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: Just for helping to keep the story on track, the beginning of this chapter is gonna be a little different. Also, I'm gonna give at least two of the Avenger's locations in this chapter. I'll leave the third one still as a mystery. Also, I might have a little surprise in this here chapter.
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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 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 Avatar…
Water Tribe children Katara and Sokka stare at a now bobbing and glowing iceberg. Inside the iceberg they see two beings: a large creature and a boy.
After freeing the two, Katara sets the boy against the ice. They boy wakes and stands up, shows them his flying bison Appa and said, "I'm Aang."
A moment later something falls from the sky. After said something lands, they see that it was a man dressed in a blue uniform. When the man wakes up, he introduces himself, "My name's Steve Rogers."
After being knocked off of Prince Zuko's ship, Aang's eyes snapped open as he entered the Avatar State.
Steve looked to them and said, "My friends are lost somewhere on your world."
At the Southern Air Temple, Aang found the body of his beloved mentor. The anger and sorrow filling his heart once again made him go into the Avatar State.
On Kyoshi Island, the group run into Natasha Romanoff, another Avenger.
"But I haven't even begun to learning waterbending. Not to mention earth and fire." A distraught Aang told his predecessor Avatar Roku.
Roku then told him, "Mastering the elements takes years of discipline and patience. But if the world is to survive, you must do it by summer's end."
Katara brought Aang sitting down in the saddle and told him, "If you want, I could teach you some of the stuff that I know."
"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked in confusion. Aang looked at them, then reluctantly said, "Because, because I never wanted to be."
"I'm done dwelling on the past." Aang said as he came to terms with what happened.
Aunt Wu read the signs from the bones, and remembering her vision, she said, "Your destinies- this is incredible." The fortune-teller became dramatic as she said, "You three, all of your friends will be involved in great battles, awesome conflicts between the forces of good and evil, between the ideals of right and wrong and two avenge those who need it."
She raised her hands over her head as she dramatically said, "Battles whose outcomes will determine the fate of entire worlds."
"Why yes, my good sir." A voice said from underneath a tree. The Mechanist squinted his eyes at the person as they then asked, "I was wondering if you had seen some friends of mine."
The group finally meets Thor when he crash landed in the middle of the Northern Water Tribe.
"And you are sure that you have seen many soldiers from Hydra." Thor asks his friends. Natasha nods and said, "It seems like Hydra's nearing completion of their teleportation machine."
"Which means that they'll be bringing their war machines to this world soon." Steve added.
All of their eyes grew wide at the sight of so many Fire Nation ships, no doubt carrying an enormous amount of soldiers of both Fire Nation and Hydra. Aang sounded really worried as he said, "You've got to be kidding me."
Then taking a calming breath, Aang resumed looking forward. He looked down into the pond to see the two Koi fish swimming around each other. Aang watched as they continued to go in a circle, and as if he fell into a trance, he felt as if the two Koi fish looked a lot like the Yin and Yang symbol. And as their dance slowed, the two looked as if they completely transformed into that very symbol. As he looked into the symbol, Aang's eyes flashed as he started to cross over.
In the spirit world, Aang turns to find himself standing before a woman with red curly hair held up. She was wearing a green dress with a design that Aang had never seen before. She then introduced herself, "I am Frigga. Mother of Thor and Loki."
Frigga then said, "Now I wish to ask you a question."
"Okay." Aang nodded. Frigga then asked, "When coming to the Spirit World, how exactly did you plan to find the Moon and Ocean Spirits?"
He glanced back as he bitterly said, "My father says she was born lucky." He glared as he remembered his father's words to him, "He says I was lucky to be born."
He stood confident as he admitted, "I don't need luck, though." With a shake of his head he said, "I don't want it, either." But his gaze softened as he admitted, "But help I don't mind."
A giant panda took his place and Aang happily turned and said, "Hei Bai!"
"Wait." The other's looked to him as he said, "We can't just leave him here."
"Sure we can, let's go." Sokka said without a second thought. Natasha seemed to agree with him and said, "He does deserve this, but…" Aang was quick to disagree, knowing that all life deserves to be treated fairly, jumped off while saying, "But if leave him, he'll die."
Looking his foe/friend in the eye, Cap said his trademark line, "I can do this all day."
The Moon Spirit struggled as its mortal form was stuffed into a sack. As it struggled in the sack while Zhao raised it from the water, the moon above the world turned blood red.
The Red Skull then ordered, "I plan to recall the Winter Soldier. I want you to put him in deep freeze."
"But you said that he was currently engaging Captain America." Arnim Zola said, becoming confused. Then he asked, "Should we not allow him to complete his mission?"
"Unfortunately, the programming that you installed and reintegrated is starting to come loose. He will more than likely try to turn to the Avengers side." The Red Skull said. Then with a sigh, the leader of Hydra then said, "Besides, I believe it is high time that we went with Plan B for eliminating the Avatar, the captain and the Avengers."
"Ah, yes." Arnim's robotic head nodded, "The team that you put together."
Zhao's gaze once again hardened and he stood up while raising his hand. Then with a yell he created a slash of fire.
Aang opened his glowing eyes into a stern gaze as he said with the voices of his past lives, "No, it is not over."
It started rise up and take form of a giant water spirit with the head of the Koi Fish and in its heart Avatar Aang. Clawed hands extended from the manifestation's torso as Aang lifted the arms. Everyone, friend, foe, warrior and citizen all stared in awe at the sight.
Steve then said, "Do agree with what Zhao has done? Do you agree with this madness?"
This caused the assassin of Hydra to think really hard about his choice. Then he looked his old friend in the eye and said, "No. I would have stopped him."
Both Captain America and the Winter Soldier jumped back while Prince Zuko quickly jumped in the middle and launched a double fire fist at his foe.
Iroh sounded hopeful as he said, "You have been touched by the moon spirit."
Yue hadn't moved while Sokka looked to him as Iroh reminded her, "Some of its life is in you."
Yue looked to the one truly loved and said, "Good-bye, Sokka." She came up to him and placed her hands on both sides of his face and said, "I'll always be with you."
Zuko, Steve and Bucky all looked down to the water where Zhao was as the last of the light faded. But before anything else could be done, a blue light came from underneath Bucky.
Both Steve and Prince Zuko looked and gasped as a portal appeared underneath his feet. Bucky cried out as he fell through while both Zuko and Steve rushed forward and cried out, "Bucky!"
The Red Skull then ordered, "Put him in deep freeze."
Bucky's eyes widened and he started to struggle to get out of their grip, but whoever had him was a bit too strong. He yelled as he continued to struggle while being led through some doors.
Master Pakku said to Katara, "I've decided to go to the South Pole. Some other benders and healers want to join me." Turning to his best pupil he said, "It's time we helped to rebuild our sister tribe."
"What about Aang?" Katara asked as she looked over to the Airbender. He stood with two of the three Avengers and Momo as they too looked to the horizon. Then she pointed out, "He still needs to learn waterbending."
"Well," Master Pakku said as he turned back to her, "then he had better get used to calling you Master Katara."
Iroh then said, "I'm surprised, Prince Zuko…" He glanced back as his nephew gazed out to the horizon, "surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar."
He quirked a brow to see what Zuko's reaction would be. But all Zuko could do was sit down and say was, "I'm tired." Then he looked down to the water and admitted, "Plus, I don't know if I can do it without Bucky."
The Fire Lord then addressed them, "Iroh is a traitor. And your brother, Zuko, is a failure."
She looked up to him as the Fire Lord told his daughter, "I have a task for you."
"And we have a gift to bestow upon you." Johann Schmidt's voice said from behind. Both the Fire Lord and the princess looked back to see the Red Skull walking into the room. Behind him were the Abomination, the Scarlet Widow, the Destroyer Armor, Rumlow, Justin Hammer in his suit and Arnim Zola. Johann Schmidt then advised, "They will be great assets to you, princess."
The Fire Nation princess only had a grin on her face as she looked to her father.
The lemur ran to Aang's other shoulder while Sokka placed a hand on Aang's free one. Natasha leaned against Sokka while both Steve and Thor stood behind the group. They all looked out to the horizon as Appa floated up next to the platform, knowing that whatever came their way in the future, they would face it together.
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Book Two: Earth
Chapter One: The Avatar State
The abandoned Hydra place was now swarming with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents a few months after the battle. Inside the portal room, Sam, Rhodey and Nick Fury all stood before the portal that caused the Avenger's disappearance. A few S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists were currently working on the portal to see if they could get it up and running, but weren't having such luck. Sam looked to the other two and asked, "Where do you think those guys are?"
"Who knows, Sam?" Rhodey shrugged as he didn't have a clue. Then honestly guessing he said, "They could be anywhere in the galaxy, back in time, in the future or just who knows."
Sam just growled in anger before punching the wall on his right. He remembered watching the team disappear into the portal.
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(Flashback)
Sam looked back and gasped when he saw Arnim Zola walking up to the room door. When the robot raised an arm and readied a rocket on its arm, Sam quickly rushed to stop it. And just as Zola was about to fire it, Sam came in with a drop kick right when the rocket launched. Time seemed to slow down as Sam looked into the room. The wall and a few debris were sent flying and a good-sized piece hit Hulk in the head.
"No!" Sam yelled as the six Avengers were sucked into the portal. When the winds died down as did the glowing vortex, both Sam and Rhodey walked into the room.
(End of flashback)
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The head of S.H.I.E.L.D. then told them, "Relax, fellas. We're doing everything we can to get the team back."
"I just hope they're okay." Rhodey said as he thought of his friends going through who knows what. Nick took a few steps in front of them as a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist wanted to talk to him. Sam looked to him and agreed, "You and me both, man."
"Guys." Fury said as he looked back to the two heroes. Then he reminded, "Have faith in our friends. Yes, it's been a few weeks. Yes, we may not know where they've been sent. But we need to remember that they are the Avengers." He sounded confident in them as he said, "They're all capable of taking care of themselves. We need to trust in them."
Sam and Rhodey looked to each other and nodded in agreement. They had a feeling that their friends would be just fine.
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Somewhere on the ocean between the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom…
A Water Tribe boat sailed through the waters under a clear night sky. Flanking the main vessel were four more boats on each side. The voyage across the world had finally been able to get under way after three weeks of helping the Northern Tribe rebuild from the invasion. While there was hardly any action going on deck, there was something going on below deck. The team all slept in a hammock down in the hold, but all were not sleeping soundly. Aang tossed and turned in his sleep as he started to have troubling dreams.
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Aang's Dream…
Aang found himself on the grounds of the Southern Air Temple and ran about looking to see if there was anyone. The wind whistled in his ears as he came across a familiar building. Pushing the cloth back, Aang looked inside and his eyes widened at the sight. He saw himself kneeling before the skeleton of Monk Gyatso. And to make things worse, he saw that he was in the Avatar State. The angry Aang turned back to Aang, causing him to gasp in fear of what his other self might do. He braced himself when a strong wind came in from his left. When Aang opened his eyes, he looked to see his angered self-starting to form the Air Sphere around himself while Sokka, Katara and Steve all tried to hang on to something. The angered Aang clashed his fists together and created a burst of light and the winds picked up.
Aang tried to keep himself steady, but he gasped when the high winds knocked him off his feet. He grunted when he landed on the ground. He became confused when he found himself in the Fire Temple. Looking on both sides, he saw all four of his friends. The doors to Roku's statue creaked as they opened up. As they opened, the angered Aang with his Air Sphere appeared once again. The angered Aang glared at Aang before letting loose a fire blast from his mouth. Then he slashed his hand and created a tear through the floor. When it spread under Aang, he yelled when he fell through.
Once again he grunted when he landed on a cold metal floor. Looking around, he found himself on a Fire Nation ship. Aang also noticed that Sokka, Katara, Steve, Natasha and Thor all stood beside him as they were looking up in horror. When he looked up his own eyes widened when he saw his angered self controlling the Ocean Manifestation. Aang watched as his angered self-made the Ocean Manifestation turn the body while raising the right hand high. The Manifestation's hand came down before the angered Aang slashed as well.
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Aang woke with a start as he sat up in his hammock with a gasp. He panted as the dream had been a fright for him. He looked to the others as they slept. They hadn't been disturbed by his outburst. Deciding to get some fresh air, Aang hopped out of the hammock and walked to the ladder. But as he was climbing up the ladder, it wasn't unnoticed as Katara sat up in her hammock and said, "Aang?"
"What about Aang?" Steve asked from one of the other hammocks. Katara shook her head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that he just got up and stepped outside."
"Then let us go and see what it troubling him." Thor said as he got out of his hammock. Katara and Steve both followed after the Asgardian. When they reached the deck, they found Aang standing next to the side of the ship, staring out to the horizon. The three walked up to him and Steve asked, "Aang, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a dream." Aang shrugged off. Katara looked a little worried for him as she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Just a nightmare. Nothing really to worry about." Aang shook his head. But then he decided to talk about it and said, "I was in the Avatar State, but I was outside my body watching myself."
"The Avatar State, where your spiritual side takes over, yes?" Thor asked as he remembered seeing it the one time at the North Pole. Aang nodded and then looked up as he said, "It was scary." Hanging his head he added, "I was scary."
Steve can agree with him that it was scary to see his friend in that state, but there were a few times that it was awe inspiring. Thor then asked, "Is there any way we can help?"
"I don't know." Aang admitted as he didn't look up. Katara and Steve both placed a comforting hand on the Airbender's shoulder. They stayed standing at the side for a few more minutes before Steve said, "Come on. Let's try to get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."
No one objected as all four started to head back.
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The next morning, the Water Tribe ship had slowed its journey so the team could depart. Appa stood at the bow of the ship while the six stood before Master Pakku and a few Northern Water tribesman. Master Pakku brought forth a sack and dug through it as he said, "Katara." The pulling out a vial he said, "I want you to have this."
The vial was made of a blue leather while having brown tassels at the bottom while the top had a glass top. It was held in Pakku's hand by two strings. Katara looked at it in wonder while he said, "This amulet contains water from the spirit oasis." She took it from him as he let her know, "The water has very unique properties."
Then he warned, "Don't lose it."
Master Pakku then became less stern as he smiled to his student. Katara walked forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug while saying, "Thank you, Master Pakku."
"Aang," The Waterbending master said to his student/hero while digging into the bag again, "these scrolls will help you master waterbending," he took out an ornate wooden box containing the scrolls and handed them to the Avatar while saying, "but remember," Aang looked up to him as Pakku said, "they are no substitute for a real master."
They both smiled when they glanced to Katara who had just climbed into the saddle. Aang then bowed with the box in hand before turning to the bison to climb on. Pakku then said, "Sokka, Steve, Natasha and Thor."
All four of them took a step forward and Master Pakku then said, "Though I don't have any gifts like Katara and Aang received, know that I will always be grateful for what you've done for us."
He bowed to them and they returned it. While the three Avengers turned and walked to Appa, Pakku then patted Sokka on the arm and said, "Take care, son."
He joined the group on Appa while Pakku directed them, "Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. There, you'll be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi."
"Good-bye, Pakku." Natasha waved him off. Steve gave him a salute while Thor bided, "Farewell, Northern Water Tribesman."
"Appa, yip, yip." Aang said before snapping the reins. Right as the group took off, Katara waved and said, "Say hi to Gran Gran for us!"
Master Pakku smiled as he and his fellow tribesmen watched them fly off. Appa growled as Aang turned the reins to turn the bison in the right direction.
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Elsewhere…
In a Fire Nation town a few miles from the ocean, two familiar faces had been saved after a few weeks of traveling. The town itself sat in the middle and both sides of a river. Iroh himself was currently enjoying himself as he was massaged. The treatment felt just right to him as he let out a moan before saying, "This is what I've been missing. Who knew that floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could be so tense."
But his smile faded when he looked over to Prince Zuko and saw his nephew sulk while sitting against the entry to the spa. Letting the two masseuses go, Iroh put on a robe before getting up and walking over to his downcast nephew. The former general instantly knew why Zuko was looking so down and said, "I see." Sitting next to his nephew he said, "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"
"Three years ago today, I was banished." Zuko said as he recalled the memory. His voice was bitter as he said, "I lost it all." He rose his head while glaring, "I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, my throne." His gaze softened a little as he said, "And I want Bucky back too."
Though he didn't show it, Iroh was very surprised by the last one. He knew that Prince Zuko wanted nothing more than to find that Avatar and go back to the Fire Nation, but hearing his nephew say it, even though he already knew that Zuko missed the Winter Soldier, still surprised him. But he didn't say anything as Zuko bitterly said, "And I want my father not to think I'm worthless."
"I'm sure he doesn't." Iroh said trying to lighten the mood. Then he threw out, "Why would he banish you if he didn't care?"
Zuko looked to his uncle with a glare before getting up and started to walk off. Iroh groaned as he looked to the two masseuses and asked, "Oh, that came out wrong, didn't it?"
The two masseuses looked to each other before shrugging. Iroh then sighed before getting up himself and walked after Prince Zuko. When he caught up with his nephew and said, "Prince Zuko, I did not mean it that way."
"I know." Zuko said as he stopped and looked to his uncle. Iroh was once again surprised by this. He then said, "And I'm sure that we will see Bucky again. Just wait and see."
Prince Zuko didn't say anything and continued walking off. Iroh couldn't help and feel a little sad for his nephew.
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Elsewhere…
A large royalty class Fire Navy ship sailed through the open waters to the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. A large group of Firebenders in royal class armor stood on deck before kneeling down when they saw the arrival of their leader. The large set of doors in the tower opened and four palanquin bearers carried it out into the light. They stopped before the ramp and lowered the palanquin down. Two walked in front of the palanquin and pulled back the drapes to reveal a young woman in royal Fire Nation armor sitting on a makeshift throne. The princess, Azula, stood up and stepped out of the palanquin. A group of individuals soon approached behind the palanquin and stood on both sides of the princess. Abomination, Rumlow and Scarlet Widow stood on Azula's left while the Destroyer Armor, the armored Justin Hammer and the bug suit pilot stood on her right. Two elderly women in Fire Nation robes also accompanied them by the princess' side. Princess Azula walked to the edge of the ramp and rose her hands for the soldiers to rise. She and the group watched as they did while the princess then walked down to the two rows and gave a speech, "My brother and my uncle," she glanced back without turning to the six while saying, "and an agent of Hydra have disgraced the Fire Lord and Johann Schmidt, and have brought down shame on all of us. Though the third has been apprehended."
She placed her hands behind her back while then saying, "You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family. I understand that much." But then she warned, "But I assure you, if you hesitate- I will not hesitate to bring you down."
Then facing to the bow of the ship she said, "Dismissed."
The soldiers all ran back to the tower of the ship and passed by the Hydra agents without so much as a glance. Rumlow looked to the other five and nodded his head towards the princess.
"Well done, your highness." Rumlow said as he and the others came up behind her. She looked back to them and he said, "Though it wasn't a long speech, I could tell that it motivated the men. I certainly is on par with Cap's speeches."
"While I appreciate the sentiment, Mr. Rumlow," Azula said as she looked him in the eye, even though he was wearing a mask, "their performance due to my words have yet to be seen."
"Hmm." Rumlow shrugged. They were all caught off guard when the captain of the ship came running. He stopped and addressed Azula, "Forgive me for barging in, princess, but I'm afraid that the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into port before nightfall."
"And what do you have to say about that, Princess?" Abomination questioned with a smirk. Azula also smirked as she knew what the mutation meant. Her smirk dropped when she looked to the captain and questioned, "I'm sorry, Captain, but I do not know much about the tides.
"Can you explain something to me?" She asked while turning to the starboard side of the ship. Feeling a little unnerved, the captain complied, "Of course, your Highness."
"Do the tides command this ship?" Azula questioned while turning only her eyes to the captain. Not fully understanding the question, the captain said, "Um, I'm afraid that I don't understand."
"You said that the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in." The princess reminded. The glanced back to the captain and repeated the question, "Do the tides command this ship?"
"No, Princess." The captain was quick to say. Azula then asked, "And if I were to have Abomination, or Agent Blonsky as I have been told, throw you overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?"
This startled the captain as he looked to Abomination while the mutation smirked a toothy grin. The captain then gulped and looked back to Princess Azula before saying, "No, Princess."
"Well, then," She told him while straightening a strand of her hair, "perhaps you should worry less about the tides who've already made up their mind about killing you, and worry about me," Azula turned to the man while throwing him a glare, "who is still thinking it over."
The captain became truly frightened by this before bowing to the princess and said, "I'll put us in."
The captain quickly ran back to the tower, wanting to be away from the princess for the moment. While she watched him run, Azula's eyes narrowed at the man's incompetence. Blonsky then said, "You're really good at that."
Princess Azula didn't say anymore as she turned and walked to the bow of the ship.
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As the group flew over the Earth Kingdom, Aang, Steve, Katara and Natasha were telling Thor of their adventures together. Thor laughed as he said, "You had to make up a story to get two tribes to stop fighting each other?"
They smiled as he continued laughing. When he tried to stop laughing, he took a breather and then said, "My friends, such riveting tales."
"And there will be more along the way of finding our friends and ending this war." Steve promised. Thor then said to Aang, "You really saw my mother, Frigga, in the Spirit World?"
"I did." Aang nodded. Thor thought back to the day that he lost her and then his brother before asking, "Did you see my brother as well?"
"No, sorry." Aang shook his head. He slightly shrugged his shoulders and said, "If I wasn't in such a rush to help save the Water Tribe, I could have done a little sight-seeing."
Thor then asked, "Any ideas to where our other three friends might be located?"
"Not that I'm aware of." Natasha shook her head. Katara then said, "We could ask General Fong when we reach his base."
"True." Aang nodded, "We have been up at the North Pole for a few weeks, so maybe there could be news on your friends."
"I hope so." Steve said as he could think about how Tony, Bruce and Clint were all doing. Sokka, who had not gotten into telling the tales of their heroic adventures and bumps along the way, sat at the head of the saddle looking bored. His right palm was pressed up against his cheek until he looked ahead. A smile broadened his face as he stood a little. The others noticed this as he shouted, "There it is!"
They all stood up in the saddle as Appa flew around a mountain peak and they could see the base. From what they could see of it, a tower stood in the middle of a ring and three walls ran across the mountains. A stone path ran from the last section of the wall. Appa flew down and landed on the roof of the tower. Two men, one of them being General Fong, met the group. General Fong was a middle -aged man wearing high military styled Earth Kingdom garments. He had a smile on his face when the bison landed on the roof and stretched after a long flight. Each of the passengers on Appa got off and the general walked closer and greeted, "Welcome, Avatar Aang!"
Said Avatar was finishing his stretches when he looked back to the Earth Kingdom general. The general placed his hands behind his back as he introduced, "I am General Fong."
He and the soldiers behind him bowed in respect to the heroes. When the general stood tall again he said and spread his arms out, "And welcome to all of you, our great heroes- Appa, Momo, brave Sokka," The Water Tribe Teen made himself look strong while the general said, "mighty Katara, powerful Thor, incredible Natasha Romanoff, and honorable Steve Rogers."
"Mighty Katara?" Katara said, liking the sound of her name while crossing her arms. Momo flew over to Aang's staff as she said, "I like that."
The sounds of fireworks exploding caught them all off guard. The group looked behind them to see small round objects being thrown into the air by Earthbenders. A small group of four pressed their right foot to the ground to lift the round fireworks into the air before using their left fist to send them up into the air.
The group was still surprised by the warm welcome as Sokka had a grin and he said, "Not bad, not bad."
"And here you thought we were under attack or something." Natasha said. Sokka looked to her and said, "What? No I did not."
"Then why were about to go for your boomerang?" She questioned. Then gesturing to the others she said, "We all saw it."
"We kind of did, Sokka." Steve admitted. Sokka grumbled until he was given a few encouraging words from Thor, "Worry not, Sokka. It is okay to be on guard. It is a sign that you are prepared for the unexpected. A sign of a true warrior."
Sokka did feel a little more proud of himself when General Fong came up and said, "If you all would follow me."
They looked to each other and Steve said, "Lead the way, sir."
General Fong then turned and led most of the group inside. Momo flew after them while chittering. While they were doing that, a few Earth Kingdom soldiers came over to Appa to tend to the bison.
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General Fong had led the group inside his main office and Aang, Steve, Katara, Natasha, Sokka and Thor all sat on their knees in a pyramid formation on a large mat in the middle of the room. Fong walked over to his desk and sat behind it in a chair. The room had light from both the outside and from the light coming from green torch like crystals. General Fong then said, "Avatar Aang, we here at the base were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole."
"Well, I did have a lot of help in the beginning." Aang said to clear some of it up. He looked to each of his friends who smile in appreciation to this. Gesturing to each of them he said, "They had a hand in it too."
"I understand. But I'm talking more about the end when you unleashed your full power." Fong clarified. Then stroking his beard he added, "I can't imagine what it could feel like to wield such devastating power." Turning to the Avatar he said, "It's an awesome responsibility."
"Well, I try not to think about it too much." Aang admitted. Steve then asked, "General Fong, sir, we were hoping to ask-"
"If there were any signs of your fellow Avengers." Fong finished. Natasha nudged his arm and said, "Wow, he's pretty good."
"We have received some intel of mysterious strangers popping up in the Earth Kingdom." Fong informed. All six of them looked hopeful as he said, "There have been rumors about a beast near the Bang Grove Swamp. And of an archer near the Earth Kingdom capital. As for the third, there has been nothing."
All six friends smiled as they looked to each other as they had at least two destinations in mind. The general smiled again as he said, "Avatar," Aang had a smile too until Fong said, "you are ready to face the Fire Lord now."
"What?" Aang questioned, looking confused. His five friends were equally shocked by this as well. His eyes grew wider as he knew the opposite as he said, "No, I'm not!"
"Aang still needs to master all four of the elements." Katara informed. The general then asked, "Why? With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord right now!"
"But, sir," Sokka argued for his friend, "the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State."
"Plus, there's no guarantee that he'll be able to control, or if he could stay in it for that long." Steve pointed out. Aang then said, "See, it's the special state where…"
"I'm well aware." General Fong interrupted, causing the three Avengers' eyes to narrow. The general then said, "Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable amounts of power."
"Not to mention the fact of unfathomable rage that could come with it." Thor added. His friends all looked to him with slight stares. Thor then tried to amend with a quick, "Uh, sorry."
The general then got up and said, "Without you, Avatar Aang, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores," He sounded hopeful as he said, "But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon," Fong traced his finger from the base to the Fire Nation's capital, "we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation."
"Right, but…" Aang started to say. Steve beat him to it and said, "Sir, you need to remember that Aang isn't a weapon."
"Plus, I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State," He looked down as he was unsure of wielding that power, "much less what to do once I get there."
"So it's decided then." General Fong said after hearing all the facts. Turning to the group he said, "I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll face your destiny."
"No, nothing's decided." Katara said as they all stood up. She then firmly stated, "We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing his destiny his own way."
"Plus, have you forgotten about the arrival of Hydra." Steve reminded. Fong then said, "I'm quite well aware of the Fire Nation's alliance. What of it?"
"It would be foolish to not think that they might try and at least have something to combat against Aang." Steve said. He then said, "We're not at full strength. We need to be ready, on our own terms. That involves Aang mastering all four elements and us finding the other three Avengers."
"Well, while you take your time learning the elements and looking for your friends, the war goes on." The general said as he had retaken his seat. Then he asked, "May I show you all something?"
The six looked to each other before Aang nodded. They all followed the general to a window at the back of the office. They all looked down to the one of the many buildings of the base. The general then informed, "That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones-" They watched as the injured soldiers walked across the yard while Fong said, "They're the only ones to have come back."
While most of the group did indeed feel sorry for the soldiers, they weren't entirely swayed. Aang, however, started to feel a little different as he looked down. Fong then looked to Aang and said, "Every day, the Fire Nation and Hydra take more and more lives." Turning to the boy he said, "People are dying, Aang. You could end it all, right now."
"And he will end it." Steve said as he moved between Aang and the general, "But they'll be on his terms."
"All I ask is that you think about it." Fong asked before turning and walking away. Most of the group sent slight glares at him as he walked away, but Aang was really starting to think about it.
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On Princess Azula's royal Fire Navy battleship, said princess was getting a little training done. The sun had nearly set on the port side of the ship. The six members of the Hydra team plus Lo and Li watched from the elevated part of the ship. Princess Azula herself stood in the middle of the deck. Princess Azula took a deep breath while lowering his hands in front of her. Her audience watched with expressionless faces as she began. With a small circular motion of her left hand, lightning started to crackle at her finger tips. She brought her crackling hand over her head before summoning doing the same motions with her right hand. Then bringing her finger tips together she held the energy between them for a moment before throwing her left hand forward and sent the lightning flying through the air. She stood there with both arms extended and her right hand into a fist. Azula's finger tips smoked for a second from the practice.
"Almost perfect." The twin over the right insignia said. The other then said, "One hair out of place."
Azula looked to the strand of hair that had fallen from her head and glared at it. Wiping it out of the way she said with narrowed eyes, "Almost isn't good enough."
"Want to take out your frustrations, sweetheart?" The armored Justin Hammers asked. All seven of the others looked to Justin Hammers with either bemused glances or expressionless faces as they backed up. Justin noticed this when suddenly a bolt of lightning crashed into his suit. The former business man grunted when he hit the ground. The princess had her two fingers pointed in his direction. They all heard him say, "Aw, now I've got to wait for the suit to restart."
"Maybe next time you won't mess with her." Scarlet Widow remarked. Princess Azula then turned back to her lesson. Performing the same technique, Azula sent another bolt of electricity off the side of the ship.
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The faint sound of thunder brought Iroh out of his peaceful slumber. Sitting up in the bed, he looked out the door wondering what it was. He started to get a bad feeling that trouble was coming.
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It was later that night as Aang tried to relax, but he couldn't. Sitting up in his bed, the young Airbender had thought long and hard about what the general had said. Hopping out he said, "I'll be right back."
No one stopped him as he stepped out of the room. Sokka then asked, "Should we go after him?"
"I think he'll be alright." Natasha said as they stared at the door. Then she said, "Plus, what kind of trouble could he get into."
Aang walked up the stairs until he reached Fong's office. He saw that the general was looking over a map and said, "General Fong?"
"Come in, Aang." Fong said, having a feeling that he had convinced Aang. Then he asked, "Have you thought about our discussion earlier?"
"I did." Aang said as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he said, "I'm in." Looking to the general he said, "I'll fight the Fire Lord."
Fong smiled as he said, "I appreciate what you're doing for us, Aang. And know that I won't give up until we unlock your Avatar State."
"Thanks." Aang said with a smile. Fong then said, "Now go and get some rest, we have work to do tomorrow."
Aang bowed before making his way out of the room. When he made it back to the groups quarters he opened the door and walked in. He walked back over to his bed as Natasha asked, "Everything okay, kid?"
"Yeah." Aang said as he sat down. Then he informed, "I told the general I'd help him," He hung his head as he knew that they weren't going to like what he would say, "by going into the Avatar State."
"Say what?" The three Avengers questioned as they hopped out of their beds. Katara sat up, making Momo run off and said, "Aang, no." She shook her head as she knew that it wasn't right, "This is not the right way."
"Why not?" Sokka said from his bed. Then he reminded, "Remember when he took out the Fire Navy and Hydra?" His eyes widened as he said, "He was incredible."
"Only because he was somehow able to call upon the Avatar State when he needed to. The general wants to make it come out as if it were some weapon that he could exploit." Steve pointed out. Katara then added, "And there's a right way to do this- practice, study and discipline."
"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord." Sokka said, feeling as how it would get the job done. Natasha placed her hands on her hips as she told him, "You're not helping here, Sokka."
"Plus, there is no sure way that we can get friend Aang to the Avatar State." Thor added, feeling that trying this would be folly. Sokka then said, "Well, if we are able to pull it off, then we could be that much quicker to stopping the Fire Nation and Hydra."
"If you two meatheads want to throw away everything that we've worked for," Katara said as she stood from her bed, getting angrier by the second, "then fine. Go ahead and glow it up."
She walked off while Aang stood up and said, "Katara, guys, I'm just trying to be realistic. I don't have time to do this the right way."
"Then why did we waste so much time trying to get to the North Pole to help you learn waterbending?" Natasha questioned before walking away. Aang's face fell as he that they both had a point. He looked to Steve and Thor, who could only shrug before walking after the girls.
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The next morning, the group had come a small distance away from the base to a gazebo on the side of a mountain. A man used a pair of chop sticks to place some ingredients into a fresh pot of tea while saying, "This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant." When he finished he set the chop sticks down and placed the lid on the pot and said, "In an ordinary warrior, it improves strength and energy tenfold."
He poured some of it into a small cup for the Avatar. Sokka looked to his sister and friends and said, "I'm surprised that you guys came."
"Though we still think that this is still a bad idea," Steve said with crossed arms, "we felt that we should at least support him."
The others didn't say anything as they watched what might happen. The man then said, "In you, it may induce the Avatar State."
"Tenfold energy, huh?" Aang asked as he looked down at the cub of tea. All five friends looked around him before he took a sip of the tea. His right brow twitched a few times, but Aang didn't feel any different.
Two minutes later…
When the tea still didn't work, the general thought about giving Aang more tea, but it turned out to be a mistake as Aang was now riding on an Air Scooter while asking, "Is it working? Is it working?"
He was riding all over the place while shouting, "I can't tell! Somebody tell me if it's working and I'm in the Avatar State 'cause I don't have a good view of myself." He rode off while asking, "Am I talking too loud?"
"I guess he could talk the Fire Lord to death." Sokka suggested while resting his chin against his hand. The general stroked his beard as he thought about what could go wrong. Katara crossed her arms and shook her head when Aang suddenly came in and crashed into one of the poles. Steve and Thor moved to see if he was okay.
Natasha got up and walked over to the table. Picking up the pot of tea, she took a quick sniff of it. Looking that the general she said, "Chi-enhancing tea, or just some kind of sugar."
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Once Aang had calmed down enough, they walked back to the base. All six stood on the roof as Sokka and Thor faced them. Sokka had his hands behind his back while he said, "Maybe me or Thor can shock you into the Avatar State."
"I love surprises." Aang said with a big grin and a thumbs up. Nat looked to Thor and asked, "You're not really gonna shock him, are you?"
"Of course." Thor shook his head. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief while Katara covered Aang's eyes. The last thing Aang saw was a skeptical look on Sokka's face before his eyes were covered. When she uncovered them, he saw that Sokka's head had been replaced with Momo's as it gave a shriek. Aang lets loose a yell and flinches, but soon sees that he's not glowing or anything. Looking down at his hands he tells Sokka, "Still not glowing."
"Uh… Uh… Ahh!" Sokka shouted before he fell over. Thor then stepped up and said, "Don't worry. I'm a professional."
The group patiently waited while Momo scrambled out of Sokka's shirt. Thor lifted Mjolnir into the air and summoned a bolt of lightning. Then leaping into the air he smashed his hammer onto the ground creating a clap of thunder. Once again, Aang jumped but still didn't glow. They all looked to him as something did happen. Aang suddenly started to hiccup. He slightly bounced as he continued to hiccup. It quickly got annoying for everyone.
"Can we count this as a win?" Natasha asked as the young Airbender continued to hiccup. Everyone, including the hiccupping Aang shook their heads. Sokka quickly thought before snapping his fingers and said, "Ooh."
Rushing up to Thor he whispered something into his ear. Thor nodded and looked to the teen, "That might work."
"Cover his eyes again." Sokka told his sister. Katara sighed as she once again covered Aang's eyes. When she uncovered them once again, Sokka once again used Momo as his head while Thor once again summoned another bolt of lightning. Aang once again yelped in fear and jumped back. Sokka removed Momo from his shirt while Thor lowered Mjolnir and they looked to Aang. Though he didn't start glowing, young Airbender was no longer hiccupping and they all breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. That was until Aang let loose another and they looked to him with wide eyes. The general only shook his head as this was another failure.
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The quickly returning hiccups turned out to be a fluke and they all went to a different room in the base. They stood before an alter of sorts and stood before a shaman of sorts. He wore an animal's fur on his shoulders, cloth wrapped around his hands and a necklace around his neck. But his most interesting pieces of apparel were the orange tinted glasses resting over his eyes and had a small moustache. The man told Aang, "You my friend, are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations."
"He looks a little ridiculous." Natasha whispered to the others. They silently agreed with her as Aang was wearing his normal clothes a long with a leafy hat, a Water Tribe robe, a Fire Nation kilt and some kind of belt. The man held a plate of dirt and a jug of water as he stood behind a cauldron and said, "Now, I will join the four elements into one!"
Dumping the jug he said, "Water…" Then dumping the plate of dirt he said, "Earth…" He reached behind him and took down a torch before throwing it in, "Fire…" He had an air pump and squeezed a gust in, "Air…"
Lifting a smaller pot out of the cauldron he said, "Four elements together as one!"
Then with a quick motion he threw the contents onto Aang. Aang grimaced as the stuff splattered onto him. But when he got a closer look he looked to the old man and pointed out, "This is just mud."
"So," The old man asked, to see if there was any changes, "do you feel anything?"
Aang's face slightly twitched and he raised his right hand. Everyone became surprised as there might be something. But all it turned out to be was a little mud in Aang's nose as he let out a big sneeze. Steve shielded himself, the siblings and Nat while Thor used Mjolnir to deflect the mud. Only the general was covered in it and they looked to him as he said, "We have to find a way."
"Or maybe we could use a break." Steve suggested. The general didn't look too pleased with that, but conceded with a nod.
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Prince Zuko and Iroh returned to their hut after a day at the beach. Iroh dumped his bags contents onto the table and admired their beauty by saying, "Look at these magnificent shells."
He held one before placing it with the others and sounded happy as he said, "I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."
He picked up another when Prince Zuko angrily said, "We don't need any more useless things." Then he reminded, "You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now."
Iroh was about to say something when a voice in the shadows said, "Hello, brother."
Both Zuko and Iroh looked to the voice to see someone sitting at the other table. Then she greeted, "Uncle."
"What are you doing here?" Zuko questioned with a glare. Iroh's happy face also fell as he did not expect to see his niece here. Azula then said while picking up a shell, "In my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions."
Getting up she walked over and asked, "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"
"Don't call me that!" Zuko warned and took a step forward. But before he could do anything, another voice said, "I wouldn't do anything to her. She's under my protection."
Iroh and Zuko looked behind Azula to see another woman standing in the shadows. When she revealed herself, Zuko then said, "Who's she? And why does she look like that Avenger?"
"Oh, her." Azula said as she looked back to the Scarlet Widow and introduced, "This is the Scarlet Widow, trained spy just like the Black Widow running amok in this world."
"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh said with a respectful bow. Azula had her arms crossed while holding the shell as she said, "Hmm. Must be a new family trait, isn't it, my friend?"
"It sure seems so." Scarlet Widow agreed. Azula clenched the shell with her claw like finger nails as she said, "Both of you so quick to get to the point."
The shell shattered from her grip and the pieces fell to the floor. Iroh was a little shocked by this but listened as Azula then said, "I've come with a message from home.
"Father's changed his mind." The princess said as she fiddled with her hair. She crossed her arms again as she said, "Family is suddenly very important to him." She then told them, but mostly to Zuko, "He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots."
Zuko's gaze softens at the thought of his dad wanting him back. Azula then said, "Family are the only ones you can truly trust." Glancing to her right she informed him, "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."
When she looked back to her brother, she could see that Zuko was lost in thought. She then asked, "Did you hear me? You should be happy." Zuko looked out the window as she listed what he should feel, "Excited. Grateful." But Zuko still didn't say anything as he walked to the window while she said, "I just gave you great news."
"I'm sure your brother just simply needs a moment to…" Iroh said as he stepped forward. But he was interrupted when Azula shouted, "Don't interrupt, Uncle!"
The Scarlet Widow looked a little amused by this display of losing control. Azula walked to the window and looked to her brother. She then said, "I still haven't heard my thank you." Then pointing out she stated, "I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."
"Father regrets?" Zuko asked, speaking since seeing his sister as he sounded hopeful of that. Then he said, "He… he wants me back?"
"I can see that you need time to take this in." Princess Azula said, feeling the need to give him time to process her words. Then she informed, "I'll come to call on you tomorrow."
She started to walk to the door before stopping and looking back to Zuko. Then she informed, "Oh, and I believe that a Sargent Barnes asked me to say hello should I get the chance."
Zuko's eyes widened to the sound of his friend's name. But he didn't say anything as Azula continued to walk out. Glancing back she said, "Let's go shall we?" Then to her brother she said, "Good evening."
The Scarlet Widow followed the princess out the door. Both women left without another word.
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On their way down a set of stairs to the princess' ship, Scarlet Widow looked to Azula and said, "That was some pretty good acting back there." Then repeating the princess' words she said, "'Father regrets your banishment, he wants you back.'"
"Hopefully and more than likely, my brother will be convinced a lot more than you will." Azula said with a smirk as she looked to her ally. Then she said, "But if they do decide not to come willingly tomorrow, then I and your team will need to capture them."
"Of course, Princess." Scarlet Widow said with a nod. The two continued to head to the ship. But as they kept walking, they were unaware that there was a figure hidden on the rock wall above them, listening to their conversation. He silently moved away into the shadows.
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The sun was starting to set on the base as they had gone through another thirty attempts to get Aang to go into the Avatar State. He, Katara and Steve all stood on the wall overlooking the land around them. Katara then asked him, "Can we talk about something?"
"Sure." Aang shrugged and stood up. Katara had her back to the railing as she asked, "Do you remember when we were at the Southern Air Temple and you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton?"
Aang didn't want to be reminded of that as he looked to the setting sun. Katara then said, "It must have been a horrible and traumatic experience for you." Glancing to Steve she said, "Us and Sokka saw that it really upset you."
"And when you got that upset," Steve started. Katara finished for him by saying, "it was like you weren't even you anymore.
"We're not saying that the Avatar State doesn't have incredible-" She did remember when it was a good thing, "and helpful power, but you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary."
"You think that you have to rely on methods such as this, but there's got to be a better way for you. And you shouldn't let people influence you to where you think you have no choice." Steve threw in. Aang closed his eyes and then said, "I'm really glad you guys told me that." But feeling certain that this was the right choice he said, "But I need to do this."
"I don't understand." Katara protested. Then she gestured to Steve and said, "None of us understand."
"No," Aang said as he looked to his friends. He shook his head as he added, "you guys don't." Then he said, "Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord and Hydra is the only way to stop this war."
"Are those your words or the generals?" Steve asked. Then he said, "Plus, I was nearly seventy years late and a lot of people were getting hurt." Then he said, "But do I blame myself?" He nodded and said, "I do. But I refuse to let it stop me from getting the job done right."
He pointed to Aang and he said, "Which is how you should be doing this." Both young Benders looked to him as he said, "If you go into this half-cocked, then there is no guarantee that you'll be able to win."
"But I have to try." Aang said, standing firm with his decision. Katara shook her head and said, "I can't watch you do this to yourself." She crossed her arms and walked away while saying, "I'm not coming tomorrow." She did stop to look to her friends and said, "Good night."
"Good night." Aang said as he hung his head. Steve and Aang watched her go before the former said, "I can't make this decision for you, Aang. None of us can. We understand that it's your duty to defeat Fire Lord Ozai. But you need to know that having all the advantages are the key to winning the good fight. Whether those advantages take time."
The super soldier turned and walked away while saying, "Think about it okay. Good night."
"Night." Aang said as he walked away. Aang turned back to the setting sun and at least started to think about what his friends said. He was still unsure of himself, but he started to really think.
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Back at Zuko and Iroh's hut, the former started to pack as he felt really happy for the first time in years. He looked out the window before picking something up and said, "We're going home. After three long years."
However, Iroh was not to thrilled on the news as he pondered about what was really going on. He wanted to feel happy for his nephew, but something nagged at him. Prince Zuko carried something to their bags as he said, "It's very unbelievable. And Bucky's in the Fire Nation."
"It is unbelievable." Iroh agreed, but not for the same reasons as his nephew. Then he remembered his life with Ozai and said while stroking his beard, "I have never known my brother to regret anything."
"Did you listen to Azula?" Prince Zuko asked and looked to his uncle. Then he said, "Father's realized how important family is to him." The young prince glared as he was hopeful, "He cares about me." His gaze softened as he then said, "He cares about us."
"I care about you." Iroh argued. Then he thought about it as he then said, "And if Ozai wants you back, well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine." Then he pointed out, "And if Bucky truly was in the Fire Nation, why wouldn't he come to us?"
Though Zuko did see some sense in his uncle's words, he still believed what Azula told him. Turning away from his uncle he said, "You don't know how my father feels about me. You don't know anything."
Though hurt by Zuko's words, Iroh still supported his nephew by saying, "Zuko, I only meant that, in our family, things are not always what they seem."
"I think you are exactly what you seem-" Prince Zuko angrily said as he turned to his uncle again and got in his face, "a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother."
Zuko then walked off to continue to pack, leaving a hurt Iroh standing there watching him go. He hung his head and closed his eyes as it cut him deep.
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Back at General Fong's base, Aang tried to rest while trying to figure out the Avatar State. But sleep was not kind to him as he had familiar dreams.
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Aang's Dream…
Aang found himself at the South Pole, standing on the deck of Prince Zuko's old ship. He looked over the side at the water when suddenly the water burst and angered Aang rose up on his water spout. Angered Aang maneuvered to where he headed for Aang who had moved to the middle of the deck. When he landed, Angered Aang waterbended the spout to where it knocked a yelling Aang off the ship. Angered Aang turned to Zuko as his tattoos stopped glowing. Prince Zuko looked to the Avatar in fear before running. But the Fire Nation prince didn't get far as Angered Aang used his waterbending to slash as Zuko.
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Aang woke up with a gasp. Steve and Katara had both stayed in another suite for the night. Looking to the other beds he said, "Sokka, Thor, Natasha, wake up."
"Hmm." All three said as they turned to the Airbender. Aang sat up on his bed as he then told him, "I don't think we should be trying to bring on the Avatar State."
"You sure?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded and said, "Yes."
"Okay." Sokka shrugged, feeling that if what was Aang wanted, then it was okay with him. Natasha then asked, "What brought on this change of mind?"
"Let's just say that I've been thinking of what Katara and Steve said to me." Aang said as he had been giving it a lot of thought. Then he said, "Plus, I had another dream. And I didn't like how it felt."
"We will support your decision." Thor nodded with a smile. Aang then asked, "Do you think that the General will be mad?"
"What can he say?" Sokka shrugged. Looking to his friend he pointed out, "You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"
"Plus, we'll be by your side when you tell him." Natasha promised. Thor pumped a fist and said, "Verily."
Aang looked away from them and hoped that it would go smoothly with the general. All four friends laid back down to get some rest.
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At the Fire Nation town, Prince Zuko was making his way down the stairs to Azula's ship. As he walked, Zuko thought about his father, about being home, about seeing his friend again. But as he continued to walk, the prince began to think about what he had said to his uncle the previous night. He stopped when he saw the ship at the end of the dock and was about to continue when a voice called from behind, "Wait!"
He looked back to see Iroh quickly following from behind and he said, "Don't leave without me."
"Uncle," Zuko happily said to see him, "you've changed your mind."
"Family sticks together, right?" Iroh asked as he joined his nephew and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko remembered when Iroh once placed the same hand on his back a long time ago.
Both royals looked down to the ship in the harbor and Zuko said, "We're finally going home."
Then turning, Zuko lead the way down to the ship. But Iroh still had his suspicions as he looked down at the ship with a slight glare. Iroh still followed his nephew down the steps, but prepared himself in case that it was as he suspected.
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At General Fong's base, Aang, Sokka, Thor and Natasha all stood before the general and told him about Aang's decision. Aang then said, "The thing is…" He sounded as if it were impossible as he said, "I don't think that we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose." Then with a shrug he said, "So I guess that's it."
"Sure I can't change your mind?" General Fong asked, worried that he was losing his best chance to end the war. Aang nodded and said, "I'm sure." Looking down he said, "I can only reach the Avatar State when I'm in genuine danger."
"I see." Fong said as he had an idea in mind. He looked away as he admitted, "I was afraid that you'd say that."
All four friends found what he said to be suspicious. The general moved his right foot before using his earthbending to shove the desk at Aang. Aang grunted when the desk smacked into him and pushed him out the big window at the back. Natasha, Thor and Sokka all cried out, "Aang!"
But the three were quickly subdued by six soldiers. Aang yelled when he started falling from the top of the tower. Aang was able to use his airbending to slow his fall and rolled out of the way when the desk came crashing down. When he stopped he looked up to the top of the tower with wide eyes. He saw General Fong walk to the window as the General then ordered, "Men, attack the Avatar!"
Aang looked around to see that he was surrounded by Earth Kingdom soldiers. They moved in to carry out their generals will. Aang looked up to see Fong jump from the top of the tower and cushioned his landing with his earthbending. Aang jumped over the rising stone and landed before asking, "What are you doing?"
"I believe that we are about to get results." General Fong said with a crazed look in his eye.
Earthbenders on both sides of Aang twisted and raised rings of stone above their heads. Aang looked around while the soldiers on ostrich horses raised their spears. Two Earthbenders on both sides of Aang lowered their stone rings to the ground and used a double fist to send them quickly rolling at Aang. But the Airbender was able to move out of the way before jumping between two horizontally thrown disks. When he landed, Aang looked to the general and said, "I'm not your enemy." He stayed prepared as he added, "I won't fight you."
Four soldiers sent rings his way and he jumped just when they clashed together. Landing on one, it was knocked by a horizontally thrown ring and landed just when two of the others came at him. Though it seemed that they had crushed him, Aang had taken refuge in the space in the middle. Aang looked worried as the rings started to spin while moving to another Earthbender. The Earthbender destroyed the ring and sent Aang flying away. Aang grunted when he hit the ground but stood back up. He looked around at the soldiers as they prepared to attack once again.
Back up in the tower, Sokka looked to Nat and Thor and they all nodded. Sokka raised both his legs up before swinging them to the Earth Kingdom soldiers' personal area. Natasha stepped on one's foot before bashing the back of her head against the other. When they both let her go, she sweep kicked them to knock them down. Using his Asgardian strength, Thor raised both soldiers over his head before gripping them by their tunics and throwing them across the room. With nothing standing in their way, all three friends ran to the window.
They looked down to see Aang in trouble as four Earthbenders lowered their rings forward and launched them. Aang jumped over two horizontally thrown rings and they crashed into each other. He was able to dodge the other two rings by moving through the spaces between them and landed on an Air Scooter and zoomed away. An Earthbender raised a stone block from the ground and it diverted Aang's path as he moved to the left. Aang had to make a sharp right turn when another Earthbender raised another block. Making another left turn when a third Earthbender raised a third, Aang rushed past two soldiers on ostrich horses. The soldiers directed their mounts to the fleeing Avatar as Aang made his Air Scooter run up the wall. The ostrich horses made a huge leap to the wall as Aang's Air Scooter ran out. Time slowed down as the soldiers swung their spears at him and Aang was barely able to dodge them before falling back to the ground. The ostrich horses landed on the wall before jumping back down.
Aang landed on the ground and jumped out of the way of the landing ostrich horses while their riders brought down their spears. Aang rolled to where one of Earth rings was stored and yelled when it raised up and pulled him to the general. Fong then shouted, "You can't run forever!"
"You can't fight forever!" The ring dropped and Aang shouted back. The general lunged at Aang who jumped out of the ring before the general crushed it.
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Prince Zuko and Iroh walked down the docks towards Azula's ship. They passed under the arch and came up to a battalion of Firebenders in upgraded armor. Princess Azula stood with two more Firebenders at the top of the ramp. She had a smile as she had a feeling that her plan would work. From the dark opening of the ship, the rest of Hydra's team waited in case things went south. One of the Imperial looking Firebenders next to the princess slightly glanced between the two heading to the ship and up to the Princess. Prince Zuko had his hands behind his back while Iroh looked about with a suspicious look in his eye. When they reached the end of the rows of Firebenders, Azula said, "Brother, Uncle… welcome."
The two bowed in respect while she said, "I'm so glad that the both of you decided to come."
Iroh took another glance at the Firebenders as he had a feeling that they would block any escape. The soldiers moved behind Zuko and Iroh while the captain moved in front and asked, "Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?"
"Set our course for home, Captain." Azula requested. Zuko became hopeful and said, "Home."
"You heard the Princess. Raise the anchors." The captain said as he started to walk up the ramp. Then he mistakenly said, "We're taking the prisoners home."
Zuko, the captain and Azula's eyes widened from what the captain said. From inside the ship, everyone's jaw dropped at how foolish the captain had been. Azula glared at the captain and he tried to amend, "Your Highness, I…"
He glanced behind him while Zuko looked truly angry. Iroh looked back at the Imperial Firebenders before whirling around and socked one in the face with his bag. He raised his right leg and kicked the other in the face. A third Imperial Firebender came up and tried to use a flaming kick to the midsection, but Iroh was quick to react by dodging and elbowing the Firebender in the face. The second had gotten back up but Iroh grabbed him by the arm and shoved him away.
Prince Zuko shoved the guard off the ramp and angrily yelled at his sister, "You lied to me!"
"Like I've never done that before." Azula nonchalantly said before turning and waving. The two Imperial Firebenders moved and took a stance, but before the one on the right could throw one, the one on the left spun around and did a round house kick to his head.
As the Imperial Firebender fell to the ground, Azula looked back to see the traitor remove his helmet. She became surprised when a stranger with long black hair dropped his helmet. Nikol smiled as he said, "Surprise, princess."
Even Zuko was surprised as Nikol looked back to him and said, "Long time no see, Prince Zuko."
"What are you doing here?" A confused Prince Zuko asked as he joined Nikol on deck. Nikol shrugged and said, "Overheard the princess' plot and figured that you could use some help."
Prince Zuko smiled before they faced off against Azula when suddenly the doors to the tower opened and the Hydra team stepped out.
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Back at Fong's base, Aang yelled as he was being chased by dropped Earth rings. When he turned left he was being chased by a rolling Earth ring.
In the other suite, Katara, Steve and Momo all heard the commotion and the young Waterbender asked, "I wonder what kind of crazy thing that they're trying now."
"Who knows." Steve shook his head. Standing up he then said, "Let's just check on Aang to make sure that he isn't hurt."
Another boom from outside then made him say, "And we might want to hurry."
The three quickly rushed outside. When they came out of the tower, their eyes were wide at what they were seeing. They rushed down the stairs and met up with Natasha and Sokka as they came down the other set of stairs. Katara looked to her brother and asked, "What's going on?"
"The general's gone crazy!" Sokka shouted when they reached the bottom. He then told them of the general's plan while watching Aang run in the courtyard, "He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar State."
"We gotta help him." Steve said while pulling down his helmet and removing his shield. Both he and Sokka removed their respective weapons and the latter threw his while Cap rushed in. Katara then asked Natasha, "Where's Thor?"
The spy pointed to the top of the tower just as they saw a bolt of lightning come down on the roof. Thor then came dropping down from the roof. Seeing what he was about to do, Katara then warned, "Steve, Aang! Brace yourselves!"
Both of them heard her warning and looked up just as Thor nearly reached the ground. Aang and Cap were able to jump into the air as Thor bashed Mjolnir against the ground. The hammer sent an electrical shockwave that knocked down the closest Earthbenders and soldiers. Sokka's boomerang flew at an Earthbender as he started to turn his Earth ring at a landing Aang and struck the man in the back of the head.
Aang continued running from a soldier on an ostrich horse when a water whip. The soldier looked to where it came from before being knocked off his ostrich horse. Katara retracted her water back into the pouch while keeping on guard.
Captain America engaged one Earthbender and a regular Earth Kingdom soldier as the three ran at each other. The Earthbender launched the soldier into the air, surprising Cap. Cap raised his shield and blocked the soldier's spear when it came at him. But while the soldier landed on the ground and kept the super soldier busy, the Earthbender raised three rocks from the ground and launched them at Cap. But before they could hit the super soldier, Mjolnir quickly came in and bashed through all three. The Earthbender looked over to see the hammer returning to Thor's hand as the Asgardian came running up to him. The bender sent a line of jutting rocks at Thor, but the God of Thunder threw his hammer forward again. Mjolnir effortlessly bashed through the rocks before smacking into the Earthbender. Natasha jumped over a few rings before doing a split kick to two Earthbenders. Then rolling across the ground she stood up next to Katara.
"Good bird-horse thingie." Sokka said as he walked up to the ostrich horse. When it didn't make any sudden movements, Sokka grabbed the reins of the ostrich horse. Sokka hopped onto the saddle and the ostrich horse reared up with a roar before zooming off. Katara and Natasha watched with wide eyes before they knew that they had company. Turning around, the general stomped his foot as a multitude of Earth rings blocked her escape. General Fong glanced back and said to Aang when he reached the top of the stairs, "Maybe you can avoid me, but they can't."
The Earthbenders turned the rings to their broad side to prevent any escape for the two. Katara whipped out a stream of water and sent it flying at the general. But with a circular motion of his hands, Fong caused the dirt to come up and turn her water into mud. Natasha then started to fire her stingers at the general, but he was able to raise a wall of earth to block them. When he lowered it he took a stance and turned the ground under the girls against them. Both cried out as they twisted and their feet became stuck in the ground. They tried to pull themselves out, but Katara shouted to her friends, "We can't move!"
"We need an assist here, guys!" Natasha shouted as well. Aang, seeing his friends in danger, warned the general, "Don't hurt them."
Then jumping forward he brought his hands to his side before unleashing a blast of air at the general. Fong saw the attack coming and brought up a wall of earth to block the wind. When he lowered it, Fong made the girls sink another few inches and stopped when they were at their waist.
"Katara, no!" Sokka cried out when he brought his ostrich horse around. He tried to ram the general with his mount, but Fong made the ostrich horses feet sink and sent a screaming Sokka flying. He landed in the space in the middle of the Earth rings and hung there. Aang, Cap and Thor all ran at the general as the Airbender told Fong, "Stop this."
"This is going too far!" Cap yelled in agreement. Cap threw his shield forward to discombobulate Fong, but the general raised a jutting rock to knock the vibranium shield away. Fong then earthbended two Earth rings at the captain, and Cap used his super soldier strength to keep them off of him. Thor was about to throw Mjolnir again when Fong brought up a wall of Earth and smashed it against Thor. The Asgardian found himself buried under the rubble and struggled to get back up. Seeing as how his friends were out of commission Aang reached the general and grabbed his arm while telling him, "You have to let my friends go."
"You could save both of them, or all of them, if you were in the Avatar State." Fong said with a stern look. Aang tried to pull it out while he said as tears welled, "I'm trying. I'm trying!"
"Aang, we're sinking!" Katara shouted when they were down to their chest. Natasha then shouted, "Fong, stop!"
"I don't see glowing." Fong said to Aang with a crazed look in his eyes. Fong then started to close up his fist and it made the girls sink down to their necks. They screamed and Katara pleaded, "Please!"
"You don't need to do this!" Aang shouted while dropping to his knees. But Fong thought otherwise while saying, "Apparently…" He narrowed his eyes as he added, "I do."
He clenched his fist and Katara and Natasha started to disappear under the ground with a yelp. Aang tried to make a leap for them but he was too late as they disappeared. Aang sat up on his hands and knees as the air around him started to shift. From their respective spots, Sokka, Cap and Thor could feel an air of uneasiness over Aang and they all said, "Uh oh!"
Suddenly the tattoo on Aang's head started to glow and he turned to the general with a glare. The general however, was thrilled to see that his plan had worked and said, "It worked. It worked!"
He had to shield himself when Aang started a wind storm. The general's face brightened when he saw that Aang was still in the Avatar State, but it fell when Aang took a stance. Placing one hand in front of his face and the other in the opposite direction, he sent an air slash at the general. Fong yelled as the blast of air sent him flying. He landed near the base of the tower and his holds on Cap and Thor were released.
Thor took a deep breath while Cap rushed over to help pull Sokka out of the Earth ring. Soon all four looked to Aang when he created a tornado and lifted himself off the ground.
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Back at the harbor, Zuko and Nikol ran on the deck but had to jump out of the way when Abomination's fist came down, denting the ships deck. As the other members of Hydra's team joined the mutation, Nikol looked to Zuko and said, "I have these six under control. Why don't you go and handle the family matters."
"With pleasure." Zuko said as he turned to Azula and assumed a stance. Zuko then brought both hands over his head before throwing them down and creating flaming daggers.
Nikol looked about to each of the Hydra agents before a smirk formed on his face. Clapping both hands above his head, he was able to create six copies of himself. Scarlet Widow tried to land a punch on one of the copies, but it was able to avoid the blow before landing one against her cheek. Abomination tried to bring his fists down to crush his copy, but the copy jumped back before jumping up and bringing his knee against the monster's face. While they were engaging Hydra's team, the real Nikol was behind the group and looked over the side of the ship.
Iroh ducked under a flaming high kick of one soldier before sending the soldier flying with a fire ball. He had to kneel down under another two soldiers' attacks before sending them falling off the dock with two streams. When a four soldier came up to him with a fire ball, Iroh slapped the hand out of the way to where it would miss. Then grabbing the soldier's wrist and shoulder, Iroh looked up to the ship and shouted, "Zuko, let's go!"
"He'll be down in a moment!" Nikol shouted down to him. Iroh raised a brow and asked himself, "Who in the world is that?"
Then he pushed the soldier off before engaging another incoming Firebender. He moved the soldier's fire fist to the side before shoving the Imperial Firebender off the dock.
Up on the deck while the Hydra team was still having difficulty against Nikol's copies, Zuko tried to land a hit on his sister by swinging his fire daggers at Azula. But the princess was able to avoid them before grabbing her brother's arm and twisting before shoving him away. As Zuko fought to catch his breath, Azula then told him, "You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss at the North Pole. He also considers the Winter Soldier to be a major disappointment as well for not dealing with the Avengers properly." She smirked as she added, "And he considers you as a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar."
Her words seemed to get to Zuko as she continued, "Why would he want you back home except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"
With an angry glare Zuko reignited his flaming daggers and made a leap at his sister while throwing a flaming kick. But Azula moved out of the way and Zuko gave chase. Zuko made a few swipes which Azula was able to dodge before delivering a scratch to Zuko's forehead. He glared before charging forward with a roar. Zuko tried to use his fire daggers while Azula continued to dodge them and led her brother up the ramp. Zuko tried to bring his flaming dagger down when Azula twisted his arm before gripping his wrist. Her eyes narrowed while his widened as he knew she had something planned. She was able to knock him away while throwing a stream of blue fire. Zuko grunted as he tumbled down the ramp and stopped on the deck. Nikol noticed this and rushed forward, "Zuko!"
But his lack of concentration caused his copies to vanish and allow the Hydra team to spot the real one. Nikol reached the down prince just as Zuko sat up. They both looked up to see Azula starting to create a bolt of lightning and their eyes widened. The Hydra team stopped as well with smirks on their faces as they thought that this would destroy them both. When she finished preparing it, Azula started to point her fingers at the two when Iroh rushed up and grabbed her hand. Then somehow manipulating the lightning himself, Iroh changed the target from the boys to towards the Hydra team. Abomination took the brunt of it and it caused all six of them to fly off the ship and into the sea below. Iroh then twisted his niece's arm and it made her grunt in pain. Then with a kick to her face, Iroh also sent her plummeting to the ocean. Quickly running to Zuko and Nikol he said, "We've got to get out of here!"
"Then let's not stick around then." Nikol said as he and Iroh helped Zuko back onto his feet. All three of them ran off the ship and down the docks to get away.
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Back at General Fong's base, Aang was still in the Avatar State and at the top of his tornado. Fong, Cap, Thor and Sokka all looked up to him as the general put his hands next to his mouth and shouted, "Avatar Aang, can you hear me?"
Whether Aang could hear him or not, he didn't show as he continued to glare. Fong used his earthbending to bring the girls back up while trying to calm the boy, "Your friends are safe." Natasha and Katara took deep breaths before looking up to the angered Aang while the general explained, "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State. And it worked!"
But it didn't seem to calm Aang as he still glared and brought himself down with bang. Sokka, Steve, Thor and the girls braced themselves while Fong and his Earthbenders were all knocked away. It also created a wave of earth that knocked back other Earthbenders and destroyed the buildings. While Aang's body was still in the Avatar State, his spirit glowed as Roku's dragon took him to the sky. Aang rode behind Roku as they circled over the base. While Aang looked down to what he had done, Roku looked back to him and said, "It's time you learned."
Roku's dragon flew through the clouds before coming to a cloud where the previous Avatar's stood. Roku then explained, "The Avatar State is a defense mechanism designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars."
Aang could see it as his eyes started to glow.
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He could see Avatar Kyoshi starting to Earthbend a few badger mole statues, "The glow is the combination of all your past lives,"
Next he saw the Water Tribe Avatar sitting on a raft before creating a tidal wave, "focusing their energy through your body."
The Avatar before him, an Air Nomad Avatar created a high wind that pushed the trees around her back, "In the Avatar State, you're at your most powerful…"
A Fire Nation Avatar used his bending to cause an eruption of four volcanoes, "But you are also at you're also at your most vulnerable."
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"What do you mean?" Aang asked as they continued to fly through the spirit realm. Roku then told him, "If you are killed in the Avatar State," The past Avatars moved through the clouds while Aang and Roku did as he said, "the reincarnation cycle will be broken," They had moved into a line descending to the first Avatar and it faded as Roku said, "and the Avatar will cease to exist."
Aang became worried about this before looking down at the base. Roku's dragon spiraled downwards while heading back to the base. An air sphere had been formed around Aang's body as Roku's dragon flew down to it and restored Aang's spirit to it. Aang suddenly felt a little dizzy and fell to his knees. With a saddened look, Aang looked around to the destruction and felt guilty about it. Buildings had been smashed, the grounds ruined and Earth rings were scattered just about everywhere.
Katara, Natasha, Steve and Thor all came running up to their friend. Aang sat on the ground hugging his knees as they stopped beside him. Katara knelt down to him to give him a hug and Aang said, "I'm sorry, Katara." He looked up and said, "I really am sorry, you guys. I hope that none of you never have to see me like that again."
"Ha. Are you joking?" General Fong said from behind. He walked up to them and said, "That was almost perfect." Then stroking his beard he began to think, "We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that."
"You're out of your mind." Aang said to the general. Steve then said, "And this isn't happening anymore."
"There will be no more of making use of our friend like this." Thor said in agreement. Natasha then said, "And if you think that we'll stand by, then you're wrong."
"I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation." Fong said, not getting the message. That was when Sokka came up behind him and bonked him on the head with the hilt of his club. The general cringed in pain for a moment before falling to the ground unconscious. Looking to the soldiers he asked, "Anybody got a problem with that?"
The other five looked with slight smiles and watched as the Earthbenders all shook their heads while their heads sounded like maracas. Sokka slid off the ostrich horse and walked over to his friends. The three soldiers came a little closer and one asked while they bowed, "Do you still want an escort to Omashu?"
The six looked to each other and thought about it when Momo landed on Aang's shoulder and Katara then said, "I think we're all set."
"You guys might want to keep an eye on him." Steve said, gesturing to the unconscious general. The soldier then said, "Oh, we'll be sure to do that."
Soon all six boarded Appa and took off. Aang turned Appa towards the direction of Omashu and the bison complied with a growl.
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At the Fire Nation town, the citizens were gathered to hear what their princess had to say. They looked with fear at the Hydra team standing behind the princess. She brought out a wanted poster while saying, "Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord."
The two masseuses gasped in fear as Azula then said, "There will be no place left to hide."
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After having run so far from the Fire Nation town and Azula, Prince Zuko, Iroh and Nikol came to a stop by the river. They kneeled down to take a breath. Iroh looked to Nikol and Zuko and said, "I think we're safe here."
"For now at least." Nikol added. Zuko didn't say anything as he pulled out the one thing he was able to hold on to. A dagger with words inscribed on it. Iroh looked to see what he was doing, but said nothing as he knew it was the right thing for them right now. He looked at it before raising it up to his head, took a moment and then cut off his hair. He held the cut part before handing the knife to his uncle. Nikol watched as Iroh took the blade and cut off the bun. When he had, they both dropped the cut pieces into the river and watched them float away.
When they were gone, all three men stood up and two turned to Nikol. With a bow, Zuko said to Nikol, "Thank you for your help."
"It was a pleasure." Nikol nodded. But then he said, "But for now is where we must part ways."
"You're not coming with us?" Iroh asked. Nikol shook his head and told them, "You'll be able to get by faster without worrying about me. Besides-" Suddenly he changed his appearance to that of an old man in Earth Kingdom attire with an eye patch and said in a different voice, "I can play just about any role."
His transformation surprised both Firebenders, but they didn't say anything about it. He then said, "May we meet again someday."
"And good luck to you as well." Iroh said with a bow of his head. The disguised Nikol then turned and walked away from the two. Zuko and Iroh looked to each other before heading off in a different direction.
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While they were soaring through the sky, Aang sat with the others in the saddle and told them what Roku had said. Steve then surmised, "So the Avatar State is a double edge sword."
"Then its use should not be used lightly." Thor suggested. Aang then said, "Hopefully we won't need to again for a while."
"Let's just hope so." Katara said as they all gazed out ahead.
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This story's dedication to:
Stan Lee: 1922 – 2018
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Author's Note: Man, this was a long chapter to write. And it took a little while to finish as well. Hope that I've made everyone happy with Book Two's release. I'll try to have the next chapter soon, but I've got a few other fanfics that I want to get done. 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 next time.
