How Korra Learned To Dodge

"Um… are you sure this is safe?"

"Korra, for the last time, learning how to dodge is an important skill. More often than not, evasion will serve you much better than blocking." Azula nodded at the circle she'd burnt into the ground. "Now, get back into the circle."

"Fine." Korra stepped back into the circle. "But do you really have to use lightning? I mean Katara will be super pissed if you actually kill me."

"Obviously, I won't be using my lightning at full force. It will, of course, be extremely unpleasant if it hits you, but it shouldn't cause any lasting damage." Azula smiled toothily. "Think of it as… incentive to learn quickly."

"There has to be another way. How did you learn to dodge?" Korra eye Azula's hands nervously. Electricity was already gathering around her fingertips in bright, crackling arcs.

"My father threw fire at me."

"That doesn't sound too bad –"

"He did not hold back much. It took me weeks to heal from the burns I received during our first training session, and that was with the aid of the Fire Nation's finest physicians and healers. Needless to say, I learned quickly."

"Okay." Korra winced. "Forget I said anything."

Azula chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, my father died alone in his cell, a powerless, broken man. But back to today's lesson. Your objective, Korra, is to dodge as many of my attacks as possible. Because of the speed with which lightning travels, you cannot simply wait until I attack. Instead, you will have to predict my movements and react accordingly." She lifted one hand. "Are you ready?"

Korra nodded. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

ZAP.

"Apparently not. You didn't dodge that." Azula pursed her lips. "Oh, get up. It wasn't that bad."

Korra twitched and staggered back to her feet. Her hair was sticking out in every direction. "Damn it. That hurts."

"Yes, which is why you should learn to dodge." Azula smiled sunnily. It was terrifying. "Now, let's try that again."

X X X

Years later…

Asami struggled not to stare as Korra cut through the bandits like a scythe. Two of them were throwing lightning, but not a single one of their attacks had come close to hitting the Avatar. Korra seemed to be able to anticipate their attacks perfectly. After dodging another bolt of lightning, Korra drove one foot into the ground and thrust both her hands forward, encasing the two firebenders in rock before turning to deal with the other bandits. In the meantime, Asami made sure to handle her fair share of the troublemakers.

"So… where did you learn to dodge like that?" Asami asked. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone dodge lightning so easily."

Korra twitched. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Ah." Asami grinned. "Azula?"

"Oh, yeah."

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I do not own Legend of Korra. I am not making any money off of this either.

Azula doesn't believe in doing things the easy way. Luckily, for Korra she's learned to tone things down a little bit since her Avatar hunting days.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.