It was late afternoon in the city of Omashu. It was a majestic bustle yet orderly all the same. Here on this mountain, young Katsu smiled in awe as he looked around the scenery before him. From where he stood in the market square, he saw miles and miles of carts shipping their contents up and down intricately crafted stone slopes, whilst customers, shopkeepers, merchants, and artisans hustled and sold all over the square.

The sun was shining and the skies were clear. A gentle spring breeze rustled the air, keeping it cool. Katsu had been to all sorts of Earth Kingdom towns and even various Fire Nation colonies, yet nothing could even compare to the clean yet quaint urban atmosphere that surrounded this place.

He looked around before him. He then peered at his reflection in a merchant's selling glass. He took a swipe at his wavy brushed hair that scraped his eyes, then he dusted off his newly bought dark green tunic and brown trousers while he pulled on the strap adorning the long oak bow and quiver on his back.

He had always wanted to come and stop to visit Omashu. It was a chance to get himself some coin to make use of. He was fortunate to bring back some skinned hog meat to sell at the local market from his time in the wild. It wasn't much but the copper and occasional silver piece added up and helped pay for whatever he might need on the road. Other than that, he was used to sleeping, eating, and living throughout the wild - it didn't bother him very much, save for the bugs occasionally that crawled along while he slept.

As he walked away, he was thinking about his travels - he had originally started out not too far from the Pohai stronghold, meandered his way past countless villages, towns, and ports and he was originally planning to go to Omashu and then Gaoling - he was dying to watch the next Earth Rumble and finally see the legendary champ, the Blind Bandit, in person.

That being said, the various Earth Kingdom towns, ruins, and occasional Fire Nation towns provided such interesting and contrasting experiences, especially considering his background. Shaking his head, he walked off further into the market and stopped by some eccentric merchant who was…..stroking a cabbage?

He was about to move on when he suddenly turned around and heard a loud crashing noise, followed by a loud voice shouting "Sorry!"

He squinted to see a messenger cart burst through a wall, the young man wondering what on Earth was making it go so fast when all of a sudden his eyes widened as he finally registered the cart speeding down was actually heading directly for him.

He ducked to run, but it was too late. A mere second later, he heard a giant crash and was pushed into the strange merchant's cabbage stand and flung backward with 3 strange bodies lumping over on top of him, Katus letting out a loud wheezing noise as he was pressed into the dirt.

"My cabbages!" The strange merchant wailed behind the cluster of young teens, Katsu peering behind him to see the strange old man weeping into his hands before he glared intensely at the group,

"You're all gonna pay for this!"

"All? Wait, wait-" Katsu wheezed out, trying to explain that he wasn't part of the original group, but having three people sitting on him wasn't exactly making it easy for him to speak quickly and clearly.

He quickly swallowed his thoughts as he locked eyes with the Omashu guards approaching, firm expressions on their faces and his chance of escaping his mistaken fate quickly dwindling.

"Uh… Two cabbages, please?" The short bald monk sitting at the top of the pile jokes, looking at the Omashu guards with his best attempt at a smile. His attempt at humor is met with the same blank expression from before, Katsu internally congratulating the young boy for at least trying.


The guards grip their shoulders harshly, forcing them to their feet as they begin to move them toward wherever it is that they'll be judged. Katsu feels himself internally begin to panic, not having ever encountered law enforcement in such a way.

His whole life he'd been a fairly upstanding citizen and now all of that was messed up because of some random group of pranksters. He wouldn't survive in prison! Yet as the panic of being pulled away by the guards seeped away from his mind, he slowly started to realise that he'd probably be more than fine. A life in the wild gets one accustomed to plenty of life's challenges; surely life in prison was nothing in comparison. Either way, his unjust imprisonment still ate away at him even if he knew he would be able to handle himself.

As the guards let go of the now prisoners and began to usher them towards their next unwanted destination, Katsu gets an idea to at least attempt to plead his case.

"Wait, wait, please! Don't take me to jail, I'll do anything! C'mon, please?" Katsu says, his expression pleading as he looks at the guards with his best version of puppy dog eyes, They don't work very well, earning him only confused and mildly irritated expression in return.

Katsu's face scrunches up in embarrassment and as his mind runs through various scenarios of him being in prison for the next few years over public property damage of some cabbages, a bit of his common sense goes away as he reaches for his bow with a vaguely deranged expression.

"Fine, be that way! You'll never take my bow, do you hear me?!" Katsu says in a semi-crazed voice, turning on his heel and firmly gripping his bow and arrow, drawing his weapon as he gets into a familiar stance and attempts to grasps the grip of his bow, the young man pausing with an extremely blank face as he looks at his bow and sees… a severed bow string and some wood chipping off his bow. His normally tan face goes pale as he clutches his bow to his chest and gapes like a fish, unable to even think of how to react.

The Omashu guards were in bending stances to subdue the archer, but after seeing his blank face, they just looked confused. A particularly curious guard walks closer to him, full of confidence, and then waves his hand in front of Katsu's face. He doesn't even react, all that he does is clutch the bow tightly to his chest.

"He's completely out of it," the guard says, "look, he doesn't even react."

"Uhm… Let's get a move on," one of the other Omashu guards finally says. He leads the way towards the king's palace, Katsu's absent-minded body walking on autopilot. All that runs through his mind is the ruined bow.

He basically grew up alongside that bow. They trained together since day one. His closest companion, the one thing that has been by his side from the very beginning...now ruined. Regret coursed through him like an unstopabble fire, incensing his insides. He should've taken more care of it, should've gotten himself the resources to maintain it properly to ensure that this would've never happened. But...how could he? It was all so expensive. Yet...it might've been worth it if he managed to avoid this horrible situation he just found himself in. Never had he imagined that his bow would just...give in on him like that.

He shot a momentary glance away from his bow, trying to see if his heart would stop sinking if he looked somewhere else. When he saw the bald monk's apologetic look, and the pitiful glance the tanned girl was giving him, he felt even worse for himself. He didn't even bother looking at the boy with the ponytail, for he knew that he, in turn, shared to interest in his well-being.

The Gang didn't know what to do with the boy. He looked so pitiful yet most of their concern was over their own well-being. They were glad, at least, that their escort to the palace was mostly silent and peaceful. A few powerful nudges were made by the Omashu guards towards the boy when he was too distraught over his bow to continue walking and when the Gang themselves felt too bad for him to be able to focus on their own steps.

As time passed, the disorientation from the loss of his bow started to slowly diminish. He managed, here and there, to catch a few glances at the city, able to admire its stoney jungle through his sorrow. What he did not appreciate were the looks that he was met with. Whenever he met eyes with a citizen of Omashu, he felt as if he was being examined and judged from the inside out. He felt exposed, and unjustly so. They made him take his eyes away from the city and its splendours, forced him to focus back on the loss of his bow and to drown himself once more in the turmoil of its breaking. Shame crept up on him. Shame which shifted slowly into unjust anger as he realised that none of it was his fault; it was all a misunderstanding and all of the misfortune seemed to be piling on top of him because of it.

Its an amalgamation of emotion. His nails dig deep into the wood of the bow, slight splinters forming from the pressure of his anger manifesting through his fingers. Sorrow has taken over his face and anyone that would dare look at him could tell so at a first glance. He keeps it pressed to his chest and his heart echoes through its body, a pulse fuelled by unparalleled rage. Its fractured wooden body and the severed string taunts him as it rubs against him, only sending more pangs of fury through him. His mind is clouded and he's barely able to contain it within, yet he tries to. More attention, more judging gazes was the last thing he desired. He tried to deafen himself so he would be able to ignore the clattering of the broken bow which came in tandem with his steps, trying to run away from a further sinking in his mood.

He was surprised to find himself in front of the palace so soon, yet he put it down to the fact that he was so traumatised by the incident that his focus was entirely on the bow itself and on managing to maintain his rage, rending him unable to realise the passage of time.

He snaps out of his internal mourning as he comes upon the grand palace, the building towering over him.

His mood was nothing in comarison to the towering presence of the architectural wonder before him. He gasped, surprising himself that he was able to even with his mood being so low. As a traveller of the world, he thought that he'd seen quite a few formidable places before in his life...yet now, standing before the building...he realised that nothing he'd ever seen before even came close in comparison. The complexity and elegance of it all was hard to adjust to, mainly because it was all too formidable to take in at once. Surrounded all of his life by buildings handmade by a couple few members of his community with simple and efficient designs, the extravagance that stood before him now left him in complete awe and wonder. There was a sense of comfor surprisingly, in such a formidable building. It felt oddly welcoming, not at all like a royal high-brow sort of building that looked down on those less fortunate in life.

The castle before him is nothing of the sort, clearly filled to the brim with fancy collectibles and riches beyond his imagination, many of the rooms likely not even being used. He doesn't quite find it uncomfortable, more so looking at it with a completely flabbergasted expression. Being able to see such a thing, despite the less than ideal conditions, is something he finds as almost kind of an adventure. Ever since he's stepped out of the small world-view from his former lifestyle, he can't help but find it eye-opening to see how different the world can really be.

The guards continue to push the captives into the building, the large wooden doors adorned with green jewels opening to reveal the castle's grandeur halls. The gang and Katsu are ushered inside, the door calling slowly behind them as they head deeper and deeper into the castle's walls.

The overtly green and brown themes of the castle are eye-catching despite their usual neutrality, the bright emerald greens from various gems and lighting making it a bit hard to focus as the prisoners' eyes adjust in the well-lit, yet a strangely colored ambiance of the castle.

When they eventually come upon the king, they're in awe by how… gaudy he looks. His green robes are intricately designed, as is his rather large crown with horn-like protrusions coming from the top of his hat. He has many rings on his finger, made of very clearly expensive gold and gemstones, the light reflection from the small objects clear as day as the king taps his fingers against his throne's armrest.

He also looks quite old, but the three pranksters bury their thoughts as they look on at the king, awaiting their judgment. Katsu swallows harshly as he stares at the king, unsure of how to even react in the presence of royalty.

Despite the king's gaudy nature and strange stare, making his appearance almost humorous, Katsu can't help but still feel his nerves frazzle as he waits for the king to speak, sweat dripping down his back as he steels his legs to be steady and his back to be straight.

The group of four are forced to their knees by the guards as one turns toward the king and begins to speak, "Your Majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."

"Off with their heads! One for EACH cabbage" the merchant says, seething in comedic anger. The guard tells him to be quiet, though the cabbage merchant still mutters under his breath as he watches the scene before him, awaiting bloodshed.

"What is your judgment, sir?" The guard asks the king.

"Hmm…" The king broods with a serious expression, Katsu feeling his stomach drop into his knees.

'First, my bow broke and now I'm gonna be subjected? Just my luck, I guess...'

He looks over at the troublemakers that got him into this mess in the first place, finally recognizing the two tan-skinned individuals to be from one of the Water Tribes. He's really only seen people like them a few times in his life, his mind drifting toward what it would be like to live in such a cold place. He sighed once he realized it didn't really matter considering he's going to the slammer.

The girl seems to be hopeful of the king's judgment, the man beside her seeming far less optimistic. The monk, in garb Katsu realizes he's never seen before, seems completely unbothered, as if he doesn't care about the results either way.

'Who are these anyway? And what did I do to get caught in their mess? Wait, can't I just plead my case? I mean, the king can't be that cruel, right? I wasn't even involved! I should just say something and-!'

Before Katsu can even finish his thought, his attention is snapped toward the king as the old man opens his mouth to speak, his judgment on the tip of his tongue.

"Throw them… a feast!" The king says after a dramatic pause, the Omashu guard and cabbage merchant gasping in shock, the cabbage merchant then groaning in displeasure.

"A… what?!" Katsu says, his eyebrow cock and his face pulled taut in complete and utter confusion. The king merely snorts in response to his over the top reaction, before responding with his usual strangeness.

"Now, now, boy, I'm sure you're quite relieved, hm? You seemed stiff as an arrow a few moments ago, but no need to worry!" The king says, chuckling and snorting as he stands to his feet. Katsu feels a pang in his heart at the mention of arrows, but is too caught up in the confusing and fast situation to even feel sad as the former prisoners and now honored guests are escorted toward the dining room, the king leading them with a few guards by his side.

"Finally, some real food," The young man with the ponytail whispers toward what Katsu assumes is his sister, the resemblance almost entirely uncanny.

"Sokka, we don't even know if he's being for real. This is better than prison and all, but let's just see what happens before we get too comfortable," she whispers back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," he responds flippantly, earning a sigh from his sister.

"Well, Momo is pretty hungry. A feast, even if it's a trap, doesn't sound too bad, right?" The young monk says as the small creature roams around his arm happily, clearly excited for its next meal. Katsu looks at the animal curiously, having never seen one before. He thinks he's heard of one in books he's found on the road a few times, but he can't exactly put a name to it just yet.

'A monkey rat? Wait, no, it has wings… A bat monkey?'

Katsu's curious thoughts continue, the group soon arriving in the dining room that was surprisingly not that far of a walk from the throne room. He can't help but turn his head from side to side, trying to soak up every piece of the castle into his mind. In his mind, he believes this is likely the only time in his life that he'll be in a real castle, so he wants to remember it.

The young archer's attention is taken away from the castle's extravagant decor as his nose twitches, his sniffer catching the scent of completely and utterly delectable food. His stomach rumbles as he stares down at it, the young man fighting to keep his saliva at bay. He's been eating whatever he can find for the past few months, so being able to dine on such carefully prepared meals is nothing short of a miracle for him.

He quickly takes his seat, the other captives doing the same as the king stares at them curiously, walking around the table. Katsu, unsure of when to eat in such a stiff setting, grips his knees tightly to prevent himself from digging into his heart's content.

His eyes rest on the strange bat monkey chewing on some crunchy side dishes before the king begins to speak, catching his attention once more.

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin," the king says as he grabs a chicken leg, waving at around as he leans against the monk's chair.

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat," the monk replies.

"How about you? I bet you like meat!" The king says, turning his attention from the monk to the young man with a ponytail. The king shoves the skinless meat into the young man's mouth, the guest screeching in response before he tastes the flavor of the juicy chicken and begins to chew.

Taking that as his signal to eat, Katsu immediately fills his plate to the brim with foods from all around the table and begins munching on the foods quickly, stuffing his face as much as possible. The young water tribe woman and the monk look at Katsu in shock, blinking a few times as they wonder how he can even eat so much in so few bites.

"Yes, yes! Enjoy your meals, boy!" The king says in a jovial tone as he takes his seat before clearing his throat, "So, tell me, young bald one. Where are you from?"

"I'm from… Kangaroo Island!" The monk answers, Katsu pausing momentarily in his crazed chewing, his eyes wide as he considers such an island. He's never heard of it before, but it does sound quite exciting!

"Ah, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!" The king says, his joke hanging in the air as the seated travelers stare at him blankly. The young water tribe man is the only one to laugh, the others in the room looking at him with deadpan expressions.

"What? It was funny," he answers simply.

The king yawns a few moments after, stretching his limbs as he looks at the group with a slightly sleepy expression.

"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay," the king says as he slowly reaches into his sleeve before chucking a chicken leg at the young monk. The monk reacts instinctively, catching the chicken leg with… air?

Katsu stops eating in his tracks, staring at the young man in shock, a chicken leg still dangling from his mouth. His expression resembles the surprised guards and officials of Omashu, all of the men silent as they observe the scene before them.

"There's an Airbender in our presence. It's not just any air bender, mind you. It's the Avatar!" The king bellows, Katsu choking on his chicken leg as he beats his chest, staring at the young monk with his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

'The-the Avatar?! Here? Him?!'

"Now… what do you have to say for yourself, Mister PippinPaddle Oppsokopolis?" The king says with an accusatory stare. A few moments of silence pass before the monk finally begins to speak, standing from his chair at the dining table.

"Okay, you caught me. I'm the Avatar, doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe," he says as he peers under the table, "Everything checks out. No firebenders here, so good work everybody! Love each other!"

He pulls his companions into a hug with a huge goofy grin on his face, Katsu still clearing his throat from the meat in his windpipe as he looks at the young monk in surprise. He's heard so many stories of the Avatar, many of which were terrible, but also quite a few that spoke of the great feats his ancestors have done and how he intends to save the world.

"Respect all life and don't run with your spears! We'll see ya next time!" The young monk says as he and his travel party slowly start to back out of the dining room, though they are quickly blocked by the spears of the guards.

"You can't keep us here! Let us leave!" The young water tribe woman says, her voice rising.

"Lettuce leaf?" The king questions, taking a bite into a leafy green. Katsu holds in a snort, still seated at the table awkwardly and unsure of what to do.

"This guy is nuts," the young water tribe man whispers to his partners.

"Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But for now, the guard will show you to your chamber," the king says in a serious tone.

One of the guards clears his throat and interrupts, having a question of his own.

"My liege, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"

"The newly refurbished chamber."

"Wait, which one are we talking about?"

"The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing, that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Uh, take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"

'That's a pretty complicated explanation,' Katsu thinks to himself as he finishes chewing.

"And take this one too!" The king says, gesturing toward Katsu.

"Me?! Wait, I didn't even do anything! I didn't know that guy was the Avatar," Katsu says quickly, waving his hands defensively.

"Now, now, no buts! Go enjoy your stay in the newly refurbished chamber," the king says as he gnaws on a lettuce leaf, cackling a bit as he does so. Katsu clings to his bow and arrow before sticks one more chicken wing into his mouth and cleans it in a few moments, a guard taking the bone from his mouth and tossing it onto his plate as he drags Katsu out of the room.


The young man strains his eyes to see a chamber, his eyes finally resting on a big hole in the wall where a few other guards stand. The guard dragging him throws him into the room, the young man landing on his hind parts with a thud before the wall is shut behind him with earth bending.

"Hm. That's pretty efficient," Katsu muses to himself before turning toward the group he's been locked in the room with.

"Uh… hi?" The young water tribe woman says, looking at him with a confused, but welcoming expression.

"Hello, everyone. These aren't, uh, the best conditions to meet new people in, but y'know," Katsu says as he stands to his feet, dusting off his clothes.

"Sorry about your bow…. Uh?" Aang asks.

"Katsu. My name is Katsu," he answers.

"Sorry about your bow, Katsu. We didn't mean to get you caught up in the mess," the young monk says apologetically.

"What about sorry to me?! I told you all I didn't think this was a good idea and now look at us! We're prisoners!" The young water tribe man says.

"Well, at least the room is nice," his sister replies optimistically.

"Who cares if the room is nice?!"

"I'm just trying to be positive!"

"Well, it's not helping!"

"Guys, guys, c'mon. We don't have to fight," the young monk says, "I just need to figure out what I'm going to do about these challenges, whatever they are…"

"Aang, we're not sticking around to find out. There's got to be some way out of here," the young woman says, seeing the worried expression on Aang's face and wanting to comfort him.

"So your name is Aang?" Katsu questions, curious to learn more about the Avatar.

"Oh, right, we didn't even introduce ourselves. I'm Katara and the grump over there is my brother, Sokka," the water tribe woman says.

"I'm not grumpy," Sokka mumbles, a few other choice words slipping from his tongue as he complains.

"I see, it's nice to meet you all! Sort of, anyway. What's the bat monkey's name?" Katsu questions innocently.

"Bat monkey?! He's a flying lemur!" Aang asks, he and his now chunky flying lemur looking a bit offended.

"Sorry, sorry! I've never heard of such a thing before, let alone seen one," Katsu says.

"Really? I'd never seen one until I met Aang either, but I sort of knew about them from books I'd read," Katara says.

"Not everyone's a bookworm like you, Katara," Sokka says, Katara shooting him a glare in response.

"Well, where I'm from, there just weren't many books about that sort of thing," Katsu says.

"Oh, where are you from then?" Aang questions.

"Oh, uh, you know… Around," Katsu says awkwardly, clearing his throat,

"Anyway, how do we plan to get out of here?"

The gang looks at him a bit strangely before deciding to drop it, agreeing that they should focus their attention on how to escape. They all think for a few moments, their eyes absentmindedly roaming around the room as they try to think of ideas.

Aang lets out a sound, smiling happily as he stares at the vent in the room.

"If you think any of us can fit into that vent, you're even crazier than that king," Sokka replies.

"We can't, but Momo can!" Aang says happily.

"... Uh, are you sure?" Katsu questions as he peers over at the lemur, noticing it's now extended belly and tired expression as crumbs rest around its mouth.

"Yes, I'm sure! Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us out of here!" Aang says as he picks up his precious lemur and tries to stuff it into the open vent, only resulting in the lemur getting stuck. Aang sighs in defeat as he slumps his back, a disappointed expression on his face. As Momo continues to struggle to get out of the whole, Sokka and Aang begin to speak.

"Eh, whatever. What was Appa gonna do anyway?"

"He's a ten-ton flying bison, I think he could figure something out," Aang replies.

"Ten-ton?! Flying bison?!" Katsu asks, stars in his eyes as he thinks of a bison with wings.

"You've never heard of a flying bison either?!" Aang questions in shock.

"No, never!" Katsu answers quickly, his eyes wide as he tries to imagine such a strange creature.

"Well, once we get out of here, maybe I can show you him," Aang answers, glad to see someone appreciative of animals so vital to his culture.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before we can even get out of here, you have to do those tests. You should get some rest, Aang," Katara says as she hops onto her bunk bed, "It looks like you'll need it for tomorrow."

Sokka and Katara lay in their beds, Aang slowly and dejectedly walking over to his own bed, getting into his covers, dread pooling in his stomach as he thinks of the day to come.

Seeing that it's about time to rest, Katsu heads over to his bed as well, feeling the mattress with slight curiosity. For most of his life, he's slept in sleeping bags or on a bug-infested ground, so this is quite the change of pace.

He hops into his bed, his broken bow and arrows still in his arms. The sinking feeling of the mattress beneath him is unfamiliar, yet strangely comfortable. He runs his fingers along his broken bow and arrow, his expression pulled taut as he wonders how he's going to fix his weapon.

He drifts off to sleep with thoughts of possible escape and maybe getting to see a flying bison, though the feeling of loss remains at the back of his mind as he sleeps beside his broken companion


Katsu is in a deep sleep for the first time in a while, but it doesn't take much for his heightened senses to jolt him out of his sleep, but by then it's too late. He feels rough arms grasping at him and pulling him out of his bed, the young man thrashing against the hold as he reaches for his bow and arrow, but in their broken state they're of little help. The familiar weapon is ripped from his hands, Katsu gasping in shock as rage overtakes his features.

"Give that ba-!" A hand is clamped over his mouth as he's dragged out of the room, the young man peering over to see Katara and Sokka being dragged away as well.

Before he knows it, he and the other two are behind a stone wall, guards surrounding them as the sit and wait. Katsu feels unsteady on his feet, his bow and arrow nowhere in sight.

A heavy feeling of sickness and panic rests in his stomach as he clutches his hands, feeling for a bow and arrow that are not there. He remains like this for nearly half an hour before he suddenly hears voices on the other side of the wall.

"I don't have time for your crazy games! Give me my friends back!"

"Oh, I thought you might say that. I'll give your friends some special souvenirs, then!" King Bumi says, the wall in front of Katsu, Katara, and Sokka dropping as their face to face with Aang.

The Omashu guards force rings onto the fingers of the three kidnapped individuals, Katsu staring down at the yellow candy ring curiously, moving his hand from side to side. He attempts to pull it off, but the ring only glows brightly before getting larger.

"AH! What just happened?!" Katsu questions, King Bumi chuckling in response.

"Those delightful rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible thing, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate," the king says. Sokka's ring begins to glow as well, the purple-blue stone slowly getting larger.

"It's already creeping!" Sokka says, his freaked out expression almost comical. Katara looks just as freaked out, if not looking a bit scared as she looks at the growing ring on her hand. Aang is silent for a moment before he speaks.

"I'll do what you want," Aang says seriously.


A short moment later, King Bumi smiles a pleased yet strangely evil smile and leads the group toward a cave setting connected to the castle, the area filled with rocky spikes of all kinds.

Katsu looks around in awe, never having seen such a beautiful cave before, his sharp eyes then resting on a key hanging from a chain in the middle of a waterfall's stream.

Aang stands at the bottom of the cave, many sharp spikes between him and the key as he looks at King Bumi for further instruction.

"It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry. Ooh, there it is! Would you mind fetching it for me?" King Bumi asks, gesturing toward the key.

Aang first attempts to climb the ladder, then trying to dive into the waterfall as King Bumi makes sarcastic comments to mock him.

Katsu is still merely stunned by his air bending, having never seen it in real life before, despite the monk not using it to its full potential. The monk soon succeeds with his task, using his air bending to propel a spike and catch the key from the waterfall. Katsu smiles, pumping his fist a bit as he watches with slight glee.

"There, enjoy your lunch! Now give me my friends back!" Aang says.

"Ah, ah, not yet! I've lost my pet, Flopsie. Bring him to me!" King Bumi commands as he guides Aang and the gang toward the area he last saw his precious pet, Katsu silent as the slightly chilly yellow wring curls up his arm. Aang heads into the dirt pit Flopsie was last seen, spotting a cut little lop-eared bunny.

"There you are! Come here, Flopsie!" Aang says as he lunges toward the bunny, the small animal quickly dodging and hopping away from him.

"Wait, Flopsie! Flopsie, come back!" Aang says as he pursues the bunny before a sudden large, buff animal appears.

Katsu's mouth hangs agape as he eyes the strange animal, having never seen it before.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" He questions loudly, Aang looking behind him in response and his eyes growing wide as the buff snarling goat gorilla runs toward him.

"Wait.. Flopsie?" Aang questions, the goat gorilla picking Aang up and licking him affectionately. Bumi blows a whistle, summoning Flopsie to his side for some affectionate petting.

"Who's a good boy? You are, yes that's right, you are!" King Bumi coos. Katsu wonders if his interest in adventure has thrown him into perhaps a strangely terrifying world, but he can't say he doesn't kind of like it.

"Are you guys alright?" Aang questions, finally done with his second task.

"Not really," Katsu answers, Sokka nodding in agreement.

"Quiet, guys! Aside from the crawling crystals slowly encasing our bodies, we're okay!" Katara answers, Sokka then falling onto his side as the crystal covers the entire left side of his body, Katsu hiding a laugh in response.

"I'm ready for the next challenge," Aang says as he walks over to King Bumi, the king stopping his petting of his precious goat gorilla to face Aang with a smirk.

"Of course," he answers, guiding the group toward an almost arena-like setting.

Katara, Katsu, and Sokka are on an adjacent balcony to Aang and King Bumi. The three prisoners are now covered in crystals up to their necks, their faces exposed as they look on at the scene before them anxiously.

"Your final test is a duel. As a special treat, you get to pick who you fight," King Bumi says as two frighteningly looking challenges come out, looking ready to pummel Aang into the ground.

"So, you're saying… I can choose anyone I want and fight them?"

"That is correct," King Bumi answers.

"I choose…. you!" Aang says, pointing his finger at King Bumi, the man laughing in response.

"Wrong answer!" He says, ripping his expensive garb off to reveal an unnaturally ripped old man beneath. Katsu's eyes nearly bulge out of his skull as he stares at King Bumi in shock.

"What kind of old man even is he?!"

"You thought I was just a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see," King Bumi says with a smirk.

Aang quickly sputters and in a comedic moment left quickly says

"Can I take the guy with the axe instead?"

"There are no take-backs in this kingdom! Here, you might need this," King Bumi replies as a guard tosses Aang his staff.

Then in a quick moment, King Bumi and Aang navigate into the arena, King Bumi attacking Aang with a storm of rocks and Aang hitting him with powerful winds, King Bumi taunting him with each wrong move Aang makes.

The battle is intense, Katsu's eyes moving from one end of the battlefield to the next as he feels the crystal on him get heavier. To see such masterful bending in real-time is unbelievable and he can't tear his eye from the battle for even a moment. In a short day, he's explored an entire city, slept and feasted at a palace and NOW w itnessing the AVATAR of all people dueling the King of Omasha

His thoughts are interrupted as the battle reaches a conclusion once Aang and King Bumi's battle ends with a standstill, Aang ready to strike his feet and Bumi ready to crush him with a boulder.

"Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart. You've passed all my tests," King Bumi smiled proudly. He then earthbends himself back into the ground and pops right up infront of Katsu, Katara and Sokka which bewilders the confused archer already

Aang quickly flies up and makes his way to the balcony, standing in front of the King seriously.

"Now, you must answer one question," King Bumi interjects as he stands comfortably

"That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."

Bumi smiles and ominously asks "Yes, but what a test is if you don't learn anything?"

"Oh, come on!" Sokka interrupts, anger and frustration in his voice.

"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. Now: What… is my name?" King Bumi questions, the group looking at him with dumbfounded expressions before he begins to speak again,

"From the looks of it, your friends only have a few minutes, so answer quickly."

King Bumi wanders a bit away from the group, Aang taking time to ask the group for their input. He looks at them confused and frustrated while the entire group is submerged in crystal, Katsu barely able to see or breathe even

"How am I supposed to know his name?"

"This is about challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle," Katara says.

"I got it!" Sokka interjects with an excited tone.

"Yeah? What is it?!"

"He's an earthbender, right?! Rocky. You know, it's gotta be that. Because of all the rocks,".

Katsu, Aang, and Katara look at him blankly, Katsu letting out a sigh

"We're going to keep trying, but that is a good backup," Katara says, Sokka frowning in response.

Katsu scrunches up, thinking deeply, almost in a near manic panic and then eagerly responds

"Well… his name is King Bumi… Maybe Bumi is a short version of his name? Or King Bumi is an anagram! Like, uh… Kubiming? Now, Bukingmi. No, wait, Kinbumig!"

"Uhm…" Aang says, blinking a few times.

"Too much of a stretch?".

"Yeah…" Aang answers honestly, Katsu hanging his head in a little bit of shame.

"Well, what did you learn from him then?" Katara says, trying to find a way to answer the question as the crystal begins to cover her face.

"Well, everything was different from what I expected," Aang says.

"And?" Katara questions, her voice growing higher and more anxious as the crystal continues to move.

"Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think differently than I usually would... I know his name," Aang says, confidence in his voice. He approaches King Bumi, a serious expression on his face.


Aang stands before Bumi, who has put his robes back on and stands proudly behind his throne and looking at Aang expectedly

"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities. Bumi, you're a mad genius," Aang says as King Bumi snorts a familiar snort, the two hugging one another happily, glad to see an old friend.

"Oh, Aang, it's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally," King Bumi says.

"Uh, over here!" Katara says, interjecting into the sentimental moment. As the group barely waddles into the hall with the guards a short distance behind

"Little help," Sokka says.

"Any day now, please," Katsu adds on.

Bumi walks over and calmly flexes his hand and breaks the crystal, freeing the three former prisoners. He catches a piece of the mineral before chewing it, Katsu looking at him strangely and with a bit of disgust.

"It's rock candy! Delicious," Bumi says, glee on his face.

"So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?" Katara asks.

"Who are you calling old?" Bumi asks, the group pausing for a moment, "Okay, fine, I'm old."

"Why did you do all of this instead of telling Aang who you were?" Sokka questions.

"It's pretty fun messing with people, don't you think?" King Bumi says with a snort, which draws the ire of Sokka, yet he wasn't done just yet, "you seem like the clown type yourself, I thought you would get it at least."

"Hey!" cried Sokka, "that's uncalled for."

Bumi broke out into laughter and the Gaang couldn't help but join in.

"But jokes aside, Aang," Bumi suddenly said in a serious tone, "I do have a proper reason for putting you through these trials." He pauses for a moment, looking over the entire group, their faces slowly turning from ones of mirth to those of concern. They weren't accustomed to not seeing him on a joking mood.

"What awaits you, the tasks you must complete, they are difficult, Aang. The world has changed in the hundred years that you've been gone. Order and balance have been tipped over by chaos, all due to the Fire Nation running amock, no one to keep them under control. It is your duty, as the Avatar, to restore the balance between these elements, to bring the world back into equilibrium before it's too late. Fire Lord Ozai...he's a formidable foe and I'm afraid that in your current state, neither of you are quite prepared to face him. Oh, no, not even close. You're to master all four elements, Aang, before you can even start considering a battle against him. Even then...I'm afraid just mastery won't be enough. You'll have to think like a mad genius, I suppose, hahaha, and that's why I've put you through this, to give you a look into the mind of one, to inspire you. Do not look so down, Aang, I know what I said might be daunting. The road ahead is indeed a perilous one, one that perhaps might seem to be without end, but believe me when I say that you're in good hands. These friends of yours, stick to them, they will be your greatest weapon against the Fire Nation," he smiles, stroking Momo's ears.

"This little one too," he adds, "you make sure to take care of them Momo, you hear me?"

Momo climbs onto Aang's shoulder, the airbender looking at the king with an appreciative glance. He bows before Bumi, smiling at his old friend.

"Thank you for your wisdom, Bumi," Aang says.

"You'll need new friends as well," King Bumi says, glancing at Katsu,

"Finding allies will be an important part of the journey you have ahead of you."

"UH-" Katsu questions, but Bumi continues to speak over him.

"Take this young lad for example. Come here, boy," Bumi says,

Katsu approaches him curiously and the gang watches with varying amounts of interest. There's keen interest in Aang's gaze, whilst Katara shaers a polite look. Sokka, on the other hand, doesn't even bother to look in his direction. He taps his foot on the ground, wondering what it was they were doing if they had so much to work for; wasting time wasn't an option anymore.

"You're forgetting this, aren't you?" King Bumi says as he hands him his newly fixed bow and arrow, Katsu's eyes widened as he smiles.

"But how?" He questions, clutching the weapon to himself as if any moment it could snap and be taken away from him once more.

"It was quite hard, you know. You're lucky my weapon engineer even knew how to work with that particular wood. It's quite rare."

"I don't know how...or if I could ever repay you," Katsu said, unable to take his eyes away from the bow.

"I'd like to see it in action, boy. I've only seen such a bow a few times in my life, it would be quite interesting to see it used again," King Bumi says, Katsu looks at him and then back at the gang.

"Sure, that's fine with me," Katsu answers. Bumi whistles, using his bending to lift ten small pebbles at once as they stand in the palace hall, the rocks floating at the end of it in the distance.

"You sound quite confident," King Bumi says.

"I am. When it comes to my bow, I know it like the back of my hand," Katsu says, feeling completely in his element as he holds his bow in hand, getting into his stance.

"On the count of three, I'll throw these rocks. I want you to hit each and every one of them, or you'll be stuck on cleaning duty for the rest of the year," King Bumi says, a cackle bubbling in his throat.

Sokka and Katara grimace at the idea of being in charge of cleaning such a large castle, though Aang merely wonders what his friend really has planned this time.

"You've got yourself a deal," Katsu answers.

Immediately, Katsu stands ahead of the Gang, as everyone stands around him while the guards move out of the way at the end of the palace entrance

"Alrighty, then… One…..… Two…..…!" King Bumi says, throwing his rocks before he even reaches the agreed upon number three.

Yet Katsu's reflexes are not to be toyed with. When his bow is in his hands, when his eyes are trained upon a target, 'too fast' or 'trickery' does not exist. He sees everything, he senses all. He's in the element and nothing can ever topple him. In a flash, he reaches for a series of arrows in his quiver, clutching them between his fingers with formidable dexterity. He moves at incredible speed, the Gang only able to see the afterimage of his movements as he lets fly fiver arrows in quick succession, their wooden bodies whistling through the air as they hit five of the rocks dead-on. In the next breath, five more arrows are clutches between his fingers and he lets them fly just as fast, the last of the pebbles blown up into smithereens, the wooden arrows flying past them and into the dark distance.

They all gasped. Bumi had a curious expression on his face and he nodded, as if confirming a suspicion he had in the back of his mind.

"Wha- I- that wasn't even fair!" Sokka shouted.

"But, he did it, didn't he?" King Bumi says, chuckling as he looks over at the archer with curiosity, feeling like his archery techniques are familiar somehow.

"That's amazing," Katara muses to herself, her eyes needing a few moments to adjust to the small targets even while in mid-air. Honestly, she hadn't even seen the move, the arrows hitting them mere milliseconds after Bumi threw them.

"How did you learn to do that?" Aang asks, excitement and genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I've had a lot of practice," Katsu says coyly, though he sighs a breathe of relief and looks proud

King Bumi then turns again to Aang and looks straight at him, his eyes piercing into the group as they again submerged in silence

"Listen to me now, Aang. I've been on this here land for enough years to know a good shot when I see one. Not only that, but a good man and spirit too."

Aand nods in response. Katara and Sokka look between Katsu and Bumi, not knowing what to expect when it comes to what the Mad King might say. Katsu, in turn, is clutching at his bow, intrigued by the possibilities that stand before him.

Aang then walks to Katsu infront of the Gang and for the 2nd time, Aang and Katsu are face to face, Katsu still in disbelief he's standing before a 112 year old legend.

"If you want to travel with us, then you can. If not, then that makes sense too, since we did sort of get you in trouble and all after destroying those cabbages. Sorry about that, by the way," Aang says, looking at Katsu apologetically.

Katsu loads his quiver and straps it and the bow onto his back comfortably, smiling back at Aang

"It's alright, really. It's fixed and better than ever now. This isn't quite how I imagined today would go, but I'm glad it happened,"

He then sighs and looks at Aang, to the Gang and even Bumi himself, who's smiling as if he knows something while watching the interaction. He finally looks back to Aang and says

"I set out to have an adventure and see the world. What better way to do that than travel by the Avatar's side?"

"So, you'll join?" Aang asks happily, a little unsure after all they went through in the short while.

"Of course," Katsu says, smiling toward the monk that is to be the hope of the future.

"Woo, we're gonna have to have a celebration later," Sokka says with a flat tone, Katara then punches him in the arm roughly letting out an annoyed groan

"But seriously, it's good to have you on the team. At least now I won't be surrounded by a bunch of freaky magic benders!."

"It's not freaky, Mister Boomerang, so knock it off," Katara chides she then looks at Katsu warmly, clearly impressed and glad to have met him,

"Anyway, it's good to see you joining us, Katsu. I'm sure we're gonna need all the help we can get."


As their journey ends and Aang returned from his "challenge" with King Bumi (apparently he too loves to ride mail carts and destroy cabbages) Katsu, Katara, Aang and Sokka say their goodbyes to Bumi and finally make their way outside the city. They just left the city gate and were now crossing over the large and impressive bridge

Katsu looks back briefly as he's walking and looks at the city in front of him, disbelief still in his eyes, after all, that's happened. Just then, as they cross the bridge, there in a little field makes Katsu stare and gasp loud

There, stood a huge and quite fluffy 10-ton sky bison. It's not as majestic as Katsu was imaging, but he's still quite surprised and he stares as the animal curiously looks right back at Katsu.

Aang quickly hops aboard while Sokka and Katara climb on. He's the last to go on and nervously makes his way up to the saddle, clutching his bag and look around with wide eyes.

"So… how does this work? This bison has no wings," he says.

"Oh, you're gonna love this," Sokka smirks and gives a look to Aang

"Aang, will you do the honors?"

"Of course," Aang says with a smile, holding the reigns tightly while giving a look to him "Are you ready, Katsu?"

"I… hope so?" Katsu says, a bit confused by what's happening.

"Appa…...… Yip yip!"

In mere seconds, the Appa jumps and flaps his tail, leaping into the air as he begins to soar. Katsu's heart flutters in a million paces, motionless and still until as they gain air he starts shouting and looks over the saddle briefly

"Woah! " Katsu says, looking out at how small the large palace looks beneath them.

"Koh's lair….." he sighs under his breathe and looks out and sees the palace and entire city become nothing but mere dots as they float. He turns his head and stares as the gang smile at him

His hair blows in the wind as he clutches his heart still, as the gang then starts to get more settled.

He shook his head and Katsu finally sits down and lays on the saddle thinking about everything that transpired.

Less than a day ago, Katsu was a lone wanderer walking through the plains of the Earth Kingdom and ending up in Omashu. Never in his life would he ever imagine being here, flying on top of a sky bison while he's with two water tribe members AND the Avatar to boot.

He lazily looks at the sky as the clouds go rapidly by and closes his eyes. His mind wondering what tomorrow will bring and ultimately where he may go.

Whatever the case it may be…..it sure will be a grand story and adventure to tell


Author's note:

Dear Readers,

After some time, I've decided to give this story a try again. If you have any comments, thoughts, or concerns - I would love to read them via the reviews tab and even answer them after each update here.

Wishing you all the best!

E.M