Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 22:

The Greatest Earthbender in the World

Alec POV

We flew straight east for two days. On the third day, a few hours after we started flying, Katara gave me a questioning look. "Are you sure taunting Azula was a good idea?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." I admitted. "She's strong, but strength doesn't matter that much if you're not focused when you're fighting."

Sokka looked at me. "About that, you said that none of us are strong enough to beat her right now. Is there anyone who's in the group, or will be in the group, that's strong enough right now?"

I thought about it before I answered. I guess it wouldn't do any harm. "There is one who could at least match her right now." I answered. "Aang's earthbending teacher."

Aang looked at me from Appa's head. "Is this guy seriously that strong?" He asked.

I nodded. "They're the greatest earthbender in the world." "You'll see for yourself soon enough." I added in my head.


We made it to Gaoling the next day. Aang and I put on our disguises. Our first stope was the currency exchange. We got a fair rate, but the exchange wasn't exactly one-to-one. We were low on cash, and we needed to spend wisely. We normally didn't spend that much on food, considering we hunted and gathered most of our supplies on the road. But, once we added more people to the group, we'd need more money for food, or if any of our supplies got lost or ruined.

It didn't help that Sokka was considering buying an expensive bag, when his current bag was perfectly fine. "It's pricey, but I really do like it." He said.

I decided to intervene to help him avoid buyer's remorse. "I wouldn't buy it." I said. "Your bag is fine, and we're low on money. We need to save where we can."

He sighed. "You're right." All of us left the shop, with Momo resting on Katara's shoulder. Suddenly, a man stepped in front of Aang. "Hey, you kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks?" He said in a conspiratorial voice. I thought his sales pitch would be better if he wasn't acting like a drug dealer desperate to move product. "Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy." He handed Aang a flyer. I read it over Aang's shoulder.

"Master Yu's Earthbending Academy. Best in the country. Guaranteed mastery."

Aang turned over the paper. "The first lesson is free with purchase of a high-quality uniform."

"Then it's not free, is it?" I thought.

"Look!" Aang observed excitedly. "There's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free."

I shook my head. There was a reason we didn't let Aang handle the money anymore. Katara looked at the flyer. "Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for."

I suppressed a scoff.


We made our way to the academy. It looked like a nice facility, from the outside at least. But I knew the teacher left a lot to be desired. Sure enough, about an hour later, Aang emerged from the academy. He was still wearing the uniform, which was slightly dirty.

"Ehhh, he's not the one." Aang stated. He tilted his head and banged on his right ear, causing sand to fall out of his left ear.

At that moment, two male students left the academy, talking excitedly to each other. One had a topknot, while the other had a shaggy head of hair. "I think the boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble VI." Topknot stated.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ." Shaggy Head replied.

Aang perked up. He ran over to the older boys. "Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament, exactly?" He asked excitedly.

"It's on the island of Noneya." Topknot replied. He smirked. "Noneya Business!" He and Shaggy Head walked away, rounding a corner, laughing all the while. Aang hung his head in disappointment. I groaned. That was a Sub-Sokka joke if I'd ever heard one. Sokka walked over and laughed, wiping tears out of his eyes. "Oh, I gotta remember that one!"

I shook my head. "Please don't. That was bad, even by your standards."

I saw the look on Katara's face, and I almost recoiled. She looked pissed. She marched over to Aang, but smiled and put her arms around his shoulders affectionately. "I'll take care of this." She consoled him. Then she ran after the boys. "Hey, strong guys! Wait up!"

I smirked. Those idiots were getting what they deserved. Nobody messes with Aang in front of Katara. A few minutes later, Katara ran back up to us. "You ready to find an earthbending teacher?" She asked Aang. "Because we're going to Earth Rumble VI!"

Aang looked surprised. "How did you get them to tell you?"

"Oh, a girl has her ways." Katara smiled. Then she walked off towards the city walls. Sokka followed her. Before I could move, Aang grabbed me by the shoulder. I turned around.

"What is it?" I asked.

Aang looked embarrassed. "Um, you know what she did, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah." Where was he going with this?

Aang swallowed uncomfortably. "She didn't…flirt with them, did she?"

I grinned under my mask. He was jealous. He was coming along quite nicely. "No." I assured him. "She froze them to the wall."

That cheered him up. "Oh, well that's…better, I guess." Apparently his pacifism and his love for Katara were having a mild argument.

We ran after Katara and Sokka to catch up.


Katara led us to a cave on the underside of a cliff. Apparently, someone built an entire arena in the mountain, complete with concession stands and stadium seating. Sokka was hungry, as usual, so I gave him some money to buy a little of the expensive arena food. Our money bag was pretty light. We needed to get more money. But how?

As if the spirits were answering my call, I noticed a different booth, one that wasn't selling food, but something else. I grinned to myself. Time to pull a Biff Tannen.

After I took care of business, I joined my siblings in the front row of the stadium. I sat next to Katara. She turned to me. "Where were you?" She asked.

I smirked under my mask. "I was taking care of something." I said vaguely.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to like what you did, am I?"

I shrugged. "Probably not."

She rolled her eyes. I took the time to look at the ring. It was a massive, rectangular ring made entirely of rock, with the circular symbol of the Earth Kingdom in the center. On the opposite side of the arena was a tower, with a carving depicting a fist smashing the Earth Kingdom symbol on it.

Aang looked around. "I wonder why nobody else is sitting in the front row?"

"Wait for it." I muttered.

A huge rock suddenly smashed into the seats next to us. "I guess that's why." Sokka observed.

A well-built man with long black hair jumped down from the tower. He raised up his left arm and the crowd cheered. "Welcome to Earth Rumble VI!" He announced. "I am your host, Xin Fu!"

Katara sighed. "This is just gonna be a bunch of guys throwing rocks at each other, isn't it?"

Sokka, on the other hand, was totally stoked. "That's what I paid for!"

I grinned happily under my mask. "You're damn right, Sokka!"

Katara groaned. "Not you, too!"

I held up my hands. "In my defense, there was something similar in my world, and I was a huge fan." Pro wrestling was my guilty pleasure back in my world. I knew it was basically a soap opera for guys, but I loved it anyway.

Katara grumbled. "Boys."

"The rules are simple." Xin Fu stated. "Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!"

He leapt up to the top of the tower, and a bell rung. "First up: The Boulder…versus…The Big…Bad…Hippo!"

A burly, tan man with a massive tattoo on his back held his arms up while the audience cheered. I looked at the other combatant. The Hippo looked like he'd been plucked straight from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!, which, to be fair, he probably was.

The Boulder pointed at The Hippo dramatically. "Listen up Hippo! You may be big, but you ain't bad!" He gave an insane grin. "The Boulder's gonna win this…in a landslide!"

"Hippo…mad!" The Hippo replied angrily.

The Boulder fired three rocks. They crashed into The Hippo, but he didn't move. He caught one piece of rock with his mouth, chewed on it and spat it out. The Hippo jumped up and down, causing the surface of the arena to tilt. The Boulder began losing his balance.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!" Xin Fu announced. "The Hippo is rocking the boat!"

The Boulder reached the edge, but saved himself by bending out part of the ring into a small platform. He grabbed it and threw it at his opponent, hitting him on the back. As The Hippo turned around to look at him, The Boulder bent up The Hippo's part of the ring, and threw him out on it. The Hippo crashed in the lower area of the arena, outside the ring. The Boulder was victorious.

"The Boulder wins!" Xin Fu announced.

Katara looked down at the arena. "How about the Boulder? He's got some good moves."

Aang shrugged. "I don't know." He turned to me. "You told me I need a teacher who listens to the Earth. He's just listening to his big muscles." I nodded. He was getting it. He turned to his right. "What do you think, Sokka?"

Sokka didn't answer, because he was doing something we wrestling fans call 'marking out'. He was cheering like a complete lunatic.

"Next match," Xin Fu stated. "The Boulder versus…Fire…Nation…Man!"

A fat, shirtless man in red pants waving a Fire Nation flag walked into the ring. Everyone booed loudly. Sokka booed and gave Fire Nation Man a thumbs down.

"Ah yes," I thought, "The foreign heel, complete with fake Russian accent."

I played along with the crowd, and booed loudly. Fire Nation Man got down on one knee. "Please to rise for Fire Nation national anthem!" He put his left hand over his heart and began to sing. "Fire Lord! My flame burns for thee!" The crowd booed louder, and started chucking rocks at him. I threw one or two, as well.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka screamed, throwing a well-aimed rock that bounced off the heel's head. Suddenly, Fire Nation Man sunk up to his chest in the ground from a surprise attack by The Boulder. The Boulder bent a massive pillar under himself, raising himself high into the air.

Fire Nation Man's eyes widened in horror. "No, no please!" He begged.

The Boulder jumped off the pillar and slammed into the ground, launching Fire Nation Man into the stands, making him land in a heap right next to Sokka.

Sokka was losing his mind with excitement. "Yeah! Woo! The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt!" He kept cheering his head off.

A man with a badgermole came to clean up the arena from the last match. The badgermole moved like a Zamboni, sweeping the ring back to its original state. The Boulder plowed through the next three matches, plowing through a man with a mining helmet called The Gopher, a masked fighter called The Gecko, and a Tarzan-looking guy called The Headhunter.

After the cleanup of the last match, The lights of the arena went low. I grinned to myself. It was time.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for," Xin Fu announced.

"Me too!" I thought excitedly.

"The Boulder…versus…your champion…The Blind Bandit!"

The crowd erupted into cheers of "Bandit! Bandit! Bandit!" which I eagerly joined. The floor opened and three figures appeared. Two were adult women in sexy white qipaos with slits up the leg. I focused on the third figure. She was literally half the size of the women standing beside her. She had fair skin, black hair, and milky white eyes. She wore a loose green outfit with a yellow-green apron-like piece on the torso. Instead of shoes, she just wore green bands on her ankles. She was also wearing a long cape that dragged on the arena floor, and held the championship belt high above her head. There she was.

The Blind Bandit.

The Melon Lord.

My favorite character.

Toph…Fucking…Beifong.

"She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked.

"I think she is." Aang replied in wonder.

"I think she is…going down!" Sokka yelled.

I rolled my eyes. Sokka had no idea what he was talking about here.

Down in the arena, The Boulder spoke. "The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl."

The Bandit didn't miss a beat. "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder!" She taunted.

That got him. The Boulder frowned. "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!"

The Bandit wasn't at all fazed. "Whenever you're ready…The Pebble!" She laughed maniacally.

As she laughed, a flash of recognition washed over Aang's face. I decided to speak up. "You're all about to witness the greatest earthbender alive." I said with a massive grin under my mask. "Don't blink. You'll miss it."

The three of them realized the significance of those words and turned to me in shock. I shook my head and pointed at the ring. I didn't want them to miss this. The Boulder yelled and took a step forward. As soon as his foot touched the ground, The Bandit took a stance and slid her foot on the floor, as if she was feeling for something. As soon as The Boulder took another step, She kicked the ground, sending a small trail of rock across the arena floor. The Boulder moved to take a third step, but his foot landed on the trail, which curved suddenly, making him drop to the ground in a perfect split.

Sokka and I grimaced. We felt that man's pain. The Boulder howled in agony. The Bandit took advantage, and made a chopping motion with her hand. Three stalagmites erupted from the ground and knocked The Boulder out of the arena. The Bandit gave a shit-eating grin and raised her fist in triumph.

"Your winner…and still the champion…The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced to the roaring crowd.

"How did she do that?" Katara whispered in awe.

"She waited…and listened!" Aang realized.

Xin Fu jumped down from the arena tower and held a small green bag in his hand. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of 500 gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" He motioned towards the champion, but the crowd was silent. "What? No one dares face her?"

I didn't blame them. Facing Toph in an earthbending fight was a guaranteed loss. Even if you won, by some miracle, the money they were offering wouldn't be enough to cover your medical bills.

"I will!" Aang spoke up cheerfully. He stepped into the ring across from Toph. The crowd murmured in approval. Xin Fu jumped back up to the tower.

"Go Aang!" Sokka cheered. "Avenge The Boulder!"

The Bandit smirked. "Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" She taunted. The crowd let out an "Oooh."

Aang put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you."

Sokka didn't like that. "Boo! No talking!"

Katara smacked him. "Don't boo at him!" She scolded.

Aang took a step. As soon as his foot hit the ground, The Bandit stomped with the side of her left foot, causing a large shockwave to travel across the ground, making a boulder emerge from underneath Aang and launch him into the air. Aang flipped over and landed behind her.

She turned around to face him. "Somebody's a little light on his feet!" She observed. "What's your fighting name: The Fancy Dancer?" Aang grinned sheepishly and The Bandit launched another pillar, lifting Aang up. Aang floated in the air for a few seconds.

"Where'd you go?" The Bandit muttered.

Aang landed behind her. "Please wait!" He begged.

The Bandit grinned. "There you are!" She launched a rock at him. Aang stopped it with airbending and the blast knocked her out of the ring.

Silence fell over the arena for a few seconds. Aang looked surprised. Clearly, he didn't mean to knock her out of the ring. The crowd cheered while Aang looked around in shock. He ignored the cheers and ran down the arena steps, trying to get the Bandit's attention, but she wouldn't listen to his pleas. She opened a hole in the wall and closed it behind her, preventing Aang from following. Aang returned to the ring looking morose.

Xin Fu stood in the center of the arena with the belt and the coin bag. My siblings and I joined Aang in the ring. Sokka walked up and hugged Xin Fu, who flinched awkwardly at my brother's antics. Sokka grabbed the belt and the bag and put his arm around Aang's shoulders. "Way to go, champ!"

Aang was still sad.


On our way out of the arena, I stopped our group. "I need to pick something up."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Pick what up?"

I smirked under my mask, but didn't answer. I walked over to the booth I stopped at before the tournament started. I picked out a paper voucher from my pocket and handed it to the man at the booth. He smiled at me and picked up a massive chest full of money and handed it to me with great effort. "Your winnings, sir." He said formally.

My back nearly buckled under the weight. That chest must have weighed at least sixty pounds. I quickly made my way over to my siblings. I looked over at Sokka. "Could you help me take this to Appa?"

His eyes widened. "What is that?"

I smirked. "My winnings."

Aang looked surprised. Katara's eyebrows shot up. "What did you do?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I'll tell you when we get back to camp."


It took over an hour, but Sokka and I managed to haul the chest back to our camp outside the city. We finally set the chest down in Appa's saddle. "Geez!" Sokka exclaimed, nearly out of breath, "What's in there?"

I took off my hood and mask and grinned. "I'm glad you asked." I opened the chest, revealing that it was full of gold coins.

My three siblings looked at the gold in shock. "How did you get that?" Katara whispered.

"I won it." I explained with pride. "I saw a gambling booth in the arena and decided to make our money troubles disappear."

Sokka's eyes widened. "You bet on the matches?"

I nodded. "I put a bet on every match that was scheduled."

Aang saw where I was going with this. "And because you knew the outcome of the matches…"

"I was able to win every bet." I finished.

Katara gave me a disapproving look. "So, you cheated." She said bluntly.

I knew she wouldn't approve. I took a breath. "Katara, we need to be able to afford supplies. Our group is going to get bigger, so we'll need to get even more supplies on a regular basis. With this, we'll be set for a long time."

Katara exhaled. "I guess you have a point." She admitted.

Sokka looked at the chest. "How much did you win?"

I did some quick math. "Let's see, we had 200 gold left, the payout was two to one for every match, and there were six official matches…12,800 gold." I reported. "Throw in the 500 gold that Aang 'won'," I said with air quotes, "And that's 13,300 gold in total."

Sokka gave a low whistle. "We're set for a while."

I smirked. "Or about three weeks, given your eating habits." I snarked.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Hand Slicer."

I groaned. Great, now he knew how to push my buttons. I noticed he was wearing the championship belt. That bothered me. I held out my hand. "Give me the belt."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You didn't win it, you don't have the right to wear it. None of us do, actually."

Katara tilted her head curiously. "Not even Aang?"

I shook my head. "No offense, Aang, but you used airbending to win an earthbending tournament. I'm pretty sure that's not allowed."

Aang looked down guiltily. "I wasn't trying to win, I just wanted to talk to her." He said quietly.

Sokka shrugged and handed me the belt. I put it in my bag for safekeeping. "Let's make dinner." I suggested. "I'm hungry."


I quickly built a campfire, and we made a quick dinner. We sat around the fire, eating. Aang still looked glum. Katara kept shooting glances at him. She hated seeing him sad. Sokka, on the other hand, looked confused.

He stopped eating and looked me in the eye. "You called that girl the greatest earthbender alive."

I smirked and nodded. "I did."

"You said Aang's teacher was the greatest earthbender in the world." He realized.

Another nod. "That's right."

"You said Aang's teacher was strong enough to match Azula right now." He said in shock.

My smile nearly split my face. "Correct."

Sokka gave me a disbelieving stare. "You mean to tell me that the greatest earthbender in the world, Aang's teacher, and the only person who will join our group that's strong enough to take on Azula right now, is a tiny, blind girl?!"

I chuckled. "Unexpected, isn't it?" I managed to stop my laughter. "Sokka, you of all people should know better than to underestimate someone. Remember what Suki did to you?"

He blushed and looked down. Whether it was from embarrassment or a crush, I wasn't sure.

"Besides," I looked at Aang, "Didn't she look familiar?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's the girl from my swamp vision." He got a determined look on his face. "We need to find her again."

Katara yawned. "Can we wait until tomorrow? It's really late."

I nodded. "She won't leave the city. We'll find her."

We put out the fire and went to sleep.


The next morning, we went back to Gaoling. Aang changed back to his normal clothes, but wore his straw hat to cover his arrow. I kept my hood and mask on. We walked past the shop where Sokka almost bought the expensive bag. He saw that it was still on display. "You know, you should have let me buy the bag." He complained. "It matches the belt perfectly."

I rolled my eyes. "First of all, your bag is perfectly fine. Second, I'm not letting you wear the belt, so what does it matter?"

Sokka grumbled.

Aang headed towards Master Yu's Earthbending Academy. "If we want to find the Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start." He reasoned.

We followed him to the school. In the courtyard, we saw Topknot and Shaggy Head punching into pots filled with sand. They looked up and noticed us. Topknot scowled. "Oh great, you again."

Katara glared at them, making them cry out and recoil. "Yeah, I didn't think so." She said with narrowed eyes. I didn't blame them for their reaction. Katara was scary when she was mad.

"Nicely done." Sokka complimented with a smug grin.

Topknot and Shaggy Head took a look at Aang and walked over to him. "Hey! You're that kid who beat the Blind Bandit!" Shaggy Head realized.

"We need to talk to her." Aang replied. "Do you guys know where she lives?"

"The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears." Topknot stated with dramatic flair.

Aang looked at the ground, disappointed. Katara put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Let me handle this." She approached Shaggy Head and got in his face with her patented death glare and pointed a finger at his chest. "You're not telling us everything!" She accused sharply.

Shaggy Head put up his hands in surrender. "No, no, I swear it's true!" He said quickly. "No one knows where she goes, or who she really is!"

"That's because we're asking about the wrong person." Aang figured out. "In my vision, I saw a girl, in a white dress, with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family." Topknot answered. "They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world."

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter." Shaggy Head added.

Aang turned to us excitedly. "A flying boar is good enough for me." He motioned for us to leave. "Let's check it out!"

We turned to leave. As we were leaving, we heard Topknot mutter under his breath. "Yeah, you better leave."

Katara turned her head and made the 'I'm watching you' gesture with her fingers. "Hey! I got my eye on you."

Sokka walked backwards out of the courtyard with a huge grin on his face. He spread his arms and whispered "Water Tribe."


The Beifong estate was pretty easy to find. It was just outside the city limits. It was a massive complex with high walls. The only entrance was a wooden gate that was manned by two guards. These people must be filthy rich to have their own security force.

We looked at the gate from behind a small hill, so the guards couldn't see us. Sokka looked at the walls and let out a low whistle. "These people are really trying to keep people out." He observed.

I frowned. "Or maybe they're trying to keep someone in."

Everyone turned to me in surprise. "What do you mean?" Katara inquired.

I inclined my head towards the wall. "Those walls are made of rock, which won't stop any earthbender, they're low enough that I could climb over without jet-stepping, and they don't have any spikes on top to discourage climbers." I pointed out. "They have guards, but only at the gate. They don't have any patrolling the outer wall."

Sokka frowned. "I don't get it. If they can't keep anyone out, who could those walls keep in?"

I shook my head. "Someone helpless, or someone the owners think is helpless and is playing along."

They tried to figure out what I meant, but then Aang noticed that a flying boar symbol was carved into the wall above the gate. "That's the flying boar from my vision. Come on!"

We ran over to the wall. Aang jumped over with airbending. Sokka, Katara, and I chose to climb over. I could've jet-stepped, but if Toph noticed me firebending before we introduced ourselves, she might earthbend first and ask questions later. We leapt down from the top of the wall to the inner courtyard. It was a very elaborate formal garden. I had to hand it to the Beifongs, they had good taste. Then again, I suppose from Toph's perspective, a golden cage is still a cage. We ran into the garden and took cover behind a tree. We all stuck our heads out, looking for any sign of her. I frowned. Where was she?

Suddenly the ground rumbled beneath our feet. The ground lifted up from underneath us and launched us into the air. We all yelled out as we fell to the ground. Aang, Katara, and I each landed in a shrub. Sokka wasn't so lucky, he just landed on the ground. Apparently the universe's 'kick me' sign was still firmly attached to his back.

I looked up and saw her. She was wearing a long, white gown with light green sleeves and a floral pattern on the front. Her hair was done up in a formal style, almost like Azula's but without the top knot. She walked over to Aang. "What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?!" She demanded.

I smirked. "There it is." I thought. "The birth of a nickname."

Aang looked up at her from his sprawled position in the bush. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes, it's not manly!" Sokka whined from the ground.

"Says the man who wanted to buy a bag to match a belt he isn't wearing." Katara quipped.

The Bandit ignored my siblings and kept her focus on Aang. "How did you find me?"

Aang levitated himself up so he could face her. "Well, my friend told me to find an earthbender who listens to the earth, and then I had a vision in a magic swamp, and…" Aang tried to explain. The Bandit raised an eyebrow in disbelief. I didn't blame her, Aang sucked at explaining things.

Katara interrupted before Aang could dig himself deeper. "What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

The girl just shoved her hand in Katara's face. "Not my problem." She started walking away. "Now, get out of here, or I'll call the guards."

I decided to offer my opinion. "Listen, Bandit." I started calmly.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. "Toph." She said. Staring into the eyes of a blind person was a weird experience, but I figured I'd get used to it.

"Toph." I corrected myself. "Aang needs to learn earthbending. We want him to learn from the best. That's you."

Toph looked thrilled that I called her the best, but she still seemed a bit uncertain. She frowned. "I don't know."

"People would jump at the chance to teach the Avatar." I offered. "Everyone would have to acknowledge how great you are."

She looked tempted. "I need some time to think about it." She said after a few seconds. "Try to get yourselves invited to dinner, we'll have an excuse to talk more."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to do that?"

Toph scoffed. "Please, my family would love to meet the Avatar. Just use that to get yourself in."

She walked away towards the main compound.


We left the estate by jumping over the wall and then we regrouped behind the hill. "That went better than I expected." I admitted.

"She didn't say yes." Sokka argued.

"She didn't say no, either." I retorted. "We can bring her around."

"So, we need to get ourselves invited to dinner." Aang stated. He looked at me. "How should we play this?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean, how to get in, or how to act once we do?"

"The second one." He replied.

I thought about it for a second. "These people are the walking stereotype of rich, stuffy nobles." I said. "Don't mention that we met Toph before, don't say anything about the Earth Rumble, and be polite. I'll keep my swearing in check. Aang, just think before you talk. Katara, you're probably fine, just be yourself. Sokka…" I tried to think of how to sugarcoat it, but I gave up. "You know what, you probably shouldn't talk, Sokka."

"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly. Katara and Aang chuckled.

He led us over to the gate. The guard on the left extended his hand. "Halt!" He ordered. "State your business!"

Aang stepped forward. "I'm the Avatar. I'd like to meet the Beifong family."

The guard on the right rolled his eyes. "You can't expect us to believe that without proof." He scoffed.

I had to hand it to these guards. Clearly the Beifongs paid extra to get guards with brains. "Would bending two elements be enough?" I asked.

Left Guard and Right Guard looked at each other. They shrugged. "Sure." Right Guard replied.

Aang made an air scooter and sat on it. Katara opened her waterskin. Aang motioned his arms and bent a ring of water around himself. The guards' jaws dropped.

"It's true." Left Guard whispered. Aang stepped down from the air scooter and bent the water back into Katara's waterskin.

Right Guard nodded. "I'll announce you right away." He opened the gate and entered the compound. A few minutes later, he came back. "Please, follow me." As soon as we stepped into the compound, Right Guard looked at me. "Please remove your hood and mask, we need to be able to recognize your face."

I nodded and took them off. I didn't think the Beifongs would sell me out for money. 1,000 gold pieces was probably a drop in the bucket for them. Right Guard led us to the main building, and opened the door. He led us into an elaborate living room with two people in seats that were almost throne-like, and a third man sitting in a simple chair. The man in the plain chair looked middle-aged, and wore a dark green robe over white pants. He had a topknot, long hair, and a Fu Manchu mustache and goatee.

"Master Yu." I thought. "Decent earthbender, bad teacher, and worse bounty-hunter."

I turned my attention to the man and the woman. Toph's parents. The man looked younger than Yu, maybe in his late thirties, and wore expensive robes with a brownish-gold color. His hair was short, and his topknot was done up in some kind of headdress that I don't know the name of. He had a Fu Manchu mustache, but no beard. I looked at the woman. She wore robes of a similar color to her husband. She had black hair done up in a similar style to Toph's, but her hair seemed like it was longer. She had neatly sculpted eyebrows, very pale makeup, and a red shade of lipstick. She was beautiful, but the makeup was a bit heavy for my tastes. I mean, Ty Lee didn't seem to wear makeup, but she looked perfect. I wanted to see her again…

"Focus, Alec!" I thought to myself.

Interestingly, Toph wasn't in the room. Were her parents hiding her from us? The man spoke. "Welcome, Avatar. My name is Lao Beifong, this is my wife, Poppy, and that's Master Yu, he runs an earthbending academy in the city." He greeted us politely with a smile.

Poppy smiled as well. "It's an honor to meet you and your friends, Avatar."

Aang bowed, and the rest of us followed suit. "Thank you for your hospitality." He responded. I wanted to get Toph in here. I thought of an idea. I frowned. "That's interesting…" I mused out loud.

Lao looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What's interesting?"

I looked him in the eye. "When we came to the compound, I swear I heard a female voice laughing on the other side of the wall." I turned to Poppy. "I thought it was you, but your voice is different. Is there someone else who lives here?"

Lao and Poppy looked at each other. There was a flash of fear on their faces, but it passed quickly. These people were nobles. They were used to playing games and hiding their true faces. Lao finally turned to us and spoke. "Yes. Our daughter Toph." He answered plainly.

Katara saw the opening. She smiled brightly. "We'd be honored to meet her, too." She prompted politely.

Lao thought about it for a few seconds, then he sent a servant to fetch Toph. "I must ask you to keep Toph's existence a secret." He stated seriously.

"Why?" Aang asked before he could stop himself.

Poppy looked down. "Our daughter is blind." She said sadly. "People might try to kidnap her and ransom her back to us if they knew she existed."

I bit my lip before I could scream out about fifteen different versions of 'that's really fucked up'. Even if Toph were as helpless as they thought she was, these people could afford their own security. It probably wouldn't cost that much to hire a full-time bodyguard and just let her go wherever she wanted with said bodyguard. There were plenty of bounty-hunters in the world. Most of them would probably jump at the chance for an easy job and a steady paycheck.

I thought about it more and had to hold in my laughter. Any kidnap attempt against Toph would end in one of three ways. One, it would fail, and she would kick their asses. Two, she would escape, and then kick their asses. Three, she would decide not to escape and just mess with them, and it would turn into 'The Ransom of Red Chief' in less than a day.

Aang nodded. "We'll keep your secret."

The servant returned holding Toph's hand. Toph was playing up the 'helpless, obedient little girl' act. "This is our daughter, Toph." Poppy explained. "Toph, we have some guests who would like to meet you."

"Who is it, mom?" Toph asked politely. I had to suppress a laugh. Seeing the Blind Bandit act like a polite little girl was a jarring contrast.

"The Avatar and his three friends." Poppy answered. She turned to us. "I'm sorry, we forgot to ask for your names."

Aang bowed. "I'm Aang."

My sister smiled and inclined her head. "My name is Katara."

Sokka nodded. "Sokka."

I gave a bow. "I'm Alec."

Lao raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting name." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Are you the one they call 'Hand Slicer'?" My heart nearly stopped. He knew my cringey nickname. Even worse, he said it in front of Toph. Toph! The queen of nicknames! Fuck! I looked over at Toph, and a saw an evil grin flash over her face. I knew I was stuck with it.

I took a breath. "I am, but I'm not fond of that nickname." I answered. I tilted my head curiously. "I must ask, how do you know about it?"

Lao turned to the servant. "Please bring the object I brought to the library yesterday." He requested. The servant bowed and left the room. A few minutes later, he came back, holding a rolled-up piece of paper.

"I was traveling on business and I found this on a noticeboard on the road." Lao explained. The servant handed me the paper. I unrolled it. It was my wanted poster, but there were some changes. Aang, Katara, and Sokka read it over my shoulder.

"Wanted. The Fire Lord orders the arrest of a rogue firebender. Answers to the name "Alec", also known as "Hand Slicer". Alec is wanted for treason, blasphemy, divulging military secrets to the enemy, the assault of Colonel Mongke, and the murder of Admiral Zhao. Alec is a known associate of the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill him on sight. Reward of 10,000 gold pieces for his confirmed death or capture."

I raised an eyebrow. "It looks like Azula got my letter." I mused out loud. "They upped the bounty."

Sokka let out a low whistle. "Ten thousand? We'll have to be more careful."

I nodded and rolled up the poster, handing it back to the servant with a polite nod. I turned to Lao. "I'm curious, why did you put this in your library?"

"I collect all kinds of interesting documents for my library, not just books." Lao answered. "That poster was interesting, so I decided to pick it up."

I guess rich people had strange hobbies in this world, too. The servant whispered something in Lao's ear. He nodded. "I've just been informed that our dinner is almost ready." He looked Aang in the eye. "I would be honored if you would join us."

Aang smiled and bowed. "We'd be honored to accept."


We ended up in a small, but elaborate dining room, seated at a very nice table. Lao sat at the head of the table. Toph, Poppy and Yu sat on one side of the table. On the other end, Aang, Myself, Katara and Sokka sat in that order.

The food was an elaborate spread. We hadn't seen food this good since the Northern Water Tribe. Roast duck, rice, soup, you name it. Aang, Katara and I did our best to sit up straight and use good table manners. Sokka…didn't. He was hunched over and shoveling rice into his mouth, and even chewing with it open because he was eating so fast. Our hosts didn't appear to mind, but I suspected that they didn't expect much from non-nobles in terms of manners.

Some servants came by with bowls of wonton soup and put them in front of us. I took a spoonful. It was delicious. Lao took a look at the bowl of soup that had been served to Toph. "Blow on it." He instructed the server. "It's too hot for her."

I suppressed a frown. Too hot? The bowl was barely steaming. I didn't feel anything. Then again, I was a firebender, so maybe I didn't notice? I glanced at my brother. He was eating the soup with gusto, and he had no tolerance for heat, be it temperature or spice. I resisted the urge to scoff. Did these people think their daughter was made of glass?

"Allow me." Aang offered. He lifted his hand and sent a small tornado at Toph's bowl, cooling it down. Lao, Poppy and Yu applauded for his little show.

"Thank you for joining us, Avatar Aang." Poppy said with a warm smile.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao inquired.

Aang looked at Toph. "I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first." A flash of annoyance crossed Toph's face. I didn't blame her. Aang was laying it on a little thick.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land." Lao replied, indicating the academy owner.

"If he's the finest teacher in the land, then the land is sorely lacking." I thought to myself.

"He's been teaching Toph since she was little." Lao added.

I opened my mouth before Aang could stick his foot in his. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that would work."

Master Yu raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" He asked, slightly indignant.

This would be delicate. I had to do a sales pitch for Toph that would sound undesirable for Yu at the same time. "Whoever ends up being Aang's teacher would have to come with us." I explained. "They'd have to leave everything behind. Plus, we have to fight. A lot. This journey isn't easy."

Toph looked interested. Master Yu looked apprehensive, but he didn't want to let the opportunity slip. "Are you certain you can't stay here?" He asked.

I shook my head. "The last time we stayed in the same place for more than a week, The Fire Nation sent an entire fleet after us. The battle lasted for days. And I got a wanted poster out of it."

Katara and Sokka gave me a glance that screamed 'Do you want to scare her off?' but I noticed Toph crack a grin out of the corner of my eye. She loved to fight. Yu looked sufficiently scared. "I think I'll stay at my academy."

Lao frowned slightly. "Pity." He turned to Aang. "I wish you luck in finding an earthbending teacher." He turned to me. "You just reminded me of something. I have questions about your wanted poster."

I raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

He held up a hand to reassure me. "It's not about the violent charges, don't worry. I don't want to talk about such things in front of my daughter." Oh, the irony. "I'm curious, it says you gave military secrets to the Fire Nation's enemies. What secrets did you give?"

"I have a set of firebending scrolls." I explained. "I let the Northern Water Tribe copy them and send the copies to a bunch of places in the Earth Kingdom."

Lao's eyes brightened. "Fascinating! I love bending scrolls!" He gushed. "I amassed a collection of them, even though I'm not a bender myself. I've only seen earthbending scrolls, though."

He frowned suddenly. "I was going to get a waterbending scroll from some less-than-savory traders a few months ago, but it was stolen from them before they could deliver it."

Aang, Katara, Sokka and I nearly choked on all our food at the same time. Lao was the pirate's buyer?! That was hilarious! I recovered quickly and covered my mouth with my hand, trying to look interested and not like I was desperately keeping it together. "Is that right?" I said casually.

Lao nodded. "Tragic, isn't it?" He looked me in the eye again. "I've got one more question. I've never heard of a firebender fighting against the Fire Nation. Where are you from, exactly?"

"A hut in the middle of nowhere near the edge of Fire Nation controlled territory." I answered. Toph frowned briefly. She knew I was lying, but she didn't call me out. The conversation then drifted into the realm of small talk. Towards the end of dinner, Poppy had a thought. "How long will you be staying in Gaoling?"

Sokka looked thoughtful. "We've already been here for a day, so we'll probably leave in the morning."

Poppy looked delighted. "You simply must stay for the night! We have a lovely guest room."

We looked at each other for a few seconds. Then we nodded. "We'd love to." Katara replied.


Thankfully, we'd packed up camp this morning, so all Aang had to do to bring our stuff over was blow Appa's whistle. The guest room was on the ground floor, so Appa could see in the large window from outside.

We were settling in for the night, when Toph appeared in the doorway. She pointed at Aang. "I want to talk to you." Then her finger shifted towards me. "And you."

Dammit. I didn't want to refuse, but I didn't want to be kidnapped either. What to do?

Wait.

This could work out quite nicely for us. I could even get us a power boost if I played my cards right. "Alright." I agreed. Aang and I followed her out into the garden.


As soon as we were outside, Toph rounded on me. "I know you were lying at dinner. Where are you really from?" She demanded.

Aang's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "How?" He whispered.

"I'm asking the questions." Toph barked.

I shook my head. "I'll tell you if you come with us." I answered. "Otherwise, I won't talk."

Toph frowned, then she shrugged after a few seconds. "Whatever."

Aang looked at Toph with wonder. "How did you know he lied?"

Toph jumped onto the side of a stone bridge and walked across it. "Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing." She explained. She jumped down to the ground. "I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the Earth, and I can see where everything is. You two, that tree, even those ants." I looked down at the ground. Sure enough, there was an ant colony about ten feet away from us.

I was interested about something. "How far away can you see?" I asked.

Toph stomped her right foot on the ground, hard. She pointed over my shoulder. "I can see everything to the top of that mountain."

I turned around and my eyes nearly bugged out. That mountain was so far away that it almost disappeared over the horizon line. "Wow." I breathed.

Aang was still confused. "But how did you know he was lying?"

"If I'm close enough to someone, I can feel their heart rate and breathing." She answered. "People's heart rates and breathing change when they lie."

"That's amazing!" Aang complimented.

"My parents don't understand." Toph said sadly, walking towards the wall. "They've always treated me like I was helpless."

"Is that why you became the Blind Bandit?" Aang inquired.

"Yeah." She said simply.

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?" Aang inquired.

"They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?" She asked rhetorically.

"You could come with us." Aang offered.

"Yeah, you guys get to go wherever you want." Toph said wistfully. "No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life." Suddenly she cocked her head to the side, and crouched down on the ground. "We're being ambushed!"

Right on schedule. She took off running, with Aang and me hot on her heels. We didn't get far. The Gopher burst out from underground right in front of us, cutting us off. We took stances, but three metal cages fell down on us from above, locking us inside before we had a chance to fight. I looked out through the cage and saw the rest of the Earth Rumble wrestlers, along with Xin Fu.

"I think you kids owe me some money." Xin Fu said sinisterly.


The wrestlers took us back to the Earth Rumble arena, and suspended our cages above the ring from chains. Toph was trash-talking them the whole time, but interestingly, she wasn't using any swear words. Did she not know any? I didn't have time to think about that now.

"Can you cut through this cage?" Aang whispered so only Toph and I could hear.

I shook my head. "Too risky." I whispered back. "The metal is thick, so it would take a long time. Besides, I'm trapped inside. The heat would probably cook me to death before I even cut halfway through."

Aang frowned. "If I had some water, maybe I could cut through, but I can't do anything with air."

I needed to set Toph up. "What about you, Toph?" I whispered.

She was so short that she couldn't see through the small window of the cage. I just heard her voice. "Earthbenders can't bend metal."

I hoped that her seismic sense wouldn't notice me lying given that we were suspended in the air. I tapped my chin in mock thought. "You know, I'm surprised that they can't." I mused. "Metal is refined earth after all. I would think it would be an advanced skill or something."

Toph was silent for a few seconds. Would I have to blow my cover? I heard a series of metallic clangs coming from her cage. I smirked. This was gonna be awesome.

Aang looked at me through his window. "What's she doing?" He whispered.

I shook my head and mouthed "Just watch."

I looked at Toph's cage. There was a bang, and a large dent suddenly appeared in the bottom. "Wooo!" She cheered. "Toph, you rule!"

Aang's eyes bugged out of his head. He looked at me in disbelief. I just smiled and enjoyed the show. The wrestlers finally noticed the noise. "What are you doing?!" Xin Fu barked. "Stop that!"

Toph ignored him and another bang, followed by another dent. One last bang and the bottom of her cage split open, dropping her to the ground. She landed on her feet, creating a massive shockwave, knocking down all the wrestlers.

Toph took a stance, ready to kick ass. I decided to have some fun. "And Toph opens up the match with a massive stomp!" I shouted in my best Jim Ross impression.

Aang looked at me like I was crazy. "What are you doing?"

I broke the impression and looked at him. "Commentary." I explained. I focused back on the ring.

Fire Nation Man got to his feet and sent a wave of earth at Toph. "Fire Nation Man attacks." I got back into my impression. Toph sidestepped it and sent a trail of rocks at him, hitting him with full force. "Toph dodged and countered! Fire Nation Man got thrown into the stairs! Those stairs are not made of chocolate, folks! He might be out cold!"

Aang was confused and wondering what the fuck was going on. Toph and I were having the time of our lives. The Gecko was the next one up. He tried to crawl towards Toph on all fours, but Toph stomped on the ground and hit him with a pillar in the gut so hard he flew into the air. "That had to hurt, folks!" I commented. Toph wasn't done, and hit him with another pillar, knocking him into the air again. Then another. "Toph is stomping a mudhole and walking it dry!"

The final pillar knocked The Gecko out of the ring and sent him flying into the recovering Fire Nation Man. "The Gecko is out! He's out! She just beat him like a government mule!"

I saw a trail of rock moving underground behind Toph. "What's that?" Suddenly, The Gopher popped up and threw a rock at Toph from behind. "Sneak attack!" Toph turned around and caught the rock, throwing it back at him. "Toph countered! Toph countered! The Gopher got hit with his own attack!" The Gopher flew out of the ring. "He's out of the ring! And he landed in the loser heap!"

The Boulder, The Hippo and The Headhunter tried to team up. "Three on one, folks, let's see how it plays out." The Boulder and The Hippo each grabbed a rock and moved towards Toph, while The Headhunter swung from a rope attached to the ceiling, trying to surround her. Toph rotated the ring so that The Headhunter crashed into The Boulder and the Hippo instead. "Toph just had the Headhunter take out his allies!" Toph launched a pillar at the three of them, tossing them out of the ring and into the others. "And Toph just took out the trash! Bah gawd! This is a slobberknocker, folks!"

Toph turned slowly to Xin Fu, who had made it to his feet. Xin Fu cracked his neck. Toph spat on the ground. "It's down to the final two, folks!" Xin Fu threw an obscene amount of rocks at Toph, who set up a shield in front of her. "Toph blocked Xin Fu's attack!" Toph threw half the shield at Xin Fu, who dodged by jumping and doing a spin. Xin Fu stuck his hand in the ground and threw a boulder at Toph. "She dodged it! She dodged it!" Toph countered and threw a rock of her own, knocking Xin Fu clear out of the ring and knocking him out. "Toph wins! Toph wins, folks! This has been a hell of a match!"

Toph smiled and raised her hand in victory. "I am the greatest earthbender in the world!" She shouted proudly. "Don't you dunderheads ever forget it!"

"Toph?"

She turned. Lao, Yu, Katara, and Sokka had arrived. Lao ran forward and hugged his daughter tightly. "You must have been so scared! I'm so sorry!" Clearly, he hadn't seen the fight. He looked confused. "Where are the men who kidnapped you?"

Toph pointed to the pile of unconscious wrestlers. "I took care of them."

Lao looked stunned for a second, then he shook his head. "We'll talk about this later, let's get you out of here!"

"Um, what about us?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, a little help would be nice." I added.

The four newcomers looked up from the ground. "Aang! Alec! Are you okay?!" Katara inquired worriedly.

"We're fine," I assured her, "Just please get us out of here."

Sokka looked around. "How do we get them down from there? My boomerang can't cut those chains."

"I got it." Toph offered. Without warning, she took a stance and stomped on the ground, lifting the stage until our cages were resting on the floor. Katara and Sokka ran over to Aang's cage and tried prying it open, to no avail.

Sokka threw up his hands in frustration. "Now what?"

Toph pushed him out of the way. "I got this." I smirked. The looks on their faces were going to be priceless. Toph spat into each of her hands and grabbed the door of Aang's cage. There was a crunch, and the cage door crumpled like aluminum foil in her hand. She threw the cage door away, freeing Aang.

Everyone's jaw dropped. Katara had a look of awe and respect on her face. Sokka looked terrified and impressed. Yu looked gobsmacked. Lao looked like he might have a heart attack. "Since when can earthbenders bend metal?" Sokka asked in shock.

Toph smiled with pride. "Since five minutes ago." She walked over to me and ripped the door off my cage. I stepped out of my cage. "Thanks."

She smirked. "You're welcome, Hand Slicer."

I groaned. "You'll never call me anything else, will you?"

She shrugged. "Probably not."


As soon as we got back to the house, Toph presented herself to her parents. "Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way." She began. "But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really, really good at it. I just invented metalbending! I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph." Lao said. "It's made me realize something."

"It has?" Toph asked hopefully.

I knew what was coming, but it was still sad to witness. "Yes. I've let you had far too much freedom." Lao said sternly. "From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day."

"But, Dad!" Toph objected.

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph." Poppy insisted. I rolled my eyes. These people were Makapu-levels of stupid.

Lao turned to us. "Please escort the Avatar and his friends out." He told his guards. "They are no longer welcome here."

The guards began escorting us out. Aang turned to Toph. "I'm sorry, Toph."

"I'm sorry, too." She replied, shedding a tear. "Goodbye, Aang and Alec."

I was angry. I decided to hit this guy where it hurt. I glared at Lao. "Two things." I said. "First of all, you're the second-worst father in the world, and I know that for a fact." That didn't seem to faze him, so I had to really make it hurt. "Second." I smirked. "We're the ones who stole the waterbending scroll from the pirates you hired. And we regret nothing."

Lao's face contorted in shock and outrage. I just wish I had a microphone that I could drop.


We went over to a cliff overlooking the compound. We were sitting on Appa, ready to leave at a moment's notice. Aang turned to face me. "Are you sure she'll come?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah." I said. "Nobody they have is strong enough to keep her there if she wants to leave."

Sokka looked at me curiously. "You gonna tell her your secret?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I think we should put some distance between us and this place, then I'll tell her when we set up camp."

Katara looked concerned. "Do you think she'll believe you?"

I smirked. "Actually, she'll be the easiest one to convince. She can use earthbending to tell if people are lying. But she'll probably guess that I'm from the Spirit World at first."

Sokka frowned. "Why would she guess that?"

"Aang did." I pointed out.

"So?" Sokka retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Sokka, it's the most likely guess. If we didn't pool our money, I'd put money on it. Heck, I'd bet money that every new group member will guess that."

I heard panting. I looked over the edge of Appa's saddle. Sure enough, there was Toph, wearing her fighting clothes and carrying a travel bag.

Aang brightened. "Toph!" He greeted.

"My Dad changed his mind." Toph said. "He said I was free to travel the world."

Sokka and Katara looked at me. I nodded, confirming she was lying. "Well, we'd better get out of here, before your dad changes his mind again." Sokka reasoned.

"Good idea." Toph agreed.

Aang smiled. "You're going to be a great teacher, Toph."

"Speaking of which, I want to show you something." Toph said, laying out the bait.

Aang was naive enough to take it. "Okay!" He jumped down from Appa's head. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Toph tapped her heel into the dirt, shooting a column from underneath Aang, yeeting him into a tree.

She smirked. "Now we're even." She held her hand out towards me. "I'll take the belt back."

I got an idea. I jumped down from Appa and took the bag out of my belt. I cleared my throat. "Avatar Aang has been disqualified for the use of airbending in an earthbending contest." I said in my best Howard Finkel impression (What? I love old-school wrestling. Sue me.). "Therefore, your winner, and still the champion…The Blind Bandit!" I held Toph's hand above her head and wrapped the belt around her waist.

She laughed. "Thanks, Hand Slicer."

I frowned. Oh, if she was gonna do nicknames, so was I. I smirked. "No problem, Shrimp."

Katara and Sokka looked between us like there was gonna be a fight. There were a few seconds of silence. Slowly, a smile formed on Toph's face. "I like you." She declared.

I smiled. "Right back at you. Now let's get out of here."


We flew for an hour at Appa's top speed to get some distance from any pursuers. Once we landed, we quickly set up camp. Katara frowned when she saw Toph not helping, but she didn't say anything. I built a fire and we all sat around it. Our first new member. This was going to be interesting. "Toph," I began, "There's something I have to tell you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is it about where you're from?" I had to hand it to her, she was pretty sharp.

"Yes." I answered. I decided to just go for it. "I'm not from this world."

Her eyebrows shot up. Then her eyes narrowed. "Say that again." She demanded.

"I'm not from this world." I repeated.

Her mouth opened slightly in wonder. "You're not lying. Then where are you from?" She inquired. "The Spirit World?"

I smirked and gave Sokka a triumphant look. "I told you so."

He frowned, but didn't say anything. I turned back to Toph. "I'm not from the Spirit World." I answered her. "I'm from a world beyond the Spirit World. Lady Ài, the Love Spirit, brought me here to do four tasks for her. One is already done."

She frowned. "Why did she bring you?"

I took a breath. "In my world, this world exists in a story. I know the past, present and potential future of everyone else here."

Toph looked shocked for a second. Then she narrowed her eyes. "You're not lying, so you're either crazy or telling the truth. Can you prove it?"

I smiled. "I knew metalbending was possible because you invented it in the original story, even though you did it later." I offered.

She smiled, but then she frowned. "When you told me how to do it, I didn't know if you were lying or not. Do you have anything else?"

I thought about it for a second. I had something. "I know who your real earthbending teachers are." I said.

She looked intrigued. "Go on."

"You ran away from home when you were little." I began. "You ran into a cave, and you met some badgermoles. You learned earthbending from them."

She looked stunned. "Wow, you're not crazy." She realized.

I shrugged. "That's still up for debate." I joked.


I spent the next hour explaining the rules to Toph, along with my reasons for each rule. At the end of my explanation, she had a question.

"Why did you even bother telling anyone this?" She questioned.

I smirked. "Because of you, actually."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Anyone else in the group, I could get away with lying to, but you would know something was up." I explained. "I could've maybe gotten away with just telling you, but this was easier than having two people keep a secret from people they live and travel with."

She shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess."

Aang decided to change the subject. "So, when will you start teaching me?"

She frowned. "I'm not sure." She admitted. "I've never taught anyone before, so I need some time to figure out how to do it." She took a breath. "And I want to work on my metalbending."

Sokka looked confused. "What's there to work on? It looks perfect to me."

Toph snorted. "He's not a bender, is he?"

Sokka pouted. "Hey!"

"I want more control." Toph said. "Look, this is what I can do with earth." She stomped her foot, and a perfect miniature replica of the Beifong estate sprouted out of the ground. "I can bend metal, but it's crude." She pointed at the replica. "I wanna be able to do that with metal." She stomped her foot again, returning the earth to its original state.

I had an idea. "I have a metal chain from when I was learning a firebending technique." I offered. "We're not using it, so you can have it."

She grinned. "Sweet."

We all yawned. It was probably close to midnight. "We should probably get some sleep and move out in the morning." Sokka suggested.

Katara nodded. "Yeah."

We all got in our sleeping bags. Toph set up an earth tent. She opened the wall. "Goodnight, Hand Slicer." She said with a smirk.

I returned the smirk. "Goodnight, Shrimp."

AN: And there's Toph! I'm not doing Zuko Alone, so instead, I'm doing a chapter between this one and The Chase to give Toph some character development.