A/N: Alright! Time for the fourth Chapter! Hope you all have been satisfied with my work because that's what motivates me to keep writing.
Disclaimer- I don't own Dragon ball Z or Avatar-The Last Airbender
Chapter 4
Zuko's Fire Navy Ship was sailing through the water as the search for the Avatar continued. Inside his quarters, Prince Zuko and Prince Trunks were meditating. They sat down with four lit candles in front of each of them. As the two inhaled, the fire on the candles diminshed and as they exhaled, the flames magnified. The door suddenly opened and Iroh stepped in.
"The only reason you should be interrupting us is if you have news about the Avatar," said Zuko.
"Well there's news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it," warned Iroh. "Don't get too upset."
"Iroh, you taught us that keeping a level head is a sign of a good leader, and if Zuko wants to prove he's worthy of being the next Fire Lord, he needs to handle even the worst news," said Trunks.
"Trunks is right, whatever you have to say I'm sure I can take it," assured Zuko.
"Ok then, we have no idea where he is," said Iroh.
The flames in front of Zuko suddenly burst out as he shouted, "WHAT?!" Trunks remained still as he sighed and said, "You took it better than I expected." Iroh opened a fan and started waving it in order to cool himself as Zuko stood up. "You really should open a window in here," said Iroh. "Give me the map!" ordered Zuko as he snatched the map from his uncle. "There have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down," Iroh explained.
"How am I gonna find him, uncle?" asked Zuko as he observed all the directions his target took on the map. "He is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering."
"That, or he just has a terrible sense of direction," said Trunks when he looked at the map.
With the gang, Sokka was looking at the map while Aang was flying Appa and Gohan was riding Icarus. "You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Sokka asked Aang. "Well, I know it's near water," replied Aang as they flew over a vast ocean. "I guess we're getting close then," said Sokka sarcastically. The last Airbender turned to looked at Katara, who was busy sowing her brother's pants. "Momo, marbles please," requested Aang to the lemur bat. Momo crawled into Aang's shirt and brought a bag of marbles.
"Hey Katara, check out this airbending trick," said Aang as he used airbending to rotate the marbles while wearing a big smile.
"That's great, Aang," said Katara without looking.
"But you didn't even look," said Aang as he stopped his trick.
"That's great!" said Katara after stopping her sowing to look at her friend.
"But I'm not doing it now," said Aang.
"Stop bugging her airhead, you need to give girls space once they do their sowing," said Sokka.
"What does me being a girl have to do with sowing?" asked Katara, a little insulted.
"Simple, girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just a natural order of things," said Sokka.
"You know that's very sexist Sokka, and you shouldn't anger the girl fixing your pants," warned Gohan.
"It's ok Gohan, he's right," said Katara while wearing a fake smile. "See? All done with his pants, and look at what a great job I did!"
The waterbender threw her brother's pants at his face which made the energybender laugh. "Wait! I was just kidding! I can't wear these, Katara please!" begged Sokka as he put his arm through the hole in his pants. "Relax Sokka, where we're going you won't need any pants," said Aang as he steered the bison. The group landed on a specific island far from civilization. "We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?" asked Sokka.
"He's right. At this rate, we won't reach the North pole until spring," said Katara.
"But Appa's tired already, aren't you boy?" asked Aang. When he got no response from the bison, he nudged him with his elbow and said, "I said, aren't you boy?" When Appa finally made a yawn-like sound, Aang looked at his friends. "Yeah, that was real convincing," Sokka said sarcastically. "Still, hard to argue with a ten ton magical monster." "Aang, look!" said Gohan as he pointed toward the water. Four giant red and yellow scaled fish with two whiskers suddenly leaped out of the water, while the water tribe siblings watched in awe. "That's why we're here, elephant koi. Gohan and I are gonna ride 'em. Katara you gotta watch us," said Aang as he and Gohan stripped to their underwear. The boys ran to the ocean and jumped in, only to jump out a few seconds later and shout, "COLD!" before diving back in. Katara looked to Sokka, who made the crazy sign.
After staying underwater for a few minutes, two elephant kois jumped out of the water with Aang on top of one and Gohan on the other. The boys were holding onto the fishs' giant fins as they rode and they surfed the waves. Katara smiled as she watched her friends while Sokka just frowned, clearly unimpressed. The boys waved to their friends as they laughed.
"Whoo!" cheered Katara as she waved back.
"Yeah! Ha ha ha!" cheered the Airbender.
"Yee haw! Whoo hoo!" cheered the Energy bender.
The fish continued to jump into the air with the boys still on their backs. At one point, Gohan's fish jumped high into the air and he backflipped to its tail fin; he grabbed its tail and held tight as it resumed swimming. By holding its tail, Gohan was water skiing as his fish swam on. He then jumped back onto its back. Aang's dove down with him on it before resurfacing.
"They look pretty good out there," said Katara to her brother.
"Are you kidding? The two fish are doing all the work," said Sokka.
"No Appa, don't eat that!" cried Katara when she saw the bison. Aang had a huge smile on his face when he looked toward the shore, but then he noticed Katara leaving and frowned as he said, "Aw man." "Trying to show off to Katara again?" Gohan asked his brother. "No!" Aang denied. As the elephant koi continued to swim, something big was pursuing them from under the water. Three of the four fish suddenly changed direction, leaving the fourth to be hunted by the creature. "There's something in the water!" yelled Sokka. The fourth fish was suddenly dragged down by its tail and didn't resurface. The same happened to the third fish, while the two boys remained unaware.
"What's wrong?!" asked Katara as she returned.
"The guys are in trouble! Aang, Gohan!" shouted Sokka.
"Get out of there!" warned Katara as Momo screeched.
The boys looked over to the shore, where they saw their friends waving at them but couldn't hear their warnings. "Get back here guys!" yelled Sokka. "Come here!" cried Katara. Aang's fish was soon dragged down, which launched him off the fish and head first into the water. "Aang!" cried Gohan, seconds before his fish suffered the same fate. He landed right next to his brother as the creature swam towards them. A giant black fin suddenly appeared behind the boys. They screamed in fear before Aang grabbed Gohan's wrist and ran on the water. The sea monster chased after them but due to Aang's speed, it didn't catch up to them. Eventually the boys crashed into Sokka on shore, and the creature submerged itself. The boys quickly reclothed themselves as Katara approached them.
"What was that thing?" asked the waterbender.
"I don't know," replied Aang.
"Well, let's not stick around to find out; time to hit the road!" said Sokka as he stood up.
"I agree, let's go!" said Gohan.
But before they could leave, several warriors in green armor jumped out of the trees and surrounded the gang. Sokka reached for his boomerang, preparing to fight, but he was grabbed from behind by one of the warriors. Next was Katara, whose hood was pulled over her eyes by another warrior, then Aang's shirt was grabbed by a third warrior before he could react. Momo jumped into the air but was sacked by another warrior. Lastly, Gohan grabbed the hilt of his blade but his wrist was grabbed before he could pull it out as the warriors surrounded him. He tried to kick one of the assailants but they grabbed his left leg; he was then knocked off his right leg causing him to fall on his stomach as the warriors bound his arms and blindfolded him. Soon the whole gang was tied up and thrown on the ground.
"Or we could stay a while," said Sokka.
"Yeah. I mean, what's the rush?" asked Gohan.
The four were dragged back to a small village while still blindfolded by their captors and tied to a long pole that had a big statue of a woman on top of it. The warriors and the villagers were gathered in front of the gang, along with an old man. "You four have some explaining to do," said the old man. "And if you don't answer all of our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the Unagi!" warned a female voice.
"Show yourselves, cowards!" challenged Sokka.
"Oh, that's a nice way to talk to the people who have us held captive!" said Gohan sarcastically.
"Show no fear!" said Sokka.
"Then show brains or respect!" argued Gohan.
The gang's blindfolds were removed, allowing them to see that their captors were a group of woman wearing green armor and face paint. They had fan-like weapons attached to their armor. The only one who stood out was the elderly man among them.
"Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?" asked Sokka.
"There were no men, we ambushed you," replied the leader of the warriors. "Now tell us: who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Wait a second, there's no way a bunch of girls took us down!" said Sokka.
"A bunch of girls huh? The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight!" said the leader as she grabbed Sokka's shirt.
"No, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it; my brother's just an idiot sometimes!" Katara said, defending her brother. The leader then released Sokka.
"Are you trying to get us killed before we reach the North Pole?!" asked Gohan.
"Hey, it's not my fault we're here!" said Sokka.
"He's right. It's my fault. I'm sorry we came here; my brother and I wanted to ride the elephant koi," Aang spoke up.
"If you let us go, we'll leave this place in peace and we'll take the idiot with us," said Gohan.
"Hey!" cried Sokka.
"How do we know you're not Fire Nation Spies?!" asked the old man accusingly. "Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way!"
"This island is named for Kyoshi?" asked Aang. "I know Kyoshi!"
"Hah! How could you possibly know her?!" asked the old man as he looked toward the statue of the woman on the pole. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago; she's been dead for centuries!"
"I know her because I am the Avatar," said Aang.
The old man was surprised to hear this, as were the other villagers, but the leader of the warriors replied, "That's impossible! The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago!" "That's me!" replied Aang. "It's true!" said Gohan, trying to vouch for his brother. "Throw the imposter to the Unagi!" ordered the old man. The Kyoshi warriors opened their fans and slowly approached the four travelers. "Aang, do some airbending," said Katara. In one swift move, Aang hoisted himself into the air, breaking his restraints, and jumped right over Kyoshi's statue before slowly descending to the ground. Everyone, aside from Aang's travel companions, were amazed by what the young monk just did.
"It's true; you are the Avatar!" said the old man.
"Now, check this out!" said Aang as he brought out his marbles and rotated them using airbending.
"Really, bro?" asked Gohan.
The villagers started cheering wildly; one was cheering so much that foam started to build in her mouth until she fainted. The news of Aang's arrival spread like wildfire. One of the village girls came to a local fisherman and said, "Did you hear the news? The Avatar's on Kyoshi!" The fisherman nearly dropped his net of fish; he then passed the news to a second fisherman as he gave him his fish. The second fisherman then told someone from the fire nation colony while selling him a fish, and that man told the news to a certain fire prince while serving the fish.
"The Avatar's on Kyoshi island?!" asked Zuko after hearing the news. He then turned to Iroh and said, "Uncle, ready the rhinos! He's not getting away from me this time!"
"Are you going to finish that?" asked Iroh after his nephew left the smoked fish uneaten.
"I was going to save it for later!" said Zuko as he took the fish away, which made Iroh frown. Trunks then walked up to Zuko and suggested, "How about I ready the Rhinos right now if you give Iroh your smoked fish?"
"Fine! Just ready the Rhinos!" said Zuko as he placed the fish in front of his uncle. The retired general immediately started devouring the fish.
Meanwhile on Kyoshi island, some of the villagers were busy repainting the statue of Kyoshi while others were grooming Appa. Inside one of the homes, the gang was being served numerous plates of delicious food. "Alright! Dessert for breakfast!" cheered Aang as he started to chow down. "These people sure know how to treat an Avatar." "I'll say! This stuff's delicious!" said Gohan as he ate many of the plates of food rapidly. Katara stared at him with wide eyes while he just continued eating. "Does he always eat like this?" Katara asked Aang. "Oh yeah, Gohan's got a huge appetite!" explained Aang. Katara contniued to stare as Gohan stuffed his face. "Where does it all go?" asked the waterbender. "Please, I'm a fighter! I train way too much to let the food I eat fatten me!" said Gohan. After finishing a few more plates of food, the energy bender got up and said, "Gotta go! I'll see ya later!" as he grabbed his sword. "Where are you going, bro?" asked Aang.
"Did you see the way those Kyoshi warriors fight?" asked Gohan. "I'm gonna go see how they train and see if they're willing to spar with an outsider. Maybe even teach me some moves."
"You wanna train with the Kyoshi warriors?" asked Katara.
"Gotta improve my fighting skills any way I can, and these girls are great warriors, which makes them the perfect challenge!" said Gohan.
"Hmph!" said Sokka, who was brooding in the corner.
"Anyway, later," said Gohan, and with that, he left to where the Kyoshi warriors were training.
Aang just waved and said, "Have fun!" before continuing to eat. Katara seemed unsure about eating as she was inspecting the food. "Katara, you gotta try this," said Aang as he offered her a sweet. "Well, maybe just a bite," said Katara. She took a bite out of the food; upon seeing how good it was, she started picking up and chomping on others. As they ate, Aang finally noticed his friend sulking in the corner and called him over. "Sokka, what's your problem? Eat!"
"I'm not hungry," lied Sokka while sulking.
"But you're always hungry," argued Aang.
"He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday," Katara explained while teasing her brother.
"They snuck up on me!" argued Sokka.
"Right. And then they kicked your butt," Katara continued her teasing.
"Sneak attacks don't count," said Sokka as he got up and made his way over to the food table."Tie me up with ropes. I can't believe Gohan thinks they're great warriors. I'll show 'em a thing or two. I'm not scared of any girls. Who do they think they are anyway?" The water tribe warrior continued to grumble as he grabbed a few pieces of dessert, proving his hunger by eating them. "Mmm, this is tasty."
"What's he so angry about?" asked the airbender. "It's great here; they're giving us the royal treatment."
"Hey, don't get too comfortable! It's risky for us to stay in one place for very long," warned Katara.
"I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, did you see how happy I'm making this town? They're even cleaning up my statue in my honor," said Aang.
"Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar. I just hope it doesn't all go to your head," said Katara.
"C'mon, you know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk," said Aang as he looked out the window. He suddenly heard girlish shrieks and looked down, seeing numerous fan girls a little younger than him screaming and waving. The simple monk smiled as he blushed while the waterbender stuck her tongue out. The Avatar was soon running from his admirers; he ran over a small bridge with the girls right behind him. He ran across the bridge again while still being chased by screaming ladies. At his third attempt to cross the bridge, he was surrounded by the girls from both ends of the bridge. He quickly jumped into the air before they could get him. The girls looked up and saw Aang using an air sphere to float; however, the air sphere quickly dissipated and he fell into the arms of the girls.
After that, Aang was standing with a girl while waiting for a painter to paint a picture of him. After getting a good look at them he started painting, but when he looked again he saw that a second girl had joined them. He began painting the three of them when two more girls showed up. He tried to paint them but the Avatar was soon surrounded by girls. The painter made a face before he left and the girls dog piled on Aang. The Avatar continued to show off by doing push-ups in front of the girls using two arms, then switched to one arm before switching to no arms and using his breath. Katara passed by, looking unimpressed.
Elsewhere, Gohan was walking through the village looking for where the Kyoshi warriors train. He soon came across a small dojo where the Kyoshi warriors were practicing their type of martial art while using their fans. He stepped up to the entrance and sat down to watch the warriors train. After a few minutes, the warriors noticed the energy bender and stopped to look at him.
"Please, don't stop on my account," said Gohan.
"Can we help you?" asked the Kyoshi leader.
"I was just impressed by your fighting skills the other day that I wanted to see it up close," said Gohan.
"Is that so?" asked the ledaer. "Judging by your gi, your headband, and your sword, I guess you're a warrior?"
"Yeah, I know a few basic fighting styles," replied Gohan before extending his hand. "I'm Gohan. I'm a martial artist and an energy bender."
"Suki, leader of the Kyoshi warriors," Suki introduced herself as she shook Gohan's hand. "You're the Avatar's brother, aren't you? You don't look related."
"We aren't by blood. We were raised and trained by the same master," explained Gohan.
"So how come you and the Avatar look so young when he claims to have disappeared a hundred years ago?" asked Suki.
"A hundred years ago, Aang ended up frozen in ice and remained there throughout the war. I ended up trapped in the Spirit world for that long," explained Gohan.
"I see," said Suki. "I wish to apologize for ambushing you the other day."
"Don't worry about it. I actually came here to see if you would like to spar with or show me some of your skills," requested Gohan.
"You wish to learn from us?" asked Suki. "We're not exactly comfortable with teaching an outsider."
"Think of it as a teaching and learning experience. If we spar, I could learn new fighting styles while you could get some experience in fighting outsiders," said Gohan.
"Why would we need experience in fighting outsiders?" asked Suki.
"My friends and I will not be the last outsiders to visit this island. We're in a war; the Fire Nation will come here eventually in their conquest, no matter how long you distance yourselves from the rest of the world. I've gone up against the Fire Nation before; I'm offering you a little knowledge in fighting outsiders in exchange for showing me what you girls can do," said Gohan. "What do you say?"
Suki thought about his offer for a minute before she said, "Alright Gohan, you have a deal. Now which one of my warriors would you like to be your opponent?"
"Actually, I would be honored if you would be my first opponent Suki," said Gohan.
"I'd be glad to spar with you Gohan," said Suki.
The spiky haired teen unstrapped his sword and dropped it on the ground; it made a thud noise and left a dent in the floor. "Will you not be using your sword?" asked Suki as Gohan started flexing and stretching. "No. That sword is really heavy and this is just a friendly spar. Plus, I don't think you could handle it if I swung it at you, no offense," said Gohan. "None taken," said Suki as she entered a fighting position. "Now, show me what you got!" Gohan entered his own stance as he prepared to fight. His first attack was a kick which Suki blocked with her fan. She then threw him and he landed on his back. Gohan quickly got up and threw a punch at his opponent, but she quickly dodged it and tried to hit him with her own fist.
Gohan blocked her punch and pushed her back with a palm strike. She jumped into the air in an attempt to kick the energy bender, but he evaded her and tried to kick her again, which she blocked with her fan. "You're pretty good," said Gohan as he put his leg down.
"You're not too bad yourself," said Suki.
"I'm just getting warmed up!" said Gohan.
"So am I!" Suki replied.
The energy bender threw a punch at the Kyoshi warrior, but she grabbed his fist and raised his arm. She held her fist to his face as if she were planning on punching him. For a moment, no one made any move. Suki then grabbed Gohan's headband and pulled it over his eyes before flinging him over her shoulder. Gohan quickly got up but didn't remove the blindfold as he took his fighting stance. "Aren't you gonna take off the blindfold?" asked Suki.
"Oh I will eventually. Besides, it's good training," said Gohan as he charged at Suki. She quickly rolled out of his way, forcing him to stop and stay still. "He's trying to detect me by using his other senses, very resourceful," thought Suki. She then started sliently moving around her opponent, trying to get to his back. She accidently stepped on an unstable tile on the floor, which made a sound loud enough for Gohan to hear. He reacted quickly by turning around and kicking Suki, which knocked her off her feet. She quickly stood up as Gohan rushed at her again and stepped to the side, avoiding Gohan just barely. When she turned around she saw Gohan standing still, trying to sense her without looking. She tiptoed around him without making a sound, but he suddenly took a few sniffs before turning toward Suki and charging at her. He threw another punch at her, which she blocked with her own fist before Gohan pulled up his headband.
"That was fun," said Gohan.
"It was indeed. As much fun as it is sparring with you, we need to get back to our training," said Suki.
"Of course. But allow me to watch before I go do my own training," requested Gohan. "And anytime you want to spar, just let me know."
"Sure thing," said Suki. Gohan went to sit down in a corner as the Kyoshi warriors went back to their training. The energy bender picked up a rock and started to sharpen his sword by scraping the rock against it. Outside, a certain water tribesman was still grumbling to himself about losing to female warriors. "I can't believe I got beat up by a bunch of girls," said Sokka as he approached the Kyoshi warriors' training room. Sokka looked inside before walking in on the warriors.
"Sorry ladies, didn't mean to interrupt your dance lesson, but I was just looking for somewhere to get a little workout," said Sokka as he started stretching.
"Well, you're in the right place. Your friend got a good workout earlier," said Suki as she gestured to Gohan in the corner.
"Hey Gohan," greeted Sokka. "Why are you here?"
"Hi Sokka. I came to train with the Kyoshi warriors," explained Gohan. "They're very skilled."
Sokka glared at Gohan for a second before resuming his stretching. "Sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you were friends with the Avatar," Suki apologized to Sokka.
"It's alright. I mean normally I'd hold a grudge, but seeing as you guys are a bunch of girls, I'll make an exception," said Sokka.
"I should hope so," said Suki as she made an innocent face. "A big strong man like you, we wouldn't stand a chance."
"True, but don't feel bad. After all, I'm the best warrior in my village."boasted Sokka clearly unaware of the trap Suki was setting up for. Gohan sighed as he thought. "You're the only warrior in your village. The others are either toddlers or women who do labor work." "Wow. Best warrior huh? In your whole village. Maybe you'd be kind enough to give us a little demonstration?"requested Suki. Sokka seemed unsure at the moment as he said "Oh. Well, I mean I..."
"Come on girls, wouldn't you like him to show us some moves?"Suki asked the Kyoshi warriors. The girls giggled as the nodded. "Well if that's what you want, I'd be happy to."said Sokka. He then pushed Suki back a little and said "Alright, you stand over there." Sokka then took a stance as he prepared to strike. "Now this may seem a little tough, but try to block me."instructed Sokka. He threw a punch at Suki, she simply jabbed his shoulder with her fan which halted his attack and made him back up.
"Heh, heh. Good. Of course I was going easy on you."said Sokka as he flexed his arm.
"Of course."said Suki as she smirk.
"Let's see if you can handle this!"said Sokka as he tried to kick Suki. She quickly dodged his attack and knocked him into the air. She opened her fan and used it to fan herself as Sokka fell on his back. Gohan face palmed himself as he thought "Here it comes." Now angry, Sokka stood up and exclaimed "That does it!" The water tribe warrior tried to punch the Kyoshi leader but she side stepped him and grabbed his wrist. She started spinning him around as he screamed, she then grabbed his belt and tied his wrist to his ankle. Sokka hopped for a few seconds before he fell down.
"Anything else you want to teach us?"asked Suki jokingly as the kyoshi warriors laughed and Sokka blushed. Gohan got up and grabbed Sokka's foot before he said "Excuse us." he then and dragged his friend outside. Once outside Gohan untied Sokka's hand and foot and asked "Really man? Where's your respect tor a fellow warrior?" Sokka grabbed his belt and grumbled "They're just a bunch of girls." "They're still capable warriors who managed to kick your butt twice. Why does it matter whether they're boy or girl?"asked Gohan. "If you actually managed to drop your manly pride, you could learn a thing or two from these Kyoshi warriors. I sure have." The energy bender then left to do his own training, leaving Sokka to rethink things.
Back in the village, the Avatar was still with his female fans staring at the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. It was fully cleaned up and looked good as new. "There she is girls, me in a past life."said Aang. "Oooh."said the girls. "You were very pretty."said one of the girls. Aang then said "Excuse me for a second ladies." before he left to find his friend Katara. The waterbender was busy collecting groceries, when Aang came and tapped her.
"Oh hi."greeted Katara. "Can you help me carry this back to our room, it's a little heavy?"
"Actually I can't right,"said Aang.
"What do you mean you can't?"asked Katara.
"I promised the girls I'd give them a ride on Appa."replied the monk before he offered. "Why don't you come with us? It'll be fun."
"Watching you show off for a bunch of girls does not sound like fun."said Katara as returned to collecting groceries.
"Well, niether does carrying your basket."countered Aang.
"It's not my basket, these supplies are for our trip. I told you we have to leave Kyoshi soon."explained Katara.
I don't wanna leave Kyoshi yet."said Aang. "I can't put my finger on it but there's something I really like about this place."
Just then the girls in Aang's fan group giggled as one of them called out to him. "What's taking so long Aangy?"she asked. The Avatar waved to his fans whiled Katara made a face and asked "Aangy?" "Just a second Coco!"replied Aang. "Simple monk huh? I thought you promised me this Avatar stuff wouldn't go to your head?"asked the waterbender. "It didn't."replied the monk as he made a suspecting. "You know what I think? You just don't wanna come because you're jealous."
"Jealous! Of what?"asked Katara as she looked away and started gather things again.
"That we're having so much fun without you." said Aang. (A/N: As if that makes any sense.)
"That's ridiculous." argued Katara.
"It is a little ridiculous but I understand." said Aang.
The waterbender glared as she huffed at the monk before grabbing her basket of supplies and storming off. Aang was then grabbed by his fans and pulled away. Meanwhile, Gohan was busy doing his own training in one room in the dojo while the Kyoshi warriors were doing their own exercises in the other. The spiky haired teen was throwing punches and kicks while shouting "Hyaa!" He did flips, backflips, handstands along with pushups and situps. He then threw his arms forward multiple times, creating numerous air force attacks or kiai. He then channeled energy through his body and created an energy shield before releasing it as an energy blast. He finally placed his hands above his head while directing ki into his palms. He then yelled "MASENKOHA!" as he fired a large yellow beam into the sky. Gohan then sat down and closed his eyes as he began to meditate. He suddenly noticed Sokka walking past him and going to where ehe Kyoshi warriors were training.
"Uh, hey Suki." greeted Sokka awkwardly.
"Hoping for another dance lesson?" asked Suki as she stopped training to address.
"No I...well, let me explain..." said Sokka hesitantly.
"Spit it out! What do you want?" asked Suki.
The water tribesman suddenly fell to knees as he said "I would be honored if you would teach me."
"Even if I'm a girl?" asked Suki indignantly as she crossed her arms.
"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier, I was wrong." said Sokka.
"We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys!" said Suki.
"Please make an exception, I won't let you down." assured Sokka as he bowed.
"Alright, but you have to follow all our traditions." instructed Suki.
"Of course." Sokka replied quickly.
"And I mean all of them." Suki repated while smirking.
A few moments later Sokka was dressed in the same kind of clothing as the Kyoshi warriors and wearing their face paint. It was clear to say he didn't find it fitting for himself. "Do I really have to wear this? It feels a little...girly." complained Sokka. "It's a warriors uniform." explained Suki. "I don't see Gohan wearing this." argued Sokka as he stared at his friend who was practicing his swordsmanship, but he stopped to address Sokka. "Whoa, hold on there buddy. I asked to spar with the Kyoshi warriors or for them to show me some of their fighting styles, I didn't ask them to train me. Their fighting style is good, but I wish to improve and adapt my own by observing and learning new ones. I don't want to be a Kyoshi warrior. You asked Suki to train you, so wearing the dress is your problem."
"You should feel proud to wear this uniform." said Suki. "The silk tread represents the brave blood that runs through a warriors veins, the gold insignia represents the honor of a warrior's heart."
"Bravery and honor." Sokka said as he stood prouldly.
Just then Aang walked by the dojo and saw his friend in the uniform. He teased Sokka by saying "Hey Sokka, nice dress." which made the water tribesman frown in embarrassment. The Avatar continued to walk around until he found Katara practicing her waterbending, she paid no attention to him as he spoke. "Katara, remember how the Unagi almost got me yesterday?" asked Aang.
"Yeah." answered Katara without looking.
"Well, I'm gonna go ahead and ride it now." said Aang. "It's gonna be real dangerous."
"Good for you." said Katara.
"You're not gonna stop me?" asked a surprised Aang.
"Nope. Have fun." said Katara.
"I will." assured Aang.
"Great!" said Katara.
"I know it's great!" said Aang.
"I'm glad you know!" said Katara.
"I'm glad you're glad!" said Aang.
"Good!" said Katara as she stopped waterbending and clenched her fist.
"Fine!" said Aang before he stormed off. He looked back only to see Katara looking a way with her arms folded and left. Katara looked to where he was before looking away worried. Back at the dojo, Sokka was trying to copy the Kyoshi warriors movements with the fan weapon while Suki was supervising him. "You're not gonna master it in one day. Even I'm not that good." said Suki. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." said Sokka. He then started moving around with the fan before throwing it at a tree and knocking the snow off of it. "It's not about strentgh." explained Suki.
"Our technique is about using our opponents force against them, loosen up." Suki then brought out her own fan as she continued to explain. "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm," she talked while she and Sokka took similar stances. "Wait for an opening and then..." she was suddenly interrupted when Sokka managed knock her down. For a moment both were too surprised to say anything, then crossed his arms and smirked.
"I fell on purpose to make you feel better!" Suki claimed as she stood up.
"I got you! Admit I got you!" said Sokka as he pointed a finger at his instructor.
Suki then grabbed his finger and bent it a bit, making Sokka wince in pain. "Ok but it was a lucky shot." Suki said as she released Sokka who checked his hand. She then said "Let's see if you can do it again." The two then resumed their training.
At the the island beach, Aang was in the water waiting for the Unagi to emerge while his fan girls were sitting on the shore looking bored as they waited. "What's taking so long?" asked Coco. "I'm sure it'll be here any second." assured the Avatar. After a second and nothing happened, Aang tried to entertain the girls with his marble trick. "Uh, what about this?" he asked. "Not that again. Boring." said another one of the girls. "Where's the Unagi? It's getting late!" exclaim Coco as the girls stood up. "Where are you going? Don't leave!" cried Aang. "Sorry Aang, maybe next time." said Coco as the girls left. Feeling depressed, the Avatar sank into the water just above his nose. He then noticed his water tribe friend coming to the beach.
"Katara! You showed up!" exclaimed Aang.
"I wanted to make sure you were safe." explained Katara. "You really had me worried."
"Back there you acted like you didn't care." said Aang.
"I'm sorry." Katara apologized.
"Me too." as did Aang. "I did let all that attention go to my head, I was being a jerk."
"Well get out of the water before you catch a cold you big jerk!" Katakra said jokingly.
The Avatar smiled as he said "On my way!" and started to swim towards the shore. As he swam something big started following him. Katara gasped when she recognized what it was. In a few seconds something came under Aang and lifted him above the water. The Avatar was no longer in the water but was on the body of the Unagi, whose head was staring down at him. The sea monster sprayed a giant blast of water at the monk but held onto one of it's scales in order to prevent himself from falling off. The Unagi then lunged at Aang, who grabbed on of it's whiskers. The Unagi shook it's head as the held on for dear life. The airbender screamed as he continued to swing around the sea monster's head, avoiding it's mouth.
"Hang on Aang!" cried Katara as she watched helplessly from the shore.
Eventually the Avatar was flung off of the Unagi and landed hard in the water, when he resurfaced his mouth was open as he laid there unconscious. "Aang!" cried the waterbender as she enter the water and swam towards her friend. The Unagi then submerged itself and swam towards Aang. Katara desperately swam towards the airbender as the Unagi came closer. She managed to get to him first but the two were too far from the swim back before the Unagi could get them; it's head suddenly appeared right above the two benders, preparing to devour them.
Just as the Unagi lunged at them, Katara used her waterbending to push her and Aang towards the shore. After they reached the shore, the Unagi sprayed two blasts of water before diving back under the ocean. Katara looked out from behind a rock and saw something terrible coming towards Kyoshi island: Zuko's Fire Navy Ship. "Zuko!" she said as the ship stopped at Kyoshi shore. Zuko, Trunks, and many fire soldiers were soon riding Kumodo Rhinos down the ship's stairs as Zuko said "I want the Avatar alive!" Katara hid behind a rock with Aang who was still unconscious as the Fire soldiers passed them and headed towards Kyoshi village.
"Wake up Aang!" she said as she laid him against a rock. She then moved her hand from his stomach to his mouth, bending the water inside him into her hand. The Avatar coughed as he regained consciousness and spoke to his friend. "Katara..." the waterbender smiled at the airbender. "Don't ride the Unagi, not fun."
At the Village, the Kyoshi warriors were still training, so was Gohan while Suki was still sparing with Sokka in the dojo. She threw one final strike at him which he blocked. "Not bad." complemented Suki while she smiled as did Sokka. Suddenly the village elder came to the dojo and cried "Firebenders have landed on our shores! Girls, come quickly!" Suki ran off while Sokka hesitated. "Hey, I'm not a...oh, whatever!" said Sokka as Momo jumped off his shoulder before he ran after the Kyoshi leader.
Gohan was still doing martial arts when he noticed the villagers hurrying into their homes while the Kyoshi warriors were running outside. When he saw Sokka and Suki running, he ran after them. After catching up to Sokka, he tapped his shoulder and asked "Sokka, what's going on?" "Fire Nation! They're here!" replied Sokka. "It's probably Zuko and Trunks hunting Aang again!" said Gohan before he turned to Suki and said "Suki, tell your warriors not to confront the lavendared haired fire prince when I'm around!"
"Why? Who's that?" asked Suki.
"He's an energy bender and a fighter like me! I want to take him alone!" said Gohan. Suki nodded as all the warriors spread out to their hiding places. The Fire Nation were at the foot of the village, all the villagers were hiding in their homes as the sun began to set. "Come out Avatar!" ordered Prince Zuko. "You can't hide from me forever!"
"If you surrender peacefully we will not harm the villagers or your friends!" said Prince Trunks trying to negotiate. "But if you resist, we will use force!"
After waiting for a few minutes and the Avatar didn't appear, Zuko said "Find him!" sending his men to search the village. The Fire Soldiers were storming through the village on Kumodo Rhinos looking for their target. In the shadows, the Kyoshi warriors were opening their fans and sneaking around their enemies, surrounding them.
One of the Fire Soldiers was suddenly knocked off his Rhino by a Kyoshi warrior. Another Soldier tried to jab one of the warriors with his spear but she deflected it with her fan and jumped onto his Rhino before kicking him off it. Suki jumped off one rhino and charged at the rhino Zuko was on, the angry jerk shot two fireballs at her which she avoided by jumping into the air. Zuko glared at her before using his rhino's tail to knock Suki down. Zuko attacked his fallen foe with a fire blast, Sokka suddenly jumped in front of Suki and deflected the fire attack as Zuko was suddenly knocked off his rhino by another Kyoshi warrior.
"I guess training's over!" said Sokka to Suki.
Trunks immediately jumped off his rhino, and landed in a circle off five Kyoshi warriors. The first one threw her fan at the prince, his quick reflexes allowed him to grab it in mid air and toss it back at it's owner with greater force that knock her down. The second one tried to kick Trunks but he blocked with his forearm and elbow bashed her down. The third managed to get the jump on Trunks by grabbing his hair and armor before tossing over her shoulder onto the ground, he quickly got up and palm struck the female warrior. The last two warriors (Sokka and Suki) surrounded Trunks and rushed at him. They threw punches and kicks at the lavendar hared prince which he blocked with little effort. "He's as good as Gohan!" thought Suki.
Sokka tried to hand chop Trunks but the energy bender grabbed his wrist before looking closely at his face. "Don't I know you?!" asked Trunks.
"Maybe! I'm the warrior that going to take you down, Kyoshi style!" replied Sokka as he attempted to kick the fire prince, Trunks quickly dodged as he looked at Sokka's face again. "Aren't you the water tribe warrior from the South Pole?! Why are you in a dress?!" asked Trunks.
"This dress is a symbol of bravery and honor!" replied Sokka. "And I'm proud to wear it!"
"Yeah! You'd have to be brave to wear a dress in a fight!" said Trunks. "And what very little honor it takes to defend yourself for wearing it proudly!"
Before Sokka could reply him, Trunks was suddenly kicked in the head by Suki. He staggered a bit as Suki and Sokka closed in on him and kicked him flat on his back. As Trunks looked up Suki and Sokka held out their fans as they kept him at bay. "Give up! You can't win! You'll never have the Avatar!" ordered Suki. "Is that so?" asked Trunks as he smirked. Suddenly the Kyoshi leader was knocked off her feet by a fire attack from an angry Prince Zuko, she fell face down on the ground unconscious.
"Suki!" cried Sokka as he looked away from Trunks. The scarred Prince qiuckly got up and handchopped the Kyoshi trainee before kicking him in the gut and elbow bashing his head, knocking him out. He suddenl sensed someone attacking as a shadow loomed over him. He looked up to see Gohan coming down on him with his sword drawn. Trunks quickly brought his own sword wnd blocked the attack. "Gohan! I was hoping you'd be here; otherwise I wouldn't get a challenge!" said Trunks as he smirked. "Oh, I'll give you a real challenge!" replied Gohan as he swung again. Trunks blocked the strike before slashing a his opponent. Gohan blocked his slash and tried jab Trunks, but the Prince avoide the attack and kicked Gohan down away from himself. He then fire an energy blast at the spiky haired teen who rolled out of it's path and stood up.
Trunks continued to fire numerous blasts which Gohan deflected by swinging his sword multiple times before rushing towards his foe and swinging his blade at him, resuming their sword fight. The two energy benders continued to slash at each other until Zuko shot a fireball at Gohan, forcing him to back away.
"If the Avatar's brother is here, then so is the Avatar!" said Zuko as he recognized Gohan. "Tell me wher he is!"
"Like I told you before, if you want him you have to get past me!" replied Gohan.
"So be it!" said Zuko as he shot more fire attacks at Gohan. The energy bender extended his hand towards the roaring flames and created a kiai to dissolve the flames. This however left him open to Trunks' assualt as the Prince swung his sword at Gohan. Instinctively Gohan managed to dodge the first slash only recieving a cut on his right cheek and block the secong one. As he and Trunks pushed against each other with their strengths, Zuko jumped over them and landed behind Gohan just as Trunks backed away from him.
The two Princes fired their attacks at the spiky haired fighter, but quickly jumped into the air to avoid the combo attack. The fire attack and the energy blast colliding created a big flaming explosion that stretched towards the air just under Gohan's right boot. "Whew, that was close!" thought Gohan before he noticed another ki blast from Trunks' hand coming at him.
Acting quickly, Gohan threw his sword into the sky and clamped his hands together; he swung at the energy blast, sending it back at the energy bender that fired it. Trunks crossed his arms over his face in order to block the attack. Zuko then shot three more fire blasts at Gohan which he dodged ans he descended towards the ground, he then took a big breath and blew towards the son of the Fire Lord. Zuko was hit with a strong force that sent him colliding into Trunks. (A/N: Incase you didn't know, Gohan originally does have a super breath. In this fic most of his attacks are use to manipulate air like an airbender. So think of every air type or invisible energy attack that the Z fighters have used so far, cause those are the moves Gohan will be using until further notice.) The princes quickly got up as Gohan's sword fell back into his hand. The black haired energy bender then swung his sword, sending another gale force at his opponents who crossed their arms to withstand it.
Using their distraction to his advantage, Gohan charged at Zuko and kicked him in the gut which knocked him a few feet away. He then threw his sword at Trunks' hand, knocking his sword away and punching him in the face. Trunks quickly grabbed Gohan's wrist and tossed him into a building as their swords landed blade first in the ground. Trunks then jumped at his enemy and tried to punched him, but Gohan quickly rolled away causing Trunks to punch the side of a house.
Gohan tried to elbow bash Trunks but the prince blocked it with his knee. Trunks threw another punch at Gohan which he blocked with his own punch. The two fighters then began trading blows until they punched each other in the face. Trunks recovered first and uppercut Gohan in the chin. Gohan quickly countered with a handstand and kicked Trunks' face with both his feet. The Prince retaliated by kicking Gohan in the face, and Gohan repaided him with a skull bash to the forehead. The two backed away from each other to catch their breaths.
"Give up! You can't stop us from claiming our prize!" said Trunks.
"He's not a prize! He's my brother, and I won't let you take him away from!" replied Gohan.
"You're a stubborn one I'll give you that, but you're not strong enough to stop us!" said Trunks.
"Is that right?!" asked Gohan.
"It is!" answered Zuko from behind Gohan.
The black haired fighter turned around to see the angry jerk launch a big fire ball at his Trunks fired a large energy blast at his front. Now completely cornered, Gohan crossed his arms over his face. The attacks crashed into Gohan, engulfing him in a blazing combustion. When the explosion ended, the princes were surprised to see their opponent still standing unharmed; protected by a gold energy dome.
Gohan smirked as he said "Nice try, but it's my turn!" He then lowered his dome, he then backflipped over the angry jerk and leveled his hand at him. He shouted "Hyaa!" as he created a large kiai that knocked Zuko into the side of a building where he fell uncoscious. "Zuko!" cried Trunks before he glared at Gohan and said "You're going to pay for that!" He then fired another ki blast at Gohan who jumped into the air to avoid it. When Gohan looked down he saw his opponents arms were extended towards him while in a diamond shape. "Take this! BURNING ATTACK!" shouted Trunks as he fired a gold beam at Gohan; the spiky haired teen crossed his arms in defence. The blast collided with Gohan creating an explosion that sent him hurling towards into a small house that collapsed on him.
"That was hardly a challenge," said Trunks as he turmed to leave, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from behind him. He then around and saw Gohan jump out of the pile of wood with his hands positioned over his head. "TRY THIS, MASENKO...HA!" cried Gohan as he fired his own gold beam at his foe. The beam hit Trunks in the chest and tossed him into the dojo which collapsed on him.
"Phew." said Gohan as he wiped his forehead. "It's over."
He suddenly saw Trunks' fist smash through the wood pile seconds before the prince himself walked out. His chestplate was cracked from Gohan's last attack. His hair was loose after losing his hair tie, blood dripped from his mouth, and his elbows and knees were exposed. Gohan wasn't a better state, his orange top shirt was torn revealing his blue T shirt, blood slid from his forehead and his arns were bruised. The two stared at each other for some time before Trunks said "It seems our fight isn't over yet."
"I guess not." replied Gohan.
"Well then, shall we proceed?"askes Trunks as he took a stance.
"Let's go!" said Gohan as he took his own stance. The two fighters charged at each other with their fists ready, Gohan tried to punch Trunks but his fist was grabbed. Trunks then tried to punch Gohan but his fist was also grabbed. The energy benders glared at each other while trying to overtake their standoff.
Elsewhere, Prince Zuko regained consciousness in time to see that he was surrounded by Suki, Sokka, and one more Kyoshi warrior. They recently woke up and left Gohan to handle Trunks while they dealt with Zuko. Acting quickly, Zuko stood on his hands and twisted his body, creating a fire spin attack. It knocked the third Kyoshi warrior into one of the homes and Suki into the side of a cabin. Sokka managed to dodge Zuko's attack by jumping by was eventually knocked off his feet as Zuko got back on his.
"Nice try Avatar, but these little girls can't save you! And niether can your brother!" said Zuko.
"Hey! Over here!" a voice called from behind the fire prince.
Zuko turned around and saw Aang standing with his staff, ready to do battle. "Finally!" Zuko said anxiously. He then shot two fire strikes at the Airbender. Aang quickly dodged them and jumped towards Zuko, but before he could attack Zuko fire kicked his staff out of his hands. Reacting quickly, Aang jumped away and picked up two Kyoshi warrior fans. Zuko charged angrily at Aang as he growled, the Avatar gave a mighty yell as he swung the fans; creating a giant air wave that blew Zuko into a house. He then turned and saw his brother still struggling with the other prince. "Gohan, move!" cried Aang as he ran towards them.
Using his head, Gohan skull bashed Trunks' forehead forcing the lavendar haired teen to recoil while Gohan jumped back. Aang swung his fans again at the same time Gohan extended his hand at Trunks, together they unleashed a strong gust of wind that threw Trunks into another home that collapsed on him. Although he was victorious, the Avatar had a look of disappointment.
"Thanks for the help, but I probably could've taken him myself." said Gohan before he saw his brother's face. "Aang? You ok?"
"No." replied Aang as he left to get his glider and Gohan left to help tue Kyoshi warriors. After picking up his glider, and flew above the island. He saw many damaged homes, fire everywhere, all from the fire nation coming to this island for him. He looked behind himself and saw the Avatar Kyoshi statue on fire. His face grew more depressed as he continued to fly.
"Get inside." said Katara to some children before Aang landed beside her.
"Look what I brought to this place." said Aang.
"It's not your fault." assured Katara.
"Yes it is. These peopl got their town destroyed trying to protect me." argued the young monk.
"Then let's get out of here." suggested the waterbender. "Zuko will leave Kyoshi to follow us. I know it seems wrong to run, but I think it's the only way."
"I'll call Appa." the Avatar said in agreement sadly.
The Kyoshi warriors were still fending off Zuko's army while Gohan, Suki, and Sokka were hiding. The energy bender looked around to make sure they were clear to leave. When two fire benders were about to attack them, Gohan quickly hit them with a strong kiai that blew them away. "If we're going say our goodbyes, we need to be fast. We need to escape before this town burns to the ground." warned Gohan as he blew away more fire soldiers.
"There's no time to say goodbye!" argued Suki.
"What about I'm sorry?" asked Sokka.
"For what?" asked Suki.
"Being a jerk? Being yourself?" joked Gohan.
"Not helping!" said Sokka to his friend before addressing Suki. "I treated you like a girl when I should've treated you like a warrior, like Gohan did."
"I am a warrior," said Suki before she kissed Sokka's cheek. "But I'm a girl too." The water tribesman blushed as he touched his cheek. Gohan smiled as he turned around and offered his hand to the Kyoshi leader. "Thanks for sparring with me, I hope we mert again Suki." said the energy bender. Suki didn't shake his hand, instead she pecked him on the cheek as well and said "I'd be willing to spar with you again anytime Gohan. You too Sokka." as she smiled at the boys.
The boys looked at each other before smiling at Suki while blushing. "Now get out of here! We'll hold them off!" ordered Suki as the Kyoshi continued to battle the Fire Nation. Sokka and Momo got on Appa's saddle where Aang and Katara were waiting while Gohan got on Icarus. "Appa, yip yip!" ordered Aang. The sky bison and the magic dragon soon took to the skies, leaving the burning Kyoshi. On the ground, Trunks helped his fellow prince to his feet when they noticed their target escaping. "Back to the Ship! Don't lose sight of them!" Zuko ordered as he ran off.
"You heard the man, let's move!" shouted Trunks as he followed Zuko onto the Rhinos. The fire soldiers followed soon after. In the air, Katara was trying to comfort Aang about leaving Kyoshi. "I know it's hard but you did the right thing. Zuko would've destroyed the whole place if we stayed, they're gonna be ok Aang." Suddenly Aang had a determined look on his face and jumped off Appa. "What are you doing?!" asked Katara.
The Avatar landed in the water while his friends watched with worry. Suddenly the Unagi emerged from the ocean with Aang hanging from it's whiskers, he then pulled on it's whiskers as he directed it's head towards the village. The Unagi spray a giant wave of water that rained on the village, putting out the fire. The Fire Nation were also rained on which made Zuko angry as they were soaked. Aang then jumped off the Unagi into the air where Appa grabbed him. The elder of Kyoshi watched as the two beasts left Kyoshi with their passengers and said "Thank you Avatar." as he smiled.
"I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous." said Aang as he climbed into Appa's saddle and sat down.
"Yes it was." agreed Katara while smiling. She suddenly hugged the young monk which made him smile.
"Nice one Aang." said Gohan as the gang continued their journey.
A/N: Ok. Now to move on to the next chapter. Just to inform my readers, if the next chapters don't appear after a week or so it means I'm having trouble posting them, not that I've stopped writing. See you next time.
TTFN AntiHero out!