterbending." Katara stated.
"And along the way, I can teach some basics just so you can get ready for proper training." Chang added.
"We could learn it together!" Aang said, excited by the idea.
"And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some Firebender heads on the way, excluding Chang, of course." Katara noted to her brother.
"I'd like that. I'd really like that." He muttered, liking the idea very much.
"Then we're in this together." Katara proclaimed.
"Alright, but before I learn Waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to here, here and here." Aang said, pulling out a map of the world and pointing to particular spots.
"What's there?" Katara asked about one of the spots.
"Here we'll ride the hopping llamas. Then way over here we'll surf on the backs of giant koi fish. Then back over here we'll ride the hog monkeys. They don't like people riding them, but that's what makes it fun." Aang listed off the activities he wants to do, making the other three look at each other in confusion and even some worry.
This is just the start of a wild adventure.
Initially, I had Chang just be a simple Bender who was able to do two. But I decided to add some intrigue to him.