Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.

Book 1: Fire

Chapter 16: The Tournament

He couldn't breathe… He couldn't move… He couldn't bend… And he was so, so cold.

Unable to take it any longer, he opened his mouth and reflexively took a deep breath, sucking in whole mouthfuls of water.

He was going to die.


Once out of his dream, the boy shot up and took a deep breath, sucking in mouthfuls of air. As soon as he realized he could breathe, he calmed himself.

Aang fell back into his pillow on the ground, thinking about how helpless he was when Bato imprisoned him in a cube of ice, filled completely with water. The man had tried to drown him. The whole time he was in this world, he has never come closer to dying. His airbending was useless underwater. His firebending wasn't hot enough. His limited waterbending wasn't good enough to break Bato's hold. And earthbending wasn't even available to him.

Only a solid, material object could have broken – no, ripped – through that thick ice. Aang didn't want to admit it to himself then, but he was scared. Even in his home "world," his own bending never failed him.

The night was dark and quiet. The only thing Aang heard was the wind shaking the trees and the steady crackle of their fire. Deep in thought, contemplating his weaknesses, Aang fell back into an uneasy sleep. His dreams were filled with numerous moments of Sokka – the Sokka he knew, his best friend – wielding his meteorite sword like a master, cutting through metal with ease.

On the other side of the camp, Zuko's eyes were wide open as he was turned away from the fire. He heard Aang's deep breaths as he awoke – one of the telltale signs of Aang having a nightmare – but he did not do anything to indicate to the younger boy that he was awake. Zuko's eyes were fixed on his sheathed swords laying an arm's length away from him.

Little did Aang or Zuko know, their contemplations were the same… but Zuko's were noticeably darker.

He was incompetent with his blades. He was weaker than the rest of them, unable to do anything to help his friends in a fight. Aang, Azula, and Ty Lee all had skills to call their own. He could not fight on par with Sokka or Bato, constantly being removed from the fights. He was always forced to watch from the side as Aang or Azula were bending. His sister didn't even have a formal master and her skills were growing at a prodigious rate.

And he couldn't even use his lack of bending as an excuse. Ty Lee was one of the strongest fighters he knew.

The light training he received from Mai, the shuriken-jutsu master, did little to help. She also wasn't a bender… yet she threw her knives with deadly precision. He still had all of her knives, darts, and needles, and he was even able to buy some of his own. She was another example of a nonbender who still managed to fight well.

Zuko pounded his fist into the hard ground. He was angry. He was jealous.


"This is it – our last town before the Golden City," Zuko announced moodily to the others as they came to the crest of a hill overlooking a mid-sized town.

"It's kind of sad, isn't it?" Azula contemplated for a moment, which quickly passed. "Oh well. I'm just that much closer to mastering firebending."

Ty Lee chuckled nervously, hunching her figure and slinging a bag over her shoulder. "Eh heh… Yeah."

Unlike most of the other Fire Nation towns, this one was relatively well-kept. Being so close to the Golden City, it was well protected from the Water Navy. The town had neat, stone roads and orderly houses, a school, and even a small temple. Overlooking the town, however, was a gigantic castle of stone. To the north, across the sea, a great island was visible. On that island, amidst a volcanic range, lied the Golden City.

Aang gripped his staff – Sabishi the lemur coiled around it – as he looked down on the town like an omnipresent being. "We'll get supplies and we're leaving. I plan to reach the Golden City by tomorrow afternoon." Aang gave a parting glance to Appa, who was grazing in the fields, as they left.

"So who do you think lives in that castle?" Azula asked as they walked through the grass, scanning the imperious building. "Think it could be royalty?"

"Nah," said Ty Lee. "The closest royalty lives in the Golden City. It's most likely just a feudal lord or something."

"A feudal lord?" Zuko asked quizzically.

"Yeah, a wealthy landowner. He's probably rich enough to get authoritative power in the town. Or, more likely, the town was built around his estate," Ty Lee replied informatively. "However, since this is under the Golden City's protection, he still bows down to their royalty."

"You seem to know a lot about the political system here, Ty Lee," Azula speculated, giving her a mistrusting glare. "How do you know about all of this?"

Ty Lee just grinned sweetly in her direction. "Oh, it's just stuff I picked up on my travels."

"What do you think about this, Aang? Aang?" Azula asked the boy, garnering for his support.

"I don't care about politics," the Avatar replied. In his experience, the leaders of the nations were not worthy of his trust. The Earth Kingdom government was corrupt. The Fire Nation's was all about absolute power. The Water Tribe's was too traditional and primeval. Even the Air monks of old based their decisions off of loose philosophy and, in some cases, misguided beliefs.

Ty Lee continued to fend off Azula's arguments as they entered the town without trouble. This kept going so long that the shopping for supplies was left up to Zuko and Aang as they split from the two squabbling girls. Aang paid a shopkeeper with as many copper pieces as they could manage for supplies while Zuko brooded about something and was leaning against the counter.

"Hey, kid," a man said gruffly from behind Aang. The Avatar turned around hurriedly, either expecting an attack or some strange conversation from the man, but was mildly surprised when the smiling man's eyes were on Zuko.

"What?" Zuko responded monotonously.

"You any good with them swords?" the man asked, gesturing to the dual blades on Zuko's back.

Zuko paused. "I guess."

He handed him a flyer. "Then come and participate in the swordsmanship tournament – taking place tomorrow at the arena! All of the best swordsmen in the Fire Nation are attending. It's even rumored to be overseen by the great Master Piandao himself!"

That struck Aang's interest. He stood up straighter and listened.

"It's just a rumor?" Aang asked skeptically.

"Yeah. It is said that Master Piandao never comes out of his castle and into the public." The man looked to the castle standing tall over the city amidst the bustling people. "Few have ever seen his face." Aang and Zuko followed his stare, now identifying the castle as Piandao's. "Well, see you at the tournament!"

The two were silent for a moment while the man walked away. Then, Zuko turned to Aang, standing as tall as he could over Aang. "I want to participate," he said.

"I already told you. We're getting to the Golden City tomorrow," Aang repeated sternly. "We have no time for that."

Zuko thrust the flyer into his face. "Look. The winner of the tournament will get professional training. I can't pass up this opportunity."

"It's also ten copper pieces to enter. We can't afford that."

Zuko sighed and shook his head, hanging it dejectedly. "You don't understand."

"I don't understand what?" His question sounded just as interrogative as Azula's normally did, which he prided himself on.

"The three of you have your flashy skills and bending. I have nothing. I can't do anything to contribute to the fighting." He laughed to himself, mocking Aang in a high-pitched voice. "Look at me, I'm tough and I can bend. Whoopie." He nearly shoved Aang into the wall and brought his face up near the shorter boy's, accentuating his next words. "Now it's my turn to shine."

Aang was almost amused, but angry at Zuko for being so daring. The inexperienced swordsman took a step back from Aang and turned away, looking down at the flyer. Aang stared at the piece of paper. If Piandao was said to be there, Aang would have liked to see another familiar face… One that, like many others, died in the war for the Avatar's cause…

"Fine, we'll go since you feel so strongly about it," Aang conceded.

Zuko nodded his head, allowing the smallest of a smirk on his face.


Later that day, after Ty Lee somehow managed to scrounge up enough copper pieces, Zuko went to the arena to register for the tournament. As Zuko entered the arena, he scoped out the area and the competition.

There were all kinds of swordsmen. Some looked weak and shy and barely old enough to hold a sword. Some seemed as if they never touched a weapon in their life. Others, however, walked with the steady grace of a grown warrior and held their weapons with experience. Everyone was standing around plainly, either checking out the other competition as he was or waiting for a chance to see Master Piandao, if the opportunity presented itself.

And others were just there to boast, which Zuko quickly noticed as an eager crowd began to gather around a young, loud, boisterous man who was trying to gain as much attention and laughs as possible. Zuko was one of the few standing off to the side, arms crossed, showing absolutely no interest in the other boy.

The whole arena was ovular in shape, with the stands all around and arranged like a stadium, the seats growing higher and higher as they spread outward. The ring was square and built from stone, providing plenty of room for the combatants to fight. The whole arena was covered with an expansive roof.

"Hey, who're you?" Zuko sighed as he turned to the source of the voice, recognizing it as the bigheaded warrior from moments ago. "Are you some kind of newbie?" Zuko simply glanced in his direction, giving the only acknowledgement he felt he deserved. He wasn't here to socialize. He was wearing a cocky grin. "Do you know who I am?"

Sensing where this was heading, Zuko tried to edge away. "I'm not from around here." Bighead's fans started to congregate around the two.

"Well, I'm Chan, the greatest swordsman here," he said boastfully, jerking a thumb at his chest. "And I'm the one who's gonna win the tournament and get training from Master Piandao."

"You're awfully confident," Zuko said as a means to stall him, his golden eyes flickering from side to side, trying to find a gap in their growing audience.

"Of course he is! He's stronger than any man in the Golden City, dude! He came all the way from there," said another boy, casually flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"Ruon-jian, no need to brag," said Chan, waving him off with his hand. He turned his attention back to Zuko. "Well, anyway, there's no need for such an inexperienced fighter like you to enter this tournament, since you're probably just a weakling from one of the poor villages in the south or something. Save yourself the embarrassment. I wouldn't be surprised if you drew the wrong end of your sword."

Zuko's hand reached to his broadswords on his back. "Want to see just how strong I am?" he challenged, bending his knees into a stance. Chan's own hand went to his hip.

"Break it up, break it up!" yelled one of the officiators, pushing past the people in the crowd. "Save it for the tournament!"

"You lucked out, newbie," Chan said with narrowed eyes. After that, he simply turned his back to Zuko and threw up a hand, gesturing for his fans to follow him away.

"Yeah, lucky newbie!" Ruon-jian added as he left.

"They're just rich pretty boys," Zuko chuckled to himself. Neither of the two looked like they could use a sword properly.

Standing away from the dispersed crowd, leaning silently against a wall, a man in a hooded brown cloak watched the confrontation, his eyes obscured from any watchful competitors.


"I don't see why you let him do this, Aang. I could have found a firebending master by the end of today!" Azula complained to him the next morning, putting her hair up in her regular, constricting top knot, now adorned with her flamed headpiece. They were getting ready to go to the tournament – Zuko had left earlier – but Ty Lee was happy about the unexpected delay.

"Oh, let him have his fun," the other girl said with a cheery smile. "He deserves it." To that, Azula just snorted and otherwise ignored her.

"Even when we're away from home, Zuzu doesn't fail to annoy me as much as he can," Azula said with a snarl. "And I can't believe we're going to watch him! If it weren't for him, we'd be sitting in a luxurious Golden City suite instead of camping out here in this filth. I'm tired of it."

"Just one more day, Azula," Aang said to her tiredly, beginning the walk back to town. All of the inns were packed with visitors coming to see the annual tourney, forcing them to camp outside for the night.

"And what if Zuzu gets lucky and wins? We are not staying for the finals," the firebender replied staunchly. Aang honestly doubted Zuko would make it that far, but he didn't answer.

They managed to beat most of the crowd as they headed to the large arena in the center of town, finding seats without too much trouble. Aang took a seat between Azula and Ty Lee, waiting for the matches to start. Azula crossed her legs boredly and examined her nails, showing absolutely no interest in the things going on around her. In contrast, Ty Lee was perky and alert on the other side of Aang. The boy squinted ahead, spotting the order of the matches and opponents on the other side of the arena.

"Zuko's one of the first matches," Aang proclaimed.

"Thank Agni," said Azula. "Once he loses, we can get out of here quickly."

"You're so supportive of your brother," Ty Lee noted.

Almost an hour later when the stands were filled, a gong sounded and an announcer announced the start of the tournament and wished luck to all the competitors, but not before strictly outlining the rules, which were simple – knock your opponent down without killing them. He shouted thanks to the person who sponsored this tournament – Master Piandao, who was sitting on the other side of the arena in boxed seats, hidden behind drawn shades. However, Aang could make out the silhouette of a man sitting. Would Piandao show himself tonight? It seemed to be the question on everybody's minds.

Three matches passed by without too much excitement – it was mostly the slightly more experienced warriors weeding out the weaklings. According to Aang, some showed potential, but nobody so far had a chance of measuring up to Sokka, who was quite possibly the greatest swordsman alive in Aang's own world.

Zuko's match was fourth. Azula did not seem to care, but on the other hand, Ty Lee had somehow procured a Number One sign and was waving it enthusiastically, shouting out her boyfriend's name. Zuko reached the middle of the arena first. His opponent took his time getting there, walking with a swagger and lazily accepting the cheers of his fans. He was apparently well known.

Ty Lee suddenly dropped what she was doing and jumped behind Aang, squeaking. "Hide me, hide me!"

"What? Why? From who?" Aang asked, perplexed.

Ty Lee poked her head above his shoulder, revealing only her eyes. "Just stay here and hide me."

"O-Okay…" Aang said uneasily, turning back to the match about to start. The two exchanged verbal banter for a moment before fighting.

Azula huffed, showing her obvious displeasure at being there.


"Oh, hey, look at that! I was lucky enough to face the newbie," Chan said with an arrogant smirk, drawing his straight, silver sword and twirling it in his hand. The audience yelled. "Let's see if the rookie is any good." Chan bent his legs into a stance and held his sword with one hand, beckoning Zuko on.

In response, Zuko sighed and unsheathed his dual broadswords, spun them once, and let them settle into his callused palms. "I'm ready to go."

At those words, the battle was begun.

Zuko attacked first, eager to wipe Chan's smirk off his face, dashing up to him and bringing his left blade up into an overhand chop. Predictably, Chan raised his blade fast enough to block, and Zuko attacked his exposed side with the other sword. Chan jumped backwards in a dodge, then resumed the attack just as quickly. Chan launched a barrage of sword swings at his opponent – clumsy and aggressive, but Zuko was finding them increasingly hard to block as Chan's speed increased. Zuko realized the futility of outright defending against Chan's attacks – it was doing nothing but sending painful vibrations down his arms and making them weaker. It was at that moment that Zuko remembered the distinctive curve his broadswords had, so he angled the weapons with the time of Chan's strikes so that his straighter sword rode down upon the curve upon impact – a parry.

Zuko immediately took the chance and went at Chan's slackened defense, but the other boy brought up his knee and struck him in the gut. Zuko doubled over, but before Chan could slice him in the back – an illegal move – Zuko swept out his left broadsword at his exposed midriff, forcing him to dodge. Instead, as Zuko straightened, Chan took the chance and swatted Zuko's left sword aside, knocking the weapon right out of his hands. The weapon clattered to the floor.

"What're you gonna do without your other broadsword?" Chan taunted, panting. "You're weak."

Zuko didn't answer. He didn't think the shot to his gut was fair, but if the officials didn't call it, then it must have been legal. He gripped his remaining broadsword with both hands, ready to put as much power as possible behind each swing. Chan swung at Zuko, who blocked it over his head. Chan's blade rode along his own, and once it was free, Zuko flipped it around in a hack at his opponent's left side. However, Chan jumped backwards again and chose a different strategy, which was to repeatedly stab at Zuko. His wider broadsword was able to block a good amount of the blows. Somehow, he managed to catch one in his blade and twist it so that Chan's sword rode along the edge again, this time locking it near the hilt. Zuko and Chan pushed their blades against each other, straining as it became a contest of strength. Their faces were close – both were able to see the sweat on the other's face. Realizing they were going nowhere, Zuko simply twisted his weapon aside and brought up his right elbow, slamming it into Chan's face.

The crowd favorite let out a cry of pain at the impact, doubled over and clutched his face. From there, Zuko jabbed the hilt of his lonely sword into Chan's shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

The stands were quiet.

Their favorite had been defeated… by a rookie.

Azula moaned. "So now we have to stay here longer?!"


A few hours later, and after the crowd calmed down, Zuko was preparing for his next match against a name Aang didn't recognize. The Avatar, his sister, and Ty Lee joined him down next to the ring, giving him a bit of moral support before his next match. This came in the form of solely Ty Lee, as Azula picked out all his mistakes and generally tried to make him feel worse.

"That was amazing, you're sure to do great!"

"…That was absolutely pathetic. I can't believe you lost your sword…"

"…Pow-wow! That was you when you knocked him in the face with your elbow…"

"Our aging uncle could fight better..."

"…And then, wham, he fell to the ground…"

"Your grip was weak."

"Your muscles were all bulgey!"

"You stood still like a statue."

"Shut up!" Aang shouted to the two of them. There was a short moment of silence, and then they continued.

"Good luck on your next match! You're up now!"

"I'll be looking forward to your horrendous FAILURE."

"Just get going," Aang said quietly to Zuko, pushing him forward onto the arena. Zuko nodded, gripping his broadswords in his hands as he walked to the center, barely listening to the announcer as he shouted out the next match.

"This match's combatants are… Zuko and Lee!"

Zuko watched his opponent walk to meet him in the center, gulping down his nervousness. This man looked much more experienced with a sword than Chan did – he walked with a warrior's grace. He was garbed in a tattered brown cloak, his hood drawn up and covering his eyes, shadowing the man's full face. He unsheathed a jian longsword from somewhere within the folds of his cloak, gripping the hilt tightly without a word to Zuko. The younger boy settled into a stance.

"Begin!"

Just as in the first battle, Zuko commenced the match by rushing forward with his dual blades, sweeping them both out horizontally. Lee skillfully blocked them both, stepping backwards and lunging forward with his sword, as if experimentally testing Zuko's defenses. Zuko caught the blade between both of his, but Lee slid it along the edge and freed his own weapon in a shower of sparks.

"You're as still as a statue. Use some footwork," Lee whispered to him, slashing diagonally with his sword. Zuko raised an eyebrow in surprise, but sidestepped the blow and tried to cut toward Lee's shoulder. Somehow, Lee brought his sword up fast enough to block, bouncing Zuko back. Following up the attack, Lee jabbed him in the gut with the sword's hilt.

"Ouch… That didn't look too pleasant," Ty Lee cringed from the sidelines. "Go for the neck! The neck!!"

"…She's crazy," Aang mentioned to Azula, edging away from the acrobat.

"No! Go for the eyes!" Azula shouted to her brother.

Recovering quickly, Zuko brought up his left sword just in time to block another blow with the base of his blade. However, he was holding that weapon upside-down now and it was hard to twist it fast enough to follow up on another attack. Lee attacked again, forcing the hindered blade back towards Zuko's arm, making it seem like an elongated tonfa. Once Lee paused long enough, Zuko switched to offense again, trying to get his opponent into a pincer attack with both of his weapons. The maneuver seemed to surprise him, nearly slicing off his head – Lee was just able to bend backwards quickly enough to see the blades crossing where his head was mere moments before.

Taking advantage of his bent position, Lee thrust out one of his feet, kicking Zuko away from him. Once they were far enough apart, Lee apparently decided to get serious. He pulled off his brown cloak, revealing surprisingly tanned skin and brown hair tied back into a top knot, with a matching goatee.


Aang stood quickly from his seat on the ground. "That's Piandao…" he muttered quietly. Azula glanced at him inquisitively, but no one else seemed to care about the man's revealed identity. Was there truly no one who had seen his face in public before? "Zuko is going to lose," Aang said flatly. What was Piandao doing, entering his own tournament under an alias? It obviously had to be someone else who was up in the boxed seats.


"Surprising move, boy," 'Lee' said just loudly enough for Zuko to hear. "You nearly won the match. Time for me to get serious."

"You're awfully confident, old man," Zuko replied wryly. Lee simply smirked, replying with three simple jabs of his blade, two of which were blocked by Zuko's swords. He jumped backwards to avoid the last one.

"Good, good! You're using your feet," Lee complimented. What was going on with this guy? As they continuously traded attacks, Lee kept speaking. "Time your attacks carefully. You just missed a flaw in my defense."

With Lee's next block, he pushed forward on the locked blades with all of his strength – a surprising amount – and knocking Zuko backwards. As he stumbled, Lee continued on the offense, rushing forward with his blades toward Zuko's open front. Zuko did the only thing he could to dodge… he fell backwards. Lee jumped at him with a stab directed at the ground, which Zuko barely managed to avoid with wide eyes. If he didn't roll out of the way in time, he would have been impaled!

Zuko stood again, balancing on the tips of his toes for a moment. Since most bladed weapons were legal in the fights, he hastily reached into a pouch at his hip and threw a barrage of Mai's kunai at the older fighter which were parried deftly. "Daggers? What a curious way to fight someone," Lee commented, twisting his sword around to slash at Zuko. He managed to block the blow, but Lee's blade danced around the edges and scored an attack on Zuko's face with the full force of the hilt, knocking him backwards and causing him to see stars. Lee took the chance and palmed him in the chest, sending the boy skidding to the edge of the ring, where he crumpled to the ground.

Zuko groaned in pain, clutching his aching head. "Ready to give up, boy?" Lee taunted. "This isn't the kind of place for you. Go back to your village where you belong."

Angered by his words, Zuko staggered to his feet, panting all the while. He pulled his hands from his head to his swords, gripping them between white knuckles. "I'm not gonna fall to you so easily," he replied through clenched teeth.

"Good," Lee replied with a grim smile, running at Zuko and swinging his sword with both hands. In response, Zuko joined his swords together into a single blade, swinging it to avoid Lee's attacks.

When Zuko attacked with a horizontal slash, Lee ducked clean under the blow and swept out his foot, knocking Zuko to the ground once again. He landed in a heap as Lee stood. "You are too tired to fight now. This match is over," Lee called to the announcer.

"Wait!" Zuko yelled, clearly in agonized pain. His brow was stained with sweat, his lip was puffy and bleeding, and his cheek was darkly bruised. "I'm… not done yet."

Lee stared at him critically, as if asking the boy if he was sure. When Zuko did not back down, Lee readied his blade again. "Very well."

Determined to end the match quickly in sake of the boy's health, Lee lightly cut him in the arms, legs, face, and abdomen, drawing shockingly red blood. It only seemed to spur Zuko on further, driving him into a furious attack, swinging his conjoined sword with all of his strength.

"You're fighting recklessly," Lee said between strikes, his voice beginning to show strain. Calm your mind in order to fight victoriously, he thought to himself.

Finally, after several more swings of his sword, Zuko's arms began to weigh down and his movements became sluggish. His eyes seemed about to glaze over, his knees were giving out. He was ready to collapse. He had been fighting all day. Lee simply stopped attacking, and Zuko fell to his knees, unable to fight any longer. Lee himself was out of breath.

"You fought well," the older man said to him.

"Thanks… you're good for an old man," Zuko managed to say between breaths. "It was an honor to fight you."


As soon as the match ended and the announcer proclaimed the winner, Aang, Azula, and Ty Lee rushed onto the fighting arena as the crowd erupted into cheers. Ty Lee went to Zuko's aid and Aang went to meet Piandao, while Azula stood by idly.

The old sword master was examining a set of cuts on his arms that seemed to surprise him when he noticed Aang.

"Good evening, Avatar," the man greeted him, showing just as much knowledge that he wasn't supposed to know as he used to. He knelt down and offered a hand to Zuko and spoke to him. "I am Master Piandao, and I'm extending an offer to teach you the ways of the sword."


Author's Notes: Wow, that chapter didn't take as long as usual to come out. I'm surprised, since I'm busier than usual, too. However, it took shorter mostly because this one was supposed to be much longer, but I decided to split it in two while I was writing it, as it would have been much too long.

Hopefully that's enough of Zuko for you guys. But never fear! The spotlight will still be on him next chapter… as will the significance of Aang's short dream.

Thanks so much for all the reviews and the continued support, everyone. I really appreciate it. Keep 'em coming! :)