Wandering Firebender

Fourty Eight: Admiration

(A/N: A special thanks to djimenez1246 on Fanfiction for giving me the idea for this chapter)

"Are you ready to hit the road again, Elio?" Alger asked as Elio stepped out of his room with all of his things ready. Elio nodded and fixed his shirt.

"Yep. Once we get out of here, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure. We'll speak about it as soon as we leave town." Alger promised.

Elio and Alger made their way out of the inn. Alger secured their eel-hound and took the reins this time. As they rode out of the city, people on the road stepped aside for them, waving and shouting in gratitude.

"Suddenly I feel like a celebrity." Elio joked lightly, waving back to everyone. Alger cracked a smile and chuckled as he did the same with one hand.

"They're just appreciative." Alger commented.

"Yeah. Well, I appreciate that. I don't always get this warm of a reception." Elio said in reply.

It wasn't too long before they exited the city, and the sounds of the adoring crowd faded off behind them. Alger flicked the reins, beckoning their eel-hound to move faster. Once they were at full speed, Elio spoke up again.

"I was thinking about what you told me last night." Elio started.

"Oh?"

"Yes...I think you're right. I have my work cut out for me, preparing myself for what's ahead. Time still isn't on our side, but I can agree to your terms. If it is within our power, we can uproot the Fire Nation wherever we find it along the way." Elio stated.

"Ah," Alger realized what Elio was saying. He smiled a little. "I appreciate you listening, Elio. I made you a promise to get you to the North Pole, and I intend to keep it whether we stop or not."

"Well then I don't have much to worry about." Elio said, patting Alger on the shoulder...

Under this new agreement, Elio and Alger continued to ride on in relative silence. Like Sri before him and Cindra before her, Elio was appreciative to have Alger as a friend and an ally. It seemed to make everything a little easier for him, having someone by his side whom he could rely on.

That afternoon, they found themselves approaching another Fire Nation outpost, this time one that was connected to a smaller town. Alger slowed Sai down to a walking pace, and they observed from afar.

"What do you think, Elio?" Alger asked.

"This one's smaller than the last one...I don't see as many soldiers crawling around."

"Yeah. So what do you think?" Alger asked, looking back at him.

"We can hit it," Elio nodded. "Let's just take a moment out here to rest. If word of our last attack has spread around then we can expect to run into resistance right away."

"You're quite right. We'll leave the eel-hound back here where it's safe too." Alger added.

"Good thinking."

So Elio and Alger took some time to rest and eat. Alger constructed a small post to keep Sai in place. Once they were ready, they approached the small outpost on foot. Their guard went up as they went in through the gate; they were ready to attack.

"Hey, you two! Stop right there!" A soldier called to them, making his way over.

Elio immediately reacted, closing the distance and knocking him down with a few quick chi-blocking jabs. Several people gasped in shock around them, watching as the soldier crumbled to the ground.

"I'm not sure if he was going to attack us yet." Alger commented.

"Yeah, might've jumped the gun there. Sorry about that." Elio said.

"You two, stand down and surrender now!" Several soldiers started to gather in a half-circle in front of them. Alger and Elio looked at each other.

"Your turn!" Elio said as he got behind Alger.

Alger raised up a wall in front of them defensively. He slid one foot back and held his ground to keep the wall from crumbling or falling back from the force of the soldiers all shooting fire at them. Once the attack softened up, Alger fortified the wall with more earth and started shooting pieces of it at the soldiers.

"Launch me up into the air, I'll try and get a vantage point!" Elio quickly said, taking a step away from Alger.

"One second...okay!" Alger said, shooting off a few more pieces before turning around. With one quick stomp, he caused a pillar to shoot up under Elio's feet that launched him forward and into the air.

Elio grunted in discomfort as he flipped forward and got into a comfortable position. Once he realized where the soldiers were, he shot fire out of his feet to adjust himself for his landing. He landed on his feet and slid awkwardly, but he pulled his staff out and used it to keep from falling.

"My turn." Elio said as he turned around.

He spun his staff a few times to create a ring of fire. He spun it faster, causing the ring to increase in size and ferocity. Then he sent it forward towards the soldiers attacking Alger. They were blindsided by Elio's saw blade attack.

"Behind you!" A voice yelled to Elio.

Elio turned around and realized that several soldiers were trying to catch him off guard by charging forward and shooting fire. Elio brought one hand up and created a fire wall to absorb some of the impact, but he was thrown off balance and fell on his back.

Before the soldiers could take advantage, they were suddenly hit with several fireballs. Two guys suddenly swooped in from either side and attacked the soldiers with spears, whacking them and knocking them to the ground.

Elio's eyebrows furrowed in surprise as he got to his feet. One soldier shot a fireball right at one of them. He swatted the fireball away and knocked him out. Elio's eyes then widened – these guys were firebenders too?!

"Look alive now! We got more work up ahead!" That voice from earlier yelled again. Elio looked up and saw a woman standing on top of one of the nearby buildings. She pointed ahead and shot a fireball towards some approaching soldiers.

"Come on, buddy. Fighting's this way." One of the guys gestured to Elio with a grin before they ran ahead.

"Friends of yours?" Alger asked he came up next to Elio. He shook his head in response.

"No idea, but they're helping us for now." He answered before running behind the two men.

"Time for our combo, buddy!" One of these mysterious men said to the other.

"Let's get it!" The other shouted in agreement.

Elio and Alger slowed down a bit and watched as these two guys started spinning their spears in a manner similar to how Elio was spinning his staff. They both built up a ring of fire together, but then by adding more power to it, created something more like an inferno being fired directly at the group of soldiers ahead.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Alger exclaimed.

"That's incredible!" Elio laughed, running ahead of them once the fire blast had gone away.

Elio quickly dashed past the fallen soldiers and started swinging his staff, sending out arcing fire blasts towards those remaining. As they took defensive steps back, Elio felt someone coming up behind him: it was that woman from earlier.

"Let's trade!" She said to him. Elio, realizing what she was saying, spun in a half-circle and allowed her to take his spot.

Elio's eyes looked back. For a moment, all he could see was a rush of flowing black hair. A girl stepped up in front of him and shot several forceful fire blasts using open hands. Elio looked up and saw a few soldiers were coming onto the roofs to attack from above.

"Watch out!" Elio shouted, stepping next to her to shoot a fireball at one.

Realizing what was happening, the girl refocused her attention to the soldiers on the roof too. Elio retracted his hand and shot another fireball. At the same time, the girl reached across in front of him and shot one of her own. The two looked at each other for a moment as their arms crossed.

Meanwhile, Alger stepped up just behind them and got into a wide stance. He twisted his foot, shifting the ground ahead of them. The soldiers still approaching quickly fell to the ground. The group of five stood before the squadron of soldiers.

"I'm ordering a retreat! We need to go! Fall back!" One of the Fire Nation soldiers shouted. They didn't see where it came from, but the soldiers quickly started picking themselves up and fled town.

"Should we let 'em run?" One of the guys with the spears asked.

"We don't have the means to hold everyone captive. Nezu, you take one side of town. Marx, you take the other. Make sure none of them try to linger behind." The girl told them.

"Sounds like a plan!" The one named Nezu said. They went running in opposite directions, leaving Alger and Elio with her.

"You three are firebenders. Why are you helping us?" Alger asked.

"It kinda felt more like you were helping us," The girl responded with a chuckle. "My name's Koda. We heard word of you two coming this way and thought you could use a hand!" She explained with a smile.

"Well, you three really came in handy," Elio chuckled, reaching out and shaking her hand appreciatively. "Thank you, Koda."

"You're welcome...say, what's your name?" Koda asked, looking at him curiously as they shook hands.

"Elio. And this is my buddy Alger." He introduced them both.

"Did you say Elio? So you're the Wandering Firebender then!" She realized. Elio's head tilted in surprise.

"You've heard of me?"

"Of course! We all have! Come on, let's sit down and chat when the others get back. For now, I'm gonna make sure the townsfolk are alright." Koda said before letting go of his hand. She turned and walked away.

"Interesting," Alger commented before turning to Elio. "Well, what do you think? Can they be trusted?"

"Well, they did just help us free this town. I think we should hear them out." Elio said with a nod.

"Alright. Well, I will go retrieve our eel-hound first and then we can sit down with them. I'd like to hear more from these three." Alger said...

Koda and the others made sure the townspeople were accounted for. People started returning to their homes and clearing out what didn't belong to them. With everyone's help, soon things were getting reorganized. Once that was all settled, Elio and Alger met with the three firebenders privately in a small tavern.

"So, guys, this is Alger and Elio. Elio here is the Wandering Firebender." Koda introduced them to Nezu and Marx.

"No way!" Nezu's wide eyes scanned over Elio.

"Your story is remarkable, Elio. We haven't heard much, but what we have heard, we greatly admire." Marx said with a smile.

"Well, thank you..." Elio chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. "I've only been trying to do the right thing. I'm not that remarkable. I'd give more credit to Alger here; he's the one with all the training that was willing to help a firebender like me." He pointed to Alger with a chuckle.

"How sweet." Koda giggled.

"I must say that I'm quite surprised to see more firebenders on our side. I'd love to hear your stories, if you're comfortable sharing." Alger said, expressing his interest. The three all looked at each other.

"We were all soldiers serving in the same division. We'd all just come out of school..." Koda began.

"Of course, we were all eager to serve our country at first, but we quickly saw just what that involved. It...didn't sit right with any of us." Marx continued.

"Yeah, I remember thinking the same thing," Elio said with a nod. "But I realized that before I enlisted."

"Yeah, well it was too late for us," Nezu said. "We were just trying to get through it. But then we were sent to this coastal village, and that was it for us." He shook his head thinking about it.

"What do you mean?" Elio asked.

"Our division was sent to this helpless little village to remove everything and clear the area for a Fire Nation port. All those people...some were hurt, others were killed. We just couldn't live with ourselves after that. And we couldn't continue." Koda said regretfully.

"So you abandoned your uniforms and fled together." Alger guessed. They all nodded.

"We've been hiding out for a couple months. But then we heard about the Fire Lord's plan to attack the Earth Kingdom on the summer solstice. We haven't been able to do much, but we're trying to loosen up their control in small places." Marx explained.

"We're just trying to help in any small way we can." Koda concluded. Alger and Elio looked at each other and nodded in understanding.

"What you're doing is admirable. You have nothing but full respect from both of us." Alger said kindly.

Before the conversation could continue any further, someone peeked their head in through the tavern entrance. All 5 at the table looked over at the man standing at the door. He had a panicked look on his face.

"The soldiers have come back, and they've brought reinforcements!"

All 5 of them quickly hurried outside, sprinting to the edge of town. There they saw that a second division had joined up with the group that ran away. Alger and Elio looked at each other; they had faced some of these men in the previous city yesterday.

"That's...a lot of guys." Nezu said worriedly.

"I hope you guys have some crazy tricks up your sleeve." Koda said, looking at Elio.

"Uh...I've got a few. But we're gonna need a miracle here." Elio said, swallowing nervously.

"Great...well, I'm not going out with my hands up, that's for sure." Nezu determined, getting into a fighting stance.

"Elio...?" Alger looked at him. Elio saw his expression and remembered his promise: to get to the North Pole without fail. Elio looked at Koda and the others. That would mean leaving them behind...

An uproar started to slowly rise in the distance. It wasn't coming from the soldiers...it was further away, behind them. Alger took a few steps forward, a grin slowly creeping onto his face.

"Do you feel that? The trembling in the ground?" Alger asked them.

"Yeah, is that...?" Marx asked slowly.

"Earthbenders." Alger was relieved to say.

Off in the distance, earthbenders from the city on the other side had come up behind the Fire Nation battalion and attacked. It wasn't known what prompted them to come to the defense of this little town nearby, but it couldn't have come at a better time.

Elio watched in awe as the battle began. Earthbenders and firebenders were going to battle right in front of him and his friends, "Alright! This is war!" Nezu said, being the first to run ahead. Marx and Koda were right behind him.

"What do you want to do, Elio?" Alger asked again. Elio took in a deep breath.

"They need our help. Let's go." Elio said, prompting the two of them to run forward into the fight.

What followed next, Elio regarded as his first ever battle in the 100 year war. It was terrifying: soldiers from both nations were all around him, engaged in violent confrontations. Earth and fire were flying all around his head.

More than ever, Elio found himself relying on pure instinct. He had to keep moving, he was always moving and he was always fighting. One by one, soldiers fell in front of him. Chi-blocking, firebending, his staff; he needed to use all of his skills to stay alive.

His friends were all gone. He couldn't stop to find them. He had to stay focused. He felt completely on his own again even though he was surrounded by people who were on the same side as him. All the while, the only thing he could keep steady was his breathing so that he could keep moving and keep fighting.

He hated every moment of it, even though it was all for the right reasons.

But the fighting did come to an end. The Fire Nation soldiers, the ones who survived the battle anyway, eventually retreated. The earthbenders all cheered happily as they watched the soldiers run away. Elio silently rejoined his friends and watched as the bodies of fallen earthbenders were gathered together and taken away.

"I really don't have the stomach for war." Elio said honestly to Alger after it was all over, when they were walking back to town.

"Are you alright, Elio?" Alger asked, putting a concerned hand on his shoulder. Elio nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He answered. "I guess we'll be staying here until tomorrow. We need to rest up again. And the sun is going down." He pointed out.

"Yes," Alger nodded in agreement. "We're getting close to the coast now. Our journey is nearly complete now." He said, looking to bolster Elio's spirits.

"Good. The sooner the better." Elio said in response...

So Elio and Alger got settled in yet another inn to rest and recover their strength. After the intense day they had, they needed the rest. However, while Elio was sitting on his bed that night contemplating the day's events, he received an unexpected knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Elio asked as he sat up slowly.

"It's Koda. I'd like to speak with you, Elio. Please?" She requested.

"Ah," Elio got up and walked to the door. He opened it up and found Koda smiling on the other side. She leaned against the door frame. "Koda. Would you like to come in?" He offered.

"Sure." She answered pleasantly, stepping inside. Elio closed the door quietly and cleared his throat.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something. I spoke to Alger already, but I wanted to hear from you." She said.

"Okay?"

"Would you consider joining me and the other guys in liberating these Earth Kingdom towns?" She asked. Elio's eyebrows furrowed.

"You want me to join your group?"

"It would be a dream come true, really." She answered with an enthusiastic grin.

"Sorry?" Elio tilted his head in surprise.

"Well," Koda blushed and looked down to the side. "I kind of admire you, Elio," She admitted. "I've heard a lot of stories about where you've come from and what you've done. I don't even know which stories are true, but I'd love to find out," She said, looking in his eyes.

"Plus, you were amazing today! With you by our side, I know we'd all be alright." She added confidently.

"I..." Elio couldn't help but blush a little too. She admired him? She was making big statements, and he was flattered by it, "I appreciate it, Koda. What you and the others are doing is great...but I cannot come with you. I'm sorry." He gave his answer.

"Yeah," Koda nodded. "Alger told me you'd say that."

"Really? What did he say when you asked him?" Elio asked curiously.

"Well, first he said that I should go to you for your answer, but he did say that he would return to join us in our mission once he'd carried out his promise to you. What's that about?" Koda asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Alger is helping me get to the north coast of the Earth Kingdom. You already know about the Fire Nation getting ready to attack on the summer solstice, right?" Elio asked.

"Yep. Everyone has been preparing for it. It's a scary time." Koda answered.

"Yeah, well the Fire Nation is also plotting a secret attack on the North Pole that same day. The only difference is that they don't know what's coming. My mission is to get there myself to warn them and prepare the tribe for the battle." Elio explained.

"Ohh no wonder," Koda nodded in understanding. "I had a feeling your reasons went deeper than just wanting to avoid a fight. I understand." She said with a small smile; she was disappointed, but she definitely approved.

"Thank you, Koda...Alger really said he would come back and help you out?"

"Yeah. He even swore an oath. The guy's very formal." Koda giggled.

"Haha, yeah he is," Elio smiled with pride – he was proud of how far Alger had come. "But I think you'll find he's quite the ally. He's already saved my neck a few times now."

"Oh yeah? Well hey, we'll take all the help we can get!"

"I hope things work out for you and the others, Koda. May we'll meet again some day." Elio said, offering a handshake to her.

"You better survive up there so we can soon." She responded with a teasing smirk, choosing instead to step up to him. She gave him a quick hug and a pat on the back. Elio rubbed his hand briefly on her back.

"I'll do my best." He said with a small chuckle.

"Goodnight, Elio. Thanks for all your help." Koda smiled and nodded appreciatively before seeing herself out of his room.

"Goodnight. And you're welcome." Elio said, watching her leave before gently shutting the door again.

"She said she admires me...wow." Elio thought to himself as he went back to bed...