Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Avatar the Last Airbender or the Avengers (MCU), only the story. Avatar the Last Airbender and its characters belongs to Nickelodeon and Avengers belongs to Marvel. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: I have some news about the next chapter, but I'll wait until the end of this one to tell you.
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Katara: Water, Soldier, Mechanist, God, Earth, Fire, Spy, Archer, Monster, Air
(One by one, eight figures do something to show off their skills: the Waterbender weaves a stream of water from the ground, around him and then thrusts it towards the side, the soldier blocks an attack with his shield before throwing it, the mechanist has armor envelope him and then uses the repulsor on his hand to blast something on the side, the god holds a powerful hammer high to summon a bolt of lightning, the Earthbender kicks the ground bringing up a large rock before he kicks it away, the Firebender twists around as she summons fire from her foot before doing a high kick to the ground and makes the flames spread, the spy drops down from above and displays a few moves, the archer rolls across the ground and fires a few arrows, and finally the monster comes down from a jump and smashes his huge fists on the ground, the Airbender drops down and then with a circle of his arms he creates a blast of wind.)
Katara: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
(Docked on a shore, five Fire Nation ships with the Hydra insignia released their soldiers. With a jump forward and a palm thrust, the firebenders released a wave of fire as the Hydra soldiers used their advanced technology.)
Katara: Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
(The Avatar, a man with a crown on his head and dressed in robes stands on a pillar of stone as he bent the four elements of water, earth, fire and air to show his skill in the arts of bending. After releasing a powerful disk of wind, he disappears from existence.)
Katara: A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar: an Airbender named Aang and met the team called the Avengers.
(The water tribe siblings find a young Airbender frozen in block of ice. After freeing him, they are then joined by heroes called Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, Clint, and Natasha.)
Katara: And although with the teams help and his airbending skills are great, hehas a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.
(At an Air Nomad path, Aang creates an air scooter and starts to have fun with it. But when he expands his circle a little bit, he runs right into a statue. He rolls over onto his back as all six of the Avengers then poke their heads from behind the statue to check on him.)
Katara: But I believe the Avengers and Aang can save the world.
(Aang, Steve, Katara, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Sokka, Clint, Toph and Natasha stand side by side, looking down at the world on a mountain's peak for a moment as the reader's view is turned upwards to the sun.)
Nickelodeon and Marvel
The Avenging Avatar
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Avatar Roku: Previously, on Avenging Avatar…
"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing. I've got my own way of seeing." When the Blind Bandit moved her right foot into position, a third series of seismic waves were sent out, "I can see with my earthbending."
"Look here, Sugar Queen," Toph said while pointing a finger in Katara's face. The Waterbender was shaking in anger as the Earthbender said, "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending."
Azula prepared a bolt of lightning and was about to fire it at her brother and Nikol when Iroh moved between them and redirected the lightning. It shot towards a cliff face and exploded against the rocky surface.
"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors, all working together." Azula said when she and Abomination were both surrounded by their enemies. When Iroh glanced away, Azula made her move and shot a blast of fire. Iroh cried out in pain when it hit him in the shoulder. When the battle was over, an injured Iroh groaned as he lay on the ground.
Back in the Avengers world, Nick Fury, Colonel Rhodey and Sam Wilson stood before the portal in the abandoned Hydra base.
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Book Two: Earth
Chapter Nine: Bitter Work All Around
A new day dawned over the Earth Kingdom for the team. It had been three days since they were chased by Azula. No one was willing to complain at the thought of resting as much as they could to regain their strength. They had chosen to take refuge in a small canyon for their camp. Appa, Momo, Bruce, Katara, Sokka, Natasha, Clint, Thor, Steve and Toph were still sleeping soundly while one in particular was excited for the day. Aang jumped up into the air and excitedly said, "Today's the day!"
A good majority of those trying to sleep groaned a little. He landed amongst his friends and could hardly contain himself when he said, "Can you believe it? After all that time searching for the right teacher, I'm finally starting to learn earthbending." Then gesturing to their location he asked, "And this place, it's so perfect, don't you guys think so?"
"Kid, we know that you're excited." Clint groggily said from his sleeping bag as Momo ran to his owner. Aang looked over to the archer and Clint said, "But you don't have to be so loud."
Sokka groaned in agreement and looked to the Airbender with an annoyed look. Aang gave a sheepish grin and said, "Sorry. You guys are still sleeping, huh?"
Sokka groaned again before trying to become comfortable to sleep again. Aang looked to his friends and whispered, "Sorry."
Suddenly, everyone was awakened when a loud rumbling came from Toph's earth tent. The earth made shelter exploded and the young girl was stretching her arms out. She had a big grin when she said, "Good morning, earthbending student!"
"So much for keeping it down." Natasha said as the majority of the group started getting up. Aang bowed after saying, "Good morning, Seefu Toph."
"Hey…" A slightly hurt Katara said. They looked to her and pointed out, "You've never called me Seefu Katara."
"Well, if you think I should…" Aang offered and rubbed the back of his head. Sokka sat up and once again grumbled in annoyance. When he finished his grumbling he laid back down again. Toph was hardly fazed by Sokka's irritated mood when she said, "Sorry, Snoozles. We'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can."
Katara and the Avengers could tell that there was no truth in those words as earthbending could be pretty loud even with the smallest actions. Toph kicked with her left foot and a pillar erupted underneath Sokka. The Water Tribe teen shrieked as he was sent high up into the air. Everyone was on their feet when he came back down and crashed into the ground and created a large cloud of dust. The Avengers looked down at the teen and his eyes snapped open with a slightly crazed look in them. They backed up as he was able to rise while still in the sleeping bag. He angrily muttered as he hopped up to Aang before going over to Toph. Everyone watched as the teen then hopped away to find another spot.
"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked Toph and came up beside her. He posed as he listed all the moves he had heard of, "Rock-a-lanche? The Trembler?" He was struck an idea and he spun with his arms outstretched and asked, "Maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land."
She stopped him with her hand and said, "Let's just start with-" She made a pushing motion with her hands when she started with a basic, "moving a rock."
"Sounds good. Sounds good." Aang said with a clap of his hands while she walked off.
From the rest of the group's perspective, the five Avengers happened to notice how eager Aang was. Natasha looked to Bruce and said, "You feeling that he's like a kid wanting karate and really wanting to get to the big stuff."
'Yup." Bruce nodded. Clint crossed his arms and looked around to ask, "Anyone else feel like this is not gonna go well?"
"There is a slight feeling to this, yes." Thor nodded. They all watched as Aang chased after his earthbending teacher. Toph turned to the others and requested while pointing in a certain direction, "Could two of you bring those boulders from up there down here, please?"
Steve and Thor all looked up to see where she was pointing and saw the boulders in question. Two boulders of different sizes stood on a slightly elevated platform of earth. The former looked to Toph and said, "I guess."
Both Steve and Thor moved to get the boulders while Aang and Toph stood in the middle of the canyon. Katara, Bruce, Natasha and Clint all sat to the side to watch the lesson. When Steve and Thor brought the boulders before the two Earthbenders, they moved over to where the others were to watch as well. Toph then started the lesson, "The key to earthbending is your stance." She squatted a little and brought her arms together, "You've got to be steady and strong. Earth is a stubborn element." She shoved him to show her point, "If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself."
"Like a rock, got it." Aang said while rubbing his back. Toph nodded, "Good." She stood back up and turned her body ninety degrees while keeping her arms close to her body, "Now, the actual motion of this one is pretty simple. Even Thor or the Hulk could move it this way and they're not even an Earthbender."
Those on the side looked to the Asgardian and he said, "Whether that was a compliment or not, it's a bit true."
Toph moved forward and with a strong tap from her fist, she launched the rock forward and it sailed across the canyon. It crashed into the rock wall with a bang and Toph stood straight again. Turning her head to Aang she asked, "Okay, you ready to give it a try?"
"I'm ready." Aang said and assumed the same stance as she did. His eyes narrowed as he prepared himself to perform the exact same way she did. But when he punched it, instead of making the rock move, he blasted a puff of air that caused him to go flying backwards. Aang screamed before he ended up crashing into the back of Appa who was laying on his side.
Everyone but Sokka and Toph winced when they watched him fall to the ground. They heard Sokka snicker and looked to the teen when he thought it funny, "Rock beats Airbender."
"You were right that it wasn't going to go well." Natasha said to her friend. Steve then added, "And something tells me that it's only getting started."
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Elsewhere, an injured Iroh was laying on a cot. And while he was unconscious, Zuko and Tony were working on redressing his wound. Zuko glanced to the inventor of the Iron Man armor and said, "I thank you for rushing to help us."
"No problem." Tony said as they continued preparations. Looking down to the hurt Iroh he said, "I just wish that I had been there."
"You answered the call. That's a lot of help in my book." Zuko said as he started to apply some medicinal herbs to his uncle's wound. When he finished, Tony started applying the bandages to Iroh's shoulder and said, "I wonder what's going on in his mind."
"I'd say that he's dreaming of either tea or…" Zuko trailed off when he thought of what his uncle could be dreaming about. Tony noticed Zuko becoming silent and looked to the teen. Shaking his head he said, "It's okay. We got the herbs and some fresh bandages on him. Hopefully he'll wake up soon."
"Yeah." Zuko said while Tony finished wrapping the bandages.
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(Iroh's Mind)
It was a sunny day in Iroh's memory. A large tree stood alone a hill. And running up to the tree was a much younger Iroh. He was a lot thinner and his beard was a lot darker. The robes he wore was a light shade of red. The younger Iroh had a smile on his face as he ran and looked back. A young boy, dressed in different colored clothing ran after Iroh and giggled. He threw his arms forward and playfully said, "I got you, Dad!"
Iroh turned around and playfully groaned in pain from his son's pretend attack. He fell on his back before his son ran into him. Both father and son laughed from the joy that they had together.
…
Much later in the future, Iroh now in his Fire Nation uniform sat under the same tree. The leaves from the tree had long since fallen when Iroh arrived there. The day was a sad one as rain poured down from the sky and onto a grave. Iroh was greatly sad as he said to the grave marker, "My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again one day."
"Uncle." A faint voice echoed in his mind.
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"He's waking up." Zuko said when he saw his uncle's eyes slowly opening. Iroh groaned before asking, "What happened? Where am I?"
"You were unconscious. Azula did this to you." Zuko said as Iroh regained his bearings. Iroh grimaced in pain from his shoulder as he sat up. The former Fire Nation prince seemed a little upset with his sister when he said, "It was a surprise attack. And she and that creature got away."
"Somehow, that's not very surprising to me." Iroh said before noticing Tony sitting next to a small fire with a tea pot sitting over it. He gave a small smile when he said, "And I see that we have a new friend as well. That is a surprise to me."
"Yeah, well. I like to help out where I can." Tony said with a shrug. Iroh gingerly felt his shoulder and said, "I do appreciate the assist."
"Thanks. I made sure to learn enough of what I could about medicine after this." Tony said and tapped on his arc reactor. Iroh was a little curious about it and asked, "Must have been quite the accident for that to have happen."
"You have no idea." Tony said with a chuckle. Iroh groaned when he moved against the wall, making Zuko worry a little. But he calmed down when Iroh was able to make himself comfortable. The Fire Nation teen then grabbed one of the cups and poured some tea into as he said, "I hope that I made it the way you like it, Uncle."
"He tried his best." Tony said to be supportive. Iroh nodded his thanks and took the cup. But when he took a sip of the tea, he cringed from the taste. But as to not hurt his nephew's feelings he said, "Mm. Good."
He drank the rest before gagging. Then he offered a few words of encouragement, "That was very, um bracing."
Zuko took the cup back before pouring a little more into it. Iroh once again nodded and Zuko looked away to pour his and Tony's own cups. While they weren't looking, Iroh quickly tossed the contents of his cup out the window. Tony took a sip of his while Zuko said, "So, Uncle, I've been thinking really hard about something.
"It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula and her team again." Zuko pointed out. Looking between his uncle and their friend he said, "And though there's more of our group now, I feel as if we're not fully prepared for them. I'm going to need know more advanced firebending if I want to help stand a chance against her."
"From what I've been told, she's really good. Like assassin level good." Tony put in. Zuko felt he knew what his uncle would say but still said, "And I know what you're going to say about this: that she's my sister, and that I need to try to get along with her."
"No." Iroh shook his head and set his cup down on the ground. The former general of the Fire Nation knew that there was no way that Azula would go along with that. Even though he didn't like talking about family like that, he still said, "She's crazy, and she needs to go down."
Zuko was a little surprised by this, but figured that his uncle was right. He and Tony watched as Iroh painfully rose up onto his two feet again even after three days of being unconscious. When he was at his full height, Iroh gently rubbed his shoulder and said, "It is time to resume your training." Looking to Tony he asked, "And what will you do?"
"Lend comforting support." Tony said as he had no idea what he could do to contribute. Iroh nodded and said, "Very well. Now, let's get to work."
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Back with the group, Aang walked back over to the group and rubbed the back of his head. The others had gathered around the boulder and Steve asked, "You okay, kid?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." Aang said and between Toph and the boulder as he tried to understand what had happened. Katara shook her head, "I don't understand what went wrong here." Gesturing to Aang she said, "He did it exactly the way that you did with yours."
"Maybe there's another way." Aang said, trying to think of how he was going to pull it off. He walked up to the rock and suggested, "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"
"I highly doubt that is how earthbending works." Thor argued. Even Toph agreed when she grabbed the back of Aang's shirt and said, "Thor's right. And that's the problem with you." Aang turned to her and she knocked the side of his head as she said, "You've got to stop thinking like an airbender. There's no different angle, no clever solution, or a trickety-trick to this that'll get the rock to move."
She shoved Aang out of the way as she said, "You've got to face it head on." She reassumed her stance, "And when I say 'head on' I mean like this."
Toph leapt at the rock and crashed into it, causing the rock to explode into many pieces. Everyone braced themselves as the rocks flew all over the place. Aang started to feel a little down and the others noticed this. While Katara chased after Toph, Steve placed a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder and he said, "Toph does have a point, Aang."
"I know." Aang said. Natasha then added, "And when you think about all the Earthbenders that we've met, from the good to the crazy, they've all faced their problems head on."
"Even Bumi when you've thought about it." Thor added and Aang did see their point.
Katara was able to catch up to Toph and said, "I've been training Aang for a while now. And what I've learned is that he really responds well to a more positive teaching experience, lots of encouragement and praise, kinds words to help him.
"And if he's doing something wrong, then maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction will help." Katara advised. Toph seemed to think about it and said, "Thanks, Katara." Since she was new to the whole teaching thing she decided to consider it, "A gentle nudge- I'll try that."
10 minutes later…
"Keep your knees high, Twinkle Toes!" Toph shouted when as they were continuing the training. Aang groaned from having a large boulder on his back. Toph was bending up little pillars to see if it would try and trip him up, but Aang luckily managed to stay on his feet. The others watched as Aang struggled keeping the boulder and not trying to trip. But when Toph made Aang's feet slide, it caused the boulder's weight on his back to tilt to the left and Aang stumbled before falling with a boom. Katara and the Avengers winced and Natasha said, "So much for kind words, huh?"
"To be fair that is kind words to her." Clint said with a shrug.
Toph and Aang moved on to another lesson. The earthbending master rubbed her hands together before jabbing them into a shaded part of the canyon. With each jab she went deeper. Aang watched her for a second before turning to the spot. He rubbed his hands together, but when he went for a jab, his hand didn't go into the earth. He grunted in pain when his hand hit the hard surface.
They moved on to something else where Aang was standing alone in one spot. He was sweating from being worked so hard and working hard at the same time. He was trying to sense Toph, but was caught off guard when she popped out of the ground to his right. When she landed she yelled, "Rock like!"
But she managed to startle Aang and he fell on his back. Aang blinked to the Earthbender and she simply kicked the ground. A small rock made Aang jump up next to Toph and she flicked him in the face.
They decided on working on something different this time. Toph yanked Sokka's club from the teen and he moved to get it back from her. She held him back with a single hand against his face while he reached for his weapon. The others had slight grins as they watched the somewhat pitiful display. Toph ended up pushing Sokka back and he gave up with a huff and walked away. Katara tied a blind fold around Aang's head as Toph handed him the club. Toph faced the Avengers and then pushed Bruce back since what she was thinking didn't require the Hulk. Toph motioned for Steve, Thor, Natasha and Clint to all move in the right spots. When Aang stood alone in the clearing, Toph started off by lightly kicking her heel against the ground and small pillars of earth rose up around Aang. Aang made sure to be listening and swung the club when he heard a column raise. But his swings missed when the pillars dropped back into the ground. While she continued to raise the pillars, Toph signaled with her hand to Steve who threw his shield at Aang. Hearing the whooshing of the vibranium projectile made Aang duck down before rising again to swing at another pillar with no success. Toph repeated her signal to the other three Avengers currently engaged in the training exercise. Aang was able to dodge Black Widow's stings, Hawkeye's arrows and a thrown Mjolnir from Thor. He was even able to sense a pillar when it came up and whacked it with the club. Toph nodded in response to how well Aang was doing at the moment. Aang prepared himself for the next pillar or projectile, but a Widow Bite from Natasha caught him in the back of the leg and he fell to the ground spasming.
The next exercise only involved Toph and Aang. When her student was able to stand on own two feet again, Toph raised two walls of earth with her and Aang in the middle. With a smirk, Toph drew a line in the ground with her earthbending. Aang wasn't so sure what she was planning with this. Then pulling her arms up and close to her, Toph pulled any loose stones onto her body to create a sort of armor. This made Aang nervous as a comical expression appeared on his face, "Huh?"
With a moving forward motion, Toph was able to move her stone encased body right at Aang. The student gasped as the master came right at him. Holding his arms out he was able to stop himself from being run over and started to push back. Aang was using all of his strength to keep Toph back, but she wouldn't make it so easy for him when she motioned to move forward again and it caused them both to slide again. Katara and the Avengers all stood on either side of the two walls and cheered for Aang. Giving it all he had, Aang was able to push Toph all the way back over the line.
The two continued the training as Aang was now throwing a rock shaped weight up into the air and catching it when it came back down. Toph even made it a little more challenging by having Aang stand on two tall pillars of earth. As he kept tossing it up into the air, Toph walked between the two pillars before stomping on the ground and using her hands to send tremors up the pillars with a shout, "Rock like!"
Aang, having already learned a great deal, stood perfectly still and held onto the weight with both hands. Toph raised her own pillar next to his and Aang looked to her. A great big smile appeared on the Airbender's face when she nodded her approval.
…
The two decided to take a little break for a while. As Aang took a drink of water from a canteen, Toph walked over to Clint who was sitting in the shade of a tall rock. Clint looked over to her pupil and said, "He's coming along quite nicely, huh?"
"He is, but he isn't quite there yet." Toph said as she leaned up against the rock herself. Turning her head to him she asked, "Did you tell Sokka where to go?"
"I did." Clint nodded. But was confused and asked, "But why did he need to go alone so to speak?"
"So I can prepare a test for Aang should he not make the necessary click to unlocking his earthbending. Especially with what I have in mind." Toph said. Though it didn't really understand Toph's method, he didn't say anything as she walked off.
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A little ways away from their campsite, Sokka was hunting where Clint had advised him. Though he hadn't seen much of anything, his patience proved to provide as something came walking under the tree he was hiding in. Sokka did feel a little guilty when he saw that it was some kind of baby animal. The little critter walked up to a few blades of grass sticking up from the ground and began to eat it. Sokka then said, "You're an awfully cute little guy, but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat.
"Just a bit closer." He said when the little animal walked closer to the tree. When it came close enough, Sokka let out a holler and jumped from the tree. But before he could attack the little creature, he landed amongst the large crack in the ground and fell through a little. He noticed that he was stuck a little before looking to the critter. The curious animal took a few steps forward and sniffed Sokka. Thinking that he had an opportunity, Sokka raised his club again, "Gotcha!"
But before he could bring it down, he suddenly slipped deeper into the hole and became even more stuck. His arms were pressed up against his chest and his hair a little disheveled. Sokka tried to get himself out the hole, but he didn't seem to have any luck. Sokka glared at the critter and spitefully said, "You are one lucky little meet creature."
The little animal took his aggression as a sign that he wanted to play and crouched while his tail wagged.
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Back at the abandoned house, Iroh was preparing a new pot of tea over the fire. Tony sat up against the wall to give the two some space for their lesson. He then began the lesson, "Lighting is a pure expression of firebending that is without aggression.
"It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way that other firebending is." Iroh informed. When he saw that the tea was done boiling, Iroh placed it into a new pot while saying, "Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and very deadly, like Azula."
"So, she fights with a cool head?" Tony asked from his spot. Iroh looked to the man and nodded to confirm it. Looking back to Zuko he said while pouring a couple of cups of tea, "The key to performing this technique requires peace of the mind."
"I see." Zuko said and took the cup his uncle handed to him. Thinking of how his uncle had tried to help him keep a calm mind, he thought of how it also went into the lightning technique, "And that's why we're drinking tea right now. To help calm the mind."
"Oh, yeah. That's a good point." Iroh said as his nephew did have a good point. Then regaining composure, he said, "I mean, yes."
After drinking their tea, the three walked outside and Tony kept back while Iroh and Zuko stood near the edge of the cliff. They could see the abandoned town a good distance from where they were standing. Iroh looked to Zuko and said, "There is energy all around us."
"This energy penetrates us. And it binds the galaxy together." Tony said from the back, making the two Firebenders look to him. He gave a slight grin and said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. It was a really good reference."
Iroh and Zuko just looked to him with unamused faces. Tony started whistling and glanced away from the two for a moment.
"The energy is both yin and yang, positive and negative." Iroh said, returning to the lesson. Then gesturing to himself he said, "Azula, myself and a select few can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore that balance, and in the moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together again, you provide the release and guidance, creating lightning."
With a single motion of his hand, Iroh suggested that Zuko take a step back. Zuko did by taking a few steps back. He and Tony then watched as Iroh prepared himself. Bringing his hands close together, Iroh started to rotate his right arm as sparks of electricity formed on his two fingers. He soon brought the arm over his head before moving his left arm in a similar motion and electrical energy appeared on the end of those fingers as well. The energy sizzled and crackled with each motion. Zuko watched with an impressed grin just when Iroh extended his right hand forward and let the energy go. A loud boom of thunder could be heard all around. Even Tony was amazed from his spot. When it was over, Zuko felt eager, "I'm ready to try it."
"Remember," Iroh said and rubbed his injured shoulder, "once you separate the two energies, you are not in command, you are simply its humble guide."
Zuko nodded as he understood what his uncle was trying to tell him. Zuko turned to face the edge of the cliff. Iroh then instructed, "Take a deep breath first."
Zuko did as his uncle instructed and took a deep breath. When he released the breath, Zuko copied his uncle's movements and did as his uncle instructed by separating the energies. The only difference from his uncle's motions was there was no electricity flowing. Iroh watched as his nephew performed the exact same movements. When he neared the end of the movements, Zuko extended his right arm to release, but it ended up causing a big explosion that knocked him back. Zuko landed next to his uncle with a grunt. Tony ran forward to see if his friend was okay. While Tony helped Zuko to his feet, Iroh could only shake his head as he had a feeling of why it didn't work.
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Over at the canyon, Toph finally returned to continue with Aang's earthbending training. She walked over to the group and Aang asked, "So what's next?"
"This time we're going to try something a little bit different." Toph said and thought about how she was going to do it. She then explained, "Instead of you moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock."
Aang hadn't moved as he was unsure of what to do. Toph walked back up to him and startled him when she said, "Get in your horse stance."
Aang did so and then looked to Toph. Without turning, she gestured up to the top of the wall, "I'm going to roll that boulder that Thor was kind of enough to get for me down at you."
Aang, Katara, Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Momo were all shocked to see the large boulder sitting near the edge. The only ones who weren't fazed really were Thor and Clint. Steve looked to Thor and asked, "Did you have to go and get a boulder that big?"
"Toph asked me to grab a big boulder." Thor defended himself. He shrugged when he added, "And that happened to be the biggest one I could find at the moment.
"Plus, she convinced me that this was all for the good of Aang's training." Thor said. Toph looked to the Asgardian and said, "Thank you by the way."
Thor only nodded to her. Toph turned her focus back to Aang and said, "Now, if you have the attitude of an Earthbender, then you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock." Then she showed the motion with her stance and hands, "Like this, got it."
"And if he doesn't?" Natasha asked, feeling a little worried about this. Katara stepped up and asked, "She may have a point, Toph. Are you sure that this is really the best way to teach Aang earthbending?"
"I'm glad that you said something, Katara." Toph said as she stood up straight. Something seemed to click and she said, "Actually, there is a much better way for this."
Then in one fluid motion, she grabbed Aang's belt before yanking it off. Then she tied it around Aang's eyes to prevent him from seeing. The majority of the group were a little surprised by this while Toph said, "This way, you'll really have to sense for the vibrations of the boulder in order to stop it." Toph then looked to the Waterbender and said, "Thank you, Katara."
"Yeah, thanks, Katara." Aang sarcastically said to his friend as he thought that this was a bad idea. Katara gave a weak laugh while Steve said to Natasha, "This isn't going to end well."
"Yeah, he's either going to get squished by the boulder or get squished by Toph." Natasha shrugged. Bruce shook his head, "Either way, he's going to be crushed."
Soon, Toph and Clint were standing on top of the canyon wall next to the boulder. Katara and the five Avengers were standing on the side lines in case Aang needed them. Aang stood at the ready as Toph moved toward the boulder. She gave it a light push and it started rolling down the hill. As it came down at full speed, Aang started to get very nervous about trying to stop it. He wasn't the only one nervous, both Thor and Steve prepared their respective weapons in case they needed to.
From the top of the cliff, Toph and Clint were waiting to see or feel what would happen. But when the boulder was but a few inches from him, Aang panicked and quickly jumped out of the way. Katara, Momo and the Avengers all watched as the boulder kept rolling until it reached the end of the canyon with a loud boom. Bruce looked to Katara, Steve and Natasha and said, "Well, he might be out of the frying pain-"
"But he's about to be in the fire." Natasha said and they all looked to see Toph running down to them. She reached them just as Aang landed and he removed his blindfold. He could see the disappointment on her face and said, "I guess I just panicked." He looked away, "I don't know what to say."
"There's nothing to say!" Toph said. She pointed out what he did right, "You blew it. You had the perfect stance and the perfect form." Gesturing to the cliff where the boulder came down she said, "But when it came right down to it, you didn't have the guts to do it."
She lightly punched him in the chest on the word gut and he fell down on his butt. Aang looked down in disappointment for letting his teacher down. Natasha then asked, "Toph, I know that you're Aang's teacher and you have the right to scold him, but doesn't this seem a little harsh?"
"This is the way I learned." Toph defended herself while turning her head to the spy. Pointing to Aang with her thumb she said, "And he's gonna have to learn it in order to get it done right."
"I know." Aang nodded as what she was saying was the truth. He hung his head and said, "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you are sorry." Toph said while bending down to be in front of his face. What she said next really stung, "If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could at least give it the pleasure of smushing you, instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly boned wimp."
Momo whimpered while all the others were looking a little put off about how Toph was going on like this. Steve then said, "I think it's time for a little intervention here, guys."
"Right." Katara said before walking up to the two. Toph then raised her arms into the air and questioned, "Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender?!"
"No. I don't think I do." Aang once again hung his head in disappointment. Katara came up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Aang, it's no big deal. You'll take a break and try earthbending again when you're ready later."
"It's not like you can't come back to it." Bruce said while Toph just crossed her arms. Katara then pointed out, "Besides, you still have a lot of waterbending to work on, okay?"
"Yeah." Aang said and looked to her. Raising to his feet he followed after her, "That sounds good for now."
"Yeah, whatever," Toph nonchalantly said after them as they walked away, "go splash around in the water until you feel better."
The Avengers watched as the three walked off and Steve asked the others, "This aside, I'm surprised that we haven't seen Sokka for a few hours now."
"I told Sokka about a good spot a little ways from here." Clint said as he picked up an arrow from his quiver. Glancing to the others he said, "But he should be back sometime soon."
"If you say so." Bruce shrugged. Looking to Aang and Katara as they walked away he asked, "How do you think Aang's feeling right now?"
"Perhaps a little depressed that he hasn't managed to be unable to fully get the grasp of earthbending." Thor said and leaned against a pillar of rock. Natasha sighed before saying, "It's too bad that he couldn't get the hang of it like he did with waterbending."
"Well, to be fair, earthbending is in its own class." Bruce said. They looked to him and he said, "I mean, in a sense, water is almost like air. They move in a way that earth can't. Fire is alive in its own right. Earth is a more stubborn and sturdy element, only moving when moved and opposing any force that comes at it."
"You could be right about that." Steve said. He crossed his arms and said, "But I have faith that Aang will master it. In his own time."
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Zuko's lesson wasn't going so great either. Columns of smoke rose up all around each time he attempted to create lightning. Tony and Iroh were watching from the abandoned house as he tried once again. But when he went through the motions, it once again exploded and sent the young Firebender flying backwards. Both men could see the frustration on Zuko's face as he questioned, "Why can't I do this?!" He looked to them and gestured to the spot as he said, "Instead of creating lightning, it just keeps exploding in my face." He looked to the sky when he depressingly said, "like everything always does."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Tony asked without looking to Iroh. The older man looked to the inventor of the Iron Man suit and said, "That we should go for some noodles?"
"What? No." Tony said with a slight glare. It softened when he looked away and said, "Okay, maybe, but later." But gesturing to Zuko he said, "But maybe it's time to show the kid another way before he has to face his sister again."
"That's a good point." Iroh said before standing up again. Walking over to Zuko he said, "I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to tap into the technique."
Zuko looked to his uncle with a questioning look and Iroh explained, "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."
"What turmoil?!" Zuko angrily questioned as he didn't understand what his uncle was meaning. Iroh then said, "Zuko you must let go all of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."
"But I don't feel any shame at all." Zuko argued and looked down to the abandoned town, "I'm as proud as ever."
"Yeah, maybe right now." Tony interjected as he came over. Both Firebenders looked to him and he said, "You might be feeling proud and all that now, but what about something that's lingering underneath the surface?"
"Tony is right." Iroh agreed. With a shake of his head he said, "Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but it is its source.
"True humility is the only antidote to shame." Iroh told him. Thinking back on his life, Zuko looked to the right and guessed, "Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately."
"I have another idea." Iroh suggested, thinking back to what Tony said earlier. He then offered his nephew, "I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know." He pointed to himself as he said with a proud look, "Because I made it up myself."
"What do you say, kid?" Tony offered with a smirk. Zuko looked to the two before a smirk grew on his face as well.
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Sokka sighed as he was still stuck in the hole. He had been stuck in the hole for a few hours now and everything was a little uncomfortable. Even the need to pee was feeling a little uncomfortable, but he held it in. The Water Tribe teen hoped that someone would come to rescue him soon, but he was a least a little grateful that he wasn't alone. Even if his company was the little critter and said critter was now taking a nap on his head. Sokka glanced up to the little creature and he said, "You probably think that I deserve this, don't you?"
The little critter looked down at the stuck Sokka and blinked its adorable little eyes. Sokka then apologized, "Look, I'm sorry that I tried to hunt you, but that's just the natural order of these kind of things. Big things eat smaller things, it's nothing personal. And I'm willing to bet that my friend Thor would agree.
"But this time it didn't work out that way." Sokka admitted. The little critter gave an adorable yawn and even Sokka couldn't be mad at something like that. The little creature turned in a circle while Sokka said, "I admit it, you're cute."
The little creature licked its paw before wiping its face off. Sokka sighed as he decided, "Okay, you've convinced me. If I get out this hole alive, it's going to be a karmically correct vegetarian existence for me." He looked like he was about to cry when he said, "No meat. Even though meat is so tasty."
The little creature jumped off of Sokka's head and ran off somewhere. Sokka watched the little creature go until it disappeared. The sound of a buzzing fly made the teen look to see the bug fly up to him. He tried to shoo it away even though his arms were still stuck. But he gave up with a groan when the fly landed on his forehead. He gasped when he saw the little critter coming back and it had an apple in its muzzle. A grin formed on Sokka's face when it dropped the apple, "Hey, it looks like my karma is already paying off."
The critter used its snout to push the apple to Sokka but it only stopped half way. Sokka tried to reassure, "That's okay, I can get it."
The teen strained as he moved to get his right hand to his boomerang before grasping it. When he had a good hold on it, he tried throwing it at the apple. But only went so far and laid next to the apple. He pointed to his trademark tool and ordered, "Now come back, boomerang."
The little critter just adorably wagged its tail.
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In a spot near their campsite, a frog was calmly sitting on a rock surrounded by black and white reeds. The frog croaked a few times to the blissfulness of the pond. It was caught by surprise when Momo caught it in his paws. But when the frog was able to wiggle itself out of the lemur's grasp, Momo tried to catch it again he ended slipping and falling into the water. The water was chilly and made his tail stand tall like the black and white reeds. A little ways away, Aang and Katara were practicing their waterbending in their swimming outfits. The two were currently passing a small glob of water around in a circle back and forth to each other. Katara tried to help him by saying, "You know that this block you're having is only a temporary one, right?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Aang said as he moved the blob around. Knowing that it wouldn't solve anything, Katara said, "You do realize that that's the problem, don't you? If you face this issue instead of avoiding it…"
"I know, I know, I know, I know! I get it, all right." Aang said, losing focus and allowing the glob of water to fall back into the pond. Aang turned away from Katara and said, "I need to face it head-on, like a rock," He slapped the surface of the pond as he was frustrated, "but I just can't do it." He shook his head, 'I don't know why I can't do it, but I just can't."
"Aang…" Katara said, knowing that this wasn't easy for him. Then as both a friend and a mentor she asked, "if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?"
"I guess that it's earth." Aang said, knowing that it was true. Katara tried to help him by saying, "That's why it's so hard for you to get this. You're working with your natural opposite." But she was confident in her friend when she said with a smile, "But you'll figure it out. Everyone knows that you will."
Katara sneakily reached behind her and snapped a read. She then threw it forward while warning, "Think fast."
Aang was a little surprised by this before moving his right hand under his left arm before throwing it forward and creating a water wave that sliced through the incoming reed. The pieces flew past him and he glanced back to where they landed. His attention came back to his mentor when Katara said, "Excellent." With a grin she commended, "You have the reflexes of a waterbending master."
"Thanks, Katara." Aang said, thinking of how she helped encourage him for figuring out a way around his block and for the training. Then with a smile and a bow he corrected, "Seefu Katara."
Katara smiled to this before bowing back to her pupil. When they stood at their full height, they moved to get out of the water.
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The sun was starting to set as Iroh began the new lesson. Zuko sat on the ground while Tony stood on the side. He picked up a stick from the ground and started to draw in the dirt. As he drew an image, Iroh said, "Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."
Zuko looked up to his uncle and tried to think about what Iroh was telling him. Tony looked to the image and thought that it looked very familiar to him. When the symbol of fire was complete with a square drawn around it, Iroh moved the stick back and drew another image, "Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring."
Moving the stick a little to his right and next to the symbol of fire, Iroh drew swirls in the dirt, "Air is the element of freedom. The people of the Air Nomads detach themselves from worldly concerns and have found peace and freedom." Iroh stopped drawing for a moment and said with a smile, "Also, they apparently had pretty good sense of humor."
Zuko looked to Iroh with an unamused look while Tony just shrugged. Iroh's face returned to its seriousness and he continued to draw, "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that will hold them together through anything."
"Why are you telling me all these things?" Zuko said, still not understanding what his uncle was trying to tell him. Iroh explained, "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place," He drew a line between the four symbols, "then it will become rigid and stale."
"And lose all sense of working together in a way." Tony thought aloud, thinking about him and his fellow Avengers. Iroh nodded to confirm this and said, "Understanding others, the other elements and the other nations will help you to become whole."
He emphasized this by drawing a circle around the four symbols. But Zuko was still a little lost when he said, "All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff."
"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. As it has been since the beginning days of the Avatar." Iroh said. Tony then asked, "Just how old is that Avatar?"
"Well, the Avatar can live for quite a while, if that's what you mean." Iroh said. But then he said, "But if you're referring to the reincarnation cycle of the Avatar, then that goes back thousands of years. To an age where it is said that man and spirit once existed in the same world."
"Woah." Tony simply said in astonishment. Turning back to Zuko, Iroh pointed the stick to him and said, "But this can also make you more powerful, too."
A grin formed on Iroh's face again when he said, "For you see, the technique that I'm about to teach you is one that I learned by studying the waterbenders."
Zuko was a little surprised by learning a technique that basically came from the waterbenders, giving the nature of the two opposite elements between them. He looked down at the diagram before Iroh gestured for him to rise off the ground.
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Back at the campsite, the sun was starting to set over the mountains. Just about everyone was doing their own thing. Steve was checking over his shield, Natasha and Bruce were working on something for after the fights they would get into, Clint was taking a look at his arrows, Thor was tossing Mjolnir away before summoning back to his hand and Aang was meditating on a rock with a sleeping Momo next to him. Toph walked up to the rock and sat down. Then she said over her shoulder, "Aang, I found these nuts in your bag." She held up said bag containing the edible nuts with Aang's face drawn on it. She had a smirk as she goaded, "I figured that you wouldn't mind." She lightly shook the bag and said, "And besides, even if you did have a problem, you're too much of a push over to do anything about it."
Aang glared at Toph for a moment and saw that she was mostly doing it to annoy him. He tried to be the bigger man about it by saying, "As a matter of fact, I don't mind at all. I'm happy to share anything that I have."
"You know, I'm really glad that you feel that way-" Toph said as she had something up her sleeve. She reached for something as she said, "Because I also have this great new nutcracker."
Aang's eyes opened when he heard the spinning sound of his staff. He looked back with a slight glare as Toph threw a nut on the ground. Then with a big grin she raised the staff up before brining the end down on it and breaking the nut open. Aang tried to make her stop, "Actually, I'd really prefer that if you didn't do t-" He was stopped midsentence and cringed when she opened another, and he became worried when he said, "That's an antique, hand-crafted by the mon-" He cringed again when she did it a third time, "It's a delicate instrument."
"It's not the only delicate instrument around here is it?" Toph mockingly said as she ate a few of the nuts with Momo joining her. Then she got up and walked off and hit the staff against some rocks as she walked.
Aang watched her go with a glare before returning to his meditation. The five Avengers had been watching and Bruce asked, "You think that she's going too far now?"
"Nah." Clint shook his head, surprising the others. He looked to others and said, "I think this is all part of her strategy."
"Strategy? For earthbending?" Steve asked as he felt like it didn't make any sense. Clint nodded when they noticed Katara running up. She looked to them all and said, "Hey, guys, have any of you seen…"
"Meditating here." Aang snapped. Katara, knowing that Aang was having a rough time, took a deep breath before saying, "It's important. It's almost sundown and Sokka hasn't come back yet."
"You think he's okay?" Natasha asked as everyone present got up. Steve said, "We better search for him, just to make sure that he's okay."
"Okay, Nat and Steve will go with Katara. I'll go find Toph and we'll search together." Clint said, taking charge. Everyone was a little surprised but Clint said, "And Thor and Bruce can go with Aang."
"Huh, that was a little out of nowhere." Natasha said with a questioning look. Clint defended himself by saying, "Look, do we want to find Sokka or not?"
"Fair point." Steve said before taking off with Katara, Clint and Natasha. Aang, Thor and Bruce all went in another direction.
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Back with the missing Water Tribe teen, he was still stuck in the hole in the ground. The little critter was whimpering as it tried to pull Sokka out by pulling on Sokka's wolf tail. But feeling more pain than getting loose, Sokka then said, "Okay, karma person or thing, or whoever's in charge of this kind of stuff, if I can just get out of this situation alive, I will give up both meat and sarcasm."
"Ow!" Sokka cried out when the little cub gave a big yank. The little critter only managed to yank Sokka's hair band out and his hair looked all messy now. The cub sniffed the hair band while Sokka still tried, "That's all I got. It's pretty much my whole identity. Sokka the meat and sarcasm guy." The cub walked away from the stuck Sokka as he offered, "But I'm willing to be Sokka the veggies and straight talk fellow. Deal?"
"Sokka!" He heard Aang, Thor and Bruce's voices shout. The three soon ran right in front of him and he cried out with joy, "Aang!" Tears appeared in his eyes as he knew he was safe, "Thank goodness." He became serious when he asked and renounced his vow, "Have any of you got any meat on ya?"
"Uh, no." Bruce said as the three ran up to him. Aang asked, "Are you okay?"
The Airbender walked up to him and started pulling on Sokka's fingers. But it wasn't working when the teen cried out, "Aang, stop! Stop it! You're gonna pull my fingers off and I don't think that the rest of me is coming!"
"What do we do?" Aang asked Thor and Bruce. Thor shook his head when he said, "I won't risk trying to pull him out for I might hurt him, and the only way Bruce could is-"
"With the Hulk." Bruce finished as he too knew that was a bad idea. Sokka looked a little fearful at the moment and said, "Yeah, please don't."
"What if you use your hammer?" Aang asked the Asgardian. Thor sighed and said, "I fear that I may do more harm than good with it."
"Hmm." Aang said as he scratched his head to think. He then said, "I bet I could airbend you out of the hole."
"You can only try it." Bruce said with a shrug. Aang brought his hands together before raising them up. Then he slammed them onto the crack and created a large gust of air. The blast caused Bruce and Thor to brace themselves as it kicked up a lot of dust. When Aang stopped and the dust settled, Sokka was still stuck in the hole and now had a mohawk as his hair stood up.
Suddenly, his weapons came down and struck the teen on the head and he yelped in pain. Aang, Bruce and Thor all winced from that. Sokka then suggested, "Seriously, Aang, I know that you're still new at it, but I could use a little earthbending here. How about it?"
Aang looked to his friend for a moment before looking down, "I can't." He turned away from the three and said in shame, "I can't do it."
Sokka, Bruce and Thor all looked to him with looks of sympathy. Really wanting to get out of the hole, Sokka suggested, "Well, if you can't earthbend me out of this hole, go and get Toph. Please."
"I can't do that either." Aang said and rubbed his arm. Sokka became confused, "You can't? Why not?"
"Well, after a grueling day of trying to earthbend and being yelled at his teacher could be a reason." Thor said with a shrug. While Sokka only looked confused, Aang hung his head while Bruce nudged his friend. But Aang agreed and said, "He's right. And it would make me feel uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?" Sokka asked. Then he sarcastically said, "Well, I wouldn't you to feel uncomfortable."
"I thought I heard you say something about giving up sarcasm?" Bruce questioned to the teen. Aang looked to the three and asked, "Can I talk to you about it?"
"Well, I'm not that kind of doctor, but I guess I can spare a few minutes." Bruce said with a shrug. Thor looked to his friend with a confused look, Aang said, "Thanks, Bruce." He sat down next to the trapped Sokka and said, "It's just that, this whole earthbending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure on it. Everyone expects me to get it right away. I-It puts me in a really awkward position."
"Awkward position. I think I know the feeling." Sokka said, mostly referring to himself right now. Bruce sat down next to Aang and said, "Aang, I know that this is a lot on your shoulders, but to be honest, no one expects you to get it right away.
"You're just starting out and it's gonna take you time to figure it all out." He added. Then gesturing to himself he said, "And about being confused with something that you don't know. I do know what that's like." Aang looked to him and Bruce said, "When I first became the Hulk, I was so scared and confused. I still am, mostly because I hardly have a grasp on what's going to happen, when I get angry and transform or if I'm coming back. But I push on through, breaking past the limits between me and the Hulk.
"Sure me and the Hulk don't always see eye to eye." Bruce shook his head. Pointing to himself again he said, "We may never be on the same page, but we do learn how to control ourselves."
"And I know that being confused territory as well." Thor added. They all looked up to the Asgardian prince when he said, "When my father Odin, had cast me out of Asgard and stripped me of my powers, I was in a new world and didn't have any way to reach home until I understood what my father was trying to teach me."
"Even Steve can tell you that he didn't fully understand it when he became a super soldier." Bruce threw in. Aang looked to them and said, "But if I try, then I fail. But if I don't try, then I'm never going to get it."
"All I can say is that you see yourself between a rock and a hard place, huh?" Bruce asked him. Aang nodded as it was exactly how he was feeling. Sokka said, "Hmm, how about that?"
The little cub came walking back and Sokka noticed it. Everyone looked to it as Sokka introduced, "Guys, this is my new friend, Fu-Fu Cuddly Poops. Fu-Fu Cuddly Poops, guys."
"Aw, what a cute name for a little baby saber-tooth moose lion cub." Aang said while the cub sniffed the three new people. Bruce looked to the Airbender as Aang picked the cub up and asked, "That's what now?"
"Really? He doesn't look like a saber-toothed moose lion." Sokka said as he knew what Aang was talking about. Aang looked to the baby while saying, "It's kind of hard to tell before their giant teeth and sharp horns grow in."
"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" Bruce asked Thor. Thor had the same feeling as Aang said to the cub, "What are you doing out here by yourself, little guy? You lose your mama?"
The cub only blinked its eyes as a loud growl came from the left. The question of mama was answered when they all looked to see a grown-up version of the saber-tooth moose lion stood on the other side of some bushes. The giant creature growled when it saw its cub in Aang's hands and swayed its large horns.
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The sun was starting to set over the mountains of the abandoned house as Iroh and Zuko began with the new technique. Tony was busy taking care of the ostrich-horse while the two Firebenders were moving their arms back and forth. Iroh then said, "Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy." He looked over to Tony and said, "No referencing."
The inventor had looked to say something, but closed his mouth before returning to tending to the ostrich-horse. Iroh continued, "A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, thus turning their opponent's energy against them.
"I learned a way to this with lightning." Iroh told his nephew. Zuko was amazed by this and asked, "You can teach me to redirect lightning."
"Sure give Thor a run for his money." Tony cracked with a grin. While Zuko looked to him with an unamused glance, Iroh did smirk before becoming serious again. Iroh then nodded to confirm this and said, "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it."
Then raising his right arm, Iroh brought his left arm next to it as he explained, "You must create a pathway from your fingertips," He motioned with his hand along his body, "up your arm to you shoulder, and then down into your stomach."
"Huh?" Zuko said as he didn't really understand that part. Iroh explained, "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the Sea of Chi." A grin grew on his face when he said, "Only, in my case, it is more like a vast ocean."
He gave a hearty laugh to this, while Zuko was hardly amused. Iroh became serious again and continued motioning with his left fingers, "From the stomach, you direct it up again and out the other arm.
"The stomach detour is most critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart-" Iroh warned and stepped closer to his nephew. Placing two fingers against Zuko's chest he said, "or the damage dealt by it could be deadly."
Zuko understood this as he looked to his uncle. Iroh then advised, "You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow, like this."
Extending his left arm, he placed his right hand next to it and Zuko mirrored the actions with his arm and left hand. Uncle and nephew started moving in sync with each other as they moved their hands along their bodies. As they repeated the action, Iroh asked, "Now, are you focusing your energy?" He made the motions with his hand when he said, "Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up and out?"
"I think so." Zuko said while continuing to make the motions. Iroh started to do a waving motion with his arms as he encouraged, "Come on now, you've go to feel the flow."
Tony watched as the two continued to practice the movements of the redirection technique. Soon, after a few more times, Iroh stopped and nodded, "Excellent. You've got it."
Zuko had a smile and bowed to his uncle. When he raised his head, he became eager and said, "Great. I'm ready to try with some real lightning."
"What are you crazy?" Iroh said, thinking his nephew wasn't thinking straight. He warned, "Lightning is very dangerous."
"I thought that this was the point?" Zuko asked, confused as to why his uncle wouldn't help him to perfect it. His uncle adopted a questioning look when Zuko said, "You teaching me how to protect myself from it."
"Yeah, it was." Iroh comically shouted. But he was against the idea when he said, "But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you."
"Don't suppose you could help me, huh?" Zuko asked Tony who had stepped away from the ostrich-horse. But Tony shook his head, "Sorry, the whole lightning thing is mostly Thor's thing."
Iroh turned away from his nephew and said, "If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all."
A frustrated Zuko turned to the cliff and saw large storm clouds starting come over the land. Deciding to take action, Zuko looked to Iroh and asked, "Well, if you won't or can't help me, I'll go and find my own lightning."
Iroh bowed his head as he didn't wish for this, but accepted his nephew's decision. Zuko took the ostrich-horse before riding off towards the storm. The ostrich-horse squawked as they ran down the hill. As they watched him go, Tony looked to Iroh and asked, "How long do we give him?"
"Just until he comes to his senses that it will not be as easy as he thinks." Iroh said before moving to sit on the porch. Tony looked to the older man before turning his gaze to the riding Zuko.
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The adult saber-toothed moos lion came a few steps closer as the four all stared in shock and fear. Bruce looked to Aang and said, "You might want to put the cub down now."
"Hey, there." Aang said to the adult animal. Holding the cub a little higher he tried to smooth things over, "We found your cub."
The little baby saber-toothed moose lion cub let out a squeal and all for of the boys looked to it nervously. The squeal caused the adult to growl again. Bruce said again, "Put it down."
Aang did so and the little cub ran over the adult before disappearing into the bushes. When he stood up again, Aang tried to keep the adult calm, "See? We have no problem with you. W-We're friendly."
"Somehow I don't think the feeling is mutual." Thor said as he prepared his hammer. The adult saber-toothed moose lion proved this with a fierce growl and shook its huge antlers. Even though Aang, Thor and Bruce were there to protect them, Sokka still felt a little uneasy and said, "Guys, this is bad. You need to get me out of here."
The saber-toothed moose lion charged with a growl and Sokka screamed in fear. Luckily, Aang was quick to react and shouted to Bruce and Thor, "Duck down!"
They both did as he said and ducked down. Aang then bended a wave of air that carried the saber-toothed moose lion over their heads. Sokka stopped screaming as the large animal passed over his head. The adult saber-toothed moose lion landed on the ground and turned back to the four with a roar. Sokka looked to the four and said, "This is really bad." He pleaded, "Please, Aang, you have to earthbend me out! There's no other way!"
Aang was a looking a little nervous about it, but became determined to give it a try. He made earthbending motions with his hands, but none of them worked as Sokka was still stuck in the ground. Sokka gave Aang an annoyed look while Aang looked to him with a sheepish grin. The adult saber-toothed moose lion scrapped its paw against the ground and prepared to charge again. Aang gasped, "Oh, no.
"I'll try to distract it." Aang he said before jumping to the top of the rock and called out, "Hey, over here! Look at me!"
He started to do a funny little dance to get the predator's attention. But it only worked for a second as it turned its attention back to the three still on the ground with a growl. It roared before charging at the three. Thor jumped in front of Bruce and Sokka to throw Mjolnir forward. The magic hammer sailed to the beast but the saber-toothed moose lion moved its head at the right moment to where Mjolnir went between its horns. Thor was caught off guard when the beast used its antlers to knock him back. Thor crashed into Bruce and they fell behind Sokka. Aang gasped before jumping between the beast and his friends and used his airbending to steer the saber-toothed moose lion around Sokka, Thor and Bruce. The beast ran past them and Sokka looked up to Aang and asked, "Please don't leave me again."
"I won't." Aang said as Bruce and Thor sat up. The saber-toothed moose lion once again charged at them. With a determined look on his face and taking his stance, Aang moved his hands to his side and waited for the right moment. When the saber-toothed moose lion was but a few feet, Aang unleashed a blast of air that sent the beast flying backwards. When the dust settled, the saber-toothed moose lion got back up and shook the cobwebs from its head. It took one look at the group before disappearing after its cub.
Aang breathed a sigh of relief and looked to the two Avengers, "You two okay?"
"Yeah." Both Thor and Bruce said with a nod. Suddenly the sound of clapping drew their attention and they looked to another dust cloud. When it disappeared, it revealed a smirking Toph to be clapping slowly. All four boys were confused as Sokka asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Just enjoying the show." Toph casually said and stopped clapping. Aang was a little outraged by this and questioned, "What? You were here the whole time?"
"Pretty much. But not just me." Toph said before pointing behind them. The four looked to a tree to see Clint standing up in the branches. He waved to them, "Hiya."
"Why didn't either of you do something?! You guys could have helped us out here! Sokka was in trouble! We were in trouble!" Aang angrily questioned. Toph shrugged her shoulders and said, "Guess it never occurred to me."
She threw a nut onto the ground before bringing out Aang's staff again. But as she brought it down on the nut, Aang grabbed it and sternly said, "Enough. I want my staff back."
She let go of her end and rose onto her feet. She jumped off the rock she was sitting on and said, "Do it now."
"What?" Aang questioned, not getting the question. Clint jumped down from the tree and said, "What do you think, kid?"
"I mean earthbending, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, her grin never faltering. She poked him in the chest, "You just stood your ground against a crazy beast," Then gesturing to herself she said, "And even more impressive, you just stood your ground against me."
"I think you have what it takes." Clint said as he helped both Thor and Bruce to their feet. Sokka looked to the Archer and was about to ask when Clint silenced him with his staff. Toph nodded and said, "You've got the stuff. Now do it."
"But…" Aang said, still feeling a little unsure. Then Toph loudly said, "Do it!"
Aang was a little surprised by this, but soon stood in front of a boulder. Then extending his fist at it, he sent the boulder flying before smashing into another rock. Everyone was surprised by this and Toph commended, "You did it! You're an Earthbender now."
"I can't believe it." Aang said with a grin. From his spot in the hole in the ground, Sokka said, "Aw, this is a really wonderful and touching moment."
They looked to him and the teen asked, "Could someone get me out of here so I can give you all a big, snuggly hug?"
"No problem, Sokka." Aang said and rushed up to help him. But Toph stopped him and said, "Uh, hang on. You should really let me do this. You're still a little new to this and you might accidentally crush him."
"Yeah, no crushing please." Sokka agreed with that logic. Toph stepped up to the trapped Sokka before stamping her foot and Sokka came out of the ground a good deal. When it was only his legs still stuck, Toph grabbed him by his hair before pulling him all the way out. She let him go and Sokka grunted when he fell to the ground. Those still standing all watched as she walked off.
…
The group returned with Sokka to the campsite. Aang and Bruce helped the teen walked right while Clint, Thor and Toph holding Aang's staff walked behind them. They entered their campsite when Steve, Natasha and Katara returned as well. Katara was overjoyed to see her brother as ran to him, "You found him!"
Katara embraced her brother and he embraced back. Momo chittered as the two siblings released each other. Sokka looked to his sister and said, "The whole time that I was in that hole, not know if I would live or die, really makes a man think about what's really important."
Katara, Toph and the Avengers were very surprised and impressed about how mature Sokka was standing. The teen smiled and he said, "I realized-"
"Hey, Katara, look what I can do." Aang said, cutting Sokka off. They all looked to Aang as the Airbender took his earthbending stance again. He brought his hands behind him before throwing them forward. It caused a large rock to fall from the top of a pillar. Katara, Steve and Natasha became very excited as the Waterbender exclaimed, "You did it! I knew you would.
"You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?" Katara whispered to Toph. Toph nodded, "Yep. It worked wonders."
"And now he's getting closer to becoming a fully realized Avatar." Clint threw in. Toph chuckled and said, "But first he's got a long way to go before he becomes an earthbending master."
A roar from Appa made them all look to the Sky Bison. Aang ran up to him and excitedly said, "Appa! Appa! I can earthbend now." Turning away from the bison he said, "The key is being completely rooted, both physically and mentally unmovable.
"Whoa!" Aang shouted when Appa used his tongue to knock the Airbender down, thus making him not like a rock. When the Airbender landed, Sokka broke out in a fit of laughter and everyone else started laughing as well.
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Rain poured down hard around the mountain that Zuko was on. He stood at the mountain peak and was waiting for a bolt of lightning. When nothing happened, Zuko shouted to the world, "You've always thrown everything you could at me. Well, I can take it!" His frustrations grew, "And now I can give it back!"
A bolt of lightning came down in the distance and Zuko tried goading the world, "Come on!" More lightning came down every where else and Zuko shouted, "Strike me! You've never held back before!"
Zuko looked about the sky to see if a bolt of lightning would come down, but when nothing happened, tears flowed from his eyes as he thought it unfair. He gave a loud holler before falling to his knees. The sound of metal hitting the ground caused Zuko to look up. A bolt of lightning came down behind a metallic looking figure and it startled Zuko. But he quickly calmed down when he saw that it was Tony in his Iron Man suit. He extended a hand to Zuko and the Fire Nation prince looked down for a moment. But he sighed as he gave Tony his hand and Iron Man helped him back onto his feet. When Zuko stood at his full height, Iron Man led the way back down the mountain.
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Back in the Avengers world, the three were still in the abandoned Hydra base. Nick walked up to the portal and asked, "So, what's the status on this thing?"
"We've finished crunching the numbers." Maria Hill, Fury's second in command, said as she walked up. Looking to Fury she said, "We have just enough juice for a short door way. We won't be able to hold it for long."
"So it's one of those get in, get out kind of situations?" Fury asked. Maria Hill then said, "That's what it's looking like. But we've also managed to find something in the files."
"Like?" Fury said and turned to her. Maria pointed to a gentlemen by the portal and said, "Well, Murray of there, the man with the small mustache and orange glasses, said that there's another base with a much bigger portal. One big enough to transport Hydra's forces to wherever."
"Then that's going to be a problem." Nick said as he started to think about it. He then made a decision, "We need to find it this other portal and fast, shut it down before things get out of hand even more."
"But what about the Avengers?" Maria Hill asked and looked to the portal. Fury then said, "You said that this portal has enough juice for a jump right?"
"Yes, sir." Hill nodded. Fury then said, "I'm gonna get in contact with Wilson and Rhodes. Tell them that someone needs to go and find the Avengers to tell them that a rescue team is on the way."
"You want just the two of them to go alone?" Hill asked, not sure if a two-man squad was enough. Fury was quick to shake his head. Looking to her he said, "I can't call on a certain friend of mine because she's busy with her own things. But I do have a few others in mind."
"When do we start?" Maria Hill asked and Fury turned to her. He shook his head, "It won't be easy, three out of four of these individuals do their best to keep under the radar."
"I can have some people gain some leads on these people." Maria offered. Nick nodded and said, "The sooner the better."
Maria Hill walked off to get started on the search for Fury's chosen. When she was gone, Fury turned back to the portal and said, "I can only hope that the team I have in mind can find you guys."
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This story's dedication to:
Stan Lee: 1922 – 2018
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Author's Note: And with that, Chapter Nine is done. It'll take me a little while to get the next chapter done because it's going to be an original chapter. It's going to be one of a few of them. But while I'm working on it I'll be getting a few other fanfics that really need my attention done. I bet you can't wait to see which heroes are going to be a part of the adventure. All will be revealed in time, plus I hope to get you all hyped about the coming chapters. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you all next time.