Chapter 11: Liberty for the Earth Kingdom
Location: Los Angeles, California
Elsa, Anna, and Ms. Benchy finally arrived towards Ricky's home for an hour, getting out of the van and knocking on the door. It wasn't long for the door to open, revealing Johnny standing at the entrance.
"Johnny", Anna says surprisingly, "What are you doing here?"
Johnny hangs him down in despair.
"The same thing you're here for", he replied in guilt.
Ms. Benchy put her hand on Johnny's shoulder, giving him a confident smile.
"Don't worry about it honey", she assured him, "Are Nikki and Susan here?"
Johnny nods his head and shows them Nikki sitting on the couch with an angry look on her face. Elsa and Anna why Nikki was mad; she's ticked off because of Mrs. Richards said insulting things about Ricky isn't dead and how he's just probably hiding somewhere, crying like an idiot. Susan on the other hand still locked herself in her room and crying about Ricky's death.
Elsa and Anna walk up towards Nikki, sitting next to her and hugging her. Nikki's anger suddenly washed away and replaces it with depression and sadness. She starts crying as Elsa and Anna continue comforting her as Johnny and Ms. Benchy walk towards to the girls and began to hug Susan as well.
"I'm going to see Susan alright?" Ms. Benchy says.
She walks toward Susan's door and begins knocking on it.
"Susy, are you in there?"
Location: Haru's home
"HARU'S GONE!" Katara cried out.
Ricky jumps off of Appa's tail and race towards Katara.
"Calm down Katara", Ricky assured her, "Tell us what happen. Who took Haru?"
Katara starts to wipe her eyes, to ensure that she's already calm down.
"The old man that we saved from the mine, he reported the Fire Nation soldiers about him and they took him away", Katara explains.
Everyone was shocked to hear what just happened, Ricky was fumed with anger and shock about the old man.
"Haru's mom said that they took him last night", Katara reassured sadly.
Ricky's hand began to curl into a fist and starts smoking from his palm. He wasn't mad about the Fire Nation that took Haru away, he was mad about the old man told the F.N. soldiers about Haru. He wanted to punch the elder in the face, but right now he needs to comfort Katara from the horrifying experience.
"Well, it's too late to find him now", Sokka said plainly, "He's long gone."
Ricky quickly glared at Sokka with anger in his eyes.
"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!" Ricky yelled, "WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HIM THERE WITH HIS MOM GOING TO DIE IN LONESOME!"
"Hey, that's how life is", Sokka retorted, "We can't do anything else but leave without being seen."
Ricky was about to punch him in the face until Katara stops him with a firm grip on his shoulder. He looks at her who is just recovering from her depression and decides to get from the ground and heading back towards the door.
"No, we're not", she says plainly.
Everyone looks at her worriedly.
"What are you talking about?" Ricky asks.
"I mean the Fire Nation is going to take to Haru", she answers.
"And how are they going to do that?" Aang asks confusingly.
Katara turns around with determination on her face.
"Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending."
Ricky, Aang, Sokka, and Sari gasp in total shock, thinking that she's insane.
Five minutes later
Ricky and his friends continue to push a boulder over a giant air vent, which was found on a rocky road.
"You know Katara, at first I thought you were insane, but this might work," Sokka explains, "These air ventilation are linked to underneath these mines. All Aang has to do is blow some air into those airshafts and TA-DA, fake earthbending."
Everyone nods their heads as they turn around to see Aang playing with a butterfly shooting tiny air puffs at it.
"Aang, you got that?" Katara asks.
"Yeah, yeah I got it", he dismissively waves his hands.
"Are you sure?" Ricky asks concernedly.
"Yeah, all I have to is blow through the ventilation, and Katara would be arrested and Haru will be free," Aang says casually.
Ricky raises his eyebrows with concerns, but he shrugs it off. He turns around to see some F.N. soldiers coming towards their way.
"Guys, I see them coming. Get in places", Ricky called.
Everyone stop what they were doing and begin their place. Sari and Ricky begin to hide behind some bushes as they see the F.N. soldiers walking towards Katara and Sokka who are pretending to argue. Ricky watches the entire scene, face-palming at their TERRIBLE acting, but luckily the plan work; with the exception the F.N. soldiers were complete idiots, thinking Momo was earthbending the giant boulder.
After the soldiers arrested Katara for 'earthbending', Ricky and Sari walk out of their hiding places and walk towards to Sokka and Aang. Ricky turns towards Sokka, looking at his ears.
"Has anyone told you that your ears look like an elephant?"
Sokka turns around with a fit of anger look on his face.
"I DO NOT!" he yells, "MOMO DOES!" pointing accusingly at the flying lemur.
He stomps towards Haru's home, leaving Ricky, Aang, and Sari behind. There was an awkward silence until Aang looks at Sokka.
"You're right, his ears do look like an elephant," he said jokingly.
Everyone laughs as they begin to walk back to Haru's home.
Ricky couldn't help but think about Katara if she's all right. His friends kept reassuring to him that she's fine, but he can't feel but very uneasy with the whole plan. He keeps pacing back and forth at the barn, worrying for Katara's safety. He can't remember when he was this worry about his friends when his girlfriend Elsa when she's, says she's going to be all right at the family reunion.
Aang notices Ricky's worriedness and decides to walk towards him. He places his hand on Ricky's shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. Ricky sighs as he begins to rest on Appa's tail.
"Don't worry Ricky", Aang assured, "She's going to be fine."
"I know Aang", Ricky replied, "I'm just worried if they figured out she's not an earthbender."
Before Aang could reply, Sari burst from the door with excitement on her face.
"GUYS, YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT!"
The boys got up to see what the Kyoshi warrior has to say. Sokka was the first to reply.
"Well, what is it, Sari?"
"I know where Katara is being held at!"
Ricky and Aang's eyes widen in total surprise.
"You know where's the prison is at?" Ricky asks.
Sari nodded.
"Yes, I do."
"Well", Aang spoke up, "Where is it?"
"It's at—"
"Let me guess" Sokka interrupted her, "They're near a mountain, surrounded by guards and the earthbenders are being held by a camp that is surrounded by their elements and they can't use them because the Fire Nation will attack them if they do right?"
Everyone looks at him like he was insane. Ricky smacks his forehead.
"Dude are you kidding me?!" he yells, "That is the most STUPID theory I've ever heard, and besides, what idiot would think that would be a good idea of having a prison filled with earthbenders that surrounded by their FRIGGIN' element?!"
Sokka was about to protest but he couldn't think of a backup argument for his theory.
"Uh, guys?"
Ricky and Sokka turn around, forgetting that Sari was there the entire time.
"I was going to say that she's being held at a prison in the ocean", Sari explains.
Ricky's eyes widen in excitement.
"Well, what are we waiting for", he says, "Let's get Katara and Haru back!"
The Gaang nod their heads as they head towards the prison to bring back Katara and Haru.
Katara was sitting in her prison room right after her plan to motivate the earthbenders failed, and she can see why; they have been in that isolated prison for who knows how long and they begin to lose hope as time passes. She needs to get their hopes back, but how would she tell her friends and brother about it. That's when she heard someone climbing from her window, to see Ricky hanging on the window's bars.
"Katara, are you here?" he asks.
"Yeah, I'm here", she replies.
"Good, we're at the docks. Everyone's waiting for you."
Katara nods her head and begins to follow Ricky to the docks. She stops herself and has finally decided what she must do. Ricky turns around to see Katara has stopped following him, the Gaang notices this as well and decided to walk up to her.
"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asks.
"I'm not going", she answers.
"Yes you are", Sokka answers, "We don't have time for this nonsense. Get in the boat."
"I'm not leaving with those people behind" Katara retorted.
Ricky didn't say anything as the siblings were arguing, he doesn't want to get caught by the Fire Nation, but he wants to free those prisoners to be with their families. That's when he had an idea, he looks at his friends who were debating on what to do. He quietly walks towards the entrance where he took Katara out of her cell.
It wasn't long it Sari notice that Ricky was gone, while Katara and Sokka were arguing.
"Hey guys, where's Ricky?"
Ricky crept around the prison, doing his best to not sound anyone about his presence. He was lucky that he was able to move around quietly back at his home in a crowded place, but he didn't want to risk it. He found a guard standing guard of a door. The door swung open, causing Ricky to quickly hide in the shadows, showing an old man bursting out of the room yelling at the guard.
"You there! I need you and go wake up the captain!" the warden yelled furiously.
"Um sir, that was the captain you threw out of the window." one of the guards replied nervously.
"Then find someone else I haven't thrown overboard!"
The warden storms off as the guards wander off to warn the others, too oblivious about Ricky hiding behind the door. After a few minutes, the hallway became quiet and he steps out of the corner and sighs in relief. He quickly ran back to the docks to see his friends were all waiting for him. They all turned around and both sigh in relief with Katara staring at him.
"Where did you go?" she asks.
"Sorry, but I think we got a problem..." he said before taking a deep breath, "I think they know we're already here."
Everyone's eyes widen in shock, panic sets in with Sokka being the first to speak.
"Okay, that's it. We need to go, now!"
"No!" Katara argues back, "We can't let leave these people behind!"
"I'm with Sokka," says Sari, "How are we going to help them with no earth for them to bend. We're in the middle of the ocean."
"That's not true. Look," Aang says as he points at the chimney, with everyone looking at the black smoke coming out of it.
"If there's fire, there's coal. We just need to find the coal and give it to the prisoners."
Everyone paused and thought about the idea the Avatar gave to them. It might be possible, but with how heavily guarded the place is, it might be difficult.
"But we don't know where to find it," Sokka counters.
"We don't have time, it's almost sunrise and we need to make a plan fast!" Ricky stated.
Sokka sighs before popping his neck.
"Fine. This place must have a vent big enough for the coal to get through, this might work like our plan to get Katara in prison. But on a much greater scale. We need to find the base of the silo to find the coal and get it to the top."
Everyone nods their head and begins to quickly start their plan with Katara, Ricky, Sari, and Sokka heading up top with Aang to the silo to get the coal. Time passes by as the four waits on the air dock near the ventilation shaft for Aang to arrive with the coal.
"You think Aang can get the coal here on time?" Ricky asks out loud, "If I recall, he hasn't begun practicing his earthbending yet."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Sari stated. "I mean, I bet he'll just use a force of strong winds to lift the coal into the vents and have it arrive here."
The boy gave her an unbemused look on his face.
"I don't think that's how coal works. He has to create a tornado for it to work, without tearing this prison to shreds."
Before the Kyoshi Warrior could counter her argument, the door swung open to reveal the warden and the guards with the prisoners behind them.
"There are the intruders!" one guard exclaims as they surround the four.
Sokka quickly whips out his boomerang, Sari her war fans, Katara getting into position with her hand near the water sachel, and Ricky firing up two small blue fireballs in his hands. Their backs pressing against each other and standing above the vents.
"Back off! I warn you!" Sokka shouts.
"Katara! Don't do this!" an elderly voice called out with the warden letting out a chuckle.
"Might as well listen to him, girl. You and your friends will die here if you pull something."
She didn't say anything, praying to the Spirits that Aang gets here with the coal in time. With the guards slowly advancing, the metal floor began to shake with a huge gust of air blowing above the four teenagers. Everyone backs away from the shaft, only for it to explode with a huge pile of coal soaring and crashing down. Everyone stayed silent, with Sari quickly glancing at Ricky with a small smirk on her face.
"Well I'll be..." he muttered.
A flash of orange and yellow burst out of the vents, revealing Aang covered in dirt and soot. Coughing a bit as Katara quickly gets on top of the pile and picks up one of the coal and raises it in the air.
"Now's your chance! It's time to fight back and take fate by the hands!"
Silence once again fills the area. Not one took a step, they all stayed in their places. The four look at the waterbender and the prisoners, feeling that their work was all for nothing.
'Did they lose faith that much?'
"Foolish child! Do you realize how futile your efforts are?" the warden mocks, "Look at their faces, they have given up hope long ago and here you are with such empty words to hold no weight to it."
Katara couldn't believe what just happened; her plan to free the earthbenders refused to bend the coal Aang brought from the silo. What's even worse is that the warden laughed at her attempt to have the earthbenders rebel against the Fire Nation soldier to be free.
"Guards, take them away. The Fire Lord will be please to here we have the Avatar!" the warden said with pride in his voice.
THUNK!
The warden quickly turns around, he glares daggers at everyone who threw something with his back turn.
"Okay, who dare threw that at me?!" he demanded.
Everyone didn't say anything but saw a small lump of coal hitting his forehead. He screams in pain and darts his eyes at none other than Haru. his green eyes burn determination at the man with three, small coals floating above his hand.
"Why you!" the man's eyes twitch as he shoots a pillar of flames at him, but was thwarted by a wall of coal, revealing a white-bearded man standing beside Haru.
"Get them!" the warden shouts at the guards.
Before long, the earthbenders yelled in a warrior-like tone and begin to bend the coal at the firebenders. The firebenders weren't even ready to see an outbreak from the prisoners rebelling against them caused by a young teenager. Ricky, Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Sari all joined in. The battle began with some flames shooting at the earthbenders, as some coal were launch at the firebenders with the Gaang giving their all with blue flames, water whips, a gust of wind clashing with the orange fire.
"Everyone, to the boats!" an old man yelled.
The warden begins to get up, to see his prisoners were getting away.
"Don't let them escape!" the warden roared ferociously.
Ricky got in the way of the warden as he shot his blue fireball at the older man. He quickly glares at the young boy.
"You won't get away with this, traitor!"
"Who said I was on your side?" he scoffs
Ricky begins to put up a boxing stance, preparing for a fight. The warden starts to shoot fireballs, but Ricky quickly dodges the attack. Ricky then lunges towards the warden and threw a fireball at him. The warden counter-attacks Ricky's fireball and somersault kicks him in the chest. Ricky collapse to the ground but got up quickly and uppercut at the warden as he backs a few feet away. The warden grabs his chin in pain, unable to prepare when an older earthbender grabs him by the shoulders and drags him to the railings.
"Wait! I can't swim!"
The old man only smirks at his pleading, "Don't worry about it, I'm hoping you float like a log."
He lets go of the warden as he plummets towards the water. The warden emerges as he struggles to keep himself afloat, with the rest of the guards falling into the ocean with cheers coming from the earthbenders.
"We did it!"
"We're finally free!"
Ricky smiles before wincing in pain from the kick he had received.
"Are you okay?" Katara asks looking at him.
Ricky nods his head, "Y-Yeah I'm fine, Kat. I just got kicked in the chest from the warden. Nothing too serious."
Katara sighs in relief as she notices Haru and the old man walking towards them
"So, you must be Ricky Katara and my son were talking about."
Ricky turns around to see a tall, old man wearing a long beard and long hair, but still have a bald spot on his head. The man gave him a warming smile.
"My name is Tyro, I'm Haru's father, and from what I heard from these two; that you came from another world right?"
Ricky rubs the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah", he bluntly answers.
Tyro nods his head and then sighs, "You know when I was young, there were some stories about people that came from another century before this war began."
Ricky's eyes widen, he can't believe what he's hearing.
"At first I thought it was just a fairytale", but now seeing you and hearing it from my son and Katara made me realize that we may not be alone in this universe after all. I hope the Spirits will help you on your way to getting back home. And to believe that you're a firebender, maybe there will be people in the Fire Nation might live up to see you as someone who can help the Avatar to end this war."
Ricky nods his head and was amazed that he wasn't the only one who came to this world, but the main question is: Why?
"We should get going, we have a long way ahead of us to get Aang to the North Pole", Ricky replies.
Katara nodded as she places her hand around her neck and notices something was missing.
"MY MOM'S NECKLACE, IT'S GONE!" Katara yells.
Location: Las Angeles, California
Jonathan sits quietly in his seat as he heard his only son was murdered and he blames himself for not being there to protect him. He doesn't know what to think other than curse himself and ask God why did He take his precious son away from him. All he can do now is get back home and hopefully comfort his family from this horrible event.
"I'm sorry Ricky", he whispers, "I'm so, deeply, sorry."
Author's Note: HEY GUYS I'M BACK AND FULLY ALIVE! I finally finish this chapter and I can't believe how much work it was to finish it. Oh and I'm once again, putting Pokemon: Battle of the Gods on hold, again T_T. I'm going to rewrite the entire thing, but I'm not deleting it. Anyways, the OC requests are still open and you guys can make him/her a bender or non-bender whatever you like. Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving, LeoPrime13 is out PEACE!
