Chapter 21: The Fire Resistance
Special Guest Star: Xytan as Ignis
Location: Las Angeles, California
Things were slow, almost three months since Ricky's passing, and it didn't help Johnny. They could move on, but it didn't help the bully kill his best friend getting bailed from prison. He wanted to get back at him, but couldn't, knowing this won't bring Ricky back. He groans before walking out of his house with his phone and hands in his pocket, not caring what goes around him. He missed his best friend; he missed his timid behavior and enjoyed playing video games and a bit of foot racing. He smiled at the small memories and even laughed a bit as he walked, only accidentally bumping into a metal pole.
Looking at his surroundings, he hit a stoplight near a four-way crosswalk. Sighing loudly, he checked his phone to see it was about 3:15 PM.
"Dang, I got to stop doing that," he muttered to himself.
Looking both ways as the crosswalk turned green, he continued his walk. He doesn't know where he's going, but that didn't matter. What matters is that he needs to clear his head. He needs to move on.
Location: Earth Kingdom
The sun is setting with the Gaang trekking on the trail, where they found a small kiosk covered in posters. Ricky felt the chilling wind blowing, causing him to shiver, and luckily he was wearing his blue and grey hoodie as his friends looked at the posters.
"Can you find a menu? I'm starving!" Sokka groans as he shakes the small bag with nothing but small crumbs.
The brunette rolls his eyes as he looks at some of the posters. Some of them were wanted posters; others were Fire Nation propaganda posters. Looking at each paper, he still can't read their language despite traveling with his friends for at least a few months. It was amazing that he continued training with that scroll Iroh gave to him…
He was primarily a visual learner, and luckily the scroll showed him how to do it, regardless of what it said. A single sweat dripped from his cheek, trying his best not to look constipated, to which he failed when Katara noticed his facial expression.
"Is everything okay, Ricky?" she asks.
The brunette looks away from the kiosk, giving her a reassuring thumbs-up.
"No need to worry, Kat," he said, "I just... I just can't read your language."
The area went silent until Sokka laughed, causing the three to stare at him.
"You can't read?" he laughs, "How on earth have you been able to learn firebending with that scroll you had?"
"I'm a visual learner, okay?" But Ricky countered, "It didn't mean I got it down on the first try!"
Katara couldn't help but groan in annoyance as she watched the two boys arguing over Ricky's lack of understanding of their language. In her defense, he never asks them to teach him. Then again, he probably didn't want to make a fool out of himself.
"Then how are you able to understand what we're saying?" Sokka questions the firebender.
"How the heck should I know?!" he yells with his arms over his head.
"Boys!" Katara barks at them, causing the two to flinch.
"We'll worry about that later. Found anything, Aang?"
The young Avatar shakes his head for a bit and looks back at the poster-covered kiosk.
"Umm... Yeah!" he exclaims and points at one of the pieces of paper, "There's a Fire Nation festival nearby."
Momo jumps off Aang's shoulder as he grabs the paper and shows it to the waterbender and firebender.
"Fire Day's Festival; it has Fire Nation cultural exhibits, benders, jugglers, magicians..." Aang read the paper, "This could be a perfect place for me to learn some real firebenders!"
No one said a thing until Aang realized what he had just said and looked at Ricky.
"Oops! No offense."
"None was taken. I think I could use some new lessons. But..." he said before showing his right hand all bandaged up, "I don't think I'll be able to help if we get caught."
Aang gave him a pat on the back, smiling at him and giving him a thumbs up.
"Yeah, unlike last time where you try and set your hand on fire to look cool," Katara spoke with her face looking at the two with a deadpanned expression.
"Y-Yeah..." Ricky nervously chuckles with his free hand, scratching the back of his head from the memory from a few days ago, "That..."
"I wouldn't think about going to that festival if I were you guys," Sokka spoke up, causing the three to avert their eyes to him looking at the kiosk.
"Why?" asks Aang.
"Take a look at this."
The three benders walk towards Sokka to see a paper with Aang's picture.
"Hey! It's a poster of me!" Aang exclaims rather happily.
"That's a wanted poster. This is bad," Ricky said with a look of concern.
"Oh, now you can read?" Sokka sarcastically asks.
"I don't need to understand your guys' language to know that's a wanted poster," Ricky counters, "What are we going to do?"
Aang didn't avert his gaze from the poster and says, "I still need to learn firebending, and with Ricky's condition, this is my only chance to learn from a master face-to-face."
Katara thought about it for a moment, so did Ricky. But their responses weren't the same.
"I think we should give it a try," Katara was the first to respond.
"Um, I don't think this is a good idea because there's going to be guards that will see us," Ricky objected.
"We can wear disguises, and if things go wrong, we can leave," Aang said.
"Oh yeah, because we always leave when we get into trouble," Sokka rolls his eyes.
It was a standstill for the four, evenly tied with what should be the final decision to which Aang called the shots, much to the two older boys' dismay. The four begin to walk to the nearby town, with Katara and Sokka grabbing a cloak to disguise themselves. Aang is the only one using his shawl to cover his head.
"Wow, no one will recognize you," Ricky sarcastically says as Sokka rolls his eyes, and Katara lets out a giggle.
Ricky took off his hoodie and tossed it onto the saddle, with Appa and Momo staying behind with Aang telling them to stay put with the four-headed to the town. A few minutes passed, and they arrived, but what they saw was something they were not expecting. Everyone in the city wore masks of different shapes, sizes, and colors.
"Where are we going to find masks to blend in?" Sokka asks.
Then a voice rang out, "Get your free Fire Festival masks right here!"
Ricky looks at the stand and back at the teenage boy.
"That was surprisingly convenient," he said.
The four grabbed their respective masks. Aang grabbed a red frowning mask, Sokka a blue happy mask, Katara a lady mask, and Ricky chose a typical Eastern dragon mask. Katara looks at Aang's and Sokka's, who switch their masks, showing Sokka frowning and Aang smiling. The young firebender let out a low chuckle as the two began wandering inside the festival. The four look around with Sokka grabbing some food called Fire Flakes, which burned his tongue, a puppet show of the Fire Lord "breathing" fire at the earth bender puppet with the kids cheering.
"Hey, something's happening over there!" Aang pointed out to a large group of people swarming in.
"Knowing the Fire Nation must be an execution," Sokka grumbled.
"During a festival?" Ricky questions, "I don't think they allow that during an event like this."
Sokka only shrugs with Aang and Katara already upfront, with the two eldest finally getting to the front and noticing a show with a man standing on a stage, bowing to the cheering crowd.
"Thank you! Thank you!" the man said with a smile on his face, "For my next trick, I would like a volunteer."
Aang shot his arms up without hesitation and shouted "Me! Me!" at the firebender. With the three looking at him in shock.
"What the heck are you doing?" Rickey hiss.
"I want to get closer!" Aang reply.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Katara suggested, only feeling her shoulder being tapped.
"How about you, pretty girl~?" the man asks.
Katara didn't respond, only to feel her hand grabbed and taken to the stage. Aang pouted behind his mask, crossing his arms as Katara sat down and felt her hands tied.
"For my next trick is called the Tamed Dragon!" the firebender said, "You are my captured princess. But don't worry, fair maiden, for I Malu will save you from this dreaded beast."
With a flick of his hands, fire came out, and it began to take the form of the Eastern dragon and created a long line of fire attached to the "beast." Everyone was in awe, especially the three boys, as it flew around with Malu struggling to keep hold.
"The beast is too strong! I can't hold much more of this!" he said with a bit of drama in his voice.
Of course, Aang didn't like where this was going.
"We got to help her!" he said.
"Do you want us to get caught?" Sokka asks, pulling the young Avatar back.
The suspension didn't settle as the imaginary dragon dove down and headed straight towards Katara, her eyes widened, and she faced pale behind her mask. This was the setting-off point for the young Air Nomad, jumping up in the air and front of Katara.
"Aang, no!" Ricky cried out, but it was too late.
Aang breathes heavily, not realizing his mask had slipped off for everyone to see. Aang breathes heavily, not realizing his mask had fallen off for everyone to see. He shoots his right fist out, and a massive gust of wind collides with the dragon, destroying it with sparks of rainbow flames sparkling. Both Sokka and Ricky facepalm at the boy's rash actions.
"What do you think you're doing, kid?" Malu growls.
The crowd booed, with Aang doing a ridiculous dance with an absurd smile to go with it. Hoping it lessens the booing... Not so much.
"Hey, that kid's the Avatar!" a civilian cried out.
Katara united herself with Sokka and Ricky getting up on stage taking off their masks in the process.
"Okay, time to go!" Ricky said worryingly.
The four jump off the stage and begin running, with a group of Fire Nation guards coming after them.
"Stop them!" one of them said.
Ricky turns around and shoots his blue flames out with his good hand, with Malu jumping off as the fire gets the stage on fire. The crowd went into a full-on panic and began running in different directions.
"Hey! Over here!" a voice called out.
Aang turns around to see a cloak-covered man waving at them in an alleyway, the four see the same thing and run towards the mysterious figure. Not sure if this was a trap or not, they took their chance with the hooded figure and followed him with the soldiers still on their trail. Ricky notices a wagon filled with barrels being held by a rope. He pulls out his pocket knife and begins cutting the rope with a slight flick of flames from his fingers, the barrels now falling and crashing into the soldiers.
Ricky quickly ran away as soon as he cut the rope and reached a dead end with his friends and the hooded figure.
"Appa should be here any minute now!" Aang said, holding onto his bison whistle.
"He better hurry! I don't think those barrels I set loose will slow them down," Ricky warns.
The five turn to another path, but they're stopped by another group of soldiers blocking their path. The hooded man grabs a small object and throws it at the soldiers, exploding as it hit the ground with a cloud of smoke blinding their sight. The five started running past them until they hit another dead end but were filled with boxes of fireworks.
"Now what?" Katara asks.
But just as luck was on their side, Appa appeared and landed in front of them.
"Appa!" Aang smiles, "Everyone! Get on!"
The guards show up, but Appa quickly turns around and roars at them, giving the Gaang enough time to get on the bison. Everyone all sighs in relief, the hooded figure pulling down the hood reveals a tan-skinned man in his thirties, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. Everyone all sighs in comfort, the hooded figure pulling down the hood shows a tan-skinned man in his thirties, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. The hooded figure was the last to climb on and throw another bomb at a box of fireworks. Setting them all off in colorful explosions as a distraction, with Appa finally flying away from the city.
"Thanks for saving us back there," Katara said.
"No problem," he said.
"Wait, you're a Fire Nation soldier!" Sokka points at them man accusingly.
"Was a Fire Nation soldier. My name's Chey."
A few minutes had passed, with the Gaang and Chey resting near a built fireplace to catch some rest from their escape. Chey was the first to speak.
"I serve a man who's a legend, a genius. Jeong Jeong the Deserter!" Chey said dramatically, "He was once a general... Or an admiral?"
Sokka rolled his eyes at Chey.
"We get it; he's a high-ranking person in the Fire Nation!"
"Yeah, that's it!" Chey snaps his fingers, "He couldn't take on the Fire Lord's madness anymore, so he was the first one to leave and live. I was the second one, but you don't get famous for that, but I'm okay with that."
"Wow, guess Ricky's not the first good firebender here then," Aang stated, to which Ricky only scoffed.
"So what? I honestly don't care."
He rested on his good hand and looked at the fire, his face scowl as Chey continued praising this man. He did not care about that, but he felt a bit—maybe a teeny bit—jealous of Jeon Jeong. It wasn't long till he heard Aang jumping up and down in excitement that snapped him out of his train of thought.
"We need to go see Jeong Jeong!" Aang stated.
"We are not going to see a crazed firebender!" Sokka argues.
"He's not crazy! He's enlightened!" Chey counters.
"Thanks, Chey, but we're heading to the North Pole," Ricky said, standing up.
Aang looked at the firebender and said, "Ricky, this is the only chance for me to master firebender who might be willing to help me."
"Pfft, who needs him when you already got a firebender right here?" he scoffs.
"But you haven't mastered it."
"I'm still learning! Besides, if Kat was able to teach you how to waterbend, then maybe I can teach you how to firebend as well."
Before Aang could retort, sounds of bushes rustling from all sides got the five's attention to see a group of men with light armor, straw hats, and spears pointing at the Gaang and Chey. The three benders took their stance, with Sokka wielding his weapon.
"Chey! Jeong-Jeong told you not to pursue the Avatar!" one of them stated.
"Wait, you know these guys?" Sokka questions.
"Oh yeah, Lin Yee is an old friend of mine. Right?" Chey said with enthusiasm.
"Shut up and keep moving!" Lin Yee growls, with the other men pointing at the group.
With no other choice in the matter, the Gaang and Chey did as they were told and began following Lin Yee and the other four to wherever they were going. Sokka noticed that one of the men was a teenage boy between his and Ricky's age. His clothing was like the rest of the men, with the only thing making him spot out was his blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was the only one pointing at Ricky.
"Um... What's your name?" Sokka asks the teenage boy.
He just looks at the Water Tribe boy with a cold hard stare. Sokka's back had sent shivers, with only a response from the boy.
"Ignis."
Sokka only nodded his head, clearly seeing that he wasn't the talkative type. He turns his head back and looks at his firebending friend. Ricky eyed at him as well, only shrugging on what was going to happen.
'This couldn't get any worse...' Ricky thought.
"So let me get this straight..." Zhao said in frustration, "You're telling me the Avatar and the Blue Dragon were here. And you weren't able to catch either of them?"
The captain guard looks at the Admiral anxiously, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Y-Yes, sir... But the good news is the festival was a success!" he said.
The sound of burning wooden planks fell onto the ground, causing some guards to flinch.
"There was no theft and no fights whatsoever."
"I don't give a damn about the crime rates, captain!" But then, Zhao yells, "Where did they go?"
"They fled into the village, near the river."
He took a deep breath before letting an elongated exhale. Zhao was getting impatient about Avatar's escape with his ally, the Blue Dragon, and the mysterious Blue Spirit that freed him. It was one lousy luck to another, but he doesn't believe in that. He wouldn't straight-up admit it to anyone, but this time it WILL be different, and he WILL get the Avatar and defeat that pesky Blue Dragon.
"Get the riverboats ready!" he orders his men, "We're going after the Avatar and the Blue Dragon."
"Yes, sir!"
After being "captured" by Chey's friends, the Gaang sat down at another fireplace near a river with a small settlement. Again, though, the men that captured them stayed with them. Although he told Aang to wait outside, Chey entered one of the cottages and said he'd get Jeong Jeong to train Aang. The chilling wind blew through the river, giving some of them to huddle near the fireplace, with Ricky using whatever remaining heat he had in his body. Again, though, he couldn't help but feel the cold gaze of the young firebender.
"So... How long have you been with this Jeong guy?" Ricky asks.
Ignis glared at the teenager and let out a low scoff, "What makes you think he'll train you?"
Ricky just raises his hands in defense, leaning back from the teenage firebender.
"Hey, he's just asking you a question!" Katara defended.
Ignis scoffs with a dry remark the following suit, "Yeah, and I bet he could beat him in an Agni Kai as well."
Before anyone could continue the argument, Chey finally came out of the hut with a disappointing look on his face. The modern boy just looks away with his cheeks puffing a bit and his arms crossed, mumbling in incomprehensibility. The modern boy just looks away with his cheeks puffing a bit and his arms crossed, mumbling in incomprehensibility. Aang was the first to notice and respond in anticipation.
"Well? What did he say?" he asks.
"He said he wouldn't train you."
Silence filled the area; everyone just stared at him before Aang broke the silence with a shock of disbelief.
"What do you mean he won't train me?" he asks.
"He said you hadn't mastered water bending and earth bending, and he says he was angry that I brought you here."
"Wait, how did he know Aang hasn't mastered those two?" Ricky questions.
"Why should you care if you're so gifted?" Ignis butted in.
"Hey, he was just asking a question!" Katara argues.
Ignis only ignores her, making her anger rise. Ricky sunk his body to the ground, avoiding all contact as Katara defended him and Iginis argued back. While everyone was too busy focusing on the argument, Aang quietly snuck away and tiptoed his way towards the hut. He took a look at the inside of the small area. An older man wearing the same worn-out cloak as the others showed nothing but a few candles aligned in a semicircle position. His grey hair was all over the place and unkempt.
"Um, hello? Jeong Jeong?" Aang quietly spoke up.
"Leave. You are not welcome here," the man spoke harshly.
Aang flinches but walks inside the hut, sitting on his knees near the dripping candles.
"Please, master, I need to learn firebending."
"Only a fool would blindly seek their own destruction."
"Listen, I'm the Avatar. It's my destiny to master all—" Aang says before he is interrupted by the old man.
"Destiny? What do you know about destiny? If the fish lived his whole life in the river, how does it know the river's destiny and see the ocean? Destiny is not a set path; it keeps going and going. He may follow it, but he will never reach his end."
Aang bit his lower lip. This man was too stubborn, and he felt this was getting nowhere. Sure, he could've asked Ricky to be his master, but even he was still a novice at best, and he has yet to learn their language if he's ever going to advance. He took a deep breath and spoke once more.
"Okay, but I'm the Avatar. So I have to master all of the disciplines in bending.
Jeong Jeong only scoffs for a moment.
"To master the bending discipline, one must master discipline itself. But you're not interested or willing to learn. So now leave my hut."
This was getting on Aang's nerves, but he couldn't show it, so he had to make him look like he was desperate. And he was desperate to learn.
"Please, this is my only chance of learning firebending. I wish I could ask my friend, but he's not a master, and we could really use your teachings."
Aang didn't like the idea of using Ricky as a tool to get him to get the old veteran to teach him firebending. But he had no other choice. He was caught off guard when Jeong Jeong turned around with his expression filled with anger and irritation, noticing the scar on his right eye.
"Are you deaf?! How can I teach the Avatar who willfully refuses to listen? First, you must master the two other elements: water and earth. Water is soothing and calm, and the earth is steady and firm. But fire, no one can't control fire. It's alive! It destroys everything in its path if you cannot control it. Unfortunately, your friend hasn't grasped his power. The blue flame is a symbol of fear and death. The Spirits were fools to give him that power!"
His golden eyes fill with anger as the flames on the candles start to grow even more significant. He wasn't having any of the young airbender's nonsense.
"You and your friend are not ready! You are too weak!" he shouts.
The flames shot upwards, blinding Aang from seeing Jeong Jeong before dark. Everything was quiet for the old firebender; he couldn't see the young Avatar. But all he could see was a single candle laying in front of him, a tree beside him, and an all too familiar figure standing before him.
"You think that I am weak?"
"A-Avatar Roku! Jeong Jeong gasps before looking down, "No! No, I didn't mean that."
Roku looks at the veteran before speaking again.
"I have mastered the elements a thousand times and a thousand lifetimes," he said in a stern tone, "Now, I must do it once more. You will teach the young Avatar firebending and help the Blue Dragon learn to wield his blue flames."
"B-But, the blue flames are too much for him!" the man objects, "He'll be corrupted by its flames and will use it for destruction!"
"The Spirits from both worlds wouldn't have chosen him if he was given that power. But unfortunately, the Fire Lord's daughter abused that power. But Richards, he will use it for good."
He stretches his hand out with a slight wave from his hand; the tree bursts into flames, causing the old firebender to flinch before looking down.
"Yes… I will teach you firebending."
"Really?" says Aang, "That's great!"
Jeong looks up to see that Roku is nowhere to be seen. He was back in his hut with the young Avatar. He groans out of dismay, believing that the training will end badly for them.
'I hope the Spirits were right for choosing the boy.'
When the Gaang heard that Jeong Jeong would train Aang and Ricky. Ricky basically did not like the idea of training with the older man. Still, after the scolding from the firebender, he reluctantly agreed. It was now morning with Aang, Ricky, and Ignis standing out in front of Jeong Jeong's cottage, three standing on some flat stones.
"Now, widen your stance."
Ignis was the first to widen his legs to a crouching-like position. Ricky and Aang followed suit.
"Good, now concentrate."
"Wait, what are we concentrating on?" Aang asks.
"Silence!" Jeong yells, causing the Avatar and his blue firebender almost to lose balance, "You are not concentrating! Look at my student. He's concentrating and following without question."
Jeong Jeong points at Ignis, the young firebender not reacting to Jeong Jeong's words, keeping his posture.
"And look at your friend over there. Is she talking?" he then points at Katara, practicing her bending and then moving his finger over to Sokka fishing, "Even that goof over is to focus."
"Hey!" Sokka spatted out.
"What are we even concentrating on?" Aang asks again.
"The sun. The sun is what gives all firebenders their power. They draw its heat and make it their own power. Now, concentrate!"
Ricky felt his leg shaking, slipping off the rock, and fell onto the shallow calm river. Katara and Sokka let out a small chuckle, with Aang holding it in while Ignis let out nothing but scoff.
"Pathetic. You can't even keep a steady balance."
Ricky frowns at the firebender, mumbling to himself as he slowly gets up from the river. Shivering from the coldness of the river, looking at his burnt arm and his bandage was utterly soaked.
"Just my luck," he grumbles.
"You!"
Ricky's spine shivers when the veteran firebender points his finger at him. If anything, his dad had told him about his time in the Navy. The Instructors were strict to the "T."
Ricky gulps before speaking, "Y-Yes?"
"Come with me."
Ricky looks at his friends and then back at the old firebender, unsure of what would happen, but he couldn't say or do anything to defy Jeong Jeong's demands. His evident expression was enough to say he was scared.
"Okay..."
He slowly got up from the cold, shallow, watching the man walking away from the group and pursuing after him. The others didn't object at all, but Ignis did not want to get caught in his fiery scolding, leaving the teenager by himself with the old firebender. Ricky looks back at his friends who were doing their own thing, but his mind can't help but feel a bit anxious. Not to mention his burnt arm was itching like mad underneath the bandage. Something that he has yet to overcome over the years in his life...
'Man, what would it take for this arm to get back to normal so I can bend with both hands again...' he thought with his left arm scratching the bandage.
"Alright, stand in position."
Jeon Jeong stops without looking at the boy. Ricky, before he half-heartedly gets into the position that he, Aang, and Ignis were doing.
"Wider," he said, not turning his body around.
"But you're not even—" Ricky said before the old firebender interrupted him.
"I said wider!"
The boy yelp before spreading his legs wider, feeling a bit of a strain on his upper legs. Jeon Jeong walks past him, grabbing a single dry leaf off an autumn tree and gently igniting the leaf's center on fire before turning towards Ricky and handing him the leaf.
"Hold this," he instructed.
Ricky gently grabs the leaf and stare at the slowly burning leaf.
"So... what is it you want me to do exactly?" he asks.
"I want you to keep the flame from reaching the edge of the leaf. If you want to master your firebending truly, you must control it." Jeong Jeong instructed before turning back to where they came.
"And if I fail?"
"Then do it again! Keep focus and stay patient!" he snaps before continuing his way back.
The young firebender can't help but grumble and curse under his breath. Only to burn the leaf entirely with the sudden jolt of pain signaling him when it reaches the tips of his fingers.
"Dang it. Hopefully, this shouldn't take too long..."
Jeong Jeong stays inside his small hut, meditating with the small candles forming a semicircle around him. Taking advantage of the quiet he has, with his two new pupils doing their practice breathing and Ignis controlling his flames was something he couldn't ask for... That is until he heard the sound of footsteps entering his hut and the curtains parting with the lights entering his home.
"What are you doing here? I did not tell you were done with your training!" Jeong Jeong scolds, seeing the young Avatar standing in front of him.
"I've been standing on that mountain for hours!" Aang complains, his expressions showing nothing but annoyance, "I've been standing on that cliff doing nothing but breathing!"
"Do you want to stop breathing? Do you wish to die?"
"I want you to stop wasting mine and my friend's time! I need to learn firebending to defeat the Fire Lord!" Aang yells at the old general.
Jeong Jeong lets out a longing sigh with his head hung low, and his shoulders were slouching, not looking at the airbender.
"I have a pupil who was also impatient. He cared not for discipline, only wanting to learn how to defeat his enemies and use the power of fire. But, unfortunately, fire is nothing but pure destruction, destroying everything in its path with no thought of the damage it has caused on others."
He looked at Aang, and his eyes showed the many things he had witnessed in his life; stiff and tired was all Aang could see in his golden eyes.
"You must learn control and discipline if you wish to learn firebending."
With that, he got up from his spot and left his hut, leaving the Avatar behind. He wished not to continue the argument any further, nor did he want the Avatar to come to him first to learn how to bend. He had one pupil to train, and that's all he needed. Looking around, he sees Ignis practicing his breathing techniques exactly how he intended. A slight sense of pride filled the former general, but he could not let such an emotion blind him. He had to know how the other firebender was doing. To see another human that can bend blue fire was a terrifying thought, and can only see nothing but destruction by such power. Taking a deep breath, he approached his student.
"Ignis, I have a task for you."
Ignis looks at his mentor, not leaving his position.
"What is it, Master?" he asks.
"I want you to see what the Avatar's friend is up to," he instructed, "See if he's still doing his training as I gave to him.
Ignis nods his head, "Yes, Master. And what is the training that you gave him?"
"He was given to keep the flames in the center of the leaf."
The teenager let out a small scoff before closing the gap between his legs, giving Jeong Jeong a respectful bow.
"As you wish, Master."
He begins to walk away from him, heading to where Ricky is. The old firebender left in his thoughts, wondering if he was doing any better than Aang was...
Ricky wasn't doing any better than Aang was. In fact, he was lying on the ground, napping with a small pile of dried-up leaves on his side and a few scattered ashes on his outfit. During the first hour and a half, he failed to keep the small flame from reaching the leaf's edges, which caused him to retract his fingers as it got near his fingertips. Sometimes it worked; sometimes, it left minor burnt marks on his fingers. Finally, after another hour or two, he began to fall asleep on the ground, with the sound of the river and the birds chirping being his only source to lull him to sleep.
In those past two hours, he didn't expect someone to come to check on him. After all, he was a heavy sleeper.
"Hey!" a voice spoke loudly, causing Ricky to jolt right up and widely awake.
"W-What? What time is it?"
He covered his eyes to block out the sunlight, blinking only a few times before his vision returned to him to see Ignis standing right beside him. With his arms crossed and his face scowled.
'People of all day today, right now...' Before letting out a low sigh, Ricky thought, "Hello, Ignite."
"It's Ignis," the firebender corrected.
Ricky dismissively waves his hand away, "Whatever. What time is it, anyway?"
"It's almost noon, and you've done nothing but sleep," Ignis said between his grit teeth.
"First off, I did not just fall asleep!" Ricky countered as he got up to wipe the ash off of his clothing with his only good arm, "I did what your teacher told me to do. If you can see a good amount of ash I made with those dead leaves on the ground."
Ignis took a look at the ground and the teen's clothes, and he was right. But in Ignis' eyes, that's no excuse to call it quits.
"If you really want to master firebending, you better take it seriously!"
Ricky frowned; he had already had enough of this guy's behavior towards him. That is until his nose started to itch from something burning.
"Hey, do you smell that?" he asks.
His eyebrow arch, sniffing the air for a moment before speaking, "Yeah, it smells like...smoke."
"Where is it coming from?"
The two looked around the area, smelling the burning scent stronger and closer. Hoping to find the source of the smell and see if there's a fire happening. Ignis looks behind Ricky, and his eyes widen to see a giant pillar of smoke moving ever so slowly towards them. He looked down to the river to see three objects in the distance, but he knew what it was.
"We need to go and warn Master Jeong Jeong!" the firebender said.
Ricky nods, "You don't have to tell me twice!"
The two firebenders turn tail and begin running away from upcoming metal ships as fast as possible. With Ignis being faster than Ricky, the brunette could keep up. The brunette looks back at the moving smoke as the small objects become bigger and bigger.
"Master! We've got a problem!" a tribal man yells worriedly at Jeong Jeong.
The former general felt a shock of fear in his body before turning away from Aang and his training.
"What's going on?" he asks?
"Keep your concentration on that leaf!"
Aang had slowly become impatient about his training with the old firebender, telling him to get into the same position and just "absorb" the sun's heat for hours on end. Of course, like many other young children, Aang got impatient and wanted to learn firebending fast as possible to have three out of four elements done before moving onto earthbending. With only Katara with him, he let out an annoyed sigh.
"Jeong Jeong is the worst instructor ever!" he exclaimed, "All he made me do is just have me doing nothing but breathe or concentrate for several hours!"
"I'm sure he has his reasons," Katara said.
"But I want to do so much more."
He closed his eyes, remembering what Jeong Jeong had told him. Letting out a deep breath, he took the stance his mentor told him and concentrated on the burning leaf. After two minutes of concentration, his leaf suddenly burned, and in his hands was holding a small flame a few inches away.
His eyes widen, and his lips curl into a smile, "I did it! I finally made fire!"
Aang felt joy going through his body with the small orange flame hovering over his fingertips. It's possibly one of his happier moments during his journey.
"That's great, but maybe you should be careful," Katara spoke in concern.
Aang didn't hear her or the tone of her concern. He was too busy with the small fire, juggling it from one hand to the other as he began to feel confident the more he played with it.
"Now that's what I call firebending!" he declared as Katara's worrying once more fell into deaf's ear.
That's when an idea came to his mind; he remembered the fire trick the juggler created last night. He wondered if he could pull it off. He took a stance, and he began to spin around...
"Aang! Katara! We got a problem!" a voice rang out
Aang snapped out of his blind confidence, taking notice of Ricky and Ignis running towards the two. But his gaze quickly turns, and his expression changes into horror as he sees his flames making contact with Katara's hands. A loud shriek of pain escaped her lips, and she fell to her knees, cradling to numb the pain.
"Katara! I'm so sorry!" Aang shouted.
"What did you do?!" Sokka yells, seeing his sister in pain.
Aang tried to explain, but he couldn't find any words to defend himself. He looked at the two young firebenders to come to his defense, but they stood in their place, Ricky looking in shock and Ignis sharing the same. He didn't take notice of Sokka tackling him to the ground, his grip holding the collar of his small poncho.
"I told you this was a bad idea, and look what you did!" Sokka yells angrily, with Katara running away and past the two teenage firebenders, "You burned my sister!"
"I-I'm sorry!" was what all Aang could say.
Sokka didn't listen to the Avatar's plead, taking notice of the former general making his way to the young group with an angry glare and pointed accusingly at him.
"This is all your fault!"
"I know. This was a terrible mistake," Jeong Jeong agrees, "Pack your things and go. Ignis, go with the others and stay there!"
Ignis nodded and left the rest of the group, and Sokka ran off. All that remained was Aang and Ricky, with Jeong Jeong looking at the young Air Nomad disappointed and then walking away. The two boys remain silent, with Ricky trying to conjure up what has happened before coming back to reality and walking towards his friend, still feeling nothing but shock and regret.
"Aang?" Rick finally spoke, but Aang didn't respond to him.
"Sokka and Jeong Jeong was right. This was a mistake," Aang said but not to the brunette, "I should've listened to them, but I didn't, and now this is all my fault."
He slowly stood up and started walking to the older general's cottage. Ricky stretches out his bandaged hand, but he stops himself and just watches his sorrowful friend entering the old building. He couldn't tell if he should blame himself for the sudden interruption of Aang's firebending or blame Aang for being blinded for his cockiness to learn firebending as fast as possible.
But it wasn't time to think about that. Right now, he has to help Sokka pack up and get out of here.
Katara knelt down, still hadn't removed her hands for a while before placing them near the shores of the water, wincing in pain. Taking deep breaths to ignore the pain, she noticed something odd. Her hands began to glow softly before fading as they appeared. She removed them from the water and marveled to see her hands were healed entirely as if they weren't burned.
"You have the gift of healing," Jeong Jeong spoke, making the waterbender turn her head.
He sat down next to her, only looking at the calm river.
"It's a great gift that only the talented waterbenders are blessed. If only I was as blessed as you and be free from this burning curse," he looked down at his old hands. Feeling guilt with all the memories of his past.
The waterbender looked at the old man confusingly before responding, "But you're a gifted firebending master. You have abilities and powers I will never know of. Surely you can see that."
The general shook his head.
"No, child. Water brings life and healing, but fire brings nothing but death and destruction," he explains, "It causes all of us who wields it to carry a significant burden between the line of humanity and savagery. Even your firebender friend."
Jeong Jeong raises his head to look at the young girl, his expression unwavering.
"Being able to bend a rare fire such only few can master will eventually tear him apart. It'll only be a matter of time for it to do so."
Her brow furrowed, wanting to counter his pessimistic point of view and, hopefully, make him seem a more optimistic side. Even if the Fire Nation did use it only for destruction if it were not for Ricky traveling with her, her brother, and Aang. But her chance to do so was cut short when the river shore burst into flames.
"What the—" Katara scream with the two getting up and backing away.
The former general gets into a defending stance and blocks the fire only a few feet away to watch over them. With the flames simmering down, the two noticed three riverboats coming towards them. Fear took over the two, with both having different conclusions. Jeong Jeong was the first to respond.
"Go! Go to your friends and never come back!" he yelled.
Katara nodded her head and began to book it. She ran as fast as she could, and hopefully, everyone was ready to leave and hopefully give Aang her forgiveness. She didn't know how long she had been running, but she saw Appa and the two teens packing their stuff into the saddle.
"Ricky! Sokka!" she called out the two boys.
The two saw her running towards them, Sokka being the first to run up to her.
"Katara! Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.
"I'm fine," she answered, "Where's Aang?"
"He's..." Ricky paused before speaking again and pointing at the small cottage, "He's in there."
She walks past them and enters the cottage, seeing the young Avatar. His back towards her and the candles in a semicircle around him. The two didn't speak to each other with the recent events was still plaguing the young airbender's mind.
"Jeong Jeong was right," Aang finally spoke, "He told me I wasn't ready, but I didn't listen to him, and this is what I got for being impatient. I will never firebend. Never again."
"Aang, it's not your fault. You have to firebend sooner or longer," Katara assured him, but he shook his head.
"No, never again."
Silence fills the small room once more, but Katara isn't going to have it. She needs to get everyone out fast, and she doesn't have time with the Fire Nation soldiers who are close by. She looks down at her hands, and the realization hits her.
"Aang, everything's okay. I'm healed."
Those words were enough to get the young boy's attention to quickly to turn around to see that she was right. Many questions ran through his mind, and none of them seemed to have an answer.
"How?" he finally spoke.
"I'll explain, but we need to leave," she said, "Jeong Jeong is holding off Zhao and his soldiers."
"What!? Where?"
"By the river," Katara points outside the hut, "But we don't have time!"
Before she could blink, Aang quickly ran past her and started running. He ignored all looks from the two boys and Appa; he needed to get to his mentor and save him. If he couldn't do master firebend, the best way to redeem himself is to save the old general.
Sokka and Ricky couldn't understand what just happened to cause the Avatar to burst out of the hut and run like his life depended on it. The teenage brunette looks back at the hut with Katara running outside.
"Kat, what's happening?" he asks the waterbender.
"Aang is going to fight against Zhao!" she explains; the two boys' eyes widen.
"What? That's suicide!" Sokka shouts.
Katara nods to her brother's statement, "I know, but what are we supposed to do? We need to go after him!"
"But how? We're easily outnumbered, and we barely escaped last time at that village!" Ricky exclaims.
"Well, we can't just leave him there to get captured!" Katara argues.
The firebender tries to develop an idea but could nothing to his frustration. He was never good with situations like this; it has caused many problems in his life back home. Biting his knuckles in hopes of getting something.
Luckily, Sokka saved him by the last minute.
"Well, whatever we have, we'll figure something out. Right now, Aang needs us."
The two benders look at each other and nod their heads; they have to move quickly as possible and save Aang from the Fire Nation. They're racing against time.
"Let's get going!" Ricky said, "We have an Avatar to save!"
Location: Unknown
The empty void with nothing but an orb shows the events playing out for the four observers. Former Avatar Roku, the Prince of Nazareth, Jesus, the Buddhist monk, Buddha, and Avatar Kyoshi haven't said a word to one another as they all watched the three kids doing their best to pack up to the Sky Bison to chase after the young Avatar.
Kyoshi frowned with her lower lips bitten, only for the monk to notice.
"What seems to be the problem, Avatar?" Buddha asks.
Her greens eyes averted from the orb to the Nepali; her stern gaze never wavered.
"I believe that the boy is becoming too confident with his blessed gift," she said.
Three men look at the earthbender in a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"But Kyoshi," Jesus said, "It was you who has suggested that the one to help young Aang be a boy that—and I quote—'born with nothing to lose and a commoner.'"
The earthbender lightly scoff, crossing her arms to be reminded of the past events.
"I do not need a reminder!" she said in an annoyed tone, "But I am starting to believe giving him one of the rarest abilities to bend blue fire will be his downfall."
"To be fair," Buddha joins, "Prince Jesus wasn't the one who suggested to give him such a gift."
"Yes, that will be that Monkey King, correct?" Roku finally spoke, stroking his white beard.
The four reminisce how Wukong burst into the meeting between the Spirits from both worlds and proudly announced that they should make him 'the most powerful firebender with blue flames that matches the sky!'. Of course, it was in exaggeration and much debate about whether to make the modern boy a bender. Some insisted on making him one or just having him stay the way he was before. Wukong kept butting in of making him a firebender. Still, the Spirit of Light, Raava, had the final say and made Ricky a firebender...
And gave him blue fire to shut the primate spirit up.
"I don't understand why he was so determined to have Paul Richards to be a firebender," Kyoshi grumbled, rubbing her temples.
Jesus only shrugs, "Best we figure out another time. But we had to keep the balance between our worlds from being destroyed."
"Speaking of which," Roku snaps his fingers, "Have we found out who to choose to go to Ricky's world?"
Buddhist Spirit nods his head, "Yes, a young waterbending girl from the Northern Water Tribe. Of course, she will lose her ability once we take her to a designated location."
"It better be fast," Kyoshi said annoyingly, "We can't wait another moment if we keep those demons from tearing our worlds apart.
"Impatient, are we?" Jesus arches his brow, "You're not usually like this. What seems to be the problem."
"You know what's the problem," she spat, "I don't need to say it. I must go; I have other business to attend to."
The Avatar turned around and left the three men alone, disappearing into the darkness. The three look at each other with a bit of concern that they all share at their companion's sour mood.
"I don't think we need to figure out what she's doing," Roku said.
"I agree," Buddha said, "I only hope this doesn't affect the young child's destiny drastically."
"Have faith, friend," The Israelite said, gently placing his hand on the monk's shoulder, "He will prevail. Avatar Aang and his friends will be there to help him."
Buddha smiles and lets out a small chuckle, "To think that one of my last kind is in the hands of a young boy."
"Yes, Aang is special," Jesus laughs.
Roku smiles to see the two men sharing the same interests. The former airbender, now Spirit of the "Modern World," has made a huge impact there. Looking back at the orb, seeing Aang defeated Admiral Zhao with the firebender's boats burned by own hands. The young Avatar was lucky he was able to escape in time with the three teens arriving with Ricky launching a blue fireball at the evil firebender before they all fled.
He hopes they succeed.
Author's Note: Sorry for the huge MIA, guys. 2019 to 2021 was the lowest point in my writing, even if I did make a new story recently(which puts more pressure on me to keep track of which chapter to work on next). So, I hope this doesn't kill any of your guys' investment in my story. I also went back to some past chapters. I redid some to make Ricky less of a Gary Stu in my eyes and begin to try to have him work his way up instead of giving him new firebending abilities for no reason. If you're confused with how this chapter started, I recommend reading the past couple of chapters that I revised to make sense.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this long-due chapter. Anyways, LeoPrime13 is out. PEACE!
